are always in great demand, and fetch exorbitant prices. Of preceding vintages, those of 1802, 1800, 1783, 1779, 1766, 1748, and 1726, are reckoned among the best. That of 1783, in particular, is the most highly esteemed of any in the last century.

"At the head of the Rhinegau wines is the Johannisberger, grown on the south side of the hill of that name, a little below Mentz, which was first planted by the monks of the abbey of Johannisberg, about the end of the eleventh century. The soil is composed of the debris of various coloured stratified marble. The grapes are gathered as late as possible. The choicest produce is called Schoss-Johannisberger, and is indebted for its celebrity to its high flavour and perfume, and the almost total absence of acidity. Formerly the best exposures of the hill were the property of the BISHOP of FULDA, and it was only by favour that a few bottles of the prime vintages could be obtained from his lordship's cellars. On the secularization of the ccclesiastical states, the PRINCE of ORANGE became possessor of the domain; and latterly it has been transferred to PRINCE VON METTERNICH. During these changes, a considerable quantity of the wine has come into the market; but a portion of that which grows at the foot of the hill is always to be had; and even this is preferable in point of flavour to most of the other Rhine wines, and bears a high price.

"Next to Johannisberger may be rank ed the produce of the Steinberg vineyard, which belonged to the suppressed monastery of Eberbach, and is now the property of the GRAND DUKE of NASSAU. It is the strongest of all the Rhine wines, and, in favourable years, has much sweetness and delicacy of flavour. That of 1811 is compared by RITTER to the drier kind of Lunel, and has been sold on the spot as high as five and a half florins, or half a guinea the bottle. The quantity made is about three hundred hogsheads, of which sixty are of first-rate quality. Some persons, however, give the preference to the Rüdesheimer wine, which grows on the hill opposite to Bingen. The rock here is composed of micaceous schist, in many places entirely denuded; and the acclivity is so steep, that it has been necessary to form great part of it into terraces, and to carry up in baskets the requisite quantity of vegetable mould and manure. The Orleans grape is chiefly cultivated, yielding a wine which combines a high flavour with much body, and is freer from acidity than most of the other growths of the Rhine. This

may be partly attributed to the favourable exposure, which allows the grapes to ripen fully, and also to the lateness of the vintage, which seldom commences till the end of October, or the beginning of November. The Rüdesheim Hinterhauser, so called from its growing immediately behind the houses of the village, and the Rüdesheimer Berg, or Mountain wines, approach in excellence to the first-rate Johannisberger. An ancient deed, by one of the archbishops of Mentz, shews, that the hills in this neighbourhood were not planted with vines till the year 1074.*

"The vineyard of Grafenberg, which was another appanage of the wealthy convent of Eberbach, but of much less extent than the Steinberg, is still distinguished by the choiceness of its growths. Those of Markebrunne, in the same neighbourhood, and of Rothenberg, near Greisenheim, afford wines which are prized for their softness and delicate flavour.

"All the above-mentioned wines are white. Of red wines, the only kind worthy of notice in the Rhinegau is grown at Asmanshausen, a little below Rüdesheim. In good years it is scarcely inferior to some of the better sorts of Burgundy; but the quantity produced is small, and other wines are often substituted under its name.

"The Hochheimer, as before observed, is, strictly speaking, a Mayn wine; but a corruption of its name has long furnished the appellation by which the first growths of the Rhine are usually designated in this country.+ The two chief vineyards at Hochheim were in former times the property of the Deans of Mentz, and do not exceed 25 or 30 acres in extent; but the surrounding lands yield an abundant produce, which, as in the case of other wines, often passes for the first rate."

I shall conclude with a few separate observations-I had nearly said maxims-with which the Aberdonian himself winds up his volume. Most of them cannot be too carefully laid up in the mind, nor too diligently acted upon in the cellar of the reader.

