Fermentation immediately commenced with great violence, and continued seven days. The liquor submitted to distillation, with the husks, yielded nine litres of a weak and empyreumatic liquid, which, being passed again through the still, furnished 16 decititres of an alcohol at 16 degrees, which comes to nine decilitres tt 40 degrees. These nine decilitres, weighing 23 ounces, and 24 pounds of barley not germinated, containing only five ounces of sugar, it follows, that four times more alcohol was formed than there was sugar in this farina. Lavoisier, however, asserts that 100 pounds of sugar furnish only 58 pounds of alcohol. 7th, Twenty-four pounds of germinated and ground barley, made to ferment under the same circumstances as barley not germinated, presented the same phenomena, and only varied in their products. There were two litres 0.3 1 of alcohol at 40 degrees, which makes five pounds of alcohol for a quintal of barley, or three times more alcohol than there was sugar; and this answers to the produce of barley not germinated. "It must be concluded from these résults that it is some other substance than sugar which is converted into alcohol, although sugar is indispen sable to its production and to the establishment of fermentation. "8th, Two pounds of tarina of bolted wheat, mixed with six pounds of water at 60° (1-10° F.) remained six hours without motion. The next day, after having remarked the swelling of the mass, we placed the matrass upon a sand-bath a little heated, and added water to favour the disengagement of the gas. We obtained hydrogen gas twice larger in volume than carbonic acid. The vessel, having been taken off the sand-bath, the temperature having decreased to 149 (57° of F.) the fermentation all at once stopped. The liquid, when submitted to distillation, did not yield alcohol, but an acid liquor. "The farina of wheat, therefore, does not form alcohol by fermentation; yeast is indispensable for this fermentation, although it does not enter into the composition of alco hol; by accelerating the alcoholic fermentation, it opposes the forma tion of vinegar. When, on the contrary, the fermentation is very slow, the alcohol becomes acetous in proportion as it is formed; perhaps even then sugar and the other fermenting substances pass into the acid state without acoholizing." New PROCESS for clearing FEATHERS from their ANIMAL OIL. [Inserted in the TRANSACTIONS of the SOCIETY of ARTS, COMMERCE, &C.] "TAK AKE for every gallon of clean water, one pound of quick-lime; mix them well toge ther, and when the undissolved Jine is precipitated in fine powder, pour off the clear lime-water for use, at the time it is wanted. "Put the feathers to be cleared in another tub, and add to them a quantity of the clear lime water, sufficient sufficient to cover the feathers about three inches when well immersed and stirred about therein. "The feathers, when thoroughly moistened, will sink down, and should remain in the lime-water three or four days, after which the foul liquor should be separated from the feathers by laying them on a sieve. "The feathers should be afterwards well washed in clean water and dried upon, nets; the meshes about the fineness of cabbage-acts. "The feathers must from time to time be shaken upon the nets, and as they dry will fall through the meshes, and are to be collected for use. "The admission of air will be serviceable in the drying. The whole process will be completed in about three weeks; after being prepared as above mentioned, they will only require beating for use. "Mr. Jolly, poulterer, of Charing-cross, attended a committee of the society appointed to inspect the feathers, and stated that Mrs. Richardson had bought from him forty pounds weight of feathers, in the state they were plucked from dead geese, and in such a condition that if they had been kept in the bag only four days, without being cleansed, they would have been very offensive; that the feathers exhibited by Mrs. Richardson appear to be the same he had sold her, but they were now in a much cleaner state, and seemed perfectly cleared from their animal oil. The committee, in order to authenticate more fully the merits of Mrs. Richardson's process, requested Mr. Grant, a con siderable dealer in feathers, to furnish some specimens of feathers of different kinds in an unclean state, to be cleansed by Mrs. Richardson; in consequence whereof an application was made to Mr. Grant, and the following letter re ceived from him : "SIR,--I take the liberty of sending herewith three samples of featiers, on which the experiments may be tried; but should the quantity not be sufficient, on being