An American for the most part justifies his grog-drinking propensity by alleging the deleterious qualities of the water-a circumstance confirmed in an anecdote told of a European emigrant who had resided many years in the New World, and who on visiting the Southern States, was asked what kind of water they had in New York. "Really," replied he, "I cannot pretend to say, as I never tasted water there that was not mixed with some kind of liquor." By the general practice of tippling a great deal of time is squandered and the moral principles at length sink into degeneracy. Captain Basil Hall, in his Travels through the States in 1827 and 1828, says that he did not witness any extraordinary excesses, though he saw sipping to be a universal practice, that is, taking a little at a time and that every hour of the day,* though he adds, that in the aggregate they, perhaps, do not take more than in other countries, where the means of procuring ardent spirits are as ample, and the liquor is as abundant. If general report respecting the character of the Americans be true, there is less of social intercourse and enjoyment in their drinking than among Europeans, for, instead of indulging themselves in chat over a glass, they generally swallow at the bar of a tavern whatever they wish to take, rather than retire to a room for the sake of conviviality. These solitary drunkards usually distinguish their draughts by the low, cant terms of "phlegm dispensers," "eye openers," "perfect love," "life of man," "mint-julep," &c. Forty millions of dollars, it is thought, are thrown away annually on spirits in the States, and it is frightful to think that among the prosecutions for irregularity in one year at New York, 800 of these cases arose from intemperance, while of 730 persons committed the same year to the work-house in Baltimore, 554 were for intoxication; and in the entire of the States, it is conjectured that not less than 31,000 fall annual victims to this debasing propensity. No wonder, then, that the people of the States should be so anxious for the establishment of Temperance Societies, since the good order of the community depends upon its regular and moral constitution.

A brief sketch of the rise, progress, and effect of these societies may not be uninteresting. The first meeting for the suppression of intemperance was called at Boston, in February, 1824, and the result was the formation of a society, the leading features of which were, that its members pledged themselves to abstinence from drink, and to endeavour to change the habits of the nation with regard to the use of intoxicating liquors, as much as lay in their power. Subscriptions were entered into to the amount of £2,480, and such was the increase * Travels in North America, 3 vols. 8vo. vol. ii. p. 90.

of those societies, that in the close of 1829, there had been formed more than 1,000 Temperance Societies, upwards of 50 distilleries. stopped, above 400 merchants relinquished the sale of spirits, and upwards of 1,200 drunkards had been reformed. The crew of the United States sloop of war (Falmouth), was amongst the first of the seamen that shewed an example of abstinence, 70 of them having resolved to abstain from spirits, while between 40 and 50 of the crew of the Brandywine frigate followed the example. In 1824, the imported spirits amounted to 5,285,000 gallons, while in 1830 they amounted only to 1,195,000, shewing a difference in the consumption of 4,090,000 gallons in the course of six years, which is mainly attributable to the influence of these societies. Between the 1st January, 1830, and 1st January, 1831, one hundred and fifty vessels sailed from the port of Boston without carrying ardent spirits. On the 1st May 1831, the number of Temperance Societies had increased to 2,200, and that of the members to 170,000, giving an addition of 179,000 members, being 70,000 members, and 1,202 societies increased in the space of two years.

From their influence, and the state of public opinion, it was computed that 300,000 more had formed the resolution of not using strong liquors, nor furnishing them for the use of others. One thousand distilleries had been stopped, and the use of ardent spirits excluded from more than one hundred public-houses. The following year the Society extended its efforts by a promulgation of its principles through all parts of the States, Canada, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, Mexico, all Europe, Palestine, and the Sandwich Islands. In 1832, the clergy endeavoured to exclude drunkards from the communiontable, and preached strongly against the use of intoxicating liquors, which was a powerful auxiliary to this work of sobriety. In 1831, fifty thousand members were added to the Temperance Society of the State of New York, and it was computed that in that year, 1,500,000 people of the States abstained from the use of ardent spirits, and from furnishing them to others. There were then 4,000 Temperance Societies, embracing 500,000 members; 1,500 distilleries had stopped, 4,000 merchants gave up the spirit business, and 4,500 drunkards were reformed. To aid these moral efforts, the Adjudant General issued an order prohibiting the distribution of spirits amongst the army, and substituting 8lbs. of sugar, and 4lbs. of coffee for every 100 rations as an equivalent for the spirits formerly in use. The same order prohibited the introduction of spirits, into any fort, camp, or garrison of the Union, and the selling of them to the troops. In 1833,

