with the sirup some substances which run at a boiling heat, and diffuse themselves through the sirup, and, on cooling, are concentrated, and deposited with the other floating substances which they carry down with them. The white of eggs, bullocks' blood, and milk, are the substances generally employed by sugarmakers, and sugar-refiners, for clarifying their sirups. Within these twenty years the application of animal charcoal has been introduced in the sugar-refiners' trade, and its extraordinary power of abstracting colour and smell from vegetable matter in a fluid state, is becoming daily more known and used in the arts. Vegetable charcoal possesses the same property, but in an inferior degree. All animal matter may be used to produce charcoal; but the bones of animals are in general used for the pur pose. As the ivory-black of the shops, however, is frequently adulterated, and as a cast-iron cylinder built into a furnace, and a few pieces of iron-pipe, are all the apparatus required for preparing it, the sugar-maker very generally makes his own charcoal. The beet-root sugar-maker has adopted the use of it from the sugar-refiner; and in this, as in other parts of the process, experience must direct him in the quantity to be used. When the sirup has been well mixed, and stirred, while boiling, with the animal charcoal, it is allowed to cool a little, before adding the clarifying substances. In this state the sirup will be of a dark grey or blackish colour, from the charcoal suspended in it; and if a little of it is poured out, between the eye and the light, the particles of charcoal will be seen floating in a clear liquid. The white of eggs is too costly to be generally used; and blood or skimmed milk, in the proportion of one part of the former, or two parts of the latter, to one hundred parts of sirup, is generally substituted. The clarifying material (if blood is used, it is generally mixed with an equal quantity of water), is carefully and intimately incorporated with the sirup, which is then brought to boil. After the sirup has briskly boiled up several times, a black stiff scum forms on its surface, which is easily removed; and on taking up a spoonful of the liquor, as a proof, black particles of the charcoal will be found in it, but which quickly subside, and leave above them a clear sirup. The clarifying is then finished, and the sirup can be removed from the kettle, the scum having been taken carefully off, and put

into vessels to settle for twelve hours, and deposite the sediment; for which purpose vessels of a conical shape are convenient. The operation of clarifying, however, does not always go on so successfully. Instead of a thick stiff scum, sometimes only a skin is formed on the surface of the sirup, which mixes with it when the skimming spoon is applied to take it off. This is caused by the sirup being too alkaline. The alkali prevents the diffusion of the albumen of the blood through the sirup, and consequently prevents its clarifying. By applying the test paper, this excess of alkali is discovered, and is remedied by the careful addition of some diluted sulphuric acid, with a new dose of blood or milk, and a renewed boiling. It only remains now to crystallize the sugar. A sirup of the specific gravity of 34 degrees by the areometer, contains still too much water for the sugar to crystallize, and it is necessary therefore to get rid of this water, either by allowing it to evaporate slowly of itself from the sirup, which is poured into flat dishes for this purpose, or to evaporate it by another boiling, or by steam applied to the vessels. By the first method, the pure sirup is put into flat dishes, and the temperature of the place in which they are set, is kept up for a few days, when a crystalline skin forms upon the surface of the sirup. This crystalline skin or crust is broken every two or three days, and mixed with the rest of the sirup, because if left upon its surface, it would prevent the evaporation of the water from what remains. After about three weeks the whole will be crystallized; and if the syrup was good none of it will remain, except what may be drained off by inclining the dishes containing it. If the sirup was not good, it may take much longer time before the crystals form themselves. If the sirup had been badly purified, or if too much of the sulphuric acid remained in it, the crystals formed are so small, that they remain suspended in the sirup, and form a thick mud, from which the sirup does not drain away. There remains, under the most favourable circumstances, a quantity of sirup intimately mixed with the crystals, which is to be got rid of by putting the sugar into stout canvass sacks, and pressing it for 48 hours in a powerful press. When no more sirup can be pressed out of it, if a raw sugar of the best colour is required,

it is passed between fluted rollers, and again subjected to the press; and this may even be repeated; and at last the sugar is spread out upon a clean tinned floor to dry. The sirup obtained is again boiled with charcoal and milk, or blood, and gives an inferior sugar. The other method of evaporating the sirup by boiling is much more expeditious, and is the same process as is followed with the juice of the sugar-cane in the colonies. Skill and experience are required in this process, to avoid burning the sirup, or giving it that peculiar and unpleasant flavour which is called burnt; and experience is required to know when the sirup is concentrated by the boiling to the most favourable point for being poured out and left to crystallize.

