BOTTLE, a vessel proper to contain liquors, made of leather, glass, or stone. There are bottles of boiled leather, which are made and sold by the case-makers. Those among the ancient Hebrews were generally made of goat skin, with the hair on the inside, well pitched and sewed together; the mouth of the bottle was through the animal's paw that furnished the matter of it.
There are now in use bottles of fine glass which are commonly covered with ozier, and others of thick glass which are not covered. Formerly all those bottles made in France held exactly a pint Paris measure (or about a quart of our English wine measure); but since the tavern-keepers sell most of their wine in such bottles, notwithstanding an ordonnance to the contrary, that one would think the glassmakers had entered into an agreement with them not to make any bottles that hold the full measure, there are none but what hold less, and some considerably so. See GLASS-MAKING.
In commerce, bottles of earth or stone pay 115/100d. each dozen, on importation; whereof 105/100d. is repaid on exporting them. Glass bottles covered with wicker, pay 6 s. 72/100d. the dozen; whereof 6 s. 25/100d. is repaid on exporting them. Glass bottles covered with leather, pay 1 l. 9 s. 112/100d. the dozen; whereof 1 l. 7 s. 105/100d. is repaid on exporting them. Glass bottles uncovered, pay 1 s. 55/100d. the dozen; 1 s. 45/100d. being repaid on exporting them. Bottles made of flint-glass, pay 8 d. for each pound weight; and those made of green glass, only 2 d. for each pound weight. Bottles made of wood, called sucking-bottles, pay by the gross, or twelve do-
zen, 1 s. 115/100d.; whereof 1 s. 85/100d. is repaid on exporting them.