Coal Brandy

This is only a contraction of "coaled brandy," that is, "burnt brandy," and has no reference to the *purity* of the spirit. It was the "universal pectoral" of the last century; and more than once I have seen it prepared by "good housewives" and "croaking husbands" in the present, pretty much as directed in the following prescription. It is only necessary to remark, that the orthodox method of "coaling," or setting the brandy on fire, was effected by dropping "a live coal" ("*gleed*") or red-hot cinder into the brandy. This is copied from a leaf of paper, on the other side of which are written,…