BEER is a liquor so palatable to the natives of Britain, and, when properly made, so wholesome, especially in long voyages at sea, that Mr Thornton of East Smithfield obtained a patent, dated April 15. 1778, for inventing a method of reducing malt and hops to an essence or extract, from which beer may be made anywhere, either at sea or in distant countries. Though we do not perceive any great degree of ingenuity displayed in this invention, yet as the account of it is short, we shall lay it before our readers. His method then of preparing an essence or extract of malt and hops is, by the transmitted heat of compressed press'd vapour of boiling water, and a proper apparatus for that purpose. This apparatus may be made of iron, tin, or copper: it consists of a boiler of any dimensions, a double vessel, and conducting tubes. The double vessel consists of one vessel placed within another, and fitted tight at their rims. The upper vessel forms the upper part of the under vessel, and contains the liquor to be evaporated. The under vessel is everywhere inclosed, except at an aperture communicating with the boiler, and at another aperture communicating with the conducting tubes; and is constructed so as not to allow any part of the vapour condensed into drops within it to escape, except back again into the boiler: it is not so extensive as to act as a common refrigerator, and yet is spacious enough to prevent the liquor boiling over. The aperture communicating with the boiler is large enough to freely admit the vapour from the boiler into the under vessel; and the aperture communicating with the conducting tubes is of a proper size to allow of the vapour in the under vessel being compressed, to a degree capable of transmitting to the liquor to be evaporated a proper heat, and at the same time to serve as a passage for more heat than is necessary to keep up that degree of compression. The conducting tubes are to convey this superfluous heat or vapour, to be used for farther purposes, or immediately out of the building.