Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 18.djvu/583

 P E R P E R 557 Chat Botte, Les Fees, Cendrillon, JRiquet a la Ifouppe, which, after being published in a miscellany during 1696 and 1697, appeared in a volume with the last-named year on the title-page, and with the general title of Histoires du Temps Passe. No criticism of these famous productions is necessary, and it is scarcely less superfluous to observe that Perrault has no claim to the invention of the subjects. His merit is that he has treated them with a literary skill in adapting style to matter which cannot possibly be ex ceeded. Of his other work some Memoires and academic filoges need alone be mentioned. He died on 16th May 1703. Except the tales, Perrault s works have not recently been re printed. Of the tales the best recent editions are those of Giraud (Lyons, 1865) and Lefevre (Paris, 1875). PERRONE, GIOVANNI (1794-1876), Roman Catholic theologian, was born at Chieri (Piedmont) in 1794, studied theology at Turin, and in his twenty-first year went to Rome, where he joined the Society of Jesus, and, after his ordination to the priesthood, became a teacher in the Col legium Romanum. From Ferrara, where he was rector of the Jesuit college after 1830, he returned to his teaching work in Rome, being made head of his old college in 1850. He died on 26th August 1876. He was the author of numerous dogmatic works, which, as clearly and faithfully reflecting the prevailing tendencies of Roman theology, obtained wide currency and were extensively translated. They may still be regarded as representing most nearly the modern orthodoxy of his church. The Prselectiones Theologicx may be specially named (1st ed. 1835, 31st ed. 1866). PERRY, an alcoholic beverage, obtained by the fermenta tion of the juice of pears. The manufacture is in all essentials identical with that of CIDER (q.v.), though there are some variations in detail arising from the more abund ant mucilage of the pear. The clearest and most concise account of making cider and perry is contained in the fourth part of the Herefordshire Pomona for 1881 (p. 133 . /.). The fruits are either taken at once to the crushing mill or allowed, like apples, to remain in heaps so as to ripen uniformly ; they are then crushed between rollers of granite or millstone grit, and the must or juice poured into casks. In making the better kinds of perry only the best sorts of pears are used without admixture ; but for ordinary purposes pears of various kinds are mixed indis criminately, although, as in the case of the apple, the fruits used for the mamifacture of perry are not those which are the most suitable for dessert. It is con sidered better not to crush the pips, as the flavour of the perry is thereby deteriorated. The most scrupulous clean liness is absolutely requisite, and all the metal-work of the machinery should be sedulously kept bright, otherwise the acids of the juice dissolve the oxides, and, in the case of lead, produce poisonous salts. Pear-juice contains grape- sugar, tannic, malic, and tartaric acids, albumen, lime, pectin, mucilage, and other ingredients. The quantity of potash and phosphoric acid in the juice is relatively large. At a temperature ranging from 50 to 80 the juice undergoes natural fermentation without the addition of yeast. This fermentation, however, is brought about by the agency of a &quot; ferment &quot; (saccharomyces), which feeds on the grape-sugar of the juice, decomposing it, and causing the rearrangement of its constituents in the form of alcohol, carbonic -acid gas, glycerin, etc. The saccharomyces fer ments in the first instance absorb oxygen and liberate car bonic acid, as in the process of respiration, but the air of the fluid in which they live speedily becomes exhausted of its oxygen, and then the ferments obtain further supplies from the glucose, in effecting the decomposition of which they set free more oxygen than they require, and this, uniting with the hydrogen and the carbon, forms the pro ducts of fermentation. In practice the pulp is removed from the mill and placed in open vats for forty -eight hours or longer. Gentle fermentation sets in, as shown by the formation of froth and bubbles of carbonic-acid gas. The pulp is then placed in layers separated by hair-cloths, which act as sieves or filters when the mass is placed in a press like a cheese- press. The pressure is gradual at first and afterwards increased. The juice or must is poured into hogsheads, leaving an unfilled space as &quot; ullage.&quot; The hogsheads are placed in a cool cellar, when fermentation begins as above explained, and a thick scum forms on the surface called the &quot; upper lees.&quot; At the same time mucilage and ferment-cells with the more solid particles sink to the bottom and form the &quot; lower lees &quot; at the bottom of the barrel. When the fermentation has subsided the liquor between the upper and lower lees should be bright, but in the case of perry, owing to the large quantity of mucilage, the juice has to be filtered through filters of Forfar linen, a tedious process. The clear liquor is now racked off into clean casks, not quite filled, but leaving space for &quot;ullage,&quot; and kept uncorked at a low temperature. A better practice is to close the cask with a bung, through which a curved siphon-like tube is passed, one end of it being in the &quot; ullage &quot; and the portion of it outside the cask being bent downwards and then upwards ; then either the bend of the tube may be filled with one or two tablespoonfuls of water, or the outer end of the bent tube may be plunged in a cup of water, the object in all cases being to provide for the escape of gas from the cask and to prevent the passage of air into it. In a week or so the fermentation ceases or nearly so, the liquor becomes clear and quiet, when isinglass is added in the proportion of one ounce to a hogshead of 100 to 115 gallons. (In Devonshire, the hogshead con tains uniformly fifty gallons.) In January or February the bungs are driven in firmly. While fermentation is going on, a temperature of 50 to 70 is most propitious, but after the liquor lias been racked off it should be kept in a uniformly cool cellar as near to 40 Fahr. as can be done. When it is desirable to restrain over-violent or hasty fermentation, sulphur or salicylic acid is employed. The latter, being the simpler and cleaner, is the better agent to be adopted. An ounce or an ounce and a half to a hundred gallons should be poured into the fermenting liquor immediately after it has been racked. It is very effectual, and leaves no sensible effects on the liquor if carefully used, being tasteless and free from smell. Great care should be taken, however, not to allow the acid to Come into contact with any metal such as iron, or a black colour will result. Perry contains about 7 per cent, of alcohol, and will keep in casks if well made for three or four years, or longer if in bottle. It does not, however, travel well. PERSEPHONE. See PROSERPINE. PERSEPOLIS. In the interior of Persia proper, some 40 miles north-east of Shiraz, and not far from where the small river Pulwar flows into the Kur (Kyrus), there is a large terrace with its east side leaning on Kuhi Rahmet (&quot; the Mount of Grace &quot;). The other three sides are formed by a retaining wall, varying in height with the slope of the ground from 14 to 41 feet; and on the west side a magnificent double stair, of very easy steps, leads to the top. On this terrace, which is not perfectly level, stand and lie the ruins of a number of colossal buildings, all constructed of exquisite dark -grey marble from the adja cent mountain. The stones were laid without mortar, and many of them are still in situ, although the iron clamps by which they were fastened together have been stolen or destroyed by rust. The mason-work is excellent, and the