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*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 78164 ***




THE PRACTICAL HOUSEWIFE.




HIGHLY INTERESTING WORK FOR HOUSEWIVES.

_Numerous Illustrations, crown 8vo, cloth, 2s. 6d._

THE HOUSEWIFE’S REASON WHY

DOMESTIC SCIENCE.


The Author of “The Reason Why Series” has made very wide researches, in
order to bring within the pages of this Volume, in the most simple but
expressive language, all those illustrations of scientific principles
which bear upon the Housewife’s duties; so that she may not only know
that she should do a thing, but WHY she should do it; and knowing WHY,
perform it all the more willingly.

EXAMPLE.

  Why is the mixture of alum with bread injurious?
  Why are baked apples useful to dyspeptic persons?
  Why should bedsteads not be placed against walls?
  Why do chimneys smoke?
  Why does salt improve digestion?
  Why does biliousness frequently attack people at forty years of age?
  Why are complexions influenced by the colours of dress?
  Why should not infants be placed on their backs in their cradles or beds?
  Why is roasted meat more digestible than boiled?

This Volume answers 1500 similar Questions.




[Illustration: “To understand the Economy of Household Affairs is not
only essential to a woman’s proper and pleasant performance of the
duties of a Wife and a Mother, but is indispensable to the comfort,
respectability, and welfare of all Families, whatever be their
circumstances.”—_Dr. Kitchiner._]




                                    THE
                            PRACTICAL HOUSEWIFE

                                A COMPLETE
                     ENCYCLOPÆDIA OF DOMESTIC ECONOMY
                                    AND
                           FAMILY MEDICAL GUIDE

                                    BY
                THE ORIGINAL EDITOR OF THE “FAMILY FRIEND,”
                    THE “HOUSEWIFE’S REASON WHY,” ETC.

                NEW EDITION, REVISED AND GREATLY ENLARGED.

                        LONDON: HOULSTON & WRIGHT.
                   PHILADELPHIA: J. B. LIPPINCOTT & CO.
                            _Author’s Edition._




THE REASON WHY SERIES

COMPRISES THE FOLLOWING WORKS, EACH COMPLETE IN ITSELF, AND SOLD
SEPARATELY.


  DICTIONARY OF DAILY WANTS. One very thick volume, strongly
    bound. $3.75.
  DICTIONARY OF USEFUL KNOWLEDGE. Two thick volumes, strongly
    bound. $5.00.
  DICTIONARY OF MEDICAL AND SURGICAL KNOWLEDGE. One thick volume,
    strongly bound. $2.50.
  REASON WHY. DENOMINATIONAL. $1.75.
  REASON WHY. GENERAL SCIENCE. $1.25.
  REASON WHY. PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY. $1.75.
  PRACTICAL HOUSEWIFE AND FAMILY MEDICAL GUIDE. $1.25.
  FAMILY SAVE-ALL; OR, SECONDARY COOKERY. $1.25.
  REASON WHY. GARDENER’S AND FARMER’S. $1.25.
  HISTORICAL REASON WHY. ENGLISH HISTORY. $1.25.
  REASON WHY. NATURAL HISTORY. $1.25.
  BIBLICAL REASON WHY. SACRED HISTORY. $1.25.
  HOUSEWIFE’S REASON WHY. DOMESTIC SCIENCE. $1.25.
  ENQUIRE WITHIN UPON EVERYTHING. $1.25.
  NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS. $1.25.
  CORNER CUPBOARD. A FAMILY REPOSITORY. $1.25.
  JOURNEY OF DISCOVERY ALL ROUND OUR HOUSE; OR, THE INTERVIEW.
    $1.25.




THIS BOOK, THE RESULT OF HUNDREDS OF VALUED CONTRIBUTIONS, ACCUMULATED
AND APPROVED DURING THE LAST TEN YEARS, IS DEDICATED TO EVERY HOUSEWIFE,
BY THE ORIGINAL EDITOR OF THE “FAMILY FRIEND,” IN THE BELIEF THAT IT WILL
LESSEN THE CARES OF DOMESTIC MANAGEMENT, AID THE PRACTICE OF HOUSEHOLD
ECONOMY, AND PROVE A HELP IN MANY EMERGENCIES, WHICH MAY AFFECT THE
COMFORT OF HOME.

LONDON, _October, 1860_.




PREFACE.


Every Englishman’s house is his Castle; the Husband has to do battle with
the struggles and competition of life; to provide for the wants of his
little fortress; and to keep those formidable enemies Debt, Discontent,
and Poverty, from the door. And many and arduous are the battles which he
has to brave; frequently testing to their utmost the powers of heart and
mind.

At the right hand of the Master of the citadel stands the Housewife,
his help-meet, companion, and comforter. Upon her devolves the duty of
keeping away the more subtile enemies that attack the dwellers of the
citadel within: Disease, Uncleanliness, and Waste, are among the silent
but stubborn foes which, unless they are fairly resisted at their first
approach, destroy the foundation, shatter the walls, and reduce to ruin,
both in a moral and a material sense, the Domestic stronghold which it is
Man’s mission to erect and defend, and Woman’s mission to preserve in all
its happiness and integrity.

The “PRACTICAL HOUSEWIFE,” which we now present to the public in a
greatly enlarged and much improved form, is a Hand-book to guide the
Wife in the discharge of those duties upon which the well-being of Home
depends; and without the proper fulfilment of which the most earnest
efforts of the best Husband will ever fail to secure their reward. In
proof that we do not over-estimate the importance of Woman’s influence in
the household, remember the words of Solomon: “Every wise woman buildeth
her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.”

In the following pages will be found some excellent Thoughts and Maxims
upon Housekeeping; Advice upon the Domestic Treatment of the Sick; the
Management of Children, &c.; a series of very instructive papers upon
Domestic Manipulation, together with Directions for Cookery and the
Choice of Food, in accordance with the Seasons of the Year; also ample
Directions upon Carving, and the Arrangement of Tables, &c., with a large
number of tried and approved Receipts in almost every description of
Domestic Preparation.

The married lady who carefully studies these pages, cannot fail to become
a “Practical Housewife,” one of those wise women who “buildeth her
house,” increaseth happiness in all around her, and is followed, when she
is called heavenward, by the throbbing heart-love of all who felt her
blessed influence.

It is obvious that the subject of NEEDLEWORK, intricate as are its
operations, and voluminous as its written descriptions must be, could
not be included in the present volume. The subject has been elaborately
treated and profusely illustrated in the “TREASURES IN NEEDLEWORK,”
containing several hundreds of designs by Mrs. WARREN, Mrs. PULLAN, and
other eminent artists.

Commending our Volume to the Housewives of Great Britain, in the fullest
confidence that every page will bear the closest examination, and be
found unusually instructive, we pray for the increase of those Domestic
Virtues which are the proud characteristic of the British Nation.

  LONDON, _October, 1860_.




INDEX.


  Ablution, importance of, 22

  Ague, 72

  Air, importance of fresh, 22

  Ale, devilled, 227

  Aleberry, 225

  Ale, mulled, 226

  Ale posset, 228

  Almond soap, 276

  American biscuits, 297

  Ants, expelling, 188

  Antwerp cream, 301

  Aperient electuary, 130

  Aperient for children, 130

  Aperient, infant’s, 127

  Aperient pills, 126

  Aperients, spring, 126

  Aperient, tonic, 126

  Apoplexy, 74

  Appleade, 223

  Apple fool, 265

  Apple jelly, 270

  Apricot beverage, 223

  Apricot pudding, 275

  April, food and cookery for, 262

  Arrack, mock, 226

  Arrow-root, 144

  Artichokes, boiled, 287

  Artichoke bottom ragout, 299

  Artichokes fricasseed, 269

  Asparagus, boiled, 264

  Asparagus soup, 266

  Asses’ milk, imitative, 145

  Asthma, 49

  Asthma, relief of, 127

  Athol brose, 226

  August, food and cookery for, 280


  Baked milk, 145

  Baking, 238

  Bandages, 112

  Bandoline, 140

  Bang, 226

  Barbel, to fry, 249

  Barley gruel, 144

  Barley milk, 145

  Barley water, 223

  Barley water, to make, 245

  Bath buns, 256

  Batter pudding, 271, 283

  Beads, to clean, 214

  Beans, French, à la Crême, 274

  Beans, kidney, boiled, 274

  Bear’s grease, 141

  Bedding, &c., choice of, 8

  Beef steaks, Staffordshire, 288

  Bed-rooms, management of, 14

  Beds, to detect dampness in, 188

  Beef broth, 254

  Beef collops, 259

  Beef hams, 287

  Beef, pressed, 278

  Beef, spiced, 270

  Beef stock, 253

  Beef tea, 147

  Bees, to avoid injury from, 135

  Beverages, summer, 221

  Beverages, winter, 221

  Biliousness, 54

  Bishop, 226

  Blackberry jam, 306

  Black caps, 292

  Black draught, 127

  Blacking for dress boots and shoes, 188

  Blacking to preserve leather, 188

  Blanching, 239

  Bleeding at the nose, 134

  Blisters, 113

  Boiling, 172, 235

  Books, to remove stains from, 213

  Boring, 239

  Bottles, to clean, 143

  Bottles, to make air-tight, 189

  Bowel complaints, 57

  Brain fever, 64

  Braising, 239

  Brass ornaments, to clean, 211

  Brass, to clean, 212

  Brawns, mock, 266

  Bread-and-butter pudding, 297

  Bread pudding, 251

  Breath, remedy for shortness of the, 128

  Brentford rolls, 275

  Brill, fried, 285, 298

  Broiling, 237

  Bronchitis, 50

  Bronchitis, acute, 51

  Bronchitis, chronic, 51

  Broth for invalids, 146

  Broth of calf’s feet, 147

  Broth of chickens, 147

  Browning for soups, 254

  Bruises and sprains, remedy for, 133

  Bruises, cure for, 132

  Brushes, to clean, 142

  Bugs, to destroy, 189

  Bullace tart, 293

  Burns, lime liniment for, 133

  Burns, to heal, 134

  Butcher’s meat, economy in the use of, 245

  Cabinet pudding, 271

  Cake, good common, 283

  Cakes: see under various names, as Shrewsbury, Banbury, currant,
      &c., 261

  Calf’s feet and milk, 145

  Calf’s head, 276, 294

  Calf’s head cheese, 269

  Calf’s head, fricasseed, 264

  Calf’s head pie, 300

  Calf’s heart, baked, 292

  Candles, hints about, 190

  Candles, to improve, 190

  Candlesticks, to clean, 213

  Capillaire, mock, 224

  Carbuncles, 115

  Cardinal, 226

  Cardoons à la fromage, 296

  Cardoons, fried, 292

  Carp, fried, 295

  Carp, stewed, 254, 268

  Carrot soup, 254

  Carrots, boiled, 282

  Carrots, Flemish way, 287

  Carving, 320

  Casks, to sweeten, 215

  Caudle, 144, 226

  Caudle, brown, 226

  Caudle, rice, 227

  Caudle, cold, 227

  Caudle, flour, 227

  Caudle, flummery, 227

  Caudle, oatmeal, 227

  Caudle, tea, 227

  Caudle, white, 227

  Cauliflowers, boiled, 269

  Celery, fried, 296

  Celery with cream, 261

  Cement for iron utensils, 189

  Cement, manufacture and use of, 159

  Cements, waterproof, 161

  Chairs, restoring, 194

  Chapped hands, cerate for, 137

  Cherry drink, 224

  Chervil, boiled, 274

  Cheshire puffs, 275

  Chicken fricassee, 286

  Chicken-pox, 48

  Chicken, roasted, 278

  Chilblains, 107

  Chilblains, household cure for, 130

  Children, cookery for, 303

  Children, management of, 22

  Chimneys on fire, means of extinguishing, 191

  Chimneys, cure for smoky, 191

  China, &c., choice of, 8

  China, to mend broken, 190

  China, to pack, 192

  Chintz, to wash, 203

  Choking, 109

  Cholera, 62

  Cholera and bowel complaints, prescription for, 127

  Chopping, 165

  Christmas cake, 301

  Cleaning, 148, 180

  Cleanliness, importance of, 14

  Cloth, scouring balls to take grease from, 207

  Clothes, management of wet, 208

  Clothes-brushes, to clean, 142

  Clothes, to brush, 209

  Clothing, hints respecting, 22

  Coats, to renovate, 207

  Coat, to pack properly, 208

  Cock-a-leekie soup, 294

  Cockles, pickled, 285

  Cockroaches, expelling, 188

  Cod sounds, boiled, 299

  Cod sounds ragout, 299

  Cod, to cure, 295

  Colds and coughs, 127

  Coloured prints, &c., to prevent from running, 202

  Colours of dresses, preserving, 203

  Combs, to clean, 142

  Consumption, 46

  Consumption, watercresses recommended, 128

  Cookery for the months, 248

  Cookery, rudiments of, 232

  Cool tankard, 224

  Copper saucepans, danger from, 239

  Corking, 148

  Corns, cure for, 130

  Corns, cure for soft, 131

  Cough, 48

  Cough mixture, 128

  Cough, recipe for a, 127

  Court-plaster, 140

  Crab soup, 258

  Crabs, dressed, 267

  Crackers, bon-bon, 301

  Crambambull, 226

  Cramp, cure for, 134

  Cranberry drink, 224

  Crape, to remove stains from, 207

  Cream, cold, 139

  Cream, housewife’s, 279

  Croup, 44

  Cucumbers, stewed, 274

  Cumberland pudding, 275

  Curds and whey, 224

  Curling fluid, 138

  Currant water, 225

  Curried beef, 256

  Curries, various, 237

  Curry, 250

  Custard pudding, 283

  Cutlery, choice of, 8

  Cutting glass, 152


  Dace, to fry, 249

  Dace, to marinade, 249

  Damascus biscuits, 279

  Damson or plum cheese, 257

  Deafness from deficient wax, 130

  Deafness, remedy for, 130

  Decanters, to clean, 210

  Decanting, 153

  December, food and cookery for, 297

  Delirium, 66

  Delirium tremens, 67

  Derbyshire bread, 279

  Derby short cakes, 288

  Devonshire junket, 295

  Diarrhœa, 61

  Diarrhœa in infants, 129

  Dinners, 14

  Disinfecting, 180

  Disinfecting liquid, 136

  Disinfecting sewage, 135

  Distilling, 185

  Dividing, 163

  Divine drink, 225

  Dory, boiled, 290

  Dory cutlets, 268

  Dory, fried, 296

  Doubing, 239

  Dresses, to preserve the colours of print, 200

  Drying, 148

  Ducklings, roasted, 263

  Ducks, roasted, 255

  Ducks, Nottingham fashion, 295

  Durham pie, 300

  Dye for woods and veneers, 195

  Dyes, various, 191

  Dysentery, 61

  Dyspepsia, 60


  Ear-ache, remedy for, 131

  Early rising recommended, 14

  Ears, affections of the, 80

  Eau de Cologne, 141

  Eau sucre, 225

  Economy, importance of, 3

  Eel pie, 262

  Eel soup, 258

  Eels, broiled, 281

  Eels, collared, 295

  Eels, spitchcock, 263

  Eels, to pot, 281

  Egg-flip, 272

  Egg wine, 228

  Eggs for invalids, 147

  Elder-flower ointment, 140

  Elder wine, mulled, 228

  Embroidery, to clean, 200

  Endive, stewed, 282

  Epilepsy, 75

  Erysipelas, 37

  Excoriation, 116

  Expenditure and income, 8

  Eye, affections of the, 79

  Eyes, inflammation of the, 128

  Eye-wash, 138

  Eyes, wash for weak, 138


  Face, affections of the, 78

  Fainting, 77

  Feathers, to make muffs and tippets of, 204

  February, food and cookery for, 253

  Feet, care of the, 91

  Feet, cold, means of preventing at bed-time, 130

  Feet, cure for blistered, 129

  Female clothing, to render uninflammable, 219

  Fermenting, 185

  Fever, 63

  Fever, brain, 64

  Fever draught, 130

  Filtering, 155

  Fireproof and waterproof cement, 218

  Firmity, 265

  Fish-jelly, savoury, 263

  Fish, potted, 266

  Fish, salt, 249

  Fish, selection of, 17

  Fish stock, 276

  Flannel, to shrink new, 192

  Flannels, to wash, 209

  Flap, 225

  Flatulence, 59

  Flies, to destroy, 135

  Floors, hints on scrubbing, 196

  Flounders, as water souchy, 285

  Flummery, 252

  Food for the months, 248

  Forks, cleaning, 182

  Fowl, curried, 273

  Fowl, dressed cold, 268

  Fowls, forced, 299

  Fowls, roast, 259

  French pastry, 256

  Fricadel, 260

  Fricassee of beef, 250

  Fruit stains, to remove from the fingers, 213

  Fruits for children, 306

  Frying, 237

  Fumigation, 135

  Furniture, taste in the selection of, 3

  Furniture, wax for polishing, 195

  Furs, to clean, 204

  Furs, to preserve, 204


  Galling, to prevent, 129

  Gargles, 89

  German puffs, 275

  German silver, to clean, 211

  Giblet soup, 258

  Ginger beer, 221

  Ginger beer, Indian, 225

  Ginger beer powders, 221

  Gingerbread, 256

  Gingerbread nuts, 301

  Gingerbread snaps, 301

  Gingerbread, spiced, 283

  Ginger cakes, 257

  Ginger lemonade, 222

  Glass, cutting, 152

  Glass, grinding, 152

  Glass, to mend broken, 190

  Glass, to pack, 192

  Glass, writing on, 152

  Glazing, 239

  Glazing for hams, tongues, &c., 260

  Gloves, to clean kid, 205

  Glue, common, 161

  Glue, liquid, 161

  Glue, mouth, 160

  Glue that will resist moisture, 189

  Goitre, 117

  Gold lace, to clean, 199

  Goose, green, roasted, 263

  Goose, roasted, 255

  Gooseberry fool, 270

  Gooseberry fool, with the wood in it, 270

  Gout, 96

  Gravy, rich, 298

  Grease spots, means of removing, 194

  Grinding, 163

  Grinding glass, 152

  Grouse, potted, 286

  Grouse, roasted, 282

  Gruel, 143

  Gudgeon, fried, 295

  Guinea-fowl, roasted, 299


  Haddock, to boil, 249

  Hair dyes, 136

  Hair, preservation of the, 84

  Hair, superfluous, 137

  Hair, to promote the growth of, 137

  Hair wash, 137

  Hake, baked, 299

  Hake cutlets, 249

  Hake pie, 293

  Ham, boiled, 282, 292

  Ham for Christmas, 300

  Hamburg beef, 300

  Hampshire cheese snaps, 265

  Hands, care of the, 89

  Hands, to whiten the, 138

  Hare collops, 286

  Hare-lip, 118

  Hare pie, 255

  Hare, roasted, 286

  Hare soup, 249

  Harness, polish for, 188

  Hats, to take care of beaver, 207

  Heart, disease of the, 91

  Heart, ox, roasted, 278

  Heartburn, 129

  Heat, economy of, 175

  Herb pie, 278

  Herrings, fried, 290

  Herrings, smoked, 290

  Hessian soup, 284

  Hiccups, cure for, 128

  Hippocras, 222

  Hoarseness, 128

  Hooping-cough, 30

  Hooping-cough, mixture for, 128

  House, taking a, 3

  Household receipts, 126

  Housekeepers, suggestions to, 242

  Housekeeping, thoughts and maxims on, 1

  Hydrophobia, 71, 134

  Hypochondriasis, 69

  Hysteria, draught for, 130


  Idiocy, 68

  Imperial, 222

  Incombustible varnish for wood, 216

  Income and expenditure, 8

  Indigestion, prescription for, 129

  Inflammation, 118

  Influenza, 53

  Ink stains, to remove from books, &c., 213

  Inks, indelible, 193

  Inks, sympathetic, 193

  Inks, various, 192

  Insanity, 70

  Insects, bites of, 132

  Insects, expelling, 188

  Invalids, food for, 20, 143

  Iron-moulds, to remove, 213

  Iron-moulds in linen, to remove, 200

  Iron-work, cleaning, 181

  Isinglass, 145

  Italian paste, 262

  Italian turnip, 267

  Itch, 37

  Ivory, to restore, 214


  January, food and cookery for, 248

  Japanese cement, 189

  Japanned goods, cleaning, 182

  Jaundice, 55

  Jelly, bread, 145

  Jelly, Gloucester, 145

  Jelly, rice, 145

  Jelly, tapioca, 146

  Jelly, strengthening, 146

  Jingle, 146

  June, food and cookery for, 271

  Julienne soup, 272

  July, food and cookery for, 276


  Kale, 265

  Kettles, to clean, 212

  Kidney pudding, 292

  King cup, 223

  Kitchen utensils, selection of, 3

  Knives, cleaning, 182

  Knots, 166


  Lace, to wash, 200

  Lace veils, to clean, 199

  Lacquer-work, to clean, 212

  Lait sucre, 223

  Lamb’s brain cakes, 251

  Landlord and tenant, 3

  Language, precautions respecting, in the presence of children, 22

  Larding, 239

  Larks, roasted, 250

  Leather cases, to clean, 214

  Leeches, management of, 109

  Leek soup, 294

  Lemonade, 222

  Leveret, roasted, 282

  Light, importance of, 14

  Lime and egg cement, 161

  Linen, to remove stains of wine or fruit, from table, 203

  Linen, uses for old, 8

  Linen, &c., choice of, 8

  Linen, to restore scorched, 202

  Linen, to restore stained, 200

  Linen, to whiten after turning yellow, 202

  Ling, boiled, 299

  Lip salve, 140

  Lips, affections of the, 81

  Liver pudding, 251

  Liver, roasted, 260

  Lobster balls, 272

  Lobster cutlets, 258

  Lobster, potted, 277

  Lobster salad, 266

  Lobster sauce, 295

  Locality, choice of, 3

  Lodgings, relative advantage of furnished and unfurnished, 3

  Looking-glasses, to clean, 210

  Lumbago, 105


  Macassar oil, 138

  Maccaroni, 266, 294

  Mackerel, broiled, 277

  Mackerel, marinaded, 277

  Madness, 68

  Mahogany, artificial, 195

  Mahogany, to improve, 194

  Mahogany, to take ink from, 195

  Malcolm puddings, 252

  Mania, 69

  Manipulation, domestic, 148

  Marathon biscuits, 288

  Marble, to clean, 214

  March, food and cookery for, 257

  Marketing, hints upon, 14

  Marrow-bones, beef, 264

  Marrow pudding, 265

  Marrow, vegetable, 274

  May, food and cookery for, 266

  Measles, 41

  Meats, selection of, 17

  Medical guide, 30

  Medical receipts, 126

  Melancholy, 68

  Metals, to remove stains from, 213

  Mildew in linen, to remove, 200

  Mildew, to remove from clothes, 208

  Mincemeat, 252

  Mincemeat, à la Soyer, 302

  Mince pies, 252

  Mirrors, to clean, 210

  Mistresses and servants, 8

  Mistress’s example, importance of, 18

  Mock turtle, 284

  Moths, perfume against, 142

  Moths, to prevent, 208

  Mourning, to remove stains from, 207

  Mousseline-de-laine, to wash, 202

  Mushrooms, 278

  Mushrooms, à la Maintenon, 287

  Mushrooms, grilled, 287

  Musquetaire, 272

  Mussels, pickled, 285

  Mutton, breast, grilled, 274

  Mutton ham, 251

  Mutton, hashed, 296

  Mutton steaks, à la Maintenon, 264


  Nails, to whiten the, 138

  Napkins, folding, 310

  Naples cheese, 283

  Nectar, 225

  Nettle rash, 45

  Neuralgia, 103

  Newcastle pudding, 279

  Nightcap, Oxford, 228

  Norfolk biscuits, 261

  Northumberland pudding, 288

  Nose, affections of the, 85

  Nose, to stop bleeding of the, 134

  Nourmahal cake, 279

  November, food and cookery for, 293

  Nurseries, management of, 14

  Nurses, and hints upon nursing, 26


  Oak, imitation colour, 192

  Oat-cakes, unfermented, 254

  Oatmeal gingerbread, 252

  Oatmeal pudding, 252

  October, food and cookery for, 289

  Oil-cloths, hints about, 196

  Ointment, sedative, 129

  Onion ragout, 291

  Onions, roasted, 274

  Orangeade, 222

  Order, importance of, 14

  Ox cheek, stewed, 281, 283

  Oxford hash, 260

  Ox tail, 290

  Oyster sausages, 285

  Oysters, fried, 258

  Oysters, scalloped, 285, 295

  Oysters, stewed, 255


  Packages, 166

  Pains after exertion, prevention of, 134

  Paint, cleaning, 181

  Paint, to remove from dresses, 202

  Paint, to remove the smell of, 215

  Palpitation of the heart, 92

  Palpitation of the heart, draught for, 129

  Panada, to make, 145

  Pancakes, 283

  Paper-hangings, to clean, 214

  Parcels, 166

  Parsnips, to boil, 261

  Parties, dinner, 14

  Parties, evening, 14

  Partridge pie, 286

  Paste, adhesive, 160

  Paste, permanent, 160

  Pastry, directions for making, 244

  Pea soup, 248

  Pea soup, green, 266

  Peas, boiled, 264

  Peas, stewed green, 278

  Pen wiper, excellent, 219

  Pens, to preserve steel, from corrosion, 218

  Perch, as water souchy, 250

  Perfume for linen, 141

  Perfume of flowers, to extract, 141

  Perfume against moths, 142

  Pheasant, roasted, 291

  Pies, see under various names, as mince, rump steak, &c.

  Pigeon, broiled, 250

  Pigeon compôte, 259

  Pigeon in savoury jelly, 268

  Pigeon soup, 254

  Pike, baked, 281

  Pike, stewed, 258

  Plaice, fried, 299

  Plate, care of, 8

  Plate, cleaning, 181

  Plate, to remove black spots from, 211

  Plovers, roasted, 278

  Plum cheese, 257

  Plum pudding, 302

  Point lace, to clean, 200

  Poisons, 120

  Poisoning, 135

  Pomade, Victoria, 141

  Pomatum of rosemary, 140

  Poor man’s drink, 228

  Pope, 228

  Porcelain, to clean, 210

  Pork pie, Cheshire, 288

  Pork, Portuguese way, 251

  Pork, spare-rib, 251

  Porridge, plum, 298

  Porridge, Scotch, 245

  Posset, treacle, 230

  Posset, lemon, 229

  Posset, royal, 229

  Posset, pope’s, 229

  Posset, jelly, 228

  Posset, cold, 228

  Posset, snow, 230

  Posset, orange, 229

  Potato fritters, 261

  Potato salad, 269

  Potted meat, Strasburg, 260

  Prawn jelly, 263

  Prawns, curried, 255

  Prawns, potted, 277

  Prawns, to boil, 273

  Pudding, à la Soyer, 293

  Pudding, plain, 271

  Puddings, see under various names, as plum, marrow, &c.

  Punch, à la Romaine, 231

  Punch, Scotch, 230

  Punch, regent’s, 230

  Punch, common, 230

  Punch, cold, 230

  Punch, West Indian fashion, 229

  Punch tea, 231

  Punch, milk, 230

  Punctuality, importance of, 14

  Purl, hot, 228

  Putty, to soften old, 218

  Potatoes, several ways of cooking them, 243

  Pot-pourri, 141

  Poultices, 111

  Powdering, 163


  Quinine, draught for dyspepsia, 129


  Rabbit, fricasseed, 255

  Rabbits, mumbled, 278

  Rabbits, stewed, 250

  Ramakins, 261

  Raspberry vinegar, 223

  Ratafia pudding, 293

  Receipts, medical and household, 126

  Renovating balls, 197

  Rheumatic fever, 98

  Rheumatism, 97

  Rheumatism, prescription for, 129

  Rhubarb fool, 270

  Ribbons, to take creases out of, 198

  Rice and apples for children, 306

  Rice glue, 189

  Rice milk, 145

  Rice, plain, 262

  Ring-worm, 105

  Roasting, 236

  Rust, precautions against, 218

  Rust, to take from iron or steel, 212


  Sack posset, 229

  Sago, 144

  Sago milk, 144

  Salads, hints upon, 269

  Salmon, collared, 263

  Salmon, pickled, 277

  Salmon, potted, 273

  Salmon-trout pie, 290

  Sanders, 264

  Sandwiches, Victoria, 270

  Sauté, or gravy soup, 272

  Sausages, Bologna, 259

  Sausages, Oxford, 274

  Saucepans, to clean, 212

  Sauces, see under the different heads, as oysters, lobsters,
      shrimps, &c.

  Scalds, lime liniment for, 133

  Scarlet fever, 33

  Scorbutic eruptions, 130

  Scotch leek, 281

  Scrofula, 47

  Sea cookery, 271

  Sea pie, 271

  Seidlitz powders, 222

  Senna and manna, to make palatable, 307

  September, food and cookery for, 284

  Servants, and mistresses, 8

  Servants’ duties, routine of, 18

  Servants, management of, 8

  Sewage, to disinfect, 135

  Shell-fish, selection of, 17

  Sherry cobbler, 224

  Shoes, French polish for, 188

  Short-bread, 256

  Shrewsbury cakes, 261

  Shrimps, to boil, 273

  Sick, care of the, 16

  Side, remedy for pain in the, 132

  Silk lace, to wash, 198

  Silks, various ways of dyeing, 197

  Silks, various ways of cleaning, 197

  Silks, various ways of renovating, 197

  Silver, to clean, 212

  Simnel, to make a, 257

  Sippets, 146

  Sirloin of beef, 250

  Skate, boiled, 263

  Skate, fried, 273

  Skin, remedy for chapped, 130

  Skin, to prevent discoloration of, after blows, 133

  Skin, to remove black stains from the, 215

  Small-pox, 39

  Smelling-bottles, to loosen the stoppers of, 142

  Snipe ragout, 259

  Snipe, roast, 259

  Snuffers, to clean, 213

  Soda cake, 270

  Soda powders, 222

  Soup à la Chartre, 280

  Soup à la sap, 254

  Soup, baked, 298

  Soup, common, 248

  Soup for the poor, 298

  Soups, Flemish, 289

  Soups, see under various names, as hare, giblet, &c.

  Spanish pea, 262

  Spasms, remedy for, 132

  Spinach, 272

  Spinach, boiled, 265

  Spinach, stewed, 265

  Spinach stewed with eggs, 299

  Sponges, to clean, 143

  Sprains, 106

  Spruce beer powders, 222

  Spruce beer, white, 225

  Stain mixture, 202

  Stains, means of removing, 194

  Steel goods, to clean, 211

  Stew for invalids, 147

  Stew, first-watch, 271

  Stewing, 172, 238

  Stings, remedy for, 136

  Stockings, to clean silk, 198

  Stoppering, &c., 148

  Straining, 155

  Suet milk, 145

  Summer beverages, 221

  Sweetbreads, larded, 275

  Syllabub, 265

  Syllabub, Somersetshire, 297

  Syllabub, Devonshire, 279

  Syllabub, London, 279

  Syrup pie, 278

  Tables, laying out and arranging for breakfasts, luncheons,
      dinners, teas, suppers, &c., 309

  Tamarind drink, 225

  Tapioca, 144

  Tea cakes, 256

  Tea-trays, to clean, 214

  Teeth, to fill decayed, 138

  Teeth, to remove tartar from the, 139

  Teeth, preservation of the, 82

  Teething, 32

  Teething mixture, 129

  Temperance in meats and drinks, 14

  Tenant and landlord, 3

  Tench, as water souchy, 250

  Tench, fried, 263

  Tench, stewed, 295, 299

  Throat, affections of the, 86

  Throat, remedy for sore, 131

  Thrush, 36

  Tic-douloureux, 100

  Tic-douloureux, remedy for, 131

  Tin covers, to clean, 211

  Toasting well, 240

  Toddy, buttered, 231

  Toffee, for hooping-cough, 128

  Toilette receipts, 136

  Tomato, 290

  Tomatoes, stuffed, 292

  Tooth-ache, cure for, 131

  Tooth-powders, 139

  Trafalgar cakes, 293

  Treacle beer, 223

  Tripe, stewed, 275

  Tripe, soused, 288

  Tripe, stuffed and roasted, 288

  Trotters, sheep’s, 145

  Trout, boiled, 268

  Trout, pickled, 277

  Trussing, 320

  Turbot, pickled, 299

  Turbot, boiled, 282

  Turkey, Dutch way, 273

  Turkey patties, 250

  Turnip pie, 296

  Turnips, boiled and mashed, 274

  Tying down, 148

  Typhus fever, to prevent infection from, 135


  Ulcers, ointment for, 133


  Varnishes, various, 216

  Varnish, for baskets and straw hats, 216

  Varnish, incombustible, 216

  Varnish, for plaster figures, 216

  Varnish, for harness, 216

  Veal broth, 258

  Veal cake, 264

  Veal cutlets à la Maintenon, 279

  Veal, larded, 296

  Veal olives, 260

  Veal sausages, 251

  Veal stock, 253

  Veal tea, 147

  Vegetable marrow, 274

  Vegetable pudding, 261

  Vegetables, observations on cooking, 260

  Vegetables, selection of, 17

  Velvet, to iron, 207

  Velvet, to raise the pile of, 207

  Velvet, to restore, 207

  Venison, 251

  Venison, fried, 292

  Ventilation, 14

  Vermicelli, 262


  Warmth, in relation to health, 22

  Warts, cure for, 132

  Wasp, to cure the sting of a, 135

  Water, a corrective for bad, 217

  Water, hints respecting, 172

  Waterproof boots, 217

  Waterproof cements, 161

  Waterproof cloth, 217

  Waterproofing cloth, Chinese method, 218

  Whey, lemon, 231

  Whey, vinegar, 231

  Whey, mustard, 231

  Whisky toddy, 231

  Whitebait, fried, 273

  White-ears, roasted, 282

  Whiting, boiled, 268

  Whiting, fried, 268

  Wine whey, 231

  Wine, mulled, 231

  Winter beverages, 221

  Wood, to colour black, 195

  Woodcocks ragout, 296

  Woodcock, roasted, 291

  Wounds, ointment for, 134


  Zinc ointment, 130




THE PRACTICAL HOUSEWIFE.




THOUGHTS AND MAXIMS ON HOUSEKEEPING.




CHAPTER I.

    Importance of the Subject—Deficiencies in Practical
    Training—The Happiness of Home mainly depends upon the
    Housewife.


The superintendence of a house, and the management, forethought, economy,
and good sterling sense requisite properly to achieve this, demand as
much study and perseverance as the acquisition of music, painting, or any
other accomplishment. The latter are taught most sedulously; young girls
are educated to delight our eyes and ears, and to shine in society: would
it not be well if they were also educated to sustain a woman’s home, and
often homely, duties?

In no country is domestic comfort so prized as in England. It is in
our happy land that the word Home is best felt and enjoyed; from the
wealthy merchant to the peasant, home is the centre around which all
else revolves; yet, strange to say, in all ranks there are thousands of
girls brought up utterly in ignorance of home duties. They are taught
a trade, or are educated for governesses, until that branch of female
employment is so crowded with competitors, that upper servants obtain a
better salary and are treated with more respect; or they are crammed with
brilliant accomplishments and skilled in ornamental work, but of domestic
duties they know little or nothing. Why is this? Surely elegance and
utility are not incompatible.

It is not alone the wife or mother who should be skilled in household
knowledge. Every girl who has emerged from childhood, and who is
approaching towards womanhood, is liable to be called upon to assume the
reins of domestic government; the mother may be ill, bed-ridden, or die:
why should the father, who has perhaps one or two daughters of sixteen
years old or thereabouts, be obliged to seek elsewhere for a housekeeper?

We trust that our readers will not for a moment imagine that we have
any objection to accomplishments, that we would have a woman be merely
an upper servant in the house it is her province to guide, that we
consider the kitchen her only sphere, or that we undervalue intellectual
acquirements, and elegant occupations. Far from it; but we would have
our model housewife familiar with all the routine of domestic duties,
well acquainted with the minutiæ of household economy, and perfectly
competent to direct, or if need be, teach her servants—ay, even in cases
of necessity, to do things herself.

Every now and then we hear of a great stir being made about the “rights
of women,” and claims made for their having an equal amount of power,
and an equally active part in the business of life with men. It is by no
means our intention to enter into the merits or demerits of that subject,
but what we have to say is this, that if women were, from the highest
to the lowest, more systematically educated to wield properly the great
amount of power they _do_ possess, and if they were habituated actively
and energetically to enter into that portion of the business of life
which is their own peculiar sphere, this world would be a much happier
and better one.

There is a medium, however, in all things. A woman who worries all within
her reach by her ultra-housewifery, who damps one down with soap and
water, poisons one with furniture polish, takes away one’s appetite by
the trouble there is about cooking the simplest thing, and fidgets one by
over-done preciseness and cleanliness, is almost as much to be avoided as
a downright sluggard, or the veriest simpleton.

Neither would we have domestic economy and home duties vaunted, or made
the constant theme of conversation; they are the private employments of
woman; she must study other things in order to entertain her relatives
and friends. Those who talk most of their duties are generally those
who perform them most imperfectly. When a man returns to his home,
or enters his sitting-room, fatigued and perhaps disappointed by the
business of the day, he does not want to be annoyed by the details of
domestic accidents, the misdemeanours of servants, and the cheating of
tradespeople. He has had _his_ worries during the day, too, and with that
pride, or reserve, or want of confidence which is peculiar to most men,
he keeps them to himself.

Many a girl can make good pastry, or dress up jellies, and such like, for
an evening party, and being much complimented for her labours by those
who relish the produce, forthwith fancies herself a capital housewife,
while in all probability, she scarcely knows how vegetables are cooked,
is profoundly ignorant of the prices of the commonest articles of daily
consumption, and could not tell of what material a house-cloth should be
made.

And how few there are who could, in case of need, make a cup of good
gruel, or a glass of white-wine whey, or even a little broth or barley
water. We do not say that they could not manage to produce something
resembling these things, but the capricious appetite of the invalid
rejects the tasteless messes.

Some persons affirm that they have no capacity for this matter, no
taste for that. To such we would reply, If the things alluded to are
necessary parts of duty, cultivate a taste, persevere in endeavouring to
improve a capacity for them. This world is a beautiful one, in spite of
what grumblers say, and thousands would find it a much happier one if
they studied their duties more, and sought their pleasure or indulged
their fancies less. To all of us it is intended to be a place of trial
and probation, and every human being in it exercises a greater or less
influence upon the character, the happiness, and the destinies of many
others, and is accountable for opportunities wasted, and blessings
neglected or transformed; and women especially so.

From the peeress to the peasant, a highly principled, sensible woman,
is, or may be, a blessing to numbers; and not so much by great deeds
or extraordinary exertions, but simply by a quiet, straightforward
performance of those duties which God has given her to do.

Thus far we have gone with our exordium; but in subsequent papers
we shall proceed seriatim through the various duties and business
appertaining to a house, endeavouring to map out a clear chart of what
these are, to point to the sudden rocks, and show as simply and tersely
as possible how these may be avoided, and the vessel floated always in
tolerably peaceful waters.

As it is the province of man to promote the necessaries and comforts
of home, so it is the province of woman wisely to dispense them; and
upon the due performance of her onerous duties rests the social joy
and peace of the home, while nothing but muddle, misery, and ruin can
follow neglect of them. For her guidance we have at much labour brought
before her information upon subjects that fall within the true scope of
housekeeping, and multifarious as those subjects are, it is our belief
that in consulting the Index she will find a reference to most of those
subjects upon which she may require information.




CHAPTER II.

    The Beginning of House keeping—Importance of a proper
    Appreciation of Economy at the Commencement—Taking a
    House—Choice of Locality—Agreement with the Landlord—Relative
    Advantages and Disadvantages of Furnished Lodgings—Economy and
    Taste in the Selection of Furniture—Importance of a proper
    Selection of Kitchen Utensils.


That sensible and oft-quoted old lady, Mrs. Glasse, in one of her recipes
begins thus:—“First catch your hare.” Acting upon so good an example, we
will first take a house and furnish it, previously to laying down axioms
for its management.

Before any steps are taken, the income or pecuniary means of the parties
about to commence housekeeping, should be well considered. We know that
by young “brides elect,” and rash youths bent on matrimony, such £ s.
d. matters will be deemed dreadfully sublunary; they have a notion that
if once they are married, all will be sure to go right. A young clerk,
rejoicing in an income of £80 or £100 per annum, more or less, every
penny of which he has been in the habit of seeing annually swallowed up
by his own expenses, falls in love with the daughter of a well-to-do
tradesman, a surgeon, or a lawyer in tolerable practice. The young lady
can sing and play, speak French, Italian, and German a little, produce
marvels in the way of crochet and ornamental work, loves poetry and
romance, and can trim herself a smart bonnet, which, however, often
costs more than if she had purchased one ready made. But she has been
at boarding-school, and knows little or nothing of life as it is; her
wants have been provided for, there have been servants to wait upon, and
parents to love and cherish her; and now, to crown all, she has a lover
to adore her, to write “sonnets to her eyebrow,” sing a second to her
duets, and flatter her caprices and pretty whims.

If the father is a shrewd, worldly man, he soon nips this promising bit
of flirtation in the bud; but if he is an easy-going sort of person, or
one with a family of daughters who will, he knows, at his death, be but
poorly provided for, he lets matters take their course. The young man
proposes, feeling certain in his own mind that a wife will be an actual
saving to him—single men are so imposed upon! The heads of the families
meet in grave consultation on the subject of “ways and means,” and not
seeing their way clearly, separate without coming to any resolution.
The young people are importunate; they urge all sorts of hopeful,
inexperienced arguments, and become eloquent under the enthusiasm of
love. He wilfully ignores the fact that he has been accustomed to spend
half his income on clothes and amusements, and that a merely nominal sum
had been paid to his parents for board and lodging, and all the comforts
of a good home, and the rest frittered away he scarcely knows how. She
forgets how much she spends on gloves, ribbons, perfumes, and other
finery, not to mention actual necessaries, and persists in seeing an _el
dorado_ in the income of her lover.

They overcome all obstacles and are married, and with _éclat_, or it
would not be _comme il faut_. As much is spent on the bridal dress and
the hired coaches, and the breakfast, as would keep the newly-married
pair comfortably for a month; then off they go into the country to
spend in travelling, hotel-bills, &c., some £20 or £30, and fulfil all
the requirements of the etiquette of this enlightened age, which often
imperiously demands reckless expenditure when common sense would advise
more than usual economy.

However, we do not consider it our mission to enter on Quixotic quarrels
with the ways of the world. It is, as our young people soon find—

    “A very good world to live in,
    To lend, to spend, or to give in;
    But to beg, or borrow, or get one’s own,
    ’Tis the very worst world that ever was known.”

In taking a house, the first matters to be considered are, the rent we
can afford to give, and whether we are bound to any particular locality.
Having settled this, we may begin our search accordingly. Where locality
is not specified, always choose one as open and airy as may be, and where
the soil, or at any rate the subsoil, is not clay, where the drainage
is good, and there is an ample supply of water, and no neighbouring
factories giving out noxious gases and poisonous smoke and vapour. Too
close a vicinity to a churchyard is likewise to be avoided. Of course,
the house must be capable of accommodating the family who are to occupy
it, and there should always be a spare room or two which can be used
for bed-rooms, or other purposes in case of emergency. There should be
closets, cellars, &c., and good ventilation front and back. A fee to a
well-qualified surveyor is often well bestowed, for he may detect serious
faults in a house, which, to an ordinary observer, seems well-built and
comfortable.

The agreement with the landlord should be clearly understood, and all
liabilities as to parochial and other taxes, local rates, house repairs,
with charges for fixtures, &c., inquired into, and definitely arranged,
before the agreement is signed.

It sometimes happens that the chief rooms are not papered and painted
until the house is let. In such case the in-coming tenant generally has
the power of choosing the papers, or panellings, and paint. He will, of
course, select such as will best harmonize with the colour which the
furniture and hangings should have.

Having taken our house, it generally wants a thorough cleaning and
airing. The former may sometimes be got out of the landlord; the latter
must always be done by the tenant; and in spring, autumn, and winter,
fires should be kept for three or four days, according to the time the
house has been empty, and to the repairs it has undergone during that
interval; for, of course, nobody takes a house in the state of dirt and
dis-repair in which it is usually left by an out-going tenant, or if
they do so under the notion that the landlord will set it all to rights
after they are in, they will find out their mistake, and repent their
confidence.

We will now suppose the house taken, cleaned _thoroughly_, and well
aired, and will proceed to furnish it. But first we must pause to observe
that young people will do well carefully to consider matters before they
take upon themselves the troubles and responsibilities of housekeepers.
Where their joint savings, or some sum especially bestowed for the
purpose by friends or parents, enable them to make the necessary outlay
for furniture, linen, &c., and yet have something left to put by for
“a wet day,” and the rent and taxes can be afforded by the income of
the husband, it is all well and good. But if money must be borrowed, or
debts incurred, or the income mortgaged,—begin life in the quietest way
rather than with this responsibility, or with these incumbrances. Take
furnished apartments for awhile, until you see your way. Thirty pounds a
year will pay for two rooms on the ground-floor, and fifty for two on the
drawing-room floor, in a respectable locality, and this covers rent, wear
and tear of furniture, and attendance.

We know that it is customary to say that people are victimized, cheated,
ill-used and abused in furnished lodgings; poisoned with dirt, and
devoured by vermin. It may be so in some places, but all we have to say
is, that the first four years of our married life were passed in them,
and now every autumn, for a month or six weeks, we dwell in furnished
lodgings at some watering-place, and that we have found the trials of
housekeeping pretty much the same; whether in lodgings or in a house,
with one’s own servants; the expenses in the former were fewer, so were
the comforts, and the waste and cheating are about the same in both
cases, when strict surveillance is not exercised.

Of course, if people will permit themselves to be cheated, and do not
know how much or how little of each article of food or grocery ought
to be consumed per day or per week, or what its cost is, they will be
cheated by lodging-house keepers, and also their own servants. Neither
is it wise to go into an actual lodging-house, where the proprietors
avowedly live by, or, in other words, on their lodgers. There are always
respectable families to be found who only let one set of apartments,
and with whom it is very possible to get along comfortably. As to
the much-decried attendance in lodgings, we found generally, that by
keeping our boxes and drawers locked, and throwing as little temptation
in the servants’ way as possible, we were seldom robbed; and that, by
consideration for and patience with the household drudge, aided by the
occasional spur of some little gift or gratuity, we got a fair share of
her services.

But to our furnishing business. Here, again, those unsentimental letters
£ s. d. present themselves, and say, “Thus far shalt thou go, and no
farther,”—and that limit is dependent upon the funds in hand, and which
may, without incurring debts or emptying the purse, be expended.

For bed-room furniture, mahogany, maple-wood, and oak are the best and
prettiest; there are also very serviceable, well-polished, stained wood
imitations of all these three; and there are, too, very common and
trumpery imitations, which turn shabby in a few months, and are generally
badly put together, and do no service; two good chairs are worth a dozen
of such rubbish as these latter.

As a general rule, we should advise avoidance of all cheap, showy,
furnishing establishments; likewise, unless you are wealthy, of all
fashionable upholsterers.

Patronize good, old-established houses of business, and do not,
to spare trouble, enter a large emporium, which too often, like
Jack-of-all-trades, does everything, but nothing well; seek for separate
articles at the establishments of various respectable tradespeople.

Never buy second-hand bedsteads, bedding, or hangings, unless you are
well convinced that no more than you bargain for is included in the
purchase.

Iron and brass bedsteads, which can now be had of every size, form, and
price, are far preferable, both as regards health, cleanliness, and
lightness, to any others.

Chintz or dimity are better for bed-furniture than damask, moreen, or
any fabric containing wool; they harbour less dust, and are less liable
to hide vermin.

Kidderminster carpets are best adapted for bed-rooms. Never place carpet
under a bed, or you provide a resting-place for all the dust and flock
which daily falls from the mattresses, and establish a nice hot-bed for
fleas. Let the carpet be composed of about three pieces, in order that it
may be frequently taken up and beaten or shaken, and the floor scrubbed
clean.

Those who value health will not have a feather-bed in their house. Good
mattresses of wool, and wool and horsehair, iron bedsteads, and as little
bed-furniture, curtains, &c., as may be, with a light quilt, are the best
preventives against rising languid, inert, and unfit in the morning for
the duties of the day.

Never crowd a bed-room with furniture; have that which is really useful
and requisite, and no more; and in fitting it up, always remember that
illness often comes when we least expect it, and take care that your room
shall possess such articles as will then be needful for comfort and ease.

A dining-room requires little furniture; but that little should be good
and handsome, and of mahogany.

About furnishing drawing-rooms, we can give no directions, so much
depends upon taste. We would only reiterate our warning to beware of
showy, veneered, vamped-up furniture; or, when the room has had a fire in
it some dozen times, you will be startled occasionally by reports, as if
small cannon were discharged, and on rising to investigate such alarming
noises, you will find, perhaps, a crack across one door of the beautiful
rosewood cheffonier, or a gaping chasm in that lovely loo-table, or a
piece of carved work flown off the card-table, showing only deal beneath!

Here, again, a little furniture tastefully arranged, is far better than
a crowd of articles; besides, in one’s course through life, furniture
accumulates gradually, and if it is necessary to sell one thing in order
to make way for another, that is a very unprofitable business.

We now come to the kitchens, where the wants are multifarious, for here
must be accumulated means of feeding, and cleaning, and keeping in order
the whole house. Of course we can give no detailed account of what will
be required, as all depends upon the extent and style of the household;
all we can do, therefore, is to make one or two general remarks on the
durability of different wares.

As few copper cooking utensils as possible should be had, and those few
should be most thoroughly tinned in the inside, and always carefully
cleaned and dried before being put away. For ourselves, we prefer
block tin to anything else for saucepans, pots, and kettles generally.
Iron does not so quickly or plainly tell any tale of dirt or neglect;
cast-iron is very brittle, and cannot be repaired when broken; and copper
is so likely to harbour verdigris. A good double block tin saucepan
should always have the cover, the handle, and the back, kept bright as
silver, and the top, spout, front, and handle of the kettle, should
also be kept bright; for, besides that a polished surface maintains heat
better than an uneven, blackened one, it looks wonderfully better; and if
the smoke is never allowed to gather on these parts, it is easy to keep
the utensils as bright as they were at first.

For stewpans, iron tinned on the inside is most useful.

Candlesticks for common house or kitchen use should be of tin or brass,
and large enough to prevent grease spots. There is no wear in japan.

Wooden bowls for washing glass and china, and block tin or zinc
hand-bowls, will be found most serviceable.

All utensils for the conveyance of water about a house should be of
metal, as water-cans of different sizes, hot water jugs with covers,
shaving-mugs, &c., since thereby much breakage will be saved; and these,
if bought good at first, will, with ordinary care, last a very long time.
The same remark applies to foot-baths. Very pretty toilet sets for the
wash-stand are now also made in zinc, and beautifully painted or japanned.

Sarcophagus, and other extraordinarily shaped coalscuttles, are to be
avoided as most troublesome and awkward affairs, out of which it is next
to impossible to extract coals conveniently.

In the “Housewife’s Reason Why,”[1] the advice which is here given
arbitrarily, is supported by the explanation of principles, or _reasons_,
with which every Housewife should be acquainted, and a knowledge of which
will impart a quickening interest to every duty she is called upon to
perform.

[1] London: Houlston & Wright.




CHAPTER III.

    Care of Plate—Choice of Cutlery—Crockery, China,
    Glass, Ornaments—Linen, Bedding—Uses for Old
    Linen—Brushes—Miscellanies—Income and Expenditure—Mistresses
    and Servants—Hiring Servants—Management of
    Servants—Watchfulness a Leading Principle in Economy.


With regard to all those articles which fall under the general
denomination of “plate,” we should advise that all imitations be avoided;
let those who cannot afford silver or plated goods be content to use
simple metal, which does not pretend to be more than it really is.
All the imitations of silver will, even with the utmost care, betray
themselves in a very short time, and have a would-be-genteel-if-I-could
sort of air, which is far less respectable than the plainest of all
materials; besides, the money they cost would purchase a few _real_
articles, which are always worth their weight in silver, whereas the
imitations have only a nominal value, and lose even that as they become
discoloured and dull.

Metal tea and coffee pots may be had very good, and in very handsome
patterns, and they are far more durable than china, drawing better, and
retaining heat longer.

Cheap cutlery is mistaken economy. Good knives and forks will, with
ordinary care, last for years; common ones have no wear in them, and
never can be made to cut well.

Crockery, china, and glass, we need say little about, for they may be had
at all prices and of all qualities. The moulded or cast glass looks as
well as cut-glass, if not placed in contrast with it, and wears as long,
and costs considerably less. For dishes, jugs, butter-coolers, &c., we
should always use it; decanters, wine-glasses, and tumblers, do not look
so well in it.

As regards ornamental china, or glass, or what not, little can be said,
these things are so much matters of taste; but better have but one,
and let that one be really handsome and good, than have a crowd of
cheap, showy trifles; besides, these, again, are things which gradually
accumulate, and therefore it is always better to devote the money in
hand to necessary articles, and leave the more ornamental ones for after
consideration. A good clock for the kitchen, and a handsome one for the
drawing-room, are useful and necessary things, especially the former.

In household linen, again, it is false economy to buy common or cheap
materials. For sheets, linen, union, calico, and Swiss twilled calico
are used; these substances are now woven wide enough to render a seam
unnecessary, and all we have to do is to measure the width of the beds
and allow an extra half yard; the ordinary length of a sheet is three
yards and a half. The pillow-cases must be of the same material as the
sheets. Marseilles quilts are too heavy to be beneficial to health; any
industrious housewife may knit very serviceable and pretty counterpanes
in squares or shell-shaped pieces, during those periods when she is
chatting, or between the lights, or at hours when she would otherwise
most probably be doing nothing. It is for such useful purposes as these
we value knitting, crochet, &c., for they can be made the means of
economy and usefulness, instead of being, as they too often are, employed
on useless expensive trifles.

Table-cloths, tray-cloths, and dinner napkins will of course come
under the category of “linen,” and can be obtained at very reasonable
prices compared with what they were twenty years since. Towels, too,
are included in this list. In the case of chamber towels, again, comes
diversity of opinion, some preferring a soft, some a hard, some a rough,
and some a smooth towel; damask and diaper are not soft enough for some
delicate skins. For our own part we like towels which administer a
certain amount of friction to the skin, and all medical men agree that
this is requisite to health. For the kitchen, round towels, tea-cloths,
and glass-cloths, will be required, as well as dusters, pudding-cloths,
knife-cloths, house-cloths, and flannels for cleaning. These, although
they do not come precisely under the head of “linen,” will have, by
young housekeepers newly furnishing, to be purchased at the same time,
and therefore may as well be mentioned here. Old sheets make good
glass-cloths; old table-cloths make nice soft towels; all dresses of
cotton, or old dress-linings, will serve for dusters, and old blankets
for house-flannels.

Besides these, there are needed toilet-covers for chamber tables, chests
of drawers, &c., carpet covers, muslin for chamber window-curtains,
muslin for drapery for the toilet-table, coarse sheeting for
dusting-sheets to cover the beds or drawing-room furniture when sweeping
and cleaning; a yet coarser sheet to lay down in front of the stoves when
they are being cleaned, chamois leathers for cleaning the plate, brass,
steel, and windows; and bags for the best brooms.

Then we come to brushes, and their name is legion. Oh, this furnishing
a house is a serious affair! a carpet-broom, a short handled one for
the stair carpets, a hair-broom for the bed-rooms, and another for the
passages and kitchens; feather brushes, dusting-brushes, stove-brushes,
hearth-brushes, shoe-brushes, plate-brushes, paste-brushes,
clothes-brushes, a hat-brush, and a table-brush to remove the crumbs from
the table-cloth, are all needed; and these should be bought at a good
warehouse, and of good quality, if we would have them do us service,
and not fall to pieces, or lose their hair, as soon as they are fairly
brought into use.

There are many items yet unmentioned, but it will not be requisite for
us to waste our time, or that of our readers, by enumerating them all
seriatim; we will therefore proceed to other matters.

Supposing now that we have our house, and it is furnished, the next thing
to determine is how many servants can be afforded. Must we be content
with one, a “general servant;” or can we afford a cook and housemaid, or
even aspire to the gentility of a man-servant or a page? Beware of this
latter individual, young housekeepers, if you value your comfort; for
if you chance to get a quick, clever lad, he will have more tricks than
a monkey; and as for the stupid variety of the “genus page,” it is a
torment indeed.

The expenses must be determined by the sum which can, without incurring
debts, or living too closely up to one’s income, be devoted to
“housekeeping,” under which head we include rent, taxes, wages, and
every outlay appertaining to the house. Now, in reckoning the expense of
a servant, the question of wages is not the only one to be considered;
there is the board and washing; and £30, exclusive of wages, is the
lowest at which the keep of each servant can be estimated.

We know it is the fashion to speak of servants as “necessary evils,”
and to decry them as “a bad set.” Surely, if there is any truth in
old proverbs, there must be faults in the mistresses as well as the
domestics, for we have heard that “good mistresses make good servants:”
how comes it, then, that there are so many bad ones? Firstly, from the
defective education of that class whence female servants are generally
taken. Born in those miserable localities where poverty is compelled to
dwell; reared among scenes of vice, often in the midst dirt, misery, and
temptation; taught to read at some Sunday-school, the moral lessons of
which were but a feather in the balance against the worldly lessons of
the other six days; fed afterwards on that pernicious cheap literature
which puts all sorts of idle and vain follies, desires, and passions,
into the head, the girl is at fourteen hired for some trifling sum to
nurse a baby, and idles about the streets with others of her own age,
gossiping; or is errand girl to a dressmaker, and thus pursues her
studies of human life; or is engaged to help the mistress of some small
lodging-house, and generally works hard, and fares hard too, and gets
plenty of hard words. None of these people in general regard her as a
fellow-creature having, like their own children, need of teaching, of
guidance, of patience, and kindness; if she does pretty well, why, it is
her duty! if she does badly, she is discharged! Many a girl would have
become a valuable servant, a respectable and reasonable individual, if
in her first service she had found a mistress who knew what the duties
of a Christian woman at the head of a house were. Of course, there
are characters which no treatment, however judicious, can permanently
benefit; but still we ought to try what we can do ere we despair; and the
influence of a steady pursuance of duty is always, more or less, felt by
all within its power.

In hiring servants be particular in inquiring as to their characters,
and, if possible, learn something of the people with whom they have
lived; let all stipulations as to wages, extras, holidays, and such
matters, be clearly specified and rightly understood.

As a country cannot be governed without laws, neither can a household,
and the mistress should be as absolute in her own house as a sovereign in
her dominions. Order and regularity are the key-stones to comfort, and
our housewife must carefully arrange and digest her scheme of government
in the first place, and be always alive to any modifications which
emergencies, or prudence, or circumstances, may call for. And she must
_understand_ what she is about, or her scheme will be worthless; she
must be able to teach, nay, to demonstrate upon occasions; she must be
regular in her own habits if she would have those about her regular, neat
in all that concerns herself, attentive to the details of housekeeping,
economical, just, active, and considerate. She must neither hold the
reins of government loosely and negligently, nor too sternly, but must
quietly exercise a general and regular surveillance over every part of
her house and household; and this can be done without tyranny, without
vexatious interference, or ebullitions of temper. Let the servants once
feel that this is her habit, and they will act accordingly; and if the
place is good, conduct themselves so as to endeavour to please and keep
it. And it is the interest, as well as duty, of every mistress, to make
her servants comfortable, to see that they have a sufficiency of good
food, that they are well lodged, that they have time to mend and wash
their own clothes, nay, that they know how to do so, and do it.

A mistress need never forget herself, or weaken her authority, or
show any false indulgence; but in numberless ways she will have the
opportunity of endeavouring to guide, to advise, and to benefit those
dependent upon her; but she must be patient, if she would really do
good. She must remember what may have been the early education, the
trials and temptations, the experiences of those girls, and must not
expect too much from them. As we have before said, she must hold the
reins of government with a firm hand; she must not overlook neglect of
duties, irregularities of conduct, want of order or cleanliness, or
inattention to her commands; but she can notice these things quietly,
without loss of temper, and when alone with the offender; she can also
notice and praise neatness, attention, obedience, and such like, and not
accept the good as mere matters of course, and only mark the evil. She
should likewise endeavour to induce her servants, by example and precept,
to be regular in attendance on religious worship, and make Sunday to them
in some degree a day of rest instead of one of extra cooking and work,
and have a supply of those excellent little works to lend them, which are
published by the religious societies. While she inculcates economy in
things relating to herself, she should try to induce them to save, to put
by regularly a certain portion of their wages, and not be extravagant in
clothes, but make and mend their things properly.

There is little saved by giving paltry wages; a useful servant will not
accept them, and those who do, cannot clothe themselves respectably on
six or seven pounds a year, and will too often eke out their means by
peculation. It is well to begin with moderate wages, as nine or ten
pounds, and promise an annual increase, which promise both induces a wish
to please, and takes away one great excuse for leaving, viz., a desire of
“bettering herself.”

The amount of the income will determine what sum can be allowed per annum
for housekeeping, for besides, there will be clothing expenses to be
provided for, sundries of various kinds, expenses of illness, on which
we must all reckon, and there _ought_ to be a reserve fund regularly
laid by to provide for any unforeseen emergency, or form the “nest egg”
of a provision for a rising family. Well, suppose the sum determined!
the next question is, how to apportion it so as to combine economy with
comfort, and secure a regular and uniform style of living, not luxuries
to-day and parsimony to-morrow. Now, how can our young housekeeper do
this if she knows little or nothing of the prices of provisions; if she
scarcely remembers when things are in season and may be purchased at a
reasonable rate, and when they are actual extravagances; if she has no
idea what quantity of this or that ought to be consumed, by a family of
a certain size, per week or per month; and, above all, if she has little
aptitude for domestic management, and considerable contempt for all such
vulgar details? Few who have read that truthful sketch of Dickens’s, the
“child-wife,” will forget the pretty helplessness of Dora; but, although
this reads well in a novel, very few such girls, and there are many of
them, will meet with husbands as indulgent; for men do like to see their
home well ordered, and to feel the comforts of good management.

Every housekeeper should keep a strict account of all her expenditure;
should see that each bill be receipted when paid; and file all receipts,
and keep them for a year at least—we should rather say two or three. All
housekeeping bills should be paid every week, for it is easier to pay
small sums than large ones; and besides, then the correctness of the
bills can be ascertained. The mistress should look each one over herself,
as thus she will detect, and can check, any inaccuracy on the part of the
tradesmen, or extravagance on the part of her servants. Should she be her
own housekeeper, she should deal regularly with respectable tradesmen,
for they will rarely risk losing a good customer by selling bad articles.
Bargain hunting is always perilous, even to good judges; “cheap and
nasty” is perhaps a vulgar proverb, but it is a true one. Cheap tea,
coffee, sugar, &c., are all adulterated; cheap vegetables and fruit are
generally stale; cheap meat is that which has been sent ready killed to
the market, and, therefore, is by no means as fresh as might be wished;
and cheap poultry and fish are to be regarded with very great suspicion;
all, therefore, injure the health.

Those who have store-closets, will find their advantage in purchasing
some things wholesale. Candles should be bought in the latter part of
summer, when they are usually cheaper, and a store laid in, for they
improve by keeping. So does soap. Coals, too, should be ordered in
July or August, and if there is cellarage, a stock for the winter laid
in. Many articles of grocery may often be purchased in quantities at
considerable saving. The same remark applies to bacon, butter, and
cheese; but, unless there are good dry store-rooms, these latter cannot
be kept. It is useless to make pickles or preserves unless the house is
dry—in damp localities these things mildew and spoil; nor are we sure
that in small families it is economical to buy them at all, they can be
bought so reasonably now. All stores should be kept by the mistress, and
given out as required.

All good housekeepers will provide themselves with weights and scales,
and thus be prepared to check the _quantities_ of goods sent them by
their tradespeople, who are as liable to make errors in weighing as in
casting their bills. We cannot too particularly impress this upon the
attention of our readers, as an essential means to protect themselves
against errors in weight, whether arising from accident or design. Many
heads of families are exceedingly particular about the _price_ of their
purchases, who are utterly regardless whether or not they have the
_weight_ they paid for. Tradesmen are aware of this trust imposed in
them, and too often take advantage of it.




CHAPTER IV.

    Order, Cleanliness, Punctuality—Early
    Rising—Temperance in Meats and
    Drinks—Ventilation—Bed-rooms—Nurseries—Light—Influence of
    Good Management upon Domestic Love and Happiness—The Dinner
    Question—Going to Market—Dinner Parties—Evening Parties.


In the realm which our housewife is to govern, order, cleanliness,
punctuality and economy must be the fundamental principles which, by
precept and practice, she endeavours to enforce. It matters little
whether her subjects are limited to a single maid-of-all-work, or general
servant, as it is now the fashion to call this class of domestic, or
whether she reigns over two, three, or more “helps,” the principle must
still be the same; a certain routine of daily and weekly duties must
be laid down, and it lies with the mistress to see that not only these
are performed properly, but that all incidental matters are likewise
attended to. However wealthy a family may be, they are not willing that
their houses and furniture should be injured by neglect or mismanagement,
therefore must care be taken. Money can enable a man to hire more
domestics, but it cannot secure that these persons shall be cleanly,
diligent, trustworthy, and painstaking; it cannot secure him from the
consequences of their ignorance, their carelessness, their extravagance.
Nothing but the supervision of the mistress, or a good housekeeper, can
do this. If, then, a rich man, who can pay the best wages, and hire the
most experienced servants, finds still that he lacks something, how much
more so will one of moderate income or of limited means suffer, should he
not find in his wife a _practical_ housewife?

What I am now about to say, some of my readers may perhaps think out of
place; nevertheless I shall say it. A woman cannot really do her duty as
a wife, mother, or mistress of a family, unless she is fully sensible
of the importance of health, and gives to all sanitary measures their
due attention. With loss of health come diminished powers of usefulness.
Languor and delicacy in a wife may call forth the sympathies, but do
not increase the comforts or happiness of a professional or business
man; neither do they render a woman more inclined for, or equal to, the
performance of her part in domestic life. And too many of our young girls
render themselves languid, feeble, and delicate, by inattention to the
commonest requisites of human nature. The crying evil of towns is usually
the want of baths attached to houses, and the small size of bed-rooms;
now these are in general accepted as things which must be endured, and
little or no attempt is made to palliate them. All medical men, however,
agree that plentiful ablutions of the body with cold or tepid water, and
a good supply of fresh air in every sleeping and living room, do more
to preserve health than all the drugs in the pharmacopœia. And next to
these come early rising, avoidance of late hours and crowded assemblies,
regular exercise in the open air, and attention to diet. By this latter
we do not mean actual eating, but abstinence from pernicious viands,
as pastry, sweetmeats, rich gravies, unripe fruit, &c. Pork, veal, and
various kinds of vegetables can only be eaten sparingly and occasionally
by some persons. Spirits should only be used medicinally, that is to say,
at times when common sense tells us they might be of benefit. To take
them habitually is equivalent to slow poison.

Besides the benefit a woman derives in her health and person from
attention to all matters relative to personal care, she will gain another
in the effect of her example upon her dependants; for we are all, to a
certain extent, creatures of imitation, and prone to follow example,
be it good or bad. Servants who see before them one who consistently
practises the virtues of economy, regularity, personal cleanliness, and
general neatness, will never run diametrically counter to all this,
but will in some degree shape their conduct accordingly; while all the
precepts in the world, without practice, will but go in at one ear and
out at the other.

Where only one or two servants are kept, the mistress will do well
not to leave her chamber before she has opened her windows and laid
the bed-clothes back over two chairs, so as to ensure the sheets and
blankets, heated by the contact with the body all night, being well aired
and cooled. No bed should be made, or night-dress folded up, until it
has been aired, and suffered thoroughly to cool for at least two hours.
Nurseries should be aired while the children are at breakfast, and while
they are taking their morning walk. Dining and drawing-rooms require a
current of fresh air passed through them at least once every day, to
dislodge all the vitiated air tainted by the smell of food, flowers, &c.,
and by having been inhaled by those using the rooms. Many of our readers
have doubtless been struck, on entering some houses, by the close, faint,
unwholesome smell they, coming from the fresh air, at once perceive.
Those who dwell in it habitually are not conscious of it. They dread the
chill of fresh air, or the dust or smuts it will bring with it into their
rooms; and therefore shut it carefully out, and cherish in its stead
a species of slow poison—a heavy atmosphere loaded with all sorts of
pernicious gases.

Light, too, is another forbidden luxury in some houses. Heavy Venetian
blinds jealously protect the delicate hues of the curtains and carpets
from its influence, and the inmates consequently fade, instead of the
upholstery; for a human being can no more do without light than can a
flower, and we only need place this latter in a cellar for a few days,
and we shall see how it will look. It must not, however, be supposed
that we would recklessly suffer the noonday sun to shine on our damask
curtains or tapestry carpets, or that we should open our windows when
rain, hail, or snow beat full upon them; all we wish to do is to advise
such a use of God’s choicest gifts as health requires, and common sense
dictates.

Nor is it only with a view to exercising a salutary influence upon her
domestics, and strengthening herself, that we would counsel our housewife
to pay strict attention to all matters of sanitary importance. A female
writer of some celebrity has said—“If before marriage a woman has been
deluded into the notion that a multiplicity of small ailments invested
her character with an interesting kind of delicacy, the sooner she
becomes well after marriage the better for herself and all around her.”

Now we do not intend to assert that there are not many men who are
unwearied in their tenderness in time of illness; but this we must say,
that there are thousands more who “vote sickness a bore,” who have little
sympathy with, little tolerance for it; who married to have a cheerful
companion, not a drooping, languid invalid to come home to; and who soon
begin to seek elsewhere that companionship and that cheerfulness they
have failed to find at home. And alas! when a man’s love has once been
dimmed, or alienated from his wife, it never wholly recovers its lost
lustre, but remains a mere mechanical matter of duty or honour, and
too often not even that. Matrimony may bind a man to his wife legally,
but herself only can retain her empire over his heart; and to do this,
she will need even more than her former charms, and attractions, and
fascination, besides a vast variety of other attributes which her new
position will require of her. Our great poet, Shakspere, says—

    “Thy husband is thy lord, thy life, thy keeper,
    Thy head, thy sovereign; one that cares for thee
    And for thy maintenance—commits his body
    To painful labour both by sea and land,
    While thou ly’st warm at home, secure and safe;
    And craves no other tribute at thy hands
    But love, fair looks, and true obedience.”

Women little dream what they peril when, after marriage, they neglect
the accomplishments, the tasteful dress and adornments, the charming
_coquetterie_ of manner which enthralled the lover. They not only risk
their happiness, for it depends on him, but they neglect what ought to
be their highest ambition—that of proving how much dearer is the wife
than the mistress, and of rendering home a refuge from cares, a scene of
tranquil happiness, social enjoyment, and real comfort.

       *       *       *       *       *

There are few things more perplexing at first to young housewives than
the momentous question of dinner. Now, a good cookery book, a short walk
round the region where the marketing is done, and a knowledge of family
likes and dislikes, will generally enable even a novice to arrange this
important matter, at least so far as the ordering goes, the cooking being
another consideration. A glance at those pages in which we give a list
of the things in season for each month, will assist the housewife in her
selection for the table, and enable her to cater for variety, whilst a
visit to the market will enable her to expend her money economically.
Things must not only be “in season,” but “in reason,” to make a moderate
income productive of the greatest degree of comfort.

_Joints_ should always, when weather permits, be purchased fresh, and
then hung as long as is deemed requisite to fit them for eating. A
knowledge of the _sauces_ and _condiments_ appropriate to every dish, is
a subject well worth attention.

_Fish_ should be chosen by touch and look. If it feels flabby and looks
pale about the gills, and dull about the eyes, it is to be avoided;
firmness of body, brightness and fulness of eyes, and ruddiness of the
gills, are signs of freshness.

_Crabs_ and _lobsters_ must be selected by weight, not size; and the
olfactory organs must be employed to test their sweetness.

The _cooking of vegetables_ is an important point, and one in which we
may derive much useful instruction from our continental neighbours.
Vegetables cannot be too fresh; in large towns we can form no idea of the
real flavour and delicacy of green vegetables, accustomed as we are to
have them at least a day after they are cut.

We have already spoken of the desirableness of dealing regularly with
respectable tradesmen, but no rule is without its exception; and those
who are pretty good judges of articles of provision, may often obtain
some variety by looking about for them.

Servants should always be accustomed to lay the cloth and serve dinner
as neatly when the family is alone as when company is expected; they
should likewise be taught to bring up and place on the table or sideboard
everything likely to be required during the meal, and not have to leave
the room repeatedly on trifling errands. The mistress should glance
around to see that all is there; and if she perceives omissions, mention
them before dinner commences. Servants should also be taught to wait at
table without bustle or noise; to remove plates, &c., without rattling
them; to open and close the doors gently; to lift covers from dishes so
as not to let the drops of condensed steam fall on the table or those
seated at it. If these things are ordinarily insisted upon, the mistress
of the house will not, when she gives a dinner party, sit on thorns,
trembling lest some _gaucherie_ be committed.

Those who would give dinner parties must generally speaking, if their
_ménage_ is small, hire a cook. A small, well-cooked, well-chosen
dinner, is far preferable to a table crowded with dishes. Symmetrical
arrangement of the dinner-table, too, is a powerful adjunct. The silver
should be bright, the glass sparkling, the table-linen pure and snowy,
the room well lighted, of comfortable temperature, and well ventilated.
The pleasure of eating a good dinner is greatly enhanced when comfort is
studied, and taste gratified.

The wines should be good; it is better to give only one or two kinds,
and let those be choice, even though they be only old-fashioned port and
sherry, than to aim at greater things, and set before the guest those
“cheap and nasty” productions of other vintages.

The reduction of duty upon French wines has rendered available for the
English table many choice and light wines hitherto prohibited. English
taste, however, has not yet been cultivated in this direction to such an
extent as to render these liqueurs universally palatable. They should be
made subsidiary to the more established wines, and should be introduced
principally in warm weather.

Choose the company carefully. Ill-assorted guests are difficult to
please, while persons who assimilate find additional zest in their social
enjoyment.

The dessert should be well selected and more choice than plentiful. By
choice, do not let us be understood to mean extravagant, consisting of
fruits not yet in season or having their proper flavour, or of preserved
fruits or fancy confectionery. All these are prejudicial to health, and
we cannot understand why people who dine out should be tempted to eat
indigestible things, or those which will disagree with them; why what
ought to be a means of social enjoyment, should be made a matter of form,
ostentation, and discomfort. Let the dessert consist of fine specimens of
the fruits in season, backed in winter by a few dried fruits and biscuits.

There are so many varieties of evening parties that no directions can
be given respecting them. As a general rule, we should advise that they
should be as simple, unostentatious, and social, as possible. It is the
extravagance which has been introduced into these matters, the insane
desire of outvying each other felt by individuals, that is the bar to
real social enjoyment, and prevents us from being as lively a people as
our continental neighbours. Why cannot we meet to converse, have music,
dance, or amuse ourselves in any rational way, and be content with light,
simple refreshments, and a sincere welcome? Surely such _réunions_ are
more enjoyable than crowds, grand suppers, superb toilettes which are
scarcely seen in the crush, and suffocating heat or currents of cold air.
Such assemblies upset the house of the party-giver for a week at least,
weary and worry her, and are criticised most severely by all her “dear
friends” who did not enjoy themselves, or receive the attention they
expected. In them all is most certainly “vanity and vexation of spirit;”
there is no pleasant converse, no comfort, no intellectual enjoyment;
weariness, lassitude, headache, and expense, are the concomitants of
such parties. May our “practical housewife” have courage to reject them
altogether.




CHAPTER V.

    Routine of a Servant’s Duties—Importance of the Mistress’s
    Example.


Early rising is indispensable, if a servant would do her duty; it is not
possible that the rooms can be dusted, the fires lit, the breakfast got
ready, and all the little incidental trifles done, unless a servant is
down stairs at least two hours before breakfast-time. We should fix six
o’clock as the proper hour at which work should begin all the year round;
for in winter even more has to be done than in summer, and few things
are more unpleasant than to have servants muddling about their work all
day, instead of getting through the chief and dirtiest part of it in the
morning hours. If we make a call, which gives us the most favourable
impression of the family,—to see a tidy-looking, clean servant, answer
the door; or to have it opened by one who looks as if she had deemed it
necessary when blacking the stoves to black her own person also?

A servant should be trained to rise about half-past five, throw open her
bed, and her window, too, when the weather permits; unclose the shutters
of the staircase and dining-room, open the windows of this latter to air
it; pass into the kitchen, and open the shutters and windows there; light
the kitchen fire; well rinse the kettle, and fill it with fresh water;
see that the boiler is well supplied with water, and then proceed to
prepare the room required for breakfast.

The rug must be folded up and removed, and the proper cloth laid down in
front of the fire-place before the grate is touched (we are supposing
that it is winter); the box containing the black-lead and brushes for a
black stove, or the emery paste, and leather, brushes, cloth, &c., for
a polished stove, and the scuttle containing coals, wood, &c., must be
brought up. Once a week, at least, the soot should be gently swept down
from the chimney into a shovel, as it otherwise gathers all round the
lower ledges, and is very apt to take fire; the stove must be polished
with a brush or a cloth, according to its nature, every morning, and
thoroughly cleaned at least once a week. The fire may then be laid and
lighted, and in doing this there is some art. Where one girl will light
and re-light the same fire three or four times over, consuming in each
attempt a quantity of wood and paper, another will, with a quarter of a
bundle of common wood, or one wheel of the patent wood, kindle a brisk
fire at once. Success lies in obtaining a perfect draught of air through
the pile of materials, and placing those in juxta-position which are most
combustible in nature. Where this is properly done there will be little
smoke, and great saving of fuel; but fire-lighting requires the use of
one’s senses and some skill, common-place a matter as we may think it.

This much having been done, the sweeping comes next. Now, it will not
be requisite thoroughly to sweep the carpet all over above once a week;
on the other six days, only those parts of the room chiefly used, will
require sweeping, and this may be done with a dust-pan and a soft
hand-brush. Then comes the dusting, and in doing this a feather brush
should be used for the frames and chair-covers, and a duster for the
furniture. On the cleaning day the carpet must be well swept with a
carpet-broom and tea-leaves, the furniture well cleaned and rubbed, the
mantel-piece and ledges washed, the inside of the windows cleaned, and
every ornament well dusted.

The street-door steps should be cleaned, the mats shaken, the passage
swept, and the brasses polished before the family come down.

The breakfast is then to be prepared; the cloth laid, the breakfast
service properly arranged, the ham or eggs, or whatever it may be,
cooked, the toast made, the butter set in clear, fresh water, the coffee
prepared, and the milk boiled.

The servant next proceeds to the bed-rooms, opens the windows, lays the
bed-clothes back to air, and turns up the mattresses or feather-beds
in each room, then empties the slops, cleanses and rinses all basins,
jugs, bottles, &c., wipes up all slops, and brings fresh water to supply
the wants in each room. The beds are then to be made, and the rooms
dusted. On cleaning day, which should come for each room once a week, the
chamber utensils must be well washed in warm water, the carpets taken up
and shaken, the floor scrubbed, the curtains shaken, and the furniture
cleaned. During the summer the floor under the bed should be washed over
three times a week at least, to remove all dust and flue.

Before all this can be finished, the breakfast will have had to be
removed, and this should be methodically done; the china being gathered
on to a tray without either fuss or rattle, the crumbs brushed from the
cloth, and this latter doubled up in its original folds, and any crumbs
which may have fallen on the floor swept up into a dust-pan.

The servant will now get her own breakfast, and then wash up and put away
the breakfast-things, having first set aside the eatables, giving the
scraps to the cat, and taking care that nothing is wasted.

The upstairs-work having been done, the candlesticks and lamps should be
cleaned and trimmed; and then the knives cleaned. Where only one servant
is kept, she will ere this have had to think about dinner, and manage so
as to make the earlier preparations for that important matter between
whiles. A mistress should always early inform her domestic what she
intends having for dinner, otherwise the servant cannot possibly arrange
her daily duties in a proper manner, so as to attend to the cooking; and
the mistress should, as far as possible, endeavour to arrange her dinner
so as to suit the household duties of the particular day for which she
is catering. For each day should have its special duties; as, Monday the
wash for towels, dusters, servants’ clothes, &c., and looking up the
clothes for the laundress; Tuesday, cleaning the attics; Wednesday, the
best bed-rooms; Thursday, the drawing-rooms; Friday, the dining-rooms
and plate; and Saturday, the hall, staircase, and kitchens, and covers,
&c. Such regulations once laid down, the servant will know what each day
requires of her; and the mistress, being aware what has to be done, will
be able to give her orders accordingly,—for nothing can be done without
good management in a small household. Both mistress and servant must
exercise forethought, or the whole day will be one scene of hurry and
discomfort.

The next thing, then, is dinner, and this meal having been served and
removed, the servant must, if the family are in the habit of retiring
to the drawing-room, run up and see that all is right there; the fires
burning and curtains let down, if in winter, or any little customary
summer arrangements made. Then comes washing up the dinner-things, and
preparing for tea, and serving that at the proper hour.

While the tea is in the sitting-room is the best time for the servant to
go up to the bed-rooms, turn down the beds, close windows, light fires,
or perform any other customary or necessary duty.

The tray has to be removed, and cups used at that meal washed up and put
away. The tea-leaves should be squeezed tolerably dry, and put away in
an old dish or basin, for sweeping. All window-shutters should be closed
and doors bolted at dusk, both in winter and summer. If supper is taken,
it is usually carried up on a tray covered with a cloth; after that comes
the putting out of all fires and lamps, the fastening the hall-door, and
then to rest.

Any one who takes the trouble to reflect upon the multifarious
occupations of a female domestic, in a family where but one is kept,
cannot but perceive the absolute necessity of a regular plan of
proceedings, and also of the need there is for consideration, and
patience, and kindness. With all the activity and good-will in the world,
it is physically impossible that a girl can be in two places at once; and
yet she may be just performing some nice operation in cookery, while a
visitor may be knocking at the door, and her mistress ringing impatiently
to have something done towards tidying herself or the apartment. How
is this to be managed? It can only be settled quietly by the mistress
bestirring herself, and aiding in smoothing the difficulty. Where two or
more servants are kept, one should always be tidy and ready to answer
the door, and the lady of the house and her apartments should always be
_mis à quatre épingles_, or, in other words, in such order that a visit
from royalty itself would scarcely create any bustle. Indeed, the test
of a well-arranged establishment is the absence of all fuss. The advent
of relatives from the country, bent on finding a home and a bed there,
the arrival of unexpected guests to dinner, or any such like unexpected
events, will, of course, slightly derange the economy of a household,
especially if it be a small one; but _our_ housewife will not allow this
to be visible. Quietly and without fuss she will take opportunities of
giving the necessary orders; and if her servants are regularly trained,
they will comprehend and second her at once. In every house spare sheets,
blankets, and bed-clothes should always be kept aired, in case of their
being required on any sudden emergency, and this can be done by laying
them between the palliasse and mattress of any bed in regular use. We
have before spoken of the advantage of always having the store-closet
well supplied. It is a great mistake to fancy that anything is saved by
purchasing articles that will keep in small quantities, and certainly the
loss of time incurred by having constantly to send out for trifles, is
both a great waste and a great inconvenience. No servant can get through
her work properly if she has repeatedly to run out on errands, or if she
is called off frequently on some frivolous pretext. A mistress is quite
right in exacting from her servants a regular and proper fulfilment of
all their duties; but on her part she must give them time and opportunity
to do this. If she sees they want method, she must try to teach them;
and, through all this, must remember how defective their early education
has too often been, how little preparation they have received for the
path of life they have to follow, and be patient with them.




CHAPTER VI.

    Management of Children—Air, Warmth, Ablution, Clothing,
    Postures, Feeding, Food—Teething—Teaching to Walk—Early
    Education—Purity of Language in the Presence of Children—Unity
    of Parental Influence.


Among the many duties a woman is called upon to fulfil, surely none
can be deemed of such paramount importance as those she owes to her
children. Now it is by no means our intention to write a chapter of
“advice to mothers,” nor enter upon the subject of the education and
general management of little people; all we have to do with the matter
here is to notice it as forming a branch of our subject; for the nursery
is an important part of a house, and upon its good management much of the
comfort, as well as the health and well-being, of every member of the
family will depend.

If ever a woman has need of thought, care, and patience, it is when she
becomes a mother. Who can look upon that most helpless of all created
beings—a new-born infant—and not feel pity for it, interest in it; and
surely no mother can bestow her first kiss on the little unconscious
innocent without feeling some sense of the responsibilities which now
rest on her—for it is not only a human being, but an immortal soul which
is committed to her charge?

Wherever such an arrangement can be made, a good-sized airy room should
be set apart for the nursery, and always kept scrupulously clean, well
ventilated, and of an even, wholesome temperature. Warmth is highly
necessary to the health of infants and young children—but not the warmth
of a close, over-heated room, for that oppresses their lungs, and makes
them delicate and very susceptible of cold. Let the child be comfortably
clad, and a natural temperature of body thus maintained. The health of
very many infants is impaired by the foolish custom of exposing their
little chests and arms by finely worked low bodies and very short
sleeves, tied up so as effectually to render them useless in the way of
covering. Very young children have so little natural heat, that they
absolutely require that the temperature of their bodies should be kept
up, by means of clothing, to a proper standard.

Next to warmth, in the category of matters indispensable to health is
cleanliness. Morning and night, an infant or a child under three years of
age, should be bathed in tepid water in winter, and cold water in summer.
This operation should be performed both thoroughly and quickly, and then
the whole body wiped quite dry with a soft towel, and the limbs and back
gently rubbed with the hand. The skin of an infant is so delicate that
a little dirt, a slight accumulation of powder, any dampness, any rough
handling or friction with any coarse cloth, will break or crack it, and
often produce a humour which is not easily got rid of. The clothes of an
infant, and especially those in immediate contact with its body, should
be soft and clean. Its bed-clothes must likewise be kept well aired, and
free from damp and unpleasant smells.

Very young children should be kept, as much as possible, in a recumbent
posture; the less a child is allowed to sit upright for the first six
months, the stronger will be its back afterwards. Too strong a light is
prejudicial to young children; neither in-doors nor out should their eyes
be exposed to anything like glare; they ought likewise to be shielded
from high winds. Sleep is a great strengthener of children, when it is
natural, and care should be taken that they lie comfortably as regards
position; be warm, and sheltered from all draughts, and from light,
though allowed sufficient air. In all things endeavour to establish
regular habits from the very first; regular hours for feeding, sleeping,
dressing, and undressing, should be observed. Few people can form an idea
how much their own comfort and the child’s well-being will be advantaged
by this. Of course, every now and then illness, or some unforeseen event,
will interfere with this system, but it must be resumed again as soon
as possible. We are aware that many people will deem this regularity
unnecessary, but from the cradle to the grave we are all more or less
the creatures of habit; and from the time a child first begins to take
notice, its habits may be said to commence.

When a child is fed, it should be from a proper bottle, and with light
thin food, not given too hot, or in large quantities. Farinaceous
substances of various kinds are best adapted for children of tender age.
For the first twelvemonth these may be given in a fluid and semi-fluid
state, and afterwards in the shape of puddings either baked or boiled.
Many children will not take meat, and they do not appear to thrive less
than others; nature, at this early age is generally the best pilot, and
we shall seldom greatly err if we follow her lead.

The period of teething is always one of anxiety, and requires additional
care and watchfulness; but plenty of fresh air, good and sufficient,
but not over-feeding, and an occasional warm bath or gentle aperient
when there appears to be a tendency to fever, will in most cases ward
off serious evils. The less physic a child takes the better, in a
general way—not that we would advise mothers ever to slight any actual
premonitory symptoms of illness, infantine diseases being frequently very
rapid in their course.

There is no occasion to teach children to walk; when they are strong
enough, they will invariably find out the proper use of their feet; let
them lie on the floor, and then sit, and then crawl, and by-and-bye they
will stand up, and then walk along, holding by something; and then, when
they appear capable of doing yet more, encourage them to venture alone,
but watch carefully that they do not fall, or they may be frightened, and
thrown back for some weeks.

After a child is a year old, it must cease to be regarded as an
irrational being by those about it; a quick, lively baby is always taking
notice; its intelligence is becoming daily and hourly developed;—in a
word, the first rudiments of education are entering its little mind. This
may sound extravagant and fanciful, but what says proverbial philosophy?
“With his mother’s milk the child drinketh education;” and let any one
take three children of from a year-and-a-half to two years old, one of
the three shall have been brought up by a quiet or ignorant nurse, one
by an affectionate and sensible mother, and the other among a family
of children; the first, unless it be a prodigy, will be far behind the
second in quickness, and the third will be as much before the second.

We would censure any one who mispronounced words before babies, or taught
them to call things or animals by ridiculous names; and we would doubly
censure any one who instilled fear into the hearts of young children by
threats of “bogies,” “black men,” and such like nursery monsters. Many
a grown man and woman has found it difficult to overcome the dislike
to darkness implanted in them, when quite children, by some nursery
bug-bears. Teach a child rather to believe that angels watch over it,
induce it to be good from a fear of grieving its parents, but never
destroy or sully that sweet confidence which is the most blessed part of
childhood. Never tell a child a falsehood either; if you promise a thing,
do it; if you say a thing, act up to it. Empty threats and vain promises
made to quiet a child, teach it afterwards, in its turn, to disregard
truth, and make it distrust those whom, next to God, it should love and
honour; whereas “example is a constant monitor.”

We are not advocates for “cramming” children too early with crude dry
learning; but much may be taught without effort. “Line upon line” may
be instilled by such simple stories, such pleasant gossip as children
love to listen to, such bright pictures as they delight to look upon and
have explained to them. There is in the present age a royal road to all
the fundamental instruction needed by children for the first eight or
ten years of their lives; the dull, uninteresting paths we had to tread
are now decked with so many flowers that they have become attractive and
pleasant. Even the very toys and games are made the means of improvement;
and history, arithmetic, and geography may now be learned as actual
amusements.

The physical wants of growing children are a sufficiency of good plain
food at regular hours, exercise in the open air, well-ventilated rooms,
clothing warm enough to promote health, and sufficiently easy in fit
not to impede growth or a free use of the limbs; strong shoes or boots
to protect the feet from damp, and a proper allowance of sleep taken at
regular hours,—no child under six years of age being suffered to sit up
after eight o’clock, and all under twelve being safely in bed by nine.

Late hours, hot crowded places, as theatres, &c., and children’s parties,
are all very destructive of health; irregularities of all kinds are to
be avoided,—as, too long walks, any great excitement, or over-fatigue;
for growing children require all their strength and energies for
natural purposes, and, being more excitable than grown persons, exhaust
themselves the sooner.

Those who live much among children should carefully purify their every
thought, word, and action,—for the ductile and impressionable nature
of a child, chameleon-like, takes its hue from that of the characters
which surround it. “The seeds of first instructions are dropped into the
deepest furrows;” therefore we cannot omit this chapter of our “Thoughts
and Maxims.”

If we would cultivate a flower with success, we plant it in a fitting
soil, we water it at proper times, we give to it its due proportion of
air and sun; shall we not equally study the constitution and physical
requirements of a child, in order to bestow upon it the requisite
nurture? for children, like flowers, require care—all are not equally
hardy, equally vigorous, equally beautiful. Some resemble hot-house
plants, and are frail and delicate; others, like the evergreen, can bear
and brave hardship and change of temperature. The system which would be
suitable for one of these natures would be injurious to the other—hence,
judgment is needful.

A child who fears God and honours his parents, is armed for the world’s
warfare with a breast-plate, which, if not invulnerable, at least will
turn aside many an arrow. Our favourite Tupper quaintly but truly
says:—“When his reason yieldeth fruit, make thy child thy friend, for a
filial friend is double gain, a diamond set in gold. As an infant thy
mandate was enough; as he grows in years, let him hear thy reasons.”
Believe me, we wantonly trifle not only with our own happiness, but with
that of those little ones committed to our charge, when we neglect to
watch over the treasures we ought so dearly to prize, when we trifle with
the hearts, minds, and souls of our children, ignoring their value, our
responsibility, and the awful reckoning which will be required of us. We
are all too apt to treat children as dolls, to dress and caress them one
hour, and send them out of our way the next, not deeming that beneath the
seeming thoughtless gaiety of those little ones there lurks a world of
feeling and sensibility. Kindness is as necessary to them as daily food.
We do not mean false indulgence, but considerate kindness. An unjust, a
cold or harsh word or action, especially if undeserved, penetrates the
heart of a child with as keen a sting as it does ours; and who shall
say how many have grown up callous and reckless from having their first
affections blunted, their feelings and wishes disregarded? Consistent
practice is worth a whole world of precept, and example will influence
while words or coercion are fruitless.

Once more, then, we would beg “our housewife” to study what are her
duties towards children. We would entreat mothers so to train their
daughters that they may never have cause to blush and tremble for their
grandchildren. It is no figure of speech to say that “the child is father
of the man;” study diligently, therefore, how best

                  “—to render the tender thought,
    To teach the young idea how to shoot;
    To pour fresh instruction o’er the mind,
    To breathe the enlivening spirit, and to fix
    The generous purpose in the glowing breast.”

Nor let children, who should be our blessings, become our torments:

    “While young our folly, and when old our fear.”

Lastly, but not least in importance in the good training of children, it
should be rigidly observed by parents never to show any difference of
opinion in their treatment before them. Nothing can be more pernicious
to their moral culture, engendering in them habits of disobedience, for
they cannot obey one parent without disobeying the other. We earnestly
recommend attention to this observance, for, besides the evil of
disobedience that is almost sure to follow a difference in opinion from
those in authority over the child, the latter is sometimes prone to
disregard the instructions and admonitions of both, and set up principles
of his own more in accordance with his inclinations, however erroneous
they may be.




CHAPTER VII.

    Care of the Sick—Management of the Sick-Room—Food of
    Invalids—Adaptation of Management to Particular Cases—Nurses,
    and Things essential to Nursing—Importance of Calmness and
    Patience.


Another duty of great importance devolves on woman, namely, the care of
the sick. From the highest to the lowest none are, properly speaking,
exempt from this charge. It is true that those who are rich can hire
experienced nurses; but still the responsibility, the anxiety, rests with
the mistress, for she cannot hire affection, thoughtful care, and all
those little attentions which make the sole comfort of an invalid; she
can merely secure a species of human machine which mechanically performs
its duties, and between whiles eats, drinks, sleeps, and comforts itself.
There are many excellent and kind-hearted professional nurses; but
there are also more who become, as it were, petrified by the habitual
contemplation of suffering, and who merely regard the patient with a
business-like eye.

In a sick-room, the kindness and attention of the nurse often work far
greater marvels than the skill of the doctor, for she is there every
hour, she sees every change, and can minister to so many little wants;
those trifles which make up the events of an invalid, those minor details
so unimportant to a person in health, those whims and desires, and
nervous susceptibilities which appear almost childish to lookers-on, will
be studied by a good, conscientious nurse, and overlooked or disregarded
by one who either does not feel interested in the patient, or has not
sufficient sympathy to induce her to study these matters. In the former
case, the invalid will be soothed and cheered; in the latter, irritated
and depressed. Surely, it is not difficult to conceive which influence
must act most beneficially upon the system.

Gentleness, watchfulness, firmness, judgment, some delicacy of feeling
and _savoir faire_, and a truly Christian spirit, are the distinguishing
characteristics which will best adapt a woman for fulfilling this phase
of her duties. There are many who, from intense solicitude and sense
of duty, will give way to those impulses of feeling which lead them to
devote themselves so entirely to the nursing of some beloved relative,
that all other duties, and even self, are wholly forgotten. What is the
consequence of this error of judgment? Their own health succumbs, and
they become not only useless, but render themselves sources of trouble
and anxiety. How much better to have husbanded their strength, so as to
be able to remain useful! That despised article, common sense, would
teach us all so much if we would but stop to listen, if we would not
mount, each one, our own peculiar hobby, and gallop off at a tremendous
rate, heedless of all sign-posts, and often regardless of even hedges and
ditches. Affection! feeling! sentiment! nerves! how much has been done
and left undone in these names, especially as regards the subject we are
now treating of, while poor dear common sense has been decried as a most
unfeeling person, and rudely ejected when she strove to make herself
heard!

Yet in few places is common sense a more valuable assistant than in the
sick-room; aided by self-command and good feeling, she will transform the
most uninitiated person into an excellent and efficient nurse. Let us
hear a few of her fundamental principles.

Speak in a low but perfectly distinct voice, both to the invalid and to
any one who enters the room, in order that, although no unnecessary sound
may be heard, the patient’s ear may not be fatigued by striving to catch
the words, or excited by mutterings or whispers addressed to some one
else.

Let your countenance be calm and cheerful, your manner soothing and
hopeful, and your words such as may cheer or comfort the mind. Avoid all
fuss, all hasty movements, all noises that may startle or disturb; let
even your dress and shoes be chosen with reference to quiet.

Keep everything in its place, so that in an instant you can put your hand
on it when required; have hot water, clean cups, spoons, and glasses,
and well-aired body and bed linen always handy; let the air of the room
be changed frequently; avoid all bad smells, or remove them as soon as
possible; pay strict attention to the temperature of the chamber, and
keep it as even as may be; and regulate the light with equal care.

All food offered to invalids should be daintily prepared, and presented
in the most careful manner. How often, when we have been longing for
food, have we turned from it with disgust, because we had seen the nurse
cool it with her breath, or taste it, and then drop the spoon back into
it, and present it to us! Nor is it well to inquire of invalids what
shall be got for them. If they express a wish for some particular thing,
well and good, let it be got for them, if reasonable; but a trifling
delicacy unexpectedly brought, will often tempt the appetite; besides,
a sick person, or even a convalescent, is often too languid to be at
the trouble of thinking about eating, and would sooner go without; or,
if he or she chooses something, it may be the very thing which would be
improper or prejudicial, and then comes disappointment, and a species of
disgust of all else, for in illness the appetite is ever capricious.

Nowhere is cleanliness of such paramount importance as in the sick-room.
Do not let us be misunderstood here. We do not mean that an immensity
of sweeping, scouring, and dusting is to be done, but simply that
the chamber must be kept clean and ventilated, that the bed and body
linen must be changed often enough to refresh without fatiguing the
patient, and that the air must be purified by means of vinegar, or other
disinfectants.

As there are so many kinds of illness, no general rules can be laid down,
and our friend, common sense, must be allowed to be the special adviser.
In one case body and mind may be paralysed by weakness or languor; in
another the body may be agonised, and yet the mind clear and active;
while in a third the body may be sane, the mind insane. Hence no one who
is a mere machine, guided by certain rules, can be a good and efficient
nurse; no one who does not study how to minister to the mind as well
as the body, who will not endeavour, to a certain extent, to identify
herself with the tastes, feelings, and even prejudices of the patient,
can be really useful.

What we have hitherto said applies chiefly to adult patients; to nurse a
sick child may seem a far easier task, but is not so. What gentleness,
firmness, playfulness, and, above all, what patience is needed in the
sick chamber of a child!—for in time of illness, a child is doubly a
child, almost a baby again.

The nurse should be constantly watchful over the little sufferer, and
mark attentively those positions, and the particular treatment, which
most effectually alleviate its sufferings, so that the latter may be
repeated under a recurrence of similar circumstances. One great principle
in child-nursing is to avoid over-feeding and over-dosing.

Every housekeeper should have a store of old linen, cambric, and calico
rags, and old pieces of flannel; these are easily obtained by saving
worn-out linen, flannel, and other garments, or at least the useful
portions of them, and treasuring old silk and cambric handkerchiefs. Such
things are invaluable in time of sickness for poultices, fomentations,
leeches, &c. Those who have them not will do well to visit a pawnshop,
or the emporium of a purchaser of wardrobes; and having there found one
or two articles of no value but to be torn up, to buy these, bring them
home, have them thoroughly washed, and then put them away for use.

It is good for us at times to be serious, to turn from the contemplation
of life’s pleasures and enjoyments, and look upon its darker pages; for
it has been beautifully said by an eminent writer, that “Suffering is
not a slender dark thread, winding every now and then through a warp of
dazzling brightness, but it is interwoven with the whole texture. It is
not incidental, but designed for us; it enters into God’s purposes; it
has a great work to do, and we know nothing of life until we comprehend
its purposes.” Again: “Suffering nourishes the tenderest sympathies of
our nature; it rouses us to energy and a consciousness of our own powers,
and at the same time infuses the meekest dependence on God; it stimulates
us to cherish and to prize the blessings of this world, and at the same
time weans us from and lifts us above mere earthly things.”

