DANGEROUS TO TOUCH. 333 also very fine grown at Avenay, and on the Montagne de Reims. Excellent qualities are likewise made at Vertus, and at Monthelon. In olden times the picturesque ancient abbey of Haut Villiers, on the hills between Cumières and Dizy, had a great reputation for its red wines. But, with all those praises, I must add that there is a very serious drawback. Experience has convinced me that the knocking about which they must undergo in importing, often causes a fermentation which greatly deteriorates the quality, and thus makes them what we wine-dealers call- dangerous to touch.' I have had several bottles, of a few remaining in the cellar of the château of an old lady who is so kind as to give me one when I visit her. It is a Bouzy of 1834, and words cannot express its perfections. But it has never been moved from the bin in which it was placed thirty years ago. The system of forging names and brands is not so frequent in France as in Germany, the punishment in the former country being very severe. It is, however, practised; and a short time ago, the following paragraph appeared in The Times : Advices from Reims state that the Tribunal at that city has just pronounced judgement against two persons who had forged the mark of Cliquot Ponsardin on 300 cases of wine. They had been condemned to 18 months' imprisonment, and a fine of 1,200l., and to the publication of the sentence in the journals and the costs of its insertion. Their head cellarman also has been sentenced to four months' imprisonment. Some of these wines were seized in London; and it is to be hoped that, under the existing treaties for the protection of trade marks, our own Courts will in all similar instances act with equal vigour. Having lately visited Avize, where this occurred, I was informed by a friend that he was surprised one morning, about four o'clock, to see seven gensd'armes, with their carbines, marching past his house, and proceeding to that of a Monsieur Cazin, which, with his garden, they surrounded; but he had probably received intelligence of the proceedings in London by telegram, and had taken to flight some hours previously. This M. Cazin is said to have been worth 20,0007. It is just to the people of the district, of all classes, to state that I heard only one expression of opinion about such fraudulent acts. Although it extends my remarks on these transactions to a great length, yet, as it is a question of much importance, and the facts are undeniable, and show how purchasers of wine, with brands apparently genuine, are deceived, it is not necessary to offer much apology for inserting the following extract from a well-known circular of July 9, 1863 FABRICATED TRADE MARKS. We have received copies of three bills in Chancery, filed by Messrs. Moët & Chandon, of Epernay, praying that the several defendants may be restrained, by order of the Court, from selling or offering for sale, any wines in bottle, corked with corks having thereon a brand which is a copy or imitation of, or only colorably differing from, that of the plaintiffs;' and that the defendants may be decreed to deliver to the plaintiffs all corks in their power or possession so branded, and also all bottles corked with such corks.' Further, that an account may be taken, under the order and direction of the Court, of all wine so branded, not produced by the plaintiffs, which has been sold by the defendants, and of all gains and profits made by the defendants on such sales; and that they may be decreed to pay to the plaintiffs the amount of such gains and profits,' &c. The second bill, filed under date 19th ulto., is against Edward Gandell, Junr., who is described as 'a German yeast-merchant, having premises at No. 5, Paradise Street, Lambeth, and doing a considerable business in inferior wines and spirits,' and who is charged, in a similar manner to the former defendant, with having in his possession, and selling large quantities of spurious Moët's' champagne. The third bill was filed on the same day against Max Hirsch, a wine-merchant, of Canning Chambers, Liverpool, and Mayence-on-the-Rhine, and Jacob Birkett, commission agent, of No. 5, Eldon Chambers, South John Street, Liverpool, who are charged with having for some time past, fraudulently, and with great profit to themselves, sold large quantities of wine, as and for the plaintiffs,' but which were not produced by them. On the 23rd April last, Birkett addressed a letter to Messrs. John Dale & Co., of Lancaster, enclosing Hirsch's card, and offering 700 dozen of Moët & Chandon's wine, at 388. per dozen, duty paid; to which those gentlemen replied on the 29th April-- We duly received yours of the 23rd inst. The price is less than we are paying Moët's agents, but we suppose it is genuine, &c.' In answer, Birkett wrote, on the 10th May- I am not quite certain that it is genuine.' Messrs. Dale & Co. thereupon communicated with Moët's London agents, who on the 18th May wrote to Birkett, 'We see, by a letter signed by you, that you are offering a large quantity of wine, which, although bearing Moët & Chandon's brand, is, as we are enabled to show, spurious,' &c., &c. To this, no answer was returned, and at the plaintiffs' request, Messrs. Dale & Co., on the 1st June, wrote to the defendant Hirsch-Be good enough to forward us (as sample) one case, one dozen bottles of the Moët champagne which Mr. Birkett wrote us about a short time since.' However, Mr. Hirsch being by this time wide awake to the object for which the sample case was required, wrote- In reply to your favour of yesterday, we beg to inclose price list. We are not aware that Mr. Birkett has offered you any Moët and Chandon, as we very seldom sell any, and, in fact, have none in stock now.' Notwithstanding this, the plaintiffs charge that he then had, and still has, a large quantity of spurious wine, professing to be "Moët's," and continues to offer it for sale as the genuine article,' &c. In addition to the large quantities of spurious champagne referred to in these bills, we are informed that about 600 dozen were last week discovered and seized at Liverpool by Moët's agents. By reference to the following statistical Table, the rapid extension of the trade in Champagne wine with foreign countries, since 1845, is shown. It is here seen, that while in that year it was only 4,380,214 bottles (365,017 dozen), it was 9,851,138 bottles, or 820,927 dozen, in the year ending March 1864. |