favoured with your commands, shall with pleasure send any quantity necessary. "The bag No. 1, contains the commonest feathers we ever make use of it is a Russian produce of various wild fowl; No. 2, grap Dantzick goose; No. 3, a superior kind of Dantzick goose. The two first are in their raw state, just taken out of the bags in which they were imported; the last have been stoved the usual time (three days), but retain their une Should it not be pleasant smell. considered giving you too much trouble, shall be extremely obliged by your favouring me with a line when the experiment has bee made, and I shall be happy in waiting upon you to know the result. I am respectfully, &c. No. 226, THOMAS GRANT.' "After the feathers last mentioned were sent back by Mrs. Richardson, Mr. Grant attended to exaraine them, and declared that they ap peared to be perfectly well cleared. "Certificates from Mr. Christo pher Bushnan, No. 10, Beaufortrow, Chelsea, and from Mr. W. Baily, testified to the efficacy of Mrs. Richardson's process." Now New METHOD of CLEANSING SILK, WOOLLEN, and COTTON GOODS without damage to the TEXTURE OF COLOUR. 1 By Mrs. ANN MORRIS. [From the Same.], AKE raw potatoes, in the state they are taken out of the earth, wash them well, then rub themona grater over avessel of clean water to a fine pulp, pass the liquid matter through a coarse sieve into another tub of clear water; let the mixture stand till the fine white particles of the potatoes are precipitated, then pour the mucilaginous liquor from the fecula, and preserve this liquor for use. The article to be cleaned should then be laid upon a linen cloth on a table, and having provided a clean sponge, dip the sponge in the potatoe-liquor, and apply the sponge thus wet upon the article to be cleaned, and rub it well upon it with repeated portions of the potatoe-liquor, till the dirt is perfectly separated; then wash the article in clean water several times, to remove the loose dirt; it may afterwards be smoothed or dried. "Two middle-sized potatoes will be sufficient for a pint of water. "The white fecula which separates in making the mucilaginous liquor will answer the purpose of tapioca, will make an useful nonrishing food with soup or milk, or serve to make starch and hair-powder. "The coarse pulp which does not pass the sieve is of great use in cleaning worsted curtains, tapestry, carpets, or other coarse goods. The mucilaginous liquor of the potatoes will clean all sorts of silk, cotton, or woollen goods, without hurting the texture of the article, or spoiling the colour. "It is also useful in cleansing oil paintings, or furniture that is soiled. 66 Dirty painted wainscots may be cleaned by wetting a sponge in the liquor, then dipping it in a little fine clean sand, and afterwards rubbing the wainscot therewith. "Various experiments were made by Mrs. Morris in the presence of a committee, at the Society's house: the whole process was performed before them upon fine and coarse goods of different fabrics, and to their satisfaction." POETRY. POETRY. ODE FOR THE NEW YEAR. By HENRY JAMES PYE, Esq. POET LAUREAT, W HEN ardent zeal for virtuous fame, His deeds of valour to record; And weak the boldest flight of Fancy's wing:- Upborne by worth th' immortal Chief shall rise, Of seraphs, list'ning from th' empyreal sphere, For though the Muse in all unequal strain* From Gaul, Iberia, and Batavia won; Th' Egyptian coast, while Albion's genius guides When Glory shines the leading star;- The fervid source of heat and light, Though veil'd awhile from mortal sight, Alluding to a poem called Naucratia, written by the author, and dedicated by permission to his Majesty. + Copenhagen. POETRY. In orient climes with brighter radiance shine, And shine with clearer light, and glow with fiercer fire. From Europe's shores th' insidious train, Rapid across th' Atlantic fly To Isles that stud the western main; There proud their conqu'ring banners seem to rise, His victor-flag immortal Nelson rears; Fly the strong eagle o'er th' ethereal space, The Gallic barks the billowy deep divide, Their conquests lost in air, o'erwhelm'd in shame their pride, The hour of vengeance comes-by Gades' tow'rs, The godlike warrior on the adverse Pow'rs Terrific as th' electric bolt that flies With fatal shock athwart the thund'ring skies, On man's presuming offspring driven, Full on the scatter'd foe he hurls his fires, Performs the dread behest, and in the flash expires But not his fame-While chiefs who bleed With glory's amaranthine wreath, Each youth of martial hopes shall feel With emulative wish thy trophies see, And heroes, yet unborn, shall Britain owe to thee. ODE |