There is no home into which sickness may not come at any hour; and as
it is to woman that the office of nurse is invariably delegated, surely
every woman ought to learn betimes all that will best qualify her to
become the ministering angel, whose presence shall bless the long hours
of pain and confinement. False delicacy, foolish weakness, and all that
can detract from usefulness, should be early overcome. We have seen a
daughter scream, and weep, and wring her hands, while her mother lay
fainting before her; we have seen a mother shriek and fall on her knees
and utter words of agony, when some accident happened to her child. But
what did all this unavailing grief benefit the sufferers? How much better
she who, controlling her feelings, thinks calmly how she can administer
relief, and performs her duties in an intelligent and patient manner.




THE FAMILY MEDICAL GUIDE.

Under this head directions will be given for the domestic management
of some of the more frequent ailments to which families are subject.
Book-doctoring is a very doubtful economy, except where it is made the
means of enabling the nurse or the mother to co-operate intelligently
with the medical adviser. But there are cases, as among emigrants, or
persons residing in remote places in the country, in which medical aid
cannot readily be obtained. In such cases, the following papers will be
found of great value. A number of specific remedies for various minor
ailments will be found appended to the Medical Articles.


HOOPING-COUGH.

Hooping-cough is thought to have been introduced into Europe from Africa,
and, like most other complaints, varies much in intensity. It is a highly
infectious disease, and grown persons are liable to its influence; but it
commonly takes place between the ages of four months and twelve years.
It usually begins as a common cough, and is attended with the general
symptoms of having taken cold; but in its progress, soon becomes more
severe; though, the longer it is discoverable by the hoop, the more
favourable it is likely to be. A frequent discharge from the mouth,
nose, and eyes, food often rejected, together with large quantities of
phlegm, after which the child generally appears pretty well, and eats his
food heartily—these are the most common symptoms. When the disease is
violent, they become greatly aggravated, especially during the night, and
the child will appear almost strangled, becoming livid, and blood often
starting from the nose and eyes.

The following is a favourite prescription of the late Mr. Tuckwell,
of Oxford, who, for skill in his profession, courtesy of manners,
and kindness of heart, has had few equals, and who has left in that
University an almost imperishable memory:—

Dissolve one scruple of salt of tartar, in a quarter of a pint of soft
water: add to it ten grains of cochineal finely powdered, and sweeten it
with lump sugar.

This medicine is also highly recommended in the _Lancet_. The dose for an
infant is a tea-spoonful four times a day; from five years old upwards,
a table-spoonful may be taken: but as the paroxysms of this complaint
are much aggravated by the resistance of the child to swallow medicine,
it is very desirable to abstain, if possible, from giving any internal
remedy.

The following embrocation was prescribed by a gentleman, one of the
leading practitioners in Oxford; and for spasmodic coughs of all kinds,
as well as for inflammatory croup, it is invaluable:—

    Two drachms of Tincture of Opium.
    Two ounces  of Camphor Liniment.

A tea-spoonful to be rubbed in over the throat and chest every night and
morning, and cover the parts immediately with flannel. If the chest is
loaded with phlegm, an emetic must be given once, twice, or three times a
week, as required. Ipecacuanha wine is most suitable, and the dose for a
child of four or five years is 2½ or 3 drachms.

During the first stages of this disorder, the patient should breathe
an equal temperature, as nearly as it can be managed, not too warm and
close, but equal; and when the virulence of the disorder _has passed
away_, the open air (if the weather be mild) may be frequently resorted
to; and a change of air, where it is practicable, will often remove at
once all remains of the complaint.

The only thing that remains to be mentioned, is the proper diet, which
is, indeed, of paramount importance; and for children of even six and
seven years of age, ought to be little more than milk and broths. These
are nourishing, and more readily digested than meats or puddings. One
prevalent error is, that milk engenders phlegm; but this is a mistake.
Should the milk be found to curdle on the stomach, a little common salt
must be added; or, better still, use asses’ milk, if it is attainable.
These light nutriments quickly pass out of the stomach, or if brought out
by coughing twenty times during the day (which is sometimes the case),
the child will immediately take more with avidity.

If thirst prevails, a little toast-and-water may be given. When taken in
time, and treated properly, hooping-cough is scarcely ever fatal, indeed
never, as long as the patient is free from fever, or other disease.
If the attack, from its length and severity, should cause a loss of
strength, health will soon be recruited by a cold infusion of bark,
gentle exercise, and pure uninfected air, and dieted with a nourishing
broth, made as follows:—

Take three-quarters of a pound of veal, the same quantity of beef,
chopped very fine, and simmered for three hours in about two quarts of
water. Strain it, and let the invalid drink the clear liquid, hot or
cold, as may be most agreeable.

    _Mixture for Hooping-Cough._

        Ipecacuanha Wine      2  drachms.
        Carbonate of Soda      ½ drachm.
        Paregoric Elixir      2  drachms.
        Water                 1  ounce.

    A tea-spoonful or two (according to the age of the patient) may
    be given three times a day.


TEETHING.

This natural process in a child’s development, usually commences about
the third month, though it is seldom till the fifth or sixth that the
teeth make their appearance through the gums. The period when the teeth
may be expected is indicated by an increased irritability of the infant,
the gums become tense, shiny, and swollen; while the excited glands
in the neighbourhood pour out so large a quantity of saliva, that it
overflows the mouth, causing the infant to _drivel_, as the nurses call
this natural salivation. At the same time the child, as if to relieve
the heat and irritation it feels, thrusts its hands into its mouth in
the attempt to do what the watchful mother will do for it—_scratch_ the
top of the gum with her nail, or, making a rasp of a rough crust, or a
proper _gum-ring_, rub it freely along the top ridge, that, by abrading
it of the binding cuticle, the imprisoned gum may have the power to
expand. As the only benefit that can accrue from rubbing the child’s gum
is the tearing or relaxing this fine but tenacious cuticle, all smooth
surfaces, such as coral or ivory rings, are perfectly useless; such
instruments to be of any service, should be cut into small diamonds like
a fine file, and used frequently by the parent, exactly in that manner.
The crust, though serviceable from its roughness, is dangerous from the
chance of crumbs breaking off and getting into the infant’s throat. After
the irritation and drivelling have continued for some weeks, a white
line or a round spot appears on the top of the gum of the lower jaw, and
ultimately of the upper; through these white spots the teeth finally
burst their way in the following order: the two incisors of the lower
jaw are the first to make their appearance, though frequently several
weeks elapse between the advent of the first and second; the next cut
are the four incisors of the upper, then the remaining two incisors of
the lower jaw, one on each side, but not joining. There is now a pause
for a short time in the process. The next in succession are the four eye
teeth in either jaw, thus completing the infantine set of sixteen teeth.
Another pause, usually of some months, succeeds before nature resumes
her active operations; when she does, it is to place one double tooth on
each side of both jaws, thus perfecting the child’s complement of twenty
teeth. When these are shed, and nature completes her office, instead of
the first ten she places sixteen teeth in each jaw, thus doubling her
first complement, and making the adult set thirty-two. Each tooth as it
is formed makes half a circle on its axis, and rising sideways, pierces
the gum with the extreme point of its edge, revolving as it rises to the
perpendicular.

The _diseases_ that teething gives rise to in infants are very numerous,
and the consequences of so natural a process are some of the most
remarkable facts connected with the development of the human economy.
The disorders excited by difficult dentition are, diarrhœa, convulsions,
mesenteric disease, water on the brain, rickets, and remittent
fever—all of them to the infant fearfully mortal diseases. Each of these
affections, though so different in its locality, and so opposite in
its symptoms, is induced by the same cause—long-continued irritation
in the gums reacting on the delicate organization of the brain and
nervous system. And, as this irritation is caused by the difficulty the
imprisoned tooth finds in escaping from the fibrous membrane in which
it is enveloped, and making its way through the tightly bound gum, it
becomes the duty of the medical man or parent, as soon as the first
constitutional disturbance manifests itself, to assist the efforts
of nature to effect the escape of the tooth, by dividing the gum and
leaving an aperture through which the new-formed tooth may reach its
destination. But, as _lancing_ the gums, as the process is called, will
be worse than useless unless _effectually done_, the gums should never be
cut unless the tooth can be plainly felt below, and, to be of service,
the incision must be carried down to the tooth, or else the unyielding
membrane in which it is encased will be undivided, and the child put to
the inconvenience of lancing without effecting the slightest benefit. As,
however, the irritation commences from the first entrance of the tooth
into the gum on emerging from its bony socket, and long before the actual
pressure of the tooth can cause the graver mischief, or simply from the
increased amount of blood circulating in the parts, it is evident that
lancing the gums in so early a stage of formation is not only impolitic,
but hurtful.

Another mode of relief, both for the diarrhœa and convulsions that
so frequently occur in weakly infants at this period, must be looked
for; and that means, in all stages of dentition, from the first to the
last, will be found either a source of instant relief or of certain
recovery; that remedy is the _hot bath_, which, in all cases of infantine
suffering, is the mother’s best hope, and should be her unshaken
reliance. The time a child should be kept in a hot bath should seldom
exceed _two minutes_; and, as the object is to unload some congested
organ, or to relieve certain parts of their excess of blood by causing
a rapid determination to the skin, the water should be hot enough to
produce this effect as instantaneously as possible. When diarrhœa
continues in despite of the hot bath, a little magnesia or a few grains
of prepared chalk may be given two or three times a day until the
excessive action is checked; or if unabated by these means, a few drops
of tincture of kino is to be administered, as prescribed for diarrhœa.


SCARLET FEVER, OR SCARLATINA.

When scarlet fever becomes epidemic among adults, children rarely fail
of being attacked by it in great numbers, and very frequently sink under
it. It is, indeed, rather a child’s disease, and is very contagious
amongst children; but is not often communicated from them to adults. This
disease begins with the common symptoms of fever, often with languor and
disposition to fainting, shivering, sickness, a quick pulse, and pain in
the head; there is frequently, very early in the disorder, a stiffness
in the muscles of the neck, which is soon followed by some difficulty in
swallowing. This affection of the neck should be carefully inquired into,
especially in young children; the soreness of the throat being sometimes
not complained of in the most severe attacks of the disease, until but
little hope remains of any mode of treatment being attended with success.

The fever generally increases in the evening, and is often accompanied
with delirium; but some remission takes place towards morning, and
perspirations come on. There is no complaint in which delirium is of
so little consequence as in scarlatina. On the second or third day the
efflorescence (or redness) appears on the skin, and generally first on
the face, neck, and breast. Up to this period the disorder is sometimes
supposed to be measles, as many of the premonitory symptoms are similar;
but scarlatina is readily distinguished by the absence of that hoarse
cough, frequent sneezing, and watery discharge from the nose and eyes,
which are the constant attendants on the early stages of measles: in this
latter complaint also, the skin is covered with a _distinct_ eruption,
raised above the skin, leaving it clear and well-defined between the
marks,—while in scarlatina, the redness is _on_ the skin, and its
appearance seldom produces any remission of fever.

When the complaint is to terminate in health, the fiery redness abates
gradually, and is succeeded by a brown colour, when the skin, becoming
rough, peels off in small scales, and health is generally restored.

On the contrary, when it is to terminate fatally, the febrile symptoms
run very high from the first attack, the skin is intensely hot and dry,
the pulse is very frequent but small, great thirst prevails, the redness
appears on the second day or earlier, and about the third or fourth is
often interspersed with large livid spots, and the patient is cut off
about the sixth or eighth day. Sometimes a severe purging comes on,
which never fails to prove fatal. No complaint is more arbitrary in its
attacks, and none on which, humanly speaking, you can reckon with so
little certainty.

To determine to the surface of the body, it will be right to give the
simple saline, made as follows:—

    Take of

        Citric Acid                1½ drachm.
        Bi-carbonate of Potash     2  drachms.
        Water                      7½ ounces.
        Simple Syrup                ½ ounce.
        Spirits of Nitre           2  drachms.

    Mix, and take a sixth part every four hours. If the child is
    very young, give half the dose.

On the first appearance of this disorder, it will be proper to administer
an emetic of ipecacuanha powder; and for children of four years of
age, seven grains will be a sufficient quantity, and even a repetition
of it may be the means of preventing any disposition to diarrhœa
(purging). Throughout the whole of this disease it will be advisable to
make frequent use of some detergent (cleansing) gargle, which in young
children must be thrown into the throat with a syringe.

    _Detergent Gargle._

    Take of

        Purified Alum           1  drachm.
        Barley Water            8  ounces (half a pint).
        Honey of Roses          1  ounce.

    Mix, and gargle the throat frequently.

Camphor is a medicine much employed in scarlatina, and with good effect;
but more particularly where the pulse is very low, and the redness
disappears suddenly from off the skin. In these cases volatiles, the
aromatic confection, and wine will be proper remedies—this latter to be
given in moderate quantity, according to the age and other circumstances
of the patient, and it should be given in the food, which must consist of
thin, nutritious aliments, such as sago, arrow-root, barley water with
milk, &c., &c., and _thin_ warm barley water, _without_ milk, should be
often drunk, in order to induce moderate perspiration.

In a general way, a cordial plan is required throughout the disease;
and where the throat is much affected, either with sloughs (discharges
of matter), or total blackness, bark is indispensably necessary,
however thick and florid the rash, however hot and dry the skin. Bark,
in moderate doses (for children of four years of age, six grains of
Peruvian bark may be given four times a day), reduces the fever in the
milder species of scarlatina, above every other remedy; and in the more
malignant scarlet fever, it supports the system until the regular stages
of the fever are accomplished, and a perfect crisis is formed. Should it
be disposed to act too freely on the child’s bowels, one drop of opium
may be added.

An unpleasant turn in the complaint sometimes takes place in a secondary
fever, and is often the consequence of administering bark and wine _too
early_, or too liberally, in the _milder_ scarlatina.

As parents and nurses are naturally much alarmed at delirium, it may be
well to assure them that there is no disease in which delirium is of so
little consequence as in the one before us. In other fevers it seldom
comes on until they have arrived at a dangerous height, but it sometimes
accompanies scarlatina from the very first day, and many of the patients
never fail to be delirious every night, though, excepting this, there
exists no other unfavourable symptom from the beginning, and during the
illness.


THRUSH, OR APHTHÆ.

This is a disease of the mucous membrane of the mouth, stomach, and
bowels; and when severe, may be traced throughout the whole alimentary
canal. Though thrush may attack persons at any stage of life, still it is
regarded as a disease more peculiarly incident to childhood and infancy;
and is generally induced by an abrupt change of diet, or some cause
impairing the nutritive quality of the mother’s milk, which produces this
eruptive fever in the infant’s digestive organs. The _symptoms_ of thrush
are heat, pain, and restlessness, followed by a series of small, raised,
white spots, scattered over the mouth, tongue, and lips; sometimes there
are but few, at others the whole mouth is studded with them. After a
day or two, they enlarge and become distended with a white puriform
fluid; the eruption looking like a cross of minute beads: this completes
the suppurating or second stage; after which, the vesicles proceed to
ulceration, when they burst, discharge their fluid, and degenerate into
small flat ulcers, causing throughout, but especially in this the last
stage, considerable irritation and pain.

_Treatment._—Having, if possible found the immediate cause of the
disease, and if an improper food, removed it, the child must be carefully
fed on a diet that in no way can irritate the tender and inflamed lining
membrane; and, if necessary, a few spoonfuls of beef tea are to be given
occasionally as a gentle stimulant. The medical treatment consists in the
exhibition of the subjoined powders and mixture, and the employment, each
evening, of the warm bath as a sedative to the restless child.

    Take of

        Grey Powder    8  grains.
        Scammony       6  grains.
        Rhubarb        3  grains.

    Mix and divide into nine powders for an infant from six to
    twelve months, giving one powder twice a day; into six powders
    for an infant from one to two years old, one twice a day; and
    into four powders for a child of three years, to be given in
    the same manner.

    Take of

        Mucilage        ½ ounce.
        Castor Oil     2  drachms.
        Syrup          2  drachms.

    Mix well in a mortar, and add

        Dill Water      ½ ounce.

    Mix, and give a small tea-spoonful twice a day to an infant
    from six to twelve months; three times a day to one of from one
    to two years; and every six hours to a child of three years
    old. Should the thrush have proceeded to ulceration, the mouth
    of the infant or child should be washed out by a lotion, made
    by dissolving a small quantity of alum or borax in water well
    sweetened with honey; and then, by tying a fold of lint to a
    piece of stick, and using it as a mop, to cleanse the mouth,
    having first well wetted it in the lotion.


ITCH.

This cutaneous disease, the result of dirt and insufficient food, is
communicated by the merest contact; and as this is a misfortune that any
person may be exposed to, by touching in a cursory manner the person
of an affected individual, it is necessary to show the means by which,
with a day or two’s seclusion, it may be effectually eradicated. The
intolerable itching that so remarkably distinguishes this disease, is
the consequence of a very minute microscopic insect which burrows under
the scarf skin of the hands and body; and all that is necessary to
destroy the life of this insect, and of course cure the disease, is to
block up the pores of the skin, by rubbing in some stiff simple ointment
upon going to bed; use a hot bath in the morning to cleanse the body of
the grease, and repeat the ointment again; and so continue the one at
night, and the other in the morning till the cure is effected. For long
standing cases sulphur or creosote is necessary, but for trifling cases,
spermaceti ointment is quite sufficient, the hands being kept greased and
gloved both day and night.


ERYSIPELAS.

This disease is an inflammatory affection principally of the skin, when
it makes its appearance externally; it is most frequent in its attacks on
women and children, and on those of an irritable habit, rather than of a
full robust constitution. Erysipelas will sometimes return periodically,
attacking the patient once or twice in the year, or even once in the
month; and then, by its repeated attacks, it often gradually exhausts the
strength, especially if the sufferer be aged, or of a bad habit of body.

This disease is brought on by all the causes that are apt to excite
inflammation, such as injuries of all kinds, the external application of
stimulants, exposure to cold, and obstructed perspiration; and it may
likewise be occasioned by humours generated within the body, and thrown
out on its surface. In slight cases where it attacks the extremities, it
makes its appearance with a sensation of heat, accompanied by roughness,
pain, and redness of the skin, which becomes pale when the finger is
pressed upon it, and again returns to its fiery hue when the pressure is
withdrawn. There prevails some fever, and the patient is hot, thirsty,
and restless. If the attack is mild, these symptoms will continue only
for a few days, the surface of the part affected will become dry and
yellow, and the scarf skin (or outer skin) will fall off in scales; but
this complaint appears more frequently in the form of small vesicles,
or blisters, containing a thin fluid. In some instances the fluid is of
a different consistency, and instead of escaping when the blister is
broken, it adheres to, and dries upon the skin. In unfavourable cases,
these blisters sometimes degenerate into very obstinate ulcers, which
now and then become gangrenous. This, however, does not frequently
happen, for although it is not uncommon for the surface of the skin
and the blistered places to appear livid, or even blackish, yet this
usually disappears with the other symptoms of the disorder. No remission
of fever takes place on the appearance of the vesicles; and when the
complaint is not of a dangerous tendency, the inflammation and fever
cease gradually without any evident crisis. During these symptoms (fever
and inflammation) it will be proper to administer aperient medicines, and
nothing, perhaps, suits the purpose better than the old-fashioned black
draught. The external application of Goulard’s Lotion will allay heat and
irritation very successfully.

As erysipelatous fevers often terminate when profuse perspiration can
be induced, the patient must drink freely of tea, bran tea, or warm
barley water: and this is a necessary part of the treatment, which must
never be neglected. The vesicles must be kept lightly covered with pure,
unadulterated wheat flour; where the inflammatory symptoms run high, the
diet must consist of light nourishing food, such as sago, arrow-root,
bread pudding, and such like things; but in those cases where symptoms of
irritation prevail, a more generous diet, such as animal broths, ought to
be allowed.

When the attack is mild, the patient must be kept in the house, but need
not be confined to bed. Very earnestly impress on the minds of your
patients the baneful effects of opening the little watery blisters. An
instance of this kind occurred in the writer’s vicinity, followed by
the most lamentable and fatal results. The victim was a married woman,
about 33 years of age; the blister appeared on the upper lip, and she,
not knowing its nature, punctured it; inflammation, delirium, and death
quickly succeeded each other, and baffled the skill of two medical men of
long experience.

There is another species of erysipelatous inflammation, which usually
attacks the trunk of the body, and is vulgarly known as “Shingles.” It
consists of a number of blisters extending round the waist. Little or no
danger ever attends this species of erysipelas, but much pain is felt
darting through the body; and these pains will continue to annoy the
patient at times for some weeks after the eruption has disappeared.


SMALL-POX.

This, the most serious of all eruptive diseases, though having many
symptoms in common with other affections of this inflammatory class,
has some peculiar to itself, and which, carefully observed, will always
accurately define the disease, and point out small-pox from every other
analogous affection. These distinctive features are the _greater heat of
the skin_, the _nausea_ and _sickness_ that from the first attend it,
and the fact that the rash appears on the _fourth_ day of the illness,
and not on the third, as in other eruptive diseases. Small-pox usually
commences with shivering, pains in the back and head, heat, thirst,
nausea, often sickness, a general feeling of languor and debility, quick
full pulse, great heat and dryness of the skin, and a white furred
tongue. This state continues with the usual febrile symptoms and nightly
paroxysms till the fourth day, when a fine papillary rash, like grains
of millet seed, breaks out on the face, neck, arms, and breast; in a few
hours more extending over the rest of the body. On the fifth day the rash
has become more distinct, each papilla has become larger and filled with
a transparent fluid, changing its form into that of a vesicle, which, as
the disease advances, enlarges with a _flat head_ and _depressed_ centre,
the fluid passing from a transparent lymph into a yellowish matter. While
this change is taking place, the extremities and the head swell, the head
and face often becoming immensely distended, closing the eyes, and giving
to the countenance a deformed and unnatural appearance. About the eighth
day the maturation of the pustules is completed, and from thence to the
eleventh day the declension of the eruption takes place, the pustules
burst, the matter is effused, scabs are formed, and the dead cuticle
begins, from the twelfth day, to peel off or disquamate, leaving pits in
the skin, the consequence of the suppuration having destroyed the fatty
matter beneath the cuticle.

As the different stages of the disease are advancing, corresponding
changes are taking place in the constitution of the patient; the heat and
thirst increase, the pain, restlessness, and anxiety are augmented; the
inflammatory and febrile actions keep advancing, rendering the slightest
noise intolerable, and causing delirium and a chain of the most dangerous
symptoms.

_Treatment._—The inflammatory nature of small-pox renders what is called
the cooling mode of treatment, in all its details, a duty of imperative
importance. For this purpose, the room in which the patient is placed
should during the disease be kept dark and cool, and at least once a day
thoroughly ventilated by means of a fire in the grate, for a short time
night and morning, but especially at the latter period. The room, also,
should be frequently purified by sprinkling the floor with chloride of
lime, or by the burning of vinegar on a heated shovel. As the stomach is
the first organ sensibly affected, and continues more or less disturbed
during the whole disease, the treatment should begin by giving the
patient an emetic, composed, if an adult, of twenty grains of ipecacuanha
and one grain of tartar emetic; and as soon as that operation has ceased,
the following powders and saline purgatives are to be employed, giving
the mixture every _two_, and the powders every _four hours_.

    Take of

        Epsom Salts                1  ounce.
        Mint Water                 8  ounces.
        Antimonial Wine            3  drachms.
        Spirits of Nitre           2  drachms.
        Syrup of Saffron           2  drachms.

    Mix, and give to an adult two table-spoonfuls for a dose, and
    to children, according to their age, from a dessert-spoonful
    upwards.

    Take of

        Calomel                    3  grains.
        Powdered Antimony          2  grains.
        Rhubarb                    3  grains.
        Jalap                     10  grains.

    Mix, and make a powder. Give _one_ of such a strength, every
    _four hours_ to an adult till the bowels are _well_ acted on,
    when they are to be discontinued; but the mixture is to be
    persisted in, though less frequently, or in half the dose. For
    a child from nine to twelve years of age, _half_ of one of the
    above powders is to be given every _four hours_, till the same
    result is effected; and for younger children, each powder of
    the above strength is to be divided into _three parts_, and
    administered as the others. For an ordinary drink, in which the
    patient should on no account be stinted, lemonade, thin gruel,
    or cold tea is to be used; all solid food or nutritious aliment
    must be withheld, the patient kept low, his head cool, and the
    feet hot.

When the fever runs high, and the head symptoms are severe, it may be
necessary to bleed, but if not, a blister is to be laid on the nape
of the neck, and perhaps two small ones behind the ears, to relieve
the tumefaction of the eyes, and where the want of sleep demands it, a
draught at bed-time, composed of fifteen grains of nitre dissolved in two
ounces of water, with twenty-five drops of laudanum; or to children, from
three to ten drops in a little gruel, according to their ages. Such, in
mild or _distinct_ small-pox, is generally all the treatment needed; and
even in the aggravated _confluent_, till the time of disquamation often
no other means are necessary.

In cases, however, where the rash, after showing favourably, suddenly
recedes from the skin, or only partly comes out, the patient must be
put into a warm, or rather hot bath for three or four minutes; and when
the pulse falls, and becomes small and feeble, as it becomes absolutely
necessary to bring back the rash to the skin, hot wine and water must be
given, together with soups, tonics, and stimulants, till the invigorated
constitution has power to re-act. Should this not have been called for, a
system of careful feeding, aided with wine and bark, must be commenced
at the period when nature begins to throw off the dead eruption.

The great object to be observed in the treatment of small-pox, is to
keep the patient cool, and on the lowest regimen, till the disquamation
begins to act freely on the bowels, and to allay fever by cooling drinks.
As soon as the patient is convalescent, the diet should be light, and
composed chiefly of farinaceous foods, puddings, custards, &c. The body
should be bathed once a week, and the cuticle excited by dry rubbing with
a towel, and especial care taken for some weeks to keep children from the
contact of the patient, who should for that time take an aperient every
three days.

To prevent the face and neck from being pitted, each pock in that
neighbourhood should be lightly wetted with a weak solution of lunar
caustic, at the period when the pustules are filled with a transparent
fluid, while they are yet round, and before suppuration has set in or
the tops of the vesicles grown flat—or in other words, at the end of the
second stage.


MEASLES.

This is a disease characterized by a species of inflammatory fever,
attended with all the symptoms of a severe cold, running at the nose
and eyes, sneezing, cough, cold chills, tightness at the chest,
languor, lassitude, pain in the back and head, and, in fact, by all the
indications of constitutional disturbance and fever; though the sign by
which it may be most readily known and determined, is the running of
humour from the eyes, and constriction of the chest, with a short dry
cough. The great secret in the treatment of measles to be borne in mind,
is not to discontinue the treatment with the subsidence of the symptoms,
for no disease leaves behind it so many and hurtful consequences;
therefore, to purify the system, and save the body of the child from
mumps, dropsy, tumours, bad eyes, and many other distressing affections,
it is necessary to keep up for some weeks, after the disease is cured, a
mild but steady action on the body; give the child change of air, plenty
of exercise, and a nutritive but light and stimulating diet.

The _symptoms_ of measles commence with cold chills and flushes,
lassitude, heaviness, pain in the head, and drowsiness, cough,
hoarseness, and extreme difficulty of breathing, frequent sneezing,
defluction or running at the eyes and nose, nausea, sometimes vomiting,
thirst, a furred tongue; the pulse throughout is quick, and sometimes
full and soft, at others hard and small, with other indications of an
inflammatory nature. On the _third_ day, small red spots make their
appearance, first on the face and neck, gradually extending over the
upper and lower part of the body.

On the fifth day the vivid red of the eruption changes into a brownish
hue, and in two or three days more the rash entirely disappears, leaving
a loose powdery disquamation on the skin, which rubs off like dandriff.
At this stage of the disease, a diarrhœa frequently comes on, and being
what is called “_critical_” should never be checked unless seriously
severe. Measles sometimes assumes a typhoid or malignant character, in
which form the symptoms are all greatly exaggerated, and the case from
the first becomes doubtful and dangerous. In this condition the eruption
comes out sooner, and only in patches, and often, after showing for a
few hours, suddenly recedes, presenting instead of the usual florid
red, a dark purple or blackish hue, a dark brown fur forms on the gums
and mouth, the breathing becomes laborious, delirium supervenes, and if
unrelieved, is followed by coma; a fœtid diarrhœa takes place, and the
patient sinks under the congested state of the lungs and the opposed
functions of the brain. The unfavourable symptoms in measles are a high
state of fever, excessive heat and dryness of the skin, hurried and short
breathing, and a particularly hard pulse. The ordinary after-consequences
of measles are, croup, bronchitis, mesenteric disease, abscesses behind
the ear, ophthalmia, and glandular swellings in other parts of the body.

_Treatment._—In the first place the patient should be kept in a cool
room, the temperature of which must be regulated to suit the child’s
feelings of comfort, and the diet adapted to the strictest principles of
abstinence. When the inflammatory symptoms are severe, bleeding in some
form is often necessary, though, when adopted, it must be in the first
stage of the disease; and if the lungs are the apprehended seat of the
inflammation, two or more leeches, according to the age and strength of
the patient, must be applied to the upper part of the chest, followed
by a small blister; or the blister may be substituted for the leeches,
the attendant bearing in mind that the benefit effected by the blister
can always be considerably augmented by plunging the feet into very hot
water, about a couple of hours after applying the blister, and keeping
them in the water for about two minutes. The first internal remedies
should commence with a series of aperient powders, and a saline mixture,
as prescribed in the following formularies; at the same time as a
beverage to quench the thirst, let a quantity of barley water be made,
slightly acidulated by the juice of an orange, and partly sweetened by
some sugar-candy, and of which, when properly made and cold, let the
patient drink as often as thirst or the dryness of the mouth renders
necessary.

_Aperient Powders._—Take of scammony and jalap, each twenty-four grains;
gray powder and antimonial powder, of each eighteen grains. Mix and
divide into twelve powders, if for a child between two and four years of
age; into eight powders, if for a child between four and eight years; and
into six powders for between eight and twelve years of age. One powder
to be given, in a little jelly or sugar and water, every three or four
hours, according to the severity of the symptoms.

_Saline Mixture._—Take of mint water, six ounces; powdered nitre, twenty
grains; antimonial wine, three drachms; spirits of nitre, two drachms;
syrup of saffron, two drachms. Mix. To children under three years, give
a tea-spoonful every two hours; from that age to six a dessert-spoonful
at the same intervals; and to children between six and twelve, a
table-spoonful every three or four hours. The object of these aperient
powders is to keep up a steady but gentle action on the bowels; but
whenever it seems necessary to administer a stronger dose, and effect a
brisk action on the digestive organs—a course particularly imperative
towards the close of the disease—two of these powders given at once,
according to the age, will be found to produce that effect. Thus, two of
the _twelve_ for a child under four years; and two of the eight, and two
of the six, according to the age of the patient. When the difficulty of
breathing becomes oppressive, as it generally does towards night, a hot
bran poultice laid on the chest will be always found beneficial. The diet
throughout must be light, and consist of farinaceous food, such as rice
and sago puddings, with beef tea and toast; and not till convalescence
sets in, should hard or animal food be given. When measles assumes the
malignant form, the advice just given must be broken through; food of
a nutritious and stimulating character should be at once substituted
and administered in conjunction with wine, and even spirits, and the
disease regarded and treated as a case of typhus. But as this form of
measles is not frequent, and, if occurring, hardly likely to be treated
without assistance, it is unnecessary to enter on the minutiæ of its
practice here. What we have prescribed in almost all cases will be found
sufficient to meet every emergency without resorting to a multiplicity
of agents. The great point to remember in measles is not to give up
the treatment with the apparent subsidence of the disease, as the
after-consequences of measles are too often more serious and more to be
dreaded than the measles themselves. To guard against this danger, and
thoroughly purify the system after the subsidence of all the symptoms of
the disease, a corrective course of medicine, and a regimen of exercise
should be adopted for some weeks, according to the cure of the disease.


CHICKEN-POX.

This disease, like the Small-Pox, seems to depend on specific contagion,
and seldom affects a person but once in his life. The eruption is often
succeeded by chilliness, succeeded by flushings, pains in the head and
back, thirst, restlessness, and a quick pulse; but at other times, none
of these premonitory symptoms are observable. Pustules soon appear, and
about the second or third day are filled with a watery fluid, which is
never converted into yellow matter, as in the small-pox (to which it
bears great affinity); and about the fifth day they usually dry away, and
are formed into hard crusts or scabs. No danger attends chicken-pox, but
often a good deal of suffering. The small-pox and chicken-pox differ:
the eruption of the former is preceded by a fever of a certain duration,
while that of the latter is either preceded by none, or by one of
uncertain duration; also in the pustules and succeeding scabs appearing
much earlier in the chicken-pox than in the small-pox; and in the fluid
of the pustules never acquiring the thick purulent appearance, which it
always does in distinct small-pox.

Let the patient partake freely of water or cooling drinks, as thirst
is always an attendant on the disease, and gentle laxatives should
be occasionally given—a tea-spoonful of lenitive electuary, with a
little milk of sulphur in it, is all that is generally required; but
should febrile symptoms run high, it may be advisable to take two or
three saline draughts during the day. The following is a recipe for
an excellent saline, to be drunk while effervescing:—Twenty grains of
carbonate of soda dissolved in a tumbler containing two table-spoonfuls
of water; add two tea-spoonfuls of lump sugar rolled; then put a
dessert-spoonful of lemon into a wine-glass (or fifteen grains of citric
acid dissolved in one table-spoonful of water). Pour it into the tumbler,
and drink it while the effervescence is taking place.

The benefit of this draught cannot be too highly estimated where the
stomach is deranged, and there is nausea and faintness, or in cases of
fever and thirst.


CROUP.

The Croup is a complaint somewhat similar to the hooping-cough, and to
which children _only_ are subject. There are two species of it, the one
acute, the other chronic: neither of them often attack children so late
as ten or twelve years of age; while they may seize infants newly weaned,
and are then the most severe. The cause of this disease is a morbid
secretion of thick mucus in the trachea (windpipe), adhering so firmly to
its sides as to impede respiration. The quantity and thickness of mucus
increasing, gradually lessens the diameter of the part, and if it effects
this to a considerable degree, the disease must of necessity prove fatal.
The symptoms by which croup is manifested, even to the most uninitiated
in the duties of the sick-room, is the peculiar croaking noise made in
respiration (from whence it takes its name); and when the disorder is
light, there is but little apparent indisposition between the paroxysms,
save a certain dulness, and a sense of fear in children of an age to
express it.

The fits frequently terminate by sneezing, coughing, or vomiting, and
return without any regularity. It is attended with a sharp and shrill
voice, and a flushed countenance, which grows livid during the paroxysms.
A warm bath should immediately be administered, and an emetic given as
soon as possible; say, ten drops of antimonial wine for a child three
years of age, and repeated every quarter of an hour until effectual, and
according to the age and strength of the patient; a blister should be
applied across the throat, the sufferer being made to inhale the vapour
of warm water with vinegar in it, and kept nearly upright in bed. A
doctor should be procured as soon as possible; and, until his arrival,
the foregoing directions may, in most cases, materially influence the
physician’s proceedings, and often save life.

Children liable to this disease should be warmly clad, wearing flannel
next the skin, and an emetic given upon the earliest appearance of
the attack; for remember, this disease requires prompt attention to
save life. With care, children usually grow out of it; that is, the
constitution will repel the attacks after the tenth or twelfth year.


NETTLE RASH.

This disease takes its name from its being attended by an eruption
similar to what is produced by the stinging of nettles. The causes of
this complaint are by no means obvious; but it seems to proceed either
from the perspiration being checked, or from some irritating matter in
the stomach. In all cases, there prevails considerable itching and some
heat in the parts affected; and, in some constitutions, a slight degree
of fever either precedes or attends the eruption. Its duration seldom
exceeds three or four days.

In some cases, Nettle Rash is accompanied with large wheals or bumps,
which appear of a solid nature, without any cavity or head, containing
either water or other fluid.

Half a tea-spoonful of magnesia, and the same quantity of cream of
tartar, mixed in half a tea-cupful of milk, an hour before breakfast, and
repeated as required, will be found very efficacious.

Some practitioners have entertained the idea that the humours of the body
are never vitiated to such a degree by the nettle rash as to require the
use of internal remedies, and that if the irritation could be certainly
allayed by external applications, there would be no necessity for any
other mode of cure.

As this disorder is very frequent in spring, when a hot sun, with
cold winds, prevail, the visitor will hear of a variety of herbs as
“never-failing cures” of nettle rash. Among these the nettle itself
is the Abernethy of the party, concocted into a sort of tea with a
proportion of one-third of ground-ivy infused in it. Although in a
chronic form, it is often of rheumatic origin. Nettle rash is never a
dangerous malady; but care should be taken to avoid currents of air, for,
if it recedes, or, as is the common expression, “driven in,” it produces
sickness, and other harassing symptoms.

We have always found, in such cases as these—and, indeed, at most
times—that simple remedies, easily accessible, are the most efficacious.


CONSUMPTION.

The persons most prone to consumption, are those of a sanguine or
phlegmatic temperament, with long neck, sharp shoulders, narrow chest,
slender fingers, clear skin, fair hair, and rosy complexion. The disease
usually begins with a short dry cough, followed, after a certain length
of time by a gradual loss of strength, lassitude, and great fatigue
upon small exertions; the pulse is quick and small, while the cough,
at first confined to the day, begins to extend into and through the
night; the breathing is hurried, with a sense of tightness at the chest,
accompanied with shooting pains; the expectoration at first frothy,
becomes viscid, opaque, often tinged with blood; and very copious in the
morning. As the disease advances, emaciation takes place, the cough,
pain, and difficulty of breathing increase, the face is flushed, the
soles of the feet and palms of the hands are affected with a dry burning
heat, the tongue, formerly white, now becomes clean and red, the pulse
is smaller and quicker, and hectic fever sets in, attended with profuse
perspiration; generally occurring twice a day, and, as the symptoms grow
more formidable, the appetite usually increases, filling the patient with
delusive hopes of recovery. The final symptoms, and those that indicate
approaching dissolution, are the setting in of diarrhœa, night sweats,
prominent cheek bones, hollow and cadaverous countenance, swollen legs,
great emaciation, and curved finger-nails. The expectoration has at the
same time altered its character with each stage of the disease; at first
scanty and frothy, it becomes opaque and presents a mixture of mucus and
pus, occasionally streaked with blood, and finally becomes all purulent,
sinking in water, and often combined with irregular pieces of green or
yellow substances.

_Treatment._—There are three objects to be aimed at in the treatment of
consumption; first, to promote the absorption of the diseased matter;
second, to subdue inflammation; and, third, to improve the general
health. For the first effect, it is the general practice to slightly
salivate the system by small doses of calomel and kino, followed by
a course of iodine, either in the form of burnt sponge, hydriodate
of potass, or tincture of iodine. Inflammation is subdued by small
bleedings, two or three times repeated, leeches on the chest, blisters,
or the counter-irritation of the tartar emetic ointment. The general
health is to be improved by exercise, cold ablutions, and friction every
morning, by a light and generous diet, and tonics with the mineral
acids. In confirmed consumption, and where all the worst symptoms are in
operation, the treatment must depend greatly on the actual state of the
patient, though the most ordinary course is comprised in the following
means and remedies: counter-irritation over the chest, by the tartar
emetic ointment; an opiate at bed-time; and two table-spoonfuls of such a
mixture as the following, every four or six hours.

    Take of

        Tartar Emetic              20  grains.
        Infusion of Gentian         6  ounces.
        Powdered Nitre               ½ drachm.

    Mix. Where the sweatings are excessive, or there is spitting
    of blood with the cough, from fifteen to thirty drops of the
    elixir of vitriol in a wine-glass of water, is to be sucked
    through a quill every three or four hours.

No practice is so fatal as the sending a confirmed consumptive patient to
a warm climate, or even to remove him to a warmer residence in his own
country, as the increased temperature only developes the worst symptoms
more rapidly. To a patient only _predisposed_ to consumption, change of
scene and climate is highly beneficial; but with the disease on him, it
is suicidal. The modern practice of deluging the stomach with rancid fish
oil, is a very questionable procedure, as any good that can result from
its use must depend upon the amount of iodine or nitrogen the cod liver
oil may possess; remedies that can be given in greater quantities, in a
much less objectionable way.

In every stage of consumption, but especially in the early part of the
disease, the patient should exercise the lungs as much as possible, by
drawing deep inspirations of air, and inflating the organ to its fullest
extent, and then slowly expiring what he has imbibed, repeating the
process for ten minutes at a time, and resuming it four or five times
a day. For this purpose he can either stand at a window, on a hill, or
wherever the air is pure; when the atmosphere is damp, the air must
be drawn through a veil, folded three or four times. This makes an
infinitely better respirator than the metallic ones sold in the shops.
As the natural stimulant of the lungs is air, no means are so likely
to excite absorption of the tuberculous matter, as that which expands
every air cell of its structure, and while healthily exercising the
organ, stimulates it to increased action. That consumption is curable,
is a theory now rapidly gaining ground; but this can only be effected by
converting the acute into a chronic disease, and in that form following
the admonitions of nature as a guide to the practice; and the most
important of these is exercising the lungs themselves.


SCROFULA.

A peculiar condition of the body, in which the healthy vital energy is
in a measure in abeyance, where the system is less strong, the body less
perfect, the organization less harmonious, and the living power to resist
accidents less perfect and capable of resisting those influences of
time, air, contagion, and accident, ever at war on the frame of man, and
which robust health may rebut and for a time defy, but before which the
less perfect organization of scrofula ultimately succumbs. It is to this
unnatural weakness of the constitution that we owe many of those diseases
and ills that like a scourge afflict mortality; such as consumption,
mesenteric disease of the bowels in children, rickets, goître, cretinism,
hare-lip, white swellings, and many other local and constitutional
maladies; all deriving their origin from this physical and specific
weakness of the whole or a part of the human body. Any chronic swelling
of the absorbent glands is denominated scrofula, as shown both by the wen
in the throat and the white, shiny, and insidious swellings in the knee;
yet neither of them is, correctly speaking, scrofula, but merely the
local evidence of something we feel and know, but cannot define in the
system, couched in the blood, reflected in the want of general nervous
energy, and manifesting itself in some local character, to which science
gives a name and unprofessional wisdom assigns the disease. The chief
characters by which a scrofulous diathesis is known or may be suspected,
are a want of perfect bodily symmetry, small, thin, or crooked limbs, a
round or pigeon-breast, excessive enlargement of certain organs, broad
jaws, low forehead, long neck, and large occiput, great transparency of
the skin, with a rosy tint of the cheeks; when the complexion is dark, it
is of a dirty, viscid appearance, when fair, unnaturally clear; a bluish
ring round the eyes, which though large, clear, and sometimes black, are
more generally light blue, with swollen or puffed eyelids, long lashes,
upper lips thick and projecting, and the general expression of the
countenance voluptuous case, with want of decision and energy; the first
teeth are small, subject to decay, and the second white, liable to split,
and often become prematurely decayed.


COUGH.

A cough is an effort of nature to relieve the lungs and air passages from
any obstruction of mucus, phlegm, pus, or other sources of irritation in
the parts. There are, consequently, many varieties of cough, according
to the nature and situation of the disease or affection that excites it:
as the cough in consumption, that from bronchitis, the stomach cough of
children, hooping-cough, &c., beside which there is the common cough of
an ordinary cold, which this article especially refers to. The ordinary
cough is, in the first instance, generally hard and dry, becoming, after
a day or two, more relaxed and attended with free expectoration, which,
after passing through some changes of character, as regards quantity,
colour, and substance, usually cures itself. When the febrile symptoms
that attend a cold and cough are too slight to demand treatment, the
best cough mixture that can be taken is one composed of equal parts of
the syrup of squills, syrup of tolu, paregoric, and ipecacuanha wine, of
which a dessert-spoonful may be given every four hours. When the cough is
attended with great difficulty and tightness, a “warming plaster” should
be applied to the chest, and the following expectorant mixture, employed
to promote relaxation of the parts:—

    Take of

        Milk of Ammoniacum          6  ounces.
        Dover’s Powder               ½ drachm.

    Mix in a mortar, and add

        Oxymel of Squills            1  ounce.
        Spirits of Sweet Nitre        ½ ounce.
        Syrup of Tolu                1  ounce.

    Mix. One table-spoonful to be given three times a day, and two
    on going to bed.


ASTHMA.

Is a functional affection of the respiratory organs, frequently depending
on constitutional causes, and seldom the result of organic disease.
Asthma generally attacks persons of advanced years, and of a weak and lax
system; it is, when not hereditary, often the result of sudden changes
of temperature, disorder of the digestive organs, or of mental anxiety.
An attack of asthma is usually indicated by a sense of constriction
or tightness round the chest, a fulness of the stomach, lassitude,
drowsiness, and headache. All these symptoms become more urgent towards
evening, accompanied with laborious breathing and difficult expiration,
attended at the same time with a wheezing noise in the chest and windpipe
at every inspiration. As night approaches a hard dry cough succeeds to
these symptoms, while the oppressed breathing and sense of suffocation
become so acute, as the paroxysm reaches its climax, that the patient is
compelled to spring up in bed, or rush to the open window, from fear of
instant suffocation. Asthma generally attacks the patient in the night,
and most frequently the severity of the fit endures for three or four
hours, usually terminating about two in the morning, when, after a free
expectoration of frothy mucus, the symptoms gradually subside, and the
patient, after much anxiety and suffering, falls asleep. A succession of
such paroxysms occur for several consecutive nights, before the symptoms
give way and allow the exhausted patient time to recover his strength and
tone.

_Treatment._—The first endeavour must be directed to shorten the fit
and to relieve the most distressing symptoms: the next, to remove the
exciting and predisposing causes. Where the patient is strong and not
far advanced in life, an emetic, composed of ten grains of ipecacuanha
and one grain of tartar emetic, mixed in a cup of warm water, should
be given in the first stage of the attack; followed up for some hours
by nauseating doses of antimony and squills, as in the following
mixture:—Antimonial wine, one ounce; water, four ounces and a half;
tincture of squills, three drachms. Mix; and take a table-spoonful every
hour so long as the urgency of the symptoms continues. When the attack
is slight, and devoid of the marked features of a paroxysm, and the
difficulty of breathing and sense of tightness in the chest are the chief
symptoms, much benefit will be derived from taking from five to ten drops
of hydrocyanic acid in a table-spoonful of water every two hours, for
three or four times.

The asthma of old age, however, must be treated very differently: here,
instead of debilitating, it becomes necessary to support and stimulate
the patient under the exhaustion of the paroxysms. For this purpose,
warmth should be early applied to the body and extremities, by the hot
bath or bottles of hot water. The chest and pit of the stomach should be
rubbed for a few minutes with hartshorn and oil; hot coffee, or small
doses of brandy-and-water, administered occasionally; and the following
mixture, according to the age and sex, given in doses of one or two
table-spoonfuls every two or four hours, as the state of the patient
may demand:—Carbonate of ammonia, one scruple; Dover’s powder, half a
drachm; peppermint water, six ounces; mix, and add tincture of squills,
spirits of lavender, and sulphuric ether, of each one drachm. When asthma
has been induced by a derangement of the digestive organs, it will be
necessary to give a dose of castor oil or an alterative pill; while for
the shortness of breath and difficulty of breathing that often precedes
and follows the full paroxysm, a poultice, composed of equal parts of
mustard and flour, and applied warm to the chest for ten or fifteen
minutes, will yield considerable relief. As an aperient, two compound
assafœtida pills will be found of the utmost benefit, especially to those
advanced in life.


BRONCHITIS.

Is now much milder in its attacks, and seldomer met with than formerly,
though it still remains a disease of both severity and danger.
_Acute bronchitis_ is characterised by general fever, heat of the
skin, difficulty of breathing, with hurried and sometimes laborious
respiration; a peculiar sense of fulness and roughness of the windpipe,
followed by hoarseness, oppression, or pain over the region of the
heart, accompanied by a short dry cough. After from six to twelve
hours, a secretion of mucus takes place in the trachea and bronchial
tubes, producing a wheezing rattling noise as the patient respires; and
in consequence of the blood not being freely exposed to oxygen in its
passage through the lungs, the lips and cheeks assume an ashy or dusky
hue. The pulse at the first is quick and hard, but after a time, becomes
full and what is called, soft; but so compressible, that a little extra
pressure of the finger will apparently extinguish it. There is at the
same time great prostration of strength, considerable anxiety and alarm,
with pain in the head, giddiness, and when the symptoms are severe, even
delirium.

Bronchitis arises in general from exposure to cold and humid atmosphere;
taking cold after violent exertion, or from any of the ordinary causes
of cold or sore throat. The hoarseness and dry full sense, experienced
in the nose and windpipe, is often felt extending far down the chest,
attended with considerable sneezing; and the efforts of a dry hard cough,
causing pain both in the chest and shoulders.

_Chronic Bronchitis_, when arising as a primary disease, presents some or
all of the previous symptoms, but in a considerably modified form; the
fulness in the windpipe, oppressed and laborious breathing, hoarseness
and cough, are, however, the most general symptoms of chronic bronchitis;
the expectoration, though after a time becoming more free, is far from
being copious, and consists of a discoloured mucus; sometimes of a
purulent appearance, at others stained with blood, or streaked with a
brick-coloured fibrinous matter. The symptoms are generally exaggerated
towards night, when they are attended with increased fever and night
sweats.

_Treatment of Acute Bronchitis._—In full-bodied constitutions, if the
disease be taken in its first stage, bleeding to the extent of eight
or ten ounces may be very safely and beneficially employed; but as the
debility that attends bronchitis is both great and sudden, unless adopted
in the _earliest_ stage, the practice would be highly culpable, as all
the physical stamina is required to throw off the collected mucus from
the bronchial passages so bleeding; therefore, unless employed early,
it can never properly be practised. When necessary, an emetic must be
immediately given, consisting of antimonial and ipecacuanha wines, of
each half an ounce, or the following powder:—Ipecacuanha 15 grains,
tartar emetic 1 grain, mix; to be dissolved in a little warm water and
drunk directly, following it up by frequent draughts of warm water. If
the first emetic does not operate freely, repeat the same dose within the
hour, assisting the action, if necessary, by tickling the throat with
a feather. As soon as the vomiting has subsided, apply a blister three
inches wide by six inches long, down the centre of the chest, and give a
table-spoonful of the mixture below every two hours.

    Take of

        Distilled Water           6  ounces.
        Tartar Emetic             6  grains.
        Powdered Nitre            1  scruple.

    Dissolve, and add tincture of colomba, 2 drachms—mix. At the
    same time, between the doses, let the patient inhale the steam
    of hot vinegar and water, and wear a veil over the face, so as
    always to breathe through a medium. When the blister has risen
    and the plaster has been removed, apply a hot bread poultice,
    which repeat every hour, for two or three times; and finally,
    dress with violet powder.

When the expectoration changes its character and becomes thick, greenish
and ropy, it will be necessary to give stimulating expectorants, to
facilitate the discharge; for that purpose, the annexed mixture, in doses
of a table-spoonful every three or four hours, is to be employed.

    _Expectorant Mixture._

        Gum Ammoniacum            2  drachms.
        Carbonate of Ammonia      1  drachm.

    Rub into a powder, then add a tea-spoonful of water; triturate
    till the whole is rubbed into a smooth creamy paste, when add,
    by degrees, six ounces of water.

        Syrup of Squills          1  ounce.
        Tincture of Tolu          2  drachms.
        Spirits of Sweet Nitre    2  drachms.
        Paregoric                  ½ ounce.

Should there be much restlessness or want of sleep, 30 drops of laudanum
may be taken at bed-time in a little gruel, or added to a dose of the
expectorant mixture. Or when the mixture is not necessary, from 10 to
15 grains of Dover’s powder, according to the age and strength of the
patient, should be taken an hour before bed-time. It is also necessary
to take an occasional aperient, which should consist of two assafœtida
pills at night, and a black draught the following morning; or five grains
of blue pill, and a dose of Epsom salts, three hours afterwards. The
patient should be kept as much as possible in one temperature during the
attack; and all lengthened conversation and fatigue strictly avoided. The
diet should be light, low, and farinaceous, and consist of eggs, milk,
custards, and sago, and tapioca puddings; and only when the expectorant
or stimulating stage has been reached, should the drink be anything
stronger than gruel. But when the expectorants are indicated, it becomes
necessary to give wine, or other stimulants, and support the patient’s
strength by a more generous diet.

_Treatment of Chronic Bronchitis._—Where the symptoms are severe, the
treatment may begin by placing a blister on the throat, and giving the
expectorant mixture already prescribed. But in ordinary cases, it will be
sufficient to place a large hot bran poultice on the throat and chest,
renewing it every three or four hours; and twice a day rubbing the chest
and throat with the following embrocation:—

Dissolve, by heat, two drachms of camphor in two ounces of olive oil, and
add spirits of sal volatile half an ounce, and at the same time give the
expectorant mixture in table-spoonfuls every two hours.

Where there is much loss of rest, and much anxiety, the annexed mixture
to be substituted for the expectorant, and taken in doses of two
table-spoonfuls every four hours.

    Dover’s Powder              1  drachm.
    Carbonate of Ammonia        2  scruples.
    Camphor Water               8  ounces.
    Sulphuric Ether             1  drachm.

At the same time, the steam of hot vinegar and water is to be inhaled,
and the patient’s strength supported by a proper and efficient dietary;
with all the precautions advised in acute, observed in the management of
chronic bronchitis.


INFLUENZA.

A disease which, though unquestionably common to this country from remote
time, has only within the last thirty years obtained a distinctive
name and character. What the peculiar state of the atmosphere is, that
induces or predisposes to this disease, science has not yet discovered,
though the external causes, as far as appreciation enables us to form
an opinion, appear to be, a long-continued state of humidity, succeeded
by sudden heats, or seasons of alternate hot and wet weather, or a
long humid autumn followed by a cold and boisterous winter. In these
conditions of the climate the disease often becomes epidemic and puts
on a protean shape, and, though twenty persons in the same tenement are
attacked with it, not two perhaps present the same chain of symptoms,
or have been seized in the same way. The first sign of illness in one
is a sudden coma, that deprives the patient for some minutes of all
consciousness; another falls in a fit, a third is seized with an intense
pain on the top of the head, others by fits of sudden heat or cold, by
coughing, or pains in the back, chest, or throat; but however varied the
commencement may be, or different the general run of symptoms, there are
three signs that, taken together, always characterize influenza, and by
which it may in every case be at once identified; these are—severe and
splitting pain on the top of the head, great and sudden loss of strength,
and a rough excoriated sensation in the chest behind the breast-bone, as
if the lining membrane in that part was raw.

When influenza comes on gradually, the disease generally puts on the
following succession of SYMPTOMS: a sense of cold, lassitude, weariness,
cold chills, pains in the back, head, and loins; these symptoms are
followed by flushings, weight on the head and a great oppression on the
chest, sneezing, the eyes become bloodshot, a thin acrid discharge from
the nostrils occurs, with inflamed fauces and throat, followed by a
short cough with a thick viscid expectoration, which soon becomes thin,
discoloured mucus, mixed with purulent discharge. With these symptoms
there is extreme prostration of strength, loss of energy, and great
depression of spirits, the pain on the head continuing with unabated
violence. The pulse, which at the beginning was quick and small, becomes,
as the disease progresses, sharp, weak, and irregular. From the first
the appetite has failed, the tongue furred, and the stomach in a state
of nausea and often irritated to vomiting. The discrepancy in the state
of the pulse in influenza generally renders it an insecure guide to a
knowledge of the heart’s action by the number or the frequency of the
beats; the only true test of the vital strength of the patient is, the
amount of pressure by the finger the pulse will bear. Influenza, if not
speedily cured, is very prone to degenerate into bronchitis, pneumonia,
pleurisy, or some chronic thickening of the mucous membrane of the
throat, or enlarged tonsils.

_Treatment._—The foremost point to be remembered in the treatment of
this disease is, that the great debility is _real_, not a prostration
dependent on nervous pressure, but a _bonâ fide_ loss of vital power;
consequently, bleeding, strong relaxing medicines, or blisters, are,
except in very rare cases, highly injurious, and more likely to kill than
cure the patient; the treatment therefore required is more a course of
judicious dietary than one of physic. The medicinal means must consist of
the following mixture and pills, keeping the feet hot by hot bricks, or
bottles of water, and a hot bran poultice applied frequently to the neck
and chest.

    Take of

        Powder of Compound Tragacanth   2  drachms.
        Hot Water                        ½ pint.
        Lump Sugar                      2  drachms.

    Mix in a mortar, adding the water slowly till a smooth thin
    mucilage is made of the whole; then add—

        Tincture of Tolu                1  drachm.
        Ipecacuanha Wine                 ½ oz.
        Spirit of Nitre                 6  drachms.

    Shake well together, and lastly, add solution of acetate of
    ammonia, 1½ ounce. Mix, and make a 12 ounce mixture: of which
    let the patient take two large table-spoonfuls every four
    hours.

    Take of

        Compound Rhubarb Pill             ½ drachm.
        Extract of Henbane                ½ drachm.

    Mix, and divide into 12 pills, two to be taken at bed-time
    every other day.

To support the strength, the food must be of the lightest and most
nutritious kind, such as boiled mutton, custards, and sago puddings;
and as frequent stimulants are indispensable, claret glasses of warm
egg-flip, either made in the usual way with the addition of a little rum
or brandy, or egg-sherry must be given, with toast, every two hours. By
these means, and the addition of twenty drops of laudanum, at bed-time,
to a dose of the mixture, all ordinary cases of influenza may be safely
and expeditiously treated to recovery.


BILIOUS COMPLAINTS.

Persons are said to be bilious, when bile finds its way from the small
intestines into the stomach, and there, mixing with the digesting food
and irritating the coats of the stomach, becomes absorbed into the blood,
on which it acts like, a species of poison, producing a constitutional
disturbance of more or less severity. The symptoms that prognosticate
this kind of malady are intense pains in the head, weight and tenderness
of the stomach, nausea and sickness, fœtid breath, a bitter or coppery
taste in the mouth and throat, a coated tongue, and a quick sharp pulse.
The skin is dry, there is considerable thirst, and also occasional
shiverings.

_Treatment._—The effect of bile on the stomach should be considered in
the light of a chain of symptoms excited by the presence of some foreign
or unhealthy substance; and the rational view of the treatment of such
symptoms consists in expelling the intruding mischief as quickly as
possible; and, as it is always better to make the bile take its natural
course of exit—downwards—than urge it out of the system in an opposite
direction, the treatment should commence by taking such aperients as
will excite the whole alimentary canal, and carry it out of the stomach
through the bowels: at the same time avoiding by every means its
expulsion by vomiting. To carry off the bile by aperients, and allay the
sickness, is in fact, all that has to be done, for when these objects are
achieved, every other symptom will, as a natural consequence, subside.
As the nausea and headache are the most urgent and distressing symptoms,
they are the first to demand relief. A small blister, the size of the
round of a wine-glass, should be laid on the pit of the stomach, and a
dose of the subjoined effervescing mixture given every half hour; taking
advantage of the first lull in the retching to give two of the aperient
pills, which are to be repeated every six hours, till their action on the
bowels shows that the object for which they were taken has been obtained.
For females and persons of delicate constitution, one pill instead of
two should be taken as a dose. If the patient is in bed, bottles of hot
water should be kept at the feet; and as an after-corrective, the tonic
mixture prescribed below, is to be taken twice a day for about a week; at
the same time the convalescence will be facilitated, and the tone of the
stomach improved, if a little toasted bacon is eaten for breakfast, and a
dry biscuit and a glass of stout taken for lunch.


JAUNDICE.

Is the name given to the effect produced on certain parts and secretions
of the system by a diseased state of the liver, or whatever cause
prevents the bile from finding its natural outlet; and by confining it to
the gall-bladder, or the secreting vessels of the liver, causes it to be
absorbed into the blood, and, passing into the circulation, gives rise
to those symptoms, which constitute what is called jaundice. The word
“jaundice” signifies _yellow_, and is used to designate that impaired
state of the liver known by the external signs of a yellow skin, a yellow
tinge of the white coat of the eye, and a deep saffron colour imparted
to the secretion from the kidneys, while the other alimentary discharges
are almost white; these characteristics of jaundice are attended with
languor, loss of appetite, sometimes amounting to a loathing of food,
disturbed sleep, great avidity both of stomach and bowels, nausea, and
often sickness; a heavy bitter taste, that no cleanliness can eradicate,
pervades the mouth and fauces, while a dull heavy pain takes possession
of the right side, just over the liver, greatly increased by pressure,
but which no change of position abates. Attending these symptoms there
is always more or less of what is understood as fever: when the disease
is protracted, and the bile remains long unremoved from the blood, the
skin and eyes darken in their colour, and assume a _green_ aspect, and
when still more obstinate of cure, that green becomes of a deep purple or
blackish hue, when the disease is called black jaundice.

Jaundice is a very common disease in hot climates, especially to
Europeans newly arrived, and, indeed, is by no means rare in this
country and the sister island; and though, as we have already said, it
may proceed from any diseased condition of the liver, there are many
other causes that may induce it, such as pressure on the liver by the
formation of tumours, pregnancy, and the presence of gall-stones, though
in this latter case the cause is generally easily discovered by the
severity, sharpness, and continuance of the pain. Though the remedies
employed for jaundice are under all circumstances nearly alike, it is
both satisfactory and useful to discover as early as possible what is the
immediate cause that, obstructing the bile, has led to its absorption by
the blood; as on this knowledge much time may be saved in the treatment,
which is remarkably simple, and may be undertaken with the greatest
confidence without consulting any medical opinion. In all cases of
jaundice, especially when attended with pain, the warm bath is of the
utmost importance, as it will afford instant relief; and if the pain and
disease proceeds from a gall-stone, the heat of the bath, by expanding
the duct in which it is impacted, will almost immediately facilitate its
passage, and thus by removing the obstruction, at once remove the cause
of the disease.

As remedial means, the adult patient should take one of the following
pills three times a day, or one every eight hours, and every second
morning two tea-spoonfuls of Epsom salts dissolved in a tumblerful of
cold water, with a wine-glassful of dandelion-tea every four or five
hours, and continued as long as it is necessary to take the pills.

    _Pills._

    Take of

        Camphor                                  2  grains.
        Powdered Opium                           2  grains.
        Blue Pill                               20  grains.

    Mix and divide into six pills.

    Take of

        Dandelion Roots, washed and cut small    2  ounces.
        Liquorice Root and Sassafras, of each    2  drachms.
        Boiling Water                            1½ pint.

    Simmer slowly for twenty minutes; strain, and, when cold, give
    a wine-glassful every four or five hours.

When the obstruction has been removed, and the cure has been effected—as
the restoration of the skin and eyes to their natural colour will
indicate—it is sometimes necessary to take a tonic for a few days, to
restore the tone of the stomach; this will be best effected by taking
a table-spoonful of the following mixture an hour before each meal for
four or five days:—Infuse 2 drachms of gentian, 2 drachms of carbonate
of soda, and 1 drachm of ginger for six hours in a pint of boiling
water; and, when cold, giving it in the above doses. To those subject
to jaundice, exercise and sea bathing should be vigorously adopted
after each recovery, so as to work the system into an energetic and
self-supporting condition; for if not excited out of its torpidity, the
body is very prone to relapse into its previous torpidity.


BOWEL COMPLAINTS.

These ailments are in all cases symptoms of the effect of other causes,
and never occur spontaneously, but are the result of indigestive food or
excessive acidity of the stomach, the presence of a large quantity of
bile in the small intestines, acrid and misacting medicines, wet feet or
exposure to cold; the result of disease in the mucous or muscular coats
of the bowels, exposure to miasmata or infectious air, and the inhalation
of noxious gases.

    1. _Bowel Complaint, attended with Sickness and Vomiting._

    The vomiting should be first allayed by small effervescing
    draughts, or wine-glasses of soda-water, with a tea-spoonful
    of brandy, given every half hour, and a blister the size of
    a crown piece laid on the pit of the stomach: while for the
    relief of the bowels the following mixture is to be given in
    doses of two table-spoonfuls every hour till the relaxation is
    checked.

        Prepared Chalk                        1  ounce.
        Aromatic Powder                       2  drachms.
        Sugar                                 1  drachm.
        Peppermint Water                      8  ounces.

    Mix well in a mortar, and add

        Tincture of Kino                      3  drachms.

    When the bowel complaint is attended with pain or griping in
    the stomach, 1 drachm of the TINCTURE OF ASSAFŒTIDA, and 40
    drops of LAUDANUM are to be further added to the mixture, which
    is still to be taken in the same quantity, and, if necessary,
    repeated as frequently.

    2. _Bowel Complaint, the result of Improper or Undigested Food._

        Prepared Chalk                        1  ounce.
        Carbonate of Magnesia                 2  drachms.
        Carbonate of Soda                     1  drachm.
        Carbonate of Ammonia                  2  scruples.
        Camphor Water                         8  ounces.

    Mix well in a mortar, and add

        Tincture of Kino                      2  drachms.

    Mix and take two table-spoonfuls directly, and one every hour
    afterwards.

    3. _Bowel Complaint from Exposure to Cold or Wet._

        Infusion of Red Roses                 8  ounces.
        Epsom Salts                            ½ ounce.

    Dissolve, and add

        Diluted Sulphuric Acid               30  drops.

    Mix, and take two table-spoonfuls every three hours, and one of
    the following pills every four hours. Should the skin be dry
    and hot, give ten grains of Dover’s powder, at bed-time, in a
    little gruel.

        Compound Rhubarb Pill,
        Extract of Henbane,

    of each one scruple. Mix, and divide into eight pills.

    4. _Bowel Complaint, attended with Cramps and Spasms._

    Apply hot mustard poultices, made with equal parts of mustard
    and flour, over the bowels, and to the inside of each thigh,
    and give the following mixture and pills every hour till relief
    is afforded.

        Prepared Chalk                        1  ounce.
        Aromatic Powder                       2  drachms.
        Carbonate of Ammonia                  1  drachm.
        Mint Water                            8  ounces.

    Mix well, and add

        Tincture of Kino                      3  drachms.
        Sulphuric Ether                       1  drachm.

    Mix; two table-spoonfuls with one pill every hour.

        Camphor                               6  grains.
        Powdered Opium                        4  grains.
        Calomel                               9  grains.
        Extract of Hemlock, enough to make into a mass,
          which is to be divided into six pills.

    5. _For the Bowel Complaints of Young Children_, the most
    efficacious and convenient remedy is the tincture of kino,
    given in doses of 20 to 60 drops, in a little sugar and water,
    and repeated every hour or two till the relaxation is stopped.
    When the bowels are disordered from teething, it is best to
    give an alterative powder every four hours, for two or three
    times, such as the following for an infant of nine months,
    increasing the strength according to the age.

        Grey Powder                           6  grains.
        Rhubarb                               2  grains.
        Scammony                              9  grains.

    Mix well, and divide into three powders.

When the relaxation has been stopped, it is always advisable to take an
aperient pill, in a day or two after, to restore the bowels to a healthy
condition. In many simple cases of bowel complaint, a dose of castor oil
is the only remedy required, and where resulting from improper food, by
its aperient action it both removes the cause and the effect with it. The
bowel complaint, or diarrhœa, that occurs as a critical symptom in fever,
is on no account to be hastily or injudiciously checked; but when calling
for treatment, the mixture No. 4 is the most advisable one to employ for
that purpose.


FLATULENCE.

Unless in exceptional cases, such as from ill-cooked food, an excess
of vegetable diet, &c., flatulence is always an indication of impaired
functional action of the stomach, either proceeding from a disease of
that organ or through sympathy with some other part; but by far the
greater number of those who suffer from flatulence owe it to a weakened
state of the stomach itself, often hereditary, frequently the result
of an erroneous dietary, and sometimes from the injudicious habit of
over-stimulating; besides these cases, it frequently proceeds from mental
anxiety, imperfect mastication of the food, and a close sedentary habit.

Flatulence is often completely cured by strict attention to dietetic
rules, such as avoiding for a time all vegetables and fruits, making the
breakfast and tea on hard crusts, biscuits, or dry toast, and _chewing_
these for a considerable time before _permitting_ the food to pass into
the _stomach_; at the same time taking as small a quantity of fluid in
the way of tea, coffee, or cocoa, as possible, and only sufficient to
facilitate the descent of the solid food; meat and bread for dinner, with
a sparing draught of cold gin and water, should constitute the meal. The
tea should be a repetition of the breakfast, and a supper of biscuit and
cheese with a small tumbler of cold spirits and water, the same as that
for dinner; a system like this, with exercise, repose on a sofa for half
an hour after each meal, and using the _flesh-brush_ night and morning
_over the chest and shoulders_, and especially across the stomach, so
as to excite the organ to increased action, will be found to yield the
fullest advantage, and in many cases will supersede the necessity of any
medicine whatever. When, however, there is much acidity in the stomach,
it should be neutralized by a tea-spoonful of magnesia, or half a drachm
of carbonate of soda, a short time before any one of the meals, and, when
the bowels require it, a compound assafœtida pill at bed-time; the same
regimen as to diet being persevered in, as that above. Where the stomach
has become seriously enfeebled by a long-continued state of flatulence,
it will be necessary, in addition to either of the former plans, to give
the organ tone and strength, by employing one or other of the subjoined
pills, adopting them in the order in which they stand.

    Take of

        Sulphate of Zinc                      10  grains—powder.
        Rhubarb, Powdered                     20  grains.
        Extract of Gentian, sufficient to make a mass, which
          divide into thirty pills, one to be taken three
          times a day.

    Take of

        Nitrate of Silver (Lunar Caustic)      3  grains—powder.
        Quinine                                4  grains.
        Ginger                                 6  grains.

    Mix well, and add extract of camomile sufficient to make a
    mass, which divide into twenty-four pills, one to be taken
    three times a day. When flatulence is attended with a sense of
    coldness in the stomach, a tea-spoonful of Gregory’s powder,
    with ten grains of soda, may be taken in a little aromatic
    water before breakfast each morning.


DYSPEPSIA,

Or indigestion, is that impaired condition of the stomach when the food
is only half or imperfectly digested; producing want of appetite, a sense
of distension, debility, headache, languor, want of sleep, and all those
constitutional symptoms that usually attend an overtaxed and weakened
stomach.

_Treatment._—To effect a perfect restoration in the tone of the stomach,
an entire change in the mode of diet is absolutely necessary, also in the
habits and pursuits of the patient: the stomach must first be emptied
and slightly stimulated by an emetic, or by a few alterative doses of
blue pill and rhubarb, and the system submitted to a regular course of
such tonics as infusion of camomile with carbonate of soda, gentian
with potass, and, after a time, infusion of quassia with a few drops of
muriatic acid. The food should be at first light and simple, and comprise
the most solid aliments, and such as will compel a long mastication
before swallowing; all drinks or stimulants with the meal being strictly
prohibited till the salivary glands yield of themselves enough saliva to
macerate the food; and this can only be effected by a long and perfect
mastication.


DYSENTERY.

This is a disease more common in hot climates than cold ones, and both
in its type and character approaches much more nearly than any other
disease, to cholera. Dysentery is either the result of a congestive state
of the bowels, or it proceeds from a chronic inflammation of the lining
membrane of the colon.

_Symptoms._—Dysentery commences with shivering, a griping flatulent
state of the bowels, frequent discharges of mucus, or blood and mucus,
and often blood alone; with loss of appetite, sickness, fever, and great
debility.

_Treatment._—When depending on inflammatory action, it is necessary to
bleed and give cooling drinks with an emetic. In ordinary cases, the
treatment should begin with the warm bath or fomentations, with three
grains of calomel, one grain of opium, and three grains of assafœtida
pill; the whole made and divided into two pills, which are to be taken
every six hours, and a starch injection with assafœtida tincture twice
a day. As the symptoms improve, tonics are to be given, at first mild,
and gradually increased in strength, and combined with wine and a soft
unexciting diet.


DIARRHŒA.

A relaxation or looseness of the bowels, consequent upon a certain
condition of the mucous membrane of the alimentary canal; that is, either
a state of congestion, or stagnant state of the blood in the membrane; or
else from an inflammatory condition of the same tissue; or it may proceed
from ulceration of the bowels, the presence of indigestible food, or
acrid substances in the stomach; it may also occur as a crisis of fever,
and without any direct cause of irritation. The causes that produce
diarrhœa are very numerous, and often of the most opposite nature; though
the chief are, sudden cold applied to the body, checked perspiration,
powerful stimulants, the inhalation of noxious gases, &c.

_Symptoms._—Nausea, sickness, and vomiting, thirst, dry state of the
mouth and skin, frequent and copious evacuations, and a furred or red
condition of the tongue.

_Treatment._—The first step in the treatment of diarrhœa is to check the
vomiting; to effect this, the feet are to be plunged into hot water and
kept constantly warm, and a small blister or one or two leeches applied
to the pit of the stomach. The state of the tongue must decide the nature
of the subsequent treatment. When this organ is coated either with a
white or brownish fur, it indicates a congested state of the membrane
of the stomach, and must be treated by the exhibition of an emulsive
mixture of chalk, and when the symptoms are attended with pain, by an
opiate pill, as in the following prescription.

        Prepared Chalk                     1  ounce.
        Honey                               ½ ounce.
        Peppermint Water                   6  ounces.

    Mix into a smooth mass, of which give a table-spoonful every
    hour, and a one-grain powdered opium pill every four or six
    hours, till the pain is subdued. When, however, the tongue is
    red both on its surface and sides, it indicates inflammatory
    action, and must be treated by an opposite mode of practice,
    and the following mixture administered; the opium, however,
    being employed when pain is present, in the same form and
    frequency as in the former state of the bowels.

        Infusion of Rose Leaves            8  ounces.
        Epsom Salts                         ½ ounce.

    Dissolve, and add diluted sulphuric acid, half a drachm; mix,
    and take a table-spoonful every hour. In all forms of diarrhœa,
    the feet should be kept warm, and a hot bath, if procurable,
    will, in every instance, be found beneficial. The diet should
    always be soft and nutritious, but not liquid; the best dietary
    consists of thick arrow-root, made with milk, blanc mange,
    tapioca, sago, and semolina puddings, made with eggs, and eaten
    moderately cool; and when animal food is given, it should
    consist in the first instance of boiled meats, and the stomach
    very cautiously brought back to digest roast or hard substances.


CHOLERA.

Although Cholera has, by the interposition of Providence, decreased in
virulence, and the cases that occur are comparatively few, it is well to
incorporate in our medical directions the circular issued by the Royal
College of Physicians relative to the treatment of this fatal disease.
In any case of sudden emergency, where medical attendance cannot be
immediately procured, these instructions will be of the greatest use.

“1. No degree of looseness of the bowels should be neglected for a
single hour. Medical advice should be at once sought when the looseness
begins; and, previous to the arrival of a medical attendant, some of the
medicines at other times used for checking diarrhœa should be taken:—for
example, the chalk mixture; the compound cinnamon powder; or the compound
chalk powder with opium, in doses from 20 to 40 grains for an adult.

“2. No saline aperients or drastic purgatives should be taken without the
advice of a medical man.

“3. Intemperance in eating or drinking is highly dangerous; but the
moderate use of vegetable as well as animal food may be recommended,
and, in general, such a plan of diet as each individual has found, by
experience, to be most conducive to his health; for any considerable
change in the diet to which a person has been accustomed, is seldom
advisable during the prevalence of an epidemic.

“4. Debility, exhaustion, and exposure to damp, render the poor
especially subject to the violence of the disease. The committee urge
upon the rich the necessity of supplying those in need with food, fuel,
and clothing.

“5. The extreme importance of removing or counteracting all impurities,
whether in the air, water, or soil—as by ventilation, cleanliness, and
the free use of the chloride of lime or chloride of zinc—cannot be too
strongly insisted upon.

“Lastly, since the reports made to the College of Physicians show that
of the persons who were engaged about the sick in the last epidemic, the
number of those who were attacked by the disease was, in proportion,
exceedingly small, the fear of infection may be practically disregarded.”

Nearly every chemist keeps an “anti-cholera mixture” in a state of
preparation, during the cholera season. And as these mixtures are
prepared from recipes issued by the Board of Health, or by medical men
skilled in the treatment of cholera, they may generally be depended
upon. The great thing to be borne in mind is to _take medicines to check
looseness of the bowels before the system becomes exhausted_.


FEVER.

Fever is the result of a diseased or impaired action of the system, and
though sometimes attending or following certain diseases as a symptom or
consequence, most frequently falls on the constitution as a substantive
disease, either developing its characteristic symptoms, as the disease
advances, or following the slow maturity of a chain of morbid actions.
Fevers may, in the first instance, be divided into those which proceed
from some indirect or secondary cause, and those that arise from
contagion, or causes the direct precursors of fever, having a definite
rise, an understood progress, and a well ascertained termination. In
the first named class of fevers, are comprised those febrile symptoms
that appear during or after some organic disease, accidents, surgical
operations, or other causes of physical suffering.

The second, or spontaneous class, is divided into two chief heads—nervous
and inflammatory fevers: under nervous fevers are classed typhus,
intermittent, continued, and remittent fevers; and under that of
inflammatory fevers, first, all eruptive fevers, as scarlet fever,
small-pox; and, secondly, the fevers attending all inflammatory actions
of organs or viscera, such as inflammation of the liver and bowels.

The general characteristics of fever are cold chills, lassitude,
headache, loss of appetite, thirst and nausea, with a moist furred
tongue, or else a tongue dry and coated, pain in the back and loins,
succeeded by cold shiverings, which gradually give place to heat,
diffusing itself over the body and becoming permanent; ringing in the
ears, intolerance of light, and cold extremities; the pulse is either
small and quick, or full and hard. Special fevers, and constitutional
temperament, very much magnify, or even mitigate these symptoms; still
those given are the ordinary characteristics, and sufficient to indicate
the presence of fever to the least accustomed eye.

The _treatment_, on the same broad principle, resolves itself into
relieving the congested organs, breaking the chain of morbid actions
on which fever depends, equalizing the circulation, and lastly, by the
adoption of a course of medicinal agents, correcting the vitiated state
of the secretions, and restoring the functions to a healthy performance
of their several duties. To effect the first it is often found necessary
to bleed, or else by leeches, cupping, or blisters, relieve the
overloaded organs; the second object is generally effected by an emetic,
which in some instances it becomes necessary to repeat. The warm, the
hot, or the shower bath, or aspersions of cold vinegar and water, are the
means employed to effect an equalization of the circulation, and restore
blood and warmth to the surface. The therapeutic means to be employed
during the career of a fever, must depend entirely upon the character of
the disease to be treated, and will be entered upon more particularly
under their several heads.

A remarkable peculiarity belonging to all fevers, is a periodicity of the
disease, or a property that all fevers have of arranging their effects
into periods of regular sections; as, first, into fits and paroxysms,
then into remissions, and finally into critical days. Most fevers have
three stages, called the _cold_, _hot_, and _sweating_; in some, these
divisions are perfect and distinct, in others, broken and imperfect;
these fits following in regular order, comprise a paroxysm, which may
return at certain hours or only at irregular periods.

The critical days are regarded as the 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 14, 17, and 20; and
the non-critical days are the intervening ones.

The ages at which persons are most liable to fever, are from 20 to 30,
and in the following order, gradually declining from 30 to 40, 40 to 50,
and 50 to 60. As respects sex, females are more subject to fever than
males, but only in a small degree. All fevers are not infectious, but
those that are so are communicated by contact, exposure to the atmosphere
surrounding a fever patient, and whatever depresses the mind or weakens
the body, predisposes the system to infection. The best preventive
against the worst form of fever, is cleanliness, a cheerful disposition,
and an active body.


BRAIN FEVER.

Brain Fever is characterized by two distinct epochs or stages—excitement
and collapse; and though often distinct and well-defined, it occasionally
happens that the one stage is so blended with the other as not to be
appreciable, till the graver consequences of the second period evince
themselves. The symptoms of the first stage are deep and intense pain
in the head, tightness across the forehead, throbbing of the temporal
arteries, ringing in the ears, flushed face, bloodshot eyes, and a
wild and glistening stare; the pupils are contracted, and particularly
sensitive to light, while the ears are impatient and irritable to the
sense of noise: violent delirium, want of sleep, convulsive paroxysms,
attended with a hot dry skin, hard quick pulse, a white coated tongue,
great thirst, nausea and vomiting, and a confined state of the bowels.
Sometimes delirium is the first symptom, or the disease may progress to
a culminating point in a more insidious manner, often commencing with
an apparent attack of biliary vomiting. This formidable disease usually
proves fatal in a few days, sometimes in twelve hours.

_The mode of treatment_ resolves itself into blood-letting, purgatives,
and cold applications to the head. In bleeding, respect must be had to
the _effect_ produced, and not to the _quantity_ abstracted, that is,
till the pulse is affected, or fainting takes place; for this purpose,
the patient should be bled _standing_, and from a _large_ orifice, in a
full stream. About half an hour after the bleeding, and when the patient
has rallied from the fainting, cupping is to be employed behind the ears,
or the nape of the neck, while half a dozen leeches are applied to each
temple. At the same time, bladders of ice are to be applied to the shaved
head, occasionally varied by rubbing ether over the scalp briskly, and
allowing it to evaporate. As constipation is a marked feature of brain
fever, powerful purgatives must be employed from the first indication of
the disease; for this purpose, one of the following powders should be
given every three hours, and _three_ table-spoonfuls of the accompanying
mixture every _four_ hours.

    _Powders._

        Calomel                       30  grains.
        Jalap                          2  drachms.
        Ipecacuanha                    6  grains.

    Mix and divide into six powders.

    _Mixture._

        Infusion of Senna              7  ounces.
        Epsom Salts                    2  ounces.
        Syrup of Buckthorn             1  ounce.
        Sal Volatile                   1  drachm.

    Mix.—If this does not keep up a frequent and vigorous action
    on the bowels, in addition, put two drops of croton oil on the
    tongue, or wipe the wet cork or stopper of the bottle on the
    patient’s lips.

After twelve hours, and between that and two days, the _second stage_, or
series of symptoms sets in, the headache and wild delirium cease, and are
succeeded by a low indistinct muttering and a state of stupor, from which
it is finally impossible to rouse the patient. Hearing and vision become
imperfect and difficult, with squinting, double vision, and distended
immovable pupil: the spasms have given place to twitching of the muscles,
and starting of the tendons: the limbs are cold and powerless, or
palsied, the countenance ghastly; a cold sweat breaks out over the body,
and the patient dies in a state of profound coma.

_The treatment in this second_ and fatal stage, is necessarily one more
of regimen than medicine. If the pulse is hard, a blister may be put
on the head; but the great art lies in the judicious application of
stimulants, such as ether, ammonia, valerian, beef tea, wine, and opiates.

The following mixture combines most of these agents, and may be employed
to promote reaction, accompanied with thickened beef tea, and bottles of
hot water to the feet.

        Carbonate of Ammonia              ½ drachm.
        Powdered Opium                   3  grains.
        Ipecacuanha                      3  grains.

    Mix in a mortar, and add

        Camphor Water                    5½ ounces.
        Compound Tincture of Cinnamon     ½ ounce.
        Sulphuric Ether                  1  drachm.

    Mix. A table-spoonful every two hours.


DELIRIUM.

A symptom of some form of disease, as of madness, inflammation of the
substance of the brain, or of its coats, of fevers, erysipelas, disease
of the bladder; or it may supervene after concussion or compression of
the brain, injuries of the head, the result of surgical operations, or
from many vegetable poisons. Delirium, though often the result of an
excess of blood in the head, is by no means invariably so, as delirium
frequently attends as a reactionary symptom after exhaustion; and from
nervous irritation. There are many varieties of this distressing symptom,
as the low muttering delirium of typhus fever, and the quick rambling
chattering of other forms of cerebral disturbance. Delirium is generally
attended with a quick jerking pulse, the face is flushed, the eyes red or
bloodshot, with pain in the head, ringing in the ears, great antipathies
to places, persons, or things, muscular exertions of the arms, or picking
at the bed-clothes, constant and incoherent talk, or low indistinct
muttering. The body is often hot and dry, and the feet cold; and in cases
of vegetable poisoning, the pupils are generally excessively dilated.

_Treatment._—When delirium is attended with a full quick pulse and pains
in the head, it will be necessary to bleed from the arm, apply four or
six leeches to each temple, to place a blister on the nape of the neck,
and a bag of ice on the head, or else cloths constantly wetted in an
evaporating lotion; at the same time mustard poultices should be applied
to the legs and feet, one drop of croton oil put on the tongue, followed
in an hour by a black draught. The room is to be darkened, and the
patient kept perfectly quiet. When delirium proceeds from low fever, and
is attended with a small wiry pulse, the case must be met by palliatives,
anodynes, and tonics. The feet are to be kept warm, the hair cut, and
the head cool, the cupping glasses applied to the nape of the neck, the
mental irritation soothed by an opiate, and the system roused by the
careful employment of wine and arrow-root, and such other remedies as
the concurrent symptoms at the time, and the original character of the
disease, may seem to render expedient.

There is one precaution that should be observed in all cases of
delirium, especially in the more violent kinds, and that is by moral
suasion to obtain a mastery over the patient: this is to be effected by
blending firmness with kindness, as nothing can be more injurious than
intimidation or the threat of coercion, unless, indeed, that monstrous
abuse, the strait waistcoat, an instrument of torment scarcely, if ever,
called for.


DELIRIUM TREMENS.

Trembling delirium, or the drunkard’s palsy, is a disease in which
the mucous membrane of the stomach and bowels, as well as the lining
membranes of the brain, are in a state of chronic inflammation, resulting
almost always from intemperate habits and excessive indulgence in ardent
spirits. This disease is manifested by a total want of sleep, and a
quivering of the lips, hands, and muscles, generally, every attempt
at speech or motion increasing the tremor; rambling, and constant
chattering; the skin is cold and moist, the pulse small and quick, and
the tongue furred in its centre, with red edges, the countenance is
anxious, the patient full of suspicion, and oppressed with dreams and
frightful images.

_Treatment._—The first step to be taken is to tranquillize the system,
which may be effected by giving one grain of opium as a pill every four
hours with two table-spoonfuls of the following mixture every one or two
hours.

        Camphor Water                    5½ ounces.
        Brandy                           2  ounces.
        Ether                            1  drachm.
        Spirits of Sal Volatile          1½ drachm.

    Mix. In addition to the mixture and pills, it is sometimes
    necessary to give brandy-and-water, wine, or pure spirit. When
    the trembling is subdued, and the system tranquillized, the
    following mixture is to be given in the same dose and quantity
    as the former, but discontinuing the pills.

        Infusion of Rose Leaves          8  ounces.
        Epsom Salts                       ½ ounce.
        Syrup of Red Poppy               2  drachms.
        Diluted Sulphuric Acid          20  drops.
        Tincture of Opium                1½ drachms.

    Mix.—When there is much congestion of the head, it will be
    necessary to apply a few leeches to the temples, but as a
    general rule, all depletion is injurious. During the whole
    attack, the patient is to be steadily watched, kept quiet, and,
    as far as possible, amused and interested.


MADNESS.

Disease of the brain eventuating in loss of reason, assumes many shapes,
and has many forms and conditions; though the term madness with some
degree of reason is applied to all, abstractedly considered, and,
relatively understood, no phrase can be more faulty and objectionable.
Insanity, idiocy, cretinism, imbecility, dementia, and melancholia, or
melancholy madness, are some, though by no means all, the forms of mental
aberration that come under this very comprehensive term. Each of these
forms of madness, or loss of judgment and imagination, has a distinctive
character of its own, and has either been excited by some other disease;
some great commotion of the system, caused by violent excitement of the
passions; by direct injury to the head; exposure, uncovered, to the
influence of the summer sun, causing a sun stroke; to some diseased
condition of the brain, induced by some specific affection of that organ;
or an hereditary cause, the consequence of a redundancy or diminution in
some of the lobes of the brain, in which case, the disease being born
with the patient, there can be no hope of cure or improvement.

_Insanity_, or that madness which—of a temporary character, produced
and kept alive by an active disease elsewhere in the body than the
brain itself, though that organ occasionally is the primary cause—is a
symptomatic form of madness subsiding, in general, when the disease that
provoked it is cured.—See INSANITY.

_Idiocy_, being that hopeless state of fatuity, the consequence, as
has been said, of a defective development of the brain, and born with
the patient, it has been thought unnecessary to refer to it in a more
particular manner, the great variety of such cases only filling the mind
with painful images.

_Cretinism_ is a special variety of idiocy, indicated by a large head,
square visage, wide mouth, thick ears, and goitres; in fact, it is the
idiocy peculiar to that form of scrofula whose most marked feature is
the _goître_, attacking whole tribes of people in different parts of the
world, and who, in addition to a fatuity of mind and an enlarged neck,
are noted by a dwarfish stature, seldom exceeding four feet.

_Melancholia_ is that variety of madness depending on some chronic state
of disease, whose chief attributes are, a sad and desponding state of
mind; a settled melancholy, that only sees despair and sorrow in every
purpose of life; and though the imagination may only pursue one line of
reasoning, the patient contemplates it as devoid of every ray of hope,
and eagerly seeks to terminate his existence before the event he broods
upon can overtake him. To such persons an unreasonable dread of poverty
is the most frequent form in which the madness shows itself, and from the
apprehension of which no relief offers itself to the patient but suicide.
Melancholy madness most frequently results from a chronic state of
insanity, or, in other words, insanity, if long standing, is in certain
constitutions liable to degenerate into melancholia. The _treatment_ of
this disease is almost entirely of a moral character, and must consist in
frequent change of scene and society, exercise, and lively conversation,
any temporary oppression of the head being relieved by a few leeches,
and an occasional aperient; at the same time, without seeming to do so,
maintaining an unceasing watch over the patient, and while apparently
reposing confidence in his honour, never relaxing the vigilance of
supervision.

_Hypochondriasis_, or vapours, as it is sometimes called, very often
assumes a species of aberration closely resembling melancholy madness;
and like the many varieties of what is called _monomania_, or madness
on one subject, difficult to determine whether primarily depending on a
diseased state of the brain, or of the digestive organs. The treatment
in all such cases must conform as near as can be traced to the exciting
cause, though in these instances, medicine is generally much less
necessary than moral suasion, and the promotion of a healthier action of
mind and body, by change of air and invigorating exercise, especially
such as rowing, swimming, fencing, climbing hills, horse-riding, and
quick walking.

There only remains one other form of madness to be considered, _mania_,
properly so called, or raving madness; but as this is a subject so
distinct from all the other forms of temporary aberration; is induced
by so many and contrary causes; and demands a course of treatment so
distinct, that it would be unnecessary to do more than give the general
symptoms, and indicate the broad principles on which the treatment is
based; all patients so affected, both for their own comfort and to
further the chance of their recovery, are treated in establishments
specially adapted for the purpose. There are many cases of confirmed
madness, where the patient is neither raving nor furious, but in which
more or less of the same symptoms are common to that condition: these
are, delirium without fever, flushed face, and wild expression of
countenance, sharp pains in the head, ringing in the ears, rolling and
flashing eyes, grinding of the teeth, loud roarings, and violent muscular
exertions, rooted antipathies to objects and places formerly beloved or
attached to, insensibility or indifference to heat and cold, hunger,
thirst, or watching, and attended throughout by a quick, full, and hard
pulse. A remarkable peculiarity with all maniacs is, that periodically,
or once a month, or at the full of the moon, all the symptoms are
exaggerated, and occasionally a perfect remission of the symptoms,
the patient enjoying lucid intervals; from this periodicity they are
called lunatics. The _treatment_ consists in carrying out the three
following objects, each indication, as it is called, requiring a distinct
treatment: first, to gain a perfect command over the maniac; secondly,
to divert his mind from the existing train of thought; and thirdly, to
diminish the preternatural action of the brain.


INSANITY.

This alarming and dangerous state of the mental faculties, is,
fortunately, more frequently the consequence of diseased action
elsewhere, or in other words, a symptomatic affection, than the result
of an organic or morbid condition of the brain itself. Insanity may
arise from any severe constitutional disturbance, or local disease,
so long continued as to affect reciprocally the system, hence it is a
frequent symptom of all fevers, whether of the nervous or inflammatory
type; often supervening upon severe accidents, and very frequently
following the shock sustained by the system on the performance of
important surgical operations. Insanity may also be idiopathic, or
arise without any previous disease, as when the mind has been long kept
preternaturally bent on one engrossing subject; or it may proceed from
some sudden emotion of the mind, acting on the weakened frame, or from
any cause that excites and keeps up a long tension of the reflective
powers. It may also arise from organic disease of some part of the brain,
or follow from an hereditary taint. Insanity is distinguished from
madness, only by the milder character of all the symptoms, and by the
subsidence of the incoherency on the suppression of the immediate cause
that produced it; whereas, madness is excited by the same causes, and
continues for a longer or a shorter time after the subsidence of all the
excitement that gave rise to it. The insanity that constitutes what is
denominated madness, as a special disease, we shall not refer to in this
work, confining ourselves merely to that state which attends or follows
ordinary disease.

_Symptoms._—Insanity appears in many forms, seldom showing twice alike;
but, as a general rule, its characteristics are in the following order:
severe pains in the head; noise in the ears; redness of the face;
peculiar wildness of the countenance; rolling and glistening of the eyes;
grinding of the teeth; loud roarings; violent exertions of strength;
incoherent discourse; unaccountable antipathy to certain persons,
particularly to their nearest relatives and friends; a dislike to such
places and scenes as formerly afforded particular pleasure; a diminution
of the irritability of the body with respect to the morbid effects of
cold, hunger, and watching: together with a full strong pulse.

_Causes._—Hereditary predisposition; sanguineous temperament; violent
emotions of the mind; immoderate indulgence in any passion; violent
exercise; frequent intoxication; sedentary life; abtruse study;
parturition or lactation; tumours compressing the brain; preceding
attacks of epilepsy, fever, &c.

_Treatment._—Before proceeding to the mode of treatment, the following
objects are to be strictly borne in mind:—1. To gain a perfect command
over the maniac. 2. To divert the patient’s mind from the existing
train of thought. 3. To diminish the preternatural action of the brain.
To effect these results, the following remedies must be had recourse
to:—1. By bleeding, if of a plethoric habit, and the attack recent.
2. Purgatives; both the drastic and cooling aperiatives have been
recommended—perhaps the former are preferable; hellebore, senna, and
jalap. 3. A spare low diet. 4. Emetics of sulphate of zinc, or of tartar
emetic. 5. Nauseating remedies. 6. Cold bath during the paroxysms. 7.
Sedatives; hemlock, camphor, and henbane; opium is generally prejudicial.
8. Counter-irritants; blisters, setons or issues. 9. Where great debility
is present from the first, or supervenes after the employment of active
remedies, tonics and stimulants, as in debility from other causes.

Insanity, to a greater or less extent, may be regarded as an effect of
many fevers, especially those of nervous order and typhoid type, and
though in general the hallucinations of this mental disturbance subside
on the decadence of the symptoms, cases arise where the balance of
mental power is not restored for some considerable time after the bodily
recovery, and others in which a predisposition is left behind, upon
which, at the slightest excitement, the insanity returns with perhaps
increased severity; in such cases the disease assumes a new phase, and
more properly comes under the denomination of lunacy.


HYDROPHOBIA.

Hydrophobia, or dread of water, as the name signifies, is a disease
peculiarly affecting the nervous system, caused by the bite and
absorption into the blood of the saliva, or _virus_, as it is called,
of some rabid or strongly irritated animal, but most frequently of the
two domestic species, the dog and cat, though, from the almost analogous
symptoms excited in the system by certain accidents, eventuating in what
has been called _tetanus_, the two diseases by many medical men have
been considered as synonymous. The influence exerted by the mind on the
body, both for good and evil, is a fact well known to the most casual
observer, but in no instance is that effect exercised with more dangerous
consequences than in the disease under notice; for it is unquestioned
that many persons have been forced into a state of hydrophobia, simply
through the terror inspired by the scratch or abrasion of an animal
perfectly in health, though perhaps under a temporary fit of displeasure
or pain. The peculiarity of this disease, is the great length of time
that usually takes place between the receipt of the accident, or bite,
and the disease itself, or the manifestation of the constitutional
symptoms; sometimes weeks elapse, at others months, and not unfrequently
years have supervened between the cause and the effect.

_Symptoms._—At whatever time these may show themselves, they commence
with wandering pains over the body, anxiety, restlessness, disturbed
sleep, and frightful dreams, the patient starting up in horror and
bedewed with cold perspiration; by degrees muscular contractions occur
at intervals, weight and oppression of the stomach, a tightness in the
throat, and difficulty of swallowing, till suddenly the crowning symptom
takes place, and the patient, in attempting to drink, is seized with a
sudden horror, and recoils in terror from the wished-for potation; the
very sight or sound of water, or the motion of fluid, throwing the body
into violent convulsions. From this stage the symptoms rush on to their
climax; the countenance is contracted, the eyes wild and staring, the
teeth set firmly, and with the tightened lips covered with a ropy foam,
or a thin watery saliva pours from them; this state is alternated with
shrieks, animal noises, bilious vomitings, convulsive jerks and plunges,
till one fearful spasm that draws the body like a bent bow, resting on
head and heel, releases the patient from his sufferings.

_Treatment._—The hot bath, electricity, blisters, bleeding and opium in
immense doses, are the only agents that art can employ in this formidable
disease; the most violent measures and the most opposite have been
resorted to; but, unfortunately for science, hitherto with but little
effect or benefit. In no disease is the old adage of “prevention better
than cure” so applicable as in this. For the tranquillity of mind, for
the satisfaction of the patient, and for motives of safety, in all cases
of bite or abrasion from the tooth of an animal, the part should be
cauterised. A tape or bandage being first tied tightly above the part
to prevent absorption, the part is then to be washed with warm water,
and lunar caustic then applied. If these steps are adopted quickly and
effectually, and, if possible, the part sucked or dry-cupped before
applying the caustic, and the ligature or pressure continued for some
time, there will seldom be any necessity for the painful and questionable
practice of excision. The patient’s mind must be soothed; an aperient and
a sedative given, and a warm poultice applied over the eschar. A mode of
treating hydrophobia by means of ice, internally, down the spine, over
the throat and chest, has been adopted with success, but the cases are
too few to warrant pronouncing it either safe or certain.


INTERMITTENT FEVER, OR AGUE.

The term intermittent is applied to that kind of fever which consists
of a succession of paroxysms, between each of which there is a distinct
and perfect decline of fever symptoms. Different names have been applied
to this fever, according to the distance of time observed between the
periods of its return. When it comes on within the space of twenty-four
hours, it is called a quotidian; when it returns every other day, it is
called a tertian; and when it attends on the first and fourth day, it is
named a quartan ague. That under the tertian type is most apt to prevail
in the spring, and the quartan in autumn.

Intermittents often prove obstinate, and are of long duration in warm
climates; and they not unfrequently resist every mode of cure, so as
to become very distressing to the patient; a fact, to which the writer
can bear testimony from personal experience. It is very generally
acknowledged, that marsh exhalations, or the effluvia arising from
stagnant water, when acted upon by heat, are the most frequent exciting
causes of ague. A low diet, great fatigue, and the sudden disappearance
of eruptions, have been ranked among the exciting causes of intermittents.

Some persons imagine this fever may be communicated by contagion; but
this supposition is by no means consistent with general observation.
One peculiarity in this fever is, its great susceptibility of a renewal
from very slight causes, as from the prevalence of an easterly wind, or
from the repetition of the original exciting agency. It would appear,
likewise, that a predisposition is left in the habit, which favours a
return of the complaint.

Each paroxysm of an intermittent fever is divided into three different
stages, which are called the cold, the hot, and the moist stage. The
cold stage commences with languor, a sense of great debility, frequent
yawning and stretching, and an aversion to food. The face and extremities
become pale, the features shrink, the bulk of every external part becomes
diminished, the nails turn a dark blue colour, and the skin, over the
whole body, bears the appearance of having been exposed to excessive
cold: at this time, universal rigours come on, together with pains in the
head, back, loins, and joints, nausea and vomiting of bilious matter;
the breathing is small, frequent, and anxious; the urine is almost
colourless; the thoughts are confused; and the pulse is small, frequent,
and often irregular. After a short time, these symptoms abate, and the
second stage commences with an increase of heat over the whole body,
redness of the face, dryness of the skin, thirst, pain in the head,
throbbing in the temples, anxiety and restlessness; the respiration
(breathing) is fuller and more free, but still frequent; the tongue is
furred, and the pulse has become regular, hard, and full. If the attack
has been very severe, delirium will perhaps arise at this time. After
these symptoms have continued for some time, a moisture breaks out on the
forehead, and, by degrees, becomes a profuse perspiration, extending over
the whole body.

Having pointed out the phenomena usually attending a paroxysm of
intermittent fever, and likewise their mode of succession, it may be as
well to observe, that they prevail in different degrees of intensity, and
that the series of them may be more or less complete.