a" Congregational Temperance meeting," was held at Washington, at which the Secretary at War, Mr. Lewis Cass, presided, when it was declared that "The liberty and welfare of the nation are intimately and indissolubly connected with the morals and virtues of the people; and that in the enactment of laws for the common benefit, it is equally the duty of the legislative body to guard and preserve the public morals from corruption, as to advance the pecuniary interest, or to maintain the civil rights and freedom of the community."—In that year, the American Temperance Society contained 2,000,000 of members out of a population of 15,000,000, of which 2,000,000 were slaves, consequently every third man in the country was engaged in the suppression of intemperance. In 1834, the number of Temperance Societies had increased to 7,000, while the same number of merchants had ceased to sell ardent spirits, and 1,000 vessels belonging to the States were performing their voyages without them. Even on board the steamers, through the influence of these societies, the practice of giving brandy to the passengers has been discontinued, and a regulation, somewhat similar, has been introduced into many of the publichouses, now almost wholly frequented by travellers, not to sell wine or liquor of any description except to boarders.

As a further inducement to Temperance, the Boston Insurance Company agreed to return 5 per cent. on the premium of every vessel navigated without spirituous liquors, and such general encouragement to abstinence continues to be given, that the societies are progressing with vigour and efficiency.

It must be admitted that few countries required a greater regeneration in point of sobriety, and it is much to their credit that they have as yet surpassed all other nations, who have followed their example in this work of reformation.

The proximity of Canada to the United States, has rendered the propensities of drinking familiar and habitual to many of the inhabitants, among whom the practice of manufacturing liquors is pursued nearly in the same manner, but the trade is not equally extensive.

Numbers of distilleries are now to be found both in Upper and Lower Canada. The Canadian distilleries are mostly made of wood and worked by steam. On the river Humber, seven miles from the city of Toronto, a distillery has been erected by Mr. Robson, with a description and drawing of which I have been favoured by a gentleman lately resident in that country; and the annexed engraving has been expressly executed for this work.

A is the brick work, in which the iron boiler, with a cylindrical flue running through the centre, is inserted. B and C are the first and second wooden stills of the same size, being 4 feet 8 inches at bottom and 4 feet, 6 inches at top, with an altitude of 6 feet. D is the doubling or low wines' still, 2 feet 10 inches at bottom, and 2 feet 4 inches at top, the altitude being 3 feet, 9 inches. E is the wormtub, 6 feet at bottom, 5 feet at top, and 9 feet in altitude, supplied by a copious stream of water. F the low wines' and feints' receiver. G is the recipient for the spirits previous to passing through the rectifiers or filtering vessels, and is 2 feet at bottom, 2 feet, 4 inches at top, by 2 feet in height. The top diameter of H and I is 2 and the bottom 3 feet; the altitude being 5 feet. The vessels (H and I) are filled with charcoal and other material through which the liquor gradually descends in a limpid, gently-flowing current into J, the final receiver or store cask. K is a tank or large vessel for holding warmwater for distilling purposes, supplied from the top of the worm-tub, the heat of which is supported by steam from the tube c connected with the boiler, and having a stop-cock for regulation at e. The tank is a reservoir for supplying the mash-tubs with water, of which in the concern there are 14, each measuring 3 feet 4 by 3 feet 6 inches in diameter, ranged on a loft above the stills, in such a manner that after the worts have undergone fermentation in these tubs, they are let down by a leader or trough into the second still C at g. When the first charge is worked off, the remainder is let into the first still and the second still is charged from the mash-kieve. To facilitate the operation, there are pipes with proper stop-cocks from still to still, such as that at f, and it will be perceived that the whole process of distillation is effected by means of steam admitted through the tube d, projecting from the main upright pipe of the boiler into the first still, B, and so proceeding by other pipes through the other stills. The tubes which convey the steam into the stills, descend to nearly 3 or 4 inches of the bottom.

All the vessels and pipes, as well as the stills, are made of pine; the pipes are 9 inches square with a bore of 24 inches in diameter. The steam-boiler is 7 feet deep, the height of which, at the fire-place, is 8 feet, and it is supplied by water from the worm-tub by the pipe a, regulated by a stop-cock or ball of lead which is worked by the cord b. It is not necessary to describe the other vessels of this concern, as they are similar to those employed in the distilleries of Scotland and Ireland. The greatest disadvantage attending this apparatus, is the liability of the timber becoming soon unserviceable when the operations are discontinued for any time; but