MOLASSES, is the uncrystallised syrup produced in the manufac ture of sugar. It is suffered to drain from the casks into a cistern, in what is called the curing-house, before the sugar is sent away from the plantation. To facilitate the draining, the casks are ranged upright on a frame-work of open joists over the cistern ; several holes of about an inch diameter are bored in the bottoms of the casks ; and before the newly made sugar is put into the hogsheads, or, as it is called, potted, an equal number of plantaiu-stalks, or sugar-canes from which the juice has been expressed, are placed in each cask, so that the ends protrude through the holea. These stalks or caucs must be of equal length with the cask, and they thus form so many channels or conduits for the passing away of the greater part of the molasses : some will always remain in the hogabeads, and, draining away by slow degrees, will in a great measure be lost during the voyage; but even after the arrival of the sugar in Europe a proportion of molasses, which is less or more according to the good or bad quality of the sugar, remains in the mass. Sec further wider SUGAR linxurscrunE.
Nearly all the molasses made in the English sugar colonies was formerly converted into rum by fermentation and distillation on the estates ; but the price of that spirit having declined, and improvements having been made in the processes of refining sugar in Europe, whereby a large proportion of West Indian molasses has been rendered crystal lisable, a considerable and continually increasing quantity of molasses is shipped fbr that purpose. The syrups, which ultimately remain in a liquid form after passing through the processes of a refining-house, whether the same are the produce of Muscovado sugar or of molasses, are sometimes called molasses, but are more generally known as treacle. The imports of molassess, which were only 40,000 cwts. in 1820, rose to 250,000 cwts. in 1830; in 1845 they were more than 500,000 cwts.; and in the 14 years thence to 1859, they varied from about 600,000 to 1,100,000 cwts.