THE OPERATIVE CHEMIST. 
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pipes slope at the rate of half an inch in a foot. G is the partition wall 
between the room, or shed containing the furnace, and that containing 
the condensing apparatus ; to prevent the warmth of the fire from affect 
ing the condensation, or the odour of the vinasse discharged from the 
still, and which is frequently very disagreeable, from affecting the 
brandy that is obtained. H are tressels to support the condensing appara 
tus ; and i are iron standards affixed to the tressels to keep it in its place. 
K is apipe with a cock, soldered to the end of the pipe e, by which the 
spirit runs into the funnel, l, and is thus conveyed into the receiving tub, 
m. Nis aleather hose, or pipe that transmits the water, used in cooling 
the vapours, from the cistern, o, to the lower end of the condensing ap 
paratus, between the two square pipes of which it is composed. P is a 
small press composed of two pieces of wood, connected together by a 
screw, by turning of which, the distance between the pieces may be al 
tered at pleasure. This press is used to regulate the flow of water 
through the hose, instead of a coek. Q is the discharge pipe of the 
water employed in cooling ; this pipe is soldered to the top of the outer 
square pipe, and conveys the heated water either to the sink or any 
other place. 
T’his apparatus is stated to distil from 28 to 30 quarts of brandy by 
the hour, but its produce would, of course, be much greater in proportion, 
if made on a larger scale. 
The still and condensing apparatus of M. Poissonier, or 
more justly speaking, of Prof. Weigel’s father, would pro 
bably have been gradually adopted by all the French distil 
lers, if M. Adam, a distiller of Nîmes, attending a course 
of chemistry at Montpelier in 1799, had not conceived the 
idea of applying the condensing apparatus of Glauber and 
Wolfe in the distillation of wine. His success was so great 
that a complete revolution has taken place in the apparatus, 
and the common stills with their various, improvements, are 
only used by persons who distil the wines of their own 
growth, or by those distillers, the smallness of whose capital 
does not allow them to adopt the new apparatus. 
The apparatus of M. Adam led the way. That of M. 
Solimani, a physician of Nîmes, who formerly lectured on 
chemistry and experimental philosophy, and disputes the 
priority of invention with M. Adam, although his brevet is 
dated a few days later in July, 1801 : and that of M. Berard, 
a distiller of Grand Gallargues, also of the department du 
Gard, breveted 16th of August, 1805, which is perfectly 
original, are here described, and all the other apparatus 
hitherto proposed may bé considered as mere variations or 
combinations of these three. 
The apparatus of M. Adam is the most in use ; which is 
not through its superior merit, for it is considerably infe 
rior to the other two, but from his litigious disposition ; for 
having obtained a brevet “ for obtaining from wine all the 
alcohol it contains, he considered all improvements in dis¬