Distilled spirituous liquors the bane of the nation: being some considerations humbly offer'd to the legislature. By which it will appear, I. That the landed interest suffers nearly a million a year, by the distilling, compounding and vending of spirits ... II. A physical account ... of the nature of all distill'd spirituous liquors, and the malignant effects they have upon human bodies / [Thomas Wilson].

Thomas Wilson

Date:: 1736

Credit: Distilled spirituous liquors the bane of the nation: being some considerations humbly offer'd to the legislature. By which it will appear, I. That the landed interest suffers nearly a million a year, by the distilling, compounding and vending of spirits ... II. A physical account ... of the nature of all distill'd spirituous liquors, and the malignant effects they have upon human bodies / [Thomas Wilson]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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Millions of Gall5 of all forts of Spirits drawn from Grain, &c. befides many Tuns of Spirits which pay no Duty, are made without any Grain at alh A Quarter of Malted Corn, Big, or Barley, will pro¬ duce about twenty Gallons of Proof Spirits, which makes double that Quantity of Geneva or other Compound Liquors. Wheat makes about four and twenty Gallons of Proof, or forty eight of Geneva, &c. * The Malted Corn or Barley, at 9 s. a Quarter, ufed in the diddling of Twelve Millions of Gallons, comes to - - But allowing them to ufe a great Quantity of Wheat, we will fuppofe that they pay 15 s. a Quarter for all the Grain they ufe.—If it was all Barley that they ufed, it would amount to 22,5000 l. But if all Wheat, it will amount to 187000/. Take the Medium of thefe Sums, and then the Sum they pay to the Farmer, is 206250 h per Ann. This is, upon Suppofition (not allowing it) that they confume vaft Quan¬ tities of bad Corn, that the Farmers cannot other- wife find a Ufe for. But if it fhall be found that they buy the bed Corn—Then the Argument will appear in another Light *, and the Lois that does, and will more in Time appear to accrue to the P^evenue, will be particularly afcertained, when we compare the Brewers and Dijiillers Gains and Lofs together. It ought to be obferved, that the common Me¬ thod now in ufe, is one Sixth of Malted Corn ; but it is to be done with a fifteenth Part. In this Article the Revenue is a confiderable Lofer; how much, cannot be certainly computed. * If the late Author of a Pamphlet upon the Britijh DiftU- lery had not overlook’d this Paragraph, he might have fpared himfelt great Part of his Trouble. r> 2 From

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