"1. Among the brisk wines, those of Champagne, though not the strongest, may be considered as the best; and they are certainly the least noxious, even when drunk in considerable quantity. They intoxicate very speedily, probably in consequence of the carbonic acid gas in which they abound, and the volatile state in which their alcohol is held; and the excitement is of a more lively and agreeable character, and shorter duration, than that which is caused by any

other species of wine, and the subsequent exhaustion less. Hence the moderate use of such wines has been found occasionally to assist the cure of hypochondriacal affections and other nervous diseases, where the application of an active and diffusible stimulus was indicated. They also possess marked diuretic powers. The opinion which prevails, that they are apt to occasion gout, seems to be contradicted by the infrequency of that disorder in the province where they are made; but they are generally admitted to be prejudicial to those habits in which that disorder is already formed, especially if it has originated from addiction to stronger liquors. With respect to this class of wines, however, it is to be observed, that they are too often drunk in a raw state, when, of course, they must prove least wholesome; and that, in conse.. quence of the want of proper cellars, and other causes which accelerate their consumption, they are very rarely kept long enough to attain their perfect maturity. It is also worthy of notice, that, in order to preserve their sweetness, and promote effervescence, the manufacturers of Champagne commonly add to each bottle a portion of syrup, composed of sugar-candy and cream of tartar; the highly frothing kinds receiving the largest quantity. Therefore, contrary to the prevailing opinion, when the wine sparkleth in the glass, and moveth itself aright,' it is most to be avoided, unless the attributes of age should countervail all its noxious properties. (I doubt extremely as to some part of this, Doctor.)

"2. The red wines of Burgundy are distinguished by greater spirituosity, and a powerful aroma. Owing, perhaps, to the predominance of the latter principle, they are much more heating than many other wines which contain a larger proportion of alcohol. Though in the time of LOUIS XIV. they were prescribed in affections of the chest, no physician of the present day would dream of giving them in such cases. The exhilaration, however, which they cause, is more innocent than that resulting from the use of heavier wines. The better sorts may be sometimes administered with advantage in disorders where stimulant and sub-astringent tonics are required. The same observation will apply to the wines of the Rhone, and the lighter red wines of Spain and Portugal. Euge, Doctor!)

3. Possessing less aroma and spirit, but more astringency than the produce of the Burgundy vineyards, the growths of the Bordelais are, perhaps, of all kinds, the safest for daily use; as they rank among the most perfect light wines, and do not excite intoxication so readily as most others. They have, indeed, been condemned by some writers, as productive of gout; but, I apprehend, without much reason. That with those persons who are in the practice

of soaking large quantities of Port and Madeira, an occasional debauch in Claret may bring on a gouty paroxysm, is very possible; but the effect is to be ascribed chiefly to the transition from a strong brandied wine to a lighter beverage,—a transition almost always followed by a greater or less derangement of the digestive organs. Besides, we must recollect, that the liquor which passes under the denomination of Claret is generally a compounded wine. It is, therefore, unfair to impute to the wines of the Bordelais those mischiefs which, if they do arise in the manner alleged, are probably, in most instances, occasioned by the admixture of other vintages of less wholesome quality. (Quite right all this, my dear Doctor.)

4. The wines of Oporto, which abound in the astringent principle, and derive additional potency from the brandy added to them previously to exportation, may be serviceable in disorders of the elementary canal, where gentle tonics are required. But the gallic acid renders them unfit for weak stomachs; and what astringent virtues they shew will be found in greater perfection in the wines of Alicant and Rota, which contain more tannin and less acid. The excitement they induce is of a more sluggish nature than that attending the use of the purer French wines, and does not enliven the fancy in the same degree. As a frequent beverage they are unquestionably much more pernicious. (True again, my good man.)

5. For a long time the vintages of Spain, and particularly the SACKS, proper ly so called, were preferred to all others for medicinal purposes. The wines of Xerez still recommend themselves by the almost total absence of acidity. (Well said, canny Aberdeen.)

6. Of all the strong wines, however, those of Madeira, when of good quality, seem the best adapted to invalids; being equally spiritous as Sherry, but possessing a more delicate flavour and aroma, and, though often slightly acidulous, agreeing better with dyspeptic habits. Some have thought them beneficial in cases of atonic gout, probably without much cause; for, whenever a disposition to inflammatory disorders exists, the utility of any sort of fermented liquor is very doubtful. (All this is doubtful, Doctor.)