It is unnecessary to give in detail directions for doing that which is evidently an operation of practical skill and experience. I have before observed, that no explanations or directions could conduct, or even make intelligible, the ordinary operation of brewing ale, or making cheese, which every clever country girl is notwithstanding practically able to execute. I only aim, in this sketch, to give an idea of the processes to be done in making beet-root sugar, viz. rasping and pressing out the juice, purifying with lime and sulphuric acid, clarifying with animal charcoal, and blood or milk, evaporating and crystallizing the sirup. I do not advise any man, unless by way of amusement, to attempt these processes without personal skill, or the guidance of some person who has been operative for a season in a sugar-work. I would, on the contrary, dissuade any person from attempting to make beet-root sugar without such skill or guidance, because the failure, which could only be attributed fairly to his ignorance or inexperience, would unjustly be attributed to the manufacture itself. But earnestly would I desire to see some gentleman of property lay down thirty or forty acres of beet-root in spring, and in September send to France, to any of the sugar manufacturers at Arras, where it is considered to be well understood, for a foreman, and give him the means of working up this quantity of beet

root.

How many families in these kingdoms would be well contented to use even an inferior sugar at a higher price, if that

sugar was unpolluted with the tears and blood of slaves; if it was produced from our own soil, by the free labour of our own farmers and farm-servants? How many good and pious people in these kingdoms are contributing yearly to emancipate the heathen from ignorance and slavery? One-tenth part of these yearly contributions would suffice to introduce a manufacture into Great Britain, which would abolish the evil of slavery in the Christian world. This is no matter of mere speculation. In the course of fifteen years the manufacture of beet-root sugar has advanced to such importance, that a large proportion of all the sugar consumed by thirty millions of people in France, is home-made sugar, not slave-made sugar. This is a fact never to be lost sight of. No arguments can get the better of it. The cane-sugar itself made no such rapid progress in the first fifteen years after the West India colonies received the sugar-cane. In fifteen years more, we have no doubt that onehalf of all the sugar consumed on the Continent of Europe will be home-made sugar. It is asserted by many, who have not looked narrowly into the subject, that the manufacture of beetroot sugar exists only by extraordinary protection from Government, afforded in the shape of a heavy import-duty on West India sugar. This is not the case. West India sugar pays, and justly pays, an import-duty in France, as it does in England; for why should this species of property not contribute, as all other property does, towards the general expense of government? Why should the proprietor in England, or in France, pay for the West India proprietor his quota towards the revenue of the state? On just principles, an import-duty is levied on this species of property. It is not a duty made heavier for the sake of favouring beet-root sugar. The retail price of sugar is not dearer in France than it is in England; and beet-root sugar advances rapidly, with no other protective duty than what is levied as a just quota from that kind of property. If there was any good policy in protective duties, a protective duty in favour of a home-made article, become almost a necessary of life, and against an article raised by means contrary to every humane and religious feeling, would be good policy; but no protection is required. Time, and a very short time, will make the Continent of Europe independent of colonial sugar.

Russia, Austria and Bavaria are advancing rapidly in the number of establishments for sugar-making. This country may be the last to attempt the manufacture; but when it is begun, we shall not be surprised to see home-made sugar sold at a price far above its relative value, as compared to West India sugar; there being a very great proportion of the consumers of sugar in Great Britain, who would gladly pay for the moral as well as for the saccharine quality of such sugar, if they could find it to purchase.

NOTE ON THE COMMERCIAL SYSTEM OF FRANCE, AS AFFECTING THE MANUFACTURE OF BEET-ROOT SUGAR.

We can assure our esteemed correspondent, that since his first

interesting communication on Beet-Sugar appeared in our Journal, we have not been inattentive to the subject of this new production of the arts. We have procured from France various documents regarding the state and prospects of the manufacture * : and true it is, that in France a great part of all the sugar con

Enquête sur les Sucres. Commission formée avec l'approbation du Roi, sous le Présidence du Ministre du Commerce et des Manufactures, pour l'examen de certaines Questions de Législation Commerciale. Imprimerie Royale, Mai 1829.

Mémoire sur la Culture de la Betterave à Sucre; par M. Pajot Descharmes. Paris 1815.

Sucre de Betterave. Opinion de M. Crespel Dellisse. A Messieurs les Members de la Commission d'Enquêtes près le Ministère du Commerce. Arras 1828.

Observations présentées par des Fabricans de Sucre de Betteraves à son Excellence Monseigneur le Comte de Saint Cricq, Ministre Secrétaire d'Etat du Commerce, et des Manufactures, et Président de la Commission d'Enquête Commerciale. Dunkerque 1828.

Art de fabriquer le Sucre de Betterave, par M. Du Brunfaut. Paris 1825. Traité complet sur le Sucre Européen de Betteraves. Traduction abrégeé de M. Achard, par M. D. Angar; précéde d'une Introduction par M. Ch. Derosne. Paris 1812.

Faits et Observations sur la Fabrication du Sucre de Betteraves, par C. J. A. Mathieu de Dombasle. Paris 1822.

Ameliorations à introduire dans la Fabrication du Sucre de Betteraves, par M. Nosarzewski. Paris 1829.