The treatment of intermittents is, first, to put as speedy a stop to the
fit as possible when it has taken place; and, secondly, to prevent its
return at the usual, or any after period. Two drachms of Peruvian bark,
powdered, may be taken every two hours, as the benefit to be expected
from this medicine will greatly depend on the large quantity administered
in a short space of time; for, five or six ounces of bark taken in a few
days, will be attended with a much better effect than perhaps as many
pounds taken in the course of some weeks. In instances where bark fails
of remaining on the stomach (as in the writer’s case), arsenic is almost
invariably successful: it must be prepared as follows:—

Take 64 grains of white arsenic reduced to a very fine powder, and
the same quantity of vegetable alkali; mix these together; add half a
pound of distilled water, and let it boil slowly until the arsenic is
completely dissolved: half a pound of compound spirit of lavender is
then to be added to it, and as much more distilled water as makes the
whole solution amount to a pound. The dose of this is from two to ten
drops, given in milk, once, twice, or even thrice in the day, according
to the age and strength of the patient. Eight days’ administration of the
medicine in this way will be generally found sufficient for a cure of
this complaint.

Vomitings and gripings are the troublesome symptoms now and then produced
by this medicine: they disappear, however, on discontinuing the drops,
or only require a gentle opiate, or some warm cathartic (aperient), such
as the tincture of rhubarb. I would by all means recommend those who
are living in or near a town, to have the solution of arsenic made by a
chemist of known respectability, and to keep it securely locked up, with
_Poison_ on its label.

The food of the patient must be of a light and nourishing description,
such as sago or arrow-root; but when the fit is off, he may partake of
animal food, and a spare quantity of wine. The passions of the mind
exercise a wonderful influence on ague; the writer has known the disease
instantaneously removed by a sudden shock, and whether of surprise,
fright, joy, or grief, appears immaterial; as long as it exercises a
sudden and violent effect on the nervous system, the cure is complete.


APOPLEXY.

Apoplexy is a disease which arrests all voluntary motion, and deprives
a person of consciousness, as though he had been struck by a blow.
Sometimes a person is warned of the approach of apoplexy by various
symptoms, such as giddiness, drowsiness, loss of memory, twitching of
the muscles, faltering of the speech, &c.; but most frequently he falls
to the ground without any warning, and lies as though in a deep sleep.
While so lying he breathes heavily, with a _snorting_ kind of noise,
and with considerable muscular action of the features. The face is red
and swollen, the veins distended, the eyes protruding and bloodshot,
remaining half open or quite closed, and a foam frequently forms about
the mouth.

Apoplexy mostly arises from accumulation of blood in the system, but
it may be the result of an enfeebled constitution, and general want of
vitality.

Where a person is seized as described, a medical man should be sent
for, and the patient should be carried into a cool room and placed in a
sitting posture, in such a situation that the air may be freely admitted
to him. The neckcloth, shirt collar, waistband, and other ligatures
should be unfastened, and cold water should be poured over the head.
Mustard plasters may be applied to the soles of the feet and the calves
of the legs, or where the mustard cannot be immediately procured, the
feet and legs should be placed in hot water.

If the attack occurs with a person of _full habit_ of body, a dozen
leeches may be applied behind the ears and on the temples. It is of
great importance that the bowels should be freed of their contents, and
as there is a great difficulty in swallowing, _one drop of croton oil_
should be placed on the tongue and repeated every two hours, until
the object is entirely accomplished. Blood-letting should in no case
be attempted by a non-professional person. Where the fit arises from
enfeebled strength (which is indicated by a small irregular pulse) the
remedies should be of a milder form, and stimulants may be cautiously
administered at intervals.

The most common _immediate cause_ of apoplexy is pressure of the
brain, either from an effusion of blood or serum, or from a distention
of the vessels of the brain by an accumulation of the blood in them,
independently of effusion.

The _predisposing causes_ are the habitual indulgence of the appetite in
rich and gross food, or stimulating drinks, coupled with luxurious and
indolent habits, sedentary employments carried to an undue length; the
habit of sleeping, especially in a recumbent posture, after a full meal;
and lying too long in bed.

The _exciting causes_ are excesses in eating and drinking; violent mental
emotions; the sudden suppression of piles, gout, rheumatism; or any other
cause which augments the circulation of blood to, or extracts the flow of
blood from, the brain.

Persons below the middle height, robust, with large hands and short thick
necks, are generally recognised as apoplectic subjects; but it is, in
truth, confined to no particular conformation of the body, _all persons_
being alike liable to be attacked by it.

Persons, however, who are _predisposed_ to this disease should not fail
to profit by the warnings of its approach mentioned at the commencement
of this article. Their diet should be light and nutritious; all luxurious
habits should be abandoned, and moderate exercise should be taken. Above
all, they should avoid giving way to their passions, as it is well known
that many persons have been struck with death in the midst of a fit of
anger.


EPILEPSY, OR FALLING SICKNESS.

This is a disease coming on in convulsive paroxysms, returning at
undefined and irregular periods, accompanied by great muscular exertion,
foaming at the mouth, loss of memory and of voluntary motion, and ending
in sleep or a state of coma. The attacks are often sudden, the patient
without notice falling to the ground; at other times, it is preceded by
a sense of weight in the head, drowsiness, and languor, indicating the
approach of the fit.

The causes of epilepsy are various; in some cases it is hereditary, in
others it proceeds from softening of the brain, or organic disease of
that organ and the spinal marrow; it sometimes results from blows, very
frequently in children from worms, or other sources of irritation in the
bowels and stomach. Epilepsy is most frequent in the young, the spare,
and those of a delicate organization.

_Symptoms._—The fit usually begins with an excessive and involuntary
action of the muscles, the body is bent forward, or drawn violently
backward with great force, the eyes roll in a rapid and furious manner,
the lips are convulsed, and a frothy saliva, like the champ of a horse,
covers the lips and teeth; the tongue is violently protruded, and often
dreadfully injured by the spasmodic closing of the teeth; the pulse is
quick and irregular, the breathing heavy and laboured, the muscular
action of the arms and legs and the writhings of the body are immense,
and often the exertions of more than five or six strong persons are
requisite to restrain even a woman. After a time, which varies from
ten minutes to half an hour, nature becomes exhausted, and the patient
sinks into a state of sleep, or more properly coma, from which in a few
hours he awakes, exhausted, low and feeble. The only diseases with which
epilepsy could be confounded, are hysteria and apoplexy; from the first,
it is known by the absence of tears, sobs, and laughter, and the rising
in the throat, like a ball or lump, that always characterizes it; and
from apoplexy, by the stertorous breathing and the dilated pupil.

_Treatment._—Where the patient is young, and it is the first attack,
bleeding to a small extent is advisable; but in general, beyond the
exhibition of stimulating draughts of ammonia and brandy, cold water
dashed on the face, and heat applied to the feet, little or nothing
can be done during the paroxysm beyond putting a gag in the mouth, and
fastening it behind the head, so as to save the patient’s tongue; the
treatment must be left till after the fit, and the remedies used with the
hope of preventing a recurrence of the attack. When epilepsy proceeds
from disease of the brain or spinal column, a seton should be established
in the neck, the general correction of the system attended to, by change
of scene, a course of mineral waters, a plain but unexciting diet, and
the daily use of the subjoined pills, marked 1 and 2, continuing each for
three weeks, resting one week, and then beginning the other with exactly
the same routine. It may be here remarked, that no medicine has been
found so efficacious in epilepsy as nitrate of silver or lunar caustic,
and after that a preparation of copper.

    No. 1.—Take of

        Nitrate of Silver                   4  grains.
        Bread Crumbs                        1  drachm.

    Mix. Extract of gentian, sufficient to make a mass, which
    divide into twenty-four pills, of which give one, three times a
    day.

    No. 2.—Take of

        Ammoniate of Copper                 6  grains.
        Bread Crumbs                        1  drachm.

    Mix well, and add extract of camomile, enough to make into a
    mass, which divide into twenty-four pills, one to be given
    three times a day.

When epilepsy is symptomatic, or the cause of worms or irritation in
the bowels, it must be treated according to the provocative cause; in
other cases, a course of mild aperient medicines should be adopted, and
the bowels kept regularly open; exercise by walking, sea bathing, early
hours, and such pastimes as give a healthy tone to the mind, steadily
persisted in. For the tremor that sometimes follows the recovery from
the fit, the following antispasmodic mixture will be found efficacious,
though, as a general rule for symptomatic epilepsy, a regular diet,
change of scene and air, exercise, and a constant mild action on the
bowels, will be found sufficient.

    Take of

        Valerian Root                        2  drachms.
        Serpentaria Root                     1  drachm.
        Boiling Water                         ½ pint.

    Infuse for six hours, strain, and add

        Spirits of Hartshorn                 3  drachms.
        Sulphuric Ether                      1  drachm.

    Mix, and give one or two table-spoonfuls three times a day.
    By adding half a drachm of quassia to this infusion, a tonic
    property will be added to the antispasmodic effect of the
    mixture.


FAINTING, OR SYNCOPE.

Fainting, or Syncope, as it is professionally called, very often
attacks the individual without warning, though at other times, and in
those subject to these distressing symptoms, fainting is preceded by
well-defined sensations, such as a feeling of distress, languor, and
sickness; the sight becomes dim, and the eyes appear covered by a film;
an areola or dark circle appears round the orbits; a buzzing, or low
singing noise, is heard in the ears; the face and lips are pale, a cold
perspiration breaks out over the skin; the pulse sinks to a mere flutter,
and finally ceases; the body totters, and unless upheld, falls to the
ground. The loss of consciousness is sometimes complete; at others,
the patient retains a partial amount of recollection; the pallor, too,
is occasionally more intense, and corpse-like, the eyes shut, mouth
open, the limbs flaccid, and the extremities deadly cold. This state
lasts from five minutes to half an hour; a spasm of the chest and a few
gasping sobs, each more prolonged than the last, are the first signs of
returning consciousness. When the fit is prolonged, it may terminate in
epilepsy or convulsions. The causes that predispose to faintings, are
an intensely nervous state of the system, a delicate constitution, and
extreme debility from whatever cause produced, or a diseased state of the
heart. Youth is more subject than age to fainting, and females are more
frequently affected by it than males.

_Treatment._—When fainting is the result of nervous sensibility, or when
it occurs in hysterical women, there is seldom any danger; all that is
generally necessary is to lay the patient on her back in the horizontal
position; loosen any string that may compress the chest or neck, open
the window, dash water in the face, and apply volatile salts to the
nostrils, and give a draught with half a tea-spoonful of spirits of
lavender, or thirty drops of sal volatile, and twenty of ether, added
to the lavender and water, where the fainting threatens to merge into
hysteria. Should the case be obstinate, heated bricks or mustard plasters
must be applied to the feet or thighs. Where the fainting proceeds from
organic disease, the treatment must be guided by the nature of the
primary affection.


AFFECTIONS OF THE FACE.

Under this head must be comprehended face-ache, consequent on cold,
tic-douloureux and other nervous affections, erysipelas, pimples,
blotches, and other eruptive diseases of the cuticle. As many of the
most serious and painful affections of the face are the result of some
disorganization of the system, or disease more remotely situated, such
as erysipelas, tic-douloureux, and tooth-ache, these affections must
be looked for under their respective heads; the present section being
confined merely to those blotches and pimples that so often disfigure the
countenance. These are sometimes of a scorbutic character; when they are
distinguished by irregular red or reddish brown patches on the cheeks and
nose, attended with heat and itching, occasionally disappearing and again
returning, after the least excitement.

_Treatment._—Take of corrosive sublimate two grains, spirits of wine, one
ounce. Dissolve and mix, and take five drops in a wine-glass of decoction
of dandelion, or wormwood tea, three times a day, for a week; when it is
to be intermitted for a few days, and again resumed in the same order
and dose. In bad cases, a lotion made by mixing milk of sulphur in
elder-flower water, till the whole is of the consistency of cream, may be
applied every night, in addition to the medicine, and washed off in the
morning with warm water.

Black spots and freckles are to be treated by making an emulsion of
bitter almonds, and dissolving in every half-pint two grains of corrosive
sublimate; and after softening the cuticle by bathing the face for a few
minutes with warm water, applying the emulsion so prepared before going
to bed, letting the lotion dry into the skin and washing well off in
the morning. At the same time, a wine-glassful of wormwood tea should
be taken every day, either two or three times. In all affections of the
skin, proceeding from functional disorder in the stomach, liver, or
other organs, producing blemishes on the face, there is no remedy that
exercises so permanently beneficial an effect as a course of wormwood;
and the infusion should, therefore, in all cases where the complexion
is injured, especially in females, be made the primary and principal
remedial agent.

In long standing discoloration of the face, proceeding from impaired
action of the liver, a steady course of alternative medicine must be
persisted in for some time, if any permanent benefit is to be expected;
and for this purpose a compound Plummer’s pill must be taken every
night for one or two weeks, with a wine-glass of the compound decoction
of sarsaparilla twice a day; alternating this treatment every week or
fortnight, by one of the following pills, and a decoction of dulcamara
and dandelion, in the proportion of an ounce of each to a pint of water.

    _Pills._

        Blue Pill                1  scruple.
        Extract of Colocynth     1  scruple.
        Compound Rhubarb Pill    1  scruple.

    Mix and divide into twelve pills.

At the same time, under either treatment, a warm bath should be taken
once a week, and a constant friction kept up over the body; and
especially above the region of the liver, while in the water, by the
flesh-brush, or a rough irritating towel.


AFFECTIONS OF THE EYE.

Most of the affections of this organ are of too complicated a character
to be popularly treated. In this place the only disease noticed will be
that condition of the organ known as general inflammation, and those
affections that belong to the appendage of the eye. Inflammation of
the eye commences with heat and pricking, and a sense of tightness in
the part; the upper lid first and then the lower, become red, swollen,
and extremely painful, attended with great tenderness when pressed;
the eyeball itself is bloodshot, intolerant of light, and feels as if
particles of sand were between the ball and the lids, the surrounding
parts sympathize in the swelling, and there is an abundant flow of tears.
The constitution at the same time suffers, there is more or less fever, a
quick pulse, and considerable pain in the head.

_Treatment._—The patient should either be bled from the arm or cupped
on the temple, four or six leeches applied round the orbit, the bowels
at the same time acted on quickly by one of the following powders every
three hours, and a dose of the accompanying mixture every four hours,
till they are thoroughly relieved, the patient all the time being kept
quiet, and in a darkened room.

    _Powders._

        Calomel                         12  grains.
        Antimonialis                    12  grains.
        Jalap, powdered                  2  scruples.

    Mix, and divide into four powders.

    _Mixture._

    Take of

        Infusion of Senna                5  ounces.
        Epsom Salts                      1  ounce.

    Dissolve, and add

        Syrup of Buckthorn               1  ounce.

    Mix. Take two table-spoonfuls for a dose. After the leeches
    the eye should be fomented with warm water, or a decoction of
    poppy-heads, and should the skin remain dry and hot, a sweating
    draught must be given at bed-time, preceded by a mustard and
    water foot bath.

    _Draught._

        Acetated Solution of Ammonia     1  ounce.
        Tincture of Squills             30  drops.
        Tincture of Opium               30  drops.
        Antimonial Wine                  1  drachm.
        Spirits of Nitre                 2  drachms.


AFFECTIONS OF THE EARS.

The delicate yet important organ of the ear is subject to many diseases
and accidents. The most frequent mischief to which the _external_ part
of the organ is subject, is partial or complete loss of the cartilage
or shell of the ear, a result that either follows sabre cuts, gunshot
wounds, or sloughing from blows or pressure. Inflammation seldom attacks
the external parts, or, if it does, is in general of an erysipelatous
character. When the cartilage has been lacerated, or part of its
structure destroyed, the separated parts are to be placed as near as
possible in their natural position, and kept together by two or three
stitches, a warm moist poultice laid over the part, and a light bandage
passed round the head to keep the dressing in its place. The external
ear is also frequently the seat of scrofulous ulcers and ill-conditioned
sores, and the skin behind the ear is particularly liable to small
encysted tumours, which are very tedious in their suppuration, and cause
considerable pain and inconvenience.

The treatment is nearly the same for all these affections; a course of
alterative and tonic medicines, a warm bran or bread poultice night and
morning on the part, and when the discharge is fœtid and thin, a lotion
made by dissolving two grains of nitrate of silver in an ounce of rose
or distilled water, is to be used as a wash to the sores, once or twice
a day; in very obstinate cases a small blister applied to the nape of
the neck will speedily effect a cure, though in general, cleanliness,
attention to the diet, and an alterative and tonic course of medicine,
will effect a sure and far more satisfactory cure than can be obtained by
any counter-irritant remedy that can be used.

_Ear-ache_ is a very painful affection of the auditory passage,
consequent on cold or a slight degree of inflammation in the membrane of
the ear; in all such affections the soothing system will be found the
best and safest practice, and this consists of a little cotton dipped
in oil with a few drops of laudanum placed in the ear, and a warm bran
poultice over all, repeating the poultice every two hours; when, however,
the pain is more intense, apply a leech below or behind the ear, and
promote the bleeding by poultices.


AFFECTIONS OF THE LIPS.

The lips, or rather the lip, for it is to the lower lip that disease is
generally confined, is subject to several affections such as inflammation
and enlargement, ulceration, chapping, and excoriation—all in themselves
trivial and harmless—and is only subject to one, and fortunately rare
disease of any serious moment—cancer. Leaving this for the present out of
consideration, all the others may be regarded as symptomatic of the state
of the stomach, or else are caused by direct irritation from contact
with jagged teeth. The most prevalent form of sore lips is that of deep
cracks or fissures, that on the first stretch of the cuticle bleed; in
persons of a scorbutic habit, instead of cracking, the skin peels off
in scales, leaving a raw, irritable, and painful abrasion, aggravated
by heat or moisture, and which sometimes continues for weeks; both of
these conditions are dependent on the state of the system, and can always
be cured in a few hours, or in the worst case in two or three days, by
a dose or two of aperient medicine, such as a dose of blue pill, and a
spoonful of Epsom salts some hours after, repeating both for two or three
times, should the obstinacy of the case require it. When inflammation and
swelling of the lip takes place, as it sometimes does, from the presence
of a broken tooth, keeping up a constant irritation from the sharp edge
pressing on, or coming in contact with, the soft part, the spicule
should be at once filed down, or else the tooth withdrawn, for while
the exciting cause remains, no means will afford relief. This having
been done, a cold lotion of sal-ammoniac, vinegar, and water applied by
means of wetted pledgets of rag, will speedily reduce the swelling, when
a pill and a draught, such as have been already ordered, will insure a
permanent recovery of the part to health. The lip in all cases should be
kept as dry as possible, and especially from the saliva and the tongue;
and as all such cases are symptomatic of the state of the system, their
own permanent cure is, as we have shown, by an aperient medicine. An
excellent application is a little tallow rubbed in by the finger before
going to bed, the tallow having the advantage over all other grease, in
not becoming rancid.

Cancer of the lip is usually characterized by a callous thickening of
the cuticle and the formation of a warty excrescence; or it may begin by
a painful pimple, which after once or twice being removed, degenerates
into a small irritable ulcer, that discharges a thin ichorous exudation,
and rapidly affects the glands under the jaw, which become distinct and
knotty; the ulcer, after remaining for a length of time in passive,
irritant state, closing over, and again breaking out, suddenly assumes
an active form, and is attended with stiffness in the muscles of the
jaw and darting pains, till it finally assumes all the features of this
much dreaded disease; for which, though caustic and arsenic are the best
remedies we possess, there is no certain cure but excision, in the same
manner as for hare-lip. Though cancer of the lip is generally confined to
_men_ in mid-life, and inveterate smokers, it would appear more to depend
upon some occult state of the blood than on any social habit, however
objectionably pursued.


PRESERVATION OF THE TEETH.

The preservation of the teeth ought to form an important item in the
care of the person. The possession of sound teeth is a great blessing,
as they not only promote the process of digestion, but keep the breath
sweet and pure. Unsound and unclean teeth are also most unsightly and
unpleasant for other persons to be brought in contact with; for these
combined reasons, the greatest care should be observed in the management
of these important organs. It must be understood that the teeth are bones
thinly covered over with a fine enamel, and this enamel is more or less
substantial in different persons. Whenever this enamel is worn through
by too coarse a powder or too frequently cleansing the teeth, or eaten
through by a scorbutic humour in the gums, the tooth cannot long remain
sound. The teeth, therefore, are to be cleaned but with great precaution,
for if the enamel is worn off faster by cleaning the outside than nature
supplies it within, the teeth will probably suffer more by this method
than by neglect. A butcher’s skewer, or the wood with which they are
made, must be bruised and bit at the end till with a little use it will
become the softest and best brush for this purpose; and in general, the
teeth may be cleaned with this brush without any powder. It is necessary
to observe that, very near the gums of persons whose teeth are otherwise
good, there is apt to grow a false kind of enamel, both within and
without, and this false enamel or tartar, if neglected, pushes the gums
higher and higher till it leaves the fangs of the teeth quite bare,
above the true enamel, so that sound teeth are destroyed, because the
gum has forsaken that part which is not sheathed and protected. In the
summer months this tartar may be effectually removed by partaking daily
of strawberries; eating plentifully of watercresses is also considered
a good remedy. An excellent tincture for this defect will be found as
follows:—Mix six ounces of tincture of Peruvian bark with half an ounce
of sal-ammoniac. Shake these well for a few moments every time before
the tincture is used. The method of using it is, to take a spoonful and
hold it near the teeth, then with a finger dipped in, rubbing the gums
and teeth, which are afterwards to be washed with warm water. Another
method of preserving the teeth is to wash out the mouth with water after
every meal, especially if animal food has been eaten; by these means the
particles of food lodging about the teeth and gums are dislodged, which,
when allowed to remain and accumulate, prove excessively injurious. Much
harm is frequently done to the teeth by cleaning them with too hard
a brush or deleterious dentifrices, in either case the enamel being
scratched and otherwise injured. As a matter of course, the preservation
of the teeth is greatly influenced by what is eaten and drunk. All things
that are either very hot or very cold are extremely bad; acids are
especially injurious, as are also sweets.

_The decaying of teeth_ is partly due to chemical decomposition of the
food lodged between the teeth in eating. When there is joined to this
an unhealthy or weak condition of the ivory, which is thus rendered
incapable of resisting the action of external causes, and also the
continual pressure of the adjacent teeth, when too close together, then
decay is almost sure to take place in some part or other of the crown.
When it occurs in the sides of the necks, just below the enamel, the
cause always is in the food, and generally so when in the middle of the
crown of the molars; but sometimes decay takes place beneath the enamel,
and long before the slightest fissure in this part can be detected by
any ordinary observation, or, at all events, while there is no opening
large enough to admit the food. Besides these causes, another exists in
the uncovered state of the roots, or fangs, or on these being covered
by tartar instead of gum, both of which circumstances tend to produce
decomposition and decay, and should be cautiously guarded against. When
a cavity is actually developed, the sooner it is filled the better. When
it is small and has not opened into the natural cavity of the tooth
gold leaf is the best material, the dentist previously cutting away the
decayed matter and pressing in the gold with great force. When, however,
this cavity is exposed, gold is useless under ordinary circumstances. The
following are some of the best methods of filling teeth when beginning to
decay:—1. Mix thirteen parts of pure finely powdered caustic lime with
twelve parts of anhydrous phosphoric acid. This powder is moist during
the mixing, and while in that state is to be introduced into the decayed
tooth. The place in the tooth is to be made dry before receiving the
mixture. This kind of filling must be used two or three minutes after
being prepared. Soon after it is lodged in the decayed cavity, it becomes
very solid. 2. Take pure anhydrous phosphoric acid forty-eight grains,
pure caustic (unslaked) lime forty-two grains. Finely pulverize each
separately, and keep them separate in well-stopped bottles till wanted.
For use, mix the required quantity in a small mortar, as rapidly and
perfectly as possible, and at once press the dry mixture in the cavity
of the tooth. The surface should then be smoothed off and finished by
moistening with water. This cement soon acquires great hardness; it is
very white and durable, and in its composition resembles the natural
earthy matter of the teeth. The whole process requires expertness to
succeed; but the latter, when attained, will amply repay for one or two
failures. If the composition be not mixed and applied quickly it becomes
moist, and is therefore unfit for use. In many cases the odour arising
from carious teeth is very offensive; to remedy this, the mouth should be
well rinsed with a tea-spoonful of the solution of chloride of soda in a
tumbler of water, which will have the desired effect.


PRESERVATION OF THE HAIR.

Under ordinary circumstances, the hair may be preserved by the most
simple means. In a sound and healthy constitution, the best preserver
and beautifier of the hair is regular and careful cleaning. As a general
rule, _the head cannot be too much brushed_, brushing serving as an
active and healthy stimulant upon the skin, rendering the functions more
vigorous, and, as a consequence, the production of hair more easy and its
maintenance more certain. On this account, hard and penetrating brushes
are useful, but in using them it should be borne in mind that it is the
_head_ which requires brushing more than the hair; while, therefore, the
brush is actively applied to the roots of the hair, the surface should
be brushed with a light and gentle hand. Occasional washing with pure
water is to be recommended, providing the hair is not very long, so as
to render drying difficult. To assist in drying it thoroughly, dip the
brush into a very little hair powder and brush it out again; after that,
a little pomatum may be brushed in.

With regard to _cutting the hair_, it is an operation which should not
be performed too frequently, nor delayed too long; in ordinary cases, it
would be well to have a small portion of the hair removed every month or
six weeks. Where the hair is in an unhealthy condition, especially where
much has fallen off, and a partial and impoverished growth has risen
up to represent that which is lost, the short and impoverished hairs
should be carefully and persistently cut, with the view of giving them
bulk and strength, and improving their growth. The frequent plucking
out of withered hairs is also productive of benefit, as the process is
necessarily accompanied by much stimulation of the skin, which promotes
the growth of the hairs individually and generally.

_The excessive use of grease_ in dressing the hair, is a common error
which cannot fail to be productive of injurious consequences. There is a
natural oil secreted by the hair which in a healthy state should supply
the requisite amount of moisture; sometimes this is defective, and the
hair becomes dry and harsh, it is then proper to supply the deficiency
by a little pomatum or oil. When the artificial grease is applied in
excessive quantities, it produces a matting of the hair, prevents the
pores of the scalp from acting freely, and thus the proper supply of
natural moisture is not communicated freely to the hair.

_The kind of grease to be used_, should be animal fats in preference to
vegetable oils, the latter being apt to become rancid, and not possessing
such active stimulant properties as the former.

_The use of soap_ in washing the hair, should be cautiously and sparingly
observed, as it is apt to change the colour and texture of the hair. A
little white soap dissolved in spirits of wine is more effectual and less
injurious than soap alone. After this the hair should be well washed with
pure water.

When _grayness of the hair_ shows itself, it is and indication of want of
tone in the hair-producing organs, and if this tone can be restored, the
hair will cease to change, and at the same time further change will be
prevented. The plan of cutting, as previously recommended, combined with
judicious plucking, tends very much to prevent the extension of grayness.

_Keeping the head too much covered_ is calculated to prove injurious to
the hair, as by this means an excessive amount of heat is generated,
which tends to enervate and relax the hair-producing organs, and
consequently weaken and thin the hair; for this reason the wearing
of nightcaps is to be condemned, and the practice of wearing the hat
throughout the day is attended with similar evil consequences.

_Curling the hair_, especially when frequently resorted to, is a most
pernicious custom—the inordinate amount of heat that is employed to
produce the desired effect, drying up the natural oils, and otherwise
injuring the roots and texture of the hair.

_Sudden heats and chills_ of all kinds are also productive of ill
consequences; and in short whatever accident or operation the hair is
subjected to, widely differing from its normal state, must produce, more
or less, those diseases and that decay to which it is peculiarly liable.
In every case it should be remembered, that the preservation of the
hair depends not only on local stimulation, but also on constitutional
treatment. This truth is the more to be insisted upon, as a common
notion prevails that the mere application of certain specifics will
remedy defects without any other aid. Above all, the advertised nostrums
which boast of being able to effect such extraordinary results, are
not to be relied upon, and in many cases should be cautiously avoided.
The simple truth is, that these specifics owe their boasted productive
and restorative powers to precisely the same principle that attends
the simplest formula, namely, the stimulation of the skin; and the
application, therefore, must be governed by the same laws, and attended
with the same results in the one case as in the other.


AFFECTIONS OF THE NOSE.

The membrane that lines the whole alimentary canal from the lips and
mouth downwards, has special peculiarities in particular places,
according to the function it has there to perform: in the nostrils, as
the external seat of smell, it is beautifully and remarkably adapted for
its purpose; yet, though being so incessantly in active operation, it
is, perhaps, the least affected part of the body. With the rest of the
lining membrane of the mouth, it suffers from cold, or in affections
of the stomach, discharging a thin fluid in cases of catarrh, and
showing a dry, red, and irritable surface when the bowels and stomach
are affected, hence the involuntary picking of children when they have
worms; but of itself, besides a thickening of its coats from various
causes, and thereby blunting the perception of smell, and obstructing
the reverberance of articulation, and the occasional formation of that
extraordinary zoophyte, the polypus, high up in the nostril, this part
of the frame has no other disease appertaining to it. For the first,
an occasional errhine, as a pinch of snuff, or the smallest atom of
the white of hellebore powder, imbibed in the same way, with a course
of aperient medicine, is all that is generally needed; though cases
may occur in which leeches and a lotion may be demanded, but they are,
however, very rare. The extraction, by surgical means, of the polypus,
as no local or constitutional treatment has any effect on its growth,
renders any further account here of this disease unnecessary. The
external parts of the nose are, however, more frequently affected than
the internal, the cuticle over the cartilage being subject to warts,
inflammation, small painful pimples and abscesses, and to cancer. The
warts are easily removed by a daily application of caustic or blue
stone; the inflammations, by a cold lotion of sugar of lead and water;
and the pimples and abscesses, by the same means assisted with cooling
purgatives. For the more formidable disease of cancer, surgical aid must
be obtained, as the treatment, in unskilful hands, might be attended with
risk.

There is a condition of the nose, usually, but not always justly,
attributed to persons of dissipated habits, in which that feature becomes
enlarged, of a red or purple colour, and covered with unseemly blotches,
pimples, and bright-coloured excrescences, distending the organ sometimes
to an enormous size. Though this disfigurement, undoubtedly, frequently
marks the drunkard, it is more properly an indication of diseased liver
than a characteristic of dissipation, and is more usually found in its
worst form in persons of temperate, than intemperate habits. As this
disease is in general a local system of a constitutional derangement, the
remedies to cure it must more properly be applied to the system rather
than the part. For this purpose a course of Plummer’s pill, alternated
with blue pill, and a decoction of dulcamara and dandelion in water, two
ounces of each, boiled from four to three pints, and a wine-glassful
taken every four hours, and a pill twice a day, must be continued for
some days, or even weeks; at the same time the nose should be enveloped
in a poultice made of scraped Solomon’s seal, damped with vinegar, laid
next the skin; and being put on at bed-time, should be allowed to remain
all night.


AFFECTIONS OF THE THROAT.

The throat is subject to two forms of inflammatory action, acute and
chronic; of the former, there are two conditions which, though both
present acute inflammatory action, and both are diseases of a dangerous
character, are very different in their symptoms and their consequences.
These are—1st. _Inflammatory sore throat._ A disease that attacks persons
of either sex, and of all ages up to forty or forty-five years; after
which period it is but rarely met with. It is very often found attacking
several persons at the same time like an epidemic, in spring and autumn,
especially so when there are great vicissitudes of atmosphere; the
disease being induced by the sudden application of cold to a heated body,
or the reverse, but most frequently from wet feet, a sudden draught of
cold air to the throat or nape of the neck, or even from a drink of cold
water when the body is greatly heated.

The _symptoms_ that first attract attention are, a great difficulty in
swallowing, with heat, constriction, and dryness of the throat; the
difficulty of swallowing rapidly increasing till at length that operation
becomes impossible, every attempt ending in the ejection of the liquid
through the nostrils. As the disease advances, a thick ropy phlegm, of
a yellowish colour, is thrown out from the part, and after much trouble
expelled; at the same time sharp pains run through the jaws and ears,
the voice in some cases is reduced to a whisper, and in all is thick
and hoarse. From the first sensation of dryness in the throat, symptoms
of fever show themselves in the constitution, such as heat, shivering,
thirst, nausea, sickness, and headache. If the earlier remedies have
failed to check the inflammation, the disease at the end of five, or
sometimes seven days, runs into suppuration, and one or more abscesses
are formed in the tonsils, which usually burst into the mouth; but when
the enlargement impedes the respiration, the abscesses must be opened and
the matter discharged.

_Treatment._—When the symptoms are slight, a hot bran poultice, kept
constantly to the throat, a mild aperient, and the immersion of the feet
for a few minutes in hot water, is often all that is needed. In more
severe cases, however, and where the constitution is robust, an emetic
of ten grains of ipecacuanha and one grain of tartar emetic, should be
mixed in warm water and given directly, to be followed in two hours by
two compound colocynth pills, and half an ounce of Epsom salts, dissolved
in a tumblerful of water an hour later. As soon as the emetic has ceased
to act, the front of the throat should be rubbed with hartshorn and oil,
and a hot bran poultice directly after applied round the throat. If the
inflammatory action has set in strong, the emetic should be followed
by bleeding from the arm, or it may be adopted at any subsequent stage
of the treatment, and the poultice put aside and a blister laid on the
throat, should the urgency of the symptoms warrant its use. When the
thick phlegm causes annoyance and cannot be expelled, a gargle of warm
vinegar and water should be employed to facilitate its removal. When
suppuration sets in, which may be known by the throbbing in the part and
frequent shivers, the hot poultice must be frequently changed, and the
steam of hot water repeatedly inhaled, so as to promote the formation of
the matter. In scrofulous constitutions, the tonsils frequently become
chronically enlarged, and upon any slight exposure to heat or cold
commence a tardy process of suppuration. In such cases the treatment
recommended for scrofula must be adopted both internally and locally.

2. _Putrid sore throat._—This serious affection is not regarded as
a substantive disease by many medical men, but rather as a grave
consequence, or severe symptom of some other malady, such as malignant
and scarlet fever, or typhus, in which diseases it is very often found
as a terminating symptom. The _symptoms_ of this disease commence with
cold shivers, pain in the head, giddiness, stiffness in the muscles
of the neck, flushed face, red or suffused eyes, sore throat, nausea,
sickness, and sometimes vomiting. The pulse through all these progressive
changes is small, quick, and feeble, and easily extinguished by
pressure. The throat, when examined, presents an inflamed appearance,
the redness deepening round the fauces, which, after a time, are dotted
here and there by irregular brown spots. The tongue and gums are lined
with a brown fur, while small vesicles filled with a transparent acrid
fluid form on the inner lips, and in the nostrils, which, on breaking,
excoriate the mouth and upper lip. Concurrent with this latter symptom,
diarrhœa takes place, the constitutional disturbance or fever increases,
and the strength of the patient sinks rapidly; the pulse still more
rapid and feeble, is also intermittent, and with increased difficulty
of breathing, there is often both delirium and coma. On the third or
fourth day a scarlet rash not unfrequently breaks out over the chest and
arms, which, on the sixth or seventh, peels off; the mouth is covered
with a dark fur, a fœtid odour issues from the throat, and the patient
exhibits all the characteristics of putrid or malignant typhus. When the
bright red appearance of the throat declines about the fifth day, and
some return of appetite shows itself, a favourable termination may be
hoped for, but when the inflammation passes rapidly into ulceration and
sloughing, and a flow of acrid saliva takes place from the mouth, with
coma, the result of the case is regarded as extremely doubtful.

_Treatment._—The mode of treating this disease is precisely the same as
for typhus, and consists in supporting the patient’s strength by the most
potent and energetic means, to give him strength to resist the first
shock of the disease, and then, to facilitate the separation of the
sloughs and support him over the reactionary stage. To fulfil the first
intention, beef tea, jellies, and a nutritious diet must be employed
from the first, with doses of wine at regular intervals, and where the
depression is great, brandy, either as a substitute or in addition; at
the same time such a stimulating tonic as the following mixture should
be administered every two hours, with, at bed-time when necessary, an
addition to the last dose of fifteen or twenty drops of laudanum.

    Take of

        Aromatic Confection               1  drachm.
        Quinine                          10  grains.
        Camphor Water                     5  ounces.

    To be rubbed smoothly in a mortar; then add

        Compound Tincture of Bark         4  drachms.
        Compound Tincture of Cinnamon     4  drachms.
        Sal Volatile                      1  drachm.

    Mix and give a table-spoonful every two hours. Bottles of hot
    water should be kept to the feet, and a warm bran poultice
    placed round the throat. When the first stage of the disease
    has been passed, in addition to a nutritive diet, and a course
    of tonic stimulants, only less frequently administered, the
    throat must be gargled occasionally with the following gargles
    in succession.

    _Gargle No. 1._ Take of

        Strong Sage Tea                   1  pint.
        Vinegar                           4  ounces.

    Mix. To be used every hour for three or four times on each
    occasion.

    _Gargle No. 2._ Boil

        Bruised Oak-Bark                  2  ounces.

    in a pint of water for ten minutes; and add

        Alum                              2  drachms.

    Mix. To be used as the former.

    _Gargle No. 3._ Take of

        Infusion of Rose Leaves           1  pint.
        Sulphuric Acid                  30  drops.

    Mix. To be used as the above.

    _Gargle No. 4._ Take of

        Capsicum Vinegar                 6  ounces.
        Tincture of Catechu              4  drachms.

    Water, to make a pint. Mix, and use as the former. For the
    fœtor that arises from the sloughing, the mouth and throat are
    to be occasionally washed with a weak solution of chloride of
    lime, and, throughout the whole disease, the room should be
    frequently sprinkled with aromatic vinegar, or the chloride of
    lime or tin.

Ordinary _sore throat_ or hoarseness, when not a symptom of any more
severe illness, may usually be easily disposed of by rubbing the throat
freely with hartshorn and oil, and then enveloping the throat and neck in
two or three folds of hot flannel, plunging the feet two or three times
quickly in very hot water upon stepping into bed, and placing a piece of
Spanish juice in the mouth, allow it to dissolve there during sleep. When
the sore throat is attended with cold chills, a dry hot skin and tendency
to headache, before resorting to the liquorice and being well covered up
with clothes, the patient should drink about half a pint of hot egg-flip
made tolerably potent with a due proportion of gin or rum.


CARE OF THE HANDS.

It is acknowledged, by common consent, that dirty and coarse hands are
marks of slothfulness and low breeding; while, on the contrary, clean and
delicate hands are evidences of cleanliness and refinement. The person
who has much manual labour to perform, cannot, of course, be expected to
keep his hands of that delicate shape and texture, which another person,
whose employment is light, may do. But, at the same time, it is always
possible, under any circumstances, to keep the hands in that state during
the intervals of labour, so that they shall not appear displeasing to the
eye.

To promote the _softness_ and _whiteness_ of the skin, mild emollient
soaps, or those abounding in oil, should alone be used, by which means,
also, chaps and chilblains will generally be avoided. The coarse strong
kinds of soap, or those abounding in alkali, should, for a like reason,
be rejected, as they tend to render the skin rough, dry, and brittle. The
immersion of the hands in alkaline lyes, or strongly acidulated water,
has a like effect.

_Roughness of the skin_ may generally be removed by a little sand being
mixed with the soap, or by rubbing the hands with pumice-stone previously
to applying the soap; in this operation care should be taken not to
allow the gritty particles to come into contact with nails, or they will
scratch them.

_Dirt from the hands_ is more effectually removed by warm water than
cold; the hands, however, are liable to become dirty sooner afterwards,
and perhaps the best plan is to remove the dirt with warm water, and
afterwards rinse the hands in cold.

_Washing the hands too frequently_ has a tendency to discolour them
with a brown or tawny hue. Under ordinary circumstances it will be
sufficient to wash the hands three times a day, namely, on rising,
before dinner, and on retiring to rest. After washing, the hands should
be carefully dried with a moderately coarse towel; this will promote a
free circulation through them, which will ultimately tend to enhance
their appearance. Exposure to cold winds and rain is detrimental to the
appearance of the hands, and gloves should always be worn.

_Fruit and ink stains_ may be eradicated from the hands, by immersing
them in water, slightly acidulated with oxalic acid, or a few drops of
oil of vitriol, or to which a little pearlash or chloride of lime has
been added; observing afterwards to rinse them thoroughly in clean water,
and not to touch them with soap for some hours, as any alkaline matter
will bring back the stains. The hands may be _preserved dry_ for delicate
work, by rubbing a little club moss, in fine powder, over them.

_Hands that perspire, and are inordinately hot_, may arise from
some temporary derangement of the system, or from a constitutional
peculiarity; this may be partially remedied, by inserting the hands into
a water-jug full of water, and lowering them gradually until the elbows
reach, letting them remain at this point for two or three minutes; this
operation will, in general, keep the hands pleasantly cool for some hours
afterwards. In conclusion, it must be observed that an over-anxious care
for the state of the hands is to be deprecated. Some persons who are
possessed of a small and delicate hand are so vain of it that they are
constantly displaying it in an obtrusive manner, which is very offensive
to the looker-on. And in some instances the fear of putting the shape
and outline of the hand out of form, is so great, that every kind of
work is avoided, and even accomplishments, such as the harp, piano, and
guitar, are avoided, for fear of expanding the hand, and flattening
the extremities of the fingers; this is a preposterous error, for the
beauty of the hand does not alone consist in whiteness and a statue-like
contour, but in certain indurations, which may be termed “expression,”
and which are imparted by the pursuit of suitable occupations, and
appropriate accomplishments.


CARE OF THE FEET.

To preserve the feet in a proper condition, they should be frequently
soaked and well washed in warm or tepid water. Many persons are subject
to tender feet. This frequently arises from the use of thin cotton or
silk socks or stockings, and boots and shoes that are either too tight or
stiff, or not sufficiently porous to allow of the escape of perspiration.
Waterproof boots and shoes are on this account frequently the cause of
tender feet. The best remedy for tender feet is the immediate adoption of
worsted stockings or socks, and light easy shoes of buckskin, goatskin,
or some other equally soft kind of leather. For the preservation of
health, it is highly necessary to preserve the feet dry; persons who are
therefore exposed to the wet, or who have much walking in wet weather,
should be particular in wearing sound boots and shoes; through neglecting
this precaution, many persons have brought on pulmonary complaints, which
have frequently had a fatal termination. Coldness and numbness of the
feet is a complaint to which some persons are subject, especially aged
and delicate persons, and those whose employment is sedentary. The best
and most natural remedy for this, is action, exercise, or friction—the
former being always adopted when possible. Retiring to rest with cold
feet is especially to be avoided, and persons so subject, should pace up
and down the room just previously to going to bed, until their feet have
attained a warm glow. Where this is impracticable, owing to weakness,
old age, &c., warm woollen stockings may be put on with great advantage,
or the hot water bottle had recourse to. The peculiarly disagreeable
odour emitted by offensive feet, may be remedied chiefly by scrupulous
attention to cleanliness, and by occasionally soaking the feet in warm
water to which a small quantity of chloride of lime or sal-ammoniac has
been added.


DISEASES OF THE HEART.

There are many affections of this vital organ that, professionally
speaking, do not merit the name of disease, being in fact but temporary
inconveniences, symptomatic derangements, or, as has been said,
affections; but which, nevertheless, for the sake of perspicuity, it
will be better to class generally under the one name of diseases of the
heart, separating them, however, from the graver maladies by a distinct
heading; and, as they form the lighter part of the subject, treating of
them before considering the more serious form of this class of ailments.
The heart, as the centre and source of the circulating system, is
liable to a considerable number of affections, both simple and complex,
which may be divided into two heads—the functional or nervous, and the
structural or organic.

_Functional, or Nervous Affections of the Heart._—Under this head
are comprehended palpitation, syncope or fainting, angina pectoris,
and neuralgia of the heart; all of which, though occasionally very
distressing, and sometimes most alarming to the sufferer, are often only
symptoms of other affections, and consequently of minor importance; and
even when spontaneous, and producing considerable bodily disturbance,
seldom cause any real apprehension, and still more rarely result in
positive danger, and in this respect bear a marked contrast to those
diseases of the opposite class.

_Palpitation._—By this term is understood those frequent, strong, and
irregular movements of the heart, occurring in individuals who have no
indications of organic disease; these movements may be transient or
continuous, frequently accompanied with an audible sound, so loud, as to
be heard at several yards from the patient. Palpitation is often attended
with a feeling of sinking and anxiety, accompanied with fainting fits or
syncope, and sometimes with a pulsation at the pit of the stomach. The
causes of palpitation, irrespective of a naturally nervous temperament,
hysteria and weakness, are any strong emotions of the mind, long study,
violent exercise, or a continued passive repose, the debility consequent
on fever, or whatever weakens the standard of health. Besides these
causes, palpitation may also be a symptom of organic disease of the
heart. The persons most frequently affected with palpitation are females;
the slightest extra exertion, or exposure to damp foggy weather, often
suddenly producing a paroxysm, attended with pain in the head, and a
sense of numbness in the left side or arm. Persons who suffer from spinal
irritation are also liable to palpitation, attended in such cases with
a remarkable acceleration of the pulse, often amounting to 160 beats in
a minute. The respiration is generally difficult, or easily rendered
so, on the slightest exertion or mental emotion, and frequently induced
by the slightest pressure, such as that of the stays on the chest,
waist, or lower part of the spine, the pain often being intolerable.
Palpitation is very common in young females between the ages of 15
and 25, especially where the occupation is long and sedentary, as in
factories, or in dressmakers’ establishments. Indeed, palpitation, with
very rare exceptions, may be said to be a complaint peculiar to the
female sex, and the more the occupation of young women confines them to
a close unvarying atmosphere, the more prone are they to attacks of this
troublesome disorder; and the more exposed they are to the open air, the
less frequent and the less severe are all such maladies.

There are few affections, even of the gravest character, whose symptoms
give rise to greater alarm in the mind of the patient, or doubt and
uncertainty to the inexperienced practitioner, than those of a severe
attack of palpitation: often before seeing his patient he hears the
irregular throbbing of the heart; on looking on the white or lividly
anxious countenance of the sufferer, fancies he reads the external signs
of the most formidable organic mischief, while, in truth, a cheerful
aspect, a few confident words, and the simplest remedies, will not only
remove all the unpleasant symptoms, but restore the apparently diseased
patient to health, and ultimately to strength. It is only when the pulse
is intermittent that any organic disease is to be apprehended, the
velocity or strength of the pulse depending entirely on some accidental
cause, more or less easily removed.

_Treatment._—Though the causes that excite palpitation are numerous,
they may all be reduced to two heads—that of inflammation or a state
of plethora, and a state of local or constitutional debility. When
palpitation can be traced to an inflammatory condition of body it will
be necessary, according to the age and the condition of the patient, to
reduce the circulation by bleeding, either from the arm, or what is more
usual, by leeches, or cupping glasses over the region of the heart, or
still better, between the shoulders, low down on the spinal column, at
the same time giving nauseating doses of tartar emetic, hydrocyanic acid
or tincture of digitalis, or foxglove. The following mixture, combining
all the advantages to be obtained from each, may be safely substituted
for one or either, having the power to allay inflammatory action, reduce
the circulation, subdue pain, and promote a beneficial action on the skin.

    Take of

        Camphor Water              6 ounces.
        Powdered Nitre             1 scruple.
        Tartar Emetic              3 grains.
        Laudanum                   1 drachm.

    Dissolve and mix. Give two table-spoonfuls at once, and one
    spoonful every two or three hours afterwards.

At the same time a low diet, rest, quietude, and strict attention to the
state of the stomach and digestive organs, are imperatively necessary.
Where, however, the exciting cause is debility, the system must be in
the first case braced by cold bathing or the shower bath, followed by
vigorous friction along the spine with the flesh-brush; tonics and steel
in all shapes, as chalybeate waters, or steel, wine or pills, or the
usual iron and myrrh mixture; to this must be added change of air, a rich
and liberal diet, and exercise either on horseback or by walking. The
next affection of the heart is

_Syncope, or fainting_, which is characterised by an indescribable
sense of distress and feeling of faintness; the eyes grow dim, and are
covered with a kind of film, attended with noises in the ears; the face
and lips are pale, a cold perspiration breaks out on the body, the mind
succumbs and grows confused, the body totters, and if not supported,
falls; respiration becomes imperceptible, and the pulse is reduced to an
irregular flutter. For a further account and treatment, see FAINTING.

_Angina Pectoris._—The first symptoms of this distressing complaint are
a sudden and violent pain across the chest, coming on upon any slight
exertion, such as going upstairs, or after a hearty meal. The pain
gradually extends to the shoulder, and runs down to about the middle of
the arm, accompanied with a sense of stricture or tightness across the
chest, the pain becoming so acute as to threaten the patient with instant
death. The pulse sinks and becomes weak and irregular, the countenance
is colourless, cold sweats succeed, and a constant cough, and after a
time an expectoration of a scanty viscid mucus. When the paroxysm first
comes on, the patient is compelled to stand perfectly still, as the only
relief he can obtain from the agony of his suffering is an absolute
repose. After a time the fit comes on from the slightest cause or mental
excitement, and often attacks him in the night upon waking from his first
sleep. Angina pectoris is generally a disease of advanced life, and is
often accompanied with flatulence, and common to gouty or rheumatic and
sedentary habits of body; and though sometimes a symptom of functional
derangement, is more frequently a characteristic of serious organic
disease.

_Treatment._—The first indication is to relieve the urgency of the
symptoms, and then between the pauses of the paroxysm administer
remedies, to prevent the return of the disease. Bleeding is occasionally
beneficial in this affection, but it must be employed in the earliest
stage, and only a small quantity of blood taken from the patient, who is
to be kept in a recumbent position, and as quiet as possible. Where there
is much dyspepsia or gastric disturbance, an emetic is useful; but the
main dependence for relief lies in the employment of anti-spasmodics and
carminatives.

The following mixture, as containing the best of both classes, may be
taken in the manner directed.

    Take of

        Aromatic Confection                              1  drachm.
        Peppermint Water                                 6  ounces.

    Rub smoothly down in a mortar, and add

        Tincture of Cardamoms, compound                  1  ounce.
        Laudanum                                         1  drachm.
        Compound Spirits of Ether, or Hoffman’s Anodyne  2  drachms.

    Mix. If the pain is very severe, take three table-spoonfuls,
    two more in three hours, and one every four hours afterwards;
    or, when the symptoms are less urgent, two table-spoonfuls
    every four or six hours.

Concurrent with the mixture, a blister or strong warming plaster should
be laid over the left breast, according to the severity of the pain,
and the spine between the shoulders rubbed with warm turpentine, or an
embrocation composed of equal parts of camphorated oil, turpentine,
and oil of amber. Having by these means, and strict repose, subdued the
paroxysms, means must be adopted to prevent, if possible, a recurrence of
the disease. This may be effected by removing all the exciting causes;
by diminishing plethora, through aperients and low diet, by a diminution
of animal and a preponderance of vegetable food; by avoiding all
stimulants, spices, and heating substances, and by guarding against all
violent emotions of the mind, or sudden and undue exertion or exercise.
As all the symptoms of angina pectoris may be caused by dyspepsia, the
state of the stomach should always command the first and most important
consideration.

The next and last of the functional diseases of this organ is _neuralgia
of the heart_, which differs chiefly from angina pectoris in being
characterised by sharp darting pains in the left breast, but unattended
by any obstruction in the respiration, and in most cases without any
change in the heart’s action or the pulse. It is purely a nervous
complaint, and, like the previous affections, most frequently dependent
on dyspepsia or flatulence, and a constipated state of the system.

The _treatment_ must be regulated by the causes that may seem to have
induced the neuralgia; though, as a local application, to allay the pain
of the paroxysms, a plaster of belladonna or opium and litharge will, in
all cases, be found of very great advantage, and may, irrespective of any
mode of internal treatment, be kept on the chest for some considerable
time. There is also another form of heart affection sometimes met with,
though not universally acknowledged by the profession, called spasm of
the heart, in which the treatment must depend upon the age, sex, and
strength of the patient; the chief remedies, however, being the hot bath,
stimulants, such as ether and ammonia, and counter-irritation by friction.

The other class of diseases to which the heart is liable are those which
affect the tissue or substance of the organ itself, and are known as
structural or organic diseases; all of them are, consequently, highly
dangerous and often mortal maladies, and are called:—1. Inflammation,
chronic and acute, of the bag of the heart—Pericarditis. 2. Of the
substance of the heart—Carditis. 3. Hypertrophy, or enlargement of the
heart, either of the whole organ or a part, and frequently accompanied
with ossification, softening, or dilatation, sometimes regarded as a
distinct disease. 4. Atrophy, or wasting of the heart, a species of
emaciation of the organ by which the heart of a full-grown man or woman
becomes as reduced as that of a child—in other words, less than half
its natural dimensions—and its texture growing so attenuated as to be
as thin as tissue or bank paper. Nearly all these affections of the
heart, however distressing their symptoms may be, almost always, when not
the result of structural mischief, proceed from a faulty state of the
digestive organs, and are frequently entirely cured by an assafœtida pill
taken two or three times a week at bed-time, and a little burnt soda and
rhubarb in the morning; and it is only when pain and great oppression
occur that recourse need be had to ether, opium, or anti-spasmodics.


GOUT.

The chain of symptoms which give rise to those general and local
affections, which are professionally denominated gout, proceed from some
constitutional disturbance, of the nature of which medical science is
yet completely ignorant. The symptoms have hitherto been regarded as
the disease, and it has been found, that whenever these have been duly
developed and have passed away, the system, as if relieved of some acrid
poison, has recovered its elasticity and tone; leaving the patient in
the enjoyment of a state of health superior to that usually possessed.
Gout appears to be a state of diseased action, gradually vitiating the
humours of the body, and accumulating a morbid condition of the system,
till the impaired or overcharged organs becoming unable to perform their
functions, that disturbance in the physical economy takes place known
to us as gout, that is, the symptoms, which indicate the first of the
three varieties into which the disease is divided, namely, the acute:
the second is, when these symptoms suddenly cease in the part where they
commenced, and fly to some internal organ, when it is called retrocedent;
and the third, when the system becomes habituated to the malady, which,
though mitigated as respects suffering, continues in a permanent but
subdued force, when it is called chronic gout. Gout is usually divided
into four species or distinctive forms, as—

1. _Regular gout_, attended with violent inflammation of the joints,
enduring for several days, and then receding gradually, with swelling,
itching, and disquamation or peeling off of the cuticle.

2. _Atonic gout_, attended with debility of stomach or some other
internal part, either with or without inflammation of the joints,
accompanied with flying pains and considerable dyspepsia or indigestion.

3. _Retrocedent gout_, marked by inflammation of the joints, suddenly
disappearing, and followed by immediate debility of the stomach or some
other internal organ.

4. _Misplaced gout_, shown by inflammation of some internal part,
preceded or not by some affection of the joints, which, however, quickly
disappears.

_General symptoms._—Dyspepsia, flatulence, lassitude, torpor, low
spirits, cold and numbed extremities, with pricking and gnawing
sensations in the part, cramps, turgescence of the veins of the foot
and leg; the paroxysms usually coming on about two in the morning,
with excruciating pains in the joint of the great toe, succeeded by
shiverings, a sense of horror and general fever; the pain goes on
increasing till the following evening, when it reaches its acme of
suffering, from which time it gradually declines, a moisture breaks out
on the body, and the patient begins to breathe in freedom, he falls into
a tranquil sleep, and discovers on waking that the part so lately in
torture is entirely free from pain, but swollen and inflamed.

_Treatment._—In this disease the first indication is, to alleviate pain,
which must be effected by giving an opiate of sufficient strength to
effect that purpose, and at the same time, to shorten the paroxysm,
exciting an action on the skin. To effect both these objects at once,
doses of the following mixture should be taken every two hours till the
desired result has been attained:—

    Take of

        Solution of Acetate of Ammonia    2  ounces.
        Spirits of Nitre                  3  drachms.
        Antimonial Wine                   2  drachms.
        Tincture of Squills               2  drachms.
        Laudanum                          2  drachms.
        Camphor Water                     3  ounces.

    Mix; two table-spoonfuls to be taken for a dose. The affected
    part is to be enveloped in soft wool or flannel, and the
    patient’s mind soothed; the limb kept at perfect rest, all
    exciting aliment discontinued, and where the patient is young,
    a low and abstemious dietary insisted on, and if necessary once
    or twice a week giving a mild purgative of magnesia and Epsom
    salts. When the paroxysms have been subdued, the colchicum,
    which some regard with so much favour, may be given either
    in half drachm doses of the wine or tincture, or in, what is
    better, the following formulary; but however taken, this drug
    should be always preceded by an aperient medicine.

    Take of

        Epsom Salts                        ½ ounce.
        Magnesia                          2  drachms.
        Peppermint Water                  6  ounces.
        Wine of Colchicum                 3  drachms.

    Mix, and take one table-spoonful three times a day. When the
    joint will bear friction, the flesh-brush should be used daily,
    a milk and vegetable diet pursued, exercise and change of air
    adopted, and, where possible, the bath or chalybeate waters
    moderately taken. The gouty deposits or concretions formed in
    joints of persons afflicted with gout, or chalk stones, as
    they are commonly called, consisting of an insoluble _urate of
    soda_, can only be dissipated in one way, by the steady use of
    benzoic acid, which, in doses of one scruple combined with two
    drachms of the carbonate of potass, is to be taken dissolved
    in water every day an hour after breakfast and dinner, and
    continued till the depositions are absorbed.


RHEUMATISM.

A very painful disease which affects the muscles and joints of the human
body, chiefly the larger joints and most important muscles, as those of
and around the shoulder, hip, knees, and back. Rheumatism is divided into
acute and chronic; or that condition, when the disease is in vigour and
freshness attended with extreme pain, and more or less of general fever,
and that state, when the system, by long acquaintance with the disease,
has become familiar to its attack, and it comes on from any trifling
exposure to cold, and after affecting a larger or smaller surface,
declines of its own accord—all the symptoms however, being materially
lighter than in the acute state. Besides being acute and chronic,
rheumatism is very often both general and local, and this, under both
previous conditions, and the diseases known as lumbago and sciatica, are
merely forms of acute or chronic _local_ rheumatism.

ACUTE RHEUMATISM, or RHEUMATIC FEVER, is a disease which, in many of its
symptoms, strongly resembles inflammatory fever, and usually commences
after the languor, restlessness, and shivering, which precede all febrile
actions, and is attended with great heat, much thirst, headache, a
quick bounding pulse, white tongue, constipated bowels, and acute pain
either confined to one or two parts, or more generally diffused over
the body. There is at the same time an oppression in the breathing, the
abdomen is often tense and tumid, and the secretion from the bladder,
scant, and of a deep red colour; while, from the surface of the body a
perspiration breaks out, which, though unattended with relief, by its
peculiar acid smell defines the disease, and affords a good diagnosis,
before asking the patient a single question. Upon entering the room the
air seems redolent of stale vinegar, and this fact, while helping the
physician to a suggestion of the disease, serves to define the attack
from inflammatory or any other form of fever. Another characteristic
and distinctive symptom of this disease, is the increase of pain in the
course of the muscles on any attempt to move the patient into another
position. The symptoms, if from the first unrelieved, gradually increase
in intensity; and the pulse in such cases becomes, in addition to its
velocity, hard and jerking. In all cases the symptoms are aggravated
at night, and remit their violence in the morning. The pain though
sometimes intense, is not always continuous, it is often only partial in
its situation, and sometimes abates for hours, but in all cases it is
the _last_ symptom the patient loses. The disease after a course of from
fifteen to thirty days subsides, often leaving one or more members in a
state of chronic tumefaction.

The causes that induce rheumatic fever, are generally exposure to cold
damp air, or transitions from a warm moist atmosphere into a cold or
wet one, and the period most liable to an attack is that of youth and
vigorous manhood, the full-bodied and the active, rather than the spare
and torpid; and men more frequently than women. The only other disease
with which rheumatism can be confounded, is gout, and from this it can
always be known by the indigestion and little constitutional disturbances
which always precede gout; and lastly, by that disease attacking the
_small joints_, as the toes or fingers, instead of, as in rheumatism, the
shoulder, knee, or hip.

_Treatment._—Bleeding has always been regarded as the chief if not
sovereign remedy in this disease; but as depletion is known to favour
that dangerous state known as _metastasis_, or a sudden removal of
the disease from one part to another; and, not unfrequently, from the
surface to some internal organ, bleeding should, therefore, if possible,
not be repeated, the physician depending upon other means to effect the
depletion necessary. Indeed, in many cases, the extraction of blood from
the system is quite uncalled for, as all its benefits can be obtained
by less serious and equally efficacious remedies, and by adopting the
following mode of treatment—one that will generally be found sufficient
to render the lancet quite unnecessary; or should bleeding in the first
stage have been adopted, it may be employed with equal advantage after;
only in that case, it will be less requisite to give the aperient pills
in such large doses.

    Take of

        Powdered Nitre                       1  drachm.
        Tartar Emetic                        4  grains.
        Camphor Water                       10  ounces.
        Laudanum                             2  drachms.

    Mix. Give two large table-spoonfuls every three hours, apply
    a bottle of hot water to the feet, and administer two of the
    following pills an hour after the first dose of the mixture,
    and one every six hours after, till an effectual action is
    excited in the bowels, when they are to be discontinued.

    Take of

        Compound Extract of Colocynth        1  scruple.
        Calomel                             15  grains.
        Camphor, powdered                    4  grains.
        Croton Oil                           2  drops.

    Mix thoroughly together, make into a mass, and divide into six
    pills.

Should the pain continue excessive, and the patient be debarred from
sleep by the nightly irritation, either twenty-five drops of laudanum,
in half a wine-glass of water, with a tea-spoonful of spirits of sweet
nitre, is to be given to him, if an adult, at bed-time; or else ten
grains of Dover’s powder in a little gruel; and should it be required
(one or the other), repeated at night for two, three, or more occasions,
as may be needed; the patient, during the day, reverting to the mixture
and an occasional pill, sufficient to excite one or two actions in the
twenty-four hours. Thin gruel, lemonade, or linseed tea as a diluent,
are to be used frequently to quench the thirst, and a diet of the least
solid or exciting kind established till all the febrile symptoms are
subdued. After a lapse of from four to twelve days, the inflammatory
stage, or the acute form of the disease, will generally have been passed
through; after which, the treatment assumes a different form, such as
_chronic_ rheumatism, though this term strictly signifies a disease
of considerable standing; for the sake of perspicuity, that condition
of the system existing at the termination of the acute form, has been
classed under it, which, though not correct as to fact, is perfectly so
as respects treatment, which is analogous in all conditions not attended
with inflammatory fever. In chronic rheumatism, the inflammation and the
pain are both confined to the locality or part, and the object of the
treatment is to allay that pain by reducing the inflamed condition of
the muscle or member. This is effected either by internal remedies, or
what are called constitutional means, or through friction, by producing
counter-irritation, or an artificial inflammation in the parts of the
body immediately above the suffering place; or else by a judicious
blending of the two modes of practice.

When the fever, or the acute stage has been subdued by the means already
mentioned, and a part of the body remains swollen and tender, or when in
old cases this condition comes on without other symptoms, the following
mixture is to be given, and the part carefully guarded from the cold.

    Take of

        Solution of Acetate of Ammonia    2  ounces.
        Wine of Colchicum                  ½ ounce.
        Syrup of Saffron                  2  drachms.
        Camphor Water                     3½ ounces.

    Mix, and give a table-spoonful every three hours, and one of
    the following pills every night an hour before bed-time.

    Take of

        Ipecacuanha                        3  grains.
        Acetate of Morphia                 1  grain.
        Liquorice Powder                  10  grains.

    Mix well, form into a mass with conserve, and divide into six
    pills.

When the health is debilitated, and the appetite defective, a grain of
quinine made into a pill may be taken an hour before each meal for a
succession of days. If this course is not marked with early benefit,
it will be necessary to employ friction, which may be carried on
concurrently with the medicine, and the best agent for this purpose is
the camphorated oil, which is to be rubbed gently but steadily in with
the hand for several minutes three times a day, after a few days, or in
old standing rheumatisms, increasing the strength at first by adding a
third part of turpentine to the camphorated oil, and finally another
third of spirits of hartshorn. Mustard plasters and even blisters are
sometimes employed in cases of inveterate rheumatism, but the steady and
judicious use of a stimulating embrocation with a hot bath, friction with
the flesh-brush, warm clothing and exercise, will in almost every case
cure a chronic rheumatism without the necessity of either rubifacient or
blister.


TIC-DOULOUREUX.

This extremely painful affection of the nerves of the face, though
receiving a special name, is in nothing different—except in the more
acute violence of its pain—from the general or local forms of neuralgia;
an inflamed or highly sensitive condition of a certain nerve or set of
nerves, the result of constitutional disturbance, indigestion, or wounds
in the course of one or other of the filaments of the nerves, being
both the exciting cause and the disease itself. The causes that most
frequently produce tic-douloureux, are almost always some long standing
functional derangement of the digestive organs, affections of the liver
or of the kidneys, or alimentary canal. Next in frequency to these
causes, is exposure to long-sustained fatigue or sudden heat or cold,
applied to the body, and sometimes sleeping in the sun. Tic-douloureux
has been frequently known to follow a halt, during a long march in India,
and like tetanus too, tic-douloureux sometimes supervenes upon wounds;
and years after the injury, whether punctured, gunshot, or incised,
has been healed, this agonising disease will break out upon any sudden
application of heat or cold to the body, or indeed after any deep emotion
of the mind. Whatever may be the predisposing cause, the suffering
and consequences induced bear no proportion in their intensity to the
insignificance of the agents that give rise to the disease.

The _symptoms_ of tic-douloureux commence with a sudden plunging
throbbing pain, darting as it were from over the eye, out of the
cheekbone, under the orbit, or from the side of the lower jaw, and
spreading, if the paroxysms are long continued, over the whole of one
side of the face from forehead to chin. The pain is so abrupt, peculiar,
and intense, as almost to deprive the sufferer of breath in its first
assault. These shooting, throbbing, and as they are justly called,
agonizing pains continue for an uncertain time, from only a few minutes
to one or more hours in duration, subsiding either by degrees or by an
instant cessation of pain, and ending as abruptly as the first shock
began. Tic-douloureux is distinguished from tooth-ache by the situation,
and from rheumatism, the only other affection it can be confounded
with, by the peculiarity and violence of the pain, the shortness of its
duration, by always coming on in paroxysms, and by the absence of all
swelling and redness over the part. A peculiarity of this disease is,
that though sometimes induced by the slightest touch of the finger, or
the faintest breath of cold air, at another time the part may be slapped
or rubbed with impunity.

_Treatment._—This consists, in the first instance, acting on the
digestive organs, correcting the functional disturbance, and lastly
by elevating the tone of the system, and enabling it to restore the
irritated nerves to a pristine soundness, or if this cannot be done by
constitutional means, by the employment of _local_ remedies for that
purpose. First, the best mode of acting on the digestive organs is by
the steady employment of gentle aperients, care being taken to avoid any
active or drastic purgative. For this purpose, a five grain compound
rhubarb pill should be taken every night for several days till the bowels
are brought into a healthy state, or a pill composed of equal parts of
the compound rhubarb and colocynth pill may be substituted, where a
little more active medicine is needed, the nightly dose being the same in
this as the former. Secondly, to correct the functional disturbance, if,
as most frequently, the result of indigestion, two table-spoonfuls of the
following mixture are to be taken every four or six hours.

    Take of

        Hops                       2  drachms.
        Cascarilla, bruised        1  drachm.
        Cloves, bruised            2  drachms.

    Infuse in a pint of boiling water for twelve hours; add

        Carbonate of Potass        2  drachms.

    Dissolve, and strain for use. Or where the stomach is cold and
    weak, as in advanced life, let the patient take a tea-spoonful
    of _Gregory’s powder_ in a little peppermint water twice or
    three times a day. Thirdly, to elevate the tone of the system,
    the body must be braced by tonics, which may be effected by
    either of the two following forms of medicine.

    Take of

        Carbonate of Iron          2  drachms.
        Sulphate of Quinine       18  grains.

    Mix, and divide into six powders, one to be taken three times a
    day; or, take of

        Infusion of Quassia        8  ounces.
        Quinine                    1  scruple.
        Diluted Sulphuric Acid    30  drops.

    Dissolve; two table-spoonfuls to be taken three times a day.
    Accompanying the tonic course, the patient should take several
    glasses of wine during the day, or else an equivalent of the
    best stout, and should live on a liberal dietary, taking as
    much exercise as is compatible with age and strength.

When, in despite of all such remedial means, the paroxysms of pain
continue, it often becomes necessary to relieve any local congestion
that may exist around the nerve, either by the application of five or
six leeches over the source of the pain, or by the employment of cupping
glasses or a mustard plaster. In case of both of these means failing,
a blister may be applied behind the ear of the affected side, and in
extreme cases a blister down the spine at the nape of the neck, which
must be converted into an issue, and kept open for a week or two. It is
seldom, however, that this has to be resorted to, the disease, however
intense the paroxysms, generally yielding to any one course if steadily
and judiciously carried through, unless, indeed, the disease is the
consequence of a system shattered by wounds, campaigns, and climate,
then, and only under such unfavourable circumstances, tic-douloureux
becomes most formidable. The discovery of chloroform has, however,
placed in the physician’s hand a boon that in a disease of this nature
is in truth a very blessing to suffering nature, and may be employed
in conditions of system and under circumstances where opium, morphia,
brandy, and both narcotics and stimulants are inadmissible, or, from the
necessary dose to effect relief, would be dangerous.


NEURALGIA.

A disease of the nerves, so called from a pain in the nerve. It is a form
of nervous affection, that may either arise of itself, or be the result
of some other constitutional disturbance. Neuralgia may either attack the
root of the nerve, or where it arises from the brain or spinal marrow,
attend its whole course, or only manifest itself in its branches, or even
at the final termination of its smallest filament. According to the part
affected, the disease has obtained different names. When the course of
the nerve is affected, as in the hip or leg, it is called sciatica; when
the extremity is affected, if in the teeth, it is called tooth-ache; and
when the twigs and branches of the face are involved, tic-douloureux.
The pain attending all neuralgic affections, is of the most acute and
agonising description, being sharp, sudden, and plunging; coming on in a
moment, and after a paroxysm of intense suffering, abating as abruptly
as it commenced; and so erratic and uncertain are its attacks, that
it will sometimes be induced by the most trivial motion, action, or
lightest contact, while, not unfrequently, a blow or hard pressure has
no effect on the part. The twitching, or tic, that attends neuralgia so
frequently, is always more marked where there are many small muscles in
the neighbourhood, an aching numbness being left in the part for some
time after the subsidence of the more acute pain. Neuralgia, as well as
attacking the root, course, and extremities of a nerve, occasionally
shows itself in the organ to which the nerve ultimately distributes
itself, as in the heart, in _angina pectoris_, the breasts of females,
and other organs. Though the subject of neuralgia has been deeply
investigated, no satisfactory hypothesis has been yet come to, to account
for the origin of the disease; and whether it depends upon a morbid state
of the nerve, inflammation of the neurilemma, or sheath of the nerve,
from pressure, or some unhealthy condition of the nervous centres, is
still an undecided question. The treatment of this most agonising disease
must depend, as far it can be ascertained, upon the supposed cause. When
it is symptomatic, the treatment is much easier and more simple, and
must be regulated by that cause, the first endeavour being to remove
the primary disease, and after brace the system by chalybeate, tonics,
wine, bark, and exercise. When idiopathic, however, the most opposite
treatments have occasionally been successful, and sometimes all modes
of cure have failed; and when physician and patient have both been
exhausted with fruitless efforts, the malady has subsided of itself. As
a general rule, however, the constitutional tonic and anodyne system,
with counter-irritation, has been found the most successful practice; the
three modes enjoined very frequently effecting what neither the tonic,
the sedative, nor the local irritation alone could achieve.

The safest mode of procedure in facial neuralgia, is to take an aperient
pill, and the best for this purpose is the compound assafœtida, to be
followed every four hours by a pill containing two grains of quinine for
twenty-four hours; and during the second day, twenty grains of carbonate
of iron in a little water, at the same periods, for the same time. Should
the pain be unabated on the third day, either a couple of leeches are to
be applied as near the seat of pain as possible, or a mustard and flour
poultice, kept on for half an hour, with a glass of wine every four
hours, and twenty to thirty drops of laudanum at bed-time, in conjunction
with one or two assafœtida pills. Should these remedies fail of effect,
the conjoined systems may then be adopted, and the following mixture and
powders given as directed.

    Take of

        Carbonate of Ammonia     25  grains.
        Dover’s Powder           40  grains.
        Camphor Water             6  ounces.
        Spirits of Ether          1  drachm.

    Mix. Two table-spoonfuls every four hours.

    Take of

        Carbonate of Iron         2  drachms.
        Quinine                  12  grains.
        Dry Carbonate of Soda    20  grains.

    Mix, and divide into six powders, one to be taken in jelly or
    water an hour after each dose of the mixture. At the same time,
    apply a small blister behind the ear of the part affected.

In some constitutions, it is necessary to resort to extreme doses, both
of sedatives and stimulants, before any mitigation of the tormenting
pain can be effected; and then it is necessary to give opium, rather in
regard to the effect desired than with any reference to its conventional
dose, and administer wine out of goblets, rather than in glasses. Such
cases are unfortunately by no means rare, but they are such that no
suffering should induce a patient to adopt on his own responsibility, and
unsanctioned by a medical man.

Electricity and galvanism have been so often employed for empirical
purposes, and many, only partially informed of their real efficacy,
are prejudiced against their use as health-restoring agents: it has
therefore been thought advisable to give the medical routine of cure
before pointing out a safe, easy, and very admirable remedial agent in
the electro-galvanic chain, a small portable battery, that can be worn on
any part of the body, and which, by keeping up a constant galvanic wave
through the affected nerve, acts as a sedative, by equalizing the nervous
current, and often affording relief where all other means have failed
to effect a moment’s cessation of pain. The electro-galvanic chains,
manufactured and invented by Pulvermacher, may be applied in any stage or
in any kind of neuralgic pain, always with safety and relief, and in many
cases with permanent cure.


LUMBAGO.

A painful affection of the muscles of the loins and small of the back;
a rheumatism, or sub-acute inflammation of the muscular fibres of the
part. Lumbago, like other forms of rheumatism, is induced by exposure
to cold, moisture, or wet, from over-heating the body, and while in a
state of perspiration, being exposed to draughts or cold air. When of
long standing, it is not unusual for the kidneys to sympathise with the
external inflammation, and complicate the disease.

The _symptoms_ of lumbago are too well known to require recapitulation;
and as respects the _treatment_, the hot bath, either the complete or
hip, is in all cases the first and most important means to adopt, being
followed up by a vigorous rubbing in of the following embrocation twice a
day, and the exhibition of thirty drops of the spirits of turpentine in a
little gin, with a small quantity of water, upon going to bed.

    Take of

        Camphorated Oil                         2  ounces.
        Oil of Amber and Turpentine, of each    1  ounce.
        Spirits of Hartshorn                     ½ ounce.

    Mix, and use as an embrocation.

Where the pain is excessive, and the rest is disturbed, ten grains
of Dover’s powder should be taken at bed-time in a little gruel, and
a bottle of hot water placed under the hollow of the back. When the
acuteness of the disease is subdued, it is advisable to wear a warm
plaster on the loins for some short time afterwards, to keep up the heat,
and guard against cold and a relapse.


RING-WORM.

This is a disease of the skin, and arises most frequently from coming
in contact with those already affected by it; in some habits there is
evidently a predisposition to it. It is a disease more frequently met
with in warm climates than in cold ones, is of an exceedingly contagious
nature, and in inveterate cases is very difficult to eradicate. It
shows itself in small red pimples, which break out in a circular form,
and contain a thin acrid (pungent) fluid. When the body is heated by
exercise these itch intolerably, and upon being rubbed, discharge their
contents, which by falling on the neighbouring parts, spread the disease
to a considerable degree. The original size of the circle formed by the
pimples, is usually about that of a sixpenny piece; but in process of
time it will become, if neglected, as large as a man’s hand. Numerous are
the remedies proposed for this very unpleasant complaint, but none are
_certain_ except the following; and if _no other application has been
previously used_, its success is sure:—two-thirds of pyroligneous acid
to one-third of water; rub the spots carefully for three mornings: if
cured, a scurf will appear, which must be softened with cold cream, or
lard without salt, but no soap or water must be used.

It is desirable to cut off the hair from the immediate neighbourhood
of the ring; and after the cure is effected, weaken the lotion still
further, by the addition of more water, and well wash the head all over
with it. It seldom happens that an internal use of medicine is requisite;
but where the disease is very inveterate, we would recommend a powder to
be given at bed-time once or twice. The following will answer very well
for a child of seven years of age.

    Calomel          1  grain.
    Jalap, Powder    8  grains.

If other applications have been tried, the cure will not be so speedy.


SPRAINS

Consist in straining, wrenching, or tearing of the ligaments or tough
structures which bind bones together to form joints. The wrist and ankle
are the joints most commonly sprained. Sprains are among the most severe
accidents to which we are subject, as regards the part itself; the pain
is, at the moment, excruciating, often continues so on the slightest
movement, and too frequently lays the foundation of what is commonly
called White Swelling.

To treat a sprain properly, it should be kept perfectly at rest; and if
it be of the ankle or knee, the patient must lie in bed, or on a sofa.
Warm, moist flannels should be repeatedly applied for some hours, and a
bread-and-water poultice on going to bed. These should be continued for
some days, and no attempt made to use the joint. If the pain be very
severe, and it continues so for the first or following days, leeches
may be applied, and repeated if necessary. Some persons are fond of
putting on a vinegar poultice at once; but this is better left alone
till the tenderness has subsided, and there remains only a little pain
and stiffness in the joint. Then a vinegar poultice is a very good
application, as it produces a diversion of the inflammation going on in
the ligaments, by bringing out a crop of pimples on the skin, at a time
when the pressure of rubbing in any stimulating lotion cannot be borne.

When the pain has entirely ceased, the joint must not be carelessly used;
and, if it be the knee or ankle sprained, walking till the joints become
weak and ache must be most carefully avoided, as irreparable mischief is
thereby very often caused. Short and gentle walks only, therefore, may be
taken; and may be repeated by degrees more frequently during the day, if
they do not produce pain or fatigue.

A joint often swells a long time after a sprain; under which circumstance
it is best to bind it up with straps of soap-plaster, or a roller.


CHILBLAINS.

Chilblains consist of a peculiar inflammation of the skin of parts
exposed to sudden alternations of temperature. They occur on the nose,
ear, hands, but most frequently on the feet. The reason why they occur
more frequently on the hands and feet is, because persons are apt
directly they come in from the frosty air, to warm those parts at the
fire. The face does not get warmed in the same manner, or its skin would
be equally liable to chilblains.

In this inflammation, which constitutes chilblains, the sides of the
small blood-vessels become paralyzed, and losing their contractility, are
dilated by the pressure of the blood within them. If the inflammation be
not abated, that is to say, if the little blood-vessels are not restored
to their original size, and to their natural contractility, they burst,
and matter will be formed, or mortification may ensue. This contractility
depends upon proper nervous action in those small fibres which give life
to the sides of the hair-like vessels, or small blood-pipes. Any sudden
shock of cold or heat deprives these nerves of their power, and induces
a local paralysis. The change from cold to heat oftener produces this
shock than that from heat to cold; but either sudden alternation will
produce chilblain. It need hardly be said that the nerves of persons in
low states of health, persons of scrofulous habits, and young persons in
whom the tissues are delicate, are more liable to be locally paralyzed in
the manner described, than those persons of robust constitution, having
a large quantity of vitality to resist such attacks. Hence we find such
invalids, scrofulous persons, and children, more liable to chilblain than
others. The liability to chilblain is often an indication of a low state
of health, and want of healthy vital action in the system.

When the nature of chilblains is understood, the mode of prevention will
be at once perceived, viz.—1st. To protect the parts most liable to the
attack (hands and feet) from sudden alternations, either from cold to
heat, or from heat to cold. 2dly. To keep the constitution in such a
healthy state as to make all parts possess such vitality as to be able to
resist slight alternations in temperature.

1. _Protection of the Parts._—Those substances which are good
non-conductors of heat are the best coverings. Woollen stockings or
socks, and warm boots and shoes, come under this category. Light shoes
and stockings should be worn in the house, or the feet will become so
accustomed to a high temperature that they will be more sensitive to
cold. Warm leather gloves, being impervious to wind, are better for the
hands than woollen ones, through which the dry frosty air is apt to
pierce and chap the hands. Tight wristbands, tight garters, and boots
which lace or button tightly about the ankles, must be avoided, because,
by preventing the proper circulation of the blood in the hands or feet,
they diminish the vitality of the part, and produce an unnatural pressure
on the coats or walls of the small blood-vessels. _The most frequent
cause of chilblain is the warming of numbed hands or feet at the fire_.
_This habit must, of course, be relinquished entirely._ Gutta-percha
soles, by preventing the wearers from warming their feet at the fire,
have saved hundreds from the attacks of chilblains; but such soles
should not be worn in the house. After walking in the snow, or in frosty
weather, the coverings of the hands and feet should be removed. Dry
stockings should be put on after _gently_ rubbing the feet with the pair
which has been taken off. The fresh pair _must not be warmed_. It is well
to wear woollen stockings when out, and cotton stockings when in-doors.
The use of excessively hot water when the feet are cold, has produced
mortification; but the frequent washing of the feet in tepid water and
soap, restores the powers of the nerves in the parts, and renders them
less likely to be affected by those alternations of temperature to which
they are liable to be exposed.

2. _Constitutional Means of Prevention._—Persons in robust health are
less liable to take infection, suffer less from injuries, and when
wounded, are possessed of greater powers of nature for reparation, than
partial or confirmed invalids. The cold of winter ought to stimulate us
to exertion; and exercise is especially necessary to health in winter.
Too warm clothing of the body enervates and debilitates; only sufficient
clothing, therefore, should be worn. Rooms in winter are often made
hotter than the air of summer; this, and bad ventilation, is another
blow to constitutional strength. Enough, however, has been said on this
subject to indicate the necessity of general attention to the health in
persons who are excessively liable to chilblains.

3. _Treatment._—When the inflammation called chilblain has attacked any
part, it should be considered whether it is a mere local affection, or
whether it shows a constitutional state, which renders the hands or feet,
or both, more liable to the attack than those parts ought to be. If hands
and feet are both attacked in several spots at the same time, and this
without any very evident cause, _constitutional_ treatment is pointed
out, in addition to the use of remedial agents _locally_; where, however,
there is only a single spot on the hands or feet, and a cause (such as
warming the feet at the fire) is remembered, only local treatment is
necessary. The hands and feet enjoy different conditions, however, and
require slightly different management. Our treatment, therefore, resolves
itself into three parts:—

                              CONSTITUTIONAL.

                               OF THE HANDS.

                               OF THE FEET.

_Constitutional Treatment._—Aperient medicines may be used to relieve the
overloaded blood-vessels, and lessen the pressure upon the coats of the
capillaries, or hair-like blood-pipes of the parts affected. After this
has been done, small doses of tartrate of antimony wine (which seems to
constringe the enlarged vessels) may be taken with advantage. The writer
has seen this treatment (without local means) act as a sort of charm,
and relieve full crops of chilblains on hands and feet. A dram of the
wine may be added to half a pint of water, in which a drachm of saltpetre
has been dissolved. Dose: for an adult, one or two table-spoonfuls every
four hours; for a child, one or two tea-spoonfuls three times a day. It
should not be given in such doses as to produce vomiting. The head, neck,
and chest, should be washed in _cold_ water every morning, and brisk
exercise taken at regular hours. Persons of a scrofulous habit should be
particularly attentive to their general health in winter. The addition
of salt to the washing water is recommended in their cases. It is not an
uncommon practice for persons, after exposure to cold, to drink hot elder
wine, or hot negus, or warm spirits and water; all such measures, having
a tendency to produce rapid and violent reaction, are likely to render
persons liable to chilblains.

_Treatment of the Hands._—Wash in cold water every three hours, and
lather well with Windsor soap. When the hands are nearly dried with the
towel, pour a little Eau de Cologne, or milk of roses, into the palm of
one hand, and rub it over the whole of both; lastly, polish with the
towel till every part glows with warmth, and is so completely dry that
the lint from the towel does not stick to the skin. The writer believes
this simple plan to be _infallible_.

_Treatment of the Feet._—All the plans for prevention are curative.
Chilblain in the feet often assumes a more serious form than in the
hands, and the application of _cold_ water is inadmissible, especially
in the case of females. The three degrees of chilblain in the feet are:
1st. The skin is red in patches, and slightly swelled, with more or less
itching or tingling, with slight tenderness. 2d. Small blisters appear,
surrounded by a livid skin. 3d. Ulceration and mortification take place.
For the first two cases, which are most common, the frequent application
of tepid water (using plenty of soap) gives relief. A leech is a useful
remedy to unload the overcharged blood-vessels; or the part may be
pricked with a needle, or punctured with a lancet; in such cases a soft
bread-and-water poultice should be kept on during the night, applied
warm, so as to encourage the flow of blood.


LEECHES.

Common as leeches are now, few persons have any notion of the distance
from which they are brought for our use. Our own country furnishes at
present few, if any, medicinal leeches. Formerly they were imported
from France, but now, many are brought from Syria, and, as they are
very delicate creatures, vast numbers of them are often lost in a rough
passage across the sea.

Leeches should be kept in a cool place, in a stone or glass jar, filled
with river water, and tied over with coarse muslin to prevent their
escape, though it allows them air. The water should be changed only when
it begins to get foul, as too frequent disturbing destroys them. They are
also sometimes found dead after storms.

There is often a great deal of trouble in getting leeches to fix. The
part on which they are to be applied should be carefully cleared of
perspiration, and wiped with a cool moist cloth, so as to leave it damp.
If they do not take readily, the part may be moistened with a little
sugar and water, or milk. But if this does not answer, the skin may be
gently scratched with a needle-point, till the blood comes, and then
they will take. If it be wished to put the leeches as near as possible
on one spot, the best plan is to put them all in the deep part of a
small pill-box, or in a small wine-glass, which is to be turned down on
the part. If you wish them to spread over a large surface, as upon one
of the limbs, or the stomach, they must be put on singly and by hand,
which is often very tedious and tiresome work. They should then be held
tightly by the tail, wrapped in a piece of wet rag, so that they may be
less inconvenienced by the heat of the hand; and if the leech do not soon
fix, it is best to put it again into the water to cool itself, and after
applying others, to try it again. It is always best to have more leeches
than the number directed, in case some will not bite.

When the proper number have been applied, they should be left quite
alone, or they are apt to unfix, and, wandering about, are of no further
use. When they have sucked their fill, they generally drop off, and
should then be put in a plate with a _little_ salt, which quickly makes
them throw up the blood; and, as soon as they have emptied themselves,
they should be put into plenty of fresh cold water, so that they may get
free from the salt, for if left in it, or if _too much be put on them_,
they contract violently, and die almost immediately.

After the leeches have come off, the bleeding from the wounds is to be
encouraged, by first quickly sponging off whatever clotted blood there
may be, and then covering the part with a warm bread-and-water poultice,
which must be changed every half hour, so long as it may be thought
necessary to keep up the bleeding. This is much better than leaving the
surface exposed, and mopping with a warm sponge, which is very fatiguing
to the patient, besides exposing him to the danger of taking cold.

One disadvantage in the use of leeches is the great uncertainty, as to
whether too little or too much blood is obtained by them. Getting too
little blood, however, is a matter of very trifling consequence, in
comparison with getting too much, for instances have occurred in which
leech-bites have continued bleeding for days in grown-up persons as
well as children, bringing them into a very dangerous condition; nay,
there is no want of well-authenticated cases of death caused by bleeding
leech-bites, and that, too, in the course of twenty-four hours. The cause
of this serious business is sometimes a peculiar constitution, in which
the blood will not clot with sufficient firmness to stop the bleeding; or
it may be some little artery has been wounded by the bite in such a way
that it cannot be stopped by a clot of blood.

If, then, a leech-bite continue bleeding for some hours, and the
person, more especially if an infant, begins to be very faint, and the
countenance and lips pallid and cold, like marble, no time must be lost
in stopping the bleeding.

This is done by pressure with the finger; but, if that fail, by applying
caustic, or by running a moderate sized darning needle into the skin on
one side of the bite, and bringing its point well out on the other side.
The whole wound is thus lifted up, and a piece of silk or strong thread
is then to be wound round and round the bite, under the two ends of the
needle. This will raise it up like a small spot, and generally stops the
bleeding very effectually. In four days cut the silk and draw out the
needle carefully, and there the matter usually ends. But in the peculiar
state of constitution which has been before noticed, sometimes even
after the removal of the needle and thread, the bleeding will continue.
Nothing then remains, but to touch the bottom of the wound with a bit of
thin iron wire heated white hot, which never fails to stop the bleeding.
Though this may seem a very horrible proceeding, it is not very painful
if the iron be _white hot_, as it destroys sensation in an instant; but
whether it give pain or not is a matter of no consequence, as it is the
only _sure_ mode of saving the patient.


BREAD-AND-WATER, OR EVAPORATING POULTICE.

Scald out a basin, for you can never make a good poultice unless you have
perfectly boiling water; then, having put some into the basin, throw in
coarsely-crumbled bread, and cover it with a plate. When the bread has
soaked up as much of the water as it will imbibe, drain off the remaining
water, and there will be left a light pulp. Spread it a third of an inch
thick on folded linen, and apply it when of the temperature of a warm
bath. It may be said that this poultice will be very inconvenient if
there be no lard in it, for it will soon get dry; but this is the very
thing you want, and it can easily be moistened by dropping warm water on
it, whilst a greasy poultice will be moist, but not wet.

A poultice thus made is, to the surgeon, what well-made stock is to
the cook, a foundation to be seasoned or medicined with laudanum or
poppy-water, with carrot or horse-radish juice, or with decoctions of
herbs, with which the patient or the doctor may be inclined to medicate
it, instead of loading an already irritable and very sensitive part with
a heap of hard poppy-shells, or scraped carrots, or horse-radish, called
poppy, carrot, and horse-radish poultices, but which increase rather than
allay the sufferer’s pains.

When vegetables are used to medicate poultices, they should be bruised,
put into a pot, covered with water, and simmered for about half an hour.
The liquid is then to be strained off, and mixed with bread-and-water or
linseed to the consistence of a poultice.


BANDAGES.

Bandages are those surgical appliances, made of linen, calico, or
flannel, either in long narrow strips called rollers, in belts, fillets,
or triangular sections; they are used to keep dressings in a proper
situation, to compress blood-vessels, and check dangerous bleeding, to
rectify deformities, maintain fractures in their position, and to unite
wounds and breaches in the continuity of parts. Bandages, of whatever
material made, should be strong enough to bear extension, and support
the part to which they are applied; and sufficiently supple and elastic
to fold with ease, and yield to the expansion of the tissues below them.
They should be without either seam or selvage, and have smooth unravelled
edges. Bandages are either simple or compound. A _simple bandage_ is a
long narrow piece of linen, calico, or flannel of any length, from three
to nine yards, and of a width varying from two to six inches. When such a
strip is tightly and evenly rolled up, it is called a bandage or roller.

When rolled from both ends, and the two heads meet in the centre, the
bandage is called a _double-headed roller_.

_Compound bandages_ are those where several pieces are sewn together in
different forms or shapes, as in the more simple one of the letter T, or
when the bandage is torn at the end into several strips, in which case it
is called a many-tailed bandage.

The _handkerchief bandage_ is very useful to retain light dressings
on the head, or to cover and keep in position bags of ice, or cold
applications, where evaporation is not required. For this purpose, take
a large silk handkerchief, throw it over the head and face, carry the
back ends under the chin, and tie them securely; then neatly fold back
the loose portion over the face, and making the fold grip the forehead,
lead the ends to the nape of the neck, and there crossing, secure them in
front of the throat.

In applying a simple bandage to the leg or arm, the envelopment of the
limb must commence with the foot or hand, and requires to be performed
with neatness and regularity, for, if the pressure or tightness is
greater in one part than another, the limb will become unevenly marked
by swollen and contracted ridges, causing both pain and mischief. Having
carefully made a beginning by passing the roller a few times round the
foot or hand, making every revolution cover a third of the former, it is
in the same order carried up the limb from hand to hand, providing for
the increasing size of the part by making a fold of the bandage; turning
it sharply back on itself, and laying it smoothly down, each succeeding
fold being made in the same line; when the whole limb is enveloped,
either pin or sew the end to the fold beneath, or split the end of the
bandage, and tie in a knot.

The _application of the double-headed roller_ is for wounds or bleeding
at the temple. After applying a compress, a piece of lint or linen
should be doubled square as many times as is required, and of a size
commensurate with the purpose for which it is employed. The operator
takes a head of the roller in each hand, and opening the bandage a short
length, commences on the opposite side to the wound, and bringing both
ends round to the compress, gives them a twist, and carrying one over the
top of the head and the other under the chin, makes them meet where they
began, and giving another twist, carries them horizontally, one over the
forehead and the other round the back of the head, meeting again over the
pledget, where the same operation is to be repeated, and the ends either
tied on the top of the head or pinned over the temple.

The _roller bandage_ for the eye, to keep the dressings firmly in
position; after making a few oblique turns over the eye and cheek, so
as effectually to cover the eye, the bandage is to be doubled back and
pinned in its place behind the head, and then carried horizontally round
the head, to keep the oblique folds in position, and then secured by a
couple of pins over the forehead. Each circle should lie, by the width of
a hem, farther back than the preceding one.

For injuries to the chin, a bandage, consisting of a piece of calico
about six inches broad and a yard long, is to be split down each end to
within four inches of the centre. The unsplit part is then applied over
the dressings on the chin, the outer margin overlapping the point of the
jaw; the two outer tails are then carried to the crown of the head and
tied, while the inner tails are led in like manner to the forehead, and
there secured. A nightcap should be worn as a precaution to make the grip
of the knots more secure.

A _bandage round the chest for fractured ribs_ is applied by means of a
double-headed roller, which, commencing over the top of the breast-bone,
is carried round to the back, and then led one over each shoulder, made
to cross on the breast, passed under the armpits, cross each other at the
back, and gradually tightening as they descend, cross again in front,
till a sufficient depth is obtained, when one end is to be pinned over
the other. But a much simpler and less elaborate bandage for fractured
ribs is made out of a broad piece of jean or holland sewn tightly over in
front by a strong needle and thin twine; cross straps, like braces, may
be added, to keep the whole in place. When a bandage is thus adjusted, it
will keep its position, without slackening, for weeks.

The _bandage_ T is generally used for wounds in the groin, or as a
suspensory; the cross arms of the bandage on the top of the T are passed
and secured round the middle, while the long end is conveyed between the
legs, brought upwards, and fastened in the front to the other part.


BLISTER.

The term blister is applied to any substance that has the power to raise
the outer skin into bladders or pustules. There are several varieties of
blisters—animal, vegetable, and mineral, the principal being cantharides
or Spanish flies, mustard, euphorbium, mezereon, savin, antimony, silver,
vinegar, potassa, and ammonia.

Blistering and counter-irritation is a mode of treatment by which it is
sought to cure one disease by establishing another of the same type, but
less severe than the first; bearing this in mind, the general utility
of all external stimulants, especially that of blisters, will be better
understood and more fully appreciated.

Blisters are used in medicine as a means of depletion, either to carry
off from the body a certain amount of blood in the form of serum, and
thus act as a local bleeding, or in addition to this effect, to cause,
by the inflammation they produce on the surface, a larger amount of
blood to circulate through the adjacent cuticle, and thus relieve some
deeper organ or part from the excess of blood that disease causes to be
attracted to it. With this view only, and when no depletion is required,
medical men are in the habit of using a milder form of blistering than
that effected by raising the epidermis in bladders, and to this they give
the name of rubifacients, or, in simple English, substances that “make
red.”

From the benefit they afford, the ease of application, and the safety
of their employment, blisters have become of universal use, and may be
considered as an established domestic remedy. Yet there are certain
points in connection with them that require explaining, both for
protection and guidance. When the blister has sufficiently risen, remove
the plaster, and nipping the blister where it bags most, gently press
out the water, taking great care not to break the skin as it collapses;
immediately place over the whole a warm bread poultice, the bread
confined within a fold of muslin, and allow it to remain for one or two
hours; then carefully remove the poultice, and sprinkle the blistered
part with a thick layer of violet powder, cover this with a piece of
linen, and, by a bandage or handkerchief, keep the whole in its place;
every four hours add more violet powder, especially over the moist part,
taking care not to remove the cake or crust that forms till the cuticle
is sufficiently healed to permit of its being taken away, when the place
is to be lightly dusted with the powder from time to time, to avoid
cracking the new cuticle. It is seldom if ever necessary to interpose
gauze or tissue paper between the blister and the skin, and, except in
very rare and singular cases, should never be done, nor is there any
time that can be fixed as the duration a blister should remain on; this
must depend on the rising, which will take from eight to sixteen hours
to effect; though in infancy and childhood, from the extreme delicacy
of the cuticle, the time required is infinitely shorter. But this is
a point that every nurse provides for by frequent inspection. When a
blister is not at hand, steep a pewter plate or piece of flat metal in
boiling water, and place it at once on the skin, pressing it down for a
moment, and then allowing it to rise, and as it cools remove it; or in
cases of still greater emergency, a blister may be obtained by wetting a
part of the cuticle and rubbing on it for a few minutes, lunar caustic;
or cut a circular hole out of a piece of adhesive plaster, which having
adhered to the skin, tie some lint to the end of a stick, dip the padded
end in nitric acid or aqua-fortis, and brush lightly and rapidly the
skin exposed within the hole in the plaster, when a vesicle will be
immediately produced. In this country it is seldom that any blister is
used but that of cantharides or Spanish flies, except in extreme cases,
that of mustard, as given above. The blister plaster as sold in the
shops is a species of tough ointment, and is made of wax, suet, rosin,
and lard, all melted over a slow fire, and while cooling the powdered
flies stirred in, till the whole, when cold, becomes a smooth, firm, and
tenacious mass. The mode of making a blister is to cut out a shape from
a piece of adhesive plaster, either round, oval, oblong, or according to
the part on which it has to be applied, and taking a piece of the blister
plaster, and softening in the fingers with the right thumb wetted in
water, extend it over the shape, leaving a margin of half an inch all
round; the plaster is to be spread about the thickness of a shilling, and
all over of an equal smoothness. This is then to be warmed for a moment
before the fire, and applied evenly over the part, the edges of the
plaster being nicked, where necessary, to make it lie flat. For the ears,
the shape of the blister resembles the figure 6, the O part coming under
the lobe of the ear, and the tail sweeping behind it; each ear, however,
requires a different position of the figure, that of the left needing the
6 as it naturally stands; the right must have it reversed, as thus, 9.


CARBUNCLE

Is a hard circumscribed tumour of an inflammatory character, commencing
in the cellular tissue and extending to the skin, and named from the
intense burning pain that attends its progress. A carbuncle in general
appearance resembles a boil, but differs from it in not having a core,
and terminating in a gangrenous slough, instead of, as in the other, by
suppuration.

In whatever part of the body a carbuncle is formed, it is first indicated
by great redness and violent pain, excessive itching, and a burning heat.

Carbuncles are more frequent in advanced life than in the young; and
are generally indications of a low, putrescent or typhoid state of the
system; and not unfrequently the result of it. The extent of a carbuncle
is as various as the part of the body in which it appears; it varies,
from the size of a walnut to the dimensions of a plate; the parts of the
body most subject to its attack are the neck, shoulder, armpit and hip.

_Treatment._—The local remedies, from first to last, are warm emollient
poultices; which are to be applied directly the tumour shows itself, and
continued every three or four hours, till the healing process is fairly
established. As soon as the swelling becomes conical, the top is to be
freely opened. The best poultice to use is either bread-and-water or
linseed meal. To meet the constitutional disturbance, a mild alterative
pill of equal parts of extract of colocynth and henbane, should be given
every second day, and when the febrile action is considerable, two
table-spoonfuls of the following mixture every four or six hours.

        Camphor Water                    6  ounces.
        Nitrate of Potass               15  grains.
        Tartar Emetic                    3  grains.
        Syrup of Saffron                 2  drachms.

    In addition, when there is much pain and want of sleep, add one
    drachm of laudanum to the mixture, or give the patient 25 drops
    at bed-time, while needed. When the abscess has been opened, it
    will be necessary to administer tonics, with a liberal diet and
    wine. For this purpose the following mixture is to be taken in
    doses of two table-spoonfuls three times a day.