"7. The lighter wines of the Rhine, and those of the Moselle, are much more refrigerant than any of the preceding, and are frequently prescribed, in the countries where they grow, with a view to their diuretic properties. In certain species of fever, accompanied by a low pulse and great nervous exhaustion, they have been found to possess considerable efficacy, and may certainly be given with more safety than most other kinds; as the proportion of al. cohol is small, and its effects are modera

ted by the presence of free acids. They are also said to be of service in diminishing obesity. (Did you ever see the late King of Westphalia, Doctor?)

"8. It is difficult to conjecture on what circumstances the ancients founded their belief in the innocuous qualities of sweet wines, contrasted with the drier and more fully fermented kinds. They may not intoxicate so speedily, and, as they cloy sooner upon the palate, are, perhaps, generally drunk in greater moderation. When new, they are exceedingly apt to disorder the stomach; and, when used too freely, they produce all the same effects as the heavier dry wines. In their more perfect state, they may answer the purpose of agreeable and useful cordials; but, as the excess of saccharine matter retards their stimulant operation, they ought always to be taken in small quantities at a time." (Sweet wines are little to the taste of anything above a Miss, Doctor. I can tolerate one glass of Cyprus, but no more.)

Farewell, then, for the present, to the great historian of Wine. I seriously, and to the exclusion of all puffery and balaam, consider his book as an honour to him--to Aberdeen, which nursed his youth-to Edinburgh, which gave him his well-merited degree and to London, which has enjoyed the countenance of his manhood and as a great gift to the public at large, destined, I fondly hope, to profit widely and deeply by the diffusion of his studious labours. Two centuries ago, Lord Bacon declared that a good history of wine was among the grand desiderata of litera ture: Such it has ever since continued to be; but proud and consolatory is the reflection, that we are the contemporaries of a Henderson, and that such it can never again be esteemed, unless, indeed, some awful worldshaking revolution shall peradventure pass once more over the races of mankind, and bury the bright and buoyant splendours of Champagne, the balmy glutinous mellow glories of Burgundy, the elastic never-cloying luxury of Claret, the pungent blessedness of Hock, and the rich racy smack

of the mother of Sherry, beneath the same dark and impenetrable shades which now invest the favourite beverages of the prima virorum.

"The Massic, Setine, and renowned Falerne."

It will strike every one as odd, that I should have gone through an article of this length without once alluding to the very existence of-PUNCH Reader, the fault is not Dr Henderson's-no, nor is it mine. The fact is, that punch-drinking and wine-drinking are two entirely different sciences, and that while, in regard to the latter, Dr Henderson has written a book, and I a review of it in Blackwood, it seems by no manner of means improbable that, as touching the other, we may be destined to exchange these roles-I to compose the history of that most imperial of all fluids, and he, if it so pleases him, to comment upon my labours in the pages of "My Grandmother's review-the British."

My work will probably be rather a shorter one than the Doctor's. Say what we will about the other arts and sciences, it must at least be admitted that there are three things whereon, and appropriately, the moderns do most illustriously vaunt themselves, and whereof the godlike men of Old were utterly ignorant and inexperienced. I allude to gunpowder, the press, and the punchbowl, the three best and most efficient instruments, in so far as my limited faculties enable me to form an opinion, for the destruction of the three worst and most disgusting of our annoyances in this sublunary sphereI mean Duns-Whigs-and Blue Devils: Wishing to which trio everything that is their due, and everything that is stomachic, invigorative, stimulant, and delightful to yourself, I remain, dear Mr North, your humble and obliged servant, and affectionate friend,

M. ODOHERTY.
Eltrive Lake, July 4th, 1824.

wines Canary, Malmsey, and Verdona; which all go under the denomination of Sacks. To get rid of the difficulty which thus arises, MR NARES has recourse to the supposition, that Sack was a common name for all white wines. But it has been already shewn, that the appellation was originally confined to the growths of Spain; and if it had been used to designate white wines in general, there can be no reason why it should not have been applied to those of France or Candia, which were then imported in large quantity. If, again, we suppose that the name denoted a sweet wine, we shall be equally at a loss to dis. cover the circumstances which could have given rise to such a distinction between it and the other kinds then in use; not to mention that such an application of the term would have been wholly at variance with the etymology as above deduced. A more particular examination of the characters assigned to Sack by the few writers who have described it, will perhaps enable us to reconcile these discrepancies, and remove much of the perplexity in which the question has hitherto been involved.

