Chapter XLII: Section X: Sugar Refining, Brewing, and Distilling

I. Sugar works were established in Scotland in 1667.¹ In 1715, the sugar-refining trade was carried on in Glasgow and Leith; and at this date it was put under the English excise laws. Before the end of the eighteenth century Greenock had become the chief seat of the sugar-refining trade in Scotland. The first sugar refinery in Greenock was commenced in 1765, by a company of West Indian merchants; this refinery was in operation in 1870. The second refinery in the town was begun in 1787; it started with two pans, but the number was subsequently increased. The third sugar refinery was built in 1800; the fourth was erected in 1809; the fifth in 1812; and the sixth in 1826. The sugar refining trade continued to increase in Greenock, and more refineries were erected. In 1869, there were fourteen sugar refineries in this enterprising town; and two of the largest of these turned out about 14,000 tons of sugar a week.

¹ Mackintosh’s _History of Civilisation_, Volume III., page
330.

In 1869, there were twenty sugar refineries in Scotland, eighteen of which were on the Clyde and two at Leith. It thus appears that nearly all the sugar refining in Scotland was centred on the Clyde. A large amount of shipping was employed in the sugar trade. In 1868, 416 vessels arrived in the Clyde, of about 140,000 tons, and 400 of these discharged their cargoes at Greenock. The raw sugar imported into the Clyde in 1858 was 56,769 tons, and 15,000 tons of molasses; in 1861, the raw sugar imported was 88,694 tons, and molasses 18,229 tons; and in 1867, the sugar was 178,000 tons, and 2900 tons of molasses. But, since the duty on sugar was abolished, the annual consumption has increased; a larger quantity of it is used in making preserved fruits of every kind.

In the sugar-refining process very heavy machinery and costly appliances are required, such as blowing-up machinery, filtering apparatus, vacuum pans and vacuum pumps, heaters and stirring apparatus, charcoal kilns, centrifugals, and the like. But the machinery and apparatus which are used in sugar-making in the countries where the sugar-cane itself grows are of a much heavier description; indeed the weight, size, and power of the machinery, pans and batteries, engines and varied appliances, in operation in the sugar mills are very great. In Glasgow there are a number of iron-founding and engineering firms who devote special attention to the production of sugar-making machinery, and very large consignments are annually exported to the sugar plantations. It has been calculated that in the years 1872 to 1876 the machinery of this kind exported direct from the Clyde to the British Colonies and other sugar-growing countries was valued at upwards of £400,000 per annum.

In 1871, there were about 1000 persons employed as sugar refiners in Scotland. In 1891 there were 1187 sugar refiners.

II.――In the preceding volumes I have shown that brewing was from an early period a staple branch of the domestic economy of the nation, and noticed many of the regulations, both national and local, relating to the making and sale of malt, ale, and whisky; so any lengthy detail is superfluous. It is well known that the increased tax on malt imposed by the Government in the eighteenth century, was with difficulty enforced even among the licensed brewers and malt sellers, and that smuggling and illicit distilling prevailed to a large extent until the first quarter of this century.

At the beginning of the eighteenth century considerable quantities of ale and beer were exported to the Continent; and from then onward the export trade has continued to extend. In the last century brewers were comparatively more numerous than now, and the concentration of production in certain localities, and in large establishments, which is a characteristic of the period, also took place in the brewing and distilling trade. In 1835, there were 640 licensed brewers of beer in Scotland; but in 1863, there were only 225; and in 1866, 217. In 1836, the brewers consumed 1,137,176 bushels of malt; in 1863, 1,780,919 bushels; and in 1866, 2,499,019 bushels. The exports of ale and beer in 1863 amounted to 47,415 barrels, the declared value of which was £172,140; in 1866, the quantity exported was 61,723 barrels, valued at £230,109. Amongst the places to which this beer was sent were ――Queensland, New South Wales, East Indies, West Indies, North America, and other quarters of the globe.

Recently, various kinds of cheap beverages have been brought into use, such as aerated waters, of which very large quantities are consumed.

III.――Concerning whisky, the Government of Scotland began to legislate about its use and sale in the sixteenth century; and our Governments have continued to legislate upon it as they began――on inconsistent and often unjust lines, which may be partly accounted for on the ground that for centuries it has been made a source of an enormous revenue. This, however, is not the place to discuss the drink traffic laws, and I proceed to other sides of the subject.

In 1708, 50,844 gallons of spirits were produced in Scotland; and in 1756, there were 433,811 gallons; but at this time the duty was increased, which caused a fall off in the production. Shortly after a demand for Scotch spirits arose in England, and large quantities were sent across the border. An import duty of 2 shillings 6 pence a gallon was imposed in England, which was quickly followed by a system of smuggling; and it was recorded that in 1787 upwards of 300,000 gallons of whisky was conveyed across the border without the cognisance of the Excise. A new mode of charging the duty on spirits was tried in 1786――a license duty calculated upon the capacity of the stills; but the distillers soon altered the form of the stills, and increased the rate of production. When the Government discovered this, the amount of the license was raised year by year till, in 1798, it amounted to £64 16 shillings 4 pence per gallon of still capacity in the Lowlands, and to £3 per gallon in the Highlands. The mode of charging the duty was again changed, and from the beginning of the year 1799 a duty of 4 shillings 10¼ pence was put on each gallon of spirits produced for home consumption. At this time there were 87 licensed distillers in Scotland; but they did not approve of the change, and many of them gave up business, so the annual amount of the duty fell off for a year or two. In 1802, however, the Government reduced the duty to 3 shillings 10½ pence per gallon; and in 1803, there were 88 distillers who paid a duty of £2,022,409. The next year the duty was raised, and the number of distillers decreased till, in 1813, there was only 24. At this time the duty per gallon was 9 shillings 4¼ pence. In 1823, the duty was lowered to 2 shillings 4¾ pence per gallon; and then the number of distillers greatly increased, and the revenue rose accordingly. In 1833, the rate of duty was 3 shillings 4 pence a gallon, and there were then 243 distillers, who paid duty to the amount of £5,988,556.

In 1840, the duty was 3 shillings 8 pence, the number of distillers 205, and the quantity of whisky produced this year was 9, 032,353 gallons. The same year, the quantity of spirits charged with duty as consumed in Scotland was 6,007,631 gallons. In 1855, the quantity of whisky produced was 11,283,636 gallons. In 1867, there were 111 distillers in Scotland, and the quantity of whisky produced was 10, 813,996 gallons. The same year the quantity of spirits charged with duty as consumed in Scotland was 4,983,009 gallons.

In 1871, the number of persons employed as brewers, maltmen, and distillers in Scotland was 2869――a very small number of hands compared with the enormous overturn of capital, plant and stock, employed in the business. In 1891 the number of persons employed was 4343.

Concerning distilling apparatus, it may be of interest to state that, in 1862, Mr. George Russell, of Glasgow, patented an apparatus for distilling fresh water on board ship at sea. This apparatus and others recently constructed have been very effective in producing fresh water at sea, which during long voyages is exceedingly useful.