a species of brandy or vinous spirits, distilled from sugar-canes.

Rum, according to Dr Shaw, differs from simple sugar-spirit, in that it contains more of the natural flavour or essential oil of the sugar-cane; a great deal of raw juice and parts of the cane itself being usually fermented in the liquor or solution of which the rum is prepared. prepared. The unctuous or oily flavour of rum is often supposed to proceed from the large quantity of fat used in boiling the sugar; which fat, indeed, if coarse, will usually give a flinting flavour to the spirit in our distillations of the sugar liquor or wash, from our refining sugar-houses; but this is nothing of kin to the flavour of the rum, which is really the effect of the natural flavour of the cane.

The method of making rum is this: When a sufficient stock of the materials are got together, they add water to them, and ferment them in the common method, though the fermentation is always carried on very slowly at first; because at the beginning of the season for making rum in the islands, they want yeast or some other ferment to make it work: but by degrees, after this, they procure a sufficient quantity of the ferment, which rises up as a head to the liquor in the operation; and thus they are able afterwards to ferment and make their rum with a great deal of expedition, and in large quantities.

When the wash is fully fermented, or to a due degree of acidity, the distillation is carried on in the common way, and the spirit is made up proof; though sometimes it is reduced to a much greater strength, nearly approaching to that of alcohol or spirit of wine; and it is then called double-distilled rum. It might be easy to rectify the spirit, and bring it to much greater purity than we usually find it to be of: for it brings over in the distillation a very large quantity of the oil; and this is often so disagreeable, that the rum must be suffered to lie by a long time to mellow before it can be used; whereas, if well rectified, it would grow mellow much sooner, and would have a much less potent flavour.

The best state to keep rum in, both for exportation and other uses, is doubtless that of alcohol or rectified spirit. In this manner it would be transported in one half the bulk it usually is, and might be let down to the common proof-strength with water when necessary: for the common use of making punch, it would likewise serve much better in the state of alcohol; as the taste would be cleaner, and the strength might always be regulated to a much greater exactness than in the ordinary way.

The only use to which it would not so well serve in this state, would be the common practice of adulteration among our distillers; for when they want to mix a large portion of cheaper spirit with the rum, their business is to have it of the proof strength, and as full of the flavouring oil as they can, that it may drown the flavour of the spirits they mix with it, and extend its own. If the business of rectifying rum was more nicely managed, it seems a very practicable scheme to throw out so much of the oil, as to have it in the fine light state of a clear spirit, but lightly impregnated with it: in this case it would very nearly resemble arrack, as is proved by the mixing a very small quantity of it with a tasteless spirit, in which case the whole bears a very near resemblance to arrack in flavour.

Rum is usually very much adulterated in Britain; some are so bare-faced as to do it with malt-spirit; but when it is done with molasses spirit, the tastes of both are so nearly allied, that it is not easily discovered. The best method of judging of it is by setting fire to a little of it; and, when it has burnt away all the inflammable part, examining the phlegm both by the taste and smell.

Rum is a considerable island, one of the Hebrides, or rather one continued rock, of nearly 30 miles in circumference. It is the property of Mr Maclean of Coll; contains 400 inhabitants; grazes cattle and sheep; pays above £200 rent annually: but has neither kelp, freestone, nor lime.