        Quassia                             ½ drachm.
        Cardamom Seeds                     2  drachms—bruised.
        Boiling Water                      1  pint.

    Infuse for six hours, strain, and add diluted nitric acid, 1
    drachm.

    If the debility is excessive it will be advisable to give
    stimulants, in which case the following mixture is to be
    employed.

    Take of

        Camphor Water                      3  ounces.
        Compound Tincture of Bark,
          ditto Cinnamon, of each           ½ ounce.
        Spirits of Sal Volatile,
          ditto Sulphuric Ether, of each   1  drachm.

    Give a table-spoonful every hour, increasing the interval, as
    the strength of the patient rallies; at the same time continue
    the wine, and if required, brandy.


EXCORIATION.

This term implies any abrasion, peeling off, or separation of the
cuticle, by which the sensitive and true skin is left unprotected.
Many persons are subject to excoriation or chafing, from the slightest
muscular exertion, more particularly in such parts as are exposed to
friction. In general, excoriation is the result of inattention to the
surface of the body, and is frequently excited by perspiration and dust
or fine particles of sand adhering to the cuticle, and being rubbed by
the play of the muscles into the lines and creases of the body. The
perspiration secreted by fatiguing exertion will, from its acridity,
if left on the body, very frequently act as an irritant on the cuticle
and destroy its texture. Cleanliness, therefore, whether with adult or
infant, is the best preventive against this painful affection.

The treatment of excoriation, when occurring in those parts of the body
usually covered, should consist in first washing the place with warm
water, and when well dried by a soft towel, to be freely dusted with
violet powder, repeating the application every two hours: for all that
is necessary is to remove the exciting cause, and keep the part cool and
covered. When the abrasion is deep seated, a piece of lint wetted with
the liquor plumbi (extract of lead), is to be laid on for an hour, and
on its removal the abrasion dusted with violet powder or common flour;
no other lotion will be needed, and ointments or grease should never be
employed.


GOITRE.

Bronchocele, or the Derbyshire Neck, as this disease is variously
called, is a chronic enlargement of the thyroid gland, a small glandular
body lying in front of the organ of voice in the throat, and which in
a natural state presents no external features, but when diseased, is
capable of an almost incredible enlargement. Goitre is distinguished by
a diffused, soft, elastic swelling, extending either quite across the
neck, presenting larger prominence on either side than in the centre, or
the enlargement may be all on one side, according as the whole gland, or
only one of its lobes is affected. The swelling is entirely devoid of
pain, and completely detached from the skin, which preserves its natural
colour and appearance. Goitres usually make their appearance about the
seventh or eighth year, and at first grow very slowly, but after a time
develope more rapidly, extending in all directions, and frequently
hanging over the chest. The disease is seldom dangerous, unless, from the
size it attains when by pressing on the large blood-vessels of the neck,
and retarding the return of blood from the head, or by compressing the
windpipe, it produces dangerous symptoms. Women are more subject to this
disease than men, though in many countries where it is always endemic,
both sexes and all ages are found affected with it.

_Treatment._—Of all the remedies that have at various times been employed
with the hope of curing this unsightly deformity, one only has ever
produced any permanent benefit, namely, _Iodine_, in one or other of its
forms. All operations are inadmissible and dangerous; and the cure is to
be effected solely by a combination of external and internal remedies.
In the first place, where possible, the patient should be removed from
the neighbourhood where the disease was produced, the tumour is then
to be gently excited by the application of three or four leeches, and
the following ointment rubbed well into all parts of the swelling every
night, intermitting for a day or two, whenever the skin becomes tender
from the rubbing.

    Take of

        Powdered Camphor       15  grains.
        Calomel                 1  scruple.
        Iodine                 30  grains.
        Spermaceti Ointment     1  ounce.

    Mix thoroughly, and make an ointment. At the same time a
    table-spoonful of the following mixture is to be taken three
    times every day. Take of the hydriodate of potassa one drachm,
    mint water, six ounces, mix.

This system should be persevered in for several weeks, the patient,
however, carefully taking the measurement of the throat and tumour before
commencing either course of treatment; and having accurately recorded the
number of inches in circumference, test the diminution every week, by
re-measuring the tumour till its absorption and the restoration of the
throat to its natural figure.


HARE-LIP.

This disease, so called from a fancied resemblance to the appearance of
that animal, is one of those distressing malformations that are born with
a child. Hare-lip is more frequently found in the upper than in the under
lip, and fortunately it is so, for, in the latter case, the child is
unable to articulate or retain the saliva in the mouth, creating a source
of ceaseless discomfort and pain. The disease consists of a fissure
or longitudinal division of one or both lips, having a space between,
wider at the bottom and narrowing to an apex at the gum, resembling the
outline of the letter V reversed, Ʌ. This condition is called the simple
hare-lip, but sometimes the fissure is double, having a pendant piece of
the lip in the centre of both fissures. The compound hare-lip is that
condition of deformity where the cleft extends along the bones of the
palate, over the whole arch of the mouth, while in some cases the bones
of the palate are entirely wanting—a most distressing malady, as the
child can never articulate, and only with great difficulty eat or drink,
as all sustenance passes into the nostrils. Independent of the deformity
attending this malformation, the infant so afflicted is prevented from
sucking, and must be reared by hand.

The _treatment_ of this misfortune is very simple and most satisfactory,
and no mother out of apprehension of her child’s suffering should neglect
to have the deformity cured; which, when in the simple form of the cleft
lip, can be effectually done. The operation consists in making the two
edges of the fissure even, bringing them together by means of two short
silver needles, and keeping them in that position by silk thread passed
over their ends like the figure 8, till the process of union has taken
place, requiring about eight or ten days, when the needles are withdrawn,
and in a week longer the permanent cure will be effected. The best period
for performing the operation is between the age of six and twelve months,
before the child can entertain any alarm at what is to be done, or by
cries and restlessness materially interfere with the success of the
operation.


INFLAMMATION.

By this term is generally understood that condition of a part in which
it becomes painful, hotter, redder, and more turgid than in a state of
health. The more considerable these symptoms become; or when they take
place in very sensitive parts, they induce that condition of the system
known as fever, and which, when the primary symptoms occur in certain
tissues, becomes inflammatory fever. The seat of inflammation lies in
the capillaries, those minute vessels or tubes that in health perform
the office of secretion and nutrition, but diseased, become distended
with red blood, consequently swell and cause the enlargement, the first
symptom of inflammation; at the same time the increasing quantity of
blood accumulating in the part, causes the redness and accession of heat;
while the rigidity, tightness, and weight induced by the collected blood
pressing on the sentient nervous filaments below, produce the dull, the
sharp, or hot throbbing pain experienced according to the situation of
the swelling, and constitute the last and most distressing symptom of
local inflammation.

All inflammations are either local or general; when local, and
attacking an organ, the disease is named after the part affected, as
hepatitis—inflammation of the liver; phrenitis, of the brain; gastritis,
of the stomach, and so with respect to other organs; but when it is
general, as already said, it is called inflammatory fever. As there are
degrees in the rapidity or slowness with which inflammation takes place,
and also in the time the disease continues, inflammation has been divided
into the _acute_, the _sub-acute_, and the _chronic_, each form demanding
a separate and peculiar practice. Nature, that in all forms of disease
attempts to effect a cure, has in the case of local inflammation provided
several means, the chief of which are—

1st. Resolution, which is a gradual absorption of the accumulated blood.

2d. By hæmorrhage, or the bursting of the distended part, and the escape
of the blood.

3d. By suppuration, or the conversion of the effused blood into pus,
or matter, which, gradually pressing on the skin, causes absorption of
its texture till an aperture is formed and the contents of the abscess
escape; and

4th. By gangrene, or mortification, which, when a part has been killed
by excessive inflammation, forms a line of demarcation, and separates
the dead from the living part. The symptoms, general and local, of
inflammation, are materially altered by the structure of the part
in which the disease takes place; thus, the heat is much less, the
pain infinitely more acute, and the pulse hard and sharp, when the
inflammation attacks the _serous_ membrane, or that tissue which lines
the chest; while in the _mucous_ membrane, or that which lines the mouth
and stomach, there is less pain, more heat, and a full, round pulse.

The treatment of inflammation is both general and local. By the first
is understood, bleeding from the arm, tartar emetic, opium, and
saline purgatives; the latter, leeches, cupping, blisters, baths, and
fomentations.


CHOKING.

When a mass of food, such as a piece of meat, potato, or other substance,
lodges in the fauces, or the base of the tongue, if in sight, but too far
for the fingers to reach, it should be immediately grasped with a pair of
pincers, or, what is better, a pair of curling tongs, and dragged out.
If neither are at hand, and as time is precious, press down the tongue
with the fingers, and tickle all the surrounding parts with a feather,
so as to induce heaving or vomiting, Nature by that action often getting
rid of its obstruction. If, however, none of these means present a chance
of relief, use the point of the curling tongs as a probe, and push the
obstruction into the gullet. However quickly these operations may have
been carried on, the sufferer may have died before the obstacle has
been displaced, or become so apparently lifeless as seemingly to render
all further steps useless; this, however, is not the case, cold water
must be dashed on the face and chest, ammonia applied to the nostrils,
and the lungs inflated with air. When the lodgement has been lower down
and taken place in the gullet proper—a fact that can be ascertained by
an examination of the mouth, and also by the mute indication of the
sufferer’s fingers—the impediment to its descent to the stomach proceeds
from some spasmodic action into which some of the muscular fibres are
thrown, causing them to grip the body in its descent and retain it in
that position, while its bulk pressing forward on the windpipe, causes
the danger to life that results from the accident. Two or three sudden
or sharp slaps between the shoulders, or water dashed abruptly in the
face, will often, by producing a sudden gasp, release the spasm and cause
the descent of the object; if not, a probe, flexible tube, or a quill,
must be employed, and the substance pushed past the constriction; when,
however, the bulk is too large to be moved by such simple means, and
while a messenger is sent for a surgeon to bring the proper instrument,
endeavours should be made to keep up a partial supply of air in the
lungs, by means of the bellows.


POISONS.

Those substances which, when taken into the body, or applied externally,
always produce such an effect or disturbance in the animal economy, as
to induce disease, or a chain of symptoms that if uncorrected would
eventuate in serious mischief to the health of the body, or even induce
death. Or, to simplify the explanation: a poison is any agent capable of
producing a morbid, noxious, or dangerous effect upon anything endowed
with life. All poisons are _common_ or _relative_: by the first, is
understood those substances which produce morbid or dangerous symptoms
on all conditions of animal life, on man as well as on the brute, on
the fish as well as the fowl. By _relative_ poisons is understood those
agents which are only poisonous to man, or some particular species of
animals; thus aloes, which is a useful medicine to man, is poisonous
to dogs and wolves; and others which are deadly to the horse, form a
nutritious food to the ox. As an instance of the _common_ poisonous
agent, affecting all animals in the same manner, may be advanced arsenic
and corrosive sublimate. Agents or substances are poisonous only in
regard to their dose, the part of the body they are applied to, and the
subject on which they are applied.

To illustrate these facts, it is sufficient to say that both arsenic and
corrosive sublimate are valuable medicines in certain modified doses,
while in excess, they are deadly; secondly, a poison to the stomach may
be innocuous to the lungs, or what would be fatal to the integrity of the
system, applied to one part of the body, is harmless when administered
to another; thus the carbonic acid gas which we imbibe with exhilarating
satisfaction with our malt-liquor, soda-water, and champagne, is a
deadly poison if instead of going down the gullet, it should descend
the windpipe, and enter the lungs. There are only _four_ ways by which
a poison can enter the system, and prove injurious or fatal to life;
of these the most common is by the mouth into the stomach, by the air
passages into the lungs, by absorption through the skin, either in its
natural state, or from an abrasion or scratch; and lastly by the bowels,
from an enema. But whichever way they enter the system, they only re-act
upon it in _two_ forms of action; that is, that they are either absorbed
into the blood, and conveyed by the circulation to the part or parts
affected, or they produce an immediate influence on the nerves of the
part with which the poison first comes in contact; and by a sympathetic
action affect the whole nervous system. Poisons may belong to either of
the three kingdoms, the _animal_, _mineral_, or the _vegetable_, but as
the symptoms produced are sometimes nearly the same, from whichever class
or kingdom they may be derived, it has become the custom to arrange the
several poisons according to the most characteristic effect they produce
on the animal economy, and to divide them into the IRRITANT POISONS, the
NARCOTIC POISONS, and the NARCOTIC-ACRID POISONS, thus embracing all
deleterious substances under one or other of the above classes.


IRRITANT POISONS

Are those that excite inflammation in some part, or the whole of the
alimentary canal.

    Nitric Acid
    Muriatic Acid
    Sulphuric Acid
    Phosphorus
    Sulphur
    Chlorine
    Iodine
    Hydriodate of Potass
    Bromine
    Oxalic Acid
    The fixed Alkalis
    Nitre
    Alkaline and Earthy Chlorides
    Lime
    Ammonia and its Salts
    Alkaline Sulphurets
    Baryta
    Euphorbia
    Castor Oil seeds
    Croton
    Bryony
    Colocynth
    Elaterium
    Ranunculus
    Anemone
    Clematis
    Mezereon
    Cuckoo-Pint
    Gamboge
    Savin
    Cattha
    Poisonous Fish
    Compounds of Arsenic
    Compounds of Mercury
    Ditto of Antimony
    Ditto of Tin, Zinc, Silver, Bismuth, and Chrome
    Compounds of Lead
    Ditto of Copper
    Venomous Serpents and Insects
    Daffodil
    Jalap
    Cantharides
    Decayed Animal Matter
    Mechanical Irritants.


NARCOTIC POISONS

Are those poisons that produce an immediate and continued disorder of the
nervous system.

    Opium
    Lactuca
    Solanum
    Nitric Oxide Gas
    Chlorine Gas
    Ammoniacal Gas
    Sulphuretted Hydrogen
    Carbonic Acid
    Cyanogen
    Hyoscyamus
    Hydrocyanic Acid, and all vegetables producing it, as bitter almonds,
      cherry laurel, peach, and mountain ash, carbonic oxide, and oxygen.


NARCOTIC-ACRID POISONS.

The poisons of this class produce a double action, that of a local
irritation, and a secondary, or after effect on the nervous system.

    Nightshade
    Hemlock
    Tobacco
    Water Hemlock
    Monkshood
    Squills
    Ipecacuanha
    Meadow Saffron
    Foxglove
    Nux Vomica
    Camphor
    Cocculus Indicus
    Upas
    Secale Cornutum
    Darnel Grass
    Alcohol
    Ether
    Thom-Apple
    Fool’s-Parsley
    Hellebore, Black
    Hellebore, White
    Strychnia
    False Angustura
    Poisonous Fungi
    Mouldy Bread
    Seeds of the Laburnum, and some empyreumatic oils.

Though chemistry has of late years made great progress in the science of
analysis, vegetable poisons are so soon eliminated from the body, as to
leave hardly any trace for the chemist’s tests to re-act upon, and the
mineral poisons may be regarded as almost the only class on which science
can operate with invariable certainty. The first duty of any one called
to act in a case of poison, is to administer an antidote, of which there
are supposed to be two; one, which given immediately, will chemically
destroy the virulence of the poison—as in the case of a person who has
swallowed a powerful acid, the exhibition of chalk will destroy the
potency of the acid, by forming a new and harmless compound—and antidotes
or drugs in many instances of a problematical effect, which are supposed
to have the power of neutralizing the effect produced on the system, by
the agency of the poison, and restoring the disorganised body to a pure
and pristine health. Of this class of drugs once implicitly believed in,
science has found few if any to bear the test of a rigid experience. To
leave theory, and come at once to the practical, the first care of any
one, when an individual has voluntarily, or by accident taken a poison,
or any known or suspected deleterious substance, is to procure its
instant evacuation from the system by _vomiting_. In many cases, either
the drug itself, or the over-dose of it, excites this remedial step,
and if so, the attendant should encourage the action of the stomach by
all the means immediately procurable; or if the vomiting has not set
in, to excite it at once, either by warm water in frequent draughts,
or should that not be present, by a draught of mustard and water, or a
few spoonfuls of common salt dissolved in water; or should neither of
these be in readiness, and while the water is heating, and medical aid
or other means is being sought, give copious draughts of cold water, and
by the feathery part of a quill, tickle the fauces, or with the handle
of a spoon press down the root of the tongue; when the contents of the
stomach must be ejected. This process may be repeated; and even without
further means, the poison may in this way be ejected from the stomach.
In cases where vegetable, or what are called narcotic, poisons have been
taken, it is sometimes extremely difficult if not impossible, to produce
vomiting, though attempted with proper emetics; in all such, in fact in
all vegetable poisons, the stomach pump becomes imperative, and the most
valuable of agents, as it not only fills the stomach with water, but
immediately after relieves it of that, and whatever poisonous matters it
may hold in suspension or solution. This process of filling the stomach
with tepid water, and again expelling it, must be continued till all
apprehension that more poison remains, is removed from the mind of the
operator. In cases of poisoning by narcotic and vegetable substances, to
empty the stomach is the first, last, and most important duty, and till
the chief agent, the stomach pump, can be procured, some of the means
already advised should be adopted, but where more perfect remedies are at
hand they should be employed; of such the best emetics for a vegetable
poison are the minerals, especially the white vitriol or sulphate of
zinc, twenty or thirty grains of which, dissolved in half a tumbler of
warm water, will be found to act almost instantly. To rouse the energies
after the ejection of the poison, electricity should, when possible, be
applied; stimulants such as ammonia, hot coffee, or camphor administered;
and when necessary, aspersions of cold water, and the patient constantly
kept moving. In other cases blisters or hot mustard plasters must be
applied to the spine, thighs, feet, or stomach; according to the nature
and potency of the poison. In irritant or corrosive poisons, concurrent
with the vomiting, which, when not induced by the poison itself, should
be at once excited, agents to neutralize the virulence of the poison
must be administered, and again repeated after each vomiting, to be in
turn ejected, again taken, and again discharged. In all poisonings of
this class, proceeding from the mineral acids or corrosive compounds,
when proper emetics are at hand the vegetable, such as the ipecacuanha,
is the most efficacious, twenty or twenty-five grains of which, dissolved
in warm water will be found an effective dose; while as a corrective to
the corroding nature of the poison, draughts of tepid water, in which
shavings of brown soap have been scraped, must be drunk frequently, or
half tumblers of water, in which half a tea-spoonful of soda, either the
common or carbonate, or the same quantity of ordinary potass; frequent
draughts of milk or mucilage, treacle, honey and water; or should none
of these articles be at hand, spoonfuls of chalk and water, and in still
more extreme cases, when no other aid is at hand to relieve the burning
agony induced by the poison, the plaster from the wall or ceiling should
be broken down, mixed in water, and given to the patient to neutralize
the activity of the poison. Such are the general means adopted to eject
the poison from the system; special poisons, however, require particular
and special notice.

ARSENIC, in addition to the vomiting, should be treated with the white
of eggs mixed in water, and administered every ten minutes; or honey,
treacle, sugar and water, or milk.

OXALIC ACID.—New milk must be given in frequent draughts after each fit
of vomiting, or chalk and water.

CORROSIVE SUBLIMATE AND VERDIGRIS are treated nearly in the same manner
as arsenic; the chief antidotes being white of eggs, milk, and sugar and
water; though for verdigris, iron filings dissolved in vinegar, and mixed
with mucilage, are generally preferred for this rarely employed poison.

NITRATE OF SILVER, OR LUNAR CAUSTIC.—The best antidote, concurrent
with the emetic, is common table-salt, dissolved in water, and taken
frequently. A tea-spoonful of salt in a wine-glass of water is to be
given every half hour.

SULPHURIC, MURIATIC, OR NITRIC ACID, or what is called the MINERAL ACIDS,
require, like oxalic acid, milk, but especially, magnesia, chalk, and
soap or mucilage, but primarily magnesia.

HYDROCYANIC ACID, OR PRUSSIC ACID.—Where this drug is not immediately
fatal, and has only been taken in moderate quantity, the only antidotes
are powerful stimulants of brandy, ammonia, and ether; and as emetics are
valueless in this poison, sudden effusions of cold water must be adopted
with stimulants to the stomach.

In all cases of poisoning by vegetable matter, whether acrid or narcotic,
the first duty is to encourage the sickness, if set in, by warm water,
and where the power of the stomach has been paralysed by an excessive
dose, instantly to promote vomiting by a full dose of sulphate of zinc
or white vitriol, in a dose varying from 20 to 30 grains, or else 10
or 15 grains of sulphate of copper or blue stone; but neither antimony
nor ipecacuanha. When the stomach has been well evacuated, strong
infusions of coffee, or draughts of vinegar and water are to be given
occasionally. In all cases of corrosive or acrid poisons, when the lower
bowels are affected, it becomes necessary to employ enemas of a soothing
and corrective nature. All that the non-professional person can do in
any case of poisoning, till the arrival of medical advice, is to empty
the stomach of the hurtful matter by the quickest and readiest aids; and
when emetics are not at hand, such natural and domestic means are to be
resorted to as can be the easiest obtained; warm water, mustard, salt,
tickling the gullet with a feather, or pressing down the tongue with a
spoon, as already advised. It should be borne in mind, that for mineral
poisons _vegetable_ emetics are to be used, and for vegetable poisons
_mineral_ emetics: that in cases of poisoning from the mineral acids,
it is useless to give emetics, and dangerous to administer water alone;
in such cases, such articles are to be given as will counteract the
corrosive virulence of the acid, and convert it into an inert compound,
such as magnesia, soda, chalk, soap, or in extremity of means, the
plaster from the walls: that where prussic acid has been taken, emetics
are equally valueless; the prostrated powers are to be raised by powerful
stimulants, and the means already indicated. For the poisons that are
applied externally, and prove hurtful by absorption, such as the bite or
sting of venomous reptiles, the first duty of an assistant is to tie a
garter, tape, or some ligature tightly round the limb, a few inches above
the wound, next to wash it immediately with warm water, and then, if
there are no cracks in the lips or gums, fearlessly to apply the mouth to
the bitten part, and slowly and steadily suck it; washing the mouth with
cold water every time there is a rest, and the contents are spit out.
When cupping glasses are at hand, they should be applied instead of the
mouth; in either case, the part, after being sucked or cupped, is to be
well rubbed over with lunar caustic, a warm poultice laid upon the place,
the limb kept at rest, and, a few hours after the bandage or ligature
removed. For the poisonous sting of gnats, bees, wasps, and other
insects, a piece of lint, wetted in the pure extract of lead, is all that
is necessary to cure one or the other. For the sickness, lassitude, and
fainting, that often follow the sting of reptiles, it is requisite to
administer ether, brandy, and ammonia, and sometimes opium.




MEDICAL AND HOUSEHOLD RECEIPTS.

Those receipts with initials and recommendations attached to them have
been tried, and are recommended by intelligent Correspondents. It must
not be supposed, however, that where such a signature or recommendation
is absent, the receipt cannot be relied upon. They are all of the first
class.


The following recipes for various aperient medicines have been drawn up
at our request, by a Medical Gentleman, in consequence of the expression
of a want felt by heads of families of simple and safe laxatives, without
the cost of an application to an apothecary, or the risk attendant upon
taking quack medicines:—

SPRING APERIENTS.—For children, nothing is better than:—1. Brimstone and
treacle; to each tea-cupful of this, when mixed, add a tea-spoonful of
cream of tartar. As this sometimes produces sickness, the following may
be used:—2. Take of tartrate of soda one drachm and a half, powdered
jalap and powdered rhubarb each fifteen grains, ginger two grains. Mix.
Dose for a child above five years, one _small_ tea-spoonful; above ten
years, a _large_ tea-spoonful; above fifteen, half the whole, or two
tea-spoonfuls; and for a person above twenty, three tea-spoonfuls, or the
whole, as may be required by the habit of the person. This medicine may
be dissolved in warm water, common or mint tea. This powder can be kept
for use in a wide-mouthed bottle, and be in readiness for any emergency.
The druggist may be directed to treble or quadruple the quantities as
convenient.

TONIC APERIENT.—3. Take of Epsom salts one ounce, diluted sulphuric acid
one drachm, infusion of quassia chips half an _imperial_ pint, compound
tincture of rhubarb two drachms. Half a wine-glassful for a dose twice a
day.

APERIENT PILLS.—To some adults all liquid medicines produce such
nausea that pills are the only form in which laxative medicines can be
exhibited; the following is a useful formula:—4. Take of compound rhubarb
pill a drachm and one scruple, of powdered ipecacuanha six grains, and of
extract of hyoscyamus one scruple. Mix and beat into a mass, and divide
into twenty-four pills. Take one, or two, or if of a very costive habit,
_three_ at bed-time.—5. For persons requiring a more powerful purge, the
same formula, with ten grains of compound extract of colocynth, will form
a good purgative pill. The mass receiving this addition, must be divided
into thirty, instead of twenty-four pills.

BLACK DRAUGHT.—6. The common aperient medicine known as black draught is
made in the following manner:—Take of senna leaves six drachms, bruised
ginger half a drachm, sliced liquorice root four drachms, boiling water
half an imperial pint. Keep this standing on the hob, or near the fire,
for three hours, then strain, and after allowing it to grow cool, add of
sal volatile one drachm and a half, of tincture of senna, and of tincture
of cardamoms, each half an ounce. (This mixture will keep a long time in
a cool place.) Dose: a wine-glassful for an adult; two table-spoonfuls
for young persons above fifteen years of age. It is not a suitable
medicine for children.

INFANTS’ APERIENT.—7. Take of rhubarb five grains, magnesia three grains,
white sugar a scruple, manna five grains; mix. Dose, varying from a piece
_half_ the size of a sweet pea to a piece the size of an ordinary pea.—8.
A useful laxative for children is composed of calomel two grains, and
sugar a scruple, made into five powders; half of one of these for a child
from birth to one year and a half, and a whole one from that age to five
years.

CHOLERA AND BOWEL COMPLAINTS.—Some years ago I received from the late Dr.
Beddome, of Tooley Street (the original inventor of Beddome’s Powders), a
recipe for bowel complaints, which I have found so uniformly successful
in relieving those disorders, and perhaps warding off cholera, that
I enclose it for the benefit of your numerous readers.—ROBERT BROWN,
Cheapside.—Rhubarb powder, half a drachm; calcined magnesia, one drachm;
paregoric elixir, one ounce; peppermint water, half a pint. Mix and shake
up, and take two table-spoonfuls every three hours till relieved.—The
following is a better prescription for the same purpose:—Take of chalk
mixture, eight ounces; aromatic confection, one drachm; compound tincture
of camphor, three drachms; oil of carraway, three or four drops. Mix.
Take two table-spoonfuls every three hours, or oftener, if the pain and
purging are urgent. A tea-spoonful is a dose for young children, and one
table-spoonful for those of ten or twelve years of age.

RELIEF FOR ASTHMA.—The following mixture is recommended as a relief for
the asthmatic:—Two ounces of the best honey, and one ounce of castor oil
mixed. A tea-spoonful to be taken night and morning.—I have tried the
foregoing with the best effect.—J. D.

FOR A COUGH.—Quarter of a pound of linseed; quarter of a pound of
raisins; two ounces of stick liquorice; two quarts of soft water, to be
boiled until reduced to half the quantity. When strained, add a quarter
of a pound of brown candy, pounded; one table-spoonful of good old rum,
one table-spoonful of lemon-juice or vinegar. A cupful to be taken on
going to bed, and more frequently if required. To be warmed.—Used for
years, and approved.—A. C. B.

FOR COLDS AND COUGHS.—Take spermaceti powder, half an ounce; powdered gum
arabic, half an ounce; elixir paregoric, three drachms; clarified honey,
a table-spoonful; mix and make an electuary; of which a tea-spoonful is
to be dissolved in the mouth, and swallowed slowly whenever the cough is
troublesome, or the hoarseness great.—B. B.

FOR HOOPING-COUGH.—Dissolve a scruple of salt of tartar in a quarter-pint
of water; add to it ten grains of cochineal; sweeten it with sugar. Give
to an infant the fourth part of a table-spoonful four times a day; two
years old, half a spoonful; from four years, a table-spoonful.—E. J.
D.—[This has been a very successful mixture.]

TO MAKE TOFFEE FOR HOOPING-COUGH.—Take one pound of treacle; half a pound
of moist sugar; a piece of butter, the size of a walnut; a tea-spoonful
of ginger or lemon-peel, or oil of peppermint; and half a tea-spoonful of
jalap. Boil them together till it will set firm in a basin of cold water.
It requires stirring while boiling, and takes a long time to boil.—J. G.
B.

AN EXCELLENT AND CHEAP COUGH MIXTURE.—Paregoric elixir one pennyworth,
and six drops of laudanum. Mix a little treacle with three or four ounces
of vinegar, and put it on the fire till nearly boiling; then add it to
the other ingredients. Put it in a bottle, shake it, and it will be ready
for use. When the cough is troublesome, take a spoonful.

HOARSENESS.—A piece of flannel, dipped in brandy, and applied to the
chest, and covered with a dry flannel, is to be worn all night.—Four
or six small onions, boiled, and put on buttered toast, and eaten for
supper, are likewise good for colds on the chest.

TO CURE HICCOUGH OR HICCUP.—This spasm is caused by flatulency,
indigestion, and acidity. It may be relieved generally by a sudden fright
or surprise, or any sudden application of cold, also by swallowing two or
three mouthfuls of cold water, by eating a small piece of ice, taking a
pinch of snuff, or anything that excites coughing.

FOR SHORTNESS OF BREATH, OR DIFFICULT BREATHING.—Vitriolated spirits
of ether, one ounce, camphor twelve grains. Make a solution, of which
take a tea-spoonful during the paroxysm. This is usually found to afford
instantaneous relief in difficulty of breathing, depending on internal
diseases, and other causes, where the patient, from a very quick and
laborious breathing, is obliged to be in an erect posture.

CONSUMPTION.—Watercresses, eaten plentifully at every meal, are excellent
for this complaint. They should also be pounded in a mortar, and the
juice thus obtained be drunk by the patient. This simple remedy has
completely cured some, and relieved many sufferers from consumption.
For the relaxed bowels common in this disease, the following is
excellent:—Take fine flour, and tie it up tight in a cloth, and boil it
for a day (the longer the better). Let the patient take as much of the
dry flour in the inside as will lie on a sixpence, daily, or oftener, if
requisite.

COLD, OR INFLAMMATION OF THE EYES.—The white of an egg mixed with a
few bread crumbs (to give it substance), and put into a muslin bag,
and applied as a poultice to the eye, will afford great relief in a
few minutes, or generally a cure in a day or two. The poultice is best
applied at night, or when lying down; when removed, the eye should be
well bathed with warm water, using a bit of muslin, NOT a sponge.

EXCELLENT MEDICINE FOR INDIGESTION.—Carbonate of magnesia, one ounce;
carbonate of soda, one ounce; powdered ginger, one drachm; best Turkey
rhubarb, half a drachm. Well mix in a mortar, and to be kept in a bottle
with a glass stopper. The dose for an adult is half a tea-spoonful.

EXCELLENT MEDICINE FOR RHEUMATISM.—Powdered gum guaiacum, eight grains;
flour of sulphur, two drachms; powdered rhubarb, fifteen grains; cream
of tartar, one drachm; powdered ginger, thirty grains; powdered nutmeg,
eight grains. To be made into an electuary, with two ounces of clarified
honey; a tea-spoonful to be taken night and morning.

QUININE DRAUGHT.—The following draught, as ordered by Dr. Copland, was of
the greatest service in a case of _dyspepsia_, accompanied by derangement
of the liver:—Sulphate of quinine, two grains; diluted sulphuric acid,
two drops; spirit of nutmegs, one drachm; distilled water, ten drachms.
Mix. To be taken daily at mid-day.

SEDATIVE OINTMENT.—The violent local irritation which often follows
the application of blisters to the surface of children, is a serious
objection to their use, and requires that particular care be taken to
lessen the liability of sloughing, &c. Should, however, the ulcer be very
irritable, the following ointment thickly spread on lint will be found
serviceable:—Lime water, oil of almonds, of each half an ounce; mix well
together, then add prepared lard, one ounce.

TO PREVENT GALLING IN PERSONS CONFINED TO THEIR BEDS.—(Most
valuable.)—The white of an egg, beaten to a strong froth, then drop in
gradually, whilst you are beating, two tea-spoonfuls of spirits of wine,
put it into a bottle, and apply occasionally with a feather.

A CURE FOR BLISTERED FEET.—Rub the feet, at going to bed, with spirits
mixed with tallow, dropped from a lighted candle into the palm of the
hand. On the following morning no blisters will exist.

DRAUGHT FOR PALPITATION OF THE HEART, WITH GREAT NERVOUS
IRRITABILITY.—Tincture of foxglove, ten drops; camphor mixture, one
ounce; tincture of columba, one drachm. This draught may be taken twice a
day.

FOR HEARTBURN.—Carbonate of magnesia, ten grains; carbonate of soda,
five grains; ginger in powder, five grains; liquorice in powder, fifteen
grains. Take as a powder two or three times during the day.

FOR INFLAMMATION OF THE EYES.—Brandy, one tea-spoonful; white-wine
vinegar, one tea-spoonful; soft water, nine tea-spoonfuls. Mix—and to be
used frequently.

USEFUL MIXTURE FOR DIARRHŒA IN INFANTS.—Carbonate of magnesia, half a
drachm; rhubarb, in powder, twenty grains; dill water, three ounces;
aromatic spirit of ammonia, thirty drops; sugar a tea-spoonful. Mix. Two
tea-spoonfuls may be given two or three times a day.

MIXTURE FOR CHILDREN TEETHING WHEN THE BOWELS ARE DISORDERED.—Chalk
mixture, fifteen drachms; tincture of cinnamon, one drachm. Mix
together. Two tea-spoonfuls to be given three or four times a day as
required.

ELECTUARY FOR SCORBUTIC ERUPTIONS.—Peruvian bark, powdered, half an
ounce; aromatic confection, half an ounce; syrup of oranges, a sufficient
quantity to mix the bark and confection; and take a piece the size of a
nutmeg, three times a day, in a glass of seidlitz or soda-water.

DRAUGHT FOR HYSTERIC PATIENTS.—Camphor mixture, one ounce; fœtid spirit
of ammonia, two drachms.

FEVER DRAUGHT.—Almond mixture, one ounce; carbonate of potass, twenty
grains; syrup of poppies, one drachm. Pour into this a table-spoonful of
lemon-juice, and drink while effervescing.

APERIENT ELECTUARY.—A very useful family medicine, particularly good for
those who are troubled with asthma or rheumatism. One ounce of senna
powder; half an ounce of flour of sulphur; two drachms of powdered
ginger; half a drachm of saffron powder; four ounces of honey. The size
of a nutmeg to be taken night and morning.

APERIENT FOR CHILDREN.—Gingerbread, made with oatmeal instead of flour,
is a very useful aperient for children.—J. D.—[Good.]

DEAFNESS FROM DEFICIENT SECRETION OF WAX.—Take oil of turpentine, half a
drachm; olive oil, two drachms. Mix. Two drops to be introduced into the
ear at bed-time.

REMEDY FOR DEAFNESS.—Oil of almonds, half a pound; garlic, bruised,
one ounce; alkanet root, a quarter of an ounce; infuse and strain. In
deafness, a little to be poured into the ear.

ZINC OINTMENT is made by rubbing well together one ounce of oxide
of zinc, and six ounces of hog’s lard. This ointment is useful for
chilblains; it is also commonly used for dressing the sores remaining
after scalds and burns, to absorb the great discharge which generally
follows; and it is a very good application to cracked skin, from which a
watery fluid oozes and irritates the neighbouring skin.

FOR THE CURE OF CHILBLAINS.—Put the hands and feet once a week into hot
water, in which two or three handfuls of common salt have been thrown;
this is a certain cure.—Z.

METHOD OF PREVENTING COLD FEET AT BED-TIME.—Draw off your stockings just
before undressing, and rub your ankles and feet well with your hand, as
hard as you can bear the pressure, for five or ten minutes, and you will
never have to complain of cold feet in bed. It is hardly conceivable
what a pleasurable glow this diffuses. Frequent washing of the feet,
and rubbing them thoroughly dry with a linen cloth or flannel, is very
useful.—J. R., _Warwick_.

CURE OF CORNS.—Place the feet for half an hour, two or three nights
successively, in a pretty strong solution of common soda. The alkali
dissolves the indurated cuticle, and the corn falls out spontaneously,
leaving a small excavation, which soon fills up.—E. J.—[Certain.]

ANOTHER.—Soak some young ivy leaves in vinegar for a few hours; then
tie one of the leaves on the corn with a piece of thread. It should be
changed each night and morning, and in a few days the corn can be taken
out without any pain. Six friends have tried this with great success.
After the corn has been taken out, the leaves should be continued for a
day or two, in order to remove any little hardness that may remain.

ANOTHER.—Cut a piece of the soap cerate plaster, spread on calico, of the
size required, and apply to the corn.—One application has cured mine.—E.
C., _Bridlington Quay_.

TO REMOVE CORNS.—Get four ounces of white diachylon plaster, four ounces
of shoemaker’s wax, and sixty drops of muriatic acid or spirits of salt.
Boil them for a few minutes in an earthen pipkin, and when cold, roll the
mass between the hands and apply a little on a piece of white leather.

A CERTAIN CURE FOR SOFT CORNS.—Dip a piece of soft linen rag in
turpentine, and wrap it round the toe on which the soft corn is, night
and morning; in a few days the corn will disappear; but the relief is
instantaneous. I have tried this with the greatest success.—S. H., _Hull_.

SORE THROAT.—I have been subject to sore throat, and have invariably
found the following preparation (simple and cheap) highly efficacious
when used in the early stage: Pour a pint of _boiling_ water upon
twenty-five or thirty leaves of common sage; let the infusion stand for
half an hour. Add vinegar sufficient to make it moderately acid, and
honey according to the taste. This combination of the astringent and
the emollient principle seldom fails to produce the desired effect.
The infusion must be used as a gargle several times a day. It has this
advantage over many gargles—it is pleasant to the taste, and may be
swallowed occasionally, not only without danger, but with advantage.—G. M.

EAR-ACHE.—Sometimes ear-ache is connected with chronic ulceration in the
external and internal part of the ear, when injections of warm water and
soap are advisable. In this case, there is sometimes a constant fœtid
discharge, for which the following mixture has been recommended by Dr.
Hugh Smith:—Take of ox-gall, three drachms; balsam of Peru, one drachm.
Mix. A drop or two to be put into the ear with a little cotton.

CURE FOR TOOTH-ACHE (OUTWARD APPLICATION), CHILBLAINS, ETC.—Take of
solution of ammonia, two drachms; camphorated spirit, six drachms;
essence of bergamot, ten drops, and mix.—I have tried it, and found it
very efficacious.—E. C., _Bridlington Quay_.

TOOTH-ACHE.—Dr. Blake recommends two drachms of alum, to be dissolved in
seven drachms of sweet spirits of nitre; a piece of lint or a small piece
of sponge to be dipped in the solution and applied to the tooth.

A VALUABLE RECEIPT FOR THE TIC-DOULOUREUX.—I was dreadfully afflicted
with it, and the receipt has cured me and many others; it is simple, as
follows:—Take half a pint of rose-water, add two tea-spoonfuls of white
vinegar, to form a lotion. Apply it to the part affected three or four
times a day. It requires fresh linen and lotion each application; this
will, in two or three days, gradually take the pain away. The above
receipt I feel desirous of being made known to the public, as I have
before mentioned the relief I have experienced, and others, whose names I
could give.—J. T.

TO CURE WARTS.—Take a cake of dry pipe-clay, and scrape a little from
it, then rub the wart or warts well with it four or six times a day till
they disappear. I had one on my forehead above twelve months, which
pained me very much in putting on or taking off my hat. I tried the above
receipt, by rubbing it well about four times a day; and in the course of
a fortnight it was gone, leaving only a mark behind. I can feel nothing
of it now, even by rubbing it with my finger.—A. M.

TO ERADICATE WARTS.—Dissolve as much common washing soda as the water
will take up; repeatedly wash with this for a minute or two, and let the
warts dry without wiping.

A CERTAIN CURE FOR WARTS.—Take the inner rind of a lemon, steep it
twenty-four hours in vinegar, and apply it to the wart. The lemon must
not remain on the part above three hours, and must then be applied fresh
every day.—F. E. W.—[This is only another mode of applying acetic acid.
The application with a camel-hair brush is the best method.]

ANOTHER METHOD.—Get a little bullock’s gall, keep it in a bottle, and rub
a little on the wart two or three times a day.

REMEDY FOR RHEUMATISM, LUMBAGO, SPRAINS, BRUISES, CHILBLAINS (BEFORE THEY
ARE BROKEN), AND BITES OF INSECTS.—One raw egg well beaten, half a pint
of vinegar, one ounce of spirits of turpentine, a quarter of an ounce of
spirits of wine, a quarter of an ounce of camphor. These ingredients to
be beaten well together, then put in a bottle and shaken for ten minutes,
after which, to be corked down tightly to exclude the air. In half an
hour it is fit for use. Directions:—To be well rubbed in, two, three,
or four times a day. For rheumatism in the head, to be rubbed at the
back of the neck and behind the ears. This liniment can be made at home
for 9d.; if not made at home, the chemist should be told to follow the
prescription exactly.—J. H. D.

A CERTAIN REMEDY FOR SPASMS.—Take three-pennyworth of balsam of sulphur,
and three-pennyworth of oil of aniseed; put these together, and let them
stand in a warm place for twenty-four hours, and at the same time take
two-pennyworth of spirits of wine, and two-pennyworth of spirits of
turpentine, put these together, and let them stand as the above; then,
after twenty-four hours, mix the whole well together. Take seven or eight
drops on a piece of loaf sugar when the pain is troublesome, and it
will give instant relief. Observe, a little tea or coffee may be taken
afterwards, to rinse the mouth.—W. W.

SIMPLE REMEDY FOR A PAIN IN THE SIDE.—At bed-time take a fresh
cabbage-leaf, hold it near the fire till quite warm, and then apply it to
the part affected, binding it tight with a cloth round the body; let it
remain for twelve hours or more, when it will generally be found to have
removed the pain. If not entirely removed, it will be well to repeat the
application of a fresh leaf, allowing it to remain on the same time as
the first. This will very seldom fail.—I have forwarded the above three
very simple, yet, at the same time, efficacious prescriptions, with the
intention that they may be of service to some of the numerous readers of
your volume, as well as in the district in which I reside.—A. L.

FOR SPRAINS AND BRUISES.—Especially where the parts are discoloured with
blood underneath the skin, and for rheumatic swelling of the joints:
Vinegar, one pint; distilled water, half a pint; rectified spirits, one
and a half pint; camphor, two ounces. Mix the vinegar and water, dissolve
the camphor in the spirits of wine, and then put them all together.
For sprains, bruises, and other injuries, when the skin is not broken:
Carbonate of ammonia, two ounces; vinegar, two pints; proof spirit, three
pints. Mix the ammonia with the vinegar; when the effervescence ceases,
add the spirit. In inflammation of the joints of some standing, this is
mixed with linseed meal, and applied as a poultice, twice a day.

PRIMROSE OINTMENT FOR BURNS AND ULCERS.—Bruise one pound of the leaves
of this well-known plant in a mortar, along with half a pound of the
flowers; simmer these in an equal quantity of hog’s lard, without salt,
until the primroses become crisp; after which, the ointment, whilst
fluid, must be strained through a coarse sieve. This is an excellent
application for obstinate ulcers or burns.

AN EXCELLENT REMEDY FOR SPRAINS.—Put the white of an egg into a saucer,
keep stirring it with a piece of alum about the size of a walnut until it
becomes a thick jelly; apply a portion of it on a piece of lint or tow
large enough to cover the sprain, changing it for a fresh one as often as
it feels warm or dry: the limb is to be kept in a horizontal position by
placing it on a chair.—B. B.

RESIN OINTMENT, OR YELLOW BASILICON, is composed of two ounces of yellow
wax, five ounces of white resin, and seven ounces of hog’s lard; these
must be slowly melted together, and stirred constantly with a stick, till
completely mixed. This ointment is sometimes used in treating scalds
and burns; also for dressing blisters, when it is wished to keep up a
discharge from them for a few days. This is a stimulating ointment.

LIME LINIMENT FOR BURNS, SCALDS, ETC.—Linseed or common olive oil, and
lime water equal parts; to be shaken up together every time of use, for
scrofula and syphilitic sores, and still more for burns and scalds.

TO PREVENT THE SKIN FROM DISCOLOURING AFTER A BLOW OR A FALL.—Take a
little dry starch or arrow-root, and merely moisten it with cold water,
and lay it on the injured part; this must be done immediately, so as to
prevent the action of the air upon the skin; however, it may be applied
some hours afterwards with effect. I learnt this when resident in France;
it may already be known here, but I have met with none amongst my own
acquaintances who seem to have heard of it. Raw meat is not always at
hand, and some children have an insurmountable repugnance to let it be
applied. I always make use of the above when my children meet with
an accident, and find that it keeps down swelling, and cleanses, and
facilitates the healing of scratches, when they happen to fall on the
gravel in the garden.—J. M. A. M.

PAINS AFTER EXERTION.—It is not generally known to pedestrians that the
pains in the knees and legs, which usually follow after a long excursion,
and which continue with some persons for two or three days after, may be
prevented or considerably lessened, by bathing the parts affected in cold
spring water, immediately before going to bed. Care should be taken, if
the feet be dipped in the water, afterwards to dry them thoroughly with a
rough towel; and persons of weak constitution, or liable to cramp, _ought
not to dip their feet at all_. Those who reside at the sea-side, if of
sound strong constitutions, will find great relief in the summer months,
by bathing in the sea, but this practice ought not to be adopted without
great caution. In my own case, and that of two of my brothers, it has
proved invaluable for restoring vigour and energy to the system, after a
long and tiring walk.—F. J. L., _Margate_.

TO HEAL BURNS.—Steep the bark of sumach-root, and boil it away until
it is very strong; then add hog’s lard, and boil it until the water
has all evaporated. A little of this applied to a burn will check the
inflammation instantly. It has been known to cure dangerous scalds when
physicians’ remedies have failed.—S.

CERTAIN CURE FOR CRAMP IN THE LEGS.—Stretch out the heel of the leg as
far as possible, at the same time drawing up the toes as far as possible.
This will often stop a fit of the cramp after it has commenced. I have
never known this fail.—E. J.

CALAMINE OINTMENT, OR TURNER’S CERATE, consists of half a pound of yellow
wax, and a pint of olive oil, which are to be melted together; this being
done, half a pound of calamine powder is to be sifted in, and stirred
till the whole be completely mixed. This is an excellent ointment for
stimulating sluggish wounds or sores.

BLEEDING AT THE NOSE.—To stop this malady, which is sometimes alarming,
it is recommended by Dr. Negrier (who has extensively tried it) simply to
_elevate the patient’s arm_. The explanation is based upon physiological
grounds: the greater force required to propel the blood through the
vessels of the arm when elevated, causes the pressure upon the vessels of
the head to be diminished by the increased action which takes place in
the course of the brachial arteries (the arteries of the arms). If the
theory be sound, _both_ arms should be elevated.

HYDROPHOBIA.—No kennel should be without this medicine:—Six ounces
filings of pewter, six ounces rue, four ounces garlic, four ounces
mithridate or Venice treacle. Cut the rue and garlic small; mix them with
three quarts of strong beer, or white wine, in an earthen vessel that can
be stopped close; put it into a pot of water with hay tied about it, to
prevent it from being broken against the sides of the pot when the water
is boiling; let it simmer over a slow fire three or four hours, then
squeeze the liquor from the herbs, bottle it for use, and seal the cork.
How to apply it:—For a dog, one table-spoonful the first day, two the
second, three the third, four the fourth, and five the fifth; continue to
give five for four mornings more; nine mornings in all. The same quantity
to man or woman, making allowances for robust or less vigorous frames. To
a child, half the quantity.

POISON.—When you have reason to suppose that you have accidentally
swallowed a poisonous substance, and proper medical advice is not
at hand, take an emetic. This may be done almost instantaneously by
swallowing a cupful of warm water mixed with a tea-spoonful of mustard.
If you have not dry mustard in the house, you are almost sure to have
a mustard-pot, and a quantity from that put into the water will very
quickly empty the stomach. As mustard may thus prove of so much use, it
should never be wanting in any house; but even should there be no mustard
at hand, warm water by itself forms a tolerably efficacious emetic.

A HINT TO INVALIDS.—It may not be generally known to persons in delicate
health that new milk put into a vessel, and let stand until it becomes
of a pleasant sourish taste, is much more wholesome and nutritious than
sweet milk; it is more cooling and strengthening, and agrees with many
stomachs with which new milk will not.—H. C.

A FUMIGATION FOR INFECTED AIR.—Take muriatic acid, and nitrous acid, of
each half an ounce; put them into a quart bottle; add of manganese an
ounce and a half; carry this about the room for a few minutes; a powerful
smell will then be perceived, which will be sufficient; then let the
bottle be closely stopped till the air begins to be offensive, when the
same method must be repeated. This will last for months.

TO PREVENT INFECTION FROM TYPHUS FEVER.—Six drachms of powdered
saltpetre, six ounces oil of vitriol; mix them in a tea-cup by adding one
drachm of the oil at a time. The cup to be placed during the preparation
on the hearth, and to be stirred with a tobacco-pipe. The cup to be
placed in different parts of the room.—F. E. W.

TO REMOVE THE SMELL OF HOUSE SEWAGE.—Mix gypsum (sulphate of lime), with
the sewage, which is called “deodorising,” and it will partially answer
the purpose; but peat charcoal will be found a more effective addition.

TO CURE THE STING OF A WASP.—Apply oil of tartar, or solution of potash,
to the part affected, and it will give you instant ease.—F. E. W.

FLY WATER.—The following preparation, without endangering the lives of
children, or other incautious persons, is not less fatal to flies than a
solution of arsenic. Dissolve two drachms of the extract of quassia in
half a pint of boiling water, add a little sugar or syrup, and put the
mixture in plates.—F. E. W.

TO AVOID INJURY FROM BEES.—A wasp or bee swallowed may be killed before
it can do harm, by taking a tea-spoonful of common salt dissolved in
water. It kills the insect and cures the sting. Salt, at all times, is
the best cure for external stings; sweet oil, pounded mallows, or onions,
or powdered chalk made into a paste with water, are also efficacious.

EFFECTUAL METHOD OF CURING THE STINGS OF BEES AND WASPS.—The sting of
a bee is generally more virulent than that of a wasp, and with some
people attended with very violent effects. The sting of a bee is barbed
at the end, and, consequently, always left in the wound: that of a wasp
is pointed only, so that they can sting more than once, which a bee
cannot do. When any person is stung by a bee, let the sting, in the
first place, be instantly pulled out; for the longer it remains in the
wound, the deeper it will pierce, owing to its peculiar form, and emit
more of the poison. The sting is hollow, and the poison flows through
it, which is the sole cause of the pain and inflammation. The pulling
out of the sting should be done carefully, and with a steady hand; for
if any part of it breaks in, all remedies then, in a great measure,
will be ineffectual. When the sting is extracted, suck the wounded
part, if possible, and very little inflammation, if any, will ensue.
If hartshorn drops are immediately afterwards rubbed on the part, the
cure will be more complete. All notions of the efficacy of sweet oil,
bruised parsley, burnt tobacco, &c., appear, on various trials, to be
totally groundless. On some people, the sting of bees and wasps has no
effect, it is therefore of little consequence what remedy they apply to
the wound. However, the effect of stings greatly depends on the habit
of body a person is of; at one time a sting takes little or no effect,
though no remedy is used, which at another time will be very virulent on
the same person. I have had occasion to test this remedy several times,
and I can safely avouch its efficacy. The exposure to which persons are
subjected during the hot summer months, will no doubt render the advice
very useful, its very simplicity making it more acceptable.—W. F. C.,
_Islington_.

DISINFECTING LIQUID.—In a wine-bottle of cold water, dissolve two ounces
acetate of lead (sugar of lead); and then add two (fluid) ounces of
strong nitric acid (aqua-fortis). Shake the mixture, and it will be ready
for use.—A very small quantity of the liquid, in its strongest form,
should be used for cleansing all kinds of chamber utensils.—For removing
offensive odours, clean cloths thoroughly moistened with the liquid,
diluted with eight or ten parts of water, should be suspended at various
parts of the room.—In this case the offensive and deleterious gases are
neutralized by chemical action. Fumigation in the usual way is only the
substitution of one odour for another. In using the above, or any other
disinfectant, let it never be forgotten that _fresh air_—and plenty of
it—is cheaper and more effective than any other material.—O. N.


TOILETTE RECEIPTS.

HAIR DYE, No. 1.—I have operated upon my own cranium for at least a dozen
years, and though I have heard it affirmed that dyeing the hair will
produce insanity, I am happy to think I am, as yet, perfectly sane, and
under no fear of becoming insane; at all events, I am wiser than I once
was, when I paid five shillings for what I myself can now make for less
than twopence!—but to the question:—I procure lime, which I speedily
reduce to powder by throwing a little water upon it; then mix this with
litharge (three-quarters lime and a quarter litharge), which I sift
through a fine hair sieve; and then I have what is sold at a high price
under the name of “Unique Powder,” and the most effectual hair dye that
has yet been discovered. But the application of it is not very agreeable,
though simple enough:—Put a quantity of it in a saucer, pour boiling
water upon it, and mix it up with a knife like thick mustard; divide the
hair into thin layers with a comb, and plaster the mixture thickly into
the layers to the roots, and all over the hair. When it is all completely
covered over with it, then lay all over it a covering of damp blue or
brown paper, and bind over it closely a handkerchief, then put on a
nightcap over all, and go to bed; in the morning, brush out the powder,
wash thoroughly with soap and warm water, then dry, curl, oil, &c. I
warrant that hair thus managed will be a permanent and beautiful black,
which, I dare say, most people would prefer to either gray or red.—J. G.

HAIR DYE, No. 2.—Moisten the hair first with a solution of silver in
nitric acid, and then with a weak solution of the hydro-sulphuret of
ammonia. This is instantaneous in its effects. It is to be observed that
it also stains the skin.

SUPERFLUOUS HAIR.—Seeing a general desire for a receipt to remove
superfluous hairs, I send you one which I can recommend:—Lime, one
ounce; carbonate of potash, two ounces; charcoal powder, one drachm; mix
with warm water to a paste, and apply it to the hair. When dry, wash it
off.—W. Ll. R.

FOR THICKENING AND STRENGTHENING THE HAIR.—Skim the fat from the top
of calves’ feet while boiling; mix with a tea-spoonful of rum; shake
together. Apply night and morning.

ECONOMICAL HAIR WASH.—Take one ounce of borax, half an ounce of camphor,
powder these ingredients fine, and dissolve them in one quart of boiling
water; when cool, the solution will be ready for use; damp the hair
frequently. This wash not only effectually cleanses and beautifies, but
strengthens the hair, preserves the colour, and prevents early baldness.
The camphor will form into lumps, but the water will be sufficiently
impregnated.

TO PROMOTE THE GROWTH OF HAIR.—Mix equal parts of olive oil and spirits
of rosemary, and add a few drops of oil of nutmeg. If the hair be rubbed
every night with this, and the proportion be very gradually increased, it
will answer every purpose of increasing the growth of the hair. I have
tried this, and recommended it to others, with the best effect.—E. J.

ERASMUS WILSON’S LOTION TO PROMOTE THE GROWTH OF HAIR.—Eau de Cologne,
two ounces; tincture of cantharides, two drachms; oil of rosemary and oil
of lavender, of each ten drops.

CAMPHOR CERATE FOR CHAPPED HANDS.—Take one ounce and a half of
spermaceti, half an ounce of white wax, scrape them into an earthen
vessel or pipkin (an earthen jam-pot will do), add six drachms of pounded
camphor, and pour on the whole four table-spoonfuls of best olive oil;
let it stand before the fire till it dissolves, stirring it well when
liquid. Before you wash your hands, take a small piece of the cerate, and
rub it into your hands, then wash them as usual. Putting the cerate on
before going to bed is very good. The ingredients cost one shilling, and
this quantity will last for three winters. The vessel should be covered,
to prevent evaporation.

MACASSAR OIL TO MAKE THE HAIR GROW AND CURL.—Olive oil, one pound; oil of
origanum, one drachm; oil of rosemary, one drachm and a quarter. Mix.

TO MAKE A CURLING FLUID FOR THE HAIR.—Melt a bit of white bees’ wax,
about the size of a filbert kernel, in one ounce of olive oil; to this
add one or two drops of attar of roses.

TO SOFTEN THE SKIN, AND IMPROVE THE COMPLEXION.—If flour of sulphur be
mixed in a little milk, and after standing an hour or two, the milk
(without disturbing the sulphur) be rubbed into the skin, it will keep
it soft, and make the complexion clear. It is to be used before washing.
This recipe is used in my family every day, and found to answer.—G. W.

TO WHITEN THE NAILS.—Diluted sulphuric acid, two drachms; tincture of
myrrh, one drachm; spring water, four ounces. Mix. First cleanse with
white soap, and then dip the fingers into the mixture.—N.

TO WHITEN THE HANDS.—Take a wine-glassful of Eau de Cologne, and another
of lemon-juice; then scrape two cakes of brown Windsor soap to a powder,
and mix well in a mould. When hard, it will be an excellent soap for
whitening the hands.

AN EXCELLENT EYE-WASH.—I send you the following recipe, having found it
very useful in my own case. It is especially adapted to relieve the pain
and weakness incident to the eyes of elderly people, when depending on
debility of the optic nerves:—Take sulphate of zinc, one drachm; spirit
of camphor, three drachms; distilled water, hot, four ounces; rose-water,
eight ounces. Pour the boiling water upon the zinc and camphorated spirit
in a closed vessel, and when cold, strain through linen or fine tow; then
add the rose-water.—J. WILSON, _Cork_.

FOR WEAK EYES.—Two grains acetate of zinc, in two ounces of rose-water;
filter the liquor carefully, and wash the eyes night and morning. I have
used the above for many years.—M. A. S.

GOULARD LOTION, OR LEAD WASH.—This may be made by dissolving one drachm
of sugar of lead in a pint of soft water. Some persons are very fond of
using this wash, with the addition of spirits of wine, as an evaporant;
but I do not like it, for it renders the skin very dry and harsh, and
its sedative virtue acting through unbroken skin, is not of much value.
Under other circumstances, it is very often useful. When used as a wash
for the eyes, two grains of the sugar of lead are to be dissolved in two
table-spoonfuls of water.

TO FILL A DECAYED TOOTH.—Procure a small piece of gutta-percha, drop it
into boiling water, then, with the thumb and finger, take off as much
as you suppose will fill up the tooth _nearly_ level, and while in the
soft state press into the tooth; then hold on _that_ side of the mouth
cold water two or three times, which will harden it.—The writer of this
chanced to try it, and for two years has found it very successful; of
course the breath is sweeter, and the tooth free from cold.—G. A. M.

NEW METHOD OF FILLING TEETH.—Mix thirteen parts of pure finely powdered
caustic lime with twelve parts of anhydrous phosphoric acid. This powder
is moist during the mixing, and, while in that state, is to be introduced
into the decayed tooth. The place in the tooth is to be made dry before
receiving the mixture. This kind of filling must be used two or three
minutes after being prepared. Soon after it is lodged in the decayed
cavity, it becomes very solid.—E. A. C.

SIMPLE MEANS OF REMOVING TARTAR FROM THE TEETH.—In the summer months,
tartar may be effectually removed from the teeth, by partaking frequently
of strawberries.

TOOTH-POWDER.—Powdered orris-root, half an ounce; powdered charcoal, two
ounces; powdered Peruvian bark, one ounce; prepared chalk, half an ounce;
oil of bergamot or lavender, twenty drops. These ingredients must be well
worked up in a mortar, until thoroughly incorporated. This celebrated
tooth-powder possesses three essential virtues, giving an odorous breath,
cleansing and purifying the gums, and preserving the enamel; the last
rarely found in popular tooth-powders.—C.

SIMPLE MODE OF CLEANSING THE TEETH.—Take a tooth-brush, which, after
having dipped it in water, rub upon your cake of soap, and then apply to
the teeth; the mouth can easily be cleansed of the soap-suds, by rinsing
with water. I have found this simple receipt very effective.—J. T.

EXCELLENT DENTIFRICE.—I have used the following dentifrice for seven
or eight years uninterruptedly, and can confidently recommend it as
excellent and economical:—Procure a lump of whiting, and scrape off
as much, in fine powder, as will fill a pint pot. Take two ounces of
camphor, moisten it with a few drops of brandy or spirit of wine, and rub
it into a powder. Mix this with the whiting, and add to it half an ounce
of powdered myrrh. Put the whole into a wide-mouthed bottle, and cork
down. A small portion of this may be emptied into a box every few days
for use. By keeping it corked down, it will be as fragrant at the end of
the year as when made. If too strong of the camphor, it will be easy to
add a little more whiting.—T. K.

COLD CREAM.—Sweet almond oil, seven pounds by weight; white wax,
three-quarters of a pound; spermaceti, three-quarters of a pound;
clarified mutton suet, one pound; rose-water, seven pints; spirits
of wine, one pint. Directions to mix the above:—Place the oil, wax,
spermaceti, and suet in a large jar; cover it over tightly, then place
it in a saucepan of boiling water (having previously placed two or more
pieces of fire-wood at the bottom of the saucepan, to allow the water
to get underneath the jar, and to prevent its breaking); keep the water
boiling round the jar till all the ingredients are dissolved; take it
out of the water, and pour it into a large pan previously warmed and
capable of holding twenty-one pints; then, with a wooden spatula, stir in
the rose-water, cold, as quickly as possible (dividing it into three or
four parts at most), the stirring in of which should not occupy above
five minutes, as after a certain heat the water will not mix. When all
the water is in, stir unremittingly for thirty minutes longer to prevent
its separating, then add the spirits of wine and the scent, and it is
finished. Keep it in a cold place, in a white glazed jar, and do not cut
it with a _steel_ knife, as it causes blackness at the parts of contact.
Scent with otto of roses and essential oil of bergamot to fancy. For
smaller quantities, make ounces instead of pounds.—R. S.

ROSEMARY POMATUM.—Strip from the stems two large handfuls of recently
gathered rosemary. Boil these in a well-tinned saucepan, with half a
pound of hog’s lard, till reduced to four ounces. Strain it, and put it
into a pomatum pot. Oils for the hair may be made by simply stirring any
essential oils into oil of ben, oil of almonds, olive oil, or castor
oil. The pink and red oils are coloured by being heated to the boiling
point, and poured upon alkanet root. But such preparation is bad, because
heating the oil to the point necessary to make it act upon the dye of the
alkanet root, gives it a tendency to become rancid. Coloured oils should
therefore be avoided, if it be for this reason only; but for ladies who
wear caps, there is a still stronger—coloured oils always stain these
caps.—W.

POMATUM.—Take of white mutton suet four pounds, well boiled in hot water
(three quarts), and washed to free it from salt. Melt the suet when dried
with a pound and a half of fresh lard, and two pounds of yellow wax. Pour
into an earthen vessel, and stir it till it is cold; then beat into it
thirty drops of oil of cloves, or any other essential oil whose scent you
prefer. If this kind of pomatum is too hard, use less wax.

TO MAKE COURT-PLASTER.—Stretch tightly, some thin black or flesh-coloured
silk in a wooden frame, securing it with packthread or small tacks. Then
go all over it with a soft bristle brush, dipped in dissolved isinglass
or strong gum arabic water. Give it two or three coats, letting it dry
between each. Then go several times over it with white of egg.—J. MANSON.

ROSE LIP SALVE.—Eight ounces sweet almond oil, four ounces prepared
mutton suet, one ounce and a half white wax, two ounces spermaceti,
twenty drops otto; steep a small quantity of alkanet root in the oil, and
strain before using. Melt the suet, wax, and spermaceti together, then
add the chloric oil and otto.—R. S.

BANDOLINE FOR THE HAIR (A FRENCH RECEIPT).—To one quart of water put
half an ounce of quince pips, boil it nearly an hour, stirring it well,
strain it through a piece of fine muslin, let it stand twenty-four
hours, and then add fourteen drops of the essential oil of almonds. A
dessert-spoonful of brandy may be added, if required to keep a long
time.—E. I.

BANDOLINE FOR THE HAIR.—Take of castor oil, two ounces; spermaceti, one
drachm; oil of bergamot, one drachm. Mix with heat and strain; then beat
in six drops otto of roses. If wished coloured, add half a drachm of
annatto. Tried and recommended by W. B. W. K. Cost, 1s. 4d.

ELDER-FLOWER OINTMENT.—This is the mildest, blandest, and most cooling
ointment, as the old women term it, which can be used, and is very
suitable for anointing the face or neck when sun-burnt. It is made of
fresh elder-flowers stripped from the stalks, two pounds of which are
simmered in an equal quantity of hog’s lard till they become crisp, after
which the ointment, whilst fluid, is strained through a coarse sieve.

BEAR’S GREASE (IMITATIVE).—Hog’s lard, sixteen ounces; flour of benzoin
and palm oil, of each a quarter of an ounce. Melt together until
combined, and stir until cold. Scent at pleasure. This will keep a long
time.

POMADE VICTORIA.—This highly-praised and excellent pomade is made in
the following way—and if so made, will be found to give a beautiful
gloss and softness to the hair:—Quarter of a pound of honey and half
an ounce of bees’ wax simmered together for a few minutes, and then
strain; and of oil of almonds, lavender and thyme, half a drachm each.
Be sure to continue stirring till quite cold, or the honey and wax will
separate.—Tried and recommended by W. W.

COLD CREAM.—Lard, six ounces; spermaceti, one ounce and a drachm and a
half; white wax, three drachms; rose-water, three ounces; carbonate of
potass, fifteen grains; spirits of wine, three-quarters of an ounce;
essential oil of bergamot, three drachms. Melt the three first, then
add the rose-water, carbonate of potass, and spirits of wine, stirring
well, and when nearly cold add the perfume. I can safely say that this is
first-rate, having made many pounds of it.—G. R. M. D.

TO PERFUME LINEN.—Rose leaves dried in the shade, or at about four feet
from a stove, one pound; cloves, carraway seeds, and allspice, of each
one ounce; pound in a mortar, or grind in a mill; dried salt, a quarter
of a pound. Mix all these together, and put the compound into little
bags.—S., _Clapham_.

POT-POURRI.—Take of orris-root, flag-root, bruised, each four ounces;
yellow sandal-wood, three ounces; sweet cedar-wood, one ounce; gum
benzoin, storax, of each one ounce; cloves, half an ounce; nutmegs, one
ounce; patchouli leaves, one ounce. The above should be all coarsely
powdered, and well mixed. Then add—bay salt, one pound; rose leaves,
three ounces; essence of lemon, half a drachm; millefleurs, one drachm;
oil of lavender (English) twenty drops; musk, ten grains. The above may
be used for _saquets_, if the bay salt and rose leaves are omitted,
substituting for the latter ten drops of otto of roses. The above forms a
grateful perfume, and will retain its scent for a considerable time. It
may be relied upon as excellent.—W. G. G.

TO MAKE EAU DE COLOGNE.—Rectified spirits of wine, four pints; oil of
bergamot, one ounce; oil of lemon, half an ounce; oil of rosemary, half
a drachm; oil of neroli, three-quarters of a drachm; oil of English
lavender, one drachm; oil of oranges, one drachm. Mix well and then
filter. If these proportions are too large, smaller ones may be used.—A.
L.

TO EXTRACT THE PERFUME OF FLOWERS.—Procure a quantity of the petals of
any flower which has an agreeable flavour; card thin layers of cotton
wool, which dip into the finest Florence oil; sprinkle a small quantity
of fine salt on the flowers, and place layers of cotton and flowers
alternately, until an earthen or wide-mouthed glass vessel is quite full.
Tie the top close with a bladder, and lay the vessel in a south aspect,
exposed to the heat of the sun, and in fifteen days, when opened, a
fragrant oil may be squeezed away from the whole mass; little inferior
(if roses are made use of) to the dear and highly-valued otto, or odour
of roses.

ESSENTIA ODORIFERA.—Take of musk grain, ten grains; civet, five grains;
Peruvian balsam, twelve grains; oil of cloves, four drops; oil of
rhodium, two drops; sub-carbonate of potash, half a drachm; rectified
spirits of wine, two ounces. Digest them together in a close vessel, with
a heat equal to that of the sun in summer (78 deg. Fahr.) for several
days, and afterwards pour off the essence for use. This is an exquisite
perfume, and a single drop gives a fine flavour to many ounces of other
liquors.—K.

A VERY PLEASANT PERFUME, AND ALSO PREVENTIVE AGAINST MOTHS.—Take of
cloves, caraway seeds, nutmegs, mace, cinnamon, and Tonquin beans, of
each one ounce; then add as much Florentine orris-root as will equal the
other ingredients put together. Grind the whole well to powder, and then
put it in little bags, among your clothes, &c.—A. L.

TO LOOSEN THE STOPPERS OF SMELLING-BOTTLES.—If the stopper is firmly
fixed by means of the salts contained within the bottle, do not attempt
to strike the stopper, but add as much citric acid to water as it will
take up, thus making what chemists term a saturated solution; or else
pour some vinegar into a tumbler, and immerse the bottle in the solution
or vinegar. In the former case a citrate of ammonia will be formed, and
in the latter case an acetate of ammonia. After the bottle has remained
in the tumbler a short time, remove it to a basin of warm water, and it
will soon be released.—K.

CLEANING COMBS.—I beg leave to offer a plan that will do away with the
“cleaning of a comb,” or, at least, in a great measure lessen that
disagreeable duty. Cut a bit of coarse flannel the size of the comb
(small-tooth comb I mean) and before you use it work the flannel on to
one edge of the comb, push it about half-way up the teeth; when you have
used it, draw the flannel off and the comb will easily be made perfectly
clean by being rinsed in water. I keep bits of flannel cut always with my
comb.—S. K. Y.

TO WASH HAIR-BRUSHES.—Never use soap. Take a piece of soda, dissolve it
in warm water, stand the brush in it, taking care that the water only
covers the bristles; it will almost immediately become white and clean;
stand it to dry in the open air with the bristles downwards, and it will
be found to be as firm as a new brush.—A RIGID ECONOMIST, _Guernsey_.

TO CLEAN HAIR OR CLOTHES-BRUSHES.—Dissolve about the size of a walnut of
washing soda, and an atom of soap in a basin _quite full_ of warm water.
Pass the hairs of the brush quickly for a few minutes on the surface of
the water without wetting either the handle or back, which always loosens
it and spoils varnish brushes; if cleaned in this manner it will save
great trouble, and last a much longer time.—M. L. J.

TO CLEAN HEAD AND CLOTHES-BRUSHES.—Put a table-spoonful of pearlash into
a pint of boiling water. Having fastened a bit of sponge to the end of a
stick, dip it into the solution, and wash the brush with it; carefully
going in among the bristles. Next pour over it some clean hot water, and
let it lie a little while. Then drain it, wipe it with a cloth, and dry
it before the fire.—J. GREGORY.

TO CLEAN SPONGE.—Immerse it in cold buttermilk, let it soak for a few
hours, and wash it out in clean water, it will be perfectly clean and
soft. This I have often tried, and never found it to fail.—J. E. C.

TO CLEAN A COMB.—Many of the readers of the _Practical Housewife_ may
perhaps smile upon seeing so simple a recipe as the one I now send,
but having during my experience as a housekeeper felt more annoyance
from trifling than material causes, I venture to send my contribution.
Tie one end of a strong silk thread to the handle of a wash-stand or
bureau-drawer. Sit down before it with a towel spread on your lap, and
holding the other end of the silk tightly in your left hand, take the
comb in your right hand and pass it hard and carefully along the thread,
which must be made to go in between all the teeth separately, so as
to remove or scrape down all the impurities. Then rub the comb with a
comb-brush, or a soft cloth; rinse it in warm soap-suds, and wipe it
dry.—M. G., _Stockport_.

TO CLEAN BOTTLES INFECTED WITH BAD SMELLS.—Put into bottles so affected
some pieces of gray or brown paper; fill them with water; shake the
bottles strongly; leave them then a day or two in this state, when,
finding them more or less affected, repeat the process, and afterwards
rinse them with pure water.—S. S. T.


FOOD FOR INVALIDS.

One of the useful accomplishments of a lady is to understand how to
make the invalid in her family comfortable. Food prepared by the kind
hand of a wife, mother, sister, friend, has a sweeter relish than the
mere ingredients can give, and a restorative power which money cannot
purchase. These receipts will enable the watchful attendant to vary
the food, as choice or symptoms may render expedient. Jellies and meat
broths, together with the various kinds of farinaceous food, are the
lightest on the stomach, as well as generally the most nutritious for an
invalid. Milk preparations are useful when the lungs are weak. Food that
the stomach can digest without distressing the patient is the kind that
gives actual strength.

TO MAKE GRUEL.—Mix a dessert-spoonful of fine oatmeal or patent groats,
in two of cold water, add a pint of boiling water, and boil it ten
minutes, keeping it stirred. _Or_,—boil a quarter of a pint of groats
in a quart of water for about two hours, and strain through a sieve.
Stir into the gruel a small piece of butter, and some sugar, nutmeg, or
ginger, grated; or, if it be not sweetened, add a small pinch of salt.

BARLEY GRUEL.—Wash four ounces of pearl-barley; boil it in two quarts
of water with a stick of cinnamon, till reduced to a quart; strain and
return it into the saucepan with sugar and three-fourths of a pint of
milk. Heat up, and use as wanted.

FLOUR CAUDLE.—Mix, smoothly, a table-spoonful of flour with a gill of
water; set on the fire in a saucepan a gill of new milk, sweeten it, and,
when it boils, add the flour and water; simmer and stir them together for
a quarter of an hour.

WHITE CAUDLE.—Make the gruel as above, strain through a sieve, and stir
it till cold. When to be used, sweeten it to taste, grate in some nutmeg,
and add a little white wine; a little lemon-peel or juice is sometimes
added. The yolk of an egg, well beaten, may likewise be stirred in when
the gruel is boiling.

RICE CAUDLE.—This may be made with water or milk; when it boils, add some
ground rice, previously mixed smoothly with a little cold water; boil
till thick enough, when sweeten it, and grate in nutmeg, or add a little
powdered cinnamon.

ARROW-ROOT.—It is very necessary to be careful not to get the counterfeit
sort; if genuine, it is very nourishing, especially for persons with weak
bowels. Put into a saucepan half a pint of water, grated nutmeg, and fine
sugar; boil up once, then mix it by degrees into a dessert-spoonful of
arrow-root, previously rubbed smooth with two spoonfuls of cold water.
_Or_,—Mix a dessert-spoonful of arrow-root, with a little cold water,
have ready boiling water in a kettle, pour it upon the arrow-root until
it becomes quite clear, keeping it stirred all the time; add a little
sugar. Where milk may be taken, it is very delicious made in the same way
with milk instead of water, a dessert-spoonful of arrow-root, and half a
pint of milk; add a small bit of lemon-peel.

TAPIOCA.—Choose the largest sort, pour cold water on to wash it two or
three times; then soak it in fresh water five or six hours, and simmer it
in the same until it becomes quite clear; then put lemon-juice, wine, and
sugar. The peel should have been boiled in it. It thickens very much.

SAGO.—Cleanse it by first soaking it an hour in cold water, and then
washing it in fresh water. To a tea-cupful add a quart of water and a bit
of lemon-peel, simmer it till the berries are clear, season it with wine
and spice, and boil it all up together. The sago may be boiled with milk
instead of water, till reduced to one-half, and served without seasoning.

SAGO MILK.—Cleanse as above, and boil it slowly, and wholly with new
milk. It swells so much, that a small quantity will be sufficient for a
quart, and when done it will be diminished to about a pint. It requires
no sugar or flavouring.

GROUND RICE MILK.—Boil one spoonful of ground rice, rubbed down smooth,
with one pint and a half of milk, a bit of cinnamon, lemon-peel and
nutmeg. Sweeten when nearly done.

RESTORATIVE MILK.—Boil a quarter of an ounce of isinglass in a pint of
new milk till reduced to half, and sweeten.

SUET MILK.—Cut one ounce of mutton or veal suet into shavings, and
warm it slowly over the fire in a pint of milk, adding a little grated
lemon-peel, cinnamon, and loaf sugar.

IMITATION OF ASSES’ MILK.—Boil together equal quantities of new milk and
water; sweeten with white sugar-candy, and strain.—Or, Stir into a gill
each of milk and boiling water a well-beaten egg, and sweeten with white
sugar-candy.

BARLEY MILK.—Boil half a pound of washed pearl-barley in one quart of
milk and half a pint of water, and sweeten: boil it again, and drink it
when almost cold.

BAKED MILK.—Is much recommended for consumption. The milk should be put
into a moderately warm oven, and be left in it all night.

CALF’S FEET AND MILK.—Put into a jar two calf’s feet with a little
lemon-peel, cinnamon, or mace, and equal quantities of milk and water to
cover them; tie over closely, and set in a slack oven for about three
hours; when cold, take off the fat: and sweeten and warm as required.

SHEEP’S TROTTERS.—Simmer six sheep’s trotters, two blades of mace, a
little cinnamon, lemon-peel, a few hartshorn shavings, and a little
isinglass, in two quarts of water to one; when cold, take off the fat,
and give nearly half a pint twice a day, warming with it a little new
milk.

ISINGLASS.—Boil one ounce of isinglass shavings, forty Jamaica
peppercorns, and a bit of brown crust of bread, in a quart of water, to a
pint, and strain it. This makes a pleasant jelly to keep in the house; of
which a large spoonful may be taken in wine and water, milk, tea, soup,
or any way most agreeable.

GLOUCESTER JELLY.—Boil in two quarts of water till reduced to one
quart, the following ingredients: hartshorn shavings, isinglass, barley
and rice, one ounce of each. When this jelly, which is light and very
nourishing, is to be taken, a few table-spoonfuls of it must be dissolved
in a little milk, together with a bit of cinnamon, lemon-peel, and sugar.
It will be very good without the seasoning.

BREAD JELLY.—Cut the crumb of a penny roll into thin slices, and toast
them equally of a pale brown; boil them gently in a quart of water till
it will jelly, which may be known by putting a little in a spoon to cool;
strain it upon a bit of lemon-peel, and sweeten it with sugar.

RICE JELLY.—Boil half a pound of rice, and a small piece of cinnamon,
in two quarts of water, for one hour; pass it through a sieve, and when
cold it will be a firm jelly, which, when warmed in milk and sweetened,
will be very nutritious; add one pint of milk to the rice, in the sieve,
boil it for a short time, stirring it constantly, strain it, and it will
resemble thick milk, if eaten warm.

STRENGTHENING JELLY.—Simmer in two quarts of soft water, one ounce of
pearl-barley, one ounce of sago, one ounce of rice, till reduced to one
quart; take a tea-cupful in milk, morning, noon, and night.

HEMP-SEED JELLY.—Bruise hemp-seeds, boil them in water, and strain;
afterwards, simmer the liquor until it is of the thickness of gruel.

TAPIOCA JELLY.—Wash the tapioca, soak it for three hours in cold water,
in which simmer it till dissolved with a piece of thin lemon-peel; then
sweeten, and take out the peel before using.

TO MAKE PANADA IN FIVE MINUTES.—Set a little water on the fire with some
sugar and a scrape of nutmeg and lemon-peel; meanwhile grate some crumbs
of bread. The moment the mixture boils up, keeping it still on the fire,
put the crumbs in, and let it boil as fast as it can. When of a proper
thickness just to drink, take it off. _Or_,—Put to the water a bit of
lemon-peel, mix the crumbs in, and, when nearly boiled enough, put some
lemon or orange syrup. Observe to boil all the ingredients, for if any be
added after, the panada will break and not jelly.

CHICKEN PANADA.—Boil a chicken, till about three parts ready, in a quart
of water; take off the skin, cut the white meat off when cold, and put
into a marble mortar; pound it to a paste with a little of the water it
was boiled in, season with salt, a grate of nutmeg, and the least bit of
lemon-peel. Boil gently for a few minutes to the consistency you like;
it should be such as you can drink, though tolerably thick. This conveys
great nourishment in a small compass.

SIPPETS.—When the stomach will not receive meat, sippets are very
nutritious, and prepared in this simple manner:—On an extremely hot
plate, put two or three sippets (small square pieces) of bread, and pour
over them some gravy, from beef, mutton, or veal, with which no butter
has been mixed. Sprinkle a little salt over.

BROTHS OF BEEF, MUTTON, AND VEAL.—Put two pounds of lean beef, one
pound of scrag of veal, one pound of scrag of mutton, sweet herbs, and
ten peppercorns, into a nice tin saucepan, with five quarts of water;
simmer to three quarts, and clear off the fat when cold. Add one onion,
if approved. Soup or broth made of different meats is more supporting,
as well as better flavoured. To remove the fat, take it off when cold
as clean as possible; and if there be still any remaining, lay a bit of
clean blotting-paper on the broth when in the basin, and it will take up
every particle. Or, if the broth is wanted before there is time to let
it get cold, put a piece of cork up the narrow end of a funnel, pour the
broth into it, let it stand for a few minutes, and the fat will rise to
the top; remove the cork and draw off in a basin as much of the broth as
is wanted, which will be perfectly free from fat.

FOR A QUICK-MADE BROTH.—Take a bone or two of a neck or loin of mutton,
take off the fat and skin, set it on the fire in a small tin saucepan
that has a cover, with three-fourths of a pint of water, the meat being
first beaten and cut in thin bits; put a bit of thyme and parsley, and,
if approved, a slice of onion. Let it boil very quickly; skim it; take
off the cover if likely to be too weak, else cover it. Half an hour is
sufficient for the whole process.

CALF’S FEET BROTH.—Boil two calf’s feet, two ounces of veal, and two
of beef, the bottom of a penny loaf, two or three blades of mace, half
a nutmeg sliced, and a little salt, in three quarts of water, to three
pints; strain, and take off the fat.

CHICKEN BROTH.—May be made of any young fowl, which is afterwards to be
brought to table; but the best sort is to be procured from an old cock
or hen, which is to be stewed down to rags, with a couple of onions,
seasoned with salt and a little whole pepper; skim and strain it.

A WEAKER KIND.—After taking off the skin and rump, put the body and legs
of a fowl, from the white meat of which chicken panada has been made,
into the water it was boiled in, with one blade of mace, one slice of
onion, and ten white peppercorns. Simmer till the broth be of a pleasant
flavour.

BEEF TEA.—Cut half a pound of lean fresh beef into slices, lay it in a
dish, and pour over it a pint of boiling water; cover the dish and let it
stand half an hour by the fire, then just boil it up, pour it off clear,
and salt it very little.

VEAL TEA is made in the same way, and CHICKEN TEA also.

ANOTHER, TO DRINK COLD.—Take one pound of lean beef, clear it from every
particle of skin, fat, or sinew, rasp or divide it into very small
pieces; then put it into a jar, and pour a quart of boiling water upon
it; plunge the jar into a kettle of boiling water, let it stand by the
side of the fire, but not near enough to simmer, and allow it to grow
cold. Then strain the beef tea through a muslin sieve, and, if the
patient be very delicate, filter it through blotting-paper. This tea
is to be taken when cold, and will remain upon the stomach when other
nourishment fails; it may be given to infants.

EGGS.—An egg broken into a cup of tea, or beaten and mixed with a basin
of milk, makes a breakfast more supporting than tea alone. An egg
divided, and the yolk and white beaten separately, will afford two very
wholesome draughts, and prove lighter than when taken together. Eggs
very little boiled, or poached, taken in small quantities, convey much
nourishment; the yolk only, when dressed, should be eaten by invalids.

STEW FOR PERSONS IN WEAK HEALTH.—Cut veal into slices, and put them into
an earthen jar, with sliced turnips, and a little salt; cover closely,
set the jar up to the neck in boiling water, and stew till the meat is
tender.




DOMESTIC MANIPULATION.

Under the head of Domestic Manipulation, we propose giving a series of
instructions on the numerous and essential manual operations that are
constantly being required in every family, and which, whether they are
well or ill done, must of necessity be performed. The term Domestic
Manipulation, employed in the widest sense, would include all the manual
operations required in a house, but we propose to limit it to such as
partake in a slight degree of a chemical or other scientific character;
thus the operations of Filtering, Decanting, Weighing, Measuring,
Bottling, Corking, Unstoppering, Pounding, Heating, Boiling, Distilling,
Cementing, &c., &c., will be included; whilst Dusting, Washing, and
Scrubbing, though no less, in strictness, manipulations, will be passed
over in silence. These general directions will be followed by a number
of Receipts and Hints tried and recommended by numerous intelligent
Housekeepers.


I.

CLEANING, DRYING, CORKING, TYING DOWN, STOPPERING, AND UNSTOPPERING.

CLEANING.—Perhaps no more effectual and easy mode of cleaning wine and
beer bottles can be recommended than that commonly adopted, viz., the
use of small shot and water; in the case of old port wine bottles,
however, it often occurs that the mechanical action of the shot fails
to remove the hardened crust from the interior; a small quantity of
pearlash or soda, or still better, the washing liquids described in
another page, added to the water, will soften the crust sufficiently to
permit its easy removal; there is, however, one objection to the use of
shot for the purpose of cleaning bottles; unless due care be taken, by
the violence of the shaking it often happens that several become firmly
wedged between the bottom and sides of the bottles, and are not removed
by the subsequent rinsings with clean water, and if the bottles are used
for acid wines or other liquids (almost all our home-made wines contain
a considerable portion of free acid), the shots are slowly dissolved;
and from the metallic arsenic which they contain, as well as from the
lead itself, the liquid is rendered poisonous. This effect may be readily
guarded against by removing any shots which may have become fixed, by a
stiff wire slightly hooked at the end.

Decanters are formed of flint glass, which is much softer and more
readily scratched than the common kinds, they require therefore a less
rough treatment; in general, warm (not boiling) water, with the addition
of a few pieces of coarse brown paper, and if requisite a little soda,
will be found effectual; should greater force be required, a small
portion of tow wrapped round the notched end of a moderately stiff wire,
and used with a little strong soda, will be found sufficient. Sand or
ashes should never be employed in cleaning decanters, as they roughen and
totally disfigure the brilliant surface of the glass.

DRYING.—It is scarcely necessary to speak of the advantages of being
able to dry thoroughly both decanters and common bottles; if the former,
after having been cleaned, are put away wet, they become musty; and many
liquids are much injured by being put into wet bottles. Some of our
readers have doubtless experienced the inefficiency of the ordinary means
for drying decanters, &c., after draining for some days they still remain
damp, and if placed near a fire the warmth merely drives the vapour to
the colder part of the vessel; they may, however, be readily and quickly
dried after draining, by making them slightly warm and blowing in fresh
air with a pair of bellows, which rapidly carries out the damp vapour,
and leaves the vessel perfectly dry. If bellows are not at hand, the damp
air may be _drawn out_ (not blown) with the mouth, assisted by a tube
sufficiently long to reach nearly to the bottom of the decanter; in the
laboratory a piece of glass tube is usually taken, being always at hand,
but for domestic use a piece of paper may be rolled up so as to form an
extemporaneous and effectual substitute.

CORKING.—Little can be said with regard to the corking of bottles, beyond
stating the fact that cheap bad corks are always dear; the best corks
are soft, velvety, and free from large pores; if squeezed they become
more elastic and fit more closely. If good corks are used of sufficiently
large size to be extracted without the corkscrew, they may be employed
many times in succession, especially if they are soaked in boiling water
after, which restores them to their original shape, and renews their
elasticity.

[Illustration: _Fig. 1._]

TYING DOWN.—The operation of tying down corks merits a longer notice, as
without it many effervescent wines and liquids could not be preserved.
The most common mode of fastening down corks, is with the ginger beer
knot, which is thus made:—First the loop is formed as in Fig. 1, then
that part of the string which passes across the loop is placed on the
top of the cork, and the loop itself passed down around the neck of the
bottle, and by pulling the ends of the cord is made tight beneath the
rim; the ends of the string are finally brought up, and tied either in
a double knot, or in a bow on the top of the cork. When ginger beer is
made at home it will be found most advantageous to use the best corks,
and to tie them down with a bow, when both corks and strings may be made
use of repeatedly.

[Illustration: _Fig. 2._]

[Illustration: _Fig. 3._]

For effervescent wines, such as champagne, gooseberry, &c., which require
to be kept a longer time, and are more valuable, a securer knot is
desirable, which may be made thus:—A loop as in _Fig. 2_ is first formed,
and the lower end is then turned upwards and carried behind the loop, as
shown at _Fig. 3_; it is then pulled through the loop as in _Fig. 4_, and
in this state is put over the neck of the bottle; the part a being on one
side, and the two parts of the loop on the other; on pulling the two ends
the whole becomes tight round the neck, and the ends, which should be
quite opposite, are to be brought up over the cork, twice twisted, as in
_Fig. 5_, and then tied in a single knot.

[Illustration: _Fig. 4._]

[Illustration: _Fig. 5._]

STOPPERING.—The stoppering of bottles is an operation usually performed
by the makers; it may, however, be useful to know that badly fitting
stoppers may be readily fitted by re-grinding; this is done by dipping
the stopper in a mixture of fine sand, or still better, emery and water,
replacing it, and turning it backwards and forwards with a slight
pressure; fresh sand must be applied from time to time. When the fitting
is exact, so that the stopper turns freely without shaking, the whole may
be finished off by using a little fine emery and oil.

UNSTOPPERING.—This operation is much more likely to be required than the
one last described, for the stoppers of decanters, smelling-bottles, &c.,
from various causes, frequently become fixed, and many are the fractures
both of bottles and stoppers, caused by the misdirected efforts to
remove them. In treating of the various means that may be employed, we
will mention them in the order in which they should be tried, beginning
with the simpler and more easy, and passing on to those which are more
effectual, and at the same time, unfortunately, more dangerous. The first
method, then, that should be tried, is to press the stopper upwards with
the fore-finger and thumb of the left hand (the other fingers holding
the neck of the bottle), and at the same time giving the stopper a
succession of short, sharp, light taps, with the wooden handle of a
chisel, knife, or small hammer; care must be taken not to strike the
stopper with sufficient force to break it, and it should be borne in mind
that it is not the force of the blow, but the vibration, or jar, which is
effectual in loosening it; should this plan be found ineffectual after
a short trial, it may probably be from the stopper being cemented by
some substance, such as the dried sugar of a sweet wine. In such cases
we should endeavour to dissolve the cement by a suitable solvent, which
should be placed in the groove between the stopper and the bottle; thus,
if the stopper is cemented with sugar, gum, or salt, water may be used;
in many circumstances, oil is advantageous, or spirit, or even strong
acid may be used; whatever liquid is employed it should be allowed to
remain some days, being renewed if requisite, and the tapping, &c.,
should be again had recourse to.

Should these methods fail, a piece of cloth may be dipped in very hot
water and wrapped round the neck of the bottle, when the heat causes the
expansion of the glass, and if the stopper be tapped or twisted _before_
the heat has had time to enlarge it, its removal may be effected; this
operation must necessarily be a quick one, for if the stopper is heated
and enlarged, as well as the bottle, it is obvious that no benefit will
result. In the laboratory it is often customary to heat the bottle,
not by a strip of cloth dipped in hot water, but by turning it rapidly
over the flame of a lamp; in this way there is more danger of cracking
the bottle, and the plan is not to be recommended in general, although
employed with considerable success by those who, like operative chemists,
are constantly in the habit of applying heat to glass vessels; it will
at once be seen that the plan is fraught with great danger if applied to
bottles containing inflammable liquids, as spirits, &c.

[Illustration: _Fig. 6._]

The most effectual mode of removing stoppers, especially those of small
bottles, such as smelling-bottles, remains to be described. Take a piece
of strong cord, about a yard or four feet in length, double it at the
middle, and tie a knot (_Fig. 6_, _b_) so as to form a loop (_a_) of
about four inches in length at the doubled end, bring the knot close
to one side of the stopper, and tie the ends tightly together on the
opposite side, as at _Fig. 7_, _e_, so as to fasten the string securely
round the neck of the stopper; now pass one of the ends through the loop
(_a_), and tie it firmly to the other end; the doubled cord is next to be
placed over a bar or other support, then if the bottle is surrounded by a
cloth to prevent accidents in case of fracture, and pulled downwards with
a jerk, the force of which is gradually increased, it will be found that
in a short time the stopper is liberated. Two precautions are requisite:
one is, that the strain on both sides of the stopper is equal; the other,
that care be taken that when the stopper is liberated, it is not dashed
by the rebound against any hard substance, which would cause its fracture.

[Illustration: _Fig. 7._]


II.

CUTTING, GRINDING, AND WRITING ON GLASS.

We have described the most advantageous modes of extracting fixed
stoppers from decanters, &c. It is possible that some of our readers
may have followed our advice sufficiently well to have succeeded _in
cracking the necks of their decanters_. In case any should have been
so unfortunate, or rather we would say—if we were quite sure we were
not addressing ladies—so clumsy, let them not despair; dexterity in
manipulation comes by practice; and as no evil is without a remedy, we
will next consider what can be done with the broken decanter. Unless
it is cracked down to the bottom, it may be cut off and converted into
a handsome sugar basin; or if not high enough for that purpose, will
serve for a pickle dish, or a flower-stand, &c.; and in the same way, a
tumbler broken at the upper part will furnish an elegant salt-cellar, or
serviceable soap dish; and even common bottles, if sufficiently stout,
may be made into useful jars, instead of being consigned to the dust-heap.

The operation of cutting glass, consists in leading a crack in the
required direction; this is readily done by a hot iron rod, a piece
of pointed burning charcoal, or, what is still better, a burning
pastile—which is somewhat similar in its composition to those used for
fumigation; and which latter, although rather expensive, and inconvenient
from their shape, may be applied for the purpose. When the operation
of cutting up glass vessels into useful forms is much had recourse to,
pastiles are prepared for the purpose, being superior to a heated iron
rod, as they continue to burn and retain their heat, whilst the latter
requires to be re-heated, if the crack has to be led any considerable
distance. Pastiles are readily made by rubbing up half an ounce of
powdered gum tragacanth with water, so as to form a mucilage about
as thick as ordinary starch; this should be allowed to remain a few
hours, and then mixed with a quarter of an ounce of benzoin, previously
dissolved in the smallest possible quantity of proof spirit; after mixing
them together in a mortar, as much powdered charcoal should be added
as will form a stiff paste, and the whole well worked together, rolled
into sticks the size of a common black-lead pencil, and dried. As thus
prepared, they should be free from cracks, and solid throughout; and on
being ignited at the end, they will burn steadily away to a point. If
an iron rod is used, it should be nearly as stout as the little finger,
and taper at the end for an inch and a half to a blunt point. Before
commencing the line along which it is wished to divide the glass, it
should be marked with a pen and ink, and allowed to dry, when the iron,
heated to dull redness, or the lighted extremity of the pastile, should
be brought to the end of a crack, being held in a slanting direction with
regard to the glass, as shown in the cut, and slowly moved in an oblique
direction towards the line; the crack will be found to follow the heated
point, and may be thus led as required, even passing over parts varying
very considerably in thickness, as in the case of the flutings on a cut
decanter; but it cannot, with certainty, be made to pass suddenly from
a very thin to a very stout part, or the reverse: thus it may be led
around the sides of a tumbler, but could hardly be made to pass down one
side, across the bottom, and up the other. The rapidity with which the
operation is performed, depends upon the heat of the iron or pastile;
if the former is very hot, or the latter made to burn more vividly by
blowing upon it, the operation is quickened, but it is not performed with
so much certainty, as the crack may pass on further than is desirable:
care should be taken not to lead the crack too near the edge of the
vessel, or to another crack, as in that case it is apt to leave the
proper course, and fly suddenly to the edge, to which an inexperienced
operator should not attempt to go nearer than half an inch.

[Illustration]

It sometimes occurs that a piece is broken out of a glass, without
leaving any crack to commence from; in this case, one must be made, by
heating the edge (one formed by the fracture, if possible), with the iron
or pastile, and instantly applying the moistened finger. When a crack is
formed which may be used as described above, care must be taken not to
cause an extensive fracture, which may run across the intended line of
division; this may be avoided by commencing the crack at some distance
from the line, and by applying the heated point for a very short time,
preferring to make two or three unsuccessful attempts rather than to
hasten the operation, and risk the destruction of the glass. When a glass
vessel has been thus divided, the edges are sufficiently sharp to cut
the fingers in handling, and are usually wavy; it is therefore necessary
to make them smooth and even. The most ready way of doing this is, by
grinding them down on a flat sandstone or ordinary paving-stone, with a
little sharp sand or emery, and water, taking care to move the glass in a
circular direction, and not merely backwards and forwards; the smoothness
of the whole will depend entirely on that of the stone, and on the
fineness of the sand or emery employed. If, from any irregularity, there
is much glass to grind away, it is preferable to commence with sand, and
finish with emery on a smooth stone; if the edges are not thus ground
down, they should have the sharp angles, which are really dangerous,
removed by a fine file, which should be moistened with oil of turpentine
or camphine, as this liquid has an extraordinary effect in increasing the
action of the file upon the glass, and at the same time protecting the
steel instrument from wear.

Advantageous as cracks are in glass vessels whenever we wish to
separate them into two parts, they are by no means desirable under
other circumstances; and it is as important to know how to stop their
progress, as to lead them forward. This is readily done in stout glass,
by drilling a hole about half an inch in advance of the crack, which
gradually passes on into it, and then its further progress is arrested.
Holes may be drilled in glass with a common drill and bow, the place
being first marked with a file or flint, and the drill point kept wet
with oil of turpentine. (It is hardly necessary to state, that a crack
existing in the neck of a decanter, and liable to be forced apart with
the stopper, could not be arrested in its progress by such means.) If
necessary, a little emery powder may be used with the oil of turpentine;
and after the operation, the hole must be filled up with some cement; if
the vessel is to be used for holding liquids, a little fresh slaked lime,
moistened with equal parts of white of egg and water, may be used for
this purpose.

The grinding of glass on a flat stone with sand or emery, and water,
is often useful in making a bottle stand steadily; and by its means a
wine-glass with a broken foot may be turned to good account; for if as
much of the stem as possible is knocked off, by striking it with the back
of a knife, the remainder may be ground away so that the vessel will
stand.

One of the most important Domestic Manipulations, although one of the
most simple and easy, is the labelling of glass vessels. It is not too
much to affirm, that scores of lives might have been saved if this had
been attended to; in cases of accidental poisoning, we usually find that
the victim has drunk from some bottle which has been put away without
a label; and thus some corrosive liquid used for cleaning, or some
poisonous lotion, has been inadvertently swallowed. One of the most
ready modes of labelling glass, and other objects, consists in having at
hand a sheet of paper, which has had spread on one side some gum water,
mixed with half its weight of coarse brown sugar, and allowed to dry;
this may be cut into labels, written on, and readily attached to glass
by moistening with the tongue; the white margin of a sheet of postage
stamps answers the purpose very well. If, however, acid liquids are used,
or the vessel is placed in a damp situation, as a cellar, other means
must be had recourse to. With a little practice it is easy to write in a
legible, though not very conspicuous manner, on glass, with a gun-flint,
or with the sharp-edged fragments of common flint. In the laboratory what
is called a _writing_ diamond is used for this purpose; this should not
be confounded with a glazier’s diamond, which is used for dividing, and
not scratching glass. We would here caution our reader against writing
on glass with a diamond ring, &c., as the practice injures the jewel
considerably; in the glazier’s diamond, the natural edges of the crystal
are used, which are not liable to injury as are the cut angles of a
brilliant.

When glass vessels are exposed to damp, the best mode of writing on them
is to prepare an ink for the purpose, by mixing the common cheap varnish,
called Brunswick black, with half its weight of oil of turpentine, or
what is the same thing, in a purer state, camphine; this should be kept
in a closely corked bottle, and used with a broad nibbed quill pen; it
soon dries, and though pale, is very distinct, and almost imperishable.
If it is required much darker, about a quarter of an hour after it has
been done, a little lamp-black should be rubbed over it, with cotton
or wadding, when it immediately becomes as black as common ink, and
resists damp, and rubbing or wiping with either wet or dry cloths for
a very long time; the same ink is equally advantageous for use with
white earthenware; and although we have never had occasion to use such
a mixture, there is no doubt that a little whiting mixed thin, with any
common varnish, would furnish an equally useful ink for writing on black
bottles.


III.

DECANTING, STRAINING, AND FILTERING OF LIQUIDS.

