it acquires the colour of gold.—This method, which is easy, and consumes a very small portion of gold, is usually employed for the gilding of trinkets, spoons, snuff-boxes, and other articles.
Gold is likewise used for ornamenting glass, porcelain, and other vitrified matters; to the surface of which (being very smooth, and susceptible of a perfect contact), the gold leaves closely adhere. The pieces are then exposed to a certain degree of heat, and slightly burnished, in order to give them lustre.
However ingenious and pleasing to its amateurs, the art of gilding is very detrimental to the health of the persons who practise it, especially in the more complex branches, where mercury and other noxious minerals are employed over fires, and cannot fail to produce the most pernicious vapours. Gilders by profession are particularly liable to suffer from these exhalations, the influence of which, however, might be effectually prevented, by allowing a continual current of air to perflate the apartment, where the process is managed. Such an arrangement may be easily made, by merely opening the upper window, or a door, which will admit fresh air to pass through the room. By this simple expedient, the tremors, paleness, and sickness usually attendant on such operations, will be completely averted.
GILEAD, the Balsam, or Balm of, is a gummy substance that exudes from the bark of the Amyris Gileadensis v. Opobalsamum L. a native of Arabia Felix.
The balsam formerly imported into Europe, is obtained chiefly by incision; but the quantity afforded by one tree is so very small, and the collecting of it is attended with so much trouble, that the genuine balm is seldom, and perhaps never exported in a commercial way. It is of a bitterish aromatic taste, an acidulous fragrant smell, and of a yellowish or greenish colour.—Among the Turkish women, it is in high reputation, both as a cosmetic and as a specific for almost every disorder; on which account it is valued at so extravagant a price, that it is extremely difficult to procure it in a genuine state, because it is presented only to Sovereign Princes. Hence, in this country, it is now entirely superseded by the balsams of Canada and Copaiba, which are equally efficacious. We have inserted this account, with a view to caution and undeceive the credulous, who may be apt to imagine that any base compound offered to the public, under specious pretensions, is the real Balm of Gilead, which is frequently mentioned in Scripture.
Gill. See Ground-ivy.
GIN, sometimes called Geneva, or Hollands, is a malt spirit distilled a second time with the addition of juniper-berries.
These berries were at first added to the malt before it was ground; so that the spirit obtained from both, by distillation, possessed the aromatic flavour of the berries, and was much superior to that produced by any other method. At present, the juniper-berries are totally omitted; and the noxious spirits vended under the name of gin, acquire their flavour by distilling them with oil of turpentine, the taste of which in a slight degree resembles that of the juniper-berries, but possesses none of their valuable properties.
This pernicious spirit is subject to very heavy duties; notwith-
