A RARE OLD LIQUOR.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XV, Issue 69, 20 March 1880, Page 1

A RARE OLD LIQUOR.

[Chambers' Journal.] Anything one eats or imbibes with pleasure to the palate, followed by no unpleasant after-sensation, should le taken for granted. It is courting discomfort to pry too curiously into its composition. Some forty years ago the ship Governor Endicott arrived at Salem, Massachusetts, from India ; and there landed eeveral missionaries, who departed at once for Boston to report their arrival afc the Missionary Board, leaving their belongings at the Lafayette Hotel. There they attracted the attention of a Custom House Clerk, who, noticing the presence of a cask, suspected an evasion of duty,, and reported the matter to G-eneral Miller the Collector of Customs. That official at once ordered baggage and cask to be sent to the Custom-house for examination, and requested that the missionaries should give him a call as soon as they returned to Salem. The suspicious, cask was taken into the Custom-blouse yard, the bung knocked out, the proofglass inserted to find out what kind of liquor was inside, in order to fix the duty on it. They all tasted— Collector, deputy-Collector, naval officer, inspector, clerk, and a tribe of hangers-on. They drank it neat, they drank it with water, with sugar, with biscuits, with cheese, bub could not agree what kind of liquor it was. Bets were made ; and it was finally agreed to leave the knotty question to be decided by two absent % inspectors — Captain Bill L , and Captain Steve E . At last they

came. They tasted," Captain L — ■— said he would stake hia reputation that it was old London Dock brandy, vowipg "he had not tasted such .liquor since .General: Crowningingshield' launchjed Cleopatra's barge < in ;1818.'.' Captain E— — declined" to put a. name to it \ " he said it had a flavour, different from, any liquor with whicli he, wa's acquainted. The next day the missionaries' arrived ! at the Custom-house to have their goods passed, all* save the cask. of liquor. " That must pay duiSy," : said'lhe, General. " Would they irifortii hitn ! what spirit the cask contained ? " The amused missionaries complied by telling him that when they left India they Drought with them a pet' J ;oran - outang,' which dying after thirty dasy' expedience jof sea life, had been put in a cask of riim for preservation. An explanation accounting for the peculiar .flavour, that had puzzled so many experienced tasters.