The decanting of liquids is, under ordinary circumstances, an operation
sufficiently simple to require no explanation; but the ease and certainty
with which it can be performed, depend entirely upon the form of the
vessel from which the liquid is poured; the adhesion existing between
liquids and solids giving rise to the tendency in the former to run
down the outside of the vessel; and, if the latter is nearly full, or
very large in circumference, or the sides approach the perpendicular
direction, this accident almost always occurs. The difficulty of
returning a glass of wine to the decanter, or of pouring from one full
tumbler into another, are well-known examples of this inconvenience.

Advantage may, however, be taken of the adhesion of liquids to solids,
and by it the former may be led into the required direction. This cannot
be better illustrated than by a description of the means by which a
glass of wine may be returned, without spilling, to the decanter. If a
tea-spoon is dipped into the wine, so as to become wetted with it, and
held perpendicularly with the bowl downwards, and the point over, but
not touching the entrance into the decanter, and the edge of the glass
be made to touch the back of the spoon, it will be found, on inclining
the former, that the wine, having a perpendicular solid body to adhere
to and run down, will do so in preference to trickling along the oblique
outer surface of the wine-glass; and in this mode a liquid may be poured
steadily out of any similar vessel with so little disturbance as not
to agitate any sediment that may exist in it. In the laboratory of the
chemist, a piece of glass rod is usually employed for this purpose; but
a spoon, or pencil, or any similar substance having a surface capable of
being wetted by the liquid, answers equally well.

If, however, the vessel out of which it is wished to decant is large,
very full, or the sides, on pouring, are nearly perpendicular, the
plan is not successful; thus, it could not be employed in aiding the
transfer of the liquid from one full tumbler to another. Even this may
be accomplished without the aid of a funnel, or without spilling, by
preventing the adhesion of the liquid to the edge or side of the vessel
out of which it is poured, which may be readily done by greasing the rim,
when it will be found quite practicable to pour out of a nearly full
tumbler without spilling.

In many instances, the employment of a syphon in decanting will be found
very advantageous, particularly when the containing vessel is large,
and cannot be readily moved, or when there is any sediment which it
is desirable not to disturb. The most simple form of this instrument
consists of a tube, bent as in _Fig. 1_, with one leg shorter than the
other; this may be made of glass, pewter, or, in fact, of any kind of
stiff tubing that will retain its form—a piece of gutta-percha pipe,
carefully bent by a moderate warmth, whilst a piece of stout cord is
in the interior to prevent the sides closing together, answers very
well. Before use, the syphon must be filled with liquor; this is best
accomplished by turning it upside down, with the opening to the short leg
raised on a level with that of the long one, when the liquid should be
poured into the former. When both legs are filled, they should be closed
with the fingers; the shorter leg introduced into the liquid it is wished
to draw off; and the opening of the longer leg brought to a lower level
than that of the shorter, and on removing the fingers the liquid will
flow as in _Fig. 1_, until it is below the level of the short leg. If the
syphon is made of small tubing, or is lessened at the openings so as not
to exceed one quarter of an inch in diameter, there will be no occasion
to close the end of more than one leg with the finger, as the liquid will
not flow when it is brought to the proper position unless both orifices
are open; and thus the necessity of plunging the finger into the liquid
is obviated, and the syphon can also be used with a narrow-necked bottle,
into which the hand could not be passed.

[Illustration: _Fig. 1._]

[Illustration: _Fig. 2._]

To do away with the necessity of filling the syphon before use, the
instrument is usually made with a sucking tube, as in _Fig. 2_; in this
case, all that is requisite is, to introduce the short leg, close the
opening to the long one, and, by the action of the mouth, draw up the
liquid until both legs are full, when, on removing the finger, the stream
will flow. A very ingenious syphon of this kind is described by the
German chemist Mohr; it is thus constructed:—Take a long Eau de Cologne
bottle, and, with a file and turpentine, make a deep notch across, about
an inch and a half from the bottom; then, with a charcoal point or
pastile, or hot iron, produce a crack, and cut off the bottom, grinding
it smoothly (all these manipulations are described in our last article,
page 152); then take a tube bent at an angle of forty-five degrees, and,
by means of a _good_ cork, perforated with a rat-tail rasp, fit it
tightly in the bottom of the bottle, and add also another piece of tubing
for a suction tube; the whole will then have the appearance represented
in _Fig. 3_, and will form an exceedingly useful and very convenient
syphon.

[Illustration: _Fig. 3._]

In emptying large stone bottles or carboys, the following plan may be had
recourse to:—Perforate a sound cork with two openings by a rat-tail rasp,
and fit, air-tight, two tubes bent as in _Fig. 4_. On blowing through the
upper, the liquid will be forced to ascend and run over the bend of the
other, which will then act as a syphon. This plan is exceedingly useful
in emptying carboys of corrosive liquids as oil of vitriol, &c.; and if
all the joints are—as they should be—air-tight, the flow may be arrested
by closing the upper tube with the finger. In the figure the outer leg
of the syphon is shortened to save space; in practice, it must be of
sufficient length to be lower than the inner leg within the vessel.

If a syphon is required frequently for decanting the same kind of liquid,
it is found troublesome to be constantly filling it before each time of
using it; this trouble is obviated by the use of an instrument formed
with legs of equal length, which are turned up at the ends, as in _Fig.
5_; this having been filled, may be hung up in the erect position, and
the liquid will not escape, but on plunging one end into a liquid, it
will be found immediately to flow from the other, provided that the
latter is below the level of the surface of the liquid.

[Illustration: _Fig. 4._]

[Illustration: _Fig. 5._]

The operations of straining and filtering are frequently required in
domestic manipulations, and the apparatus employed usually consists of
sieves and a jelly-bag. As in many other instances, it will be found
advantageous to import several contrivances from the laboratory to the
kitchen; one of the most useful (because most simple) strainers consists
of a square frame, formed of four pieces of wood nailed together at
the corners, with a piece of calico, linen, or canvas, of suitable
fineness, tacked to the four sides; this strainer is particularly useful
in separating any solid substance—as the residue in making wines—or if
grated potatoes are put on one made of coarse cloth, the starch can be
readily washed through, leaving the useless portion on the strainer;
the cloth should not be tacked very loosely, as it bags down when
any substance is put on it, and the liquid runs away below from the
centre. This strainer is a most useful one; it is readily made, of any
degree of fineness, and of any size; and it also possesses the great
advantage, that, if necessary, the tacks fastening the cloth can easily
be withdrawn, when the substance remaining can be rolled up in the cloth,
and tightly squeezed to express the last portions of the liquid, which
are frequently the most valuable.

[Illustration: _Fig. 6._]

[Illustration: _Fig. 7._]

In cases where a finer filtration is required than can be obtained by
means of a cloth, as in cleaning turbid wine or spirit, the use of
filtering-paper is recommended; this paper is merely a stouter kind of
blotting-paper, thick varieties of which answer very well for domestic
purposes; it is most simply used by taking a square piece, folding it
into half—by bringing the two opposite edges together—and then folding
the oblong so obtained across its length; by this means a small square
is obtained, one quarter the original size, which may be opened into a
hollow cup, having three thicknesses of paper on one side, and one on the
other; this is to be placed, with the point downwards, in a funnel, and
the liquid poured in; and as soon as the pores of the paper are expanded
by the moisture, it will be found to flow through perfectly clear; care
must be taken in making the filter, not to finger it much where the two
foldings cross each other, as a hole is readily made at that part, and
the filter spoiled. The objection to this simple contrivance is, that
from its flat sides applying themselves closely to those of the funnel,
the flow of the liquid is impeded, and is, therefore, slow. This effect
may be obviated by the use of the plaited filter, the construction of
which we will endeavour to describe. A square piece of filtering, or
stout blotting-paper, is to be doubled, and the oblong so obtained is
to be again folded in half, when if the last fold is opened, it will
have the appearance of _Fig. 6_. From the corners _b b_, folds are to be
creased in the direction towards _a_, but not reaching it for half an
inch; these are indicated by the dotted lines, which divide the double
paper into four triangles, each of which is to be again folded into
eighths, and care must be taken that all the folds are made the same way,
that is, projecting to the same side of the paper. When complete, the
double and creased paper will appear as _Fig. 7_. Now divide each eighth
into half, by a fold in the _opposite_ direction to those previously
made, when it will be found that the whole will fold up like a paper fan;
the projecting loose ends which are formed by the corners _b_, should be
cut off, and the double sides separated for the first time by blowing
them apart, when the whole may be readily opened out as in _Fig. 8_.
In making this filter, which takes a much less time than to follow the
description, two precautions are requisite. The folds should be made at
once with one firm pressure, and not with a series of rubbings; and all
the creases should stop short of the middle, otherwise a hole will be
made at that point, long before the filter is completed. The advantages
of this filter are, that it exposes a large surface for the liquid to
pass through; and from its only being in contact with the funnel where
the angles project, the current flows away readily.

[Illustration: _Fig. 8._]

The best means for filtration of water, and the construction of water
filters will be treated of when we speak of the “domestic manipulation”
connected with that liquid.


IV.

THE MANUFACTURE AND USE OF CEMENTS.

The term cement, includes all those substances employed for the purpose
of causing the adhesion of two or more bodies, whether originally
separate, or divided by an accidental fracture. As the substances that
are required to be connected together are exceedingly various, and
differ very much in their properties as to texture, &c., &c., and as the
conditions under which they are placed, with regard to heat and moisture,
are also exceedingly variable, a number of cements, possessed of very
different properties, are required; for a cement that answers admirably
under one set of circumstances, may be perfectly useless in others. A
vast number of cements are known and used in the various arts; but they
may all be referred to a few classes, and our object in this paper will
be to describe the manufacture and use of the best of each class, and
also to state what are the general principles upon which the success or
failure of cementing usually depends.

The different parts of a solid are held together by an attraction between
their several particles, which is termed the attraction of cohesion,
or cohesive attraction. The amount of this varies with the substance;
thus, the cohesion of the particles of iron to one another is enormously
great, whilst that between those of chalk is but small. This attraction
acts only when the particles are in the closest possible contact; even
air must not be between them. If, after breaking any substance, we could
bring the particles into as close contact as before, and remove the
air, they would re-unite, and be as strongly connected as ever. But,
in general, this is impossible; small particles of grit and dust get
between them; the film of interposed air cannot be removed; and thus,
however firmly we press the edges of a broken cup together, it remains
cracked china still. _Perfectly_ flat, clean surfaces, like those of
freshly ground plate-glass, may sometimes be made to cohere, so that
the two pieces become one, and cannot be separated without breaking.
The attraction of cohesion takes place between the parts of the same
substance, and must not be confounded with that of adhesion, which is
the attraction of different substances to one another; for example, the
particles of a piece of wood are united by cohesive attraction, whilst
the union of glue and wood to each other depends on adhesive attraction.
And it is important that this distinction be borne in mind, for, in
almost all cases, the cohesion between the particles of the cement is
very much less than the adhesion of the cement to other bodies; and if
torn apart, the connected joint gives way—not by the loosening of the
adhesion—but by the layer of cement splitting down the centre. Hence the
important rule, that the _less_ cement in a joint, the stronger it is.
Domestic manipulators usually reverse this, by letting as much cement as
possible remain in the joint, which is, therefore, necessarily a weak
one. A thick, nearly solid cement, which cannot be pressed out of the
joint, is always inferior to a thinner one, of which merely a connecting
film remains between the united surfaces.

Having thus mentioned the general principles that ought always to be
borne in mind, we will now proceed to describe the manufacture of some of
the more useful cements, and their mode of use.

MOUTH GLUE affords a very convenient means of uniting papers, and other
small light objects; it is made by dissolving by the aid of heat, pure
glue, as parchment glue, or gelatine, with about one quarter or one-third
of its weight of coarse brown sugar, in as small a quantity of boiling
water as possible; this, when perfectly liquid, should be cast into
thin cakes on a flat surface _very_ slightly oiled, and as it cools
cut up into pieces of a convenient size. When required for use one end
may be moistened by the mouth, and is then ready to be rubbed on any
substances it may be wished to join; a piece kept in a desk or workbox is
exceedingly convenient.

PASTE is usually made by rubbing up flour with cold water and boiling;
if a little alum is mixed before boiling it is much improved, being less
clammy, working more freely in the brush, and thinner, a less quantity is
required, and it is therefore stronger. If required in large quantity, as
for papering rooms, it may be made by mixing one quartern of flour, one
quarter pound of alum, and a little warm water; when mixed, the requisite
quantity of boiling water should be poured on whilst the mixture is
being stirred. Paste is only adapted to cementing paper; when used it
should be spread on one side of the paper, which should then be folded
with the pasted side inwards, and allowed to remain a few minutes before
being opened and used; this swells the paper, and permits its being
more smoothly and securely attached. Kept for a few days, paste becomes
mouldy, and after a short time putrid; this inconvenience may be obviated
by the use of—

PERMANENT PASTE, made by adding to each half-pint of flour-paste without
alum, fifteen grains of corrosive sublimate, previously rubbed to powder
in a mortar, the whole is to be well mixed; this, if prevented from
drying, by being kept in a covered pot, remains good any length of time,
and is therefore convenient; but unfortunately it is extremely poisonous,
though its excessively nauseous taste would prevent its being swallowed
accidentally; it possesses the great advantage of not being liable to the
attacks of insects.

LIQUID GLUE.—Several preparations under this name have from time to time
found their way into use. The liquid glue of the shops, however, is a
totally different preparation, being inodorous, and very much cheaper.
It is made by dissolving shell-lac in water, by boiling it along with
borax, which possesses the peculiar property of causing the solution of
the resinous lac. This preparation is convenient for its cheapness and
freedom from smell, but it gives way if exposed to long-continued damp,
which that made with naphtha resists.

Of the use of COMMON GLUE, very little need be said; it should always be
prepared in a glue-pot or double vessel, to prevent its being burned;
which injures it very materially; the objection to the use of this
contrivance is, that it renders it impossible to heat the glue in the
inner vessel to the boiling point; this inconvenience can be obviated
by employing in the outer vessel some liquid, which boils at a higher
temperature than pure water, such as saturated solution of salt (made
by adding one-third as much salt as water). This boils at 224° Fahr.,
12° above the heat of boiling water, and enables the glue in the inner
vessel to be heated to a much higher temperature than when pure water is
employed. If a saturated solution of nitre is used, the temperature rises
still higher.

WATERPROOF CEMENTS are very numerous; a very good one for uniting china
and glass will be found in another page. It should be stated, however,
that the gum ammoniac should be also dissolved in a small quantity
of spirit. Mastic, used instead of ammoniac, makes a clearer cement.
This mixture, under various fanciful titles, is usually sold at a most
exorbitant rate.

LIME AND EGG CEMENT is frequently made by moistening the edges to be
united, with white of egg, dusting on some lime from a piece of muslin,
and bringing the edges into contact. A much better mode is to slake
some freshly burned lime with a small quantity of _boiling_ water; this
occasions it to fall into a very fine dry powder, if excess of water has
not been added. The white of egg used should be intimately and thoroughly
mixed, by beating, with an equal bulk of water, and the slaked lime
added to the mixture, so as to form a thin paste, which should be used
speedily, as it soon sets. This is a valuable cement, possessed of great
strength, and capable of withstanding boiling water. Cements made with
lime and blood, scraped cheese, or curd, may be regarded as inferior
varieties of it. Cracked vessels, of earthenware and glass, may often be
usefully, though not ornamentally repaired by white lead spread on strips
of calico, and secured with bands of twine. But in point of strength,
all ordinary cements yield the palm to Jefferey’s Patented Marine Glue,
a compound of India-rubber, shell-lac, and coal-tar naphtha. Small
quantities can be purchased at most of the tool warehouses, at cheaper
rates than it can be made. When applied to china or glass, the substance
should be cautiously made hot enough to cement the glue, which should be
then rubbed on the edges so as to become fluid, and the parts brought
into contact immediately. When well applied, the mended stem of a common
tobacco-pipe will break at any other part in preference to the junction.
The colour of the glue unfortunately prevents its being used.

The RED CEMENT, which is employed by instrument makers for cementing
glass to metals, and which is very cheap and exceedingly useful for a
variety of purposes, is made by melting five parts of black resin, one
part of yellow wax, and then stirring in, gradually, one part of red
ochre or Venetian red; in fine powder, and previously _well dried_.
This cement requires to be melted before use, and it adheres better
if the objects to which it is applied are warmed. A soft cement, of a
somewhat similar character, may be found useful for covering the corks
of preserved fruit and other bottles, and it is made by melting yellow
wax with an equal quantity of resin, or of common turpentine (not oil
of turpentine, but the resin), using the latter for a very soft cement,
and stirring in, as before, some dried Venetian red. Bearing in mind our
introductory remarks, it will be seen that the uniting broken substances
with a thick cement is disadvantageous, the object being to bring the
surfaces as closely together as possible. As an illustration of a right
and a wrong way of mending, we will suppose a plaster of Paris figure
broken; the wrong way to mend it is by a thick plate of plaster, which
makes, not a joint, but a botch. The right way to mend it, is by means of
some well-made carpenter’s glue, which, being absorbed into the porous
plaster, leaves merely a film covering the two surfaces, and, if well
done, the figure is stronger than elsewhere.

On carefully reading over our article, we find one useful substance has
been omitted, namely, what is termed _mastic_ cement, which is used
for making a superior coating to inside walls, and which must not be
confounded with the _resin mastic_. It is made by mixing twenty parts of
well-washed and sifted sharp sand, with two parts of litharge, and one of
freshly burned and slaked quick-lime, in fine _dry_ powder. This is made
into a putty, by mixing with linseed oil; it sets in a few hours, having
the appearance of light stone; and we mention it, as it may frequently
be employed with advantage in repairing broken stonework (as stairs) by
filling up the missing parts. The employment of Roman cement, plaster,
&c., for masonry work, hardly comes within the limits of Domestic
Manipulation.


V.

DIVIDING, POWDERING, GRINDING, ETC.

The operations of chopping, powdering, grinding, &c., are so frequently
required in cooking, and the other branches of domestic economy, as to
render any description of their utility wholly unnecessary; and we may
therefore confine ourselves to describing the best means of accomplishing
the object desired. Powdering is usually performed by the aid of the
pestle and mortar. Most of the works on Cookery recommend the use of a
marble mortar; this material is about one of the worst that could be
selected for the purpose. In the first place, it is expensive; secondly,
it is rapidly corroded, even by the weak acids used for food; thirdly,
it is readily stained by oily substances; fourthly, it is absorptive of
strong flavours, imparting them readily to the next substance pounded;
and lastly, it is brittle, and even if not broken, is not calculated
to withstand much wear. By far the best material for the purpose is
the Wedgewood ware; mortars made of it are cheaper, cleaner in use,
and stronger than those of marble, and are not corroded by acids or
alkalies—their pre-eminence is so great, that they are invariably used by
druggists.

[Illustration: _Fig. 9._]

The act of powdering requires great tact and practice to perform it
neatly and rapidly. After the object has been broken into small pieces
by blows from the pestle, a grinding action is required; this should
at first be given by striking the fragments, not in the centre of the
mortar, but towards the side furthest from the operator; the pestle,
by this means, grinds over them in its descent to the centre, and much
more rapidly accomplishes their division than if mere blows are given.
After the object has been divided to a certain extent, blows are entirely
useless, and a grinding in circles becomes requisite; if the circle is
confined to one part of the mortar, the same portions get rubbed over
and over again, the others escaping; this is avoided by constantly
and regularly altering the size of the circles. If they are commenced
in the centre, they should gradually increase in size until the sides
are reached, and then contract again, and so on. By this means, the
whole of the powder is brought under the action of the pestle, and the
operation is much quicker than if performed at random. One great fault
usually committed in powdering, is the endeavour to operate on too large
a quantity of material at one time. The operation is much more rapidly
conducted if small portions are taken, and if the material is tough, and
contains much fibrous matter, the process may be very much shortened
by removing those parts which are sufficiently powdered, by sifting
from time to time through a sieve. This may be objectionable, however,
from the fine powder escaping into the air; in this case, the following
contrivance will be found useful:—A cylindrical tea-canister of the
requisite size is taken, with a loosely fitting lid, (or, if tight, the
lid may be enlarged by four slits being made partly up the sides); a
bag of lawn is dropped into the canister, the top being turned over the
edge; the powder to be sifted is put in the bag, the lid put on, and, by
tapping and shaking, the finest portions pass into the canister without
any escaping into the air—a point of very considerable importance where
the powder is irritating or expensive.

Various contrivances are constantly had recourse to, in order to render
certain substances more readily pulverisable, the contrivance varying
very much with the peculiarities of the substance. We will mention
a few of these, as they may afford useful suggestions in cases of
difficulty. All vegetable, and many mineral substances, are much more
readily powdered after having been _thoroughly_ dried; so far is this
process carried, that many drugs are dried so as to lose fifteen per
cent. of their weight before powdering. In proof of the utility of the
drying, let any person try to powder a piece of whiting as it comes from
the oilman’s; it will be found to cake together, and be more readily
powdered; if dry, however, it powders with the greatest ease. After
drying, substances should not be exposed to the air; but, unless they are
of such a nature as to be softened by heat, are better operated on while
still warm. Flints are more readily powdered by being heated to redness
and quenched in cold water; charcoal, for tooth-powder, while still warm
from drying. Gum can only be powdered whilst perfectly dry. Camphor,
which is with great difficulty powdered alone, yields readily if a drop
or two of spirit is poured on it. Substances which clog together and cake
under the pestle, are not uncommon; to these it is sometimes requisite to
add sand, which may afterwards be separated—this prevents the clogging;
but its use is often impracticable. Lime, if required in very fine
powder, for dusting over plants to kill slugs, &c., is readily obtained
by slaking it, when fresh burned, with _boiling_ water; when, if too much
water is not used, it falls into an exceedingly fine powder.

Sal-ammoniac, and some other saline bodies, are most readily powdered
by dissolving them in as small a quantity of boiling water as possible,
and stirring the solution rapidly as the water is boiled away, or as
the solution cools. Before dismissing the pestle and mortar, we may
allude to their use in mixing powders together, although a much more
ready mode of doing this is with a sieve. Two or more powders stirred
together, and passed two or three times through a sieve, are much more
intimately mixed, than if rubbed for a long time in a mortar. Metals
cannot be divided in the mortar; the most convenient mode of proceeding,
if they are fusible under a white heat, is to melt them, and pour them
whilst liquid into a pail of water, which should be full to avoid any
spluttering, and the hotter the metal, the more filmy the particles. It
is scarcely requisite to state, that the metal should be poured in a
circle, so as not to collect at one place.

Chopping is usually performed in the kitchen, with a large common knife;
but is more speedily done by some of the improved contrivances similar
to the following:—The chopping-board should be made of hard wood,
with the grain at right angles to the surface of the board, by which
it is rendered much more durable than if they are parallel to it. The
chopping-knives should be placed at right angles to the handles, and may
be of either the following patterns. If a large quantity of material has
to be acted on, we would recommend a board as above, not less than three
inches thick, and smooth on both sides, so that either may be used, of
the requisite size—say eighteen inches or two feet in diameter. On this
should stand a loose bottomless tub, to confine the materials, and the
whole resting on the floor, should be used with a knife, sufficiently
long in the handle to be employed by a person standing erect, and it
would be very convenient to have a small cross-bar for the hands, as
shown in _Fig. 12_.

[Illustration: _Fig. 10._]

[Illustration: _Fig. 11._]

[Illustration: _Fig. 12._]

Small chopping-knives are sold, consisting of three blades riveted
together, and a very convenient one is made by fastening, at convenient
distances, a number of flat circular disks, sharpened at the edges, on to
a central axis with a handle at each end.

Many substances, such as stale bread, dried herbs, &c., may be very
conveniently powdered by rubbing them through a wire sieve, of the
requisite degree of fineness. Herbs intended for use in this way, should
be dried as rapidly as possible, without being scorched, in small heaps,
before the fire; parsley and others done this way, may be powdered,
retaining their bright green colour and flavour, both of which are
preserved if they are corked tightly in bottles, and kept in a dry,
dark cupboard. The use of waxed paper to preserve dried powders in, or
for tying them down in jars, or generally as a very good substitute for
bladder, will often be found convenient. It is readily made by laying a
sheet of smooth stout paper on a warm iron plate, as the top of a kitchen
oven; on this place the thin tissue or other paper to be waxed; put a
piece of wax on it, and as it melts, rub it over, spreading it evenly.
One end of a cork, covered with two thicknesses of linen, answers very
well for a rubber. If a hot plate is not at hand, the sheet of paper may
be held before the fire, and rubbed over as it warms, with the cut edge
of a cake of white wax; but this requires the co-operation of two persons.


VI.

KNOTS, PACKAGES, PARCELS, ETC.

The poet Crabbe, speaking of the writing of the rustics, signing his
parish register, says—

            “’Tis strange that men
    Who guide the plough should fail to guide the pen!
    For half a mile the furrows even lie;
    For half an inch the letters stand awry.”

A parallel remark might with equal justice be made on the gentler sex,
who, after exercising a degree of tact, neatness, and tasteful invention,
that the self-styled “lords of the creation” might in vain hope to rival,
in the formation of a piece of needlework, knitting, netting, or crochet,
are for the most part, totally unable, when it is finished, to tie it
up so as to make a decent parcel; ladies’ packages are, in fact, the
opprobrium of the sex—the annoyance of all carriers, cads, and coachmen,
who have anything to do with their conveyance, and the torment of their
owners; the cords are certain to become loose, the knots are sure to
slip, except when a slip-knot is requisite, and then it is a fixture! It
is in the hope that we may be instrumental in improving this state of
things, that we are induced to devote this article to Knots, Packages,
Parcels, &c., and we shall at once lay before our fair readers a method
of tying a parcel neatly and securely, and at the same time affording
facilities of releasing the contents without destroying the string by
cutting it away—a too ordinary practice, especially where time is an
object.

[Illustration: _Fig. 13._]

The most simple purpose for which a knot is required, is the fastening
together of two pieces of string or cord: the knot selected for this
purpose should possess two important properties—it should be secure from
slipping, and of small size. Nothing is more common than to see two cords
attached together in a manner similar to that shown in _Fig. 13_. It is
scarcely possible to imagine a worse knot; it is large and clumsy, and
as the cords do not mutually press each other, it is certain to slip,
if pulled with any great force. In striking contrast to this—the worst
of all—we place one of the best; namely, the knot usually employed by
netters, and which is called by sailors “the sheet-bend.” It is readily
made by bending one of the pieces of cord into a loop (_a b_, _Fig. 14_),
which is to be held between the finger and thumb on the left hand;
the other cord _c_ is passed through the loop from the farther side,
then round behind the two legs of the loop, and lastly, under itself,
the loose end coming out at _d_. In the smallness of its size, and the
firmness with which the various parts grip together, this knot surpasses
every other: it can, moreover, be tied readily when one of the pieces,
viz., _a_, _b_, is exceedingly short; in common stout twine, less than
an inch being sufficient to form the loop. The above method of forming
it is the simplest to describe, although not the most rapid in practice;
as it may be made in much less time by crossing the two ends of the
cord (_a b_, _Fig. 15_) on the tip of the fore-finger of the left hand,
and holding them firmly by the left thumb, which covers the crossing;
then the part _c_ is to be wound round the thumb in a loop, as shown
in the figure, and passed between the two ends, behind _a_ and before
_b_; the knot is completed by turning the end _b_ downwards in front of
_d_, passing it through the loop, securing it under the left thumb, and
tightening the whole by pulling _d_. As formed in this mode, it is more
rapidly made than almost any other knot; and, as before stated, it excels
all in security and compactness, so firmly do the various turns grip each
other, that after having been tightly pulled, it is very difficult to
untie; this is the only drawback to its usefulness, and in this respect
it is inferior to the reef-knot, _Fig. 16_, which is made in precisely
the same manner that a shoestring is tied, only pulling out the ends
instead of leaving them as bows. The only precaution necessary in making
a reef-knot is, to observe that the two parts of each string are on the
same side of the loop; if they are not, the ends (and the bows, if any
are formed) are at right angles to the cords; the knot is less secure,
and is termed by sailors a granny-knot. Other knots are occasionally used
to connect two cords, but it is unnecessary to describe them, as every
useful purpose may be answered by those above mentioned.

[Illustration: _Fig. 14._]

[Illustration: _Fig. 15._]

[Illustration: _Fig. 16._]

The binding knot (_Figs. 17_ and _18_) is exceedingly useful in
connecting broken sticks, rods, &c., but some difficulty is often
experienced in fastening it at the finish; if, however, the string is
placed over the part to be united, as shown in _Fig. 17_, and the long
end _b_, used to bind around the rod, and finally passed through the loop
_a_, as shown in _Fig. 18_, it is readily secured by pulling _d_, when
the loop is drawn in, and fastens the end of the cord.

For fastening a cord to any cylindrical object, one of the most useful
knots is the clove hitch, which, although exceedingly simple and most
easily made, is one of the most puzzling knots to the uninitiated.
There are several modes of forming it, the most simple being perhaps
as follows:—Make two loops, precisely similar in every respect, as _a_
and _b_, _Fig. 19_, then bring _b_ in front of _a_, so as to make both
loops correspond, and pass them over the object to be tied, tightening
the ends; if this is properly done, the knot will not slip, although
surrounding a tolerably smooth cylindrical object, as a pillar, pole, &c.
This knot is employed by surgeons in reducing dislocations of the last
joint of the thumb, and by sailors in great part of the standing rigging.
The loop which is formed when a cable is passed around a post or tree
to secure a vessel near shore is fastened by what sailors term two half
hitches, which is simply a clove hitch made by the end of the rope which
is passed around the post or tree, and then made to describe the clove
hitch around that part of itself which is tightly strained.

[Illustration: _Fig. 17._]

[Illustration: _Fig. 18._]

[Illustration: _Fig. 19._]

From the tying of knots we may pass on to the tying over of bottles,
preserves, jars, &c.; the object with which this operation is performed
is either to prevent the excess of air or the escape or entrance of
moisture; the act itself is so very simple as to require no explanation;
but a few words may be said on the choice of material, which should be
varied, so as to suit the exigencies of each particular case. When a
vessel of spirit is to be tied over, leather is frequently selected—a
very erroneous practice, as the vapour of spirit passes readily through
that substance, but cannot penetrate bladder, which should be invariably
used for the purpose. So effectually is spirit confined by bladder, that
when weak spirits are put into bladders or into vessels tied over with
bladder, and allowed to remain some time, they are strengthened, as the
vapour of the water passes away, that of the spirit being retained.

Bladder, or other animal membranes of the same nature, in a moist and
flaccid state, are usually selected for tying over preserves and jams,
for which they are well adapted; should it be impracticable to obtain
them, the waxed paper described at page 165 is a very good substitute.
Many persons place a thin piece of oiled paper in the jar resting on
the jam, in addition to tying it down; this assists in excluding air
and preventing mouldiness, but we have found a piece of very thin paper
moistened with white of egg much more efficacious. The thin sheet-lead
used for lining the interior of tea-chests, or stout tin-foil, is very
advantageously used in tying down vessels containing specimens of natural
history preserved in spirits, as they effectually prevent the escape of
the latter for a long series of years. The plan usually pursued is to
tie the cork over first with a single bladder, then with the metal, and
finally with a second piece of bladder, which is afterwards covered with
a coat of black paint.

[Illustration: _Fig. 20._]

The tying up of parcels in paper is an operation which is seldom neatly
performed by persons whose occupations have not given them great
facilities for constant practice. Whether the paper be wrapped round the
objects, as is the case usually when it is much larger than sufficient
to enclose them, or merely folded over itself, as is done by druggists,
who cut the paper to the required size, it is important that the breadth
of the paper should be no more than sufficient to enable it to be folded
over the ends of the object enclosed, without passing over the opposite
side: it is impossible to make a neat or close parcel with paper which
is too broad; excess in length may be readily disposed of by wrapping
it round; but excess of breadth should be cut away. With regard to
turning in the ends, the mode adopted by grocers is the best. The most
common cause of failure in parcels is their being badly corded; we will,
therefore (however unnecessary the description of so simple a performance
may appear to those already acquainted with it), describe the most
readily acquired mode of cording.

[Illustration: _Fig. 21._]

Let a single knot be made in the end of the cord, which is then passed
round the box or parcel. This knotted end is now tied by a single hitch
round the middle of the cord (_Fig. 20_) and the whole pulled tight.
The cord itself is then carried at right angles round the end of the
parcel, and where it crosses the transverse cord on the bottom of the
box (_Fig. 21_), it should (if the parcel is heavy, and requires to be
firmly secured) be passed _over_ the cross cord, then back underneath it,
and pulled tightly, then over itself; lastly, under the cross cord, and
on around the other end of the box. When it reaches the top it must be
secured by passing it under that part of the cord which runs lengthways
(_a_, _Fig. 20_) pulling it very tight, and fastening it by two half
hitches round itself. The great cause of parcels becoming loose is the
fact of the cord being often fastened to one of the transverse parts
(as _b_, _Fig. 20_) instead of the piece running lengthways, and in this
case it invariably becomes loose. The description may perhaps be rendered
clearer by the aid of the figures, which exhibit the top and bottom of a
box corded as described. The cords, however, are shown in a loose state,
to allow their arrangements to be perceived more easily.


VII.

ON THE OPERATIONS AFFECTING WATER.

The subject of the Water supply to the Metropolis and other large towns
is one of the highest importance to the well-being of the community at
large, in whatever point of view it may be regarded—whether as affecting
the comfort, the health, or the pocket of the consumer, its influence can
scarcely be overrated. To enter, however, into this matter, affecting,
as it does, so many varied and conflicting interests, would be to pass
beyond the limits set to this series of papers; what remains for us to do
is to avail ourselves of the vast amount of scientific knowledge which
has been recently brought to bear upon the question, and to cull from it
such portions as bear directly upon _Domestic Manipulation_.

The quantity of water for domestic purposes depends mainly upon its
degree of hardness or softness; and this in its turn depends almost
entirely upon the quantity of lime dissolved in some form or other in
the water. In speaking of the quality of water, the term “degree of
hardness” is much used; thus we say that the water of the Thames is of
fourteen degrees of hardness, that of the Hampstead springs about ten
degrees, &c. &c. In these and most other cases the hardness is owing to
a certain amount of chalk (carbonate of lime) dissolved, and the degrees
of hardness correspond with the number of grains contained in a gallon
of water. Thus the Thames water, of fourteen degrees of hardness, has
in each gallon fourteen grains of chalk, and the Hampstead ten grains.
It is found, upon experiment, that one gallon (weighing 70,000 grains)
of _pure_ water will not dissolve more than two grains of chalk, and so
acquire two degrees of hardness; and that whenever more is contained in
water, the excess is always owing to the presence of carbonic acid gas,
which enables it to dissolve a much larger quantity. The practical part
of our subject depends on this fact; for if by any means we can get rid
of the carbonic acid, the dissolved chalk is necessarily precipitated,
and the hard water, unfit for culinary and domestic purposes, becomes
soft, and well adapted to both these uses. Carbonic acid is in part
expelled from water by heating it to the boiling point: a still larger
quantity is got rid of after boiling for some few minutes, and nearly
every trace disappears at the end of half an hour; and just in proportion
as the carbonic acid gas is expelled, so does the chalk fall, rendering
the water in the first instance turbid, and becoming deposited on the
interior surface of kettles, where it forms the well-known rock or _fur_.

It has been found that water of fourteen degrees of hardness lost two
degrees when merely made boil; boiling for five minutes reduced the
hardness to six degrees; and for a quarter of an hour, to little more
than four degrees. The practical application of this knowledge needs
scarcely to be pointed out. Whenever a soft water is required, boil for
several minutes before using. In making tea, for instance, the economy
and general superiority of soft water is well known. Those, however,
who use Thames water, just made to boil, employ a water of upwards of
eleven degrees of hardness: those who boil for five minutes, diminish
the hardness of the water by nearly one-half; and by boiling for a
quarter of an hour, it can be lessened to one-third. This circumstance
is one of those that prove how great a substratum of truth there is at
the bottom of most popular notions. How many a young gentleman, with a
smattering of science just enough to inform him that water gets no hotter
however long or violently it is boiled, has laughed at his grandmother’s
antiquated notions, because she requested that the water might be made
to boil thoroughly before the tea was made: the old lady could give no
very satisfactory explanation of her prejudice, yet it was not the less a
correct one.

Before going further in this matter, it may be stated that there are some
waters in which the lime is dissolved in the form of gypsum (sulphate
of lime); in these, which fortunately are rare, the hardness is of a
permanent character, and cannot be lessened by boiling. Tea made under
such circumstances may be improved, either by the addition of a _very
small_ quantity of carbonate of soda, or the tea should be kept soaking
for half an hour, under such circumstances as will retain the heat. This
latter is the plan followed in Greenwich Hospital, where they use a well
water of nineteen degrees of permanent hardness.

In washing, the use of hard water is, as is well known, extremely
prejudicial. The explanation is exceedingly simple: every degree of
hardness in a gallon of water destroys ten grains of soap; and by
following out the calculation, it will be found that 100 gallons of
unboiled Thames water waste exactly two pounds of soap before any
approach to a lather can be made. Now what is the remedy for this evil?
Simply to boil the water some time before use; one quarter of an hour’s
boiling will reduce the waste of soap from two pounds to ten ounces; and
half an hour’s boiling will still further lessen it to six ounces; but no
amount of boiling will make Thames water equal to rain water, which is
without hardness.

There is one practical matter of great importance to which we wish to
draw the attention of all concerned; it is the effect of boiling linen
in hard water. If clothes are put into cold water, and then boiled, the
precipitation of chalk (which has been so often alluded to) takes place
on the clothes, and whatever colouring matter exists in the water goes
down with the chalk, and also becomes attached to the linen, rendering it
of that disagreeable and unremovable dirty hue which is so characteristic
of certain laundries. If boiling is absolutely requisite for white
fabrics, it should be done in water which has been boiled half an hour,
allowed to stand, and then poured off from the sediment; otherwise, from
the immediate precipitation of the chalk, the dirt is boiled in and
thoroughly fixed to the fabric. A moment’s consideration will convince
any one that a deposit similar to the _fur_ in a tea-kettle cannot be
expected to improve the appearance of white linen. Where clear rain water
can be obtained, there is no objection to the boiling of clothes in it,
as, being absolutely free from lime, no precipitation can take place.
The use of soda in softening water employed in washing, is well known;
but the remedy is not without its own evil: it weakens the fibre of the
cloth, and unless it is much more thoroughly removed by rinsing than is
usually the case, it occasions a very permanent yellow tinge when the
cloth is heated.


VIII.

BOILING, STEWING, ETC.

From our last article on the properties of hard and soft water, we pass,
by a natural transition, to the employment of that liquid in the culinary
operations above named. In practice, nothing can at first sight appear
more simple than the operation of boiling, whether it be confined to the
mere heating of a liquid, or extended to the preparation of an article
of food; yet it is one which involves chemical principles of a very high
order, and which is by no means so simple a matter as it may be regarded
at a cursory glance.

To trace the steps of the process from its commencement, let us imagine
a vessel of water placed over the fire, and receiving constantly a
supply of heat from that source; the effect is, that its temperature
gradually rises from about 50° or 60°, the usual warmth of ordinary
water, to 212°, the point at which boiling takes place; but before it
reaches that height, a number of bubbles may be observed forming on the
sides of the vessel; these gradually increase in size, and when they
become sufficiently buoyant, quit their position, rise to the surface,
and escape; they consist of air previously dissolved in the water, and
which is expelled by the increased heat. Water which has been boiled
and allowed to become cold, without much exposure to the air, fails to
re-absorb the quantity it previously contained, and consequently has its
character somewhat altered. Thus, it freezes more readily than water
which has not been boiled, in consequence of the air not having to be
expelled in the act of solidifying, as is usually the case: hence, the
ice from boiled water is free from those numerous air bubbles which
are always to be observed in common ice. It possesses also a mawkish
unpleasant taste, and is totally unable to preserve the life of any
aquatic animal. The presence of this minute quantity of air in ordinary
water, is very essential to its utility. Faraday found that water,
_totally_ destitute of air, does not boil in the usual mode, but when
heated to the boiling point, it at once, with an instantaneous and
violent explosion, passes into the form of steam. This strange fact,
which shows upon what small, and, apparently, trivial circumstances, the
comfort—nay, we may truly say—the existence of man depends, is strikingly
shown by a very ingenious experiment, devised by that most celebrated
chemist. He took a piece of Wenham Lake ice (which, from peculiar local
causes, such as being formed from spring water, is totally destitute
of air), and melted it under a covering of sweet oil; this prevented
the absorption of any air during the liquefaction; on continuing the
heat, the water rose in temperature, and on reaching the boiling point,
suddenly burst into steam, with an explosive power, sufficiently great to
scatter the glass vessel in which the experiment was made into fragments;
and had it not been for a protecting covering of wire gauze, very serious
effects might have ensued.

From the precipitation of the dissolved chalk present in most kinds of
water, a cloudiness or slight turbidity is always to be observed in
boiled water.

After the escape of the air, bubbles of steam, at first very small in
size, are formed at the bottom of the vessel, those formed at first are
at once cooled from the whole water not being of an equal temperature,
and are condensed before they reach the surface: this very rapid and
successive condensation of numerous small bubbles gives rise to that
peculiar vibration which occasions what is termed the _singing_ of the
tea-kettle, and which, as is well known, is indicative of its approach
to the boiling point; when the whole water is uniformly heated, this
effect no longer occurs, but the bubbles of steam rise to the surface
and escape. After having been heated to 212°, the temperature of water
no longer rises; it is not possible, under ordinary circumstances, to
increase the temperature in the slightest degree, for all the extra heat
that is given to boiling water merely produces an increased quantity of
steam, by which it is carried off, without affecting the heat of the
remaining water. This is a matter of considerable practical importance
in cookery; and it should be always borne in mind, that the most gentle
simmer is as efficacious in cooking as the most violent boiling, for
the degree of heat in both cases is precisely the same, so that after
having once raised the water to the boiling point, the most moderate fire
is sufficient in ordinary cases to keep it there; by attention to this
point, a most enormous saving may often be effected in the consumption of
fuel, although this is a consideration that will be more fully entered
into in a subsequent article. Thick liquids, which do not readily permit
the escape of steam or the rapid motion between the particles of the
fluid, may, however, be readily heated at the part exposed to the fire
to a much higher degree, whilst those portions not immediately in contact
with the heat are much colder; from this cause they are very apt to be
charred, and if articles of food, they are totally spoiled. To avoid
this effect, recourse may be had to the _bain marie_, which is simply
the same contrivance that may be observed in a carpenter’s glue-pot,
applied to the preparation of articles of food, being merely an inner
vessel to contain the substance to be heated; this is placed in an outer
one, the space between the two containing water. On placing this on the
fire, it is obvious that the substance in the inner vessel, being heated
solely by the boiling water, cannot possibly become burnt; this most
useful contrivance is adopted in all first-class kitchens, and is equally
indispensable in the chemist’s laboratory; by its aid, soups, gravies,
&c., can be kept hot any length of time without risk, preserves made
without burning, &c.; the chief precautions required in its use are, that
the inner vessel should be thin and formed of metal, so as to allow the
rapid transmission of heat from the boiling water, and care should be
taken that the outer vessel does not boil dry. One serious disadvantage
attends its use as ordinarily employed, it is, that it is impossible to
heat substances in it to the boiling point, for the water itself is only
at that temperature, and the substance in the inner vessel is always a
few degrees below. This evil may, however, be entirely obviated, by using
a solution in the outer vessel, which boils at a higher temperature than
212°, and which will therefore raise the inner vessel and its contents to
that point; thus, if the water be made to dissolve as much common salt as
it is capable of doing, it will not boil until it is heated to 224°; or
if it is saturated with sal-ammoniac or nitre, the heat will rise 12° or
14° higher. We need scarcely say that the first of these substances will
be found a very useful and economical addition to the _bain marie_. When
chemists require a still higher temperature, they have recourse to a bath
of olive oil, which is capable of bearing a degree of heat as high as
500°; but its extreme danger over an open fire entirely precludes its use
in any culinary operation.

The mode of conducting the operation of boiling should not be uniform,
but vary with the different purposes required. Thus, in the case of
meat, a temperature of 212° hardens, instead of softening, two of the
substances which it contains; namely, the fibrine, or material forming
the chief part of the muscular fibre, and the albumen, or portion which
is analogous to white of egg; if, on the contrary, meat is cooked by
means of water at a lower temperature, the most nutritious parts are
dissolved out, and the solid food left comparatively innutritious. The
celebrated German chemist, Liebig, proposes the following plan:—he
recommends that a piece of meat of considerable size should be taken and
plunged into perfectly boiling water, over a good fire; that the water
should be kept boiling for a few minutes, and then a portion of cold
water, equal in quantity to about one-half of the boiling water, should
be thrown in: this will reduce the temperature to about 160°, at which
point the meat should be kept until thoroughly done; which, however,
takes a much longer time than in the ordinary mode.

The object of this mode of proceeding is, in the first instance, to
harden the exterior of the meat, converting it into a sort of crust,
which prevents the escape of the nutritious juices into the water, whilst
the long continuance of the gentle heat afterwards cooks the interior
without hardening either the albumen or the fibrine. Of course, where
the object of boiling is to make soup, the opposite plan must be had
recourse to; the meat should be in small instead of large pieces, put on
in cold water and very slowly heated, so that all the soluble parts may
be dissolved before the fibre is hardened by the action of boiling water.

In boiling eggs, the effect of heat in hardening the albumen is well
known; by being suddenly plunged into boiling water, the outside is
hardened to the greatest degree of which it is capable, and is thereby
rendered extremely difficult of digestion, whilst the inside is barely
warmed; if, on the contrary, they are placed in cold water, which is then
raised to the boiling point, removed from the fire, and allowed to stand
about a minute (or two, if required to be well done), it will be found
that, instead of having an almost leathery consistence, the white will be
uniformly partially hardened, and will furnish a much more pleasant and
digestible article of diet; the improvement, in fact, is so great, the
common eggs cooked in this manner very nearly approach new-laid ones in
quality.

If the operation of boiling has to be performed on any substance
containing starchy matters—as potatoes, rice, flour, &c., then the heat
must, on the contrary, be raised to a sufficient degree to burst the
little grains of which the starch consists, and liberate the interior
nutritious portions, before it can become fit food for man; uncooked
starch not being readily or easily digested. And even in the case of
those vegetable-feeding animals whose power of digesting such substances
surpasses that of man, there is the greatest advantage to be derived from
the use of cooked food, as the most intelligent and scientific farmers
at the present day well know; and we would strongly urge on those of our
readers who keep pigs, to try the experiment of baking the potatoes they
give them, for this process, like boiling, has the effect of bursting the
starch grains; they will find the effect to be that the food will go much
further, all of it being digested, and that the quality of the flesh will
be very materially improved.


IX.

ECONOMY OF HEAT.

Perhaps few of our readers are aware of the extraordinary wastefulness
of our usual processes for obtaining artificial heat; at the most
moderate computation, seven-eighths of the warmth produced by an open
fire, pass up the chimney, and are entirely useless; and according to
other estimates, which we regard as being nearer the truth, fourteen
parts out of every fifteen are thus uselessly wasted. In no other
civilized country in the world, except in England, is such an enormous
waste of fuel allowed; nor would it be the case here, were it not that
the comparatively low price of fuel, from the abundance of coal, has led
to the extravagance. It may be asked, what are the defects of a common
fire-place that render it so wasteful, and in what way is the heat
carried off? In reply it may be stated, that one-half the heat produced
passes away with the smoke and heated air arising from the fire, a
quarter is carried up by the draught of cold air from the room, which,
flowing around the fire and between it and the mantel-piece, rises with
the smoke. Again, the soot which passes away is unburned fuel, and is,
therefore, useless; and a large portion of heat is thrown downwards
on to the ashes, and is wasted; whilst the iron, of which the grates
are generally made, conveys away a very considerable quantity. On the
continent of Europe, where the cold in winter is much more intense than
in this country, and where fuel is considerably dearer than with us, the
production of heat is more economically managed—stoves of very admirable
construction being constantly had recourse to, both for the purpose of
producing warmth and for cookery. It is to the latter application of heat
that we must mainly confine ourselves in this paper, and having been at
some considerable pains in examining the various stoves and ranges now
to be obtained in this country, we place the results of our experience
before our readers.

The cooking-stove common on the continent, consists of an enclosed
fire-pan, with a grating below and a lid at the top for the supply of
fuel; this is enclosed in an oven, supported on the floor of the room
by feet, and which is heated by the warmth thrown out by the sides of
the fire-pan, and also by a flue spreading over the top, which is thus
heated; whilst the upper surface of the flue forms a hot plate, on which
many saucepans, &c., can be kept boiling, and any vessel can also be
placed over the fire by the removal of the lid. As the draught is under
perfect control, the fuel is slowly consumed; and the stove affords means
of baking, boiling, frying, and stewing, at a very small expense.

Some years since, a modification of this contrivance was introduced here,
under the title of the Bruges Stove, by Messrs. Cottam & Hallam, Oxford
Street. But it had one deficiency, which, in English eyes, overwhelmed
all its advantages, viz., that no fire was visible, and also that
boiling, toasting, and roasting, were, not to be performed by its means.

Those of our readers who visited Prince Albert’s Model Cottages opposite
the Exhibition, may have noticed a stove, looking very much like a long
oblong box, standing on four legs, having two doors in the front, one
opening into a large-sized oven, the other disclosing the fire-grate,
which was fed by the removal of a lid at the top—the draught from the
fire passed over the oven, heating it and the hot plate above. This stove
combines all the advantages of the continental cooking stoves, with the
cheerful appearance of an open fire; at the same time, by closing up the
fire-place door, it is converted into a close stove, with an excessively
small consumption of fuel. From experience in its use, we can state that
it bakes admirably, either bread or large joints of meat; at the same
time, it boils a saucepan and steamer over the fire-hole, and also four
large or six smaller saucepans on the top of the hot plate; it fries
well, and broils before the fire, and this, with less than one-half the
fuel that was employed to do a portion of the work in the range which it
has deposed. The _bain marie_, the use of which was described in our last
article, and which is so excellent a means of keeping soups, gravies,
sauces, &c., hot without burning or drying them up, is readily used with
it; and the _sauté_ pan, or deep frying-pan, which is employed as a
preliminary operation in most French-made dishes, is conveniently used.
This contrivance (which is absurdly termed by our cooks the _sooty_ pan)
derives its name from the verb _sauter_, to jump—the meat being rapidly
turned over and browned previous to stewing. The only disadvantage
attending the use of the stove is, that it is not calculated for
roasting; but every other operation in cooking, it performs infinitely
better than a common fire, and that at a consumption of less than half a
bushel of coke per day. This stove, which is termed the Cottager’s Stove
(_Fig. 1_), is made by Messrs. Benham, Wigmore Street.

[Illustration: _Fig. 1._]

Those who object to a stove of this character, preferring a range, even
at a greater sacrifice of economy, should still be somewhat guided by
correct principles in their selection; a range surrounded by iron is an
absurdity, as the metal conducts away the heat rapidly; it should be
backed and lined with fire-brick or Welsh lumps, which throw out the heat
with great power. In an open fire-place, the active combustion is wanted
in front for roasting, and there only should air enter the fire; in most
ranges the air enters below, causing the greatest heat to be thrown upon
the ashes. It may be thought that closing up the bottom would produce the
same effect as allowing it to be choked up with ashes in a common grate,
deadening the fire; this is not the case with a properly constructed
range, backed with a slanting back of fire-clay; the ashes can be readily
removed at the bottom, and from all the draught being in front, there is
a bright fire at the place where it is required. The range in the Reform
Club, which was erected by Messrs. Benham, under the direction of the
late Sir Charles Barry, the architect of the new Houses of Parliament,
is of this kind, and it is, perhaps, the finest in the world. Our common
ranges are far too deep—the burning of such a mass of coal being useless.
One of the best constructed ranges, of a small size, is Nicholson’s
Cottage Range, that obtained the prize given by the Royal Agricultural
Society; it is free from the objections raised above, and comprises an
oven and boiler; is economical in price and efficient in use. Unlike the
Cottager’s Stove, it is a fixture, requiring setting, and, therefore, is
more a subject for the landlord’s than the tenant’s consideration. It may
be seen in London at Pierce’s, in Jermyn Street. The improvements in the
use of fuel have mainly arisen from philanthropic individuals directing
their attention to improving the comfort of the working classes, and the
improvements here made have been copied for the use of the wealthier
class, by both the makers above named, as well as by others.

[Illustration: _Fig. 2._]

In situations where gas is to be obtained, it forms a ready, and, for
some purposes, very economical means of obtaining heat; its economy does
not arise from its cheapness compared with other means, but from the fact
that it need not be lighted till the instant it is required, and can be
as quickly extinguished when it has done its required duty; for heating
any vessels containing liquids, especially if the heat is required to
be only of short continuance, gas will be found extremely advantageous;
a ring burner, constructed as shown in _Fig. 2_, less than three
inches in diameter, will quickly boil a gallon of water in a metallic
vessel; burners of this description are usually used in the laboratory,
surrounded by a case made of sheet-iron or tinned plate, as _Fig. 3_;
this serves to support the vessel to be heated, to steady the jets of
flame, and to conduct every portion of hot air against the bottom; the
door also gives a ready access to the burner for the purposes of lighting
the gas.

[Illustration: _Fig. 3._]

For the domestic use of gas in heating, we believe there is no
contrivance so useful as the following:—A circular hole, from two to
four or more inches in diameter, is cut in the dresser, through which
is passed a sheet-iron tube, supported by three little elbows; this
tube projects a few inches above the table, and about a foot and a half
below; its lower end is open, and into it projects a gas pipe, furnished
with a stop-cock; the upper extremity is covered with a sheet of wire
gauze, similar to that used for blinds, on which, as shown in _Fig. 4_,
may be placed some pieces of pumice-stone, surrounded and kept together
by a broad ring—neither the pumice-stone nor the ring, however, are
essential parts of the contrivance. The action of this arrangement is
as follows:—When the gas is turned on it escapes from the pipe, rising
through the tube, and mixing with the air contained within it; this
mixture then escapes through the wire gauze, and may be lighted on its
upper side, without passing through it to the gas below; the flame
should be perfectly free from smoke, which indicates too much gas—should
be pale, colourless, and not soil any bright metal placed in it; if the
flame is in the slightest degree yellow it will do this, and then the
gas should be partly turned off—on the contrary, if there is not enough
gas, the flame will be extinguished. When lighted, the pumice becomes
red-hot, and throws out a great heat; when used in boiling, the vessel
should be supported a short distance over the flame by a trivet; if it is
made to rest on the top of the ring, and is sufficiently large to close
it entirely, the current is stopped and the flame extinguished, whilst
the unburned gas still escapes below. This contrivance is most useful,
it is lighted in an instant, is perfectly free from smoke, no unburned
gas escapes, it throws out great heat, and may be employed to heat bright
tools with much more convenience than a charcoal fire: the objections to
its use are, that in burning it produces, as all gas does, a quantity of
carbonic acid gas, deteriorating the air, and that the flame cannot be
very much enlarged or diminished, so that if fires of different power
are required, two or more of the contrivances must be put in order.
Otherwise, the instantaneous action, small cost, great heating power,
and cleanliness of the plan, strongly recommend it. In summer weather,
in many small families, it can be made to dispense altogether with the
use of a fire. By a little variation, the whole contrivance may be made
to stand on the table like _Fig. 2_; in this and other cases, vulcanized
India-rubber will be found to form by far the best kind of flexible tube,
being quite impervious, very durable, and excessively pliant. Those who
wish to try the experiment of heating on this plan, may readily do so by
covering the top of the glass chimney of any common burner with a piece
of wire gauze, folding it over the sides; the gas may then be turned on,
and lighted above the gauze, after it has mingled with the air in the
chimney; a small burner, however, does not afford sufficient gas for the
purpose, and there is consequently too much air, and the flame is weak
and liable to go out.

[Illustration: _Fig. 4._]

We cannot conclude this article on heat, without entering our most
earnest protest against _all_ those injurious contrivances for burning
charcoal without a flue; the use of charcoal-braziers in a large kitchen
is not to be recommended, but a charcoal stove in a dwelling-room is
most objectionable. Charcoal, in burning, produces carbonic acid gas,
an invisible and therefore insidious poison, which is so deadly in its
effects, that if the air of a room contains but one-tenth of its bulk,
the breathing of it for a short time is fatal. Every pound of charcoal,
in burning, produces more than three pounds and a half of this deadly
gas, and the ill effect of charcoal stoves may be readily imagined.

In Paris, in the years 1834 and 1835, there were 360 cases resulting from
the fumes of charcoal, of which more than 260 were fatal. In order to
test the effects of these stoves, Mr. Coathupe, of Wraxall, shut himself
up in a close room containing eighty cubic yards of air, with one of
them in action. In four hours he was seized with giddiness, which, in an
hour’s time, became most intense; he then had the desire to vomit, but
not the power; this was followed by an utter loss of strength, throbbing
at the temples, and agonizing headache, but no sense of suffocation;
finding that the experiment was becoming dangerous, he essayed to open
the window, but had the greatest difficulty in so doing; and when his
wife came into the room, he was found in a speechless state, in which he
remained for some time.

In a fatal case, which happened in St. John’s Wood, where two girls
were killed by the use of one of these stoves, the writer found, on
investigation, that the quantity of carbonic acid produced was capable of
rendering poisonous the air of a room ten times the size of the one in
which it was used; and yet the maker is guilty, even to the present time,
of the moral turpitude of recommending these as fitted for burning in a
close room. Men who, knowing the poisonous effects of these stoves, still
sell them, recommending them as wholesome, with the deliberate assertion
that their prepared fuel, which is merely charcoal disguised, is not
deleterious, evince a much more lively interest in the state of their own
pockets, than in the lives of their customers.

Let it not be imagined that the case of Mr. Coathupe is only a solitary
one; the action of burning charcoal is of the same deleterious nature on
all persons. In January, 1836, seventy people suffered the same symptoms,
though in a milder degree, in the church at Downham, in Norfolk, where
two of these dangerous contrivances had been introduced: and in the
_Annales d’Hygéine_, tome xi., will be found an account of the suicides
in the department of the Seine in ten years, these were 4595 in number,
of which 1426 deaths were produced by burning charcoal. We would again
recommend our readers under no circumstances, however much they may be
recommended by false assertions, to admit stoves without flues into their
houses. In France, the deaths from charcoal have been mostly suicides,
as, from their deadly effects, they are never used in close rooms. But in
England, persons are often ignorant of the action of charcoal fumes, and
relying on the word of some stove makers, whose “conscience,” as Milton
says, “is their maw,” the numerous deaths have been chiefly those of
innocent persons, victims to the cupidity of the makers.


X.

CLEANING AND DISINFECTING.

In our previous papers on Domestic Manipulation, we have several times
given directions as to the best mode of conducting processes for cleaning
various articles, such as bottles, glass, &c. What remains, therefore,
under this head, is to furnish hints for cleaning miscellaneous articles,
which have not been included under previous accounts; and the very
important process of disinfecting, which may be regarded as a medical
cleaning, falls, naturally, into the same chapter. As the substances to
be submitted to the process of cleaning vary greatly from one another,
we shall find it more convenient to throw our remarks into the form of
miscellaneous hints, than to arrange them in a chapter for consecutive
reading.

IRON-WORK which is exposed to wet, rusts rapidly; it is usually preserved
from the action of moisture either by covering it with two or three
coatings of paint, as is customary in large out-door works, or by
brushing it over with a varnish termed Brunswick black; this plan is
usually followed in the case of smaller substances used in-doors. A very
superior plan of protecting small iron goods from the injurious action of
wet, is to heat them a little below redness, and whilst hot to brush them
over with common linseed oil, which is decomposed by the heat, and forms
a thin, very firm coating of varnish, which is quite impervious to water,
and unlike paint or Japan-black does not chip off. It is evident that
this plan can only be adopted in a limited number of cases, but where it
is available we very strongly recommend it.

FLOOR BOARDING and other wood-work is exceedingly apt to be stained by
various substances spilt upon it. Ink stains, for instance, are extremely
obstinate; they withstand washing many times, and at last turn to a rusty
iron colour, from the application of the alkali of the soap. Both the
black stain of recent ink and the rusty iron-mould may be removed by the
action of oxalic or muriatic acid. As wood is not likely to be injured
like cloth or linen, muriatic acid may be used, being the cheaper, and it
should be diluted with two or three times its bulk of water, and applied
until the stain is removed. Grease which has been trodden in, or has
remained a long time, should be first softened by the application of a
little turpentine, and then it will be found to yield much more readily
than it otherwise would to the action of fuller’s earth and pearlash
or soda. Fruit stains are quickly removed by the action of a little
chloride of lime, mixed with water, and applied until the desired effect
is produced. It should be borne in mind that all vegetable colours are
utterly destroyed beyond any restoration, by the energetic action of this
agent.

PAINT, when soiled, is readily cleaned by soap and water; soda and
pearlash are frequently employed, but they act by removing a portion of
the paint, and if not thoroughly washed off with clean water afterwards,
they will be found to soften the whole. Caustic alkalies, such as the
solution for washing on the new plan, will rapidly dissolve paint, and
are therefore inapplicable for cleaning; they may, however, be usefully
employed in removing paint from wood, where such an operation is
requisite.

PLATE may be cleaned by rouge, or if this is not readily obtained, by
washed whiting; this is readily made by stirring some whiting up with
water, then allowing the larger particles and the grit to subside, and
pouring off the water charged with the finer powder, which is allowed
to settle, and dried for use. When plate is very much stained, it may be
cleaned with putty powder, but this preparation would soon wear away the
silver if used frequently or unnecessarily. It may be mentioned, that
this substance is not made from putty, as its name might seem to imply,
but is a rust or oxide of tin, obtained by heating the metal.

JAPANNED GOODS, such as tea-boards, should not have boiling water poured
upon them, but should be washed with warm water, and polished with a
piece of wash-leather and fine flour.

KNIVES.—The common wooden knife-board wears out the knives very rapidly,
it is therefore much better to employ a piece of buff-leather to cover
the board; for very superior cutlery emery powder should be used instead
of Bath brick. Whatever the material of the board, it will be rapidly
spoiled by cleaning the backs of knives upon the edge of the board; to
prevent this evil, a small piece of leather should be fixed at one end to
clean the backs upon. We have seen several knife-boards lately, covered
with a material formed of India-rubber and powdered cork, which was
manufactured as a substitute for floor-cloth, and sold under the name of
_kamptulicon_; but we have had no experience in their use.

STEEL FORKS are readily cleaned by having a pot of damp moss or hay, with
some sand intermixed, into which they may be repeatedly thrust. If knives
or forks get an unpleasant taint which cannot be removed readily, they
may be plunged into the mould of the garden, which has a very absorptive
power, and rapidly removes such odours.

BEDSTEADS may be freed from vermin by brushing them over in the cracks
with a mixture formed of one ounce of corrosive sublimate, dissolved in
half a pint of oil of turpentine, and the same quantity of any spirit,
such as strong gin or whisky; this effectually prevents their harbouring.
But when first applied, it possesses a disagreeable odour from the
turpentine, and great care must be taken with it as it is excessively
poisonous, although from its disagreeable smell it is not likely to be
swallowed accidentally. It has been found that the presence of the odour
of creosote (in vessels which have been used in carrying railway sleepers
prepared with this substance, to prevent their rotting) has effectually
driven away these enemies to our nocturnal peace. Unfortunately, the
odour of creosote is very powerful and unpleasant, but there may be cases
in which it may be applicable. On the whole, constant and unremitting
cleanliness, and the employment of iron bedsteads, which are now
manufactured of the most elegant forms, are the best means of getting rid
of these pests.

As stated in our first article, the operations of dusting, scrubbing,
&c., though in strictness, Domestic Manipulations, hardly come within
the limits of this series of papers; we pass on, therefore, to the more
important operations of disinfecting. Various means have been proposed of
lessening or utterly destroying the infectious emanations that proceed
from persons in certain diseases, and which frequently have the power of
attaching themselves with greater or less tenacity to such articles as
wearing apparel, &c. Generally speaking, the presence of a good system
of ventilation is sufficient to prevent taking any infection. When rooms
are properly aired, a disease can seldom be caught more than a few feet
from a patient; or even in the case of those most infectious disorders,
scarlet fever and small-pox, it seldom spreads more than a few yards;
but if the air of a room is confined, the infection is concentrated, and
becomes much more certain in its action.

Downy and fibrous materials readily receive infection; it may, in fact,
in many instances, be folded up in them, and so retained almost any
length of time; but if they are thoroughly exposed to a free current
of air, it is dissipated in a short time. It should be mentioned, that
infectious diseases are more readily received in certain states of the
body; thus, fear, timidity, mental anxiety; and such states of mind,
by lowering the general tone of the system, render it much more liable
to contract infectious or contagious diseases; a state of exhaustion
from bodily fatigue, or from hunger, has the same tendency. Infection
is also more readily received through the lungs than through the skin;
therefore, it is important never to receive the breath of a patient,
and, as a sailor would say, always keep to the windward side of him.
Amongst the domestic disinfectants, vinegar has a great reputation, but
undeservedly so; its only action is to overpower, by its odour, the smell
of a sick-room—as a destroyer of the peculiar influences that engender
disease, it has no power. Burning substances act in the same manner.
Burnt brown paper, fumigating pastiles, tobacco, only act by substituting
one smell for another. The ridiculous practice of carrying about a piece
of camphor is very common, and is perfectly inefficacious. If it has any
action at all, it must be an injurious one; for camphor is a stimulant,
and its constant inhalation must tend to lower the system, and so produce
the very evil it is supposed to remedy.

The best means of preventing infection, are ventilation and cleanliness
in every particular. The best means of destroying it are those powerful
chemical agents which have the power of uniting with the hydrogen which
is supposed to form part of the infectious substances. Nitric acid
gas, formed by pouring oil of vitriol on nitre or saltpetre, has been
used; but though efficacious, it possesses several disadvantages, being
irritating to the lungs, corrosive to metal-work, and also, when largely
employed, very expensive.

The most powerful, easily controlled, and in every sense the best
disinfectant, is chlorine gas. This agent at once destroys every trace
of infection in all substances submitted to its action. Its formation
is perfectly under control, and goes on in a gentle manner for days
together, without requiring care or attendance. We consider that the slow
liberation of chlorine is far superior to the employment of chloride of
lime, which gives forth the gas in a modified form.

In our own experience, we have employed it to destroy various infections,
and always with complete success. In one case of a school where scarlet
fever had returned after several attempts at purification, and in the
last instance with a fatal effect, we used chlorine, and effected the
complete removal of every trace of the disease. Various modes of
liberating chlorine are known to chemists; but, for such purposes as the
present, where a slow, uniform, and constant action is required, there
are none equal to the following plan:—One pound of common table-salt is
to be intimately mixed by stirring with an equal weight of a substance
called manganese, which may be readily obtained from any good chemist.
Small portions of this mixture should be placed in shallow pans (the
saucers of common flower-pots answer the purpose exceedingly well); and
upon them should be poured a mixture of oil of vitriol (sulphuric acid)
and water, the quantity required for the above weights, viz., for one
pound of each ingredient, being two pounds of oil of vitriol and one
of water, both by weight. These should have been previously mixed in a
wooden vessel, being stirred by a wooden lath, and allowed to become cool
before being poured on the salt and manganese, as the mixing of the acid
and water generates great heat. Too much care cannot be taken with the
acid, as it is excessively corrosive in its nature, and destroys most
substances with which it comes in contact. When these materials are all
mixed, chlorine is slowly evolved for a period of three or four days, and
in so gentle a manner, that not the slightest irritating or unpleasant
effect is produced. If it is wished to cause the more rapid production
of gas, the saucer may be placed over a basin of boiling water, or upon
a hot brick; but the slow generation for a considerable length of time
is what should be more especially aimed at. It is needless to say, that
all substances supposed to have been contaminated, should be spread out
so as to receive the influence of the gas; the bed linen, and all woollen
garments, being exposed by being spread out on chairs, lines, &c.; the
drawers and cupboards opened; and whilst the disinfecting is in actual
operation, the windows and doors should be kept shut, to prevent the
dissipation of the chlorine. It is found that two ounces of manganese,
with a proportionate quantity of the other materials, is sufficient for
a room twenty feet wide, forty feet long, and twelve feet high, which
contains 20 × 40 × 12 = 9600 cubic feet.

It may be mentioned, that breathing chlorine in this highly diluted state
is decidedly the reverse of injurious to the general health; although,
in a concentrated form, or even unless very much diluted with air, it is
irritating in the highest degree; but so very innoxious is it in the very
dilute state, that it is occasionally prescribed for the inhalation of
consumptive patients.

For the satisfaction of those who rely on the authority of a great name,
it may be stated, that chlorine used in the manner here recommended
was employed, with complete success, by one of the most illustrious of
our English chemists, in the case of the Millbank Penitentiary, when a
violent and fatal disease broke out there. The operator in this case was
FARADAY, than whom there can be no higher authority.

It may occasionally be found more convenient to use another mixture
for the liberation of chlorine gas, in which case the following may be
employed:—One part of manganese is to be drenched with four parts, by
weight, of muriatic acid (the spirits of salts of the shops), mixed with
one part of water. The gas is evolved slowly in the cold, and rapidly if
assisted by a gentle heat. This process is rather more expensive, and
possesses no advantage over the one previously described.


XI.

FERMENTING AND DISTILLING.

In ordinary language, the term fermentation is employed to signify the
peculiar changes which take place when a solution of sugar, or any
vegetable substance containing saccharine matter, is converted into
spirit—this, however, is only one of many such kinds of action, which
are well known to chemists. The most important fermentations are the
saccharine fermentation, when sugar is formed by a change taking place in
starch: the vinous, when spirit is formed from sugar; and the acetous, in
which vinegar or acetic acid is formed from spirit.

The saccharine fermentation, or the formation of sugar from starch,
is interesting, though it does not influence such operations as are
included in our Domestic Manipulations. If starch is dissolved in water,
a little wheat flour added, and the whole exposed to a moderately warm
temperature, it will be found that after a few days, varying in number
with the degree of warmth, the starch has disappeared, and the liquid has
become sweet, from the formation of sugar. The same change takes place
with much greater rapidity, if starch is boiled with a solution of malt,
which contains an active principle called _diastase_, capable of bringing
about this fermentation in a short time. The formation of sugar from
starch is an operation which constantly occurs in all growing seeds, the
effect being to change an insoluble substance such as starch, into one
which is capable of being dissolved in the juices of the young plant, and
nourishing it during the early stages of its growth. In the operation
of malting barley, the change is induced artificially, for the purpose
of producing sugar in the malt, which is afterwards made to undergo the
second kind of fermentation, namely, the vinous, or that in which spirit
is produced.

When sugar, either that which naturally exists in many plants, or as
formed from starch as just mentioned, is dissolved in water, so as to
form a moderately weak solution, and the whole exposed to a degree of
warmth varying from seventy to eighty degrees, it rapidly undergoes a
remarkable change, provided a small quantity of any vegetable ferment is
present—such as yeast, or the juice of the grape or of many other fruits.
The sugar wholly disappears, and is resolved into two substances—one
a gas, termed carbonic acid, which escapes giving rise to a slow
effervescence; and the other, a portion of spirit, which remains in the
liquid. This kind of fermentation is much more difficult to prevent than
to establish; in making syrups, it is found specially annoying; for if
the quantity of sugar used is too small, the syrup is certain to ferment
and spoil; and if too much is added, it crystallizes out in the solid
form; as a general rule, however, it is found that two parts, by weight,
of sugar, to one part, by weight, of water or other liquid—such as the
juice of fruits, made into a syrup by boiling for a short time—neither
ferments nor crystallizes.

In the act of fermentation the spirit produced by the process last
described is changed into acetic acid, or vinegar. Here, also, the
presence of some substance capable of commencing the fermentation is
requisite, for pure spirit and water will not undergo the change. The
ferment employed may be the vinegar-plant—or it may be a little vinegar,
which may have been previously formed.

For the rapid progress of the acetous fermentation, a high temperature is
requisite, even as great as about eighty-six degrees, and free exposure
to air is essential. The best vinegar is that made from weak wine, at
Orleans; the plan followed is to introduce a portion of vinegar into the
vessels, adding the wine at intervals, and never quite emptying them. In
this country, a weak beer is brewed, without hops, for the purpose of
making vinegar, and a small quantity of diluted oil of vitriol is added,
after the vinegar is formed, to destroy the mouldiness that is otherwise
apt to be present. Vinegar may be formed from any weak spirituous liquid;
but it should be borne in mind that two circumstances are essential to
success, namely, a high summer temperature, either natural or artificial,
and free exposure to air.

The process of distillation is one which is used for separating liquids
from each other which boil at different degrees of heat. In domestic
economy, it is most frequently employed to obtain spirit, more or less
flavoured, or scented, with some volatile essential oil. The apparatus
commonly used is the still, for boiling the liquid to generate the
vapour, and a long spirally-twisted tube termed the worm, which is
placed in a tub of cold water, and through which the steam passes to
be condensed. The worm is the most objectionable part of the modern
still; its great evil is the difficulty with which it is cleaned, so
as to prevent one strong-flavoured substance spoiling those which are
distilled afterwards. If the coils of the worm are not very numerous, a
bullet, with a string attached, may be passed through it, and a sponge
or small bottle-brush, fastened to the string, may be worked backwards
and forwards; but if there are several coils, it will be found impossible
to do this, from the resistance caused by friction. In this case, the
only plan is to close one end of the worm with a cork, and fill it with
a solution of caustic alkali, allowing it to remain for some hours, and
repeating the application with fresh liquid, if it be required.

[Illustration: _Fig. 1._]

In Germany, the worm is being superseded by an excellent condenser, which
is so superior that we are induced to give a sketch of it, hoping that
it may lead to its adoption in this country. The vapours from the still
pass into the tube A (_Fig. 1_), by which they are conducted into B, a
hollow globe, made to unscrew at its centre. The vapours, passing along
the tube C, are condensed, and the distilled liquid drops from D. The
pipe E should convey a constant stream of cold water to the bottom of
the tub, and this, rising as it is warmed by extracting heat from the
tubes and globe, should escape by F. All the tubes being straight, it is
obvious that they can be readily cleaned from their ends.

In the laboratory, distilling is most frequently performed with vessels
termed retorts, or even from flasks; but as these are not very applicable
to domestic purposes, we pass them over.

In domestic practice, the still is usually employed to obtain some
water or spirit flavoured with essential oil, or the oil itself, and
the process should be slightly modified so as to suit each case. The
vegetable substance should not be placed on the bottom of the still
itself, as in that case it might become burnt, and so give an unpleasant
flavour to the whole; but a bottom of wickerwork should be placed in the
still in the first instance for it to rest upon, or a perforated board.
The substance to be distilled should be placed in the still, covered
with water, for some hours before the fire is lighted; no more water
being added than sufficient to cover it, if the preparation of oil is the
object.

Herbs, for distilling, should be collected on a dry day, and—unless the
oil resides in the seeds, as in the case of caraway, anise, &c., or in
the flowers, as in the rose, lavender, &c.—just before the flowers have
opened, as at that period there is the greatest quantity of essential oil
in the plant. All plants cultivated for distillation, should be grown in
a situation where they can receive a full amount of sun-light, as shade
or darkness very much tend to prevent the formation of essential oil.

[Illustration: _Fig. 2._]

The liquid which comes out of the worm, is a mixture of water highly
flavoured with the substance, and some undissolved oil; this latter is
sometimes heavier and sometimes lighter than water, either sinking or
floating; in the latter case, the oil may be readily separated by filling
a bottle with the mixture, and when the oil has collected at the top,
carrying it off by a few threads of cotton placed as in _Fig. 2_, taking
care that they are moistened with oil before arranging them. The cotton
acts as a syphon, and removes the whole of the oil. If the object of the
operation is to obtain the oil, and not the distilled water, the latter
should be preserved, and used again and again with fresh herbs, because
having in the first operation dissolved up as much oil as it is capable
of doing, it causes no loss to the subsequent distillations.

It may, perhaps, be thought that our article is incomplete, from our not
giving any particular directions as to the manufacture of spirits, both
as regards the first fermentation and subsequent distillation; but our
readers should bear in mind that the manufacture of spirit is illegal,
and the result is most frequently a heavy fine and imprisonment, to which
we have no wish that our articles should be introductory.


HOUSEHOLD RECEIPTS.—CLEANING, DYEING, RENOVATING, MENDING, PRESERVING,
ETC.

BLACKING TO PRESERVE LEATHER.—Take spermaceti oil, four ounces; molasses,
twelve ounces; mix. Add by degrees twelve ounces of ivory-black, mixing
it in smoothly, and rubbing it well, so as to leave no lumps; then add
gradually a quart of the best white-wine vinegar. If too thick, add more
vinegar; stir it hard, and let it stand in the jar three days, stirring
frequently with a round stick. Bottle it for use. If still too thick,
even when warmed at the fire, dilute with a little more vinegar.—A. S.

BLACKING FOR DRESS BOOTS AND SHOES.—Gum arabic, eight ounces; treacle,
two ounces; ink, half a pint; vinegar and spirit of wine, of each two
ounces. Dissolve the gum and treacle in the ink and vinegar; then strain
and add the spirit.

FRENCH POLISH FOR BOOTS, SHOES, AND HARNESS.—Take two pints of the best
vinegar and one pint of soft water; stir into the mixture a quarter of a
pound of glue broken fine, half a pound of logwood chips, a quarter of
an ounce of finely powdered indigo, a quarter of an ounce of the best
soft soap, and a quarter of an ounce of isinglass. Boil for ten minutes
or longer; then strain the liquid, bottle, and cork. When cold it is fit
for use. Remove the dirt from the boots, &c., with a sponge and water.
Then lay on the polish with a clean sponge. Should it prove too thick,
hold it near the fire to warm a little, and the heat will liquify it
sufficiently.—J. M.

TO DETECT DAMPNESS IN BEDS.—First have the bed well warmed with a
warming-pan; then, the moment the pan is taken out, introduce between
the sheets an inverted glass tumbler. After it has remained there a
few minutes, withdraw it. If the glass is found dry, you may go to bed
without any apprehension of chill or rheumatism. If the glass is covered
with drops of wet or damp steam, the safest plan is to take off the
sheets and sleep between the blankets, as a second pair would probably be
no better than the first.

EXPELLING INSECTS GENERALLY.—All insects dislike penny-royal; the odour
of it destroys some and drives away others. At seasons when fresh green
bunches of penny-royal are not to be obtained, get oil of penny-royal,
pour some into a saucer, and steep in it small bits of wadding or raw
cotton; lay them about in corners, closet-shelves, bureau-drawers, boxes,
and all places where you have seen cockroaches or ants, or wherever
they are likely to be found. If the insects do not speedily disappear,
renew the cotton and penny-royal. It is also well to place some of them
about the bedsteads, between the sacking and the mattress. Bunches of
penny-royal are excellent for brushing off that very annoying little
insect, the seed tick.—H. S. C.

TO DESTROY BED BUGS EFFECTUALLY.—Take two ounces of quicksilver, and
the whites of two eggs, and so on in this ratio for a larger or smaller
quantity. Beat the quicksilver and the whites together until they unite
and become a froth. With a feather then apply the compound thus formed to
the crevices and holes in your bedsteads. This done once or twice in a
year will prove effectual.—J. M.

POISON FOR BUGS.—Spirits of wine and spirits of turpentine, of each four
ounces; white mercury and camphor, of each half an ounce: mix. A chemist
will make it up; and it must be applied with a brush to the bedstead or
box infested by the insects.—J. D.

TO MAKE BOTTLES AIR-TIGHT.—This may be done without luting or grinding,
and consists in only having a groove round the neck, into which the cap
fits, so that the groove may be charged with water or mercury.

TO BOTTLE PORTER.—To four gallons of porter take three-quarters of a
pound of coarse sugar, boil it in three quarts of water five minutes,
when cool, add a tea-cup of fresh yeast. Let it work till it creams over,
then put the porter to it, and bottle off.—Mrs. H.

TO MAKE GLUE THAT WILL RESIST MOISTURE.—Dissolve gum sandarac and mastic,
of each two ounces, in a pint of spirit of wine, adding about an ounce
of clear turpentine. Then take equal parts of isinglass and parchment
glue, and having beaten the isinglass into small bits, and reduced the
glue to the same state, pour the solution of the gums upon them, and melt
the whole in a vessel well covered, avoiding so great a heat as that of
boiling water. When melted, strain the glue through a coarse linen cloth,
and then put it again over the fire, adding about an ounce of powdered
glass. This preparation may be best managed by hanging the vessel in
boiling water, which will prevent the matter burning the vessel, or the
spirit of wine from taking fire; and, indeed, it is better to use the
same method for all the evaporations of nicer glues and sizes; but in
such cases, less water than the proportion directed should be added to
the materials.—J. M.

CEMENT FOR IRON KITCHEN UTENSILS.—Take six parts of potter’s clay, and
one part of steel filings, mix them together with a sufficient quantity
of linseed oil to make a thick paste of the consistence of glazier’s
putty; then apply it to the cracked parts, on both sides, and let it
stand three or four weeks undisturbed.

JAPANESE CEMENT.—This cement is made by mixing rice flour intimately with
cold water, and then gently boiling it; it is beautifully white, and
dries almost transparent. Papers pasted together by means of this cement,
will sooner separate in their own substance than at the joining.

RICE GLUE.—Mix rice flour intimately with cold water, and gently simmer
over a fire, when it forms a delicate and durable cement, answering all
the purposes of common paste, and admirably adapted for joining paper,
card, &c., in forming the various ornaments which afford employment and
amusement to the ladies. When made of the consistence of plaster or clay,
models, busts, &c., may be formed; and the articles, when dry, are
susceptible of high polish, and are very durable.—W. C. C.

TO MEND BROKEN GLASS.—Get some cloves of garlic, tie them in a rag, and
place them in a tin pan, pounding them with a hammer, to get out the
juice. Next take the broken glass, and wet and smear each of the broken
edges with the garlic-juice; then stick them firmly together, stand the
article on a plate, and let it remain undisturbed for a fortnight. The
broken lid of a pitcher can also be mended in this manner.—J. W.

ANOTHER METHOD OF UNITING BROKEN GLASS OR CHINA.—T. S. L. N. communicates
the following, which he has tried with great success:—Obtain some slaked
lime, and put it in a small muslin bag; next get the white of an egg; rub
the pieces that require mending with it, then dust some lime upon it, and
hold together till it sticks; let it dry, and it will not be liable to be
softened by heat.

CEMENT FOR CHINA, GLASS, ETC.—To a quarter of an ounce of gum mastic, add
as much spirits of wine as will dissolve it. Soak a quarter of an ounce
of isinglass in water till it is quite soft; then dissolve it in rum or
brandy till of the consistency of glue. To this add one drachm of gum
ammoniac, well rubbed and mixed. Put now the two mixtures together in a
vessel, over a gentle heat, till properly united, and the cement is ready
for use. It should be kept in a phial well corked, and when about to be
used, to be set in boiling water to soften.

RECEIPT FOR JOINING GLASS.—Melt a little isinglass in spirits of wine,
and add a small quantity of water; warm the mixture gently over a
moderate fire. When mixed by thoroughly melting, it will form glue
perfectly transparent, which will re-unite broken glass so nicely and
firmly, that the joining will scarcely be perceptible to the most
critical eye. Lime, mixed with the white of an egg, forms a very
strong cement for glass, porcelain, &c., but it must be done neatly,
as, when hard, the superfluous part cannot easily be smoothed or taken
off.—_Scientific American._

HOW TO MAKE NICE CANDLES.—Candlewick, if steeped in lime and saltpetre,
and dried in the sun, will give a clearer light, and be less apt to
run. Good candles may be made thus: Melt together ten ounces of mutton
tallow, a quarter of an ounce of camphor, four ounces of bees’ wax, and
two ounces of alum; then run it into moulds, or dip the candles. These
candles furnish a beautiful light.—T. L.

PLAIN HINTS ABOUT CANDLES.—Candles improve by keeping a few months. Those
made in winter are the best. The most economical, as well as the most
convenient plan, is to purchase them by the box, keeping them always in
a cool dry place. If wax candles become discoloured or soiled, they may
be restored by rubbing them over with a clean flannel slightly dipped
in spirits of wine. Candles are sometimes difficult to light. They
will ignite instantly if, when preparing them for the evening, you dip
the top in spirits of wine, shortly before they are wanted. Light them
always with a match, and do not hold them to the fire, as that will cause
the tops to melt and drip. Always hold the match to the side of the
wick, and not over the top. If you find the candles too small for the
candlesticks, always wrap a small piece of white paper round the bottom
end, not allowing the paper to appear above the socket. Cut the wicks to
a convenient length for lighting (nearly close); for if the wick is too
long at the top, it will be very difficult to ignite, and will also bend
down, and set the candle to running. Glass receivers, for the droppings
of candles, are very convenient, as well as ornamental. The pieces of
candles that are left each evening, should be placed in a tin box kept
for that purpose, and used for bed-lights.

CHIMNEYS ON FIRE may be readily extinguished in several ways, without
having recourse to throwing water down them from the top, by which much
damage is frequently done to the furniture in the rooms. One of the
simplest methods is, to scatter a handful of flour of sulphur over the
dullest part of the burning coals, the mephitic vapours arising from
which will not support combustion, and consequently extinguish the
flames. Another method is to shut the doors and windows, and to stop
up the bottom of the chimney with a piece of wet carpet or blanket,
throwing a little water or flour of sulphur, or salt, on the fire
immediately before doing so. By this means the draught is stopped, and
the burning soot must be extinguished for want of air. If the chimney be
stopped at top, instead of the bottom, the whole of the smoke must, of
course, be driven into the apartment. If every fire-place were provided
with a damper or shutter, of sheet-iron or tin-plate, sufficiently
large to choke it thoroughly, fires in chimneys would become of little
consequence, as it would only be necessary to apply this damper to put
them out.

CURE FOR SMOKY CHIMNEYS.—“Some of your readers, Mr. Editor, may probably
like to know how I have cured, in my own house, that worst of evils—a
smoky chimney. The following is the plan I recommend: Inflate a large ox
bladder with air, and tie it by the neck to the middle of a stick, which
place across the inside of a chimney, about two feet from the top, or at
the foot of the chimney-pot. The buoyancy of the air keeps the bladder
continually in a circular motion, and thus prevents the rush of air into
the tunnel from descending so low as the fire-place.”—S. W. T.

EXCELLENT DYES.—A decoction of oak-bark dyes wool a fast brown of various
shades, according to the quantity employed; an infusion of walnut-peels
will also dye brown. The wool should be previously dipped in a solution
of alum and water, which brightens the colour.—For red dye: boil in a
bath of madder, previously rinsing the goods in alum; or, if you wish
for purple, employ, instead of alum, a bath of acetate of iron. Red dyes
are also given by archil, cochineal, Brazil-wood, &c.—For blue dye: boil
in a bath of logwood, to which a small quantity of blue vitriol has been
added, using the alum bath as in the other cases.—M. C.

TO DYE SILK LILAC.—For every pound of silk, take a pound and a half of
archil, mix it well with the liquor; make it boil a quarter of an hour,
dip the silk quickly, then let it cool, and wash it in river water, and a
fine half violet, or lilac, more or less full, will be obtained.

DYES FOR IVORY.—_Black._ Immerse the ivory in a boiling solution of
logwood, take it out and wash it in a solution of copperas. _Blue._
Immerse the ivory in a mixture of sulphate of indigo and water, partly
neutralized with potash. _Green._ Steep blued ivory in a solution of
nitro-muriate of tin, and then in a decoction of fustic; or it may be
at once dyed green by steeping it in a solution of acetate of copper.
_Yellow._ Steep the ivory in a bath of neutral chromate of potash, and
afterwards in a boiling solution of acetate of lead. _Red._ Steep the
ivory for a short time in a solution of tin, then in a decoction of
Brazil or cochineal. _Violet._ Moisten the ivory with a solution of tin,
as before, then immerse it in a decoction of logwood.—T. S.

TO DYE HAIR AND FEATHERS GREEN.—Take of verdigris or verditer of each one
ounce, gum water one pint; mix them well, and dip the hair or feathers
into the mixture, shaking them well about.

TO SHRINK NEW FLANNEL.—New flannel should always be shrunk or washed
before it is made up, that it may be cut out more accurately, and that
the grease which is used in manufacturing it may be extracted. First, cut
off the list along the selvage edges of the whole piece. Then put it into
warm (not boiling) water, without soap. Begin at one end of the piece,
and rub it with both hands till you come to the other end; this is to
get out the grease and the blue with which new white flannel is always
tinged. Then do the same through another water. Rinse it through a clean
lukewarm water; wring it lengthways, and stretch it well. In hanging it
out on a line do not suspend it in festoons, but spread it along the
line straight and lengthways. If dried in festoons, the edges will be in
great scollops, making it very difficult to cut out. It must be dried in
the sun. When dry let it be stretched even, clapped with the hands, and
rolled up tight and smoothly, till wanted.—H. S. C.

TO PACK GLASS OR CHINA.—Procure some soft straw or hay to pack them in,
and if they are to be sent a long way, and are heavy, the hay or straw
should be a little damp, which will prevent them slipping about. Let the
largest and heaviest things be always put undermost in the box or hamper.
Let there be plenty of straw, and pack the articles tight; but never
attempt to pack up glass or china which is of much consequence, till it
has been seen done by some one used to the job. The expense will be but
trifling to have a person to do it who understands it, and the loss may
be great if articles of such value are packed up in an improper manner.—S.

INK.—H. W. begs to recommend the following ink—with which his note is
written: Logwood and galls, each four ounces; copperas, two ounces; gum
arabic, one ounce; pomegranate bark, half an ounce; cloves, four ounces;
cold soft water, two pints: stir frequently, for two weeks or more, and
strain.—[The ink is good.—ED.]

BLACK INK.—To one gallon of soft water, add ten ounces of Aleppo galls,
and four ounces each of gum arabic and green copperas. Well bruise the
galls, and allow the mixture to stand for a fortnight, being well stirred
every day. Then add two ounces of white sugar.

BLUE INK.—Prussiate of iron, half an ounce; oxalic acid, one ounce; fine
chalk, a quarter of a drachm. All to be powdered, and dissolved with one
pint of boiling water.—S.

TO MAKE BLUE INK.—Dissolve a small quantity of indigo in a little oil of
vitriol, and add a sufficient quantity of water, in which is dissolved
some gum arabic.

INDIAN INK.—Indian ink, equal in quality to that imported from China,
may be made by holding a plate over the flame of a lamp or candle so as
to receive the fine soot, and mixing this with size made from parchment
or uncoloured leather. The Indian ink is made from fine lamp-black and
size, with the addition of a little perfume, which latter is by no means
essential to its quality as an ink.—J. W.

INDELIBLE MARKING INK, WITHOUT PREPARATION.—One drachm and a half of
nitrate of silver (lunar caustic), one ounce of distilled water, half an
ounce of strong mucilage of gum arabic, three-quarters of a drachm of
liquid ammonia; mix the above in a clean glass bottle, cork tightly and
keep in a dark place till dissolved, and ever afterwards. Directions for
use:—Shake the bottle, then dip a clean quill pen in the ink, and write
or draw what you require on the article; immediately hold it close to the
fire (without scorching), or pass a hot iron over it, and it will become
a deep and indelible black, indestructible by either time or acids of any
description.—R. S.

INCORRODIBLE AND INDELIBLE INKS.—Genuine asphaltum, one part; oil of
turpentine, four parts; dissolve, and add lamp-black or black-lead to
bring it to a proper consistence. _Or_—Asphaltum, one part; oil of
turpentine, four parts; dissolve, and colour with printer’s ink, which
any printer will sell by way of favour. These inks supply a cheap and
excellent material for marking linen, &c. They are very permanent. They
should be employed with stamps or types, or with the thin brass plates
with letters cut therein. This method of marking is neater and easier
than with the brush or pen.

SYMPATHETIC INKS.—These are preparations used for writing on paper, the
marks of which are invisible until acted upon by some re-agent. They are
frequently employed in secret or playful correspondence. By heating the
paper until it is nearly scorched, they may be rendered visible.

1. Sulphate of copper and sal-ammoniac, equal parts, dissolved in
water—writes colourless, but turns yellow when heated.

2. Onion juice, like the last.

3. A weak infusion of galls—turns black when moistened with weak copperas
water.

4. A weak solution of sulphate of iron—turns blue when moistened with a
weak solution of prussiate of potash—black with infusion of galls.

5. The diluted solutions of nitrate of silver and terchloride of
gold—darken when exposed to the sun-light.

6. Aqua-fortis, spirits of salts, oil of vitriol, common salt, or
saltpetre, dissolved in a large quantity of water—turn yellow or brown
when heated.

7. Solution of nitro-muriate of cobalt—turns green when heated, and
disappears again on cooling.

8. Solution of acetate of cobalt, to which a little nitre has been
added—becomes rose-coloured when heated, and disappears when cooling.

STAINS OF WOOD.—The most effectual way of removing stains of most
descriptions from wood, is to mix a quarter of an ounce of oil of vitriol
with two ounces of water, and rub the stained surface with a cork dipped
in this liquid, until the stains disappear: then wash with cold water.
The colour of the wood is rendered pale for a time by this method, but it
is brought up again by rubbing with furniture paste.

TO TAKE OIL AND GREASE OUT OF BOARDS, MARBLE, ETC.—Make a paste with
fuller’s earth and hot water; cover the spots therewith, let it dry on,
and the next day scour it off with soft or yellow soap. _Or_—Make a paste
with soft soap, fuller’s earth, and a little pearlash, and use it as
above.

FOR CLEANING WAINSCOTS AND OTHER PAINTED WOODS.—Four ounces of potass,
and four ounces of powdered quick-lime are to be mixed together, and
boiled for half an hour in three quarts of water; this mixture is
to stand until it is cold and quite clear; the clear liquid is then
poured off, and a painter’s brush dipped into it is to be passed over
the surface of the wood, in the same way as for painting, immediately
afterwards washing with cold water. This mode of cleaning will frequently
render a new coat of paint unnecessary, and it has the advantage of
being destructive to the eggs of insects which may be deposited in the
interstices of the wood; where there is reason to suspect that there are
bugs in the wood, it may be well, as an additional precaution, to add to
the mixture two drachms of corrosive sublimate.

CHAIRS.—The black leather-work of chairs, settees, &c., may be restored
by first well washing off the dirt with a little warm water and soap,
and afterwards with clean water. The brown and faded portions may now be
re-stained by means of a little black ink, or preferably black reviver,
and when this has got thoroughly dry, they may be touched over with white
of egg, strained and mixed with a little sugar-candy. When the latter is
nearly dry, it should be polished off with a clean dry brush.

WASHING-PAINT.—The best method to wash paint is to rub some Bath brick
fine, and when you have rubbed some soap on the flannel, dip it in
the brick. This will remove the grease and dirt speedily, without
injury.—Mrs. H.

TO MAKE OAK WOOD COLOUR.—The basis of this colour is still formed of
ceruse. Three-fourths of this oxide, and a fourth of ochre de rue, umber
earth, and yellow de Berri; the last three ingredients being employed in
proportions which lead to the required tint, give a matter equally proper
for distemper, varnish, and oil.—A. S.

TO GIVE A FINE COLOUR TO MAHOGANY.—Into a pint of cold-drawn linseed oil
put one ounce of alkanet root, and one ounce of rose-pink in an earthen
vessel; let it remain all night; then stirring it well, rub some of it
over the tables with a linen rag; when it has lain some time rub it with
a linen cloth.—R. M.

ARTIFICIAL MAHOGANY.—The following method of giving any species of wood
of a close grain the appearance of mahogany in texture, density, and
polish, is said to be practised in France with success. The surface is
planed smooth, and the wood is then rubbed with a solution of nitrous
acid; one ounce of dragon’s blood is dissolved in nearly a pint of
spirits of wine; this, and one-third of an ounce of carbonate of soda,
are then to be mixed together and filtered, and the liquid in this thin
state is to be laid on with a soft brush. This process is to be repeated,
and in a short interval afterwards the wood possesses the external
appearance of mahogany. When the polish diminishes in brilliancy, it may
be restored by the use of a little cold-drawn linseed oil.—J. R. C.

TO EXTRACT INK FROM MAHOGANY.—Dilute half a tea-spoonful of oil of
vitriol with a large spoonful of water, and apply to the ink spot with a
feather; let it lie for a few minutes and rub it off quickly; repeat if
not quite removed. An excellent receipt.—F.

TO RESTORE THE COLOUR TO MAHOGANY.—Wash well with soap and water, and
then polish daily with the following oil:—Take half an ounce of alkanet
root, cut small, and add to a pint of linseed oil: when this has stood
for a week, add half an ounce of powdered gum arabic, and an ounce of
shell-lac varnish; let these stand in a bottle by the fire for a week,
then strain. Rub well in.

WAX FOR POLISHING FURNITURE.—Melt bees’ wax in spirits of turpentine,
with a very small proportion of resin. When it is entirely dissolved, dip
in it a sponge, and wash the mahogany lightly over with it. Immediately
afterwards, rub it off with a clean soft cloth. For carved furniture,
spread the mixture on with a small soft brush, and rub it off with
another brush, a very little harder.

CREAM POLISH FOR FURNITURE.—Half an ounce of Castile soap, dissolved in
one gill of rain water, two ounces and a half of bees’ wax, one ounce of
white wax, one gill of spirit of turpentine; shred the wax, and place the
whole by the fire to dissolve; whilst warm add the soap and mix all well
together.—J. H. D.

METHOD OF GIVING A FINE BLACK COLOUR TO WOOD.—Steep the wood for two or
three days in lukewarm water, in which a little alum has been dissolved;
then put a handful of logwood, cut small into a pint of water, and boil
it down to less than half a pint. If you then add a little indigo, the
colour will be more beautiful. Spread a layer of this liquor quite hot
on your wood, with a pencil, which will give it a violet colour. When it
is dry, spread on another layer; dry it again, and give it a third; then
boil verdigris at discretion, in its own vinegar, and spread a layer of
it on the wood; when it is dry, rub it with a brush, and then with oiled
chamois skin. This gives a fine black, and imitates perfectly the colour
of ebony. Having tried this receipt successfully, I can recommend it to
the notice of your numerous readers.—E.

BLACK DYE FOR WOODS, VENEERS, ETC.—Steep the wood for two or three days,
in water, if possible, keeping it warm all the time, the water having
had a little alum dissolved in it so that it tastes rough; then put a
handful of logwood, cut small, into a pint of water and boil it down
to less than half a pint; if a little indigo is added the colour will
be more beautiful. Spread a layer of this liquor quite hot on the wood
with a brush, which will give it a violet colour. When dry spread on
another layer, dry it again and give it a third, then boil verdigris at
discretion in vinegar, and spread a layer of it on the wood; when it is
dry, rub with a brush, and then with oiled chamois skin. This forms a
good imitation of ebony wood.—W. C.

HINTS ON SCRUBBING FLOORS.—After the white-washing, paint-cleaning,
and window-washing of each room has been completed, let the floor be
scrubbed; first seeing that it has been well swept. For this purpose
have a small tub or bucket of warm water: an old saucer to hold a piece
of brown soap, a large thick tow-linen floor-cloth, and a long-handled
scrubbing-brush. Dip the whole of the floor-cloth into the water, and
with it wet a portion of the floor. Next, rub some soap on the bristles
of the brush, and scrub hard all over the wet place. Then dip your cloth
into the water, and with it wash the suds off the floor. Wring the cloth,
wet it again, and wipe the floor with it a second time. Lastly, wash the
cloth about in the water, wring it as dry as possible, and give the floor
a last and hard wiping with it. Afterwards go on to the next part of the
floor, wet it, scrub it, wipe it three times, and proceed in the same
manner, a piece, at a time, till you have gone over the whole; changing
the dirty water for clean, whenever you find it necessary. For a large
room, fresh warm water will be required four or five times in the course
of the scrubbing. When the floor has been scrubbed, leave the sashes
raised while it is drying. For scouring common floors that are very
dirty, have by you an old tin pan with some gray sand in it; and after
soaping the brush, rub it on some sand also.

OIL-CLOTHS.—In buying an oil-cloth for a floor, endeavour to obtain one
that was manufactured several years before; as the longer it has been
made previous to use, the better it will wear, from the paint becoming
hard and durable. An oil-cloth that has been made within the year, is
scarcely worth buying, as the paint will be defaced in a very little
time, it requiring a long while to season. An oil-cloth should never be
scrubbed with a brush; but, after being first swept, it should be cleaned
by washing with a large soft cloth and lukewarm or cold water. On no
account use soap, or take water that is _hot_; as either of them will
certainly bring off the paint. When it has dried, you may sponge it over
with milk, which will brighten and preserve the colours; and then wipe it
with a soft dry cloth.—J. R.

TO RENOVATE BLACK SILK.—Slice some uncooked potatoes, pour boiling water
on them; when cold sponge the right side of the silk with it, and iron on
the wrong.—E. H.

TO MAKE OLD SILK GOWNS LOOK LIKE NEW.—The best method, and one that is
employed by milliners, is to sponge over the outside of the dress with
a strong and cold infusion of black tea. The dress should afterwards be
ironed on the wrong side.—K.

AN EXCELLENT YELLOW DYE FOR SILKS, RIBBONS, ETC.—Take a large handful of
horse-radish leaves, boil them in two quarts of water for half an hour;
then drain it off from the leaves, and soak the articles you have for
dyeing in it; when you think the colour deep enough, take it out, rinse
it in cold water, and spread it to dry.—B. B.

TO IRON SILK.—Silk cannot be ironed smoothly, so as to press out all
the creases, without first sprinkling it with water, and rolling it up
tightly in a towel, letting it rest for an hour or two. If the iron is
in the least too hot, it will injure the colour, and it should first be
tried on an old piece of the same silk.—C. C.

TO RENOVATE SILKS.—Sponge faded silks with warm water and soap; then
rub them with a dry cloth on a flat board; afterwards iron them on the
_inside_ with a smoothing-iron. Old black silks may be improved by
sponging with spirits. In this case, the ironing may be done on the right
side, thin paper being spread over to prevent glazing.

TO DYE SILK, ETC., CRIMSON.—Take about a spoonful of cutbear, put it into
a small pan, pour boiling water upon it; stir and let it stand a few
minutes, then put in the silk, and turn it over in a short time, and when
the colour is full enough, take it out; but if it should require more
violet or crimson, add a spoonful or two of purple archil to some warm
water; steep, and dry it within doors. To finish it, it must be mangled,
and ought to be pressed.

SILKS STAINED BY CORROSIVE OR SHARP LIQUORS.—We often find that
lemon-juice, vinegar, oil of vitriol, and other sharp corrosives, stain
dyed garments; sometimes by adding a little pearlash to a soap lather,
and passing the silks through these, the faded colour will be restored.
Pearlash and warm water will sometimes do alone, but it is the most
efficacious method to use the soap lather and pearlash together.

CHEMICAL RENOVATING BALLS—for taking out grease, paint, pitch tar,
from silks, stuffs, linen, woollen, carpets, hats, coats, &c., without
fading the colour or injuring the cloth:—Quarter ounce of fuller’s
earth, quarter ounce of pipe-clay, one ounce salt of tartar, one ounce
beef gall, one ounce spirits of wine. Pound the hard parts, and mix the
ingredients well together. Wet the stain with cold water, rub it well
with this ball, then sponge it with a wet sponge, and the stain will
disappear.

TO CLEAN SILKS, SATINS, COLOURED WOOLLEN DRESSES, ETC.—Quarter pound of
soft soap, a quarter of a pound of honey, the white of an egg, and a
wine-glassful of gin; mix well together, and the article to be scoured
with a rather hard brush thoroughly, afterwards rinse it in cold water,
leave to drain, and iron whilst quite damp.—Mrs. J. D. R. remarks that
she finds this receipt an excellent one, having used it for a length of
time, and recommended it to friends, with perfect success.

TO CLEAN WHITE SATIN AND FLOWERED SILKS.—1. Mix sifted stale bread crumbs
with powder blue, and rub it thoroughly all over, then shake it well,
and dust it with clean soft cloths. Afterwards, where there are any
gold or silver flowers, take a piece of crimson ingrain velvet, rub the
flowers with it, which will restore them to their original lustre.—2.
Pass them through a solution of fine hard soap, at a hand heat, drawing
them through the hand. Rinse in lukewarm water, dry and finish by pinning
out. Brush the flossy or bright side with a clean clothes-brush, the way
of the nap. Finish them by dipping a sponge into a size, made by boiling
isinglass in water, and rub the wrong side. Rinse out a second time, and
brush, and dry near a fire, or in a warm room. Silks may be treated in
the same way, but not brushed.—M.

TO SMOOTH A CREASED OR RUMPLED RIBBON.—Lay the ribbon evenly on a clean
table or board, and, with a very clean sponge, damp it all over, missing
no part. Next, roll it, smoothly and tightly, on a ribbon-block that is
wider than the ribbon, and let it remain till dry. Afterwards, transfer
it to a fresh block (which must be perfectly dry), rolling it round that.
Wrap it up closely in coarse _brown_ paper, and keep it thus till you
want to use it. Ironing a ribbon is apt to discolour it, and give it a
faded look even when new. Ribbons, and other silks, should always be put
away in coarse brown paper; the chloride of lime used in manufacturing
_white_ paper frequently produces spots and stains. Coarse brown paper,
being made of old ropes picked to pieces, the tar still lingering about
them, preserves the colours of the silks.—J. T.

TO CLEAN SILK STOCKINGS.—First wash the stockings in the usual manner,
to take out the rough dirt. After rinsing them in clean water, wash
them well in fresh soap liquor. Then make a third soap liquor, which
colour with a little stone-blue; then wash the stockings once more, take
them out, wring them, and particularly dry them. Now stove them with
brimstone, and draw on a wooden leg two stockings, one upon the other,
observing that the two fronts or outsides are face to face. Polish with
a glass bottle. The two first liquors should be only lukewarm; but the
third as hot as you can bear your hand in. Blondes and gauzes may be
whitened in the same manner; but there should be a little gum put in the
last liquor before they are stoved.—B. R.

TO KEEP SILK.—Silk articles should not be kept folded in white paper, as
the chloride of lime used in bleaching the paper will probably impair the
colour of the silk. Brown or blue paper is better—the yellowish smooth
India paper is best of all. Silk intended for a dress, should not be
kept in the house long before it is made up, as lying in the folds will
have a tendency to impair its durability by causing it to cut or split,
particularly if the silk has been thickened by gum. We knew an instance
of a very elegant and costly thread lace veil being found, on its arrival
from France, cut into squares (and, therefore, destroyed) by being folded
over a paste-board card. A white satin dress should be pinned up in blue
paper, with coarse brown paper outside, sewn together at the edges.—A. F.

TO WASH SILK LACE OR BLONDE.—Take a black bottle, covered with clean
linen or muslin, and wind the blonde round it (securing the ends with a
needle and thread), not leaving the edge outward, but covering it as you
proceed. Set the bottle upright in a strong cold lather of white soap
and _very clear_ soft water, and place it in the sun, having gently, with
your hand, rubbed the suds up and down on the lace. Keep it in the sun
every day for a week, changing the lather daily, and always rubbing it
slightly when you renew the suds. At the end of the week, take the blonde
off the bottle, and (without rinsing) pin it backward and forward on a
large pillow covered with a clean tight case. Every scallop must have a
separate pin, or more, if the scallops are not very small. The plain edge
must be pinned down also, so as to make it straight and even. The pins
should be of the smallest size. When quite dry, take it off; but do not
starch, iron, or press it. Lay it in long loose folds, and put it away in
a paste-board box. Thread lace may be washed in the same manner.—A. F.

TO WASH RIBBONS, SILK HANDKERCHIEFS, ETC.—None but ribbons of excellent
quality, of one entire colour, and of a plain unfigured surface, will
bear washing. A good satin ribbon may be made to look very well by
washing it carefully, first in cold water, to which add a few drops of
spirits of wine; then make a lather of white soap and lukewarm water, and
wash the ribbon through that; afterwards rinse it in cold water, pull
it even, and dry it gradually. When dry, stretch out the ribbon on an
ironing-table (securing it to the cloth by pins), and sponge it evenly
all over with a very weak solution of isinglass, that has been boiled in
clear water and strained; or, if you have no isinglass, rice-water will
be a tolerable substitute for restoring the stiffness and gloss. To iron
the ribbon, lay it within a sheet of clean smooth letter paper (the paper
being both under and over it), and press it with a heated iron moved
quickly. If the colour is lilac, add a little dissolved pearlash to the
rinsing water; if green, a little vinegar; if pink, or blue, a few drops
of oil of vitriol; if yellow, a little tincture of saffron. Other colours
may be set by stirring a tea-spoonful of ox-gall into the first water. If
white, a salt-spoonful of cream of tartar, mixed with the soap-suds. It
is seldom worth while to take the trouble of washing ribbon, unless you
have a tolerable quantity to do. Unfigured silk handkerchiefs and scarfs
may be washed and ironed in the above manner. The proportion of spirits
of wine is about a table-spoonful to a gallon of water.—M. D.

TO CLEAN GOLD LACE.—Rub it with a soft brush, dipped in roche-alum, burnt
and sifted to a very fine powder. I have tried this several times, and
always found the lace brightened and improved by the method.—W. J. J.

TO CLEAN BLACK LACE VEILS.—These are cleansed by passing them through
a warm liquor of bullock’s gall and water; after which, they must be
rinsed in cold water, then cleansed for stiffening, and finished as
follows:—Take a small piece of glue, about the size of a bean, pour
boiling water upon it, which will dissolve it, and when dissolved, pass
the veil through it, then clap it between your hands and frame.

TO WASH A WHITE LACE VEIL.—Put the veil into a strong lather of white
soap and very clear water, and let it simmer slowly for a quarter of
an hour. Take it out and squeeze it well, but be sure not to rub it.
Rinse it in two cold waters, with a drop or two of liquid blue in the
last. Have ready some very clear and weak gum arabic water, or some
thin starch, or rice-water. Pass the veil through it, and clear it by
clapping. Then stretch it out even, and pin it to dry on a linen cloth,
making the edge as straight as possible, opening out all the scallops,
and fastening each with pins. When dry, lay a piece of thin muslin
smoothly over it, and iron it on the wrong side.—M.

TO CLEAN AND STARCH POINT LACE.—Fix the lace in a prepared tent, draw
it straight, make a warm lather of Castile soap, and, with a fine brush
dipped in, rub over the point gently; and when it is clean on one side,
do the same to the other; then throw some clean water on it, in which a
little alum has been dissolved, to take off the suds, and, having some
thin starch, go over with the same on the wrong side, and iron it on the
same side when dry; then open it with a bodkin, and set it in order. To
clean point lace, if not very dirty, without washing, fix it in a tent,
as previously mentioned, and go over with fine bread, the crust being
pared off; and when it is done, dust out the crumbs, &c.—J. H. M.

WASHING LACE.—I have lately used the following method of washing lace,
collars, or crochet collars, and find that it not only makes them look
well, but saves much of the wear and tear of other washing:—Cover a
glass bottle with calico or linen, and then tack the lace or collar
smoothly upon it, rub it with soap, and cover it with calico. Boil it for
twenty minutes in soft water; let all dry together, and the lace will be
found to be ready for use. A long piece of lace must be wound round and
round the bottle, the edge of each round a little above the last, and
a few stitches to keep it firm at the beginning and end will be found
sufficient, but a collar will require more tacking to keep it in its
place.—G. N. L.

TO WASH A BLACK LACE VEIL.—Mix bullock’s gall with sufficient hot water
to make it as warm as you can bear your hand in. Then pass the veil
through it. It must be squeezed, and not rubbed. It will be well to
perfume the gall with a little musk. Next, rinse the veil through two
cold waters, tingeing the last with indigo. Then dry it. Have ready in
a pan some stiffening made by pouring boiling water on a very small
piece of glue. Put the veil into it, squeeze it out, stretch it, and
clap it. Afterwards, pin it out to dry on a linen cloth, making it very
straight and even, and taking care to open and pin the edge very nicely.
When dry, iron it on the wrong side, having laid a linen cloth over the
ironing-blanket. Any article of black lace may be washed in this manner.

TO CLEAN EMBROIDERY AND GOLD LACE.—For this purpose no alkaline liquors
are to be used; for while they clean the gold, they corrode the silk,
and change its colour. Soap also alters the shade, and even the species
of certain colours. But spirit of wine may be used without any danger
of its injuring either colour or quality; and, in many cases, proves
as effectual for restoring the lustre of the gold as the corrosive
detergents. But, though spirit of wine is the most innocent material
employed for this purpose, it is not in all cases proper. The golden
covering may be in some parts worn off; or the base metal with which it
has been alloyed may be corroded by the air, so as to leave the particles
of the gold disunited; while the silver underneath, tarnished to a yellow
hue, may continue a tolerable colour to the whole, so it is apparent that
the removal of the tarnish would be prejudicial, and make the lace or
embroidery less like gold than it was before. It is necessary that care
should be taken.—W. J. E.

TO WASH THREAD LACE.—Rip off the lace, carefully pick out the loose bits
of thread, and roll the lace very smoothly and securely round a clean
black bottle, previously covered with old white linen, sewn tightly on.
Tack each end of the lace with a needle and thread, to keep it smooth;
and be careful in wrapping not to crumple or fold in any of the scallops
or pearlings. After it is on the bottle, take some of the _best_ sweet
oil, and with a clean sponge wet the lace thoroughly to the inmost folds.
Have ready in a wash-kettle, a strong _cold_ lather of clear water and
white Castile soap. Fill the bottle with cold water, to prevent its
bursting, cork it well, and stand it upright in the suds, with a string
round the neck secured to the ears or handle of the kettle, to prevent
its knocking about and breaking while over the fire. Let it boil in the
suds for an hour or more, till the lace is clean and white all through.
Drain off the suds, and dry it on the bottle in the sun. When dry, remove
the lace from the bottle and roll it round a wide ribbon-block; or lay it
in long folds, place it within a sheet of smooth white paper, and press
it in a large book for a few days.—W. W. C.

FRUIT STAINS IN LINEN.—To remove them, rub the part on each side with
yellow soap, then tie up a piece of pearlash in the cloth, &c., and soak
well in hot water, or boil; afterwards expose the stained part to the sun
and air until removed.—K.

TO TAKE THE MILDEW OUT OF LINEN.—Take soap, and rub it well; then scrape
some fine chalk, and rub it also on the linen. Lay it on the grass. As it
dries, wet it a little, and it will come out in twice doing.—F. E. W.

TO TAKE OUT IRON-MOULDS FROM LINEN.—Rub the iron-moulds over with
sulphuret of potash; then bathe them well in citric acid (lemon acid),
and afterwards wash them well in water, and they will be completely
restored.

TO BLEACH A FADED DRESS.—Wash the dress in hot suds, and boil it until
the colour appears to be gone; then rinse it and dry it in the sun.
Should it not be rendered white by these means, lay the dress in the open
air, and bleach it for several days. If still not quite white, repeat the
boiling.

TO PRESERVE THE COLOUR OF A PRINT DRESS.—The body and train to be
separated and washed in cold rain water, into which a handful of common
salt has been thrown. Instead of spreading, it should be tightly rolled
in a coarse cloth, and allowed to remain until dry enough to iron.—E.

TO RESTORE LINEN THAT HAS LONG BEEN STAINED.—Rub the stains on each side
with wet brown soap; mix some starch to a thick paste, with cold water,
and spread it over the soaped places; then expose the linen to the air,
and if the stains have not disappeared in three or four days, rub off the
mixture, and repeat the process with fresh soap and starch. Afterwards
dry it, wet it with cold water, and put it in the wash.

TO WASH MOUSSELINE-DE-LAINE.—Boil a pound of rice in five quarts of
water, and, when cool enough, wash in this, using the rice for soap. Have
another quantity ready, but strain the rice from this and use it with
warm water, keeping the rice strained off for a third washing, which at
the same time stiffens and also brightens the colours.—W.

TO PREVENT COLOURED THINGS FROM RUNNING.—Boil a quarter of a pound of
soap till nearly dissolved, then add a small piece of alum and boil with
it. Wash the things in this lather, but do not soap them. If they require
a second water, put alum to that also, as well as to the swilling and
blue-water. This will preserve them.

STAIN MIXTURE.—Take an ounce of sal-ammoniac (or hartshorn), and an ounce
of salt of tartar—mix them well, put them into a pint of soft water,
and bottle it for use, keeping it very tightly corked. Pour a little of
this liquid into a saucer, and wash in it those parts of a white article
that have been stained with ink, mildew, fruit, or red wine. When the
stains have by this process been removed, wash the article in the usual
manner.—M. C.

TO RESTORE SCORCHED LINEN.—Take two onions, peel and slice them, and
extract the juice by squeezing or pounding. Then cut up half an ounce of
white soap, and two ounces of fuller’s earth; mix with them the onion
juice, and half a pint of vinegar. Boil this composition well, and spread
it when cool, over the scorched part of the linen, leaving it to dry
thereon. Afterwards wash out the linen.

TO WHITEN LINEN THAT HAS TURNED YELLOW.—Cut up a pound of fine white soap
into a gallon of milk, and hang it over the fire in a wash-kettle. When
the soap has entirely melted, put in the linen, and boil it half an hour.
Then take it out; have ready a lather of soap and warm water; wash the
linen in it and then rinse it through two cold waters, with a very little
blue in the last.—J. W.

TO TAKE OUT PAINT FROM A DRESS.—After a paint-spot has dried, it is
extremely difficult to remove it. When fresh (having wiped off as much
as you can), it may be taken out by repeated applications of spirits of
turpentine or of spirits of wine, rubbed with a soft rag or a flannel.
Ether also will efface it, if applied immediately. If the paint has been
allowed to harden, nothing will take it off but spirits of turpentine,
rubbed on with perseverance.

TO RENEW SCORCHED OR BROWNED LINEN.—This is an accident attributable
entirely to the ignorance of the laundress, in not knowing how to
regulate the heat of her irons. To remedy this:—Add to a quart of
vinegar, the juice of half a dozen large onions, about an ounce of soap
rasped down, a quarter of a pound of fuller’s earth, one ounce of lime,
and one ounce of pearlash, or any other strong alkali. Boil the whole
until it is pretty thick, and lay some of it on the scorched part,
suffering it to dry. It will be found that, on repeating this process
for one or two washings, the scorch will be completely removed from the
linen without any additional damage; provided its texture has not been
absolutely injured, as well as discoloured.—H. W.

TO REMOVE STAINS OF WINE OR FRUIT FROM TABLE-LINEN.—A wine stain may
sometimes be removed by rubbing it, while wet, with common salt. It is
said, also, that sherry wine poured immediately on a place where port
wine has been spilled, will prevent its leaving a stain. A _certain_ way
of extracting fruit or wine stains from table-linen is to tie up some
cream of tartar in the stained part (so as to form a sort of bag), and
then to put the linen into a lather of soap and cold water, and boil it
awhile. Then transfer it wet to lukewarm suds, wash and rinse it well,
and dry and iron it. The stains will disappear during the process.
Another way, is to mix, in equal quantities, soft soap, slaked lime,
and pearlash. Rub the stain with this preparation, and expose the linen
to the sun with the mixture plastered on it. If necessary, repeat the
application. As soon as the stain has disappeared, wash out the linen
immediately, as it will be injured if the mixture is left in it.—E. D.

TO WASH CHINTZ.—Many ladies will be glad to know how chintz may be
washed so as to preserve its gloss and beauty. The following are the
directions:—Take two pounds of rice, and boil it in two gallons of water
till soft; when done, pour the whole into a tub: let it stand till about
the warmth you in general use for coloured linens; then put the chintz
in, and use the rice instead of soap; wash it in this till the dirt
appears to be out; then boil the same quantity as above, but strain the
rice from the water, and mix it in warm clear water. Wash in this till
quite clean; afterwards rinse it in the water you have boiled the rice
in, and this will answer the end of starch, and no dew will affect it,
as it will be stiff as long as you wear it. If a gown, it must be taken
to pieces; and when dried, be careful to hang it as smooth as possible;
after it is dry, rub it with a sleek stone, but use no iron.

TO PRESERVE THE COLOUR OF DRESSES.—The colours of merinos,
mousselines-de-laine, gingham, chintzes, printed lawns, &c., may be
preserved by using water that is only milk-warm; making a lather with
white soap, _before_ you put in the dress, instead of rubbing it on the
material; and stirring into a first and second tub of water a large
table-spoonful of ox-gall. The gall can be obtained from the butcher, and
a bottle of it should always be kept in every house. No coloured articles
should be allowed to remain long in the water. They must be washed fast,
and then rinsed through two cold waters. Into each rinsing water, stir
a tea-spoonful of vinegar, which will help to brighten the colours; and
after rinsing, hang them out immediately. When _ironing-dry_, (or still
a little damp), bring them in; have irons ready heated, and iron them at
once, as it injures the colours to allow them to remain damp too long,
or to sprinkle and roll them up in a covering for ironing next day. If
they cannot be conveniently ironed immediately, let them hang till they
are _quite_ dry; and then damp and fold them on the _following day_, a
quarter of an hour before ironing. The best way is not to do coloured
dresses on the day of the general wash, but to give them a morning by
themselves. They should only be undertaken in clear bright weather. If
allowed to freeze, the colours will be irreparably injured. We need
scarcely say that no coloured articles should ever be boiled or scalded.
If you get from a shop a slip for testing the durability of colours,
give it a fair trial by washing it as above; afterwards pinning it to
the edge of a towel, and hanging it to dry. Some colours, (especially
pinks and light greens), though they may stand perfectly well in washing,
will change as soon as a warm iron is applied to them; the pink turning
purplish, and the green bluish. No coloured article should be smoothed
with a _hot_ iron.—A. F. H.

TO PRESERVE FURS.—When laying up muffs and tippets for the summer, if a
tallow candle be placed on or near them, all danger of caterpillars will
be obviated.

TO CLEAN ERMINE AND MINIVAR FUR.—Take a piece of soft flannel, and rub
the fur well with it (but remember that the rubbing must be always
against the grain); then rub the fur with common flour until clean. Shake
it well, and rub again with the flannel till all the flour is out of it.
I have had a Minivar boa for four years. It has never been cleaned with
anything but flour, and is not in the least injured by the rubbing. It
was a school companion who told me that her aunt (a Russian lady), always
cleaned her white furs with flour, and that they looked quite beautiful.
It has one advantage—the lining does not require to be taken out, and it
only requires a little trouble. Ermine takes longer than Minivar. The
latter is very easily done.—A. B.

ON THE METHOD OF MAKING MUFFS AND TIPPETS, FROM THE PLUMAGE AND SKINS OF
BIRDS.—We are indebted to a Frenchman for having brought to perfection
this useful and ornamental art. Domestic animals of all the feathered
kinds afford the materials of which these articles may be made; but those
with rich variegated colours, for gay wear, as they are less liable
to decay than the sable coverings of birds of prey, would no doubt be
preferred. Above all, those animals should be selected whose plumage lies
close and smooth upon their backs, for obvious reasons. Diseased birds,
or those killed in moulting time, are to be rejected, as the feathers
would drop off at no distant period; the birds must therefore be killed
in good health, and the skin carefully stripped off soon after their
death, especially when the weather is hot; otherwise the same effects
would be produced from corruption as from disease. When the skin has been
freed from its impurities, it is spread upon a small table, the plumage
downwards, the feathers having been previously arranged over each other,
according to the natural order. To keep it well stretched, tacks or pins
may be driven in, or threads passed down underneath the table. Next clean
away the grease or fleshy parts that remain, and close up the rents, if
any; the skin is then covered with a size made of glue, in which a small
quantity of common salt and a glass of white wine have been mixed up, to
bring it to the proper consistency. The skin, thus covered, being exposed
to the direct action of the wind, the glue will begin to scale off, and
the whole must be scraped away. Should any dampness still remain on the
skin, apply the glue once more, dry, and scrape it as before. When well
dried, the skin is to be placed away in a box, in which dried wormwood
(absynthe), aloes, or some other bitter vegetable is placed. The skins of
large, or rank feeding birds, require vinegar and salt to be dissolved
in the glue, and the whole to be passed over with a solution of alum.
The women of Hudson’s Bay prepare cloaks for their husbands in this way,
which naturally resist all kinds of weather, and are an admirable defence
against sleet in particular. They constantly boast that “the animals have
all been killed by their own hands,” and this is indeed necessary to the
preservation of the dress, as the feathers which come away in moulting,
or through disease, would decay. A coarse linen shape is stretched out,
and the feathers, having the quill part thrust through its meshes, are
attached on the wrong side by needle and thread, and then lined with
baize. Some sort of pattern, or _patchwork_, is generally attempted
by arranging the feathers, which may be improved upon by our fair
countrywomen, especially with the deeply-coloured and variegated tinted
plumage of South American or Brazilian birds.—E. A.

TO CLEAN KID GLOVES.—First see that your hands are clean, then put on
the gloves, and wash them, as though you were washing your hands, in a
basin of spirits of turpentine, until quite clean; then hang them up in
a warm place, or where there is a good current of air, which will carry
off all smell of the turpentine. This method was brought from Paris, and
thousands of pounds have been made by it.

TO CLEAN WHITE KID GLOVES.—Stretch them on a board, and rub the soiled
spots with cream of tartar or magnesia. Let them rest an hour. Take a
mixture of alum and fuller’s earth, in powder, and rub it all over the
gloves with a clean brush, and let them rest for an hour or two. Then
sweep it all off, and go over with a flannel dipped in a mixture of bran
and finely powdered whiting. Let them rest another hour; brush off the
powder, and you will find them clean.—A. F.

TO CLEAN COLOURED KID GLOVES.—Have ready on a table a clean towel, folded
three or four times, a saucer of new milk, and another saucer with a
piece of brown soap. Take one glove at a time, and spread it smoothly on
the folded towel. Then dip in the milk a piece of clean flannel, rub it
on the soap till you get off a tolerable quantity, and then, with the
wet flannel, commence rubbing the glove. Begin at the wrist, and rub
lengthways towards the end of the fingers, holding the glove firmly in
your right hand. Continue this process until the glove is well cleaned
all over with the milk and soap. When done, spread them out, and pin them
on a line to dry gradually. When nearly dry, pull them out evenly, the
cross-way of the leather. When quite dry, stretch them on your hands.
White kid gloves may also be washed in this manner, provided they have
never been cleaned with India-rubber.

AN EXCELLENT PASTE FOR GLOVES.—Liquor of ammonia half an ounce, chloride
of potash ten ounces, curd soap one pound, water half a pint; dissolve
the soap in the water, with a gentle heat, then as the mixture cools,
stir in the other ingredients. Use it, by rubbing it over the gloves
until the dirt is removed.

TO CLEAN WHITE OR COLOURED KID GLOVES.—Put the glove on your hand, then
take a small piece of flannel, dip it in camphine, and well but gently
rub it over the glove, _taking care not to make it too wet_; when the
dirt is removed, dip the flannel (or another piece, if that is become
dirty) in the pipe-clay and rub it over the glove; take it off, and
hang it up in a room to dry, and in a day or two very little smell will
remain; and if done carefully they will be almost as good as new. In
coloured ones, if yellow, use gamboge after the pipe-clay, and for other
colours match it in dry paint. I have tried the other plans recommended
in many publications, and have not found them answer at all. Turpentine
_may_ do as well, but I have not tried it.—A. S.

TO CLEAN WASH-LEATHER GLOVES.—First take out the grease spots with
magnesia, or cream of tartar. Then wash and squeeze them through a lather
of white soap and lukewarm water; hot water will shrink them. Squeeze
them through second suds; rinse them first in lukewarm and then in cold
water, and stretch them to dry before the fire or in the sun.

ANOTHER.—Having removed the grease spots, take the gloves, one at a
time, on your hands, and rub them with a clean sponge wet with lukewarm
soap-suds. Wash off the suds with a sponge and clear water, and stretch
the gloves to dry. When almost dry, put them on your hands until
finished, which will prevent them from shrinking.—A. F.

TO CLEAN BUCKSKIN GLOVES.—First wash in warm water and soap, until the
dirt is removed; then pull them out into their proper shape, or stretch
them on wooden hands. Do not wring them, but place one on the other, and
press the water out. Mix a little pipe-clay, or pipe-clay and yellow
ochre, according to the colour required, with vinegar or beer. Rub this
over the outside of the gloves, and let them dry gradually in the shade;
or if in the house, not too near the fire. When about half-dry, rub them
well and stretch them on the hand or wooden mould; after they are rubbed
and dried, brush them with a soft brush to get out the dust. Finally,
iron the gloves with a smoothing-iron moderately heated, taking the
precaution to place a cloth or piece of paper over them, and they will
look like new. Tanned gloves, commonly called Limerick, are genteel and
economical in spring and autumn, as they do not soil so soon as white.
The tan colour is made by infusing saffron in boiling water for about
twelve hours, and rubbing the stuff over the leather with a brush. The
water should be soft, and never applied to leather in any case at more
than blood heat.—M.

TO REMOVE STAINS FROM MORNING DRESSES.—Boil a handful of fig leaves in
two quarts of water until reduced to a pint. Squeeze the leaves, and put
the liquor into a bottle for use. Bombazines, crape, cloth, &c., need
only be rubbed with a sponge dipped in this liquor, and the effect will
be instantly produced. If any reason exists to prevent the substance from
being wetted, then apply French chalk, which will absorb the grease from
the finest texture without injury.

TO REMOVE WATER STAINS FROM BLACK CRAPE.—When a drop of water falls on
a black crape veil or collar, it leaves a conspicuous white mark. To
obliterate this, spread the crape on a table (laying on it a large book
or a paper-weight to keep it steady), and place underneath the stain a
piece of old black silk. With a large camel’s hair brush dipped in common
ink, go over the stain; and then wipe off the ink with a little bit of
old soft silk. It will dry immediately, and the white mark will be seen
no more.—J. G.

TO RAISE THE PILE OF VELVET WHEN PRESSED DOWN.—Cover a hot smoothing-iron
with a wet cloth, and hold the velvet firmly over it; the vapour arising
will raise the pile of the velvet with the assistance of a light whisk.

TO RESTORE VELVET.—When velvet gets plushed from pressure, holding the
reverse side over a basin of boiling water will raise the pile, and
perhaps it may also succeed in the case of wet from rain.

TO IRON VELVET.—Having ripped the velvet apart, damp each piece
separately, and holding it tightly in both hands, stretch it before the
fire, the wrong side of the velvet being towards the fire. This will
remove the creases, and give the surface of the material a fresh and new
appearance. Velvet cannot be ironed on a table, for when spread out on a
hard substance, the iron will not go smoothly over the pile.

SCOURING BALLS TO REMOVE GREASE, ETC., FROM CLOTH.—Soft soap and fuller’s
earth, of each half a pound; beat them well together in a mortar, and
form into cakes. The spot first moistened with water, is rubbed with
a cake, and allowed to dry, when it is well rubbed with a little warm
water, and afterwards rinsed or rubbed off clean.

TO TAKE FRESH PAINT OUT OF A COAT.—Take immediately a piece of cloth, and
rub the wrong side of it on the paint-spot. If no other cloth is at hand,
part of the inside of the coat-skirt will do. This simple application
will generally remove the paint when quite fresh. Otherwise, rub some
ether on the spot with your finger.

TO RENOVATE A BLACK COAT.—Boil half a pound of logwood and some copperas
chips in three pints of water, until reduced to a quart. When cold,
strain it; and add a wine-glass full of gin, and half that quantity of
spirits of wine. Mix well; apply it to the cloth with a nail-brush, and
when dry, brush with a soft brush.—T. S.

TO TAKE CARE OF BEAVER HATS.—A hat should be brushed every day with a
hat-brush; and twice a day in dusty weather. When a hat gets wet, wipe
it as dry as you can with a clean handkerchief, and then brush it with a
soft brush, before you put it to dry. When nearly dry, go over it with a
harder brush. If it still looks rough, damp it with a sponge dipped in
vinegar or stale beer, and brush it with a hard brush till dry.—J. C. H.

WET CLOTHES.—Handle a wet hat as lightly as possible. Wipe it as dry as
you can with a silk handkerchief; and when nearly dry, use a soft brush.
If the fur stick together in any part, damp it lightly with a sponge
dipped in beer or vinegar, and then brush it till dry. Put the stick or
stretcher into a damp hat, to keep it in proper shape. When a coat gets
wet, wipe it down the way of the nap, with a sponge or silk handkerchief.
Do not put wet boots or shoes near the fire.

TO PREVENT MOTHS ATTACKING CLOTHES.—1. Procure shavings of cedar-wood,
and enclose in muslin bags, which should be distributed freely among the
clothes.—2. Procure shavings of camphor wood, and enclose in bags.—3.
Sprinkle pimento (allspice) berries among the clothes.—4. Sprinkle the
clothes with the seeds of the musk plant.—5. To destroy the eggs when
deposited in woollen cloth, &c., use a solution of acetate of potash in
spirits of rosemary—fifteen grains to the pint.—K.

CLOTHES BALLS.—Take four ounces of fuller’s earth, dried so as to
crumble into powder, and mix with it half an ounce of pearlash. Wet
it with a sufficiency of lemon-juice to work it into a stiff paste.
Then form it into balls, and dry them in the sun, or on the top of a
moderately warm stove. When quite dry, put them away for use. They will
be found efficacious in removing grease spots and stains from articles
of clothing, first wetting the spot with cold water, and then rubbing on
the ball; afterwards drying the place in the sun or by the fire, and then
washing it off with a sponge and clean water.

TO TAKE OUT MILDEW FROM CLOTHES.—Mix some soft soap with powdered starch,
half as much salt, and the juice of a lemon, lay it on the part with
a brush, let it be exposed in the air day and night, until the stain
disappears. Iron-moulds may be removed by the salt of lemon. Many stains
in linen may be taken out by dipping linen in sour buttermilk, and then
drying it in the sun; afterwards wash it in cold water several times.
Stains caused by acids may be removed by tying some pearlash up in the
stained part; scrape some soap in cold soft water, and boil the linen
till the stain is gone.—J. K.

TO RENOVATE BLACK CLOTH CLOTHES.—Clean the garments well, then boil four
ounces of logwood in a boiler or copper containing two or three gallons
of water for half an hour; dip the clothes in warm water, and squeeze
dry, then put them into the copper and boil for half an hour. Take them
out, and add three drachms of sulphate of iron; boil for half an hour,
then take them out, and hang them up for an hour or two; take them down,
rinse in three cold waters, dry well, and rub with a soft brush which
has had a few drops of olive oil rubbed on its surface. If the clothes
are threadbare about the elbows, cuffs, &c., raise the nap with a teazle
or half-worn hatter’s card, filled with flocks, and when sufficiently
raised, lay the nap the right way with a hard brush.—K.

TO FOLD A COAT FOR PACKING.—Lay the coat at its full length upon a
table, with the collar towards the left hand; pull out the collar so
as to make it lie quite straight; turn up the coat towards the collar,
letting the crease be just at the elbow; let the lappel or breast on
one side be turned smoothly back on the arm and sleeves. Turn the skirt
over the lappel, so that the end of the skirt will reach to the collar,
and the crease or folding will be just where the skirts part at the
termination of the waist. When you have done on one side, do the same
on the other. Turn the collar towards the right hand, and fold one
skirt over the other, observing to let the fold be in the middle of the
collar.—J. S. C.

TO BRUSH CLOTHES.—Have a wooden horse to put the clothes on, and a small
cane to beat the dust out of them; also a board or table long enough for
them to be put their whole length when brushing them. Have two brushes,
one a hard bristle, the other soft; use the hardest for the great coats,
and the other for the others when spotted with dirt. Fine cloth coats
should never be brushed with too hard a brush; this will take off the
nap, and make them look bare in a little time. Be careful in the choice
of the cane; do not have it too large, and be particular not to hit it
too hard; be careful also not to hit the buttons, for it will scratch, if
not break them; therefore a small hand-whip is the best to beat with. If
a coat be wet, and spotted with dirt, let it be quite dry before brushing
it; then rub out the spots with the hands, taking care not to rumple it
in so doing. If it want beating, do it as before directed; then put the
coat at its full length on a board; let the collar be towards the left
hand, and the brush in the right: brush the back of the collar first,
between the two shoulders next, and then the sleeves, &c., observing to
brush the cloth the same way that the nap goes, which is towards the
skirt of the coat. When both sides are properly done, fold them together;
then brush the inside, and last of all the collar.—W. C.

TO WASH FLANNELS.—Put the flannel into a pan and pour boiling water upon
it. Then make a lather as hot as the hands can bear, take the flannel and
wash it as quickly as possible. Done in this way, flannel remains almost
as soft as new, and is of a good colour.—W. R.

FLANNELS.—All flannels should be soaked before they are made up; first
in cold, then in hot water, in order to shrink them. Welsh flannel is
the softest, and should be preferred, if to be worn next the skin; but
Lancashire flannel looks finer, lasts longer, and should, therefore, be
selected when the above is not its destination. Flannel under-garments
should be frequently changed, because they imbibe perspiration, which is
liable to be absorbed again into the system, and this is injurious. All
flannel vestments that are made full, should be _gathered, not plaited_;
because, in the latter case, they become thick and matted by washing; and
in the event of their being turned from top to bottom in order to alter
the wear, the part that had been plaited will be found to be so drawn and
injured, that two or three inches of it must be cut off.—W.

TO CLEAN CUT-GLASS.—Having washed cut-glass articles, let them
thoroughly dry, and afterwards rub them with prepared chalk and a soft
brush, carefully going into all the flutings and cavities.

TO CLEAN DECANTERS.—Rinse the bottles, and put a piece of lighted coarse
brown paper into each: then place the stoppers or corks in, and when the
smoke disappears wash the bottles clean. This will remove all stains, but
if the decanters are very dirty, this process should be repeated until
they are fit for use.—A.

ANOTHER.—Cut some raw potatoes in pieces, put them in the bottle with a
little cold water, rinse them, and they will look very clean.—E. C.

TO CLEAN PORCELAIN OR GLASS-WARE.—The best material for this purpose is
fuller’s earth, but it must be beaten into a fine powder, and carefully
cleared from all rough and hard particles, which might endanger the
polish of the brilliant surface. In cleaning porcelain, it must also be
observed that some species require more care and attention than others,
as china-ware in common use frequently loses some of its colours. The
red, especially of vermilion, is the first to go, because that colour,
together with some others, is laid on by the Chinese after burning.—W. J.
J.

TO WASH PHIALS.—In most families are gradually collected a number of
phials that have been used for medicine. It is well to have a basket
purposely to keep them in, and occasionally to wash them all, that they
may be ready to send to the druggist’s when new medicine is wanted. Put
into a wash-kettle some sifted ashes, and pour into it a sufficiency of
cold water. Then put in the phials (without corks), place the kettle
over the fire, and let it gradually come to a boil. After it has boiled
a while, take it off, and set it aside; letting the phials remain in it
till cold. Then take them out, rinse, drain them, and wipe the outsides.
You may wash black bottles in the same manner. If you have occasion
to wash a single phial or bottle, pour into it through a small funnel
either some lye, or some lukewarm water in which a little pearlash has
been dissolved; shake it, and let it stand awhile to soak. Then rinse it
well in cold water two or three times. If it still smells of the former
contents, soak it in more pearlash water (with the addition of a little
lime), or in more lye.

TO CLEAN LOOKING-GLASSES, MIRRORS, ETC.—If they should be hung so high
that they cannot be conveniently reached, have a pair of steps to stand
upon; but mind that they stand steady. Then take a piece of soft sponge,
well washed and cleaned from everything gritty, just dip it into water
and squeeze it out again, and then dip it into spirit of wine. Rub it
over the glass; dust it over with some powder blue, or whiting sifted
through muslin: rub it lightly and quickly off again, with a cloth; then
take a clean cloth, and rub it well again, and finish by rubbing it with
a silk handkerchief. If the glass be very large, clean one-half at a
time, as otherwise the spirit of wine will dry before it can be rubbed
off. If the frames are not varnished, the greatest care is necessary to
keep them quite dry, so as not to touch them with the sponge, as this
will discolour or take off the gilding. To clean the frames, take a
little raw cotton in the state of wool, and rub the frames with it; this
will take off all the dust and dirt without injuring the gilding. If the
frames are well varnished, rub them with spirits of wine, which will take
out all spots, and give them a fine polish. Varnished doors may be done
in the same manner. Never use any cloth to _frames_ or _drawings_, or
unvarnished oil paintings, when cleaning and dusting them.—J. G.

TO CLEAN TIN COVERS.—Boil some rotten-stone and a small quantity of
prepared whiting in some sweet oil for two hours, till it acquires the
consistency of cream.

CLOTHS FOR CLEANING AND POLISHING SILVER PLATE.—Take two ounces of
hartshorn powder, and boil in a pint of water, soak small squares of
damask cloth in the liquid, hang them up to dry, and then they will be
fit for use.—W. C. C.

TO REMOVE BLACK SPOTS FROM PLATE.—Boil the articles in three pints of
water with an ounce of calcined hartshorn; drain, dry by the fire, and
polish with soft linen rags which have been boiled in the same liquid and
afterwards dried; using purified whiting as the plate powder.—H.

METHOD OF CLEANING BRASS ORNAMENTS.—Brass ornaments, that have not
been gilt or lacquered, may be cleaned, and a very brilliant colour
given to them, by washing them with alum boiled in strong lye, in the
proportion of an ounce to a pint, and afterwards rubbing them with strong
tripoli.—J. J.

TO PRESERVE STEEL GOODS.—Caoutchouc, one part; turpentine, sixteen
parts. Dissolve with a gentle heat, then add boiled oil, eight parts.
Mix by bringing them to the heat of boiling water; apply it to the steel
with a brush, in the way of varnish. It may be removed, when dry, with
turpentine. The oil may be wholly omitted.—M.

TO REMOVE INK STAINS FROM SILVER.—The tops and other portions of silver
inkstands frequently become deeply discoloured with ink, which is
difficult to remove by ordinary means. It may, however, be completely
eradicated by making a little chloride of lime into a paste with water,
and rubbing it upon the stains. Chloride of lime has been misnamed “the
general bleacher,” but it is a foul enemy to all metallic surfaces.

TO CLEAN GERMAN SILVER.—After using, it should be placed immediately in
hot water, washed well, and wiped dry with a soft cloth. Once a week,
let it be washed in soap-suds, and then cleaned with fine whiting, or
prepared chalk, mixed with whisky or spirits of wine, so as to make a
paste, which should afterwards be brushed off. Should this metal become
discoloured, or spotted by vinegar or other acids, wash it first, and
then clean it with sweet oil and powdered rotten-stone.

TO PRESERVE BRASS ORNAMENTS.—Brass ornaments, when not gilt or lacquered,
may be cleaned in the same way, and a fine colour may be given to them
by two simple processes. The first is to beat sal-ammoniac into a fine
powder, then to moisten it with soft water, rubbing it on the ornaments,
which must be heated over charcoal, and rubbed dry with bran and whiting.
The second is to wash the brass-work with roche-alum boiled in strong
lye, in the proportion of an ounce to a pint; when dry, it must be rubbed
with fine tripoli. Either of these processes will give to brass the
brilliancy of gold.—J. R.

CLEANING KETTLES AND SAUCEPANS.—The following is a useful receipt for
cleaning the inside of kettles or saucepans of the hard stony substance,
resulting from continually boiling hard water, which may not be generally
known:—In a kettle of boiling water, put about the sixteenth part of an
ounce of sal-ammoniac, or two-pennyworth, which can be obtained from any
chemist. Let it boil one hour, and then the petrified substance will be
dissolved, and is readily disengaged from the metal. A great saving of
time and trouble will be effected in heating the water.—W. M.

TO CLEAN SILVER.—When silver has become much tarnished, spotted, or
discoloured, it may be restored by the following process. Having
dissolved two tea-spoonfuls of powdered alum in a quart of moderately
strong lye, stir in a gill of soft soap, and remove the scum or dross
that may rise to the surface. After washing the silver in hot water, take
a sponge and cover every article all over with this mixture. Let the
things rest about a quarter of an hour, frequently turning them. Next
wash them off in warm soap-suds, and wipe them dry with a soft cloth.
Afterwards brighten them with rouge-powder, or with whiting and spirits
of wine.—J. S. C.

TO CLEAN THE RUST FROM IRON OR STEEL.—Scrape off as much of the rust as
you can. Then grease the iron all over with lamp oil (any other oil will
do), rubbing it in well. Put the iron in a place where it will be out of
the way, and let it rest for two or three days, or more. Then wipe off
the oil, as thoroughly as possible, and rub the iron with sand-paper till
it is perfectly cleaned from the grease. Sand-paper is to be had at any
oil or Italian warehouse, its price is usually a penny or three halfpence
a sheet. For want of oil or sand-paper, rusty iron may be cleaned
tolerably well by greasing it with a bit of pork-fat, and afterwards
rubbing it with common sand.

TO PRESERVE POLISHED IRONS FROM RUST.—Polished iron-work may be preserved
from rust by a mixture not very expensive, consisting of copal varnish
intimately mixed with as much olive oil as will give it a degree of
greasiness, adding thereto nearly as much spirit of turpentine as
of varnish. The cast iron work is best preserved by rubbing it with
black-lead. But where rust has begun to make its appearance on grates or
fire-irons, apply a mixture of tripoli with half its quantity of sulphur,
intimately mingled on a marble slab, and laid on with a piece of soft
leather: or emery and oil may be applied with excellent effect; not laid
on in the usual slovenly way, but with a spongy piece of the fig-tree
fully saturated with the mixture. This will not only clean but polish,
and render the use of whiting unnecessary.—M. B.

TO CLEAN BRASS, LACQUERED WORK, ETC.—For this purpose, some persons
employ a mixture of finely powdered glass and red lead. Powdered
charcoal substituted for the latter will be an improvement. It will
polish brass or copper in very little time, and would do well for
cleaning lacquered work.

TO CLEAN CANDLESTICKS, SNUFFERS, ETC.—Silver, plated, and japanned
candlesticks, snuffers and snuffer-stands, should be cleaned by first
removing the drops of wax or tallow that may have fallen on them by
washing in boiling hot water, afterwards wiping them quite dry and clean
with a piece of soft wash-leather. If made of silver, or copper-plated,
they may be finished off with a little plate powder. On no account place
them before the fire to melt the grease off, as much heat will melt off
the solder or japan, or injure the face of the plate. In placing the
candles in the sockets fit them in tightly, either by means of a strip of
paper wound round them, or by the ordinary candle-springs; they will thus
be prevented from falling about and spilling the melted portion of the
tallow or other materials of which they may be composed.

STAINS OF METALS.—When metals are rusty, or covered with verdigris, which
has entered the substance, they are to be rubbed with sand or emery, or
even filed, if the oxidation be deep; the polish is then to be restored
by an impalpable powder of emery, moistened with oil, and cleaned off
with a leather covered with whiting. Silver, gold, or tin, which is
stained by any sulphurous emanation, should first be washed with water
slightly acidulated with vinegar, and then rubbed with fine tripoli or
whiting. Almost all the powder which is sold for cleaning plate is mixed
with mercury, and is therefore in some degree objectionable. The fine
colcothar of vitriol used by painters, is, however, a good plate powder.
Another and very excellent mode of cleaning plate, is to rub it, after
having washed it clean, with a piece of cloth prepared in the following
manner:—Cut a yard of coarse calico into four, and boil it in a quart of
water with two ounces of calcined, powdered, and sifted hartshorn, till
all the liquid is absorbed.

TO REMOVE IRON-MOULDS.—Rub the spot with a little powdered oxalic acid,
or salts of lemon and warm water. Let it remain a few minutes, and well
rinse in clear water.

TO REMOVE INK-STAINS FROM PRINTED BOOKS, ETC.—Procure a pennyworth of
oxalic acid, which dissolve in a small quantity of warm water, then
slightly wet the stain with it, when it will disappear, leaving the text
uninjured.—A. L.

TO REMOVE INK OR FRUIT STAINS FROM THE FINGERS.—Cream of tartar, half an
ounce; powdered salt of sorrel, half an ounce. Mix. This is what is sold
for salts of lemon.

TO REMOVE STAINS AND MARKS FROM BOOKS.—A solution of oxalic acid, citric
acid, or tartaric acid, is attended with the least risk, and may be
applied upon the paper and prints without fear of damage. These acids,
taking out writing-ink and not touching the printing, can be used for
restoring books where the margins have been written upon, without
attacking the text.

TO REMOVE INK STAINS.—Procure a two-ounce phial, put into it a pennyworth
of oxalic acid, and fill it up with warm water; place on the stain a
piece of white linen rag; shake the above solution, and then pour a
few drops of it on the linen rag stretched on the stain. This should
remove it entirely; but, very frequently, when logwood has been used
in manufacturing the ink, a reddish stain still remains. To remove it,
procure a solution of the chloride of lime, and apply it in the same
manner as directed for the oxalic acid. I can guarantee this, after many
trials.—W. J. G.

TO CLEAN LEATHER CASES.—The following is a cheap and excellent plan to
clean hat-cases, writing-desks, and any other leather materials:—Simply,
oxalic acid dissolved in warm water, and the article cleansed with a
piece of sponge. When dry, they are nearly equal to new.—H. K.

TO CLEAN MARBLE.—Take two parts of common soda, one part of pumice-stone,
and one part of finely powdered chalk; sift it through a fine sieve, and
mix it with water; then rub it well all over the marble, and the stains
will be removed; then wash the marble over with soap and water, and it
will be as clean as it was at first.

TO CLEAN PAPER-HANGINGS.—Cut into eight half-quarters a stale quartern
loaf; with one of these pieces, after having blown off all the dust from
the paper to be cleaned, by means of a good pair of bellows, begin at
the top of the room, holding the crust in the hand, and wiping lightly
downward with the crumb about half a yard at each stroke, till the upper
part of the hangings is completely cleaned all round; then go again
round, with the like sweeping stroke downward, always commencing each
successive course a little higher than the upper stroke had extended till
the bottom be finished. This operation, if carefully performed, will
frequently make very old paper look almost equal to new. Great caution
must be used not by any means to rub the paper hard, nor to attempt
cleaning it the cross or horizontal way. The dirty part of the bread,
too, must be each time cut away, and the pieces renewed as soon as at all
necessary.

TO CLEAN BEADS.—Mix up a small quantity of soft soap, spirits of
turpentine, and powdered rotten-stone. Lay it on the beads with a rag,
and rub off with a bit of fine linen or leather.

TO RESTORE IVORY.—To bleach a card case, expose it to the sun in a close
glass shade, previously washing it in spirits of wine and water, with a
small quantity of soda in it. Allow it to dry very slowly in a cool place
before exposing it to the sun. But, under any circumstances, carving in
ivory is apt to split, and become unglued. For an ink spot, try a little
salt of sorrel.—M. C.

TO WHITEN IVORY, EVEN THAT WHICH HAS TURNED A BROWN YELLOW.—1. Slake
some lime in water, put your ivory in that water, after decanted from
the ground, and boil it till it looks quite white. 2. To polish it
afterwards, set it in the turner’s wheel, and, after having worked it,
take rushes and pumice-stones, subtile powder with water, and rub it
all till it looks perfectly smooth. Next to that, heat it by turning it
against a piece of linen, or sheepskin leather, and, when hot, rub it
over with a little whiting diluted in oil of olive; then with a little
dry whiting alone, and finally with a piece of soft white rag. When all
this is performed as directed, the ivory will look remarkably white.—J.
E. C.

TO CLEAN TEA-TRAYS.—Do not pour boiling water over them, particularly on
japanned ones, as it will make the varnish crack and peel off; but have
a sponge wetted with warm water and a little soap if the tray be very
dirty, then rub it with a cloth; if it looks smeary, dust on a little
flour, then rub it with a dry cloth. If the paper tray gets marked, take
a piece of woollen cloth, with a little sweet oil, and rub it over the
marks; if anything will take them out, this will. Let the urn be emptied
and the top wiped dry, particularly the outside, for if any wet be
suffered to dry on it, it will leave a mark.—S.

WAX FOR POLISHING FURNITURE.—Melt bees’ wax in spirits of turpentine,
with a very small proportion of resin. When it is entirely dissolved, dip
in it a sponge, and wash the mahogany lightly over with it. Immediately
afterwards, rub it off with a clean soft cloth. For carved furniture,
spread the mixture on with a small soft brush, and rub it off with
another brush, a very little harder.—M. P.

A HINT FOR HOUSEKEEPERS.—A few drops of carbonate of ammonia in a small
quantity of warm rain water, will prove a safe and easy anti-acid, &c.,
and will change, if carefully applied, discoloured spots upon carpets,
and indeed all spots, whether produced by acids or alkalies. If one
has the misfortune to have a carpet injured by whitewash, this will
immediately restore it.

TO SWEETEN CASKS.—When musty, it is best to unhead large casks and
whitewash them with quick-lime. Or they may be matched with sulphur mixed
with a little nitrate of potash, and afterwards well washed. Small casks
may be sweetened by washing them first with sulphuric acid and then with
clean water: afterwards let them be well swilled, until the foul smell
disappears.—J. W.

THE SMELL OF NEW PAINT.—A bundle of old dry hay, wetted and spread about,
presents a multifarious absorbing surface for this, especially if not
on the floor only, but over pieces of furniture which allow circulation
of air, as chairs laid upon their faces, &c. Large vessels of water,
as trays and pans, are not uncommonly used, with good effect; but the
multiplied surfaces of the loose hay give it great advantage. It must be
kept wet, however, or at least damp, for the oily vapour does not seem to
be readily absorbed unless the air is kept moist by evaporation.—J. P.

TO REMOVE BLACK STAINS FROM THE SKIN.—Ladies that wear mourning in warm
weather are much incommoded by the blackness it leaves on the arms and
neck, and which cannot easily be removed, even by soap and warm water.
To have a remedy always at hand, keep in the drawer of your wash-stand
a box, containing a mixture in equal portions of cream of tartar, and
oxalic acid (POISON). Get at a druggist’s half an ounce of each of these
articles, and have them mixed and pounded together in a mortar. Put some
of this mixture into a cup that has a cover, and if, afterwards, it
become hard, you may keep it slightly moistened with water. See that it
is always closely covered. To use it, wet the black stains on your skin
with the corner of a towel, dipped in water (warm water is best, but
is not always at hand). Then, with your finger, rub on a little of the
mixture. Then _immediately_ wash it off with water, and afterwards with
soap and water, and the black stains will be visible no longer. This
mixture will also remove ink and all other stains from the fingers, and
from white clothes. It is more speedy in its effects if applied with warm
water. No family should be without it, but care must be taken to keep it
out of the way of young children, as, if swallowed, it is poisonous.—J. L.

INCOMBUSTIBLE VARNISH FOR WOOD.—Equal parts of solutions of alum and
isinglass applied to where the flame acts, prevent its burning, but do
not hinder the transmission of heat. Liquids can be boiled in a wooden
vessel on a common fire, if this varnish be applied to them.—X.—[The wood
chars, though it does not flame.]

TO VARNISH PLASTER FIGURES.—Take half an ounce of tin, half an ounce of
bismuth, melt in a crucible, then add half an ounce of mercury. When
perfectly combined, remove the mixture from the fire and let it cool. Mix
with the white of an egg, and it forms a beautiful varnish. The figure to
be dipped in it, and polished when dry.

VARNISH FOR HARNESS.—Take half a pound of India-rubber, one gallon of
spirits of turpentine, dissolve enough to make it into a jelly by keeping
almost new milk-warm: then take equal quantities of good linseed oil (in
a hot state) and the above mixture, incorporate them well on a slow fire,
and it is fit for use.—J. J.

A VARNISH TO COLOUR BASKETS AND OLD STRAW HATS.—Take either red or
black sealing wax: to every two ounces of sealing wax add one ounce of
rectified spirits of wine; pound the wax fine, then sift it through a
fine lawn sieve, till you have made it extremely fine; put it into a
large phial with spirits of wine, shake it, let it stand near the fire
forty-eight hours, shaking it often; then with a brush, a _hog’s-bristle_
brush, lay it all over the baskets. Let it dry, and repeat the
application a second time.—J. T. T.

TO POLISH VARNISH.—Take two ounces of tripoli powdered, put it in an
earthen pot, with water to cover it; then take a piece of white flannel,
lay it over a piece of cork or rubber, and proceed to polish the varnish,
always wetting it with the tripoli and water. It will be known when the
process is finished by wiping a part of the work with a sponge, and
observing whether there is a fair even gloss. When this is the case, take
a bit of mutton suet and fine flour, and clean the work.—W. G.

TO MAKE WHITE VARNISH.—The white varnish used for toys is made of
sandarac, eight ounces; mastic, two ounces; Canada balsam, four ounces;
alcohol, one quart. This is white, drying, and capable of being
polished when hard. Another varnish, for objects of the toilet, such
as work-boxes, card-cases, &c., is made of gum sandarac, six ounces;
elemi (genuine), four ounces; animi, one ounce; camphor, half an ounce;
rectified spirit, one quart. Melt slowly. These ingredients may, of
course, be lessened in proportion.

A VARNISH FOR WOOD THAT WILL RESIST THE ACTION OF BOILING WATER.—Our
readers will find the following receipt extremely useful:—Take a pound
and a half of linseed oil, and boil it in a copper vessel, not tinned,
suspending in the oil a small linen bag, containing five ounces of
litharge and three ounces of minium, both pulverised, taking care that
the bag does not touch the bottom of the vessel. Continue the ebullition
till the oil acquires a deep brown colour; then take out the bag, and
substitute another bag containing a clove of garlic. Continue the
ebullition, and renew the garlic seven or eight times, or else put the
whole in at once. Then throw into the vessel a pound of yellow amber,
after having melted it in the following manner. To a pound of well
pulverised amber add two ounces of linseed oil, and place the whole on
a strong fire. When the fusion is complete, pour it boiling hot into
the prepared linseed oil, and let it continue to boil for two or three
minutes, stirring it well. Let it rest, decant the composition, and
preserve it, when cold, in well-stopped bottles. After having polished
the wood on which this varnish is to be applied, the wood is to have
the desired colour given to it; for example, for walnut-tree, a slight
coat of a mixture of soot with oil of turpentine. When this colour is
perfectly dry, lay on a coat of varnish with a fine sponge, in order to
distribute it equally. Repeat these coats four times, always taking care
to let one coat dry before the next is applied.

CORRECTIVE OF BAD WATER.—Five drops of sulphuric acid put into a full
quart of bad water, will cause the noxious particles to fall to the
bottom. The water should stand two hours; pour off about three parts for
use, and throw the rest away.

GLUE MADE WATERPROOF.—Soak glue in water till it is soft, then melt it in
linseed oil, assisted with a gentle heat. This glue is not acted upon by
water or damp.—X.

WATERPROOF BOOTS.—Boots and shoes may be rendered impervious to water
by the following composition: Take three ounces of spermaceti, and melt
it in a pipkin, or other earthen vessel, over a slow fire: add thereto
six drachms of India-rubber, cut into slices, and these will presently
dissolve. Then add of tallow eight ounces, hog’s lard two ounces, amber
varnish four ounces. Mix, and it will be fit for use immediately; the
boots or other material to be treated, are to receive two or three coats
with a common blacking brush, and a fine polish is the result.

WATERPROOF CLOTH.—Brush the cloth first with a solution of isinglass,
and when dry with a solution of nutgalls. This last solution changes the
gelatinous mass of isinglass into a true leather. Instead of isinglass
use common glue and afterwards a tincture or infusion of catechu. These
receipts will scarcely do with light colours. Rub the cloth over on the
wrong side with India-rubber varnish, or India-rubber dissolved by heat
in spirits of turpentine. Brush over the wrong side of the cloth with a
solution of isinglass, alum, and soap. Brush over the wrong side with
soap-suds, and afterwards with a solution of alum.

A FIREPROOF AND WATERPROOF CEMENT.—To half a pint of milk put an equal
quantity of vinegar, in order to curdle it; then separate the curd from
the whey, and mix the whey with the whites of four or five eggs, beating
the whole well together. When it is well mixed, add a little quick-lime
through a sieve, until it has acquired the consistence of a thick paste.
With this cement, broken vessels and cracks of all kinds may be mended.
It dries quickly, and resists the action of fire and water. I have
recommended this receipt to several friends, who have found it very
satisfactory.—H.

CHINESE METHOD OF WATERPROOFING CLOTH.—By the following very simple
process it is said that the Chinese render not only the strongest cloth,
but even the finest muslin, waterproof, without injuring the appearance
or quality of the article. The composition is composed of half an ounce
of white wax in a pint of spirits of turpentine. In a sufficient quantity
of the mixture immerse the goods intended to be rendered waterproof,
and then hang them in the open air till they become perfectly dry. This
is all the process necessary for accomplishing so desirable a purpose;
against which, however, may be objected, perhaps, the expense, and the
unpleasant smell of the turpentine. But this latter objection can be
remedied by using equal parts of spirits of wine and oil of wormwood,
which is said to dissipate the smell of the turpentine; but the former,
it is not to be denied, must necessarily be augmented.—[A. P. has
favoured us with the above, but has not tried it.]

RUST.—The preservation of iron and steel from rust is a very important
consideration in domestic economy. The following plan of doing this is
very little known, and is far superior to any other:—Add to a quart of
cold water half a pound of quick-lime; let this stand until the top
is perfectly clear; pour off the clear liquid, and stir up with it a
quantity of olive oil, until the mixture becomes a thick cream, or
rather assumes the consistence of butter which has been melted for the
table, and has become cold. Rub the iron or steel which is to be put by
with this mixture, and then wrap it up in paper. Knives and other steel
articles treated in this way will not acquire the slightest rust. If the
nature of the articles will not admit of their being wrapped up in paper,
they will remain free from rust by covering them more thickly with the
mixture.

TO PRESERVE STEEL PENS FROM CORROSION.—Dip them for a few moments in
ethereal solution of gold. This covers them with a film of pure metallic
gold, which prevents the ink acting upon the steel.

TO SOFTEN OLD PUTTY.—In removing old or broken panes from a window, it is
generally very difficult to get off the hard dry putty that sticks round
the glass and its frame. Dip a small brush in a little nitric or muriatic
acid (to be obtained at the druggist’s), and go over the putty with it.
Let it rest a while, and it will soon become so soft that you can remove
it with ease. I have found this plan very successful.—H. B.

TO REMOVE THE SMELL OF PAINT.—Take three or four broad tubs (such, for
instance, as hold about eight gallons), fill them with cold water, and
put into each an ounce of vitriolic acid, which you can obtain from a
druggist. Place these tubs near the wainscot, in a newly painted room.
This water will absorb and retain the effluvium of the paint. Next
day fill the tubs with fresh water, and add to each another ounce of
vitriolic acid. Repeat this a third day, and on the fourth the smell of
the paint will not be perceptible.

AN EXCELLENT PEN WIPER.—Procure two-pennyworth of small shot, (the
smaller the better,) put them into a phial with the neck broken off;
every time you wish to clean your pen, rub it up and down two or three
times in the shot. This will clean it directly, and the shots will last
a lifetime. The simple plan here suggested cleans steel pens ten times
better than cloth wipers do: I have tested its utility very frequently.—C.


INJURIES AND DEATHS FROM THE INFLAMMABILITY OF FEMALE CLOTHING.

The total number of persons who died in the United Kingdom from burns
and scalds during the year 1858, was _three thousand one hundred and
twenty-five_. Of these no small proportion consisted of ladies and
children, who met their deaths through their clothes catching fire.
Neither number nor rank is wanting to emphasise the precautions suggested
by sad calamities arising from the habitual employment of light and
combustible attire. One of the most recent victims was the Countess St.
Marsault, lady of honour to the Princess Clotilde, who died at Paris
from the effects of burns which she had received while endeavouring to
save another lady, whose dress had ignited at a ball. Even royalty has
not escaped these perils; and the severe burns some time since suffered
by the Princess Frederick William of Prussia, owing to the ignition
of her dress while she was in the act of sealing a letter, led to the
institution of the latest and most successful inquiries into means for
preventing the ignition of light textile fabrics. Her Majesty has taken
interest in the subject, and experiments have been made at her express
command.

Messrs. Kersmann & Oppenheim recommend the employment of a solution of
tungstate of soda; but this salt, in the state in which it is ordinarily
supplied to the public, produces a slight discoloration of the fabric—a
fatal objection to its use by ladies who are scrupulously particular
upon the appearance of their vestures. Messrs. Johnson & Sons, of 18A,
Basinghall Street, have experimented upon the tungstate of soda, and
succeeded in producing a refined preparation of it, which may be employed
without the slightest risk of injury to the whiteness, texture, or
colours of the fabric.

At a recent _conversazione_ of the Medical Society of London, Messrs.
Johnson exhibited pieces of muslin which had been prepared with a
solution of the tungstate of soda, and other portions free from such
preparation. Strips of these were submitted to the action of fire, and
it was found that the prepared muslin merely charred slowly, while
the unprepared burst immediately into flame. Similar experiments were
recently exhibited at Guy’s Hospital, upon various materials, with the
most perfect success.

It is stated by Messrs. Johnson that one pennyworth of this preparation,
used with the starch employed in getting up a muslin dress, will render
it certainly uninflammable. An easy means of prevention of a serious evil
being thus placed within the reach of the humblest persons, is it not the
duty of ladies generally to command and recommend its employment? We have
no desire to restrict the exercise of taste in matters of fashion; we
seek not to curtail those ample folds in which ladies may recognise the
acme of grace and beauty: but we must suggest that while they are allowed
to exercise a reasonable pride of dress, they cannot be released from the
moral consideration that the gratification of that pride should not be
suffered to endanger the lives of themselves and their associates, and
to plunge families into mourning perhaps at the very moment when social
happiness is most complete.

Johnson’s prepared tungstate of soda may, we believe, be obtained at the
chemist’s, with directions for its use. If not yet introduced, it soon
must be, as the result of general and frequent inquiry; and we strongly
recommend ladies to employ it, not only for those articles of personal
attire which are liable to come into contact with flame, but for bed
and window hangings, blinds, and other household draperies that may
accidentally ignite. The only caution that we know of as necessary to be
observed in connection with this preparation is, that it should not be
employed for those parts of clothing which infants are liable to suck.




SUMMER AND WINTER BEVERAGES.


SUMMER BEVERAGES.

BOTTLED GINGER BEER.—One gallon of boiling water; one pound of loaf
sugar; one ounce of best ginger, bruised; one ounce of cream of tartar
(or a lemon sliced). Stir them up until the sugar is dissolved, let
it rest until the heat falls to the warmth of new milk; then add one
table-spoonful of good yeast, poured on to a bit of bread, and set in
the middle of the pan floating in the mixture. Cover with a cloth, and
stand for twenty-four hours; then strain and put into bottles, filling
each only about three parts. Cork tightly, and tie down; in warm weather
it will be ready to drink in two days. The above will make fifteen to
eighteen bottles, and costs 8d. or 10d.

ANOTHER.—A BETTER ARTICLE, IN LARGER QUANTITY.—White sugar, twenty
pounds; lemon or lime juice, eighteen ounces; honey, one pound; bruised
ginger, twenty-two ounces; water, eighteen gallons. Boil the ginger in
three gallons of the water for half an hour; then add the sugar, the
juice, and the honey, with the remainder of the water, and strain through
a cloth. When cold, add the white of one egg, and half an ounce of
essence of lemon. Stand four days, then bottle. This is first-rate, and
will keep many months.

ANOTHER RECEIPT FOR GINGER BEER.—One ounce of ginger, well bruised,
and boiled in four quarts of water, with the skins of two lemons; when
boiled, add the juice of the lemons, with one ounce of cream of tartar,
and one pound and a half of lump sugar. Stir all well together; then put
four quarts of cold water to it, and when lukewarm, add the whites of two
eggs, beaten to a strong froth, with two table-spoonfuls of fresh yeast;
let it ferment two or three hours, then bottle, and cork it tightly. It
will be ready for use in twelve hours.—[The above receipt may be relied
upon.]

GINGER BEER POWDERS.—Powdered lump sugar, four ounces; carbonate of soda,
five drachms; powdered ginger, one drachm. Mix these ingredients well
together, divide into twelve equal parts—put each into a _blue_ paper.
Tartaric acid, one ounce; divide into twelve equal parts—put each into a
_white_ paper. Dissolve the contents of one of the blue and one of the
white papers, each in half a glass of spring water. Pour one into the
other, and drink while effervescing. [I have used this for many years,
and have given it to many of my messmates.—T. J. L., Midshipman, R. N.]
The tartaric acid may (if preferred) be thrown into the glass of the
other mixture, which should then be nearly full. This plan prolongs the
effervescence. Cost, 7d.

SODA POWDERS.—Carbonate of soda, thirty grains in each blue paper;
tartaric acid, twenty-five grains in each white paper. Mix as ginger beer
powders.

SEIDLITZ POWDERS (APERIENT).—Tartrate of soda, two drachms; carbonate
of soda, two scruples; mix and put it in a _blue_ paper; tartaric acid,
thirty-five grains, to be put in _white_ paper. Mix in half a pint of
water.

ANOTHER.—MAY BE KEPT IN ONE BOTTLE.—Tartrate of soda, three ounces;
carbonate of ditto, one ounce; tartaric acid, one ounce; white sugar,
four ounces; all in fine powder, well dried separately; mix well, add
five drops essence of lemon; pass through a sieve, and put into a clean
dry bottle. A dessert-spoonful to a glass of water. Cost, 1s. 4d., if
mixed at home.

SPRUCE BEER POWDERS.—Powdered white sugar, three ounces; essence of
spruce, forty drops; carbonate of soda, five drachms and a scruple. Mix,
and divide into two _blue_ papers. Tartaric acid, six drachms; wrap in
twelve _white_ papers. Mix as ginger beer powders. Cost, 8d.

PORTABLE LEMONADE.—Tartaric or citric acid, one ounce; finely powdered
lump sugar, half a pound; essence of lemon, twenty drops. Mix. Two or
three tea-spoonfuls make a capital glass of lemonade. Cost, 8d., with
tartaric acid; 1s. with citric acid.

ORANGEADE.—Squeeze out the juice of an orange, pour boiling water on a
little of the peel, and cover it close. Boil water and sugar to a thin
syrup, and skim it. When all are cold, mix the juice, the infusion, and
the syrup, with as much more water as will make a rich drink. Strain
through a jelly-bag, and ice.

GINGER LEMONADE.—Boil twelve pounds and a half of lump sugar for twenty
minutes in ten gallons of water; clear it with the whites of six eggs.
Bruise half a pound of common ginger, boil with the liquor, and then pour
it upon ten lemons pared. When quite cold, put it in a cask, with two
table-spoonfuls of yeast, the lemons sliced, and add half an ounce of
isinglass. Bung up the cask the next day. It will be ready to bottle in
three weeks, and to drink in another three weeks.

HIPPOCRAS.—Digest for three days half a drachm of mace, ginger, cloves,
nutmegs, and galingale, in three quarts of Lisbon wine, and also
carraway; add an ounce of cinnamon. Strain, and mix twenty ounces of
white sugar with the liquor.

IMPERIAL, BOTTLED.—Pour a pint of boiling water on a drachm of cream of
tartar, flavour with lemon-peel and sugar, and bottle.

IMPERIAL DRINK.—Put half an ounce of cream of tartar, four ounces of
white sugar, and three ounces of orange-peel, into a pan; pour three
pints of boiling water on, strain, and cool.

IMPERIAL POP.—Take three ounces of cream of tartar, an ounce of bruised
ginger, a pound and a half of white sugar, an ounce of lemon-juice,
and pour a gallon and a half of boiling water on them; add two
table-spoonfuls of yeast. Mix, bottle, and tie down the corks as usual.

KING CUP.—Take the rind and juice of a lemon, a lump of sugar, a small
piece of bruised ginger, and pour on them about one pint and a half of
boiling water; when cold, strain, add a wine-glassful of sherry, and ice.

LAIT SUCRE.—Boil a pint of milk, sweeten with white sugar, and flavour
with lemon.

LEMONADE.—Take sixteen lemons, pare thin, cut in halves, squeeze well,
and throw all into a pan; add a pound and a half of white sugar, a
gallon of boiling water, and five table-spoonfuls of white wine (four if
sherry); mix, strain, and cool.

LEMONADE AU LAIT.—Take half a pint of lemon-juice, the same of white
wine, three-quarters of a pound of loaf sugar, and a quart of boiling
water; mix, and when cold add a pint of _boiling_ milk; let it stand
twelve hours, then pour through a jelly-bag. This makes two quarts; and
about seven lemons will produce half a pint of juice.

APPLEADE.—Cut two large apples in slices, and pour a quart of boiling
water on them, strain well and sweeten. To be drunk when cold or iced.

RASPBERRY VINEGAR.—Put a pound of fine fruit into a bowl, pour upon it
a quart of the best white-wine vinegar, next day, strain the liquor on
a pound of fresh raspberries; the following day do the same, but do not
squeeze the fruit, only drain the liquor as dry as you can. Bottle, and
cork well, then cover the corks with bottle cement.

APRICOT EFFERVESCING DRINK.—Take a pint of the juice of bruised apricots,
filter until clear, and make into a syrup with half a pound of sugar,
then add one ounce of tartaric acid, bottle, and cork well. For a tumbler
three parts full of water, add two table-spoonfuls of the syrup, and a
scruple of carbonate of soda, stir well, and drink while effervescing.

BARLEY WATER.—1. Pick clean, and wash well a handful of common barley,
then simmer gently in three pints of water with a bit of lemon-peel.
Prepared thus, it does not nauseate like pearl-barley water. 2. Take
two ounces and a half of pearl-barley: wash well, then add half a pint
of water, and boil for a little time, throw away the liquor, pour four
imperial pints of boiling water on the barley, boil down to two pints,
strain, flavour with sugar, and lemon-peel, if wished.

BARLEY WATER, COMPOUND.—Boil two pints of barley water, and a pint of
water together, with two ounces and a half of sliced figs, half an ounce
of liquorice root sliced and bruised, and two ounces and a half of
raisins. Reduce to two pints, and strain.

BEER, SPRUCE, POWDERS.—See previous page.

BEER, TREACLE.—Take a pound and a half of hops, and boil in thirty-six
gallons of water for an hour, then add fourteen pounds of treacle, and a
little yeast to work it; ferment and bottle.

BROWN SPRUCE BEER.—Pour four gallons of cold water into a nine-gallon
barrel, then add four gallons more, quite boiling, and six pounds of
molasses, with about eight or nine table-spoonfuls of the essence of
spruce, and on its getting a little cooler, the same quantity of good ale
yeast. Shake the barrel well, then leave with bung out for three days;
bottle in stone bottles, cork well, wire carefully, pack in sand, and it
will be fit to drink in two weeks.

CAPILLAIRE, MOCK.—1. Take three pounds and a half of loaf sugar,
three-quarters of a pound of coarse sugar, two whites of eggs well beaten
with the shells, boil together in a pint and a half of water, and skim
carefully. Then add an ounce of orange-flower water, strain and put into
_perfectly dry_ bottles. When cold, mix a table-spoonful or two of this
syrup in a little warm or cold water. 2. Mix two tea-spoonfuls of curaçoa
with a pint of syrup. 3. Boil a quart of water well, add three pounds of
white sugar, the white of an egg; skim, and boil to a syrup; then add,
while warm, four table-spoonfuls of orange-flower water, strain, and use
the same as the others.

CAPILLAIRE, TRUE.—Take forty-eight grains of Canadian maiden-hair
(_adiantum pedatum_), six drams of boiling water, and an ounce and
twenty grains of white sugar. Infuse two-thirds of the maiden-hair in
the water, strain, dissolve the sugar in the infusion. Clarify with the
white of egg, pour it over the remainder of the maiden-hair, placed in
a water-bath, digest for two hours, and strain the syrup. For large
quantities the proportions are:—Maiden-hair, 192 parts. Boiling water,
1500 parts. White sugar, 2000 parts.

CHERRY DRINK.—Prepare the same as apricot, substituting the cherry juice
for the other fruit.

COBBLER, SHERRY.—Take some very fine and clean ice, break into small
pieces, fill a tumbler to within an inch of the top with it, put a
table-spoonful of plain syrup, capillaire, or any other flavour—some
prefer strawberry—add the quarter of the zest of a lemon, and a few drops
of the juice. Pill with sherry, stir it up, and let it stand for five or
six minutes. Sip it gently through a straw.

COOL TANKARD.—Put into a quart of mild ale a wine-glassful of white wine,
the same of brandy and capillaire, the juice of a lemon, and a little
piece of the rind. Add a sprig of borage or balm, a bit of toasted bread
and nutmeg grated on the top.

CRANBERRY DRINK.—Put a tea-cupful of cranberries into a cup of water, and
mash them. Boil, in the mean time, two quarts of water with one large
spoonful of oatmeal, and a bit of lemon-peel; add the cranberries and
sugar (but not too much, otherwise the fine sharpness of the fruit will
be destroyed), a quarter of a pint of white wine, or less, according to
taste; boil for half an hour, and strain.

CURDS AND WHEY—CHEAP METHOD.—Add six grains of citric acid to a
wine-glassful of milk, and the result will be a pleasant acidulous whey,
and a fine curd.

CURDS AND WHEY—ITALIAN METHOD.—Take several of the rough coats that line
the gizzards of turkeys and fowls, cleanse from the dirt, rub well with
salt, and hang them up to dry; when required for use, break off some of
the skin, pour boiling water on, digest for eight or nine hours, and use
the same as rennet.

CURRANT WATER.—Take a pound of currants, and squeeze into a quart of
water; put in four or five ounces of pounded sugar. Mix well, strain, and
ice, or allow to get cold.

DRINK DIVINE.—Mix a bottle of cider, half a bottle of perry, and the same
of sherry, with half a gill of brandy, then add a sliced lemon, the rind
pared as thin as possible, and a toasted biscuit, which is to be added to
the liquor as hot as possible. Drink iced, or cooled.

EAU SUCRE.—Dissolve sugar in boiling water, and drink cold.

EFFERVESCING LEMONADE.—Boil two pounds of white sugar with a pint of
lemon-juice, bottle and cork. Put a table-spoonful of the syrup into
a tumbler about three parts full of cold water, add twenty grains of
carbonate of soda, and drink quickly.

FLAP.—Put a little brandy in a tumbler, and add a bottle of soda-water.

GINGER BEER, BOTTLED.—See previous page.

GINGER BEER, INDIAN.—To ten quarts of boiling water, add two ounces of
pounded ginger, one ounce of cream of tartar, two limes, and two pounds
of sugar. Stir until cold, then strain through flannel until quite clear,
adding a pint of beer, and four wine-glassfuls of good toddy. Bottle, tie
down the corks, shake each bottle well for some time, place them upright,
and they will be fit to drink the next day. This does not keep long.

SUPREME NECTAR.—Put into a nine-gallon cask six pounds of moist sugar,
five ounces of bruised ginger, four ounces of cream of tartar, four
lemons, eight ounces of yeast, and seven gallons of boiling water. Work
two or three days, strain, add brandy one pint, bung very close, and in
fourteen days bottle, and wire down.

TAMARIND DRINK.—Boil three pints of water with an ounce and a half of
tamarinds, three ounces of currants, and two ounces of stoned raisins,
till about a third has evaporated. Strain, add a bit of lemon-peel, which
is to be removed in half an hour, then cool.

WHITE SPRUCE BEER.—Take six pounds of white sugar, four ounces of essence
of spruce, ten gallons of boiling water, and an ounce of yeast. Work the
same as in making ginger beer, and bottle immediately in half pints.
Brown spruce beer is made with treacle instead of sugar.


WINTER BEVERAGES.

ALEBERRY.—Mix two large spoonfuls of fine oatmeal in sufficient sweet
small beer, two hours previous to using it; strain well, boil, and
sweeten according to taste. Pour into a warm jug, add wine, lemon-juice,
and nutmeg to taste, and serve hot with thin slips of toast or rusks.

ALE, MULLED.—Boil a pint of good sound ale with a little grated nutmeg
and sugar. Beat up three eggs, and mix them with a little cold ale; then
add the hot ale to it gradually, and pour backwards and forwards from one
vessel to the other several times, to prevent its curdling. Warm, and
stir till it thickens, then add a table-spoonful of brandy, and serve hot
with toast.

ARRACK, MOCK.—Take a scruple (twenty grains) of benzoic acid, and add to
a quart of rum. Prepare punch with it.

ATHOL BROSE.—Add two wine-glassfuls of Scotch whisky to a wine-glassful
of heather-honey; mix well, and then stir in a well-beaten new-laid egg.

BANG.—Take a pint of cider, and add to a pint of warm ale; sweeten with
treacle or sugar to taste, grate in some nutmeg and ginger, and add a
wine-glassful of gin or whisky.

BISHOP.—Take three smooth-skinned and large Seville oranges, and grill
them to a pale brown colour over a clear slow fire; then place in a small
punch-bowl that will about hold them, and pour over them half a pint
from a bottle of old Bordeaux wine, in which a pound and a quarter of
loaf sugar is dissolved; then cover with a plate, and let it stand for
two days. When it is to be served, cut and squeeze the oranges into a
small sieve placed above a jug containing the remainder of the bottle of
sweetened Bordeaux, previously made very hot, and if when mixed it is not
sweet enough, add more sugar. Serve hot in tumblers. Some persons make
Bishop with raisin or Lisbon wine, and add mace, cloves, and nutmegs, but
it is not the proper way.

CARDINAL is made the same way as Bishop, substituting old Rhenish wine
for the Bordeaux.

CLARY, MOCK.—Warm a bottle of claret, sweeten with honey, and add
allspice and cloves to taste. Serve hot.

CRAMBAMBULL.—Take two bottles of light porter or ale, and boil them in a
pan. Then put into the liquor half a pint of rum, and from half a pound
to a pound of loaf sugar. After this has been boiling for a few minutes,
take the whole from the fire, and put into the mixture the whites and the
yolks of from six to eight eggs, previously well whisked; stir the whole
for a minute or two, and pour it into a punch-bowl, to be drunk out of
tumblers. It tastes well hot or cold.

CAUDLE.—1. Make half a pint of fine gruel with “Robinson’s Patent
Groats,” add a piece of butter the size of a large nutmeg, a
table-spoonful of brandy, the same of white wine, a little grated nutmeg
and lemon-peel, and serve hot. 2. Put three quarts of water into a pot,
set over the fire to boil; mix smooth as much oatmeal as will thicken the
whole with a pint of cold water, and when the water boils, pour in the
thickening, and add about twenty peppercorns finely powdered. Boil till
pretty thick, then add sugar to taste, half a pint of good ale, and a
wine-glassful of gin, all warmed up together. Serve hot.

CAUDLE, BROWN.—Take a quart of water, mix in three table-spoonfuls of
oatmeal, a blade of mace, and a small piece of lemon-peel; let it boil
about a quarter of an hour, skimming and stirring it well, but taking
care that it does not boil over. When done, strain through a coarse
sieve, sweeten to taste, add a little grated nutmeg, a pint of good sweet
ale, and half a pint of white wine; then serve hot.

CAUDLE, COLD.—Boil a quart of spring water, when cold, add the yolk of an
egg, the juice of a small lemon, six table-spoonfuls of raisin wine, and
sugar to taste.

CAUDLE, FLOUR.—Take a dessert-spoonful of fine flour, and rub it into a
smooth batter, with five table-spoonfuls of spring water. Put a quarter
of a pint of new milk into a saucepan, set over the fire, with two lumps
of sugar, and when it boils, stir the flour and water gradually into it,
and keep stirring for twenty minutes over a slow fire. Nutmeg or ginger
may be grated in, if thought proper.

CAUDLE, FLUMMERY.—Put half a pint of fine oatmeal into a quart of spring
water, and let it stand all night. In the morning stir it well, and
strain through a coarse sieve into a skillet or saucepan, then add two
blades of mace and some grated nutmeg; set on the fire, keep stirring,
and let it boil for a quarter of an hour, when if too thick, add a little
more water, and let it boil a few minutes longer; then add half a pint
of white wine, a table-spoonful of orange-flower water, the juice of a
lemon, the same of an orange, sugar to taste, and a piece of butter about
the size of a walnut; warm the whole together, thicken with the yolk of a
well-beaten egg, and drink hot.

CAUDLE, OATMEAL.—Take a quart of ale, a pint of stale beer, and a quart
of water; mix all together, and add a handful of fine oatmeal, six
cloves, two blades of mace, some nutmeg, and eight allspice berries
bruised. Set over a slow fire, and let it boil for half an hour, stirring
it well all the time; then strain through a coarse sieve, add half a
pound of sugar, or to taste, a piece of lemon-peel. Pour into a pan,
cover close, and warm before serving.

CAUDLE, TEA.—Make a pint of strong green tea, pour it into a saucepan,
and set over a slow fire. Beat the yolks of two eggs well, and mix with
half a pint of white wine, some grated nutmeg, and sugar to taste; then
pour into the saucepan, stir well until hot, and serve.

CAUDLE, RICE.—Make the same as flour caudle, using ground rice instead
of flour, and when done, add cinnamon and sugar to taste, and a
wine-glassful of brandy.

CAUDLE, WHITE.—Mix two table-spoonfuls of fine oatmeal in a quart of
water, two hours before using it, strain through a sieve and boil it,
then sweeten with sugar, and season with lemon-juice and nutmeg.

DEVILLED ALE.—Cut a slice of bread about an inch thick, toast and butter
it, then sprinkle with cayenne pepper and ginger, and place in the bottom
of a jug, add a pint of warm ale, and sugar to taste.

EGG-FLIP.—To make a quart of flip, put the ale on the fire to warm, and
beat up three or four eggs with four ounces of moist sugar; remove the
froth of the ale, while on the fire, until it begins to boil, mix the
froth with the sugar and eggs, add grated nutmeg or ginger to taste, and
a gill of rum. When the ale boils, stir it gradually into the eggs and
rum, until quite smooth, then serve.

EGG WINE.—Beat up an egg and mix it with a table-spoonful of spring
water. Put a wine-glassful of white wine, half a glass of spring water,
and sugar and nutmeg to taste, into a small saucepan, place over a slow
fire, and when it boils add it gradually to the egg, stirring well; then
return the whole to the saucepan, and place over the fire again, stir for
a minute, remove, and serve with toast. If it boils when placed on the
fire a second time, it will curdle.

ELDER WINE, MULLED.—Put sufficient wine into a saucepan, warm over the
fire, and if requisite add sugar, spice or water. When warmed, serve with
thin slips of toast or rusks.

HOT PURL.—Put a quart of mild ale into a saucepan, add a table-spoonful
of grated nutmeg, and place over a slow fire until it nearly boils. Mix
a little cold ale with sugar to taste, and, gradually, two eggs well
beaten; then add the hot ale, stirring one way to prevent curdling—and a
quarter of a pint of whisky. Warm the whole again, and then pour from one
vessel into another till it becomes smooth.

JINGLE.—Roast three apples, grate some nutmeg over them, add sugar to
taste, and place in a quart jug, with some slices of toasted plumcake;
make some ale hot, and fill up the jug, then serve.

OXFORD NIGHTCAP.—Take half a tumbler of tea, made as usual with sugar and
milk, add a slice of lemon, a wine-glass of new milk, and the same of rum
or brandy; beat up a new-laid egg, and add to the whole while warm.

POOR MAN’S DRINK.—Take two quarts of water, and place in a saucepan with
four ounces of pearl-barley, two ounces of figs split, two ounces of
stoned raisins, and an ounce of root-liquorice sliced; boil all together
till only a quart remains; then strain, and use as a drink.

POPE is made the same as Bishop, substituting “Tokay” for Bordeaux.

POSSET, ALE.—Boil a pint of new milk with a slice of toasted bread,
sweeten a bottle of mild ale, and pour it into a basin with nutmeg or
other spice, add the boiling milk to it, and when the head rises, serve.

POSSET, COLD.—Take a pint of cream, half a pint of white wine, the juice
of half a lemon, and the peel rasped into it. Sweeten the cream and wine,
put the latter into a basin, and then pour the cream from a height into
the basin, stirring both well all the time; remove the froth, let it
remain for a day in lukewarm water if the weather is cold, and then serve.

POSSET, JELLY.—Take eight eggs, leave out the whites of four, and beat
all the remainder well together in a basin; then add half a pint of white
wine, a little strong ale (to taste), and sugar: put into a saucepan, and
set over a slow fire, stirring all the time. Boil a pint of milk with
a little nutmeg and cinnamon, just enough to flavour it, and, when the
eggs and wine are hot, add the boiling milk to it; then remove from the
fire, pour into a punch-bowl, cover with a plate for half an hour, then
sprinkle the top with pounded sugar and serve.

POSSET, LEMON.—Steep the rind of a lemon pared thin, in a pint of sweet
white wine two hours before required, add the juice of one lemon, and
sugar to taste; put it in a bowl with a quart of milk or cream, and whisk
one way till very thick. This will fill twenty glasses, which may be
filled the day before required.

POSSET, ORANGE.—Take the crumb of a penny loaf grated fine, and put it
into a pint of water, with half the peel of a Seville orange grated, or
sugar rubbed upon it. Boil all together, till it looks thick and clear:
then take the juice of half a Seville orange, three ounces of sweet, and
one of bitter almonds, beat well with a table-spoonful of brandy, add
sugar to taste, and a pint of white or raisin wine; mix well, add to the
posset, and serve.

POSSET, POPE’S.—Blanch and pound four ounces of sweet almonds, and half
an ounce of bitter ones; add boiling water, and strain, sweeten, and make
hot half a bottle of white wine; mix.

PUNCH, AFTER THE FASHION OF THE WEST INDIAN PLANTERS.—“He made his
appearance with a respectably sized bowl, an enormous jug of boiling
water, and a large paper bag filled with sugar. Our punch-maker then
commenced operations, and having extracted from his secret store a
bottle of his matchless _rum_, his _limes_, and a small pot of _Guava
Jelly_, he brewed about a pint of green tea (two ounces); and, the
infusion finished, two-thirds of the sugar was dissolved in it. After the
tea-leaves had been thrown aside, the remainder of the sugar was rubbed
on the rind of the limes, Mr. Hamilton observing that the essential oil
which conveyed the exquisite flavour was thus more strongly diffused
throughout the compound than when the skin was peeled: then the delicious
acid of the fruit was added to the already impregnated sugar, and as
soon as the several lumps had imbibed the proportion required, the Guava
Jelly (and without this confection no punch can be pronounced perfect)
was dissolved in a pint or so of boiling water. This done, the tea, the
sweets and acids were commingled, and the foundation or sherbet tasted by
the experienced palate of the grand compounder; six glasses of cognac,
two of madeira, and the bottle of old rum were added, and over all about
a quart more of boiling water, and, as a finishing touch, the slightest
possible sprinkling of nutmeg. Here was the punch! and oh! what punch!
it out-nectared nectar! I have, in the West Indies, since the period I
am recording, drunk some very luscious and fascinating mixtures nearly
resembling it; but I never know it surpassed, if equalled, even in the
tropical regions.”—_From Topley’s Sportsman in Canada._

POSSET, ROYAL.—Take half a pint of ale, mix a pint of cream with it; then
add the yolks of four eggs and the whites of two well beaten, sweeten to
taste and flavour with nutmeg. Pour into a saucepan, set over the fire,
stir well until thick, and before it boils, remove; pour into a basin and
serve hot.

POSSET, SACK.—Put a quart of new milk into a saucepan, and place it over
a slow clear fire. When it boils, crumble four Damascus biscuits (page
279) into it; give it one boil, remove from the fire, add grated nutmeg
and sugar to taste, stir in half a pint of sack (canary wine), and serve.
French roll will answer instead of the biscuits.

POSSET, SNOW.—Boil a stick of cinnamon, and a quarter of a nutmeg, with
a quart of new milk, and when it boils remove the spice. Beat the yolks
of ten eggs well, and mix gradually with the milk until thick; then beat
the whites of the eggs with sugar and canary wine into a snow. Put a pint
of canary (sack) into a saucepan, sweeten to taste, set over a slow fire,
and pour the milk and snow into the saucepan, stirring all the time it
is over the fire; when warm, remove from the fire, cover close, and set
aside for a little time before being used.

POSSET, TREACLE.—Boil a pint of milk, add sufficient treacle to curdle
it; allow the curd to settle, strain off the liquid, and drink it as hot
as possible.

POSSET, WINE.—Boil some slices of white bread in a quart of milk; when
quite soft take it off the fire, add sugar and grated nutmeg to taste.
Pour it into a basin, add a pint of raisin or other sweet wine by
degrees, and serve with toasted bread.

PUNCH, COLD.—Pour half a pint of gin on the rind of a lemon; add a
table-spoonful of lemon-juice, a wine-glassful of maraschino, a pint and
a half of water, and two bottles of iced water.

PUNCH, COMMON.—Take two large fresh lemons with rough skins and full of
juice. Rub some large lumps of white sugar over the lemons till they
have acquired the oil from the rind, then put them into a bowl with as
much more as is necessary to sweeten the punch to taste; then squeeze
the lemon-juice upon the sugar, and bruise the sugar in the juice, add a
quart of boiling water and mix well; then strain through a fine sieve,
and add a quart of rum, or a pint of rum and brandy, or a pint and a
half of rum and half a pint of porter; then add three quarts more water,
and mix well. About half a pound of sugar is usually required, but it
is impossible to fix a limit to sugar, spirits, or lemon-juice, as they
depend upon taste.

PUNCH MILK—FOR CHRISTMAS-DAY.—Add the peel and juice of twenty-four
lemons, and three pounds and a half of loaf sugar, to five bottles of
cold water, and four bottles of rum; when these are well mixed, add
two bottles of boiling milk, and mix the whole well. Let it stand for
twenty-four hours, strain well, bottle, and cork tight; it is then ready
for use. N.B. The finer the strainer is, the better the punch. This is
the best receipt we have ever seen or used.

PUNCH, MILK, ORDINARY.—Pare six oranges and six lemons as thin as you
can; grate them over with sugar, to get the flavour. Steep the peels
in a bottle of rum or brandy stopped close twenty-four hours. Squeeze
the fruit on two pounds of sugar, add to it four quarts of water and
one of new milk boiling hot; stir the rum into the whole, run through a
jelly-bag till clear, bottle, and cork close immediately.

PUNCH, REGENT’S.—Take a bottle of champagne, a quarter of a pint of
brandy, the juice of a lemon, a Seville orange, and a wine-glassful of
Martinique, with this mix a pint or more of a strong infusion of the best
green tea strained, and syrup or sugar to taste.

PUNCH À LA ROMAINE.—Take a quart of lemon ice, add the whites of three
eggs well beaten, with rum and brandy, till the ice liquefies, in the
proportion of three parts of rum to one of brandy, and water to taste.
Then add a tea-cupful of strong green tea infusion, strained, and a
little champagne.

PUNCH, TEA.—Infuse two ounces of hyson tea, and an ounce of black tea, in
three quarts of boiling water; then add four pounds of loaf sugar, citric
acid and spirit of citron, of each six drachms, rum one pint, and five
pints of brandy; mix well, and serve.—See PUNCH AFTER THE FASHION OF THE
WEST INDIAN PLANTERS, page 229.

SCOTCH PUNCH, OR WHISKY TODDY.—The Duke of Athol’s receipt: Pour about a
wine-glassful of _boiling_ water into a half-pint tumbler, and add sugar
according to taste. Stir well up, then mix a wine-glassful of whisky, and
add a wine-glassful and a half more boiling water. _Be sure the water is
boiling._ Never put lemon into toddy. The two in combination, in almost
every instance, produce acidity on the stomach. If possible, store your
whisky _in the wood_, not in bottles, as the keeping it in the barrel
mellows it, and takes away the coarser particles.

TODDY, BUTTERED.—Mix a glass of rum-grog pretty strong and hot, sweeten
to taste with honey, flavour with nutmeg and lemon-juice, and add a piece
of fresh butter about the size of a walnut.

WARM DRINK.—Boil a quart of milk and the same quantity of water, with
the top crust of a penny loaf, a blade of mace, and sufficient sugar to
sweeten, for a quarter of an hour; pour off, and drink warm.

WHEY, LEMON.—Pour into boiling milk as much lemon-juice as will make a
small quantity quite clear; dilute it with hot water to an agreeable
smart acid, and add a bit or two of sugar, or sweeten to taste.

WHEY, MUSTARD.—Boil four drachms of the bruised seeds of mustard in a
pint of milk, then strain and separate the curd; a fourth part should be
taken three times a day.

WHEY, VINEGAR, is made the same as lemon whey, only using vinegar instead
of lemon-juice.

WINE, MULLED.—1. Boil some cloves, mace, cinnamon, and nutmeg, in about
a quarter of a pint of water till well flavoured with spice, then add to
a pint of port or home-made wine; sweeten to taste, and serve hot with
thin toast or rusks. 2. Boil a small stick of cinnamon, a blade of mace,
and three cloves, in a breakfast-cupful of water for a few minutes; add
some grated nutmeg, and a pint of home-made or port wine, sweeten to
taste, boil for one minute, and serve hot. 3. Put a bottle of port wine,
half a bottle of water, and sugar to taste, into a saucepan, then add
allspice, cloves, and a blade of mace; boil all together, serve in a jug
with grated nutmeg, and rusks or slips of thin toast. Some persons add
lemon-juice to the mull, but it does not generally please.

WINE WHEY.—Put half a pint of new milk in a saucepan, set on the fire,
and when it boils add as much raisin wine as will turn it; let it boil
up, then set the saucepan aside till the curd subsides, but do not stir
it. Pour off the whey, then add half a pint of boiling water, and white
sugar to taste.




THE RUDIMENTS OF COOKERY.


The commonly received idea, that what goes under the denomination of
“good plain living”—that is, joints of meat, roast or boiled—is best
adapted to all constitutions, has been proved to be a fallacy. Many
persons can bear testimony to the truth of Dr. Kitchener’s remark,
that “elaborate culinary processes are frequently necessary in order
to prepare food for the digestive organs.” It may be truly said, that
many persons ruin their health by over-indulgence in food rendered
indigestible by being badly cooked.

It is our intention to endeavour to correct the prejudice in favour of
a family joint—by showing, that it is not only very often improperly
cooked, but that the same quantity of meat, if dressed in different ways,
still retaining a certain degree of simplicity, will be more pleasant to
the palate, more healthful, and quite as economical, if brought to the
table, as two or three dishes instead of one.

In French cookery, those substances which are not intended to be broiled
or roasted, are usually stewed for several hours at a temperature below
the broiling point; by which means the most refractory articles, whether
of animal or vegetable origin, are more or less reduced to a state of
pulp, and admirably adapted for the further action of the stomach. In the
common cookery of this country, on the contrary, articles are usually put
at once into a large quantity of water, and submitted, without care or
attention, to the boiling temperature; the consequence of which is, that
most animal substances, when taken out, are harder and more indigestible
than in the natural state.

DIET AND DIGESTION.—From Dr. Beaumont’s Tables it appears that the
following articles are digested in the times indicated:

                                                              H. M.
    Rice, boiled soft                                         1  0
    Apples, sweet and ripe                                    1 30
    Sago, boiled                                              1 45
    Tapioca, Barley, stale Bread, Cabbage with Vinegar,
      raw, boiled Milk and Bread, and Bread and Milk, cold    2  0
    Potatoes, roasted, and Parsnips, boiled                   2 30
    Baked Custard                                             2 45
    Apple Dumpling                                            3  0
    Bread, Corn, baked, and Carrots, boiled                   3 15
    Potatoes and Turnips, boiled; Butter and Cheese           3 30
    Tripe and Pigs’ Feet                                      1  0
    Venison                                                   1 35
    Oysters, undressed, and Eggs, raw                         2  3
    Turkey and Goose                                          2 30
    Eggs, soft boiled; Beef and Mutton, roasted or broiled    3  0
    Boiled Pork, stewed Oysters, Eggs, hard boiled or fried   3 30
    Domestic Fowls                                            4  0
    Wild Fowls; Pork, salted and boiled; Suet                 4 30
    Veal, roasted; Pork, and salted Beef                      5 30

When the powers of the stomach are weak, a hard and crude diet is sure to
produce discomfort by promoting acidity; while the very same article when
divided, and well cooked upon French principles, or rather the principles
of common sense, can be taken with impunity, and easily digested.

There are only a few persons—with the exception, perhaps, of those who
take violent exercise, or work hard in the open air—who can dine heartily
upon solid food without suffering from its effects; yet in order to
escape indigestion, plain roast or boiled meat should be very sparingly
consumed.

The foundation of all good cookery consists in preparing the meat so
as to render it tender in substance, without extracting from it those
juices which constitute its true flavour; in doing which, the main point
in the art of making those soups, sauces, and made-dishes of every sort,
which should form so large a portion of every well-ordered dinner, as
well, also, as in cooking many of the plain family joints—is _boiling_,
or rather _stewing_, which ought always to be performed over a slow
fire. There is, in fact, no error so common among English cooks as that
of boiling meat over a strong fire, which renders large joints hard and
partly tasteless; while, if simmered during nearly double the time, with
less than half the quantity of fuel and water, and never allowed to “boil
up,” the meat, without being too much done, will be found both pliant to
the tooth and savoury to the palate.

