Many thousand dozens of wines are sold in the course of the year in London as old wines, under names which have scarcely any other title to the appellation of wine than similarity of colour. “A particular friend of mine,” says a correspondent to the Monthly Gazette of Health, “purchased at a public sale by the hammer, a quantity of ‘super-excellent’ claret, at the rate of 50_s._ per dozen, which, on delivery, his butler discovered to be the same wine he had exchanged with a wine merchant at the rate of 20_s._ per dozen, being what is termed _pricked_. The worthy Baronet complained of the imposition, but the auctioneer would not listen to him. He had tasted it previously to bidding for it, and that was enough for him.” Another source of great profit to the cheap dealers, the gin-shop keepers, and the advertizing wine-men, arises from the size of the bottles in which they vend their compounds and mixtures, ycleped “wine.” In the bottle-trade six various sizes are sold, namely: The full quart, of which twelve contain three gallons of liquid, old measure. The thirteens, of which there must be thirteen to contain three gallons of liquid, old measure. The fourteens, of which there must be fourteen to contain three gallons of liquid, old measure. The small fourteens, of which there must be fourteen and a half, to contain three gallons of liquid, old measure. The fifteens, of which there must be fifteen, to contain three gallons of liquid, old measure. The sixteens, of which there must be sixteen, to contain three gallons of liquid, old measure. The two last sizes are those sold to the gin-shops and cheap wine venders. The above are the frauds practised by wine-dealers, by vending bottles of inferior dimensions to the legal wine quart, which contains thirty-two ounces; but many of the bottles imposed on unwary purchasers do not contain more than twenty-four ounces, and few more than twenty-six ounces. The readiest way of detecting the fraud is by measuring the suspected wine-bottle by Lyne’s graduated glass measure, which holds half a pint, and is divided into ounces, &c. Or, if you have not a measure of the kind by you, weigh the contents of the suspected bottle and compare the weight ascertained with the following corresponding weights: 1 legal wine quart = 32 ounces; or, 256 drachms. By subtracting the weight of the contents of the suspected bottle from this weight, you may precisely ascertain the deficiency. 2. SPIRITS.