reference whatever in his remarks about the alanthus, but referred to all alanthus blossoms. Mr. Hy said he was satisfied, and so the difficulty was adjusted consistently with the honor of all parties. Both the assistant's finger and the surgeon's leg are doing well; the latter proves to be merely a flesh-wound."

ON CHAMPAGNE WINE

BY J. Y. SANDERSON.

READ IN 'CENTURY' JOURNAL, MAY 3, 1856

AN ardent admirer, from my earliest hobbledihoy hood, of that sparkling cup which cheers, and, I regret to add, sometimes inebriates, it was with more than ordinary gratification and pleasure I received and accepted an invitation from the principal of a well-known firm in the Champagne wine trade, to visit the city of Rheims, and post myself up in the secrets of this my favorite tipple. Accordingly, one fine day early in the month of June, in the year of grace 1855, I bestowed myself and my wardrobe on the cars of the 'Chemin de fer de Strasbourg,' and in due course reached my destination, was welcomed by my friend, and comfortably installed in my lodgings. After devoting the usual time to a proper and respectful examination of the town, its cathedral, its promenades, its monuments, and its inhabitants, I turned my attention to the principal object of my trip, and after a careful investigation, obtained the information herein set forth, which I trust may be as interesting to you in the hearing, as it was agreeable to me in the collecting.

Champagne wine, although indubitably a factitious article, holds in the estimation of wine-drinkers, physicians, and connoisseurs, a high place in the catalogue of beverages, its sparkling qualities and agreeable sweetness attracting the first, its diuretic and tonic properties rendering it valuable to the second, and its delicate flavor, delightful aroma, and refreshing bouquet endearing it to the third. But from the fact of its being a manufactured wine, there has been an attempt to throw around it a mantle of mystery which I have never, in my mind, been able to penetrate satisfactorily, either by reading the numerous books written on the subject, or by conversing with intelligent persons from the immediate locality. This mystery has been carefully fostered by persons interested in the manufacture or sale of the article, who, fearing the truth might possibly lessen the demand, when asked as to the modus operandi, have generally either flatly denied the addition of sugar and brandy, or if admitting it, asserted that it was only done occasionally, when, in consequence of a cold or wet season, the produce of any particular vintage did not possess sufficient saccharine matter or body, but on no account would they acknowledge this addition to be a matter of rule, and in fact necessity. This version has been handed down from one author to the other until finally it has grown into a belief, and as every other detail of the mode of manufacturing this wine has been clearly described by almost every writer on the subject, the only originality I can claim for my paper is the dissipation, in some degree, of this mystery, and the verification of another point, which, until this moment, has been denied. in some cases most em

phatically, namely that the produce of different localities are intermixed. To enable me, however, to do this understandingly, it will be necessary to travel lightly over the same ground as my predecessors, trusting, also, that among my hearers there may be some not as 'learned in the lore' of wine-making as others.

The vineyards of Champagne cover an expanse of territory of about thirty miles in length and two miles in breadth, thickly interspersed with gentle elevations and shallow streams, the river Marne, which passes through its entire length, being the exception. The vine gener ally employed is called the Pineau,' of which there are two varieties, the black and the white, the former, however, being the favorite. The grapes known as the 'Burgundy Grape' are of a rich, deep purple color, and in size resemble our chicken grapes. The soil in which they are planted is formed of a calcareous loam strongly impregnated with lime, and thickly incrusted with small stones. The location most sought after is the side of a hill, having a southern or southwestern exposure, of which the midway portion is preferred, the top and bottom being most liable to frosts and dampness. The vines are planted quite close together, and are but sparingly manured. After every vintage they are cut down close to the ground, leaving but three or four inches so as to preserve the eyes; the stump is then buried, and on the following year makes its appearance three or four inches higher up the hill; and on the new wood, which springs up, is produced the grape; some roots are known to be forty feet in length, and a few have reached the respectable age of two hundred years. The plant must be four years old before it will yield fruit; at six years it has attained its maturity; and at one hundred years will still produce good merchantable grapes. Every third year new vines are planted at the bottom of the hill, to replace those promoted by time and growth. A French vineyard' possesses but slender claims to the picturesque. At the period of my visit the vines were about eighteen inches high, and consequently nothing met the eye but the thin sticks planted near each root, to which they are attached by bands of straw as soon as they are sufficiently high to cause the heads to droop. These sticks, having acquired, by long exposure to wind and weather, a hue somewhat between whitey-brown and sky-blue, give to the hill-side a dingy, furzy appearance, not at all calculated to call forth on the part of the observer either an eloquent or a poetic description. Late in the season, however, when the grapes have ripened, and the tops of the vines have covered their cerulean-hued supporters, the vast expanse of green foliage is at least refreshing to the eye, if nothing else. If the season has been favorable, each vine will produce from two to five small bunches, but when the reverse is the case, as was the vintage of 1855, a single bunch is with difficulty discovered. Many, on the contrary, yield no fruit; still the labor and attention can by no means be spared or relaxed, an unproductive vine requiring as much of both as its more richly-freighted neighbor, in hopes that on the following year it may make amends. The latter part of September and the beginning of October is generally the period chosen for gathering the grapes, an operation requiring the assistance not only of all the inhabitants of the district,

but affording also ample means of employment for an immense number of stragglers who rush in from every quarter. This event is by no means the pleasant, romantic, and picturesque affair we have been taught to think it, being, on the contrary, regular hard days' work and plenty of it. It must be done in a hurry, too, as a heavy rain or frost would be a great damage to the ripe grapes; therefore when the gathering commences, no delay is permitted in bringing it to a final close, and from all I can learn, and I state it for the benefit of my bachelor friends, the season of the vintage is not conducive to lovemaking, other authors to the contrary notwithstanding, the young females engaged therein being generally so fatigued after the labors of the day, and, I blush to add, so dirty, that the soft side of a plank is much preferred to the blandishments of Cupid, or worshipping at the shrine of his naughty mamma. After being picked, the bunches are carefully culled over by the old women of the establishment, and the choice ones being placed in casks containing one hundred litres. being a fraction more than a quart- are sold to the buyers from the different houses, although in many instances a large proprietor will have his own pressoir or wine-press, through which, for a consideration, his poorer neighbors are permitted to pass the produce of their little patch. This system, however, is fast falling into disuse, as the better and heavier houses in the trade invariably object to purchasing in that shape, preferring much to buy the fruit in bunches, and make the pressings themselves. The press most generally used is the old-fashioned perpendicular affair, but of late years, among other improvements, the lateral press has been introduced, and when once used is invariably preferred.

a litre

When the grapes have been delivered to the purchaser, great caré being taken to avoid any unnecessary motion, they are heaped up on the platform of the press, through the bottom of which openings are left for the rapid escape of the juice to the vats below, and that portion of it which is first produced without artificial pressure, and denominated 'the first droppings of the grape' is placed aside and reserved for the highest grades of wine, the quantity of which, of course, is very limited. The lever is then applied with moderate force so as not to discolor the wine by bruising and mashing the skins. This pressing furnishes wine of the first quality, known here as the Cabinet and Imperial brands; another turn of the screw produces material for the second quality wines, sold here at from twelve to fourteen dollars, and rejoices under an infinity of names and brands, whilst still another yields the lower quality, and finally, some white grapes being added, the screws are put on to their utmost tension, producing a strong, piquante, red wine, which is reserved for the use of the workmen of the establishment. The various pressings are then put into casks, properly marked, and stowed away until the first fermentation (which takes place almost immediately) is over, after which it is sacked and fined twice, and oftener if required, and, if the summer has been wet and cold, or the season backward, so that the wines are deficient of the required amount of the saccharine matter, a knowledge of which is arrived at not only by tasting, but also by the rise of an instrument