For instance. The most common and almost universal dish throughout
France, is a large piece of plainly-boiled fresh beef, from which the
soup—or “_potage_,” as it is there called—has been partly made, and which
is separately served up as “_bouilli_,” accompanied by strong gravy and
minced vegetables, or stewed cabbage. Now this, as constantly dressed in
the French mode, is ever delicate both in fibre and flavour; while, in
the English manner of boiling it, it is almost always hard and insipid.
The reason of which, as explained by that celebrated cook, Carême, who
superintended the kitchen of His Majesty George IV., is this:—“The meat,
instead of being put down to boil, as in the English method, is in France
put in the pot with the usual quantity of cold water, and placed at the
corner of the fire-place, where, slowly becoming hot, the heat gradually
swells the muscular fibres of the beef, dissolving the gelatinous
substances therein contained, and disengaging that portion which chemists
term ‘osmazome,’ and which imparts savour to the flesh—thus both
rendering the meat tender and palatable, and the broth relishing and
nutritive; whilst, on the contrary, if the pot be inconsiderately put
upon too quick a fire, the boiling is precipitated, the fibre coagulates
and hardens, the osmazome is hindered from disengaging itself, and thus
nothing is obtained but a piece of tough meat, and a broth without taste
or succulence.”

Meat loses, by cooking, from one-fifth to one-third of its whole weight.
More is lost by roasting than by boiling meat. In calculating for a
family, one pound per day for each individual is a general allowance for
dinner.

Meat that is not to be cut till cold must be well done, particularly in
summer.

The use of skewers in joints should be avoided as much as possible, as
they let out the gravy; twine will answer better.

In every branch of cookery much must be left to the discretion of the
cook and knowledge of the family’s taste; particularly in force-meats and
seasonings.

SUET.—When sirloins of beef, or loins of veal or mutton, are brought in,
part of the suet may be cut off for puddings, or to clarify. Chopped fine
and mixed with flour, if tied down in a jar, it will keep ten days or a
fortnight. If there be more suet than will be used while fresh, throw it
into pickle, made in the proportion of one quarter pound of salt to a
quart of cold water, and it will be as good afterwards for any use, when
soaked a little.

To remove the taint of meat, wash it several times in cold water; then
put it into plenty of cold water, into which throw several pieces of
red-hot charcoal. If you fear meat will not keep till the time it is
wanted, par-roast or par-boil it, that is, partly cook it; it will then
keep two days longer, when it may be dressed as usual, but in rather less
time.

When meat is frozen it should be brought into the kitchen and laid at
some distance from the fire, early in the morning; or soak the meat in
cold water two or three hours before it is used; putting it near the
fire, or into warm water, till thawed, should be avoided.

Meats become tenderer and more digestible, as well as better flavoured by
hanging. In summer two days is enough for lamb and veal, and from three
to four for beef and mutton. In cold weather, the latter may be kept for
double that time.

Legs and shoulders should be hung _knuckle downwards_.

An effectual way of excluding the fly is by using a wire meat-safe, or
by covering the joints with a long loose gauze or some thin cloth, and
hanging them from the ceiling of an airy room. Pepper and ginger should
be sprinkled on the parts likely to be attacked by the fly, but should be
washed off before the joint is put to the fire.

A larder should always be placed on the north side of the house; the
window may be closed with canvas, but wire is preferable. There should be
a thorough draft of air through the room.

Articles that are likely to spoil should not be kept in or laid upon wood.

Warm, moist weather is the worse for keeping meat; the south wind is
very unfavourable, and lightning very destructive; so that after their
occurrence meat should be especially examined.

BOILING.—This is the most simple of all processes of cooking. Regularity
and attention to time are the main secrets.

Much less heat is requisite to keep liquids boiling in copper and iron
saucepans than in those made of tin.

There is frequently a great waste of fuel in cooking, which arises from
boiling liquids fast, when they only require to boil slowly. Count
Rumford (the inventor of the Rumford stove) states, that more than half
the fuel used in kitchens is wasted in the above manner.

It is a sad waste to put fuel under a boiling pot. There is a degree of
heat in water called the boiling point; and all the coals or wood in the
world cannot make water hotter in an open vessel; _it can but boil_. By
this waste, the cook not only loses time but spoils the cookery.

The average time for boiling fresh meat is from eighteen to twenty
minutes for every pound: thus, a joint weighing six pounds will require
from one hour and three-quarters to two hours boiling. Salted meat
requires rather more boiling, and water; fresh killed meat longer time:
and all meats longer in cold than warm weather. It is, however, better to
be guided, for time, by the thickness of the joint than by its weight.

Dried or salted fish and meats require soaking in cold water before
boiling.

Meat and poultry will lose their flavour and firmness, if left in the
water after they are done; as will also fish, which will break to pieces.

The water in which fish, meat, or poultry has been boiled, should be
saved; this pot-liquor, as it is called, may be made into soup.

Slow boiling is very important for all meats, to ensure their tenderness;
fast boiling always makes them hard and tough, less plump, and of darker
colour, than when they are boiled gradually.

Skimming the pot will alone ensure the good colour and sweetness of the
meat; a little cold water and salt will aid in throwing up the scum: milk
put into the pot does good in few cases only; and wrapping in a cloth is
unnecessary, if the scum be carefully removed.

The lid of the saucepan should only be removed for skimming; and, before
taking off the lid, be careful to blow from it any dust or blacks from
the fire or chimney.

The joint should always be covered with water; above this quantity, the
less water the more savoury will be the meat.

In some few instances, however, it may be necessary to boil the articles
in a much larger quantity of water; a quart of water is mostly a good
proportion to a pound of meat.

If meat be put into cold water, it should be heated gradually, so as not
to cause it to boil in less than forty minutes; if it boil much sooner,
the meat will shrink and be hardened, and not so freely throw up the scum.

Four skewers, or a plate, inside downwards, should be laid on the bottom
of the saucepan, especially for large joints and puddings; so that they
may be equally done, and escape burning or adhering to the saucepan.

When a pot boils, remove it nearly off the fire, but let the lid remain
on; a very little heat will then keep up the boiling.

The time of boiling should be reckoned from the time bubbles begin to
rise on the surface of the liquid; as the boiling continues, the water
will evaporate, and in some cases it may be requisite to fill up the
saucepan with boiling water.

VEGETABLES and meat are sometimes _steamed_: that is, they are put into
vessels resembling cullenders, and being placed over boiling water, the
steam from it rises through the holes of the vessel, and then through the
vegetables and meat, which are thus as effectually boiled as if they were
put into the boiling water.

ROASTING.—The success of every branch of cookery depends upon the good
management of the kitchen fire: roasting, especially, requires a brisk,
clear, and steady fire; if made up close to the bars of the grate.

The spit being wiped clean, the joint to be roasted should be carefully
spitted even, and tied tight; and if it will not turn round well, balance
skewers, with leaden heads, should be used; for, if the meat be not
evenly spitted, it will probably be burned on one side, and not done on
the other. Avoid running the spit through the prime parts of joints.
Cradle spits answer best.

A leg of mutton should never be spitted, as the spit lets out the gravy,
and leaves an unsightly perforation just as you are cutting into the
pope’s eye.

Make up the roasting-fire three or four inches longer than the joint,
else the ends of the meat will not be done.

In stirring the fire, be careful to remove the dripping-pan, else dust
and ashes may fall in. On no account let the fire get dull and low, as a
strong heat is requisite to brown the meat.

A thin joint requires a brisk fire; a large joint, a strong, sound, and
even fire. When steam rises from the meat, it is done.

Large joints should be put at a moderate distance from the fire, and
gradually brought nearer; else the meat will be over-done half-way
through the joint, and be nearly raw at the bone.

Such meat as is not very fat should have paper placed over it, to prevent
it from being scorched.

Do not sprinkle the meat with salt when first put down, as the salt draws
out the gravy.

Old meats require more cooking than young. The longer the meat has been
killed, the less time it requires to roast it. Very fat meat requires
more time than usual.

The general rule is to allow fifteen minutes to a pound for roasting with
a good fire, and ten or twenty minutes over, as the family like it well
done or not.

Baste the meat first with fresh dripping, and then with its own fat or
dripping: and within the last hour of roasting, take off the paper, and
sprinkle the meat with salt and flour, to brown and froth it; but some
cooks dredge the meat with flour earlier, so that it may imbibe the
gravy, a practice which should be specially avoided.

The spit should be wiped dry immediately after it is drawn from the meat,
and washed and scoured every time it is used.

Perfection in roasting is very difficult, and no certain rules can
be given for it, as success depends on many circumstances which are
continually changing: the age and size (especially the thickness) of the
pieces, the quality of the coals, the weather, the currents of air in the
kitchen, the more or less attention of the cook, and the time of serving,
are all to be considered. Hence, epicures say of a well-roasted joint,
“It is done to a turn.”

Roast meats should be sent to table the moment they are ready, if they
are to be eaten in perfection.

BROILING.—Broiling requires a brisk and clear fire, proportioned to the
article to be broiled; for example, mutton chops require a clear rather
than a brisk fire, else the fat will be wasted before the lean is warmed
through; but for a beef-steak, the fire can neither be too brisk nor
clear, if the gridiron be placed at the proper distance. Fish requires a
steady fire; as also does under-done meat.

Much, however, depends on the substance of the article to be broiled; if
it be thick, it must be placed at a greater distance, at first, to warm
it through; if thin, the fire must be brisk, else the meat will not be of
a good colour.

The gridiron should be wiped clean after it has been used, so that the
bars may be kept bright on top; they should be allowed to get hot before
the article is laid on them, but not too hot, else they will burn the
meat or fish; the latter, especially. To prevent this, the bars should be
rubbed with fat.

A charcoal fire is best for broiling.

To prevent the fat dripping into the fire, set the gridiron aslant.

For turning the broiling article, use tongs, as a fork will let out the
gravy. When the article is done, it will feel firm if touched with the
tongs; by no means cut the meat to ascertain if it be done, as that will
let out the gravy.

FRYING—is “to scorch something solid in fat, or oil,” or butter. Lard,
clarified suet, or dripping, are well adapted for fish, eggs, potatoes,
and meat generally. Olive oil is much used for fish; and the same oil
will serve for more than one frying. Butter is used, but it is not as
well adapted for frying as either of the other articles.

Be careful that the fat or oil is fresh, clean, and free from salt, else
what you fry in it will be of a bad colour and flavour; salt will prevent
it from browning.

Fat or oil, to be used again, should be strained through a sieve before
it is set aside.

Fat becomes richer from having meat fried into it, and may be used
repeatedly; but the fat that has been used for fish cannot be used again
for meat.

The fat must have left off bubbling and be quite still before you put in
the articles.

To prepare crumbs for frying, dry thoroughly in a warm oven, or before
the fire, any waste pieces of bread; then pound them in a mortar and sift
them, and put them away till wanted. This is much better than grating
bread as it is needed, or using oatmeal, &c.

When you wish fried things to look as well as possible, do them _twice_
over with egg and crumbs.

If eggs be very dear, a little flour and water may be substituted for
them in preparing fish to fry.

In frying, use a slice to lift the articles in and out of the pan, and
drain them.

To make batter for frying: melt two ounces of butter in a little warm
water, and pour it upon half a pound of flour; stir it and add water
enough to form a batter, thick enough to adhere to whatever is put into
it; but it should run freely: add some salt and the beaten whites of two
eggs.

A small shallow frying-pan, or _sauté_ pan, as it is called, is very
useful to fry articles to be stewed: this method differs from common
frying, as it only requires butter enough to keep the article from
sticking to the pan and burning.

The fire for frying should be free from smoky coals, sharp, and even.
Charcoal makes the best frying fire.

The fat should be carefully drained from all fried articles; indeed, they
should be so dry as scarcely to soil a cloth. Fish is best drained by
wrapping it in soft white-brown paper, by which it will so dry as not to
soil the napkin upon which it is served.

STEWING.—All articles to be stewed should first be boiled gently, then
skimmed and set aside in an even heat: on this account, charcoal makes
the best fire for stewing.

All stews, or meat dressed a second time should be only simmered, as the
meat should only be made hot through.

A stewpan is the most advantageous vessel in which stews, hashes, soups,
or gravies, can be made; indeed, for all purposes of boiling, a stewpan
is preferable to a deep saucepan, as, in the former, the articles are
exposed to more even heat than when they are placed one upon another in
the saucepan, and are likely to be broken in stirring.

The best stewpans are made of copper or iron; they should be kept covered
as much as possible, unless you wish to reduce the gravy.

Be careful not to fry in a stewpan; or, if so, with great care, and
sufficient butter to save the tinning from melting.

Most of the directions for making soups and gravies apply also to this
branch of cookery.

BAKING.—Baking is the least advantageous mode of cookery; for by it meat
loses about one-third of its weight.

Iron ovens are ill-adapted for baking meat or meat-pies; fruit-pies,
pastry, and puddings, may, however, be baked in them.

LARDING.—Have ready larding-pins of different sizes, according to the
article to be done; cut slices of bacon into bits of proper length, quite
smooth, and put on a larding-needle to suit it, with which pierce the
skin and a very little of the meat, leaving the bacon in, and the two
ends of equal length outwards. Lard in rows the size you think fit.

The same effect with regard to flavour, may be produced by raising the
skin and laying a slice of fat bacon beneath it.

DOUBING consists in passing bacon _through_ meat, while _larding_ is on
the surface only.

BRAISING.—Put the meat you would braise into a stewpan, and cover it
with thick slices of fat bacon: then lay round it six or eight onions,
a faggot of sweet herbs, some celery, and if to be brown, some thick
slices of carrots, and trimmings of any fresh meat-bones you have, with
a pint and a half of water, or the same quantity of stock, according to
what the meat is, and add seasoning. Cover the pan close, and set it
over a slow stove; it will require two or three hours, as its size and
quality may direct. Then strain the gravy; keep the meat quite hot; take
the fat off by plunging the basin into cold water, which will cause the
fat to coagulate; and boil it as quickly as you can till it thickens.
If, however, you wish the gravy to adhere to the meat; it must be still
further thickened; then with a brush kept for the purpose do over the
meat, and if that has been larded, put it into the oven for a few
minutes. This is called “glazing,” and is much in use for made-dishes.

GLAZING is done by brushing melted glaze or jelly over the article, and
letting it cool; in some cases it is requisite to cover the articles with
two or three coats of glaze, allowing each to cool as it is laid on. The
glaze should be of a clear yellow brown, and as thick as good treacle.

If you have not the glaze ready, sift a little sugar over the article to
be glazed, and finish in the oven, with a salamander, or red-hot shovel.

BONING.—In disengaging the flesh from the bones, work the knife always
_close_ to the bone, and take care not to pierce the outer skin. Minute
directions are given in other parts of the work for boning fowls, &c.

BLANCHING makes the article plump and white, and consists in putting it
into cold water over the fire, allowing it to boil up, and then plunging
it into cold water, where the article should remain until cold.

DANGER FROM COPPER SAUCEPANS.—The precise danger from the use of
copper saucepans, or stewpans, imperfectly tinned, is far from rightly
understood. It appears that the acid contained in stews and other
made-dishes, as lemon-juice, though it does not dissolve copper by being
merely boiled in it a few minutes, nevertheless, if allowed to cool and
stand in it for some time, will acquire poisonous matter, as verdigris,
in the form of a green band, or crust, inside the vessel. It has likewise
been proved that _weak_ solutions of common salt, such as are daily
made by adding a little salt to boiling vegetables, fish, or meat, act
powerfully on copper vessels, although _strong_ solutions or brine would
not affect them.

It is, however, in vain to hope that cooks will attend to the nice
distinctions by which copper stewpans may be rendered safe; the general
advice given by prudent physicians is, therefore, against their use at
all.

The kettles in which the soups are made should be well tinned, and kept
particularly clean, by being washed in hot water and rubbed dry before
they are put away. If they are not kept well tinned, the taste as well
as the colour of the soup will be liable to be affected by the iron; and
if the soup-kettle be made of copper, and the tinning not quite perfect,
everything cooked in it will be more or less poisonous, as everything
which is sweet, salt, or sour, extracts verdigris from copper.


HOW TO TOAST WELL.

In toasting bread, we wish to get out the water that remains, and which
makes the bread cold, waxy, and heavy of digestion. Perhaps we shall be
best understood if we first explain what makes bad toast of a piece of
bread, or rather no toast at all, but merely a piece of bread with two
burned surfaces, more wet and waxy in the heart than ever; and which not
a particle of butter will enter, and if put by for an hour or two and
allowed to cool, will get as tough as possible. If the slice of bread
is brought into close contact with a strong fire, the surface becomes
covered with, or rather converted into charcoal, before the heat produces
any effect on the interior of the slice. This being done, the other
side is turned, and has its surface converted into charcoal in the same
manner. The consequence of this will be, that not a particle of butter
will enter such a piece of toast, but only remain upon the surface,
and if vexed with additional fire, turns to a rancid oil of the most
unwholesome description. Charcoal, as every one knows, is a very bad
conductor of heat, and as such is used between the cylinders and casings
of steam engines; it is no consequence whether the said charcoal be
formed of wood, of flour, or any other substance, for its qualities are
in every case the same. Now, when the surfaces of the slice of bread are
over-charred in this manner, there is an end to all toasting, as no heat
can be communicated to the interior, and not one drop can be evaporated
or drawn away. In this state the slice of bread may be wholly burned to
charcoal; but until it is altogether so burned, the unburned part will
become more and more wet and unwholesome. Hence, if you would have a
slice of bread so toasted as to be pleasant to the palate, and wholesome
and easily digested, never let one particle of the surface be charred.
Chesnut brown is even far too deep for a good toast; and the colour of
a fox is rather too deep. The nearer it can be kept to a straw colour,
the more delicious to the taste, and the more wholesome it will be. The
method of obtaining this is very obvious. It consists in keeping the
bread at the proper distance from the fire, and exposing it to a proper
heat, for a due length of time; or it may be done, placed on edge the
same way as dry toast is brought to table, in a rack, in an iron or
brick oven of a proper heat. For those who “make the toast,” especially
if a large quantity be required, it is generally a tedious process, and
for this reason it is commonly hurried. But if the toasting fork was
discarded, and its place supplied by a small apparatus made of wire,
long enough to hold three or four pieces at a time, and so contrived as
to slide in or out to any required distance from the fire, the bread
might be placed in it, and the process of toasting carried on, while
the servant was at liberty to do her other work. Of course, the “Toast
Holder” would require to be made differently, to suit particular shaped
grates and fire-places.

If not cut too thin, if placed at the proper distance from the fire, and
continued long enough, care being taken that not a single black, or even
dark brown spot, makes its appearance on the surface, the slice of bread
may be toasted through and through; and it is this operation which makes
properly toasted bread so much more wholesome than bread which is not
toasted, and still more preferable to bread burned on the surface and
sodden in the interior. By this means the whole of the water may be drawn
out of it, and it may be changed from dough, which has always a tendency
to undergo the acetous fermentation in the stomach, to the pure farina of
wheat, which is in itself one of the most wholesome species of food we
have, not only for the strong and healthy, but more particularly so for
the delicate and diseased. As it is turned to pure farina, the tough and
gluey nature is gone, every part can be penetrated, all parts are equally
warm, and no part is so warm as to turn the butter into oil, which,
even in the case of the best butter is invariably turning a wholesome
substance into an injurious substance. There is another circumstance
regarding the buttering of a rightly toasted slice. The dough, being a
compound of water, repels the butter, which is an oil; but the dried
farina allows the butter to penetrate the whole slice equally through.
There is more advantage in this than some may suppose. Butter in masses
(whatever may be its quality) is too heavy for the stomach; though butter
divided with sufficient minuteness, and not suffered to pass into an
oil, makes a most valuable addition to many kinds of food. The properly
toasted bread absorbs the butter, but does not convert it to oil: and
both butter and farina are in a state of very minute division, the one
serving to expose the other to the free action of gastric fluid in the
stomach; and that this fluid shall be able to penetrate the whole mass
of the food, and act upon it in small portions, is the grand secret of
healthful digestion; so that when a slice of toast is rightly prepared,
there is, perhaps, not a lighter article in the whole vocabulary of
cookery. Unfermented brown bread, treated in this way, forms an excellent
substitute for biscuits, and is in some respects superior, as it may be
eaten with impunity by those persons with whom biscuits may disagree.


SUGGESTIONS TO HOUSEKEEPERS.

The housewife should always, where it is possible, do her marketing
_herself_, and pay ready-money for everything she purchases. This is
the _only_ way in which she can be sure of getting the best goods at
the lowest price. We repeat, that this is the only way compatible with
strict economy; because, if a servant be entrusted with the buying,
she will, if she is not a good judge of the quality of articles, bring
home those she can get for the _least money_ (and these are seldom the
_cheapest_), and even if she is a good judge, it is ten to one against
her taking the trouble to make a careful selection. When the ready-money
system is found inconvenient, and an account is run with a tradesman,
the mistress of the house ought to have a pass-book, in which she should
write down all the orders herself, leaving the tradesman to fill in only
the prices. Where this is not done, and the mistress neglects to compare
the pass-book with the goods ordered every time they are brought in, it
sometimes happens, either by mistake, or the dishonesty of the tradesman
or his shopman, or the servant, that goods are entered which were never
ordered, and that those which were ordered are overcharged; and if these
errors are not detected at the time, they are sure to be difficult of
adjustment afterwards. Let the housewife, therefore, by all means avoid
running accounts, and pay ready-money. By so doing she will escape a
great deal of trouble and anxiety, besides saving the extra price which
the tradesman charges upon all goods sold on credit, and to which he is
justly entitled, both as interest for his money and to cover the losses
to which the system sometimes subjects him.

In purchasing perishable goods, care should be taken to get everything as
_fresh_ and _new_ as possible. This is absolutely necessary in the case
of vegetables, ripe fruits, eggs, butter, and fish generally, as these
cannot be used in too fresh a condition; but, as butcher’s meat requires
to be kept some time, it may, where the butcher’s word can be trusted as
to the day on which it was killed, be purchased ready for cooking. Indeed
this must often be done when a small supply of cut meat, such as steaks
or chops, is required. As, however, it is the butcher’s interest to sell
off his meat while it is fresh, in order to avoid the loss arising from
its spoiling on his hands, he will seldom have any prime pieces which
have been kept long enough for immediate use, so that it is much safer,
as a general rule, to ask for it fresh, and keep it at home. Perhaps the
best plan is to ascertain which day of the week is the butcher’s regular
“killing day,” and to buy upon that day only, a quantity sufficient to
last some time,—which quantity must be determined by the season of the
year; for, since meat keeps much longer in winter than in summer, a
larger stock may be laid in then. Many a good dinner has been spoiled,
and many a fine piece of meat wasted, and this not from ignorance of the
time it ought to be kept, but from inattention to the above rule.

When it is ascertained where the best and cheapest articles are sold,
it is as well to lay in as large a stock as can be afforded at one
time, of those provisions which do not spoil by keeping. By so doing,
the housewife will not only have a good supply of the best always at
hand, but will also be allowed certain discounts from the price, which
she would not otherwise obtain, besides saving much time and trouble in
shopping. Not only will she have to go _oftener_ to the shop for small
supplies, but it may frequently happen that, when she applies for a
_second_ small quantity of an article that has been approved of, she may
find the dealer’s stock of that particular commodity renewed, and the new
supply not so good; and then she will either have to purchase an inferior
article, or to wander from shop to shop in search of a better. Of course
this rule must be disregarded when, at the time of purchase, there is
reason to expect an immediate fall in the price. For instance, it would
be absurd to buy a three months’ supply of tea at 4s., with the knowledge
that within a month there might be such a reduction of duty upon it as
would lower its price to 2s. Such cases, however, occur very rarely.


HOW TO COOK POTATOES.

The goodness of a potato materially depends upon the skill of the cook.
We here introduce a few modes of preparing it for the table, not commonly
in use:—

POTATOES MASHED WITH ONIONS.—Prepare some boiled onions, by putting them
through a sieve, and mix them with potatoes.

POTATO SNOW.—Pick out the whitest potatoes, put them on in cold water;
when they begin to crack, strain, and put them in a clean stewpan before
the fire till they are quite dry and fall to pieces; rub them through a
wire sieve or the dish they are to be sent up in, and do not disturb them
afterwards.

POTATO SCONES.—Mash boiled potatoes till they are quite smooth, adding a
little salt; then knead out with flour, or barley-meal, to the thickness
required; toast on the girdle, pricking them with a fork to prevent them
blistering. When eaten with fresh or salt butter, they are equal to
crumpets—even superior, and very nutritious.

POTATOES FRIED WHOLE.—When nearly boiled enough, put them into a stewpan
with a bit of butter; or some clean beef dripping; shake them about
often, to prevent burning, till they are brown and crisp; drain them from
the fat. It will be an improvement if they are floured and dipped into
the yolk of an egg, and then rolled in finely sifted bread crumbs.

POTATOES ESCALLOPED.—Mash potatoes in the usual way; then butter some
nice clean scallop shells, patty-pans, or tea-cups or saucers; put in the
potatoes; make them smooth at the top; cross a knife over them; strew a
few fine bread crumbs on them; sprinkle them with a paste-brush with a
few drops of melted butter, and set them in a Dutch oven. When nicely
browned on the top, take them carefully out of the shells, and brown on
the other side. Cold potatoes may be warmed up this way.

POTATOES FRIED IN SLICES.—Peel large potatoes, slice them about a quarter
of an inch thick, or cut them into shavings, as you would peel a lemon;
dry them well in a clean cloth, and fry them in lard or dripping. Take
care that the fat and frying-pan are quite clean; put it on a quick fire,
and as soon as the lard boils, and is still, put in the slices of potato,
and keep moving them until they are crisp; take them up, and lay them to
drain on a sieve. Send to table with a little salt sprinkled over them.

POTATO PIE.—Peel and slice the potatoes very thin into a pie-dish;
between each layer of potatoes put some chopped onions; between each
layer, sprinkle a little pepper and salt; put in a little water, and cut
about two ounces of fresh butter into bits, and lay them on the top;
cover it close with paste. The yolks of four eggs may be added; and when
baked, a table-spoonful of good mushroom ketchup poured in through a
funnel.—Another method is to put between the layers small bits of mutton,
beef, or pork. In Cornwall, turnips are added. This constitutes (on the
Cornish method) a cheap and satisfactory dish for families.


DIRECTIONS FOR MAKING PASTRY.

IN making pastry or cakes, it is best to begin by weighing out the
ingredients, sifting the flour, pounding and sifting the sugar and spice,
washing the butter, and preparing the fruit. Sugar can be powdered by
pounding it in a large mortar, or by rolling it on a paste-board with a
rolling-pin. It should be made very fine and always sifted. All sorts of
spice should be pounded in a mortar, except nutmeg, which it is better
to grate. If spice is wanted in large quantities, it may be ground in a
mill. The butter should always be fresh and very good. Wash it in cold
water before you use it, and then make it up with your hands into hard
lumps, squeezing the water well out. If the butter and sugar are to be
stirred together, always do that before the eggs are beaten, as (unless
they are kept too warm) the butter and sugar will not be injured by
standing awhile. For stirring them, nothing is so convenient as a round
hard stick, about a foot and a half long, and somewhat flattened at one
end. The eggs should not be beaten till after the other ingredients are
ready, as they will fall very soon. If the whites and yolks are to be
beaten separately, do the whites first, as they will stand longer. Eggs
should be beaten in a broad shallow pan, spreading wide at the top.
Butter and sugar should be stirred in a deep pan with straight sides.
Break every egg by itself, in a saucer, before you put it into the pan,
that in case there should be any bad ones, they may not spoil the others.
Eggs are beaten most expeditiously with whisks. A small quantity of
white of egg may be beaten with a knife, or a three-pronged fork.—I have
found the above directions of great use in my housekeeping, and I can
confidently recommend them.—J. M.


TO MAKE BARLEY WATER PROPERLY.

Either Scotch or pearl-barley may be used. The former is much less
expensive, and answers equally well. Soak an ounce in several waters; put
it, with some lemon-peel, into a quart of boiling water and infuse it for
an hour. Then strain. This will be of a sufficient thickness; but, if it
be desired thicker, it is but varying the quantity of barley. This is a
cooling drink, and admits of additions either for flavour or medicinal
use. The juice and rind of lemons, with loaf sugar, are most agreeable.

Figs, raisins, liquorice root, honey, and gum arabic, are often used
either for coughs, cold on the chest, confined bowels, strangury, &c.
Powdered nitre is often used in feverish complaints, and given in barley
water; a drachm to a quart is a good proportion.

The method of mixing either nitre or powdered gum arabic, is to rub the
powder smooth with sugar or honey; then mix it with a spoonful or two
of the barley water, and stir it in the whole while in a boiling state.
As a nourishing drink, boil the barley in water till it thickens. When
reduced, and quite thick, strain, and mix with an equal quantity of new
milk; sweeten it to your taste. A bit of cinnamon, or two laurel leaves,
may be boiled in it for flavour.

Thick barley water, with milk and _a little_ salt and sugar, is a
suitable food for infants, when they begin to take what is at all
thickened. Barley may be used in broth or stew, or to make a pudding.

The valuable sanatory qualities of barley have long been known and
appreciated. Providence designed it as an especial boon to mankind;
for, of all the cultivated grains, it is perhaps that which comes to
perfection in the greatest variety of climates, and is found over the
greatest extent of the habitable world.


SCOTCH PORRIDGE.

For four persons. Boil three pints of water in a clean saucepan, add a
tea-spoonful of salt, mix, _very gradually_, one pound of fine oatmeal,
stirring round constantly while you put in the meal with a round stick
about twelve inches long, called a “spirtle.” Continue the stirring for
fifteen minutes, then pour into soup-plates. Allow them to cool for about
ten minutes, then serve with half a pint of sweet milk to each person.

Scotch porridge is one of the most nutritive diets that can be given,
especially to young persons. They are sometimes made with milk instead of
water, but the mixture is rather rich for delicate stomachs.


ECONOMY IN THE USE OF BUTCHER’S MEAT.

OF BEEF, the round is, in large families, one of the most profitable
parts: it is usually boiled, and like most of the boiling parts of beef,
is generally sold in London at a penny per pound less than the roasting
joints.

The brisket is also a penny a pound less in price than the roasting
parts: it is not so economical a part as the round, having more bone to
be weighed with it, and more fat. Where there are children, very fat
joints are not desirable, being often disagreeable to them, and sometimes
prejudicial, especially if they have a dislike to it. This joint also
requires more cooking than many others; that is to say, it requires
a double allowance of time to be given for boiling it: it will, when
served, be hard and scarcely digestible if no more time be allowed to
boil it than that which is sufficient for other joints and meats. When
stewed it is excellent; and when cooked fresh (_i. e._ unsalted), an
excellent stock for soup may be extracted from it, and yet the meat will
serve as well for dinner.

The edgebone, or aitch-bone, is not considered to be a very economical
joint, the bone being large in proportion to the meat; but the greater
part of it, at least, is as good as that of any prime part. It sells at a
penny a pound less than roasting joints.

The rump is the part of which the London butcher makes great profit, by
selling it in the form of steaks. In the country, as there is not an
equal demand for steaks, the whole of it may be purchased as a joint, and
at the price of other prime parts. It may be turned to good account in
producing many excellent dishes. If salted, it is simply boiled; if used
unsalted, it is usually stewed.

The veiny piece is sold at a low price per pound; but if hung for a day
or two, it is very good and very profitable. Where there are a number of
servants and children to have an early dinner, this part of beef will be
found desirable.

From the leg and shin excellent stock for soup may be drawn; and if not
reduced too much, the meat taken from the bones may be served as a stew
with vegetables; or it may be seasoned, pounded with butter, and potted;
or chopped very fine, and seasoned with herbs, and bound together by egg
and bread crumbs; it may be fried in balls, or in the form of large eggs,
and served with a gravy made with a few spoonfuls of the soup.

Of half an ox cheek excellent soup may be made; the meat, when taken from
the bones, may be served as a stew.

Roasting parts of beef are the sirloin and the ribs, and these bear in
all places the highest price. The most profitable of these two joints at
a family table is the ribs. The bones, if removed from the beef before it
is roasted, will assist in forming the basis of a soup. When boned, the
meat of the ribs is often rolled up, tied with strings, and roasted: and
this is the best way of using it, as it enables the carver to distribute
equally the upper part of the meat with the more skinny and fatter parts
at the lower ends of the bones.

OF MUTTON, the leg and haunch are the most profitable joints, although in
price higher than the shoulder or neck. But these last joints are sold at
a less price per pound than others.

The loin and saddle (the two loins not separated) are expensive joints,
not in price only, but in the great proportion of fat and bone belonging
to them. They are considered to be prime parts.

OF LAMB, the hind quarter is more advantageous in use than the fore, but
can scarcely be regarded as an economical part. In hot weather, and in a
small family, the joints which the quarters form, when divided, are of so
convenient a size as to render them much in request.

OF VEAL, the leg, from which the fillet is taken, the shoulder, the neck,
and the loin, are all in turn serviceable in a family. When the leg is
purchased altogether, without dividing the knuckle from it, the butcher
usually considerably remits the price. In summer, he is often willing to
sell the leg altogether at twopence per pound less than he would sell the
fillet alone.


HINTS ABOUT SALADS.

This is a point of proficiency which, with care, it is easy to attain.
The main point is, to incorporate the several articles required for the
sauce, and to serve up at table as fresh as possible. The herbs should
be “morning gathered,” and they will be much refreshed by lying an hour
or two in spring water. Careful picking, and washing, and drying in a
cloth, in the kitchen, are also very important, and the due proportion of
each herb requires attention. The sauce may be thus prepared:—Boil two
eggs for ten or twelve minutes, and then put them in cold water for a few
minutes, so that the yolks may become cold and hard. Rub them through
a coarse sieve with a wooden spoon, and mix them with a table-spoonful
of water or cream, and then add two table-spoonfuls of fine flask oil,
or melted butter; mix, and add by degrees, a tea-spoonful of salt, and
the same quantity of mustard; mix till smooth, when incorporate with
the other ingredients about three table-spoonfuls of vinegar; then pour
this sauce down the side of the salad-bowl, but do not stir up the salad
till wanted to be eaten. Garnish the top of the salad with the white of
the eggs cut in slices; or these may be arranged in such manner as to
be ornamental on the table. Some may fancy they are able to prepare a
salad without previous instruction, but like everything else, a little
knowledge in this case may not be thrown away.




FOOD AND COOKERY FOR THE MONTHS.


FOOD FOR JANUARY.

Those Fish, Poultry, etc., distinguished by Italics, are to be had in
greater perfection.

MEAT.—Beef, house-lamb, mutton, pork, veal, and doe-venison.

FISH.—Barbel, brill, carp, cod, crabs, cray-feet, dabs, _dace_, eels,
flounders, _haddocks_, herrings, lampreys, ling, lobsters, mussels,
oysters, perch, pike, plaice, prawns, salmon-trout, shrimps, skate,
smelt, soles, sprats, sturgeon, _tench_, thornback, turbot, _whiting_.

POULTRY AND GAME.—Capons, chickens, ducks, wild ducks, fowls, geese,
grouse, _hares_, larks, moor-game, partridges, pheasants, pigeons (tame),
pullets, _rabbits_, snipes, turkeys (hen), widgeons, woodcocks.

VEGETABLES.—Beet, brocoli (white and purple), Brussels sprouts, cabbage,
cardoons, carrots, celery, chervil, colewort, cresses, endive, garlic,
herbs (dry), kale (Scotch), leeks, lettuces, mint, mustard, onions,
parsley, parsnips, potatoes, rape, rosemary, sage, salsify, savoy,
scorzonera, shalots, skirrets, sorrel, spinach (winter), tarragon, thyme,
turnips.

FORCED VEGETABLES.—Asparagus, cucumbers, Jerusalem artichokes, and
mushrooms.

FRUIT.—Almonds, Apples—French pippin, golden pippin, golden russet,
Kentish pippin, nonpareil, winter pearmain. Pears—Bergamot, d’Hollande,
Bon Chrétien, Charmontelle, Colmar, winter beurré. Grapes—English and
Foreign. Chestnuts, medlars, nuts, oranges, walnuts.


COOKERY FOR JANUARY.


SOUPS.

PEA SOUP.—The cheapest and most wholesome way, is to make it by “A.
Braden’s Prepared Peas,” a sixpenny packet of which will make six or
eight quarts of good soup; or, take a third of the packet, mix with
enough soup to form a thick batter, add two or three quarts of the common
soup given below, and boil fifteen minutes.

COMMON SOUP.—Take the bones of beef, (ribs, sirloin, &c.) break small,
put into a digester or a large pan, cover with water, boil, and keep
covered; then add a crust of bread toasted, a pound of pearl-barley,
two onions in slices, a faggot of sweet herbs, a bay-leaf, two carrots
cut small, and other vegetables; fill up to a gallon with the liquor
that corned beef, bacon, pork, or any other meat has been boiled in, and
season with pepper and salt to taste.

HARE SOUP.—Take a hare and cut in pieces, put into an earthen jar,
with two onions cut small, three blades of mace, a pinch of salt, two
anchovies, or three-quarters of a red herring, three quarts of water, and
wine to flavour, perhaps a pint of red wine. Bake in a quick oven for
three hours, then strain the liquor into a stewpan. Have ready boiled
four ounces of fine pearl-barley, add this, scald the liver, and rub it
through a sieve with a wooden spoon, put this into the soup, set over the
fire, and keep it stirring till near boiling—but it must not boil—then
remove. Put some toasted bread into the tureen, pour the soup on, and
serve hot.


FISH.

FISH.—In cleaning cod-fish, haddock, whiting, whiting-polluck, hake,
ling, &c., they should be cut open for some distance below the vent; the
sound of one side being carefully cut up with a sharp knife, as close
to the back-bone as possible, and the blood must be scraped out with a
knife, or scrubbed with a brush. The back-bone of a hake is extracted
entire by separating it with the fore-finger and thumb of the right hand,
from behind the poll, and tearing it out. Fish that are dressed with the
scales on, should be dipped in water, and rubbed with a coarse towel from
the head downwards.

SALT FISH should be properly soaked in water previous to being dressed,
for at least twelve hours, then taken out, scrubbed with a coarse cloth,
and laid on a stone or table to drain for six or eight hours, when it
should be again put into water, just lukewarm, to remain there ten or
twelve hours.

HAKE CUTLETS.—Cut a moderate sized hake into cutlets length-wise, about
the size of ordinary veal cutlets, dry well with a cloth, egg well, dip
in bread crumbs, and fry light brown; then serve hot on a napkin, with
fried parsley garnish.

BARBEL, TO FRY.—Split the barbel, if large; pepper and salt it well, fry
a light brown, and serve with melted butter.

DACE, TO FRY.—Open the belly, cut the fins close off, scale them well,
dry in flour, and fry a light brown; serve with melted butter.

DACE, TO MARINADE.—Clean well, cut off the heads, and rub plenty of
pepper, salt, and allspice, into the inside; place them in layers in a
baking-dish, with bay between the layers; and add three parts vinegar and
one of water, sufficient to fill the dish; add a little whole pepper,
and a blade or two of mace. Bake slowly for about five hours. When cold,
shift the fish and marinade into another dish, taking care not to bruise
or break them.

HADDOCK, TO BOIL.—Boil entire, if not very large; and throw a little
salt, vinegar, and horse-radish into the water, which improve the look
of the fish, and prevent the skin breaking. Serve hot, with oyster sauce.

PERCH AND TENCH AS WATER SOUCHY.—Take a dozen fish, place in a stewpan,
with about two quarts of water, some parsley roots and leaves chopped,
but not fine. Boil until nearly the whole of the flesh of the fish will
run through a coarse sieve with the gravy; place another dozen in the
stewpan, with finely chopped parsley, and add the gravy to them, season
with pepper and salt, and stew until done; then turn gravy and all into a
soup tureen. Some add onions, but in our opinion it spoils the flavour of
the souchy.


POULTRY, GAME, ETC.

CURRY.—Cut up a rabbit or chicken as for a fricassee; fry them a light
brown, and stew in gravy. Add a table-spoonful of curry powder, and, if
necessary, cayenne pepper and salt. When stewed sufficiently, thicken
with butter rolled in flour, and add lemon-juice, shalots or garlic; then
serve with rice, and garnish with lemon.

TO BROIL A PIGEON.—Split it down the back, spread it open, season with
pepper and salt, and broil over a quick clear fire. Serve with mushroom
and salt.

RABBITS, TO STEW.—Divide the rabbit into quarters, lard them with large
slips of bacon, and fry them; then put into a stewpan, with a quart of
good broth, a glass of white wine, a bunch of sweet herbs, a little
pepper and salt, and a piece of butter rolled in flour. When done, dish
up, and pour the gravy sauce on them, garnishing with sliced lemon.

LARKS, TO ROAST.—Spit them on a little bird-spit, and roast; when done
enough, sprinkle with fried bread crumbs, and serve on toast, with thick
brown gravy.

TURKEY PATTIES.—Mince part of the breast fine, season with salt, nutmeg,
grated lemon, white pepper, and a little butter warmed. Fill the patties,
and bake as usual.


MEAT.

BEEF.—We have already given receipts for cooking cold beef, among which
will be found those for minced beef, cold roast beef and mashed potatoes,
bubble and squeak, lobscous, and beef rissoles. We shall therefore enter
on new ground.

TO DRESS THE INSIDE OF A COLD SIRLOIN OF BEEF.—Cut out all the inside
(free from fat) of the sirloin, in pieces about two inches long; flour it
well, and fry it a light brown; drain, and toss it up in a rich gravy,
well seasoned with pepper, salt, and shalots. Before sending it up, add
two tea-spoonfuls of caper vinegar, and garnish with fried potatoes,
horse-radish, or boiled spinach.

FRICASSEE OF COLD ROAST BEEF.—Cut some thin slices of under-done
beef, an onion in quarters, chop some parsley very small; put these
into a stewpan, with some strong broth, a small piece of butter, and a
little salt and pepper. Simmer gently a quarter of an hour, then add a
table-spoonful of white wine and vinegar, and the yolks of two eggs; stir
quickly over a brisk fire for a few minutes, and then serve in a deep hot
dish.

MUTTON HAM.—Take a leg of mutton of about seven pounds, shape like a
ham, and hang two days. Take six ounces of coarse sugar, an ounce of
saltpetre, four ounces of bay, and three ounces of common salt. Mix, and
rub them well into the ham, lay it in a tub, with the skin downwards, and
rub every day for a fortnight; then have it smoked, or hung in wood smoke
for a week. It is excellent cut in rashers and broiled.

TO COOK A LOIN OF PORK PORTUGUESE WAY.—Cut the skin of the loin across
with a sharp knife, at distances of half an inch; roast as usual. Cut two
onions small, and put them into the dripping-pan, with a pint of vinegar;
baste well with this, and serve hot.

SPARE-RIB OF PORK should be basted with very little butter, well floured,
and then sprinkled with dried sage, powdered. Serve hot, and have
apple-sauce.

VEAL SAUSAGES.—Chop half a pound of lean veal and fat bacon very fine;
add sage, salt, pepper, and allspice to taste; beat well in a mortar,
roll into balls, flatten and fry them.

LIVER PUDDING.—Boil a lamb’s liver well, grate it down; add an equal
quantity of grated bread; cut some onions small with plenty of suet, add
salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste, and fill them in the white end of the
pudding.

LAMB’S BRAIN CAKES.—Take the brains, and remove any veins, &c., that may
be among them, chop well with a knife, and add salt, nutmeg, or pepper, a
little raw egg, and flour enough to make them stick together; mix well,
make into cakes about the size of the top of a wine-glass, and fry them
brown on both sides with lard.

VENISON, TO BROIL.—Cut thin slices; mix stale crumbs of bread, with salt,
pepper, and spices; egg the slices, dip into the seasoned bread, broil
over a clear fire, serve with a gravy sauce.


VEGETABLES.

POTATOES.—Several ways of cooking potatoes are given at p. 243, viz.:
potato mashed with onions; potato snow; potato scones; potatoes fried
whole, escalloped, fried in slices; and potato pie.


PASTRY.

ELEGANT BREAD PUDDING.—Take light white bread, and cut in thin slices.
Put into a pudding shape a layer of any sort of preserve, then a slice of
bread, and repeat until the mould is almost full. Pour over all a pint
of warm milk, in which four well-beaten eggs have been mixed; cover the
mould with a piece of linen, place in a saucepan with a little boiling
water, let it boil twenty minutes, and serve with pudding sauce.

MINCE PIES.—Take a piece of puff-paste, roll to the thickness of a
penny-piece; butter the pans lightly; line the pans with the puff-paste,
place in the mincemeat made as under:—trim and wet the edges of the paste
with milk, cover with the paste, trim, press the edges closely and crimp,
prick a hole in the centre of the top, egg, and dust some fine white
sugar over. Bake for twenty minutes in a moderate oven.

MINCE MEAT.—Take seven pounds of currants well picked and cleaned; of
finely chopped beef suet, the lean of a sirloin of beef minced raw, and
finely chopped apples (Kentish or Golden Pippins), each three and a half
pounds; citron, lemon-peel, and orange-peel cut small, each half a pound;
fine moist sugar, two pounds; mixed spice, an ounce; the rind of four
lemons and four Seville oranges; mix well, and put in a deep pan. Mix
a bottle of brandy and white wine, the juice of the lemons and oranges
that have been grated together in a basin; pour half over, and press down
tight with the hand, then add the other half, and cover closely. Some
families make one year, to use the next.

MALCOLM PUDDINGS.—Take any number of eggs, which are to be used first
as weights, and then mixed with the ingredients. Place the eggs in one
scale and weigh their equal balance successively in flour, brown sugar,
and butter. Make into a mass by means of the eggs, work well, and bake
in small moulds, with or without currants. Serve hot with wine sauce, or
cold without.

OATMEAL GINGERBREAD.—Mix one pound of Scotch meal into a stiff paste with
sour buttermilk, let it stay all night, and then add one pound prepared
Lentil Powder (Butler and McCulloch’s), into which has been rubbed
half an ounce of bi-carbonate of soda, and one pound of brown flour.
Add treacle enough to bring it to the requisite consistence, roll any
thickness, and bake in a moderate oven. A little sugar may be added.

UNFERMENTED OAT-CAKES.—Soak one pound of meal all night in a pint of sour
buttermilk. The next day, rub a quarter of an ounce of carbonate of soda
and a little salt into one pound of flour, and mix with the oatmeal. Roll
out any thickness required, and bake in a moderate oven.

OATMEAL PUDDING.—Soak four ounces of brown bread and two ounces of meal,
in one pint of boiling milk; when cold stir in two eggs well beaten, and
a little nutmeg and sugar; pour into a buttered basin, and steam or boil
one hour.

FLUMMERY, OR SOWINS.—To three spoonfuls of meal, add one pint of water,
let it stand in a warm place until it is sourish. Boil it the same as
for porridge, and eat with salt only. This gruel is excellent for hot
seasons and climates; taken for breakfast, it assists digestion, and
prevents constipation, cools the body, and creates an active and cheerful
disposition.


FOOD FOR FEBRUARY.

MEAT.—Beef, house-lamb, mutton, pork, veal.

FISH.—Barbel, brill, carp, cockles, cod, crabs, cray-fish, dabbs, dace,
eels, flounders, haddocks, herrings, lampreys, ling, lobsters, mussels,
oysters, perch, pike, plaice, prawns, salmon, shrimps, skate, smelts,
soles, sturgeon, tench, thornback, turbot, whiting.

POULTRY AND GAME.—Capons, chickens, ducklings, fowl (wild), green geese,
hares, partridges, pheasants, pigeons, tame and wild, pullets with egg,
rabbits (tame), snipes, turkeys, turkey-poults, woodcocks.

VEGETABLES.—Beet, brocoli (white and purple), burnet, cabbage, cardoons,
carrots, celery, chervil, colewort, cresses, endive, garlic, dry herbs,
leeks, lettuces, mint, mustard, mushrooms, onions, parsnips, parsley,
potatoes, radish, rape, rosemary, sage, salsify, savory, scorzonera,
shalots, skirrets, sorrel, spinach, sprouts, tarragon, thyme, turnips,
winter savory.

FORCED VEGETABLES.—Asparagus, cucumbers, and Jerusalem artichokes.

FRUIT.—_Apples_—French pippin, golden pippin, golden russet, Holland
pippin, Kentish pippin, nonpareil, Wheeler’s russet, winter pearmain;
chestnuts, oranges. _Pears._—Bergamot, d’Pasque, winter Bon Chrétien,
winter russelet.


COOKERY FOR FEBRUARY.


SOUP.

OBSERVATIONS ON SOUPS.—Soups, in general, are better if made the day
before they are wanted; because they have the advantage of being
longer boiled. They should always be made from the freshest meat—if
practicable—and should not be put away for any length of time if there
are many vegetables in them, as they will speedily ferment, or turn
sour. When fat remains on soup, mix a tea-cupful of flour and water,
quite intimately, and boil in it: if deficient in richness, boil a pound
of butter mixed with flour in it; if too weak, remove the cover whilst
boiling. In general, a pound of meat is required for every quart of
water. Clear soups must be perfectly transparent; thickened soups about
the consistence of cream.

BEEF STOCK.—Take five pounds of coarse lean beef, cut into small pieces,
put into a pot or a digester, with sufficient water to cover it. As it
simmers, be careful to skim well; add a faggot of herbs, and season with
salt and ground pepper. When the meat is tender, the pot may be removed,
the stock skimmed well, the liquor strained through a fine hair sieve,
and put aside in a covered pan for use.

VEAL STOCK.—Take five or six pounds of the neck, leg, &c. of veal, and
add half to three-quarters of a pound of ham. Cut the meat into small
pieces, break the bones, and put the whole with a faggot of herbs into
rather more than a quart of water. Let all simmer until the meat is
nearly tender; then add as much of the beef stock as will cover the veal,
which must afterwards be kept simmering half an hour longer. Skim it free
from fat, strain through a sieve, and keep the same as beef stock.

BROWNING FOR SOUPS.—1. Take two ounces of coarse brown sugar, and pour
upon it some thyme water; place it on the fire till it becomes burnt.—2.
Take two ounces of powdered lump sugar, and half an ounce of fresh
butter; put them together in a frying-pan, and keep on the fire till the
mixture becomes a chocolate brown, then add three table-spoonfuls of port
wine, and two wine-glassfuls of elder wine, six shalots, half a drachm
of mace, a drachm of allspice, a drachm of black pepper, half an ounce
of salt, two ounces of ketchup, and an ounce of fresh lemon-juice. Boil
all together, let the liquor stand to settle, pour off the clear liquor,
bottle, and cork tight.—3. Take some sugar, white or brown, place it
in an iron spoon, heat until liquid, and then drop into half a pint of
water; repeat until sufficiently brown.

PIGEON SOUP.—Take eight good pigeons, cut up two of the worst, and put
them on with as much water as will make a large tureen of soup, adding
the pinions, necks, gizzards, and livers of the others; boil well, and
strain. Season the whole pigeons within, with mixed spices, and salt,
and truss them with their legs into their belly. Take a large handful of
parsley, young onions, and spinach, pick and wash them clean and shred
small; then take a handful of grated bread, put a lump of butter about
the size of a hen’s egg in a frying-pan, and when it boils throw in the
bread, stirring well until it becomes a fine brown colour. Put on the
stock to boil, add the whole pigeons, herbs, and fried bread, and when
the pigeons are done enough, dish up with the soup.

SOUP À LA SAP.—Boil a pound of beef cut in pieces an inch square, a pint
of gray peas, half a pound of scraped potatoes, an onion, and three
ounces of rice, in six pints of water until reduced to five. Strain
through a sieve, pulp the peas into it, and return to the saucepan with a
head of celery cut small, and a carrot. Stew well, season with pepper and
salt. Put toasted bread into the tureen, pour the soup on, and serve hot.

BEEF BROTH.—Take a leg of beef, crack the bone in two or three parts,
wash clean, put it into a gallon of water, let it simmer; skim well, add
three blades of mace, a bundle of parsley, and a crust of bread. Boil
well, and serve hot with toasted bread.

CARROT SOUP.—Slice up eight or nine large carrots, and stew them in three
quarts of common soup, until quite tender; then rub through a sieve, mix
well, season with salt and pepper, and add sufficient browning to make it
look well. It should be made the day before it is used.


FISH.

CARP, TO STEW.—Clean and cut them in two; place in a stewpan, with some
broken bread crusts, pepper, salt, and mace, a small onion shred fine,
and a few chopped capers. Then add a gill of white wine, the same of red
wine, and water enough to cover them; cover the pan close, and let them
stew until the liquor is thick, then serve with lemon and horse-radish
for garnish.

OYSTERS STEWED.—Take a pint of oysters, gently simmer them in their own
strained liquor. Beard them, and add a quarter of a pint of cream; season
with pounded mace, cayenne, and salt; add two ounces of butter and a
dessert-spoonful of flour, then simmer for a short time. Lay the oysters
in the dish upon a piece of toast, and pour the sauce over. The cream may
be omitted, if thought proper.

PRAWNS, TO CURRY, MALAY FASHION.—Procure sufficient prawns to weigh when
picked about a pound. Mince an onion or two very small, put the prawns
and onion in a stewpan with a little salt, and a stick of cinnamon; add a
pint of cold water, veal or mutton broth, and stew it for half an hour,
then add a table-spoonful of curry powder, and let it stew ten minutes
longer. Take the stewpan off the fire, strain the sauce through a sieve,
wipe the stewpan dry, add the prawns and sauce together, and let them
simmer ten minutes longer. Scrape some cocoa-nut into a basin with a gill
and a half of warm water, press it well with the back of a spoon, strain
through a sieve, and mix a table-spoonful of flour well in the milk, and
five minutes before you serve the curry, add the milk to it, shake the
pan once or twice, squeeze half a lemon in, and serve it up hot; rice
separate. Shrimps or any other fish may be curried in the same manner.


POULTRY, GAME, ETC.

DUCKS, TO ROAST.—After plucking and singeing carefully, let them be well
washed and dried. Make a seasoning of onion, sage, pepper, and salt.
Fasten it tight at the neck and rump. Paper the breast-bone, baste well,
and when the breast is rising take off the paper, and serve before the
breast falls, with plenty of good gravy. Be sure to have apple-sauce
ready.

WILD DUCKS are to be dressed in the same manner.

GOOSE, TO ROAST.—Prepare it the same as the ducks, and when done, cut off
the apron, and pour a glass of port wine and two tea-spoonfuls of mustard
among the seasoning. Apple-sauce must be ready, and plenty of good gravy,
in separate tureens.

HARE PIE.—Cut up a hare and season it; bake it with eggs and sausage
meat, as usual; or in a raised crust, and when cold, cover with savoury
jelly.

RABBIT, FRICASSEE OF.—Wash and cut a young rabbit into joints, put them
in a stewpan, with a quarter of a pound of streaky bacon cut small, an
onion stuck with cloves, a faggot of herbs, a blade of mace, and some
salt; cover the whole with water, and let it simmer twenty minutes,
keeping it well skimmed; pass the liquor through a sieve. Into another
stewpan put two ounces of butter, a table-spoonful of flour, and a little
of the liquor; set on the fire; stir well until it boils; add the rabbit
and bacon, with a dozen and a half of small onions; let the whole simmer
until the onions are done; skim well; then pour in a wine-glassful of
white wine, mixed with the yolks of two eggs, and a little grated nutmeg;
leave it to thicken, remove the rabbit, pile it on sippets, sauce over,
garnish with sliced lemon, and serve hot.


MEAT.

CURRIED BEEF, MADRAS WAY.—Take about two ounces of butter, and place it
in a saucepan, with two small onions cut up into slices, and let them fry
until they are of a light brown; then add a table-spoonful and a half of
curry powder, and mix it up well. Now put in the beef cut into pieces
about an inch square; pour in from a quarter to a third of a pint of
milk, and let it simmer for thirty minutes; then take it off, and place
in a dish, with a little lemon-juice. Whilst cooking stir constantly,
to prevent it burning. Send to table with a wall of mashed potatoes, or
boiled rice round it. It greatly improves any curry to add with the milk
a quarter of a cocoa-nut, scraped very small, and squeezed through muslin
with a little water; this softens the taste of the curry, and, indeed, no
curry should be made without it.


PASTRY, ETC.

BATH BUNS.—Take a pound of flour, the rinds of three lemons grated fine,
half a pound of butter melted in a coffee cup of cream, a tea-spoonful
of yeast, and three eggs. Mix; add half a pound of finely powdered white
sugar; work well, let it stand to rise well, and it will make thirty-nine
buns.

TEA CAKES.—Take a pound of flour, half a pound of butter, and the same of
sugar; the peel of a lemon finely grated, a little of the juice, an egg,
a little brandy to flavour, and a tea-spoonful of bruised coriander seed.
Roll it out thin, make into cakes, and bake them in a quick oven.

SHORT-BREAD.—Rub one pound of butter, and twelve ounces of finely
powdered loaf sugar, into two pounds of flour, with the hand; make it
into a stiff paste with four eggs, roll out to double the thickness of a
penny-piece, cut it into round or square cakes, pinch the edges, stick
slices of candied peel and some carraway comfits on the top, and bake
them on iron plates in a warm oven.

FRENCH PASTRY.—Take half a pound of flour, half a pound of butter; put
the flour on the board, and the butter in it, just as it is; roll it out
once; then roll the butter up, and put it on one side. Mix the flour to
about the stiffness of the butter, with a little milk, then let it stand
for an hour in a cool place before you roll it out; and before using it
roll it out five times.

GINGERBREAD.—Take one pound of flour, half a pound of butter, sugar,
and treacle, an ounce of powdered ginger, and a tea-spoonful of beaten
cloves. Mix well, and bake in a slow oven.

TO MAKE A SIMNEL.—One pound of flour, quarter of a pound of butter,
quarter of a pound of lump sugar, one pound of currants, two ounces of
candied lemon, a quarter of an ounce of carbonate of soda mixed with an
egg, and a little milk; to be put in a tin mould, and baked till enough.
[Very good.]—L. B.

GINGER CAKES.—To two pounds of flour add three-quarters of a pound
of good moist sugar, one ounce of best Jamaica ginger well mixed in
the flour; have ready three-quarters of a pound of lard, melted, and
four eggs well beaten; mix the lard and eggs together, and stir into
the flour, which will form a paste; roll out in thin cakes, and bake
in a moderately heated oven.—Lemon biscuits may be made the same way,
substituting essence of lemon for ginger. This is an excellent receipt.

DAMSON OR OTHER PLUM CHEESE.—Take damsons that have been preserved
without sugar; pass them through a sieve, to take out the skins and
stones. To every pound of pulp of the fruit, put half a pound of loaf
sugar, broken small; boil them together until quite stiff; pour it into
four common-sized dinner-plates, rubbed with a little sweet oil; put into
a warm place to dry, and when quite firm, take it from the plate, and cut
to any chosen shape.—Used in desserts.


FOOD FOR MARCH.

MEAT.—Beef, house-lamb, mutton, pork, veal.

FISH.—Brill, carp, cockles, cod, conger-eels, crabs, dabbs, dory, eels,
flounders, ling, lobsters, mackerel, mullets, mussels, oysters, perch,
pike, plaice, prawns, salmon, salmon-trout, shrimps, skate, smelts,
soles, sturgeon, turbot, tench, and whiting.

POULTRY AND GAME.—Capons, chickens, ducklings, fowls, green geese,
grouse, leverets, moor-game, pigeons, rabbits (tame), snipes, turkeys,
woodcocks.

VEGETABLES.—Artichokes (Jerusalem), beet, brocoli (white and purple),
Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cardoons, carrots, celery, chervil, colewort,
cresses, endive, garlic, herbs (dry), kale (sea and Scotch), lettuces,
mint, mushrooms, mustard, onions, parsley, parsnips, potatoes, rape,
rosemary, sage, savoy, shalots, sorrel, spinach, tarragon, thyme,
turnips, turnip-tops.

FORCED VEGETABLES.—Asparagus, beans, cucumbers, and rhubarb.

FRUIT.—_Apples_—French pippins, golden russet, Holland pippin, John
apple, Kentish pippin, nonpareil, Norfolk beaufin, Wheeler’s russet.
Chestnuts; oranges. _Pears_—Bergamot, Bugi, Charmontelle, St. Martial,
winter Bon Chrétien. Strawberries (forced).


COOKERY FOR MARCH.


SOUPS.

EEL SOUP.—Take two pounds of eels, a crust of bread, six blades of mace,
two onions, a few whole peppercorns, a faggot of herbs, and two quarts
of water; boil till half the liquor is wasted, strain, and serve with
toasted bread.

GIBLET SOUP.—Take three sets of giblets, stew them with two pounds of
gravy beef, a faggot of herbs, two onions, and pepper and salt to season;
add six pints of water, and let it simmer till the gizzards (which must
be divided) are perfectly tender. Skim it clean, add mushroom ketchup to
flavour, and three-quarters of an ounce of butter rolled in flour; let it
boil ten minutes, strain, and serve with the giblets.

VEAL BROTH.—Stew a knuckle of veal in a gallon of water, add salt, two
blades of mace, and three ounces of rice, and let it stew till reduced to
two quarts. Serve with toasted bread.


FISH.

CRAB, MINCED.—Remove the meat, mince small and place in a saucepan with
a wine-glassful of white wine, pepper and salt, nutmeg, cayenne pepper,
and two table-spoonfuls of vinegar. Let it stew for ten minutes; melt a
piece of butter the size of a hen’s egg, with an anchovy and the yolks of
two eggs; beat up and mix well, stir in with the crab, and add sufficient
stale bread crumbs to thicken. Garnish with thin toast cut with a pastry
leaf-cutter, or with the claws, and parsley. Lobster may be dressed in
the same manner.

LOBSTER CUTLETS.—Choose a large lobster and two small ones, reserve a
piece of the coral, pick and pound the remainder with a little fresh
butter, a little salt, red and white pepper, a blade or two of mace,
a little nutmeg, and a dessert-spoonful of anchovy sauce: when well
pounded, add the yolks of two eggs and the white of one; lay the mixture
on a paste-board, roll it out with a little flour until an inch thick,
cut into small squares, do them over with egg, dip in bread crumbs, and
fry a light brown in lard. Mix the coral remaining with a little melted
butter and anchovy sauce, pour it into the middle of the dish with the
cutlets arranged round, cut the horns of the lobster into pieces an inch
and a half long, place them between each cutlet and serve hot. A very
pretty way to dress them is to form into the shape of lamb cutlets,
placing a piece of the horn in the centre of the extremity to resemble
the bone.

OYSTERS, TO FRY.—Take a quarter of a hundred of large oysters; beat
the yolks of two eggs, a blade of mace pounded, a little nutmeg, a
table-spoonful of flour, and a little salt, mix well; dip the oysters in
the mixture, and fry a light brown in lard.

PIKE, TO STEW.—Take stale bread crumbs, finely chopped sweet herbs and
parsley, a little lemon-peel, three ounces of butter, mixed up with the
yolks of two eggs, and seasoned with nutmeg, cayenne, common pepper,
and salt, and form into a pudding to stuff the fish with. A few pickled
or fresh oysters chopped fine and mixed with it improve the flavour
considerably. Clean and wash the fish, stuff with the pudding, fix the
tail in the mouth, and stew gently in the same manner as for carp (p.
268), and garnish with sliced lemon.

SALMON, TO BROIL.—Cut the fish in slices an inch thick, season with
cayenne and common pepper, a little nutmeg and salt, roll well in
buttered white paper, and broil over a _slow_ fire; serve in the paper
with plain melted butter, anchovy, lobster, or shrimp sauce.

SOLES, TO BOIL.—Skin them, wash well and boil in common spring water,
with a little salt, and three table-spoonfuls of vinegar, taking care
to remove the scum as it rises. Serve with lobster, shrimp, or anchovy
sauce, or strew scraped horse-radish over them.


POULTRY, GAME, ETC.

FOWLS, TO ROAST.—Singe, dust with flour, put down before a good fire, and
baste well. Make a gravy of the necks and gizzards, and when strained add
a tea-spoonful of browning (page 254). Take up the fowls, pour the gravy
into a dish, frost them and send to table hot.

PIGEONS COMPOTE.—Truss six pigeons as if for boiling; grate the crumb of
a penny loaf; scrape a pound of fat bacon; chop parsley, thyme, an onion
or two shalots, and some lemon-peel, fine; grate some nutmeg, season
with pepper and salt, and mix up with two eggs. Put this forcemeat into
the craws of the pigeons, lard the breasts, and fry them brown. Place
in a stewpan with some beef stock (page 253), stew three-quarters of an
hour, thicken with a piece of butter rolled in flour, and dish up with
forcemeat balls round the dish; strain the gravy over the pigeons and
serve hot.

SNIPES, TO ROAST.—Do not draw them; spit on a small bird-spit, flour, and
baste them well with butter; have ready a slice of toasted bread, which
lay in a dish and set under the birds while cooking. When done, take them
up, place on the toast, put some good gravy in the dish, and garnish with
lemon.

SNIPE RAGOUT.—Slit the birds down the back, but do not remove the
insides; toss them up with a little melted bacon fat, season with pepper
and salt, and a little mushroom ketchup. When done, add some lemon-juice
and serve up. Garnish with toast and lemon sliced.


MEAT.

BEEF COLLOPS.—Cut the fillet from the under part of a rump of beef into
thin slices, and fry until three parts done; add slices of pickled
cucumbers, a few oysters, two table-spoonfuls of mushroom ketchup, and
stew till tender in beef stock, then serve.

BOLOGNA SAUSAGES.—Take equal quantities of bacon, fat and lean, beef,
veal, pork, and beef suet; chop them small, season with pepper, salt,
&c., sweet herbs, and sage rubbed fine. Have a well-washed intestine,
fill, and prick it; boil gently for an hour, and lay on straw to dry.
They may be smoked the same as hams.

FRICADEL (a Dutch dish).—Take two and a half pounds of veal, and a
quarter of a pound of suet, chop both fine, as if for sausage meat; three
eggs beaten well, half a nutmeg, and pepper and salt to taste. Soak a
slice of bread in boiling milk, and mix the whole well together with a
little flour. Bake for two hours and a half in a moderate oven, or until
it is a pale brown, but it should not have a hard crust on the top.

HAMS, TONGUES, ETC., GLAZING FOR.—Boil a shin of beef twelve hours in
eight or ten quarts of water; draw the gravy from a knuckle of veal in
the same manner; put the same herbs and spices as if for soup, and add
the whole to the shin of beef. It must be boiled till reduced to a quart.
It will keep good for a year; and when wanted for use, warm a little, and
spread over the ham, tongue, &c., with a feather.

LIVER, TO ROAST.—Take a calf’s or lamb’s liver, lard it, and fasten on a
spit; baste with butter. Make some melted butter, add a table-spoonful of
mushroom or walnut ketchup, and a little vinegar, and serve hot over the
liver. Garnish with curled bacon.

OXFORD HASH.—Cut thin slices of cold mutton, fat and lean, in pieces
about the size of a penny; flour well. Boil an onion in a little water,
add a tea-cupful of beef stock or gravy, season with pepper, salt,
and mace; make it hot, but do not let it boil, then add four or five
table-spoonfuls of piccalilli, and a little red wine, and serve hot with
toasted bread.

STRASBURG POTTED MEAT.—Take a pound and a half of the rump of beef, cut
into dice, and put it in an earthen jar, with a quarter of a pound of
butter at the bottom, tie the jar close up with paper, and set over a
pot to boil; when nearly done, add cloves, mace, allspice, nutmeg, salt,
and cayenne pepper to taste; then boil till tender, and let it get cold.
Pound the meat, with four anchovies washed and boned, add a quarter of
a pound of oiled butter, work it well together with the gravy, warm a
little, and add cochineal to colour. Then press into small pots, and pour
melted mutton suet over the top of each.

VEAL OLIVES.—Take a dozen veal collops cut thin, and longer than broad,
egg them, and cover with forcemeat; roll up tight and bake. Make a ragout
of oysters and sweetbreads cut in dice, with mushroom ketchup to flavour.
Lay the olives in the dish, pour the ragout over, and serve hot with
forcemeat balls round.


VEGETABLES.

OBSERVATIONS ON THE DRESSING OF VEGETABLES.—The great art in boiling
greens is to preserve their green colour and sweetness. This can only
be done by obtaining those that are quite fresh, picking and washing
them carefully in salt and water, to free them from insects, and boiling
them in a considerable quantity of water, in a tin or copper pan, by
themselves. When they are dressed with meat, or in an iron pot, the
colour is generally spoiled, except carrots, which should be boiled with
the meat.

All vegetables should be drained as soon as they are boiled enough,
otherwise, from neglect of that precaution, and over-boiling, they lose
their crispness.

If the water is hard in which they are to be dressed, add a tea-spoonful
of potash; and any scum which may arise during the process should be
carefully removed, and the lid of the saucepan taken off when they boil,
observing that when they sink to the bottom, they are done enough.

CELERY, WITH CREAM.—Take the white part of celery, wash clean, cut three
inches long, boil it tender, and strain it off; then beat up the yolks of
four eggs, strain them into half a pint of cream, add a little salt and
nutmeg. Put all into a tossing-pan, set it over a stove until it boils,
and is of a proper thickness, then send to table with toasted bread
underneath.

PARSNIPS, TO BOIL.—1. When they are soft, take them up, scrape the dust
off carefully; then scrape them all fine, lay in a saucepan, with milk,
and let them simmer till thick; then add a piece of butter, and salt, and
serve. 2. When boiled and scraped, serve whole in a dish, with melted
butter in a sauce tureen.

POTATO FRITTERS.—Boil and beat half a dozen potatoes, mix with four
beaten eggs, about a gill of cream, some salt and nutmeg, a little sugar,
some fresh butter oiled, and a table-spoonful of spirit; beat well
together, drop in the boiling dripping, fry a light brown, dish hot, and
strew sugar over them.

VEGETABLE PUDDING.—Take six ounces each of raw scraped carrot, finely
mashed potatoes, currants, flour, and beef suet; mix well without any
liquid if for boiling, but add an egg and a little milk if for baking.


PASTRY, ETC.

SHREWSBURY CAKES.—Take half a pound of flour, a quarter of a pound of
sugar, the same of butter, and enough of an egg well beaten to wet it;
grate in some nutmeg, mix well, roll thin, cut with a pastry-cutter or a
wine-glass, and bake on buttered paper.

NORFOLK BISCUITS.—Take three-quarters of a pound of butter, three pounds
and a half of flour, and a quarter of a pint of yeast. Melt the butter
with water, knead well till stiff, and bake on buttered paper for twenty
minutes. An ounce for each biscuit.

RAMAKINS.—Scrape a quarter of a pound of Cheshire and the same of
Gloucester cheese, add a quarter of a pound of butter, then beat all in a
mortar with the yolks of four eggs and the inside of a small French roll
boiled in cream or milk.


FOOD FOR APRIL.

MEAT.—Beef, grass-lamb, house-lamb, mutton, pork, veal.

FISH.—Brill, carp, chub, cockles, cod, conger-eels, _crabs_, dabbs, dory,
eels, flounders, halibut, herrings, ling, _lobsters_, mackerel, mullets,
mussels, oysters, perch, pike, _prawns_, plaice, _salmon_, shrimps,
_skate_, smelts, soles, sturgeon, _tench_, trout, turbot, whitings.

POULTRY AND GAME.—Chickens, ducklings, fowls, green geese, leverets,
pigeons, pullets, rabbits, turkey-poults, wood-pigeons.

VEGETABLES.—Asparagus, beans, brocoli, chervil, coleworts, cucumbers,
endive, fennel, herbs of all sorts, lettuce, onions, parsley, parsnips,
peas, purslane, radishes, sea-kale, sorrel, spinach, small salad,
tarragon, turnip-radishes, turnip-tops, and rhubarb.

FRUIT.—_Apples_—Golden russet, John apple, nonpareil, Wheeler’s russet;
nuts; oranges. _Pears_—Bergamot, Bon Chrétien, Bugi; Carmelite,
francreal, St. Martial. A few strawberries; walnuts. _Forced_—Apricots,
cherries, and strawberries.


COOKERY FOR APRIL.


SOUPS.

ITALIAN PASTE.—Put on a quart of stock (p. 253), and when it boils add
two ounces of Italian paste in small stars, rings, &c.; boil for twenty
minutes, or rather longer, and serve hot.

OYSTER SAUCE.—Open the oysters carefully, so as to preserve their liquor;
beard and remove the tough parts, which stew in the liquor, adding
sufficient water or veal broth to make the proper quantity of sauce, and
allow for evaporation of about one-half; when done, strain it off, and
put it in a saucepan with the oysters, a tea-spoonful of anchovy sauce,
and a good-sized piece of butter rolled in flour; keep turning it round
to prevent the butter from curdling.

RICE.—Wash two ounces of the best Patna rice, strain off the water, put
the rice with a quart of stock into a stewpan, simmer for half an hour,
or until the rice is tender, and serve.

SPANISH PEA.—Lay a quart of Spanish peas in water all night; then add
them to a gallon of water, with a clove of garlic, a quart of fine sweet
oil, and pepper and salt to season; cover the pan close, boil until the
peas are soft, and then beat in the yolk of an egg mixed with vinegar to
taste; poach some eggs, lay them on the dish with sippets, pour the soup
on, and serve hot.

VERMICELLI.—Put on a quart of veal stock (p. 253), and when it boils
add two ounces of vermicelli; simmer gently for half an hour, stirring
frequently.


FISH.

EEL PIE.—Clean a pound or more of eels, cut them in lengths of two and
three inches, season with pepper and salt, and put them in a dish with
some lumps of butter, and a wine-glassful of water; cover with a light
paste, and bake. Some add a couple of bay-leaves and a faggot of herbs,
with a few cloves and an onion, and veal stock thickened with flour,
instead of water. Cream added after the pie is done, instead of butter
before, also improves it vastly.

EELS, SPITCHCOCK.—Take two large eels, split and clean well, but leave
the skin on; cut in pieces three inches long, wipe them very dry, egg
over both sides, and dip in a mixture of chopped parsley, pepper, salt,
sage, and mace. Broil a light brown, and serve with anchovy and butter
sauce.

PRAWN JELLY.—Put some savoury fish-jelly into the bottom of a deep mould;
when cold, lay pickled prawns on it, and all round the sides; pour in a
little more jelly, and when cold, put on a second layer, repeating until
the mould is filled. Turn the jelly out when cold, and it will look
beautiful, especially for a supper. Garnish with parsley.

SAVOURY FISH-JELLY.—Put four pounds of skate into three quarts of water,
with a calf’s foot, or cow heel, a stick of horse-radish cut fine, an
onion, three blades of mace, some white pepper, a piece of lemon-peel,
and a slice of lean bacon. Stew it to a jelly, and strain. When cold,
remove every particle of fat, take it up from the sediment, and boil with
a wine-glassful of white wine, the whites of four or five eggs, and a
slice of lemon. Boil without stirring; after a short time set aside for
half an hour, strain through a jelly-bag, and use as required.

SALMON, COLLARED.—Split enough of the fish to make a handsome roll, wash,
and wipe it well; rub the inside and outside well with powdered white
pepper, mace, salt, and Jamaica pepper, carefully mixed; roll it tight,
and bind it up; put as much water, and one-third of vinegar, as will
cover it, add salt, long pepper, allspice, and two bay-leaves; cover it
close, and simmer till done enough. Drain and boil the liquid quickly,
and pour it over the fish when cold; serve with fennel.

SKATE, TO BOIL.—The fish having been previously skinned, the flesh cut
into slips about an inch wide, and then immersed in salt and water for
four or five hours, the pieces should be rolled, tied with a piece of
string, and boiled for about twenty minutes. The thinner parts not
requiring so long should not be put in until a short time after the water
boils. Anchovy, and butter sauce, or crab sauce, should be served with it.

TENCH, TO FRY.—Open them by the belly, cut off the fins close; scale
well, dry in flour, and fry a light brown. Serve with parsley and butter,
or any fish-sauce and butter.


POULTRY.

DUCKLINGS, TO ROAST.—Proceed the same as for ducks (p. 255), they must
not, however, be too much done, otherwise the flesh will have a rank
taste; twenty minutes is generally sufficient. Serve hot, with a good
gravy and mustard.

GREEN GOOSE, TO ROAST.—Put a lump of butter the size of an orange into
the goose, spit, and lay it down to roast; singe, dredge with flour, and
baste well with butter, and when done enough dredge again, and baste till
a fine froth rises on it, and it becomes a nice brown. Gooseberry sauce
is the correct one; but apple, with a little ginger and sorrel juice,
answers very well.


MEAT.

BEEF SANDERS.—Mince cold beef small with onion; add pepper, salt, and
a little gravy; put it into a pie-dish, or scallop shells, until about
three parts full, then fill up with mashed potatoes, baked in an oven or
before the fire until done a light brown. Mutton may be cooked the same
way.

BEEF MARROW-BONES.—Cover the ends with a piece of flour-and-water paste,
and boil. Serve the bones hot in dry toast.

CALF’S HEAD FRICASSEED.—Clean and half-boil part of a head; cut the
meat into small bits, put into a stewpan, with a little gravy made of
the bones, some of the water it was boiled in, a faggot of sweet herbs,
an onion, and a blade of mace. Take a sweetbread, boil tender, and cut
small; season with pepper, nutmeg, and salt, rub down some flour and
butter, and boil all together with the head. Remove the herbs and onion;
just before dishing stir in two or three table-spoonfuls of cream, and
serve hot, garnishing with forcemeat balls and rolled bacon.

MUTTON STEAKS, À LA MAINTENON.—Half-fry, then strew stale bread crumbs,
sweet herbs, and pepper and salt over them; fold while hot in buttered
papers, and finish on a gridiron.

VEAL CAKE.—Boil six eggs hard, cut in halves, and lay some of the pieces
at the bottom of an earthen pot, then shake in chopped parsley, some
slices of veal and ham about two inches square, and then eggs again,
repeating the parsley and seasoning after each layer until the pot is
full. Pour in sufficient water to cover it, lay about an ounce of butter
on the top, tie it over with thick paper doubled, and bake about an hour.
Then press close together with a spoon, and let it stand till cold. If
put into a mould instead of the pot, it forms a handsome supper-dish.

ASPARAGUS, TO BOIL.—Scrape the stalks carefully till they look white, cut
the ends even, tie them in separate bundles, and lay in boiling water,
with a little salt; boil briskly, and when they are tender, take them up,
for if boiled too much they lose both flavour and colour. Dip a round of
toasted bread in the liquor the asparagus was boiled in, and lay it on
the dish. Then pour melted butter over the toast, and lay the asparagus
round the dish, the tops inward. Serve with melted butter in a sauce
tureen.

PEAS, TO BOIL.—Shell, but do not wash them, boil in plenty of water, and
skim well as soon as they boil. Put in some salt and mint tops, and do
not overboil them, or they will be tasteless and of a bad colour. When
done, put in a dish with a lump or two of cold butter, and serve hot.

SEA-KALE.—Boil till very white, and serve on toast like asparagus.

SPINACH, TO BOIL.—Carefully pick, wash, and put into a saucepan that will
just hold it; sprinkle with salt, and cover close. Set the pan on the
fire, and shake frequently; when done, beat it well with a bit of butter,
squeeze quite dry between two plates, or press into a mould, and serve
with plain melted butter in a tureen.

SPINACH, TO STEW.—Squeeze quite dry, put into a stewpan without water,
with a spoonful of gravy, a lump of butter, salt, and pepper, and simmer
till ready. If a table-spoonful of cream is added, the flavour is greatly
improved.


PASTRY, ETC.

APPLE FOOL.—Stew a dozen apples in a stone jar on a stove, or a saucepan
of water over the fire, adding in the former case two table-spoonfuls of
water to the fruit. When soft, peel, and pulp through a cullender; boil
some new milk, add a well-beaten egg, and let it cool, then mix gradually
with the pulp, and sweeten with fine moist sugar.

DEVONSHIRE JUNKET.—To one quart of new milk, made lukewarm, add a
table-spoonful or more of sugar, a wine-glassful of French brandy, four
drops of essence of bitter almonds or lemon-peel, a little nutmeg, and
four tea-spoonfuls of essence of rennet. Mix well, put into a glass dish,
lay aside until set, and cover the surface with clotted cream.

HAMPSHIRE CHEESE SNAPS.—Take a new loaf, steaming hot, pull in halves,
dig out pieces about the size of a walnut with a fork, put them on a
dish, and set in a quick oven to brown lightly. Stale bread can be used,
but does not answer so well. This forms a pretty supper-dish, when heaped
in a cake basket, and can be eaten with wine.

MARROW PUDDING.—Grate a penny loaf into crumbs, pour on it a pint of
boiling cream. Cut very thin a pound of beef marrow, beat four eggs well,
add a wine-glassful of brandy, with sugar and nutmeg to taste. Mix all
well together, and either boil or bake it for three-quarters of an hour.
Cut two ounces of candied citron very thin, and when served up, stick the
pieces all over it.

If baked, place a puff-paste round the edge of a shallow dish, and pour
the pudding in.

SOMERSETSHIRE FIRMITY.—Boil a quart of fine wheat, and add by degrees two
quarts of new milk. Carefully pick and wash four ounces of currants, stir
them in the jelly, and boil till done. Beat the yolks of three eggs and a
little nutmeg, with three table-spoonfuls of milk, add to the wheat, and
stir well while over the fire. Sweeten and serve in a deep dish, either
warm or cold.

STAFFORDSHIRE SYLLABUB.—Put a pint of cider into a bowl, with a
wine-glassful of brandy, some sugar and nutmeg. Pour a quart of new warm
milk into it from a jug held up high, and moved in a circular direction.
Grate nutmeg on the top, or strew with nonpareil comfits.


MISCELLANEOUS.

LOBSTER SALAD.—Take three yolks of hard eggs, two yolks of raw eggs,
two tea-spoonfuls of mustard, a little salt and cayenne pepper, four
table-spoonfuls of salad oil, one and a half table-spoonful of tarragon
vinegar, and one of essence of anchovies; mix well, and add three
table-spoonfuls of cream. Cut two large lobsters up small, and mix with
finely cut salad, cucumber, hot pickles, and beet-root. Pour the mixture
given above over the salad, put in a dish, not a bowl, and garnish with
hard boiled eggs cut in thin slices.

MACCARONI.—Put as much of the pipe to soak in cold water as you think
proper; then boil it in milk and water till quite tender, with a small
onion; when done, strain off the milk, and add a piece of butter the size
of a walnut, a little cream, and some nutmeg; some persons, however,
prefer cayenne and a little salt to the nutmeg. Mix well together, and
put it into a dish, then cover with _grated_ cheese—Parmesan or Cheshire;
put it in the oven or before the fire to be lightly browned, and serve
hot with mustard.

MOCK BRAWNS.—Put four feet, two ears, and two chaps of a pig into two
quarts of water, and let it boil for several hours, till the bones can
be picked from the meat, then pour it into a basin, skim off the fat,
and take away all the bones; put it again into a saucepan with a little
chopped parsley and sweet herbs dried and rubbed small, cayenne pepper,
salt, and pounded mace, and let it boil for ten minutes; dip a mould into
cold water, pour in the mixture, let it get cool, turn out, and garnish
with parsley and barberries, or slices of lemon.

POTTED FISH.

    Get herrings enough to fill up your dish,
    And into the stomach of each little fish
    A peppercorn put; this will give it a flavour,
    Which, in epicure’s taste, is sure to find favour.


FOOD FOR MAY.

MEAT.—Beef, grass-lamb, house-lamb, mutton, pork, veal.

FISH.—Brill, carp, chub, cod, conger-eels, _crabs_, cray-fish, dabbs,
dace, dory, eels, flounders, gurnets, haddock, halibut, herring, ling,
_lobsters_, mackerel, mullet, perch, pike, place, _prawns_, _salmon_,
shrimps, _skate_, smelts, soles, sturgeon, tench, trout, turbot, whitings.

POULTRY AND GAME.—Chickens, ducklings, fowls, green geese, leverets,
pigeons, pullets, rabbits, wood-pigeons.

VEGETABLES.—Angelica, artichoke, asparagus, balm, kidney-beans, cabbage,
carrots, cauliflowers, chervil, cucumbers, fennel, herbs of all sorts,
lettuce, mint, onions, peas, parsley, new potatoes, purslane, radishes,
rhubarb, salad of all sorts, sea-kale, sorrel, spinach, thyme, turnips.

FRUIT.—_Apples_—John apple, golden russet, winter russet. May-Duke
cherries; currants; gooseberries; melons. _Pears_—L’Amozette, winter
green. Scarlet strawberries. _Forced_—Apricots, cherries, nutmeg-peaches,
and strawberries.


COOKERY FOR MAY.


SOUPS.

ASPARAGUS.—Cut half a pound of fat bacon into thin slices, place at the
bottom of a stewpan, then add five pounds of lean beef cut into dice, and
rolled in flour; cover the pan close, stirring occasionally until the
gravy is drawn, then add two quarts of water, and half a pint of ale.
Cover, stew gently for an hour, with some whole pepper and salt. Strain
off the liquor, and skim off the fat. Add some spinach, cabbage-lettuce,
white beet leaves, sorrel, a little mint, and powdered sweet marjoram;
let these boil up in the liquor, then put in the green tops of asparagus
cut small, boil till all is tender, and serve hot.

GREEN PEA.—Cut a knuckle of veal, and a pound of lean ham into thin
slices; lay the ham at the bottom of a stewpan; then the veal; cut six
small onions into slices, and put in two turnips, two carrots, a head
of celery cut small, a faggot of sweet herbs, four cloves, and four
blades of mace. Put a little water at the bottom, cover the pot close,
stirring occasionally till the gravy is drawn; then add six quarts of
boiling water, stew gently for four hours, and skim well. Take two quarts
of green peas, stew in some of the broth till tender, strain, put in a
marble mortar, and beat well, or mash with the spoon against the sides of
the stewpan. Rub the peas through a hair sieve, or tamis, till thoroughly
pulped, then put the soup into a clean pot, with a tea-cupful of spinach
juice, and boil for fifteen minutes; season with pepper, salt, and a
table-spoonful of brown sugar. If the soup is not thick enough, boil
the crumb of a French roll in a little of the soup, and rub through the
tamis; then put in the soup and boil. Serve hot in the tureen, with dice
of bread toasted very hard. (The celery must be omitted, until July,
using a table-spoonful of the seeds instead.)

ITALIAN TURNIP.—Cut turnips in different shapes, colour them with butter
in a stewpan, and two table-spoonfuls of sweet oil; add slices of
chervil, and sea-kale; mix two table-spoonfuls of flour with two quarts
of the savoury fish-jelly, (p. 263), and the vegetables, then boil, and
serve hot, with dice of bread fried in butter, and dried on a cloth.


FISH.

CRABS, DRESSED.—Choose a good heavy crab, boil for about half an hour
in salt and water, remove the pot, let the crab get cold; take off the
great shell without breaking it, extract the fish from the body and
claws, and mince it well. Put some floured butter in a stewpan with six
or eight small mushrooms, parsley, and green asparagus tops shred fine,
fry a little, and put in the minced fish with half a wine-glass of white
wine and pepper, salt and sweet herbs to season; stew gently for fifteen
minutes, thicken with flour, and flavour with lemon-juice. Fill the
shell with this mixture, having previously removed the herbs, set in a
baking-pan, or dish, strew stale bread crumbs over the top, set in an
oven to brown, and then serve hot. Garnish with lemon, and parsley.

JOHN DORY CUTLETS, TO FRY.—Cut the flesh off from the bones in cutlets
about three inches broad, egg and dip in bread crumbs, then fry a light
brown in plenty of dripping, or lard. Garnish with fried parsley, and
serve with anchovy butter sauce.

TROUT, BOILED.—Clean, scale well, and boil whole in cold water, allowing
it to boil gradually; vinegar and horse-radish put in the water improve
the flavour. When done, carefully drain off the water so as not to break
the skin, and serve with lobster, shrimp, or anchovy butter sauce.

CARP, TO STEW.—Clean well, and cut off the fins; then flour, and fry
over a brisk fire until about three parts dressed; remove, and place in
a stewpan, with equal parts of beef gravy and water, a table-spoonful of
mushroom ketchup, a slice of lemon, a few pickled mushrooms, a faggot
of sweet herbs, and a glass of red wine; season with nutmeg, pepper, or
cayenne, and mace. Fry a few onions brown in the fat the fish was fried
in, add these, butter and all, to the fish; cover and stew gently for
about an hour. Take out the fish, pour the gravy over, and garnish with
slices of lemon, and fried bread cut with pastry-cutters. If the fish is
suspected to have a muddy flavour, sew up a piece of bread in its belly.

WHITING, TO BOIL.—Proceed the same as for haddock.

WHITING, TO FRY.—Fix the tail in the mouth by means of a small skewer, or
by winding a piece of string round the head of the fish; dry well with a
cloth, egg, and sprinkle with bread crumbs; then place it on its belly
in the frying-pan, with plenty of lard or dripping, fry a light brown,
and garnish with fried parsley; place on a napkin, and serve with melted
butter.


POULTRY, ETC.

FOWL, COLD, TO DRESS.—Take the remains of a cold fowl, remove the skin,
then the bones, leaving the flesh in as large pieces as possible; dredge
with flour, and fry a light brown in butter: toss it up in a good gravy
well seasoned, thicken with butter rolled in flour, flavour with lemon,
and serve hot with sippets.

PIGEON IN SAVOURY JELLY.—Bone a pigeon, remove the head and feet, stuff
with sausage meat, and roast. Take a pound of scrag of veal, a slice of
ham, three cloves, a little nutmeg, a faggot of sweet herbs, a carrot,
two shalots, two bay-leaves, a pint of beef broth, (p. 254), and an ounce
of “Nelson’s Gelatine;” stew gently till it will jelly, pass through a
fine sieve, then through a bag, add lemon-juice, and pour a little into a
mould previously dipped in cold water. When it is set, lay in the pigeon
with the breast down, fill up the mould with the jelly, and when cold,
turn out. Garnish with parsley.

RABBITS, PULLED.—Half-boil the rabbits, with an onion, some whole pepper,
a faggot of sweet herbs, and a piece of lemon-peel; pull the flesh into
flakes, add a little of the liquor to it, a piece of butter rolled in
flour, pepper, salt, nutmeg, chopped parsley, and the liver boiled and
bruised; boil well, stirring occasionally, add a table-spoonful of
mushroom ketchup, and serve hot.


VEGETABLES.

ARTICHOKES, TO FRICASSEE.—Take artichoke bottoms, put into a mixture of
fresh butter and cream, melted, shake over the fire till quite hot, and
dish up.

CAULIFLOWERS, TO BOIL.—Cut off the green leaves, wash in salt and water
to remove caterpillars, &c., then soak for an hour in cold water, and
boil in milk and water, skimming the pot frequently to prevent the flower
getting dirty. When the stalks are tender, remove carefully, and put into
a cullender to drain. They should be served very white, and not boiled
too much.

POTATOES, NEW, TO DRESS.—Wash well, rub off the skin with a cloth, and
dry. Boil until done, then put into a vegetable dish with a lump of salt
butter; stir them up, and send to table.

SALADS should be very fresh, carefully washed, picked, and dried in
a clean cloth, cut up separately, well mixed, and put into a bowl
just before using. The salad mixture should be placed at the bottom
of the bowl, and the salad on top, for if mixed, the vegetables lose
that crispness which is so delicious. Slices of beet, eggs, or boiled
potatoes, are placed on top to garnish.

TURNIP-TOPS, TO BOIL.—Wash well, boil in three waters with salt, drain
in a cullender, and chop up fine with pepper, salt, and butter. Put in a
jelly-mould, turn out, and send hot to table.

POTATO SALAD.—Take some cold potatoes, and cut into slices a quarter of
an inch thick; cut these into various shapes with tin pastry-cutters, mix
with some flakes of boiled cod, in a basin, and pour over them a thick
salad mixture; let this remain for an hour or two, then form into a heap,
pour over the sauce, and garnish with slices of beef cut in shapes.


MEAT.

CALF’S HEAD CHEESE.—Boil the head until the bones will come out, then
put the head, tongue, and brains into a mould with spices and parsley
chopped fine, until the mould is quite full, put a plate and a weight
over it, and when cold, turn out. Serve with parsley, and slices of
rolled ham, placed round the dish.

SPICED BEEF.—Sprinkle a piece of beef with common salt, and let it hang a
day. Take a pound of bay salt, half a pound of brown sugar, a quarter of
a pound of mace, of cloves, allspice, and saltpetre, each half an ounce,
and an ounce of pepper, pound all together, and rub well into the beef
every day, and turning it as well for four days. When cooking, boil very
slowly.


PASTRY.

APPLE JELLY—MOULD.—Pare, core, and stew six or eight apples with
lemon-peel, sugar, and sufficient water to cover them, add half an ounce
of “Nelson’s Gelatine,” dip a mould in cold water, pour in, and when
cold, turn it out.

GOOSEBERRY FOOL.—Scald a quart of berries, and pass them through a sieve,
make the pulp sweet, and let it stand to cool; beat up the yolks of three
eggs, strain them to a quart of milk, set it over a clear fire, and keep
stirring till it boils; remove, stir till cold, and then add the fruit to
it gradually.

GOOSEBERRY PUDDING WITH THE WOOD IN IT.—Make a paste of flour, chopped
beef suet, salt, and water; knead, roll it out thin, sheet a basin with
it, and fill with young gooseberries, cover with paste, and boil. When
done, cut a piece out of the top, mix sifted sugar, and a lump of butter,
or some cream with the fruit, and a little grated nutmeg. The name is
derived from the gooseberries tasting a little woody; the consequence of
being too young.

RHUBARB FOOL.—Scald a quart or more of rhubarb, nicely peeled, and cut
into pieces an inch long, pulp through a sieve, sweeten, and let it stand
to cool. Put a pint of cream, or new milk, into a stewpan with a stick
of cinnamon, a small piece of lemon-peel, a few cloves, coriander seeds,
and sugar to taste; boil ten minutes. Beat up the yolks of four eggs, and
a little flour, stir into the cream, set over the fire till it boils,
stirring all the time; remove, and let it stand till cold. Mix the fruit
and cream together, and add a little grated nutmeg.

SODA CAKE.—Take a pound of flour, of butter and brown sugar, each a
quarter of a pound, half a pound of currants, two ounces of candied
lemon-peel, a tea-spoonful of carbonate of soda, and a pint and a half of
milk. Mix well, and bake for an hour in a mould. It is better when kept
for a few days.

SPANISH FRITTERS.—Cut the crumb of a French roll into square lengths,
half an inch thick; mix nutmeg, powdered cinnamon, sugar, and an egg,
together. Soak the roll in the mixture, and fry a nice brown. Serve with
wine sauce.

VICTORIA SANDWICHES.—Cut sponge-cake into slices a quarter of an inch
thick, spread some apricot jam, or other preserve, on the top of one
slice, cover with another, dress down gently, and cut into large
diamonds; cover with pink icing, and put in an oven to set.

PLAIN PUDDING.—Weigh three-quarters of a pound of any old scraps of
bread, either crust or crumb, cut them small, and pour on them a pint
and a half of boiling water to soak them well. Let it stand until the
water is cool, then press it out, and mash the bread smooth with the back
of a spoon. Add to it a tea-spoonful of powdered ginger, moist sugar to
sweeten, three-quarters of a pound of picked and cleaned currants. Mix
well, and lay in a pan well buttered; flatten it down with a spoon, lay
some pieces of butter on the top, and bake in a moderate oven. Serve hot.

CABINET PUDDING.—Over six sponge cakes pour sufficient sherry, or white
wine, to soak them thoroughly. Beat up six new-laid eggs with a quart
of new milk, and a little nutmeg, and sweeten with white sugar. Put the
cakes into the custard without beating them together, and turn the whole
into a mould previously buttered; tie a paper over the top, and steam the
pudding for an hour. _For Sauce to the Pudding._—Beat up the yolks of two
eggs, two table-spoonfuls of pounded white sugar, and two wine-glassfuls
of white wine; mix well together, simmer gently, stirring all the time,
and serve hot. This, also, makes a delicious sweet, which may be eaten
when cold, like custard.

A BOILED BATTER PUDDING.—Take two eggs, beat well, two table-spoonfuls of
flour, and enough milk to make a batter. Serve hot, with wine sauce.


SEA COOKERY.

FIRST-WATCH STEW.—Cut pieces of salt beef and pork into dice, put them
into a stewpan with six whole peppercorns, two blades of mace, a few
cloves, a tea-spoonful of celery seeds, and a faggot of dried sweet
herbs; cover with water, and stew gently for an hour; then add fragments
of carrots, turnips, parsley, or any other vegetables at hand, with two
sliced onions, and some vinegar to flavour; thicken with flour, or rice,
remove the herbs, and pour into the dish with toasted bread, or freshly
baked biscuit broken small, and serve hot. When they can be procured, a
few potatoes improve it very much.

SEA PIE.—Make a thick pudding crust, line a dish with it, or, what is
better, a cake tin; put a layer of sliced onions, then a layer of salt
beef cut in slices, a layer of sliced potatoes, a layer of pork, and
another of onions, strew pepper over all, cover with a crust, and tie
down tightly with a cloth previously dipped in boiling water and floured.
Boil for two hours, and serve hot in a dish.


FOOD FOR JUNE.

MEAT.—Beef, _grass-lamb_, house-lamb, mutton, pork, veal, buck-venison.

FISH.—Carp, cod, conger-eels, _crabs_, cray-fish, dabbs, dace, dory,
eels, flounders, gurnets, haddocks, herrings, ling, _lobsters_, mackerel,
mullet, perch, pike, plaice, _prawns_, _salmon_, _salmon-trout_, _skate_,
smelts, soles, sturgeon, tench, trout, turbot, whitebait, whitings.

POULTRY AND GAME.—Chickens, ducklings, fowls, green geese, leverets,
pigeons, plovers, pullets, rabbits, turkey-poults, wheat-ears,
wood-pigeons.

VEGETABLES.—Angelica, artichoke, asparagus, beans (French, kidney, and
Windsor), white beet, cabbage, carrots, cauliflowers, chervil, cucumbers,
endive, herbs of all sorts, leeks, lettuce, onions, parsley, peas,
potatoes, purslane, radishes, salad of all sorts, spinach, turnips,
vegetable marrow.

FOR DRYING.—Burnet, mint, tarragon, orange-thyme.

FOR PICKLING.—Garlic.

FRUIT.—_Apples_—John apple, stone pippin, golden russet. Apricots.
_Cherries_—Duke, bigaroon, black-heart. Currants; gooseberries; melons.
_Pears_—Winter green. Strawberries. _Forced_—Grapes, nectarines, peaches,
pines.


COOKERY FOR JUNE.


SOUPS.

JULIENNE is made the same as _soup santé_, omitting the lettuce and
chervil.

SOUP SANTE, OR GRAVY SOUP.—Shred carrots and turnips small, with celery
heads about two inches long; wash and steam them separately in a little
water till nearly done; when ready, cut the white of the celery small,
and a small quantity of cabbage, chervil, Cos lettuces, endive, and
leeks; put all to boil till quite tender in three quarts of beef stock;
add, if at hand, asparagus tops, green peas, small onions, &c.; and, when
done, serve hot.

SPINACH.—Shred two handfuls of spinach, a turnip, two onions, a head of
celery, two carrots, a little thyme and parsley; put all into a stewpan,
with an ounce of butter, and a pint of veal stock, or the liquor in which
meat has been boiled; stew till tender, pulp through a coarse sieve, add
a quart of fresh water, salt and pepper, and boil all together. Make some
small suet dumplings the size of a walnut, put them into the tureen, and
pour the soup on hot.

À LA MUSQUETAIRE.—Take a pint of green peas, and a handful of sorrel,
boil in a pint of beef stock, on a slow fire; add a quart of water, and
boil a neck of mutton in it, which, when done, glaze as a fricandeau, and
serve all together.


FISH.

LOBSTER BALLS.—Take the meat of a lobster, with the coral and spawn,
pound in a mortar, add bread crumbs, about a quarter the proportion of
the lobster, and season with cayenne, white pepper, mace, and salt. Mix
sufficient melted butter with the whole to form into a mass, make into
balls the size of small apples, egg well, dip in bread crumbs, and fry a
pale brown.

PRAWNS AND SHRIMPS, TO BOIL.—Let the water be boiling briskly, with a
handful of salt in it, throw in the prawns or shrimps, and, when they are
done enough, they will float to the surface; remove, place in a cullender
to drain, then throw them into a dry towel, and rub a good quantity of
salt among them whilst hot, then wrap them up in the towel, and keep
until quite cold.

SALMON DRESSED, TO POT.—Take the remains of a dressed salmon, remove the
bones, mash it upon a board, season with a little allspice, pepper, and
salt; then add some thick melted butter, sufficient to form into a paste;
but do not make it too moist; then press into a pot, and pour clarified
butter over the top. If at hand, the coral and spawn of a lobster, or a
few shrimps or prawns, improve it, both in flavour and appearance.