:

"In the first place, we are told by VENNER, that Sacke is completely hot in the third degree, and of thin parts, and therefore it doth vehemently and quickly heat the body wherefore the much and untimely use of it doth overheat the liver, inflame the blood, and exsiccate the radical humour in lean and dry bodies.' This description accords with the epithet sprightly,' which is given to it in some verses published in 1641, and sufficiently proves, that it could not have been of a thick luscious quality, like most of the dessertwines then in vogue. That, however, it was a liquor of considerable strength and body, may be inferred from a subsequent passage of the last-mentioned work, where it is extolled as the elixir of wine ;-an expression apparently borrowed from one of BEN JONSON's plays. HERRICK, again, calls it a frantic liquor ;'-expatiating, with rapture, on its witching beauties, generous blood,' &c.; and most of the dramatic writings of the age contain frequent allusions to its enlivening virtues and other fascinating properties. Had there been nothing new or uncommon in the nature of the wine, it could hardly have excited such extravagant admiration, or come into such universal request, at a time when our countrymen were already familiar with the choicest vintages from almost all parts of the globe.

The practice which prevailed of mix ing sugar with Sack has been thought by most persons to indicate a dry wine, such as Rhenish or Sherry. DR DRAKE, indeed, is of a contrary opinion, alleging, that there would be no humour in FALSTAFF's well-known jeɛt on Sack and su

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gar, if the liquor had not been of the sweet kind. But on this point little stress can be laid; as at that time it was a general custom with the English to add sugar to their wines. The testimony of VENNER, however, who has discussed the question, whether Sack be best to be taken with sugar or without, clearly points to a dry wine. Some,' he observes, affect to drinke Sacke with sugar, and some without, and upon no other ground, as I thinke, but that, as it is best pleasing to their pallates. I will speake what I deeme thereof, and I thinke I shall well satisfie such as are judicious. Sacke, taken by itself, is very hot, and very penetrative: being taken with sugar, the heat is both somewhat allayed, and the penetrative quality thereof also retardated. Wherefore let this be the conclusion: Sacke taken by itself, without any mixture of sugar, is best for them that have cold stomackes, and subject to the obstructions of it, and of the meseraicke veines. But for them that are free from such obstructions, and fear lest that the drinking of sacke, by reason of the penetrative faculty of it, might distemper the liver, it is best to drinke with sugar; and so I leave every man that understandeth his owne state of body, to be his own director herein." "

"Sack was used as a generic name for the wines in question: but occasionally the growths were particularly specified. Thus, in one of the scenes in The Second Part of K. Henry IV.' we have a laboured panegyric by FALSTAFF on the attributes of Sherris-sack, or dry Sherry; and for a long time the words Sack and Sherry were used indiscriminately for each other. In like manner, we frequently read of Canary Sack, and find the latter term sometimes employed to express that particular wine; although it differed materially from Sherry in quality, and scarcely came within the description of a dry wine. Canarie wine,' says VENNER, which beareth the name of the islands from whence it is brought, is of some termed a Sacke, with this adjunct sweete, but yet very improperly, for it differeth not onely from Sacke, in sweetnesse and pleasantnesse of taste, but also in colour and consistence; for it is not so white in colour as Sacke, nor so thin in substance; wherefore it is more nutritive than Sacke, and lesse penetrative. It is best agreeable to cold constitutions, and for old bodies, so that they be not too impensively cholericke; for it is a wine that will quickly enflame, and therefore very hurtfull unto hot and cholericke bodies, especially if they be young.' This passage is the more deserving of attention, as it not only illustrates the nature of the Canary wine in use at the commencement of the seventeenth century, but shews that there were considerable dif ferences in the quality of the wines which bore the general name of SACKS, and thus