S U G
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SUG
SUFFUSION, in Medicine, an overflowing of fbme Hu- mour, ftiewing itfelf in the Skin 5 particularly that of the Blood or Bile. See Blushing.
That Rednefs ordinarily arifing from Shame, is only a SHJfiifton of Blood appearing in the"" Cheeks.
The Jaundice is a Suffufion of Bile over the whole Body. See Ja'unpice, * 1 -
Suffusion is alfo ufed for a little Film or Pellicle, form'd in the aqueous Humour of the Eye, before the Pupil; call'd, alfo, Catarati. See Cataract.
SUGAR, Saccbarum, a very fweet, agreeable Juice, ex- prefs'd from a kind of Canes, growing in great Plenty in the £afi and Weft Indies; particularly in Madera, Srafil and the , Caribbee Iflands. ■
, ! Tis a Qucftion not yet decided among the Botanifts, $£c. whether the Ancients were acquainted with this Cane, and whether, they knew how to exprefs the Juice from the fame ? What we can gather from the Opinions and Arguments of the one Party and the other 5 is, That if they knew the Cane and the Juice, they did not know the Art of Condenfing, Hardening and Whitening it, and, 'of confequence, knew nothing of our Sugar. ■ . '
Some ancient Authors feem to mention 3kg*r, under the Name of Indian Salt ; but they add, that it ooz'd out of the Cane of itfelf; and there harden'd like a Gum ; and was even friable between the Teeth, like our common Salt 5 whereas, ours is exprefs'd by a Machine on purpose, and coagulated by the Fire.
Theirs, Sahnafius tells us, was rcfrefhning and loofening, whereas ours is hot, and excites Thirft. Hence, fbme have imagined, that the ancient and modern ■S'z/.gtfT'-Plant were different : But Alatthio/us, on Diofcorides, C. 75. makes no doubt they were the fame 5 and others are even of Opinion, that ours has a laxative Virtue, as well as that of the Ancients, snd that it purges Pituita.
The Generality of Authors, however,, agree, that the ancient Sugar was much better than the Modern ; as confifting of only the fineft and matureft Parts, which made themfelves a PafTage, .and were condenred in the Air. • The Interpreters of Avicenna and Serapwn, call Sugar, Spodium ; the Terfiaiis, Tabatis, and the Indians, Mam- tuc,
■ Salmafius afTures us, that the Arabs have had the Art of making Sugar-, fuch as wc now have \t\ above 800 Years. Others produce the following Verfes of C P. Terentius Varro Atacmus, to prove that it was known before Jefus Chrift.
Indica non magna nimts Arbore crefcit Minis extentis fremitur radicibus humor, "tDulcia cut neqiietint fucco contendere mella,
. Another Queftion among Naturalifts is, Whether the Sugar Canes be originally of the -Weft Indies ; or whether they have been translated thither from the Eafi ?
The Learned of thefe laft Ages, have been much divided on the Point 1 But fince the Diflertation of F. Labat, a Domi- nican Miffionary, publifh'd in 1722, there is no longer room to doubt, but that the Sugar-Cane is as natural to America as India ; all that can be faid in favour of the latter, is, That the Spaniards and 'Portugtiefe learnt from the Orientals, the Art of expreffing its Juice, boiling it, and re- ducing it into Sugar.
Culture of theSvc&R-Catte*
i The Reed or Rufh, whence this ufeful Juice is drawn, re- iembles thofe others we fee in Morafles, and on the Edges of Lakes 5 .excepting that the Skin of thefe latter is hard and dry, and their Pulp void of Juice 5 whereas the Skin of the Sugar-Reed is foft, and the fpongeous Matter or Pith it contains, very juicy, though that in a greater or left Degree, according to the Goodness of the Soil, its Expofure to the Sun, the Seafon 'tis cut in, and its Age ; which four Circum- ftances contribute equally to its Goodnefs and its Bulk.
The Sugar-C&iie ufually grows five or fix Foot high, and about half an Inch in Diameter; though F. Labat mentions fbme extraordinary ones in the Ifle of Tobago, Twenty-four Foot high. The Stem or Stalk is divided by Knots, a Foot and Half apart. At the Top it puts forth a Number of long, green, tufted Leaves, from the Middle whereof, arife the Flower and the Seed. There are likewife Leaves fpring- ing out from each Knot 5 but thefe ufually fail as the Cane rifes ; and 'tis a Sign, either that the Cane is naught, or that 'tis far from its Maturity, when the Knots are feen befet with Leaves.
The Ground fit for Sugar- Canes, is that which is light, foft and fpongy ; lying on a Defcent, proper to carry off the Water, and well turn'd to the Sun. They ufuallv plant them in Pieces, cut a Foot and Half below from the Top of the Flower. Thefe are ordinarily ripe in Ten Months, though fometimes not till Fifteen ; at which Time, they are found <iuite full of a white, fucculent Marrow, whence is exprefs'ci
the Liquor Whereof 'Sugar is made. When ripe, they aft cu£„ their Leaves cleared off, and they are carried in Bundles to the Mills. The Mills confift of Three wooden Rollers, cover'd with Steel Plates ; and have their Motion either from the Water, the Wind, Cattle, or even the Hands of Slaves, See Svga-k-MUI. ' Two Rules belonging hereto - are, That no Canes above four Foot, or under two Foot and a Half long, be fent to the Mills 5 and, That no more Canes be cut than, can be convenient- ly prefs'd in 24 Hours ; in regard they will heat, ferment and grow four. .■■■■'
The Juice coming out of the Canes, when prefs'd and broke between the Rollers, runs through a little Canal into the ^/^r-Houfe 5 which is near the Mill 5 where it fills into a Veffel,. whence it is convey'd into the firft Copper or Cauldron, to receive its firft Preparation, only heated by a flow Fire to make it fimmer. With the Liquor, is here mix'd a Quantity of Afhes or beaten Lime ; the Effect, of which Mixture, affiflcd by the Action of the Fire, is, that the unctuous Parts are feparated from the reft, and raifed to the Top, in form of a thick Scum, which is kept conftantly fcumming off; and ferves to feed the Poultry, &c. withal.
'Preparation of Sugar.
The Juice* in the next Place, is purified in a fecond Copper 5 where a brisker Fire makes it boii 5 and all the Time the cafting up of its Scum is promoted by means of a flrong Lye, compofed of Lime-water and other Ingredients.
This done, 'tis purified and fcum'd in a third Boiler, where- in is caft a kind of Lye, that aflifts in purging it ; collects together its Impurities, and makes them rife to the Surface j whence they arc taken with a Skimmer. 1 From the Third, 'tis removed to a Fourth Boiler, where the Juice is further purified by a more violent Fire : and hence to a Fifths where it takes the Confiftence of a Syrop.
In a Sixth Boiler, the Syrop receives its full Coction.j and here all the Impurities left from the former Lyes, are taken away by a new Lye, and a Water of Lime and Allom caft into it. In this lafl Cauldron, there is fcarce found one Third of what was in the Firft. ; the reft being wafted in Scum.
By thus paffing, fucceffively, a Number of Coppers, the Sugar- Juice is purified, thicken 'd, and rendred fit to be con- verted into any of the Kinds of Sugar hereafter mention'd. The Size of the feveral Coppers always diminilh.es, from the firft to the laft ; each being furnifhed with a Furnace, to give a Heat proportionable to the Degree of Coftion the Juice nas received. In fome large Sugar- Works, there are alfo particular Coppers, for the boiling and preparing the Scums.
The feveral Kinds of Sugar made in the Caribbee I/lands.
■ V. Labat mentions Seven different kinds of Sugars prepared in the Caribbees, viz.
Crude Sugar, or Mufcouade Strain 'd or "Brown Sugar BartUd or White Sugar in
Powder Refined .Sugar, either in
Powder or Loaves.
Royal Sugar.
Candied Sugar Sugar of fine Syrop Sugar ofcparfe Syrop Sugar, of the Scum.
) Crude Sugar,. or Mofcouade* is that firft drawn from the Juice of the Cane, and whereof all the reft are compofed.
The Method of making it, is that already defcribed as for Sugar in the General.
. We need only add, That when taken out of the fixth Copper, 'tis put in a Cooler, where ftirring it briskly together, 'tis let ftancf to fettle, till a Cruffj of the Thicknefs of a Crown-piece, be form'd thereon. The Cruft form'd, they ftir it up again, then put itinto Veflels, where it ftands to fettle, till it be fit to Barrel.
-. Strahi'd or Srown Sugar, though .whiter and harder, does not differ much from the crude Sugar. Though 'tis held a Medium between this laft. and the Earth' 'd Sugar 5 which is the white To^vder Sugar. The Preparation of this Sugar t is the fame as that of the raw Sugar, with this Difference, that to Whiten it, they ftrain the Liquor through Blankets, as it comes out of the firft Copper.
The Invention of Strained Sugar is owing to the HjigliflJ* who. are more careful than their Neighbours, in the Prepa- ration hereof; for they not only ftrain it, but when boil'd, put it in fquare wooden Forms, of a pyramidal Figure ; and when it has purified itfelf well, they cut it in Pieces, dry it in the Sun, and barrel it up.
Earth'd Sugar, is that which is whiten'd by means of Earth laid on the Top of the Forms 'tis put in, td purge it- felf.
The making of this Sugar, is begun after the fame manner as that of raw Sugar 5 except that they only ufe the beft Canes in i 1 5