SKATE, TO FRY.—Prepare the fish as directed at p. 263, egg well, dip in
bread crumbs, and fry carefully in plenty of dripping. Garnish with fried
parsley, and serve with crab sauce, anchovy and butter sauce, soy or
ketchup.

WHITEBAIT, TO FRY.—Dry thoroughly, dip in egg, flour well, and dredge
with flour all the time they are frying, until they have a complete
coating over them, taking care to keep them moving, or else they will
stick to each other or adhere to the pan. Serve with a lemon cut in half.
Brown bread and butter rolled, and cold punch, should be partaken of at
the same time.


POULTRY, ETC.

FOWL, CURRIED MALABAR FASHION.—Cut a fowl into small joints, and wash
it well in cold water. Mince an onion or two, put three ounces of
butter in a stewpan, fry the onion a nice brown, then add the meat, a
table-spoonful of flour, the same of curry powder, and simmer for ten
minutes; then add a pint of veal broth or water, and stew for half an
hour, with a stick of cinnamon. Scrape some cocoa-nut into a basin, with
a gill and a half of warm water, press it well with the back of a spoon,
strain through a sieve, and add with two or three bay-leaves five minutes
before serving. Shake the pan once or twice, squeeze half a lemon in, or
add a table-spoonful of vinegar, and serve hot, with the rice separate,
having previously removed the bay-leaves.

BEEF, MUTTON, OR VEAL, MAY BE DRESSED THE SAME.—If a cocoa-nut cannot be
procured, blanch four ounces of sweet almonds, pounded to a paste, add a
gill of water, and rub through a sieve; this is to be added to the curry
in the same manner as the cocoa-nut liquor. A gill of cream or milk, will
answer very well, or a table-spoonful of flour, mixed with two ounces of
butter, may be substituted when the others cannot be obtained.

TURKEY, DUTCH WAY.—Boil, season with salt, pepper, and cloves; add a
quarter of a pound of rice or vermicelli to every quart of broth, and
serve hot, garnishing with toasted bread cut with a pastry-cutter.


VEGETABLES.

BEANS, FRENCH, À LA CRÊME.—String them, cut into slips, and boil in
plenty of water, with salt in it. When done, drain them. Put into a
stewpan with two ounces of fresh butter, the yolks of three eggs,
beaten up in a gill of cream, and set over a slow fire. When hot, add a
table-spoonful of vinegar, and the beans; simmer for five minutes, stir
with a wooden spoon, to prevent burning or curdling, and serve hot.

BEANS, KIDNEY, TO BOIL.—String, slit down the middle, and cut them
across; cover with salt and water, let them remain some time, boil till
tender, and then serve with melted butter.

BEANS, WINDSOR, TO BOIL.—Boil in salt and water till tender, then serve
with parsley and butter.

CHERVIL, BOILED.—Wash, and pick very clean; put a tea-spoonful of salt
into half a pint of boiling water, boil the chervil about ten minutes,
drain on a sieve, and serve with good melted butter.

CUCUMBERS TO STEW.—Slice an equal quantity of cucumbers and onions, and
fry them together in butter, strain on a sieve, put them with a gill
of gravy, two table-spoonfuls of white wine, and a blade of mace, into
a saucepan. Stew five or six minutes, add a piece of butter rolled in
flour, salt, and cayenne pepper. Shake well together until thick enough,
then dish and serve hot.

ONIONS, TO ROAST.—Roast with the skins on; when tender, peel carefully,
and serve with cold butter, and salt.

TURNIPS, TO BOIL AND MASH.—Boil until tender, drain on a sieve, and mash
well, with butter, pepper, and salt. Observe that there are not any
lumps. Serve hot in a vegetable dish, either plain, or previously pressed
into a pudding-mould.

VEGETABLE MARROW, TO DRESS.—1. Peel the same as apples, cut in halves,
and scrape the seeds out of the inside; then boil for about twenty
minutes, with a little salt in the water, and when soft, take them up,
drain on a sieve, and mash up with pepper, salt, and butter or cream. 2.
Peel, cut in halves, remove the seeds, and put into a stewpan with water,
salt, lemon-juice, and a small piece of fat bacon. Stew gently till quite
tender, and serve up with Dutch sauce.


MEAT.

MUTTON, BREAST OF, GRILLED.—Par-boil, score, pepper and salt it well, rub
with the yolk of egg, dip in bread crumbs and chopped parsley, and broil,
or roast it in a Dutch oven. Serve with caper sauce.

SAUSAGES, OXFORD.—Chop a pound and a half of pork, the same of veal,
deprived of skin and tendons, add three-quarters of a pound of beef suet.
Mince and mix well. Steep the crumb of a penny loaf in water, then mix it
with the meat; add sage, salt, pepper, and allspice to taste, roll into
balls, flatten, and fry a light brown.

TRIPE STEWED.—Cut some nice white tripe into slips, put the pieces into
some rich gravy, with a lump of butter the size of a hen’s egg, rolled
in flour; shake until the butter is melted, then add a table-spoonful of
white wine, some chopped parsley, pepper, salt, a few pickled mushrooms,
and a squeeze of lemon; shake all well together, and stew gently till
tender.

SWEETBREADS, LARDED.—Par-boil two sweetbreads; when cold, lard them
down the middle with little bits of bacon, then with small slices of
lemon-peel on either side, and then with little pieces of pickled
cucumber cut very small; stew gently in rich gravy, thickened with flour;
add mushroom ketchup to taste, and a squeeze of lemon.


PASTRY.

APRICOT PUDDING.—Split a dozen large apricots, remove the stones, and
scald till quite soft. Pour a pint of boiling cream upon the grated
crumbs of a penny loaf; when nearly cold, add four ounces of sifted
sugar, the yolks of four well-beaten eggs, and a wine-glassful of white
wine. Pound the fruit in a mortar, with half of their kernels; mix the
fruit and the other ingredients together. Line your dish with paste, put
a layer round the edge, pour in the mixture, and bake for half an hour.

BRENTFORD ROLLS.—Mix with two pounds of flour a little salt, two ounces
of sifted sugar, four ounces of butter, and two eggs beaten with two
table-spoonfuls of yeast, and about a pint of milk. Knead the dough
well, and set it to rise before the fire. Make a dozen rolls, butter tin
plates, and set them before the fire to rise, till they are of a proper
size, then bake for half an hour.

CHESHIRE PUFFS.—Strain some cheese curd from the whey, and beat half a
pint of it fine in a mortar, with a table-spoonful and a half of flour,
the white of one egg, and the yolks of three; add a table-spoonful of
orange-flower water, a quarter of a nutmeg, and sugar to make it pretty
sweet. Lay a little of this paste in small round cakes, on a tin plate.
If the oven be hot, a quarter of an hour will bake them. Serve with
pudding sauce.

CUMBERLAND PUDDING.—Mix six ounces of grated bread, the same quantity
of well picked and cleaned currants, beef suet finely shred, finely
chopped apples, and lump sugar; add six eggs, half a grated nutmeg,
a pinch of salt, the rind of a lemon minced as fine as possible, a
_large_ table-spoonful of citron, orange, and lemon-peel, cut thin. Mix
thoroughly together, put the whole into a mould, cover close with a
floured cloth, and boil for three hours. Add the juice of half a lemon to
pudding sauce, boil and serve with the pudding.

GERMAN PUFFS.—Mix two table-spoonfuls of fine flour with two well-beaten
eggs, half a pint of cream, or milk, and two ounces of melted butter;
stir all well together, add a little salt and nutmeg, put into tea-cups,
or small tin moulds, half full, and bake for a quarter of an hour in a
quick oven, hot enough to colour them at the top and bottom. Turn them
into a dish, and strew pounded sugar over them. Some like wine sauce with
them.


FOOD FOR JULY.

MEAT.—Beef, _grass-lamb_, mutton, veal, buck-venison.

FISH.—Barbel, brill, carp, cod, conger-eels, _crabs_, cray-fish, dabbs,
_dace_, dory, eels, flounders, gurnets, haddocks, herrings, ling,
_lobsters_, _mackerel_, mullet, perch, pike, plaice, _prawns_, salmon,
skate, soles, tench, thornback, trout.

POULTRY AND GAME.—_Chickens_, ducks, fowls, _green geese_, leverets,
pigeons, plovers, rabbits, turkey-poults, wheat-ears, _wild pigeons_,
wild rabbits.

VEGETABLES.—Artichoke, asparagus, balm, beans (French, kidney, scarlet,
and Windsor), carrots, cauliflowers, celery, chervil, cucumbers, endive,
finochio, herbs of all sorts, lettuces, mint, mushrooms, peas, potatoes,
purslane, radishes, rocambole, salads of all sorts, salsify, scorzonera,
sorrel, spinach, turnips.

FOR DRYING.—Knotted marjoram, mushrooms, winter savory.

FOR PICKLING.—French beans, red cabbage, cauliflower, garlic, gherkins,
nasturtiums, onions.

FRUIT.—_Apples_—codlin, jennetting, margaret, summer pearmain, summer
pippin. Apricots, cherries, currants, _damsons_, gooseberries, melons,
nectarines, peaches. _Pears_—Catherine, green-chisel, jargonelle, musque.
Oranges, pine-apples, plums, raspberries, strawberries.


COOKERY FOR JULY.


SOUPS.

ALMOND.—Take a quart of almonds, scald, remove the skins, and pound in a
mortar with the hard yolks of six eggs, until they become a fine paste.
Mix with them gradually two quarts of new milk, a quart of cream, and a
quarter of a pound of double refined sugar; beat the whole very fine, and
stir it well together. When properly mixed, set it over a slow fire, and
stir quickly till it becomes pretty thick, then remove and pour into the
tureen.

CALF’S HEAD.—Scald and wash the head clean with salt and water, then
place in a stewpan with sufficient water to cover it; add a faggot of
sweet herbs, an onion stuck with cloves, six blades of mace, and a
table-spoonful and a half of pearl-barley. Stew till tender, and add a
head of stewed celery. Season with pepper, pour the soup into the tureen,
place the head in the centre, and serve.

FISH STOCK.—Take a pound of skate, five flounders, and two pounds of
eels, clean them well, cut into small pieces, cover with water when
placed in a stewpan, and season with mace, pepper, salt, an onion
stuck with cloves, a head of celery, a faggot of sweet herbs, and a
tea-spoonful of parsley-seed. Simmer for an hour and a half, closely
covered, then strain off for use. As this stock will not keep more than
two days, it should only be made as required.

PRAWN.—Boil a hundred prawns in a little water, vinegar, salt, and a few
sweet herbs, and save the liquor. Pick the prawns, and pound the shells
and a small roll. Pour the liquor over the shells in a sieve, and then
pour two quarts of fish stock (see p. 276) over them. Tear a lobster into
small pieces, and add this with a quart of good beef stock (see p. 253)
to the whole. Simmer gently, season with pepper and salt, and thicken
with floured butter, then serve.


FISH.

LOBSTER, TO POT COLD.—Choose a hen lobster. Remove the spawn, coral,
flesh, and pickings about the head, and mix with the meat from the claws;
pound well in a mortar, seasoning with white pepper, cayenne, and pounded
mace; then add some thick melted butter, until it forms a good thick
paste. Remove the meat from the tail, pound and season the same, then put
half of it in the bottom of the pot, and cover with the other paste. Pour
clarified butter over the top of each pot, and keep in a cool place.

PRAWNS, TO POT.—Boil and pick a sufficient quantity of prawns, then pound
them in a mortar, and mix them up into a paste with a little butter;
season with white pepper, salt, and a little allspice, then press into
the pots, and cover with clarified butter.

MACKEREL, TO BROIL.—Clean, split down the belly, spread open, cut off the
heads, and pepper well inside: then flour them lightly to prevent their
sticking to the bars of the gridiron, and put over a clear fire, until
done a light brown, then serve, spread open with the insides uppermost,
with a lump of butter the size of a walnut rubbed over each, or with
plain melted butter.

MACKEREL, TO MARINADE.—Prepare the same as dace.

SALMON, TO PICKLE COLD.—Boil some of the liquor in which the fish was
dressed with an equal part of vinegar, and add some whole peppercorns;
when it bubbles, remove from the fire, and pour over any cold salmon you
have at hand. If the salmon is not well done, boil it up in the pickle
until well dressed.

SALMON, TO PICKLE UNDRESSED.—Scale the fish, rub well with a cloth, and
scrape away all the blood about the back-bone, but do not wash it; cut
off the head, and divide the fish into pieces about six inches long,
then boil the pieces in a pickle made of equal parts of vinegar and
water, with a few cloves, and two or three blades of mace, until done;
skim carefully all the time the fish is boiling, and when done remove
the fish, and pour the liquor into a jar or tub, so that both may become
cold; when cold, put the fish into the liquor, with one-third more
vinegar, and some whole pepper.

TROUT, TO PICKLE.—Prepare the same as salmon.


POULTRY, ETC.

CHICKEN, ROASTED.—Clean, singe, and truss them, then put down before a
good fire. Dust well with flour, and baste well. Make a gravy of the
necks and gizzards, which should be strained and poured into the dish.

PLOVERS, ROASTED.—They are trussed, dressed, and sent to table in the
same way as snipes (see page 259).

RABBITS, MUMBLED.—Boil well, but not too much, remove the flesh and chop
fine, then add nutmeg, salt, lemon-peel, and the juice of a lemon. Put it
into a stewpan with twelve eggs, and three-quarters of a pound of butter;
stir well, and serve in a dish with carved sippets.


VEGETABLES.

GREEN PEAS, STEWED.—Put a quart of good peas into a stewpan, with a
lettuce and small onion sliced small, but not any water; add a piece of
butter the size of an orange, pepper and salt to taste, and stew gently
for two hours. Beat up an egg, and stir into them (or a lump of butter
will do as well). Mint should be stewed (if it can be procured) with
them, and ought to be chopped fine, and stirred in with some good gravy.

HERB PIE.—Pick two handfuls of parsley from the stems, half the quantity
of spinach, two lettuces, some mustard and cress, a few leaves of borage,
and a little mint. Wash and boil them a little, then drain, press out the
water and chop small; mix a batter of flour, two eggs well beaten, half
a pint of milk and a pint of cream, and pour it upon the herbs. Cover in
with a good crust, and bake.

MUSHROOMS, TO DRESS.—Take very white button mushrooms, remove the stalks,
wash well, put into a stewpan, with the juice of two lemons, a little
white pepper, half a glass of white wine, a faggot of sweet herbs, and
a table-spoonful of sweet oil. Put all over the fire, and after two
boilings take it off, let it cool, and serve hot.


MEAT.

BEEF, PRESSED.—Salt a piece of the thin part of the flank, the tops of
the ribs, or a piece of the brisket, with salt and saltpetre for five
days. Boil until very tender, then place between two boards, with a heavy
weight upon the top one, and let it remain until cold. Serve as it is,
and garnish with parsley.

DEVONSHIRE SQUAB PIE.—Prepare apples as for other pies, and lay them
in rows, with mutton chops. Shred some onion, mix with brown sugar,
and sprinkle among them, then add a little pepper and salt, pour in a
tea-cupful of water, and cover in your pie, having previously lined the
dish as usual. Bake it well.

HEART—BEEF, ROASTED.—Wash it carefully, stuff with the following
stuffing, roast well, and serve with rich gravy and currant jelly
sauce:—Chop two ounces of beef suet very fine and mix with three ounces
of bread crumbs, a little parsley, marjoram, lemon thyme, pepper, salt,
half a drachm of nutmeg, a drachm of grated lemon-peel, and one shalot
shred fine. When well mixed, add an egg beaten up, and mix well again
until of a good consistence.

VEAL CUTLETS À LA MAINTENON.—Cut slices of veal into pieces
three-quarters of an inch thick, and of a moderate size, beat well with
a rolling-pin, and egg over both sides, then dip them into a mixture of
bread crumbs, pepper, salt, grated nutmeg, thyme, and parsley, and put
into white papers folded down at the sides. Broil, and serve with melted
butter and mushroom ketchup in a sauce-boat.


PASTRY.

DAMASCUS BISCUITS.—Take the whites of three eggs beaten to a froth, a
quarter of a pound of good beef suet chopped very fine, and half an ounce
of bitter almonds blanched, chopped fine, and beaten well with the froth
of the eggs. Then take the yolks of the eggs, and mix with six ounces of
sifted loaf sugar; beat well, pour into the mixture of almonds and whites
of eggs; mix well and shake in two ounces of flour, with sufficient lemon
to flavour them. Pour into small tins, or moulded papers, and bake in a
_quick_ oven.

DERBYSHIRE BREAD.—Rub four ounces of butter into four pounds of flour,
add four eggs well beaten, a pint of milk, and a table-spoonful of yeast.
Mix them into a paste, make into rolls, and let them stand half an hour
before the fire to rise; then put them into the oven to bake. Dip them in
milk the next day, and let them stand before the fire in a Dutch oven for
about twenty minutes.

DEVONSHIRE SYLLABUB.—Make the same as London syllabub, and then put
clouted cream on the top, with powdered cinnamon, and sugar.

HOUSEWIFE’S CREAM.—Take half a pint of good cream, a quarter of a pint of
white wine, a tea-cupful of powdered white sugar, and the rind and juice
of one lemon. Put all into a large basin, and whisk till it becomes quite
thick, then put into glasses, and let them remain in a cool place till
required. [This cream is better if made the day before it is wanted, and
it will keep good for several days, if the weather is not too warm.]

LONDON SYLLABUB.—Put a pint and a half of white wine into a bowl, sweeten
with sugar, and add grated nutmeg to taste. Then milk into it about two
quarts of milk, frothed up, but the quantity must depend upon the taste,
for it will require more milk if too acid.

NEWCASTLE PUDDING.—Butter a basin or mould, stick it all round with
sultanas or dried cherries, then put in a slice of bread crumb soaked
in milk, and over that layers of thin bread crumb buttered, until three
parts filled; fill up with custard, and boil for an hour and a half.

NOURMAHAL CAKE.—Cut four slices of sponge-cake about an inch thick and of
an oval shape, but each slice smaller than the others. Spread a thick
layer of apricot jam upon the first and largest slice, and then lay the
next sized slice upon it; spread the second slice with apple marmalade,
and cover with the third size, which is to be spread in like manner with
strawberry jam, and covered with the smallest size. Press the top lightly
with the hand, and with a sharp knife cut away the central part, so as to
leave a wall about two inches and a half thick, which is to be trimmed
outside. Mash up the part removed from the centre, with equal parts of
white wine and brandy, sufficient to flavour, and stir in some good thick
custard, then pour into the centre of the cake. Whip the whites of two
eggs into a stiff froth, pour over the whole, heaping it well up in the
centre, and shake sifted sugar thickly on, then place in a quick oven
until the frosting is set. A few pieces of strawberry jam or any other
preserve placed round the bottom of the dish, gives a finish to the whole.


FOOD FOR AUGUST.

MEAT.—Beef, grass-lamb, mutton, veal, buck-venison.

FISH.—Barbel, brill, carp, cod, conger-eels, crabs, cray-fish, dabbs,
_dace_, eels, flounders, gurnets, haddocks, herrings, lobsters,
_mackerel_, mullet, oysters, _perch_, _pike_, plaice, _prawns_, salmon,
skate, soles, tench, thornback, _turbot_, whitings.

POULTRY AND GAME.—Chickens, ducks, fowls, _green geese_, _grouse_
(from 12th), leverets, moor-game, pigeons, plovers, rabbits, turkeys,
turkey-poults, wheat-ears, wild ducks, wild pigeons, wild rabbits.

VEGETABLES.—Artichokes, beans (French, kidney, scarlet, and Windsor),
white beet, carrots, cauliflowers, celery, cucumbers, endive, finochio,
pot-herbs of all sorts, leeks, lettuces, mushrooms, onions, peas,
potatoes, purslane, radishes, salad of all sorts, salsify, scorzonera,
shalots, spinach, turnips.

FOR DRYING.—Basil, sage, thyme.

FOR PICKLING.—Red cabbage, capsicums, chilies, tomatoes, walnuts.

FRUIT.—_Apple_—codlin, summer pearmain, summer pippin. Cherries,
currants, damsons, figs, filberts, gooseberries, grapes, melons,
mulberries, nectarines, peaches. _Pears_—jargonelle, summer Bon Chrétien,
Windsor. _Plums_—greengages, Orleans. Raspberries, Alpine strawberries.


COOKERY FOR AUGUST.


SOUPS.

À LA CHARTRE.—Clean three or four sweetbreads in warm water, then scald
in boiling water, and put them into a saucepan with a faggot of parsley,
three cloves, four shalots, a few mushrooms, and a quart of good giblet
soup (see page 258); stew all gently over a slow fire, and when done, if
requisite, season with pepper and salt, and serve hot with the sweetbread
and mushrooms in the tureen, the rest being passed through a sieve.

OX CHEEK.—Break the bones of the cheek, and well wash and clean it. Put
two ounces of butter in a large stewpan, and lay the cheek in with the
fleshy side downwards; then add about half a pound of lean ham sliced,
with three large onions, two carrots, three or four heads of celery, and
one parsnip, all sliced small; set over a moderate fire for a quarter of
an hour, then add three blades of mace, and four quarts of water, and
simmer gently till it is reduced to two quarts. Strain off the soup,
and add the white part of a head of celery cut in small pieces, with a
little browning to colour it. Scald two ounces of vermicelli, and put
into the soup; boil for ten minutes, then pour into the tureen, and serve
hot. (This soup is seldom made until the latter part of this month, as
parsnips do not come in until then, or early in September, but in case it
is desired earlier, two potatoes may be substituted for the parsnip. The
cheek must be saved for stewing, for which see page 283).

SCOTCH LEEK.—Take the water that has boiled a leg of mutton, put it into
a stewpan, with as many pea-shells (washed clean) as you can get; simmer
gently for a quarter of an hour, strain off the liquor, throw away the
pea-shells, and return the liquor to the stewpan; then add two leeks,
chopped fine, to every quart of liquor, and pepper and salt to taste;
simmer gently for an hour, then mix some oatmeal, quite smooth, with a
little of the soup, set it over a slow fire and simmer again, but take
care that it does not burn. When done, pour into the tureen, and serve
hot.


FISH.

EELS, BROILED.—Skin and clean them, cut into pieces about three inches
long, and boil slowly over a good fire: then serve with melted butter.

EELS, TO POT.—Skin and clean the eels, split them, and remove the
back-bone, then cut into pieces two or three inches long, and season with
pepper, salt, dried sage rubbed fine, and powdered allspice and nutmeg.
Place the pieces in a baking-dish in layers, pour in clarified butter
until full; cover with paper, and bake in a moderately quick oven for an
hour and a half. When cold, remove them, press into pots, and cover with
clarified butter.

PERCH, TO FRY.—Clean, cut all the fins close off, open by the belly, dry
well, dust with flour, and fry a light brown, in plenty of lard or olive
oil. Serve with melted butter, anchovy, soy, or ketchup.

PIKE, TO BAKE.—Scale and clean the fish, cut off its fins, and stuff the
belly with the pudding-meat given in the volume; then place the tail
in the mouth, as recommended for stewing, and put it upon its belly in
a baking-dish. Flour the fish well all over, cover with a few lumps of
butter, and place in an oven, or a Dutch oven before the fire, taking
care to baste it occasionally with some of the fat. When done, remove the
pike, place on a clean dish, add a squeeze of lemon, a little soy and
melted butter together, mix, and pour into the dish; garnish with sliced
lemon, and serve as hot as possible.

TURBOT, TO BOIL.—Choose a sufficiently large kettle, pour in sufficient
water to cover the fish, add a handful of salt, a table-spoonful of
shred horse-radish, and two table-spoonfuls of vinegar. Boil until the
water has acquired some flavour, and then allow it to become cool. Score
the fish just through the skin on the dark side, so as to prevent it
cracking on the other, and then place it in the kettle with the dark
side downwards, and check the boiling as soon as ebullition takes place;
observe also that the scum is removed frequently, and that no blacks fall
into the kettle. When done, remove, sprinkle the surface with the dried
spawn of a hen lobster, or if it cannot be procured, a little scraped
horse-radish. Serve with lobster, shrimp, or crab sauce. (A moderate
sized turbot requires about half an hour to cook it well, a large one
from three-quarters of an hour to an hour, and a thick slice from twenty
to twenty-five minutes.) When the fish is done, it should be well
drained, and placed upon a napkin or serviette laid over a fish drainer.


POULTRY, ETC.

GROUSE, TO ROAST.—Twist the head under the wing, and roast them like
fowls, but they must not be too much done. Serve with a rich gravy in the
dish, and bread sauce.

LEVERET, ROASTED.—Skin, and truss nicely, then roast on a spit; rub the
back over with butter, flour well, and keep before a brisk fire for half
an hour at the most, but generally from twenty to twenty-five minutes is
sufficient. Serve with hare sauce. They do not require stuffing like hare.

WHEAT-EARS, TO ROAST.—These are dressed the same as snipes.


VEGETABLES.

CARROTS, TO BOIL.—Scrape them clean, put into a saucepan, and if young,
boil for half an hour, if old, they will require more. When done, rub
them in a clean cloth, and serve whole, or sliced into the dish with
melted butter over them.

ENDIVE, TO STEW.—Boil in four different salt waters, to extract the
bitter taste, and when tender throw it into cold water, squeeze well, and
chop fine, then put into a stewpan with a lump of butter, and a few young
onions chopped fine; let it dry, dredge with a dessert-spoonful of flour,
add some pepper and salt, a little gravy, two tea-spoonfuls of sifted
sugar, and stew gently a quarter of an hour.


MEAT.

HAM, TO BOIL.—Soak the ham in cold water the night before it is to be
dressed, scrape it clean, and put it into the boiler with cold water.
Skim the liquor while boiling, do not let it boil fast, but simmer only,
and add a little cold water to check it occasionally. When done, take it
up, pull off the skin carefully, and dust with bread raspings; set before
the fire for a few minutes, then garnish with turnips and carrots cut to
resemble flowers, or stick with cloves, or garnish with boiled carrots.
A ham of twenty pounds weight requires six hours and a half boiling. The
established rule, as regards the boiling of meat, is to allow a quarter
of an hour to each pound; but for ham and pork you will allow from twenty
to twenty-five minutes.

OX CHEEK, STEWED.—After having prepared the soup as previously directed,
remove the cheek as whole as possible, and have ready a boiled turnip,
and carrot, cut in square pieces, and some toasted bread cut into dice;
add cayenne, and some of the soup, then serve hot, with carved sippets
round the dish.


PASTRY.

BATTER PUDDING.—Take a quart of milk, mix with six table-spoonfuls of
flour, six well-beaten eggs, a table-spoonful of powdered ginger, and a
tea-spoonful of salt; flour a cloth that has been wet, or butter a basin
and put the batter into it, tie tight, and plunge it into boiling water,
the bottom upwards. Boil for an hour and a quarter, and serve with plain
melted butter, or sweet sauce. If according to taste, half a pound of
well-washed currants may be added.

GOOD COMMON CAKE.—Take six ounces of good ground rice, and the same
quantity of flour, the yolks and whites of nine eggs, half a pound of
sugar, and half an ounce of carraway seeds. Mix well together, and bake
for an hour in a quick oven.

CUSTARD PUDDING, BAKED.—Boil a pint of cream with three blades of mace or
a stick of cinnamon; when cold, take four yolks and two whites of eggs,
nutmeg and sugar to taste, beat them well, and stir into the cream, pour
into cups, and bake in a quick oven.

GINGERBREAD, SPICED.—Take three-quarters of a pound of treacle, one egg,
four ounces of moist sugar, an ounce of powdered ginger, and a quarter of
an ounce each of mace, cloves, allspice, and nutmeg powdered, a pound of
oiled butter, and sufficient flour to make a stiff paste; mix well, and
make into thick pieces, which should be brushed over the top with white
of egg, and then baked for an hour in a moderate oven.

PANCAKES.—Take one pound of flour, two eggs, two drachms of bi-carbonate
of soda, one ounce of sugar, two drachms of muriatic acid, half a drachm
of nutmegs, ten ounces of ale, ten ounces of water, and twenty ounces of
milk.

NAPLES CHEESE.—The Neapolitans are celebrated for a kind of cheese, which
they make in the following manner:—They put ten or twelve pints of milk
into a metal pot with a cover, capable of holding about ten times the
quantity. The milk must be new, and from a young cow. No yeast, or acid
of any kind, is employed; but sufficient pressure must be used to curdle
it. When curdled, place it over a quick fire, stirring it rapidly with
a stick to prevent its burning, and to separate the caseous matter from
the dregs. The heat must be tried by the hand, and when it is getting too
warm to be borne, take off the pot, plunge both hands gently in to take
the cheese out, which is easily raised at once and in a single piece.
The pan in which it is to be placed should have a raised edge, so that,
in drying, the paste may not be too thin: the whey is then got rid of by
pressing it carefully, and some time afterwards it is turned and pressed
again; the next day salt it moderately, and put it in a place of cool,
dry, and even temperature. It is fit to cut as soon as it is cool, but
is best when four or five months old, at which time it is very delicate,
with a pleasant smell and flavour.


FOOD FOR SEPTEMBER.

MEAT.—Beef, mutton, pork, veal, and buck-venison.

FISH.—Barbel, brill, carp, cockles, cod, conger-eel, crabs, _dace_, eels,
flounders, gurnets, haddocks, hake, herrings, lobsters, mullet, mussels,
_oysters_, _perch_, _pike_, plaice, prawns, shrimps, soles, tench,
thornback, turbot, whitings.

POULTRY AND GAME.—Chickens, ducks, fowls, green geese, _grouse_, _hares_,
larks, leverets, _moor-game_, _partridges_, pigeons, plovers, rabbits,
_teal_, turkeys, turkey-poults, wheat-ears, _wild ducks_, wild pigeons,
wild rabbits.

VEGETABLES.—Artichokes, Jerusalem artichokes, beans (French and scarlet),
cabbages, carrots, cauliflowers, celery, cucumbers, endive, finochio,
herbs of all sorts, leeks, lettuces, mushrooms, onions, parsnips, peas,
potatoes, radishes, salad of all sorts, shalots, turnips.

FRUIT.—_Apples_—White caville, pearmain, golden rennet. Morella cherries;
damsons; figs; filberts. _Grapes_—Muscadine, Frontignac, red and black
Hamburg, Malmsey. Hazel-nuts; medlars; peaches. _Pears_—bergamot, brown
beurré. Pine-apples; plums; quinces; strawberries; walnuts.


COOKERY FOR SEPTEMBER.


SOUPS.

HESSIAN.—Clean the root of a neat’s tongue very nicely, and half an ox’s
head, with salt and water, and soak them afterwards in water only. Then
stew them in five or six quarts of water till pretty tender, and let the
soup stand till cold, then remove the fat and add a quart of whole, or a
pint of split peas, six potatoes, six large onions, twelve carrots, six
turnips, a faggot of herbs, and two heads of celery, all cut fine; season
with pepper, salt, mace, and a little cayenne; simmer gently, without the
meat, till the vegetables are done enough to pulp with the peas through a
sieve; cut up some of the meat into small pieces, and place in a saucepan
with the pulped soup, which should be pretty thick; simmer for five
minutes, and then serve hot.

MOCK TURTLE.—Take a calf’s head, scald and wash it very clean, boil it
for half an hour, then cut all the skin off by itself, and remove the
tongue. Put a pint of veal stock (see p. 253), and the tongue into a
saucepan with three large onions, half an ounce of cloves and mace,
and sufficient nutmeg to flavour, beat fine in a mortar, add a faggot
of sweet herbs, and a little salt. Stew all together, and when tender,
remove the meat, cut into pieces about two inches square, and the tongue
(which must be skinned) into pieces the same size. Strain off the liquor,
put half a pound of fresh butter into the stewpan, melt it, and add a
quarter of a pound of flour, which must be kept stirring till smooth,
then add the liquor, stirring till all is in; if lumpy, it must be
strained again through a sieve; season pretty well, add a pint of white
wine, and some lemon-juice to flavour, and forcemeat, and egg-balls
broiled, and stew gently for an hour. If too thick, add some veal stock
before stewing for the last time, and serve hot in the tureen.

SHIN OF BEEF.—Take a shin of beef weighing about six pounds, chop the
bone in two or three places, and lay in a soup-kettle with half a pound
of bacon at the bottom, cut in slices about half an inch thick; add two
carrots, two turnips, a head of celery, two large onions, with a dozen
peppercorns, the same of allspice, four cloves, a sprig of lemon thyme,
winter savory, and parsley. Cover the meat with cold water, set over a
quick fire to boil, skim well, and let it stew gently for four hours;
then remove the meat, strain off the soup, and take the fat off the
surface when it is cold. Cut the meat into small pieces, and put them
into the soup; warm up, and serve hot in a tureen.


FISH.

BRILL, TO FRY.—Cut off the fins close to the sides of the fish, scrape
off the slime, and dry them well; then egg them over, dip in bread
crumbs, and fry a pale brown in plenty of dripping, or lard. Garnish with
fried parsley, and serve them up with melted butter and soy, ketchup, or
anchovy sauce. Some persons remove the dark skin from the one side.

COCKLES, TO PICKLE.—1. Boil the cockles with a little salt, remove from
the shells, and save the liquor; then add about a third of vinegar to the
liquor, and boil up with cayenne, white pepper, and a blade of mace; let
this get cold, and then add to the cockles.—2. Prepare the same, only add
three parts vinegar to one part liquor. (The first method is for present
use, the second will keep a much longer time.)

FLOUNDERS AS WATER SOUCHY.—Prepare the same as perch and tench.

MUSSELS, TO PICKLE.—Prepare the same as cockles, given above.

OYSTER SAUSAGES.—Chop and pound some veal well in a mortar, then chop
up an equal proportion of oysters, mix well and add some bread crumbs,
and a little beef suet shred fine; moisten with some of the liquor of
the oysters, season with pepper, salt, and a little mace, bind together
with a well-beaten egg, form into sausages, or flat cakes, and fry a pale
brown in good dripping.

OYSTERS, SCALLOPED.—Butter the bottoms of your scallop shells, then
sprinkle with bread crumbs, and lay a sufficient number of bearded
oysters to cover the bread, season with pepper and salt, and place some
pieces of butter over them; place another layer of bread crumbs, oysters,
and butter, until the shell is full, then cover the whole with bread
crumbs, add a few pieces of butter on the top, and place in a Dutch oven
before the fire; when done, brown with a salamander, or a red-hot shovel
held over the top, and serve in the scallop shells.


POULTRY, ETC.

CHICKEN FRICASSEE.—Half-boil a chicken in a little water, let it cool,
then cut it up, and simmer in a gravy made of some of the water in which
it was boiled, and the neck, head, feet, liver, and gizzard stewed well
together. Add an onion, a faggot of herbs, pepper and salt, and thicken
with butter rolled in flour added to the strained liquor, with a little
nutmeg, then give it a boil, and add a pint of cream, stir over the fire,
but do not let it boil. Put the hot chicken into a dish, pour the sauce
over it, add some fried forcemeat balls, and garnish it with slices of
lemon.

GROUSE, TO POT.—Clean them nicely, and season with allspice, salt, mace,
and white pepper, finely powdered. Rub each part well, then lay the
breasts downwards in a pan, and pack the birds as close as possible. Put
plenty of butter on them; then cover the pan with a coarse flour-paste,
and a paper over; tie it close, and bake. When cold, cut it into proper
pieces for helping; pack them close into a large potting-jar, press down
and cover with butter, then tie close.

HARE COLLOPS.—Cut off all the flesh from an undressed hare, remove any
tendons or skin, mince small, and season with salt, allspice, pepper, and
a little mace. If agreeable to taste, shred a small onion fine, and add
to the mince. Dust them well with flour; and having browned some dripping
in a frying-pan, add the collops, and keep stirring until they become a
light brown. Put the skin, bones, &c. into a saucepan with a little beef
broth, and simmer well for half an hour, then strain into a saucepan,
add the collops and a little port wine or claret to flavour, and simmer
until done enough, taking care to remove any grease that may rise to the
surface during the time the collops simmer. Serve hot in a dish, with
carved sippets, and slices of lemon for a garnish.

HARE, TO ROAST—A NEW WAY.—Skin it, and soak in plenty of cold water for
two hours, then lay it in vinegar for two hours, and afterwards wash it
well in cold water. Put the stuffing into the paunch, sew it up, and
truss; then put down before a clear fire, and baste well with ale for a
quarter of an hour, then with milk for half an hour, and afterwards with
butter. Notch the neck in two or three places with a knife. Dredge well
with flour, baste to a nice froth; serve with plain gravy in the dish,
and currant jelly separate, or poivrade sauce.

PARTRIDGE PIE.—Pick, singe, and clean four partridges, cut off the
legs at the knee, season with pepper, salt, thyme, chopped parsley,
and two mushrooms of moderate size chopped fine. Put the partridges at
the _bottom_ of the dish, and lay over them some veal steak and ham,
cut into pieces about two inches square; add half a pint of good veal
broth (see page 258), cover with a good puff-paste in the usual way,
brush over with egg, and bake for an hour.—The general way of laying the
meat at the bottom of the dish is wrong, because by the method given
above, the partridges receive the flavour of the meat, which is in a
measure prevented by adopting the old method. In some pies—pigeons for
instance—some of the meat should be placed at the bottom as well as the
top.

TEAL, TO ROAST.—Dress the same as wild ducks (see page 255); but it is
well, unless ordered otherwise, to dress one well and the other rather
less, as some epicures prefer wild-fowl under-done, as it is said to be
finer flavoured. Epicures eat wild-fowl without sauce, but a good brown
gravy, flavoured with shalot, cayenne, salt, and port or claret, is
usually served over the birds.


VEGETABLES.

ARTICHOKES, TO BOIL.—Strip off the coarse outer leaves, cut off the
stalks, and steep and wash them freely in cold water; put them in the pot
tops downwards, and keep up to the boil for two or three hours, taking
care to keep them below the water, by floating a plate over them. If the
water evaporates too quickly, add boiling water from time to time, as
required. Remove the plate, take out one of the vegetables, try a leaf,
and if it draws out easily, it is done; if not, return again to the pot,
and keep up the boil until done. Drain them, place, tops uppermost, in a
vegetable dish, and serve with melted butter in a sauce-boat.

CARROTS, FLEMISH WAY.—Prepare (after boiling) in the form of dice, balls,
stars, crescents, &c., and stew with chopped parsley, young onions, salt
and pepper, in plain melted butter, or good brown gravy.

MUSHROOMS, GRILLED.—Procure some sound large fresh-gathered flaps, peel
them, score the under part, put into an earthen dish, baste well with
melted butter, and strew with pepper and salt. After they have remained
thus prepared for an hour and a half, broil on both sides over a clear
fire, and serve with a lump of butter rubbed over the top, and a dust of
pepper, or with melted butter, and the juice of a lemon poured over them.

MUSHROOMS À LA MAINTENON.—Prepare the same as the last, but cook in an
oven, and serve with a sauce prepared from the stalks and trimmings
combined with a little good beef gravy, well seasoned, and strained.


MEAT.

BEEF HAMS.—Prepare, trim, and shape a leg of beef like a ham, then put
on a dish, and baste with the following pickle morning and evening for a
month, then remove from the pickle, drain, roll in bran, and smoke it.
Cover with a piece of canvas, give it a coat of lime-wash, and hang it in
a dry place until wanted:—

For a piece of meat weighing fourteen pounds, mix a pound of salt, the
same of coarse brown sugar, an ounce of saltpetre, the same of bay salt,
half an ounce of coarse black pepper, and three ounces of treacle, adding
sufficient beer to form into a _thick_ pickle.

CHESHIRE PORK PIE.—Take the skin off a loin of pork, and cut the loin
into steaks, season with salt, pepper, and dried sage. Make a good crust,
line the dish with it, and put in a layer of pork, then a layer of sliced
pippins dipped in sugar, then another layer of pork, and add half a pint
of white wine; put some pieces of butter on the top, cover in the pie,
and bake in a moderate oven.

STAFFORDSHIRE BEEF STEAKS.—Beat them a little with a rolling-pin, then
flour and season with salt and pepper, and fry a light brown with sliced
onions. Lay the steaks in a stewpan, pour over them as much boiling water
as will serve for sauce, and stew gently for half an hour, then add
mushroom or walnut ketchup to flavour, and serve as usual.

TRIPE, SOUSED.—1. Boil the tripe, and put it into salt and water, which
must be changed every day until the tripe is used; then remove, dip in
batter made of flour and eggs, and fry a light brown.—2. Boil in salt and
water with an onion shred fine, and a little parsley; serve both with
melted butter in a sauce-boat.

TRIPE STUFFED AND ROASTED.—Make a good stuffing, lay it on the slices of
tripe, roll them up so as to have the stuffing between the folds, tie
each tightly round with a piece of string the same as a fillet of veal,
and attach to a spit. Roast a light brown, baste with dripping, and serve
with a good brown gravy. This is considered to be the most delicious
method of dressing tripe, and is generally used in the midland counties
of England.


PASTRY.

DERBY SHORT CAKES.—Rub half a pound of butter down into a pound of flour,
and mix one egg, a quarter of a pound of sifted sugar, and as much milk
as will make a paste. Roll this out thin, and cut out the cakes with any
fancy shapes, or the top of a wine-glass; place on tin plates, strew over
with sugar, or cover the top of each with icing, and bake for ten minutes.

MARATHON BISCUITS FOR WINE.—Rub three ounces of butter down into a pound
of dry sifted fine flour, add a pinch of salt, and sugar to taste; then
make into a dough with warm good milk and a table-spoonful of yeast.
Knead it up quickly, let it stand for an hour, then roll it out thin, cut
into lozenge shapes, prick with a fork, and bake in a quick oven.

NORTHUMBERLAND PUDDING.—Make a hasty pudding with a pint of milk and
flour, put it into a basin, and let it stand until the next day; then
mash it with a spoon, and add a quarter of a pound of clarified butter,
as many currants picked and washed, sugar and brandy to flavour, and two
ounces of candied lemon-peel cut fine. Pour into buttered tea-cups, bake
in a moderate oven, and turn out on a dish. Serve with wine sauce over
them.

NOTTINGHAM PUDDING.—Peel six large apples, and remove the core in such a
manner as to leave the fruit whole, then fill up the centre with sugar,
place the fruit in a pie-dish, and pour over a nice light batter, such as
is used for pudding. Bake in a moderate oven for an hour.

OXFORD DUMPLINGS.—Mix together two ounces of grated bread, four ounces
of currants washed and picked, the same of shred suet, a table-spoonful
of sifted sugar, a little powdered allspice, and plenty of grated
lemon-peel. Add two eggs and a little milk; then divide the whole into
five dumplings, and fry them a light brown. Serve with sweet sauce.


FOOD FOR OCTOBER.

MEAT.—Beef, mutton, pork, veal, doe-venison.

FISH.—Barbel, brill, turbot, carp, cockles, cod, conger-eels, crabs,
_dace_, _dory_, eels, gudgeon, haddocks, _hake_, halibut, herrings,
lobsters, mussels, oysters, perch, _pike_, prawns, salmon-trout, shrimps,
smelts, soles, tench, thornback, turbot, whitings.

POULTRY AND GAME.—Chickens, dotterel, ducks, fowls, green geese, grouse,
hares, larks, moor-game, partridges, _pheasants_, pigeons, rabbits,
snipes, teal, turkeys, wheat-ears, widgeon, wild ducks, wild pigeons,
wild rabbits, woodcocks.

VEGETABLES.—Artichokes, Jerusalem artichokes, brocoli, cabbages,
cauliflowers, celery, coleworts, endive, herbs of all sorts, leeks,
onions, parsnips, peas, potatoes, radishes, rocambole, salad, savoys,
scorzonera, skirrets, shalots, spinach (winter), tomatos, truffles,
turnips.

FRUITS.—Almonds. _Apples_—pearmain, golden pippin, golden rennet,
royal russet. Black and white bullace; damsons; late figs; filberts;
hazel-nuts; grapes; medlars. _Peaches_—Old Newington, October.
_Pears_—Bergamot, beurré, Charmontelle, Bon Chrétien, cresan,
swan’s-egg. Quinces, services, walnuts.


COOKERY FOR OCTOBER.


SOUPS.

FLEMISH.—Slice six onions, six heads of celery, and a dozen potatoes,
into small pieces; then put them into a stewpan with a quarter of a pound
of butter and half a pint of water, and set on a stove, or the side of
the fire to simmer for an hour, and when done sufficiently, add good beef
or veal stock (see page 253), so as to fill the stewpan, or enough to
give a good flavour. Boil gently until the potatoes become quite soft,
then rub through a sieve, add half a pint of boiled cream, or some good
thick white sauce to it, and serve hot.

OX TAIL.—Take two large, or three small tails, divide them completely at
the joints, rub them with salt, and soak well in warm water. Remove after
they have soaked for an hour and a half, and place in a stewpan with a
faggot of parsley, four or five onions, a dozen peppercorns, a blade
of mace, a turnip, and two carrots sliced, and three quarts of water.
Stew gently for two hours and a half, or until the meat is tender, then
remove, cut into small pieces, which place in a fresh stewpan. Thicken
the soup with a little browned flour rubbed up with a ladleful of the top
fat, and then strain it into the stewpan containing the tails. Boil up,
skim well, add mushroom-catsup, and pepper to taste, and serve hot.

TOMATO.—Choose a dozen ripe tomatos, or if large, only ten, put them
into a stewpan with a pint of good beef stock (see page 253), and stew
gently until they are quite soft, then pulp through a tamis-cloth, or
fine sieve, and after mixing the pulp with a little ginger, cayenne, and
salt, according to taste, add it to two quarts of good beef stock, and
boil up. When it boils, add two ounces of Italian paste, in small stars,
rings, &c., or the same quantity of vermicelli; boil for twenty minutes,
and serve hot. Some persons like the soup flavoured with garlic, in which
case, half a clove may be added to the tomatos when first put on to stew,
and the soup may generally be improved by adding a very little vinegar,
and a sprig of thyme.


FISH.

DORY, TO BOIL.—Boil the same as a turbot (see p. 282), and serve with
lobster sauce. Garnish with plenty of parsley.

HERRINGS, TO FRY.—Scale, wash, and dry them in a cloth, but do not cut
off their heads. Dredge them with flour, and fry them with clean dripping
or lard, over a brisk fire, and when done, serve hot, garnished with
fried parsley round the dish, and parsley and butter for sauce.

HERRINGS, TO SMOKE.—Clean the fish as directed above, then lay in salt,
mixed with a little saltpetre, for one night; remove from the salt, run a
stick through the eyes so that you have a dozen or more in a row. Knock
one end out of a cask, and fasten the sticks, with the herrings attached,
to the other end, by means of wedges or staples, and string. Place a
small brazier, with red-hot charcoal in it, in a convenient place, and
heap saw-dust and walnut shells upon it; then place the inverted cask,
prepared as directed above, over it, and let it remain for twenty-four
hours. When sufficiently smoked, remove, and lay in a dry place, or run a
string through the eyes, and hang up.

SALMON-TROUT PIE.—A PLAIN WAY.—Clean and neatly trim, then cut into
handsome fillets, as many trout as may be required; season each fillet
with pepper, salt, mace, and cayenne, which should be well rubbed into
the inside, and each fillet afterwards rolled up and well packed into the
pie-dish. Put bits of butter above and among the fillets, and add six
or eight oysters. Take a pint of fish stock (see page 276), or the same
quantity made of the head and trimmings, thicken and strain this over the
fish; then cover in the dish with a good paste, and bake as usual, but
remember that it will not require so long a time to bake as a meat-pie.

SOLES, TO STEW.—Half-fry them in lard or clean dripping, then remove from
the pan, and put into it a quart of water, two table-spoonfuls of anchovy
sauce, and an onion sliced thin; let this boil slowly for a quarter of an
hour, then put the fish in again, and stew gently for rather more than
twenty minutes, but this will of course depend upon the size of the fish.
When done, remove the fish, thicken the liquor with floured butter, boil
up, and having laid the fish in a dish, strain the thickened liquor over
them, and serve hot with shrimp sauce in a sauce-boat.


POULTRY, ETC.

PHEASANT, LARDED AND ROASTED, SPORTSMAN’S FASHION.—When the pheasant
gives off a peculiar odour, and the skin of the breast changes colour a
little, it should be plucked carefully, but not sooner. When plucked,
lard it with some good fresh bacon very carefully, and then stuff with
the following:—Take two woodcocks, and divide the flesh into one portion,
and the tail and liver into another; mince and mix the meat with some
good beef marrow, a little scraped bacon, salt, pepper, and lemon
thyme, or other herbs; add truffles sufficient to fill up the rest of
the inside of the bird, then stuff it in and secure well, so that none
of it may escape, which may be effectually done by placing a crust of
bread over the opening, and sewing it up. Make a paste of the livers of
the woodcocks, some truffles, grated bacon, an anchovy boned, and some
fresh butter; cover the bird with this, put down to roast, and when done,
serve upon a slice of toasted bread, surrounded with slices of orange,
and some of the gravy round the bird. [This receipt was obtained from an
old epicurean sportsman, who vouched for its being a first-rate way of
cooking the bird, and further recommended that a table-spoonful of good
champagne or burgundy should be poured over the bird, in addition to a
good libation of the same wine during the time it is being partaken of.]

WOODCOCK, TO ROAST.—Prepare and cook the same as snipe.


VEGETABLES.

ONIONS, TO RAGOUT.—Peel a pint of onions, as young as they can be
procured, then peel four large ones and cut them very small; put some
good dripping or butter into a stewpan, and when melted, add the onions
and fry until a light brown; then thicken with flour, and give them a
shake until thick. Add a quarter of a pint of gravy, a little powdered
pepper, salt, and a tea-spoonful of mustard; stir all together, and when
tolerably thick, pour into the dish and garnish with fried crumbs of
bread.

TOMATOS, TO STUFF.—Take some fine tomatos and scoop the inside out, which
should be set aside until required. Chop or mince fine some beef, mutton,
or other _fresh under-done_ meat, mix with a little pepper, salt, and a
little sweet herbs; or make a forcemeat; and mix with the scoopings of
the tomatos; form into a good consistence, and stuff the inside of the
vegetable with the mixture. Set the prepared vegetables in a dish with a
little lard in a slow oven, and bake until tender; then serve with the
liquor that exudes during the process; but if not brown enough, colour by
means of a salamander held over the top of each.

A good rich beef gravy poured over all, improves the flavour very much.
This is the best way to dress these vegetables, and serves also to make
cold meat more palatable, in addition to forming a pretty and economical
side dish.


MEAT.

CALF’S HEART, BAKED.—Clean, and stuff as directed at p. 278 for roasted
beef heart, then bake instead of roasting, and afterwards serve with rich
gravy or liver sauce.

HAM, TO BOIL IN A SUPERIOR WAY.—Par-boil the ham according to the receipt
given by us at p. 282, then allow it to remain in the water _all night_,
and finish boiling the next day, so as to be in time for dishing up;
skin, and dust with raspings, the same as directed before, and you will
have a more tender ham than one dressed otherwise.

KIDNEY PUDDING.—Split and soak the kidney, season each well, make a paste
of suet, flour, and milk; roll well, line a basin with it, place the
kidney in, cover with the paste, and pinch up the sides. Tie the basin up
in a cloth, and boil well; then turn out and serve with a good gravy, if
there is not sufficient in the dish.

Some persons add a little beef-steak cut into small pieces, in order that
the flavour and gravy may be improved.

VENISON, FRIED.—Cut the meat into slices, fry a light brown, and keep
hot before the fire. Make gravy of the bones and any trimmings, add a
little floured butter, and stir until it is thick and brown, then add
lemon-juice and port wine to taste, with pepper or cayenne. Warm the
venison in the gravy, place in a dish, and strain the gravy over it.
Serve with currant jelly in a glass.


PASTRY.

BLACK CAPS.—Divide and core some large apples, put them in a shallow pan,
add some powdered white sugar, and bake them. Mix a wine-glassful of
white wine, the same of water, one clove, a little grated lemon-peel, and
sugar to taste; boil gently, and strain over them when in the dish. Black
the tops of each with a salamander.

BULLACE TART.—Place a small cup in the centre of the dish, and place the
fruit, picked and washed, round it, heaped up in the centre; add enough
sugar, and cover with a light paste, which should be rather rich.

EXETER PUDDING, À LA SOYER.—Put in a proper sized basin ten ounces of
fine boiled crumbs, four ounces of sago, seven ounces of suet chopped
fine, six ounces of moist sugar, the peel of half a lemon grated, a
quarter-pint of rum, and four eggs; stir for a few minutes with a spoon,
add three more eggs, four table-spoonfuls of clouted cream, mix well: it
is then ready to fill the mould. Butter the mould well, put in a handful
of bread crumbs, shake the mould well till the greater part stick to the
butter, then throw out the remainder, and have ready six penny sponge
cakes, two ounces of ratafia, and half a pound of either raspberry or
strawberry jam: cover the bottom of the mould with a layer of ratafias,
and just cover them with a layer of the mixture. Cut the sponge-cake
lengthways, spread each piece pretty thick with jam, put a layer in the
mould, then a few ratafias, afterwards some of the mixture, and so on
till the mould is full, taking care that a layer of the mixture is on the
top of the pudding. It will take about forty minutes baking.

For the _sauce_, put in a small stewpan three table-spoonfuls of currant
jelly, and two wine-glassfuls of sherry; warm on the fire, and pour over
the pudding, and serve hot.

RATAFIA PUDDING.—Blanch, and pound in a mortar until they become a
good paste, four ounces of sweet, and a quarter of an ounce of bitter
almonds, with a dessert-spoonful of water; then add one ounce and a half
of fresh butter, melted with a little cream, two well-beaten eggs, a
little nutmeg, and sugar, and brandy or curaçoa to taste. Butter a small
cup or a mould (earthenware), pour in the pudding, and bake. When done,
turn out, and serve with the following sauce:—Take a wine-glassful of
white wine, half a glass of rum, a little grated lemon-peel, sugar to
taste, and a pinch of powdered cinnamon; stir into some good thick melted
butter, and serve part in a sauce-boat, and pour some over the pudding.

TRAFALGAR CAKES.—Mix a pound of well-dried flour with six ounces of
finely pounded sugar; beat six ounces of butter to a cream, and stir in
half a pound of currants well cleaned and dried, and three eggs well
beaten, then add the flour and sugar, and beat for some time. Flour some
tins, and drop a table-spoonful upon them, then bake as usual.


FOOD FOR NOVEMBER.

MEAT.—Beef, house-lamb, mutton, pork, veal, doe-venison.

FISH.—Barbel, brill, carp, cockles, cod, crabs, _dace_, _dory_, eels,
gudgeon, gurnets, haddocks, _hake_, halibut, herrings, ling, lobsters,
mussels, oysters, perch, _pike_, plaice, prawns, salmon, shrimps, skate,
smelts, soles, sprats, tench, thornback, turbot, whitings.

POULTRY AND GAME.—Chickens, dotterel, ducks, fowls, _geese_, _grouse_,
_hares_, larks, moor-game, partridges, pheasants, pigeons, rabbits,
_snipes_, _teal_, turkeys, wheat-ears, widgeon, wild ducks, _woodcocks_.

VEGETABLES.—Jerusalem artichokes, chard beets, borecole, brocoli,
cabbages, cardoons, carrots, celery, chervil, coleworts, endive, herbs of
all sorts, leeks, lettuces, onions, parsnips, potatoes, salad, savoys,
scorzonera, skirrets, shalots, spinach (winter), tomatos, turnips.

FRUIT.—Almonds. _Apples_—golden pippin, Holland pippin, Kentish pippin,
nonpareil, winter pearmain, Wheeler’s russet. Bullace, chestnuts,
hazel-nuts; grapes; medlars. _Pears_—Bergamot, Bezy de Charmontelle,
Colmar, cresan, Spanish Bon Chrétien; services, walnuts.


COOKERY FOR NOVEMBER.


SOUPS.

COCK-A-LEEKIE, OR LEEK SOUP.—Boil from four to six pounds of good
shin-beef, well broken and sliced, until the liquor is very good. Strain
it, and add a capon or large fowl, trussed as if for boiling. When it
boils (which should be gently), add half the quantity of leeks intended
to be used, well cleaned, and cut in inch lengths; skim carefully, and
in half an hour add the remaining part of the leeks, and a seasoning of
pepper and salt.

The great art in making this soup, consists in boiling down the first
portion of leeks so as to extract, together with the meat, all their
flavour; and having the soup as thick of leeks as possible. The coarse
green part of the leeks should be rejected.

Some persons thicken the soup with fine oatmeal; and when the flavour of
the leeks is not required to be too potent, a little spinach and parsley
are substituted for the second portion.

Sometimes the capon is served in the tureen, whole or divided, with the
cock-a-leekie.

CALF’S HEAD.—Wash the head clean with salt and water, put into a stewpan,
cover with water, add a faggot of sweet herbs, an onion stuck with
cloves, four or five blades of mace, and a tea-cupful of pearl-barley.
Stew until tender, and then add a stick of celery, previously cut small,
and stewed plainly until tender. Season with pepper and salt to taste,
place the head in the middle of the tureen, pour the soup over, and serve
hot.

Some persons cut the calf’s head into small pieces previous to serving up
the soup.

MACCARONI.—Boil a pound of good maccaroni in enough veal stock (see p.
253) to cover it, until quite tender, and put about half of it into a
small stewpan; and two quarts more stock to the portion in the large pan,
boil for an hour, and then rub through a tamis-cloth or fine sieve. When
it becomes thick, add boiled cream, and rub through the tamis again
until quite smooth; then add the liquid to the maccaroni that remains in
the small pan, and shake in half a pound of grated Parmesan cheese to the
whole; heat, but do not allow it to boil, then serve with a French roll
in the tureen.


FISH.

CARP, TO FRY.—These fish are not so good when done this way as stewed
(see p. 254); but when required to be thus cooked, they should be done
precisely the same as perch.

COD, TO CURE.—Split the fish down the back: clean well, and immerse in a
strong pickle for about ten days or a fortnight; then remove, rub well
with dry salt, and hang up to dry, having previously thrust a stick into
each, to keep the two sides of the fish apart. If desirable, smoke as
directed for herrings.

EELS, TO COLLAR.—Skin, gut, remove the back-bone, and cut off the heads
of as many eels as you want; then dip into a mixture of salt, common
pepper, cayenne, grated nutmeg, pounded cloves, lemon-peel grated, and
some finely rubbed sage. Roll up in fillets, tie with string as usual,
boil in salt and water, with an equal portion of vinegar, until tender,
and then remove; add some whole pepper to the pickle, which should be
placed in a deep dish, and when cold, plunge the eel fillets into it.

GUDGEON, TO FRY.—Proceed the same as directed for dace.

HAKE PIE.—Cut into cutlets as directed at page 249; then lay in a
pie-dish, and sprinkle with a seasoning composed of pepper, salt, and
cayenne; then bake the same as directed for eel pie (see p. 262).

LOBSTER SAUCE.—Break the shell of the lobster, extract the meat from the
claws and body, cut small; boil the shells in half a pint of water, with
a little ground allspice and scraped horse-radish, until all the strength
is extracted; strain the liquor into a stewpan; add the lobster, half a
pound of cream or thick melted butter, a tea-spoonful or two of anchovy
sauce, and a squeeze of lemon. If you have a hen lobster, remove the
coral and spawn, and pound it up fine in a mortar: mix this with a little
of the sauce, return it to the stewpan, stir well, and let the whole
simmer gently for about five minutes, but do not let it boil; season with
cayenne and salt while stewing.

SCALLOPED OYSTERS.—Put a dozen of bearded oysters, previously dipped in
bread crumbs, into a scallop shell. Mix pepper, salt, a little nutmeg,
butter, and bread crumbs well together, and put layers of this and
oysters alternately. Egg the last layer over, and brown in a Dutch oven.

TENCH, TO STEW BROWN.—See receipt given for carp.


POULTRY, GAME, ETC.

DUCKS, NOTTINGHAM FASHION.—Choose a pair of fine fat ducks, lard as
usual, and then half-roast them. Remove from before the fire, place in
a clean stewpan, and stew gently for half an hour with a pint of good
gravy; then add half a pint of oysters nicely bearded, a dozen roasted
and bruised chestnuts, a pint of red wine, and two small onions minced
fine; three or four sprigs of thyme, a blade of mace, six peppercorns,
the crumb of a French roll rubbed fine, and a pinch of cayenne pepper.
When well flavoured, remove, and serve hot. It is necessary to cover the
stewpan well during the time the ducks are cooking.

WOODCOCKS, TO RAGOUT.—Prepare and cook the same as snipes.


VEGETABLES.

CARDOONS FRIED AND BUTTERED.—Cut them about ten inches long, string, and
then tie them in bundles like asparagus, and cut them into dice; boil
like peas; add some butter, pepper, and salt, and serve hot.

CARDOONS À LA FROMAGE.—String, then cut them an inch long, place in
a saucepan, and stew in some port or red wine, enough to cover them,
until tender: then season with pepper and salt, and thicken with floured
butter; then pour into the dish; add the juice of an orange, and scrape
some Cheshire cheese all over it, then brown with a salamander, and serve
hot.

CELERY FRIED.—Take three heads of celery, cut off the green tops, remove
the outside stalks, wash clean and pare the roots clean; then have ready
four ounces of white wine, the yolks of two eggs beat fine, and a little
salt and nutmeg; mix all well together with flour, so as to form a good
batter; then dip each head into the batter, and fry a nice light brown in
lard. When done, lay in the dish, pour melted butter over them, and serve
hot.

TURNIP PIE.—Season some mutton chops with salt and pepper, reserving the
ends of the neck-bones to lay over the turnips, which must be cut into
small dice, and strewed over the steaks. Add two or three table-spoonfuls
of milk, and cover with a crust.


MEAT.

MUTTON HASHED.—Cut the remains of a cold leg or shoulder of mutton into
thin slices, whether fat or lean; flour and pepper well, and leave on the
dish. Boil the bones, well broken up, with a few onions minced well, add
some salt, a little mushroom ketchup and the hashed meat; warm over a
slow fire, but do not let it boil; then add port wine and currant jelly,
or omit, as you please. If the former, it will impart a venison flavour,
if the latter method is adopted it will be plain.

VEAL LARDED.—Remove the under bone of a neck of veal, and leave only a
part of the long bones on; then trim it neatly, lard, and roast it gently
with the caul over it. When nearly done, remove the caul, in order that
the meat may be just tinged a brown. Serve with mushroom, celery, or
other sauce. At another season, sorrel, asparagus, green pea, or lemon
sauces are correct, but at this period such cannot be obtained.


PASTRY.

AMERICAN BISCUITS.—Take a quarter of a pound of butter and mix with a
pound of flour; add a quarter of a pound of sugar to half a pint of new
milk, warm, and pour gradually into the butter paste. Make a solution of
about half a tea-spoonful of salt of tartar in half a tea-cupful of cold
water; add to the mixture, and work up the paste to a good consistence;
then roll it out, and cut with the top of a wine-glass. These cakes
should be baked in a quick oven as soon as possible after they are made.

BREAD-AND-BUTTER PUDDING.—Grease a dish well with butter, then sprinkle
in a good thick layer of currants, well washed and picked; add some brown
sugar, and cover with thin slices of light white bread until the dish is
filled by alternate layers of currants, sugar, and bread. Boil a pint of
new milk, add four well-beaten yolks of eggs, a little nutmeg and grated
lemon-peel; pour into the dish containing the bread, &c., and let it
stand for an hour, then bake in a moderate oven. A paste may be put round
the edge of the dish, but it is not necessary.

SOMERSETSHIRE SYLLABUB.—Put into a large china bowl a pint of port, the
same quantity of sherry, and sugar to taste; then milk the bowl full, and
after letting it stand for twenty minutes, cover well with clouted cream;
grate nutmeg over all, add pounded cinnamon, and strew thickly with
nonpareil comfits.


FOOD FOR DECEMBER.

MEAT.—Beef, house-lamb, mutton, pork, veal, doe-venison.

FISH.—Barbel, brill, turbot, carp, cockles, _cod_, crabs, dab, _dory_,
eels, gudgeon, gurnets, haddocks, _hake_, halibut, herrings, _ling_,
lobsters, mackerel, mussels, oysters, perch, pike, plaice, ruffe, salmon,
shrimps, _skate_, smelts, soles, sprats, sturgeon, _tench_, whitings.

POULTRY AND GAME.—Capons, chickens, dotterel, ducks, fowls, geese,
grouse, guinea-fowl, hares, larks, moor-game, partridges, pea-fowl,
pheasants, pigeons, rabbits, snipes, teal, turkeys, wheat-ears, widgeon,
wild ducks, woodcocks.

VEGETABLES.—Jerusalem artichokes, beets, borecole, white and purple
brocoli, cabbages, cardoons, carrots, celery, endive, herbs of all sorts,
leeks, lettuces, onions, parsnips, potatoes, salad, savoys, scorzonera,
skirrets, shalots, spinach, truffles, turnips, _forced_ asparagus.

FRUIT.—Almonds. _Apples_—Golden pippin, nonpareil, winter pearmain,
golden russet. Chestnuts; hazel-nuts; a few grapes; medlars; oranges.
_Pears_—Bergamot, Beurré d’Hiver, Colmar, Holland, St. Germains. Walnuts.


COOKERY FOR DECEMBER.


SOUPS.

BAKED.—Take a pound of any lean meat and cut into dice, place in an
earthen jar, or pot, that will hold five quarts of liquid. Slice, and add
to it, two onions, two carrots, two ounces of rice, washed and previously
soaked, a pint of whole or split peas, and some pepper and salt to taste;
cover all with a gallon of water, tie a cloth over the top of the jar, or
close the lid of the pot down very close, and bake. This is a cheap and
useful soup for poor people, and may be much improved by using the liquor
that salt beef, or, indeed, any meat has been boiled in, instead of water.

CHEAP—FOR THE POOR.—Soak a quart of split peas for a day in cold water,
and then put them into a boiler with two gallons and a half of water,
and two pounds of cold boiled potatoes, well bruised, a faggot of herbs,
salt, pepper, and two onions sliced. Cover it very close, and boil _very
gently_ for five hours, or until only two gallons of soup remain.

ANOTHER.—Take two pounds of shin of beef, a quarter of a pound of barley,
a halfpenny-worth of parsley, two onions sliced, salt and pepper to
taste, and having cut the meat into dice, and broken the bone, place in
a gallon pot and fill up with water; boil very gently for five hours.
Potatoes, celery tops, cabbage, or any vegetable left from the day before
may be added.

RICH GRAVY.—Take a pound of beef, the same quantity of veal and mutton,
cut into dice, and place in a boiler with two gallons of water, half a
carrot sliced, a faggot of sweet herbs, an onion sliced, an old fowl
beaten to pieces, the upper crust of a small loaf toasted very crisp,
four blades of mace, a little pepper, and four cloves; cover well, and
let it simmer on the side of the fire until reduced one-half, then strain
through a coarse sieve into a stewpan. Add half an ounce of truffles, two
heads of fine celery sliced small, four table-spoonfuls of finely sifted
raspings, the palate of an ox boiled tender and cut small, and two cocks’
combs; cover very close, and simmer gently over a slow fire for two
hours. Make some forcemeat balls, and place in the tureen, then pour the
soup over, and serve.

PLUM PORRIDGE.—Boil eight pounds of shin of beef for five hours in a
gallon of water, skimming carefully throughout, and finally straining off
the liquor; add two pounds of meat cut small. Soften the crumb of a penny
loaf in some of the liquor, beat it smooth, thicken the soup with it,
add half a pound of stoned raisins, the same quantity of stoned prunes,
a pound of well washed currants, and grated nutmeg, pepper, and mace to
taste, and boil until the fruit is soft, then serve.


FISH.

BRILL, TO FRY IN BATTER.—Cut off the fish from the bones, in cutlets of
about three inches or more; remove the skin from the dark side, but let
the pale side remain. Dip each cutlet into batter, and fry in plenty
of dripping. Garnish with fried parsley, and serve up with anchovy and
melted butter.

COD SOUNDS, BOILED.—Soak the sounds in warm water for half an hour, then
scrape and clean well. Boil in milk and water, and when tender, serve in
a napkin, with egg sauce.

COD SOUNDS RAGOUT.—Scald, clean, and rub the sounds well with salt; then
stew in some good highly-seasoned gravy, and when tender add a little
cream and floured butter to thicken; give a boil, and season with grated
lemon-peel, nutmeg, and a little allspice.

DORY, TO FRY.—Clean and dry the fish well, egg over, dip in bread crumbs,
and fry a light brown. Garnish with fried parsley, and serve with plain
melted butter.

HAKE, TO BAKE.—Dress the same as pike (see p. 281).

LING, TO BROIL.—Cut into convenient sized pieces after the fish is
cleaned, flour well, and set on a gridiron over a clear fire. Shake a
little pepper and salt over each piece while broiling, and when done, rub
in some butter before the fire, then serve with plain melted butter.

PLAICE, TO FRY.—Clean, cut into cutlets, but do not remove the skin, and
fry as previously directed for brill.

TENCH, TO STEW BROWN.—Dress the same as carp (pp. 254, 268).

TURBOT, TO PICKLE.—Prepare the same as directed for cold salmon (p. 277).


POULTRY.

FOWLS, FORCED.—Cut a large fowl down the back, remove the skin from the
whole of the body very carefully; cut the flesh from the bones, and chop
it up finely with half a pint of oysters, and an ounce of beef marrow,
then season with pepper and salt. Add sufficient cream to mix it well,
lay the meat on the bones, draw the skin over, and sew up the back. Lay
thin slices of bacon on the breast, tie them on in diamonds, and roast it
an hour by a moderate fire. Pour a good brown gravy sauce into the dish.
Remove the bacon from the fowl, and then place the fowl in the dish.
Garnish with oysters or mushrooms, and serve hot.

GUINEA-FOWL, TO ROAST.—Lard, prepare, and then dress the same as a
pheasant (see p. 291), and it will be most delicious.


VEGETABLES.

ARTICHOKE BOTTOMS, TO RAGOUT.—Soak them in warm water two or three hours,
changing the water; then put them into a stewpan with some good gravy, a
table-spoonful of mushroom ketchup, or enough to flavour, a little salt,
and cayenne pepper. Boil, thicken with flour, place in a dish, and pour
the gravy sauce over, then serve hot.

SPINACH STEWED, AND EGGS.—Pick and wash the spinach very clean, put it
into the saucepan with a little salt, cover it close, shake the pan
often, and when tender and green, toss it into a sieve to drain, and
then lay it on the dish. Have ready a stewpan of boiling water, break
as many eggs into cups as you wish to poach, drop them quietly into the
water, remove with an egg slice when done, lay them on the spinach, and
garnish the dish with slices of quartered lemon. Serve hot with melted
butter in a sauce-boat.


MEAT.

CALF’S HEAD PIE.—Stew a knuckle of veal till tender, with two onions, a
faggot of herbs, a blade of mace, and six peppercorns, in three pints
of water, and when done, set aside, with the bones in it, to simmer,
removing sufficient meat to form into balls. Half-boil a calf’s head,
and cut the flesh into square bits; put a layer of ham in slices at the
bottom of a dish, then some pieces of the head well seasoned with pepper
and salt, first fat and then lean, with balls, and hard eggs cut in half,
alternating until the dish is full, but not _too closely packed_. Put a
little water and gravy into the dish, cover with a tolerably thick crust,
and bake in a slow oven. When done, fill up with gravy, but do not cut
till it is quite cold. Some persons add oysters and mushrooms, and eat
the pie warmed instead of cold.

DURHAM PIE.—Take seven pounds of flour, a pound and a quarter of suet,
and two pounds of butter; form into a paste, mould it to fancy, so as
to make a handsome ornamental crust, and bake in a slow oven. Then take
a goose, a turkey, a grouse, a woodcock, a snipe, a pheasant, part of a
hare; a partridge, a pound and a half of bullock’s tongue, and cut into
small pieces; stew gently, and then place in the centre of the crust,
with the gravy, and some grated ham or beef; season to taste, and bake in
a slow oven. Of course the top is covered in with paste, ornamented with
the feet of the birds as a central crown, and foliage, &c., around them.

PRACTICAL HOUSEWIFE’S CHRISTMAS HAM.—Soak the ham, be the weight whatever
it may, half the usual time in water; remove, wash well with cold water,
place in a pan large and deep enough to contain it, cover with beer or
good ale, and let it remain until the required time for soaking a ham of
the size used has expired. Boil as usual until the skin can be readily
removed; then place the ham in a tin or an earthenware dish, and cover
with a common flour-and-water paste, or surround with butter. Bake in a
moderately heated oven until done, remove the paste or batter, cover with
bread raspings, and serve hot.

Cooked in this manner, a ham acquires the most delicious flavour,
especially if cured by a method we shall hereafter point out.

HAMBURG BEEF.—Rub a rump of beef with brown sugar, and let it lie
three days, turning frequently during the time. Remove from the dish,
wipe it, and salt it with four ounces of bay, and the same quantity of
common salt, and an ounce of saltpetre, well mixed. Cover with what
remains after rubbing in, and let it remain for a fortnight, turning it
occasionally. Remove the superfluous salt, roll tight in a cloth, and
press well with weights. Smoke the meat in the cloth, by hanging it in a
chimney where wood smoke ascends, or by adopting the same method as that
recommended for herrings.

It may be boiled, and pressed with heavy weights until cold; or fried
with bacon in slices, as required.


PASTRY.

ANTWERP CREAM.—Make a housewife’s cream, as directed by us at p. 279, and
whisk until it curdles, then set the curd carefully upon a fine sieve,
and let it drain over a basin all night. Take thirty ratafia biscuits,
bruise them, and add to the whey, with a twopenny sponge-cake broken
up fine, two table-spoonfuls of raspberry and currant jam, and two
table-spoonfuls of brandy; mix well together, pour into a small glass
dish, heap the curd over the top with a fork, and ornament the edge with
ratafia biscuits.

BON-BON CRACKERS.—Procure various coloured papers, and cut them into
pieces measuring three inches wide and four inches long; then cut the end
of each into a narrow fringe an inch long, and gum or paste a blue paper
and a red one together, so that the fringe may be at both ends. Buy some
Waterloo crackers at a toy shop, and paste each end of one to the inside
of the coloured papers, so that the centre of the cracker shall be over
the joining. Put a burnt almond or some bon-bon in the centre, roll it up
neatly, screw the two ends, and spread the fringe.

Any coloured paper will do, and the greater contrast displayed the better
the effect.

THE HOUSEWIFE’S CHRISTMAS CAKE.—Take two pounds of pounded sugar-candy,
two pounds of flour, two pounds of butter, thirty-six eggs, four pounds
of currants, a pound of raisins stoned and chopped, half a pound of
almonds blanched and chopped, half a pound of citron, a pound of candied
orange-peel, the same of candied lemon-peel, a large nutmeg pounded, half
an ounce of powdered allspice, half an ounce of powdered mace, ginger,
cinnamon, and coriander, and half a pint of brandy.

All the ingredients should be well dried, the white of the eggs well
beaten up separately from the yolks, the butter stirred and beaten almost
to a cream, then add the rest gradually, taking care they are well beaten
and mixed. Have ready a large tin, well lined with buttered paper, pour
in the cake, and bake in a slow oven for at least four hours. Smaller
proportions may be adopted.

GINGERBREAD SNAPS.—Take a pound and a half of flour, half a pound of
butter, the same of sugar and treacle, and an ounce of powdered ginger.
Mix well before the fire, add five table-spoonfuls of thick cream, work
into a stiff paste, roll out thin, dip a wine-glass into flour, cut out
the snaps with it, and bake in a quick oven.

GOOD GINGERBREAD NUTS.—Take three pounds of flour, a pound of sugar,
three and a half pounds of treacle, half an ounce of carraway seeds,
half an ounce of allspice, two ounces of butter, half an ounce of candied
lemon-peel, three ounces of ground ginger, half an ounce of coriander,
the yolks of two eggs, and a wine-glassful of brandy. Work the butter to
a cream, then the eggs, spice, and brandy, then flour, sugar, and then
_hot_ treacle; if not stiff enough, a little more flour must be added in
rolling out, but the less the better.

MINCEMEAT.—Take four cups of suet, two of currants, four of stoned
raisins, half a cup of preserved ginger, half a cup of dried citron,
a cup of pounded sugar-candy, a grated nutmeg, a dessert-spoonful of
pounded mace, another of pounded cloves, six wine-glassfuls of brandy,
and three of noyeau. Mix well.

ANOTHER.—See p. 252.

MINCEMEAT, À LA SOYER.—Take four pounds and a half of kidney beef suet,
which skin and chop very finely; have also a quarter of a pound of
candied lemon and orange-peel, the same of citron, a pound and a half
of lean cooked beef, and three pounds and a half of apples, the whole
separately chopped very fine, and put into a large pan with four pounds
and a half of currants well washed and picked, two ounces of mixed spice,
and two pounds of sugar. Mix the whole well together with the juice of
eight lemons and a pint of brandy, place it in jars, and tie down until
ready for use; a pound and a half of Malaga raisins, well stoned and
chopped, may likewise be added to the above. It is ready for use in a few
days.

PLUM PUDDING, MODERATE.—Take a pound and a half of raisins stoned, a
pound of currants, well washed and picked; the same quantity of flour and
suet; a quarter of a pound of fine white bread, rubbed well; two pounds
of orange and lemon-peel, a quarter of a pound of citron-peel cut into
square pieces; brown sugar, four ounces; one nutmeg, grated fine; half an
ounce of mixed spice; a wine-glassful of brandy, four table-spoonfuls of
white wine, two eggs well beaten, and a little salt. Mix as usual, and
boil for eight hours.




COOKERY FOR CHILDREN.


Some preparations of food proper for the young have already been given
in these pages; nevertheless, we are sure a chapter on this important
subject, so generally neglected in cookery books, will be welcomed by the
judicious.

It is of great consequence to fix the times of taking food, as well as to
regulate the quantity given to a child. The mother should, personally,
attend to these arrangements; it is her province.

There is great danger that an infant, under three years of age, will be
over-fed, if it be left to the discretion of the nurse. These persons,
generally, to stop the screaming of a child, whether it proceed from pain
or crossness, or repletion (as it often does)—they give it something to
eat—often that which is very injurious, to tempt the appetite; if it will
only eat and stop crying, they do not care for the future inconvenience
which this habit of indulgence may bring on the child and its mother.

Arrange, as early as possible, the regular times of giving food to your
children, according to their age and constitution. Young infants require
food every two hours when awake; after three months old, they may go
three hours—then cautiously lengthen the time, as the child can bear
it. But remember that all temperaments are not alike. Some of the same
age may require more food than others. One rule, however, will apply to
all—never give a child food to amuse and keep it quiet when it is not
hungry, or to reward it for being good. You may as rationally hope to
extinguish a fire by pouring on oil, as to cure a peevish temper, or
curb a violent one, by pampering the appetite for luxuries in diet; and
all the traits of goodness you thus seek to foster, will, in the end,
prove as deceptive as the mirage of green fields and cool lakes to the
traveller in the hot sands of the desert.

“My children have very peculiar constitutions,” said an anxious
mother—“they are so subject to fevers! If they take the least cold, or
even have a fall, they are sure to be attacked by fever.” The family
lived high, and those young children had a seat at the table, and were
helped to the best and richest of everything. And their luncheon was cake
and confectionery.

It was suggested to the mother that if she would adopt a different diet
for those children, give them bread and milk morning and evening, and a
plain dinner of bread, meat, and vegetables, their liability to fevers
would be much lessened.

“My children do not love milk, and won’t touch plain food”—was the
answer, with a sort of triumphant smile, as though this cramming of her
children with good things till the blood of the poor little creatures
was almost in a state of inflammation, was a high credit to her good
housekeeping.

But do not err on the other hand; and for fear your child should be
over-fed, allow it insufficient nourishment. There is not in our country
much reason to fear that such will be the case; the danger is, usually,
on the side of excess; still we must not forget that the effect of
a system of slow starvation is, if not so suddenly fatal as that of
repletion, more terrible, because it reduces the intellectual as well as
the physical nature of man, till he is hardly equal to the brutes.

In many parts of civilized and Christian Europe, the mass of the people
suffer from being over-worked and under-fed; few may die of absolute
starvation, but their term of life is much shortened, and their moral and
intellectual powers dwarfed or prostrated.

“Under an impoverished diet,” says Dr. Combe, “the moral and intellectual
capacity is deteriorated as certainly as the bodily”—and he adverts to
the workhouse and charitable institution system of weak soups and low
vegetable diet, and to the known facts that children brought up on such
fare are usually feeble, puny, and diseased in body, and are at best but
moderate in capacity.

The rational course seems to be, to feed infants till about three years
old, chiefly with milk and mild farinaceous vegetable preparations; a
large portion of good bread, light, well baked, and _cold_, should be
given them; after that period, to proportion their solid food to the
amount of exercise they are able to take. Children who play abroad in the
open air, will require more hearty nourishment, more meat, than those
who are kept confined in the house or schoolroom. From the age of ten
or twelve, to sixteen or eighteen, when the growth is most rapid and
the exercises (of boys especially) most violent, a sufficiency of plain
nourishing food should be given; there is little danger of their taking
too much, if it be of the right kind and properly cooked. But do not
allow them to eat hot bread, or use any kind of stimulating drinks.

FOOD FOR A YOUNG INFANT.—Take of fresh cow’s milk, one table-spoonful,
and mix with two table-spoonfuls of hot water; sweeten with loaf sugar
as much as may be agreeable. This quantity is sufficient for once
feeding a new-born infant; and the same quantity may be given every two
or three hours—not oftener—till the mother’s breast affords the natural
nourishment.

THICKENED MILK FOR INFANTS WHEN SIX MONTHS OLD.—Take one pint of milk,
one pint of water; boil it, and add one table-spoonful of flour. Dissolve
the flour first in half a tea-cupful of water; it must be strained in
gradually, and boiled hard twenty minutes. As the child grows older,
one-third water. If properly made, it is the most nutritious, at the
same time the most delicate food that can be given to young children.

BROTH.—Made of lamb or chicken, with stale bread toasted, and broken in,
is safe and healthy for the dinners of children, when first weaned.

MILK.—Fresh from the cow, with a _very_ little loaf sugar, is good and
safe food for young children. From three years old to seven, pure milk,
into which is crumbled stale bread, is the best breakfast and supper for
a child.

FOR A CHILD’S LUNCHEON.—Good sweet butter, with stale bread, is one of
the most nutritious, at the same time the most wholesome articles of food
that can be given children after they are weaned.

MILK PORRIDGE.—Stir four table-spoonfuls of oatmeal smoothly, into a
quart of milk, then stir it quickly into a quart of boiling water, and
boil up a few minutes till it is thickened; sweeten with sugar.

Oatmeal, where it is found to agree with the stomach, is much better for
children, being a good opener as well as cleanser; fine flour in every
shape is the reverse. Where biscuit powder is in use, let it be made at
home; this, at all events, will prevent them getting the sweepings of the
baker’s counters, boxes, and baskets. All the left bread in the nursery,
hard ends of stale loaves, &c., ought to be dried in the oven or screen,
and reduced to powder in the mortar.

MEATS FOR CHILDREN.—Mutton, lamb, and poultry, are the best. Birds and
the white meat of fowls, are the most delicate food of this kind that can
be given. These meats should be slowly cooked, and no gravy, if made rich
with butter, should be eaten by a young child. Never give children hard,
tough, half-cooked meats, of any kind.

VEGETABLES FOR CHILDREN, EGGS, ETC.—Their rice ought to be cooked in no
more water than is necessary to swell it; their apples roasted, or stewed
with no more water than is necessary to steam them; their vegetables so
well cooked as to make them require little butter, and less digestion;
their eggs boiled slow and soft. The boiling of their milk ought to be
directed by the state of their bowels; if flatulent or bilious, a very
little curry powder may be given in their vegetables with good effect;
such as turmeric and the warm seeds (not hot peppers) are particularly
useful in such cases.

POTATOES AND PEAS.—Potatoes, particularly some kinds, are not easily
digested by children; but this is easily remedied by mashing them very
fine, and seasoning them with sugar and a little milk. When peas are
dressed for children, let them be seasoned with mint and sugar, which
will take off the flatulency. If they are old, let them be pulped, as the
skins are perfectly indigestible by children’s or weak stomachs. Never
give them vegetables less stewed than would pulp through a cullender.

PUDDINGS AND PANCAKES FOR CHILDREN.—Sugar and egg, browned before the
fire, or dropped as fritters into a hot frying-pan, without fat, will
make them a nourishing meal.

RICE PUDDING WITH FRUIT.—In a pint of new milk put two large spoonfuls
of rice well washed; then add two apples, pared and quartered, or a few
currants or raisins. Simmer slowly till the rice is very soft, then add
one egg, beaten, to bind it. Serve with cream and sugar.

TO PREPARE FRUIT FOR CHILDREN.—A far more wholesome way than in pies or
puddings, is to put apples sliced, or plums, currants, gooseberries, &c.,
into a stone jar; and sprinkle among them as much sugar as necessary. Set
the jar in an oven or on a hearth, with a tea-cupful of water to prevent
the fruit from burning; or put the jar into a saucepan of water till its
contents be perfectly done. Slices of bread or some rice may be put into
the jar, to eat with the fruit.

RICE AND APPLES.—Core as many nice apples as will fill the dish; boil
them in light syrup; prepare a quarter of a pound of rice in milk, with
sugar, and salt; put some of the rice in the dish, and put in the apples,
and fill up the intervals with rice, and bake it in the oven till it is a
fine colour.

A NICE APPLE CAKE FOR CHILDREN.—Grate some stale bread, and slice about
double the quantity of apples; butter a mould, and line it with sugar
paste, and strew in some crumbs, mixed with a little sugar; then lay
in apples, with a few bits of butter over them, and so continue till
the dish is full; cover it with crumbs, or prepared rice; season with
cinnamon and sugar. Bake it well.

FRUITS FOR CHILDREN.—That fruits are naturally healthy in their season,
if rightly taken, no one, who believes that the Creator is a kind and
beneficent Being, can doubt. And yet the use of summer fruits appears
often to cause most fatal diseases, especially in children. Why is this?
Because we do not conform to the natural laws in using this kind of diet.
These laws are very simple and easy to understand. Let the fruit be ripe
when you eat it; and eat when you require _food_.

Fruits that have _seeds_ are much healthier than the _stone_ fruits. But
all fruits are better, for very young children, if baked or cooked in
some manner, and eaten with bread. The French always eat bread with raw
fruit.

Apples and winter pears are very excellent food for children, indeed,
for almost any person in health; but best when eaten at breakfast or
dinner. If taken late in the evening, fruit often proves injurious. The
old saying that apples are _gold in the morning, silver at noon, and lead
at night_, is pretty near the truth. Both apples and pears are often good
and nutritious when baked or stewed, for those delicate constitutions
that cannot bear raw fruit. Much of the fruit gathered when unripe, might
be rendered fit for food by preserving in sugar.

RIPE CURRANTS are excellent food for children. Mash the fruit, sprinkle
with sugar, and with good bread let them eat of this fruit freely.

BLACKBERRY JAM.—Gather the fruit in dry weather; allow half a pound of
good brown sugar to every pound of fruit; boil the whole together gently
for an hour, or till the blackberries are soft, stirring and mashing them
well. Preserve it like any other jam, and it will be found very useful in
families, particularly for children—regulating their bowels, and enabling
you to dispense with cathartics. It may be spread on bread, or on
puddings, instead of butter: and even when the blackberries are bought,
it is cheaper than butter. In the country, every family should preserve,
at least, half a peck of blackberries.

TO MAKE SENNA AND MANNA PALATABLE.—Take half an ounce, when mixed, senna
and manna; put it in half a pint of boiling water; when the strength
is abstracted, pour into the liquid from a quarter to half a pound of
prunes, and two large table-spoonfuls of W. I. molasses. Stew slowly
until the liquid is nearly absorbed. When cold, it can be eaten with
bread and butter, without detecting the senna, and is excellent for
costive children.




LAYING OUT TABLES.


I.

BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND FOLDING NAPKINS.

The art of laying out a table, whether for breakfast, luncheon, dinner,
tea, or supper, consists in arranging the various dishes, plate, glass,
&c., methodically, and adhering to the rules we are about to make known.

Much trouble, irregularity, and confusion will be avoided in a house
when there is company, if servants are instructed to prepare the table,
sideboard, or dinner-waggon, in a similar manner and order daily.

All tables are usually laid out according to the following rules
throughout the United Kingdom: yet there are local peculiarities which
will necessarily present themselves, and should be adopted or rejected,
as may appear proper to the good housewife:—

BREAKFASTS.—The table should be covered with a clean white cloth: the
cups and saucers arranged at one end, if for tea; and at both ends, if
for tea and coffee; or the coffee-cups and saucers may be arranged at the
right hand side of one end of the table, and the tea-cups and saucers
on the left; the tea-pot and coffee-pot occupying the space between in
front, and the urn that at the back. Some persons substitute cocoa or
chocolate for coffee, in which case they are to be placed the same. The
slop-basin and milk-jug should be placed to the left; and the cream, and
hot milk jugs, with the sugar basin, to the right.

The remainder of the table should be occupied in the centre by the
various dishes to be partaken of; while at the sides must be ranged a
large plate for meat, eggs, &c., and a small one for toast, rolls, &c.,
with a small knife and fork for each person; the carving knife and fork
being placed point to handle; the butter and bread knives to the right
of their respective dishes, which occupy the centre part, and spoons in
front of the hot dishes with gravy. Salt-cellars should occupy the four
corners, and, if required, the cruets should be placed in the centre of
the table.

Dry toast should never be prepared longer than five minutes before
serving, as it becomes tough, and the butter, soppy and greasy, if too
long prepared. Hot rolls should be brought to table covered with a napkin.

Every dish should be garnished appropriately, either with sippets,
ornamental butter, water cresses, parsley, or some one of the garnishes
we shall point out in a future page.

The dishes usually set upon the table are selected from hot, cold, and
cured meats; hot, cold, cured, and potted fish; game, poultry, cold or
devilled; fruit, ripe, preserved, or candied; dressed and undressed
vegetables; meat-pies and patties, cold; eggs; honey-comb; entrées; and
savoury morsels—as grilled kidneys, ham-toast, devils, &c.

DEJEUNERS À LA FOURCHETTE are laid the same as suppers, except that tea
and coffee are introduced; but in sporting circles not until the solids
are removed.

When laid for a marriage or christening breakfast, a bride’s or
christening cake should occupy the centre instead of the épergne or
plateau.

LUNCHEONS OR NOONINGS.—The luncheon is laid in two ways; one way is to
bring in a butler’s tray with let-down sides, on which it is previously
arranged upon a tray cloth, and letting down the sides and spreading
the cloth upon the dining-table to distribute the things as required.
The other is to lay the cloth as for dinner, with the pickle-stand and
cruet, opposite each other; and, if in season, a small vase of flowers
in the centre; if not, a water-jug and tumblers, which may be placed
on a side-table at other times. The sides of the table are occupied by
the requisites for each guest, viz., two plates, a large and small fork
and knives, and dessert-spoon. A folded napkin, and the bread under, is
placed upon the plate of each guest.

Carafes, with the tumblers belonging to and placed over them, are laid
at the four corners, with the salt-cellars in front of them, between two
table-spoons laid bowl to handle.

If French or light wines are served, they may be placed in the original
bottles in ornamental wine vases, between the top and bottom dishes and
the vase of flowers, with the corks drawn and partially replaced.

The dishes generally served for luncheons are the remains of cold meat
neatly trimmed and garnished; cold game, hashed or plain; hashes of
all descriptions; curries; minced meats; cold pies, savoury, fruit, or
plain; plainly cooked cutlets, steaks, and chops; omelets; bacon; eggs;
devils and grilled bones; potatoes; sweetmeats; butter; cheese; salad
and pickles. In fruit, almost anything does for lunch, whether of fish,
flesh, fowl, pastry, vegetables, or fruit.

Ale and porter are generally served, but occasionally sherry, marsala,
port, or home-made wines, are introduced, with biscuits and ripe fruit.

A good housewife should always have something in the house ready to
convert into a neat little luncheon, in case a few friends drop in, to
what some are pleased to call a “tiffin;” and it is astonishing how a
really handsome-looking affair may be made out of the remains of the
dinner served the day before, some handsome glass, a sprinkle of good
plate, a few flowers, some good ale, or a little wine, and, above all, a
hearty welcome.

NAPKINS.—Dinner napkins should be about twenty-eight inches broad, and
thirty inches long. They may be folded in a variety of ways, which
impart a style to a table, without adding much to the expense, and may
be readily accomplished with a little practice and attention to the
following directions and diagrams.

[Illustration]

1.—THE MITRE.—(_Fig. 1._)

Fold the napkin into three parts longways, then turn down the right hand
corner, and turn up the left hand one, as in Fig. 2, A and B. Turn back
the point A towards the right, so that it shall lie behind C; and B to
the left, so as to be behind D. Double the napkin back at the line E,
then turn up F from before and G from behind, when they will appear as in
Fig. 3. Bend the corner H towards the right, and tuck it behind I; turn
back the corner K towards the left, at the dotted line, and tuck it into
a corresponding part at the back. The bread is placed under the mitre, or
in the centre at the top.

2.—THE EXQUISITE.—(_Fig. 4._)

Fold the napkin into three parts longways, then fold down two-fifths of
the length from each side, as in Fig. 5, at A; roll up the part B towards
the back, repeat on the other side, then turn up the corner towards the
corner A, and it will appear as D. The centre part E is now to be turned
up at the bottom, and down at the top, and the two rolls brought under
the centre-piece as in Fig. 4. The bread is placed under the centre band,
K, Fig. 4.

3.—THE COLLEGIAN.—(_Fig. 6._)

Fold the napkin into three parts longways, then turn down the two sides
towards you, so that they shall appear as in Fig. 7; then roll up the
part A underneath until it looks like B, Fig. 8. Now take the corner B
and turn it up towards C, so that the edge of the rolled part shall be
even with the central line; repeat the same on the other side, and turn
the whole over, when it will appear as in Fig. 6. The bread is placed
underneath the part K.

4.—THE CINDERELLA.—(_Fig. 9._)

Fold the napkin into three parts longways, then turn down the two sides
as in Fig. 7; turn the napkin over, and roll up the lower part as in
Fig. 10, A, B. Now turn the corner B upwards towards C, so that it shall
appear as in D; repeat on the other side, and then bring the two parts E
together so that they shall bend at the dotted line; and the appearance
will now be as Fig. 9. The bread is placed under the apron part, K, Fig.
9.

5.—THE FLIRT.—(_Fig. 11._)

Fold the napkin into three parts longways, then fold across the breadth,
commencing at one extremity, and continuing to fold from and to yourself
in folds about two inches broad, until the whole is done: then place in a
tumbler, and it will appear as in the illustration.

6.—THE NEAPOLITAN.—(_Fig. 12._)

Fold the napkin into three parts longways, then fold one of the upper
parts upon itself from you; turn over the cloth with the part having four
folds from you, and fold down the two sides so as to appear as in Fig.
7; then roll up the part A underneath, until it appears as in the dotted
lines in Fig. 15, at B. Now turn up the corner B towards C, so that the
edge of the rolled part shall be even with the central line: repeat
the same upon the opposite side, and turn the whole over, when it will
appear as in Fig. 14; the bread being placed underneath the part K, as
represented in the illustration.

7.—THE “FAVOURITE,” OR OUR OWN.—(_Fig. 14._)

Fold the napkin into three parts longways, then turn down the two sides
as in Fig. 7, and roll up the part A on both sides, until as represented
on the right hand side in Fig. 14; then turn it backwards (as A B) on
both sides; now fold down the point C towards you, turn over the napkin,
and fold the two other parts from you so that they shall appear as in
Fig. 15. Turn the napkin over, thus folded, and raising the centre part
with the two thumbs, draw the two ends (A and B) together, and pull out
the parts (C and D) until they appear as in Fig. 13. The bread is to be
placed as represented in K, Fig. 13.


II.

DINNERS.

DINNERS.—The appearance a dinner-table presents does not depend so much
upon a profuseness of viands, as upon the neatness, cleanliness and
well-studied arrangement of the whole. Taste, if well directed, may
produce a handsome dinner; whereas three times the amount of money may be
expended upon another, and yet not make even a respectable appearance.

We cannot too strongly urge the necessity of having things done in the
same manner every day as when there is company. The servants become
accustomed to waiting properly, things are always at hand, and they do
not appear awkward when visitors drop in; then everything is regular, and
goes on smoothly.

TO LAY THE CLOTH.—The table should be well polished, and then covered
with a green baize cloth, over which a fine white damask one should be
spread. If the white cloth is to be kept on after dinner, it is customary
to spread a small cloth at either end of the table where the large dishes
are placed, to protect the long cloth from accidental spots arising from
gravy, &c.; these slips are removed after dinner, and the cloth cleaned
with crumb brushes. In some houses an entire upper cloth is placed upon
the table instead of slips, and this being removed after dinner, does not
require the tedious process of brushing the table-cloth.

When the cloth has been spread, place carafes, with the tumblers
belonging to and placed over them, between every four persons, a
salt-cellar between every three persons, and a large and small knife,
fork, and spoon, to each guest, with two wine-glasses, a champagne glass,
and a tumbler, to the right of each, and the bread placed in or under
folded napkins, between the knives, forks, and spoons; and at grand
entertainments or public dinners, the name and rank of each guest neatly
written on a card in front of the napkin, so as to prevent confusion
and jealousy. The centre ornament, usually a _candelabrum_, _plateau_,
an _épergne_, or a vase of artificial flowers, must now be set on, and
the mats for the various dishes arranged; then the wine-coolers or
ornamental vases placed between the centre-piece and the top and bottom
dishes, with the wines in the original bottles, loosely corked; the
spoons for assisting the various dishes, asparagus tongs, fish-knife and
fork or slice, and carving knives and forks, are placed in front of the
respective dishes to which they belong; and knife-rests opposite to those
who have to carve; with a bill of fare, and a pile of soup-plates before
those that have to assist the soup.

_In arranging or laying out a table_, several things require particular
attention, and especially the following:—

_Plate_ should be well cleaned, and have a bright polish; few things look
worse than a greasy-looking épergne and streaky spoons. _Glass_ should
be well rubbed with a wash-leather, dipped in a solution of fine whiting
and stone-blue, and then dried; afterwards it should be polished with an
old silk handkerchief. _Plates_ and _dishes_ should be hot, otherwise
the guests will be disgusted by seeing flakes of fat floating about in
the gravy. _Bread_ should be cut in pieces about an inch thick, and each
round of a loaf into six parts; or if for a dinner party, dinner rolls
should be ordered. The bread is placed under the napkins, or on the
_left_ of each guest; if dinner napkins are not used, some of the bread
being placed in a bread-tray, covered with a crochet cloth, upon the
sideboard. _Lights_, either at or after the dinner, should be subdued,
and above the guests, if possible, so as to be shed upon the table,
without intercepting the view. _Sauces_, either bottle, sweet, or boat;
_vegetables_, and sliced cucumber, or glazed onions for stubble goose,
should be placed upon the sideboard; _a plate basket_, for removing
the soiled plates, is usually placed under the sideboard, or some
other convenient part of the room; and _two knife-trays_, covered with
napkins, are placed upon a butler’s tray; these are used for removing
soiled carvers and forks, and the soiled silver. It is useful to have a
large-sized bradawl, a corkscrew, and funnel, with strainer; the former
to break the wire of the champagne bottles, and the latter to strain port
wine, if required to be opened during dinner.

[Illustration: _Fig. 1 & 2._]

[Illustration: _Fig. 3 & 4._]

TO LAY OUT THE SIDEBOARD OR TRAY.—Little requires to be done, except
to arrange the silver, knives, cruets, and various dishes to be placed
there. The silver should be arranged on one end of the sideboard, as in
_figs. 1_ and _2_, the gravy-spoons being placed bowl to handle, and the
cheese-scoop, marrow-spoon, and salad-spoons or scissors, where most
convenient. The knives are placed, as in _fig. 3_, for the convenience
of removal, because by this means a single knife can be abstracted
without disturbing the others; carving knives and forks should be
placed above the others, point to handle. The wine-glasses, tumblers,
and finger-glasses, for dessert, are placed where most convenient, but
usually in the centre, at the back, with ice-plates near to them, and the
wine-glasses placed in the finger-glasses, as in _fig. 4_; but when only
one glass is used, that is placed in the centre, mouth downwards. At very
large or fashionable dinners, the finger-glasses are sometimes placed on
the dinner-table with the plain and coloured wine-glasses in them, and
the same, refilled, are placed on again at dessert. The cruets, sauces,
&c., are placed at one end, and the vegetables, &c., in the centre front
of the sideboard.

TO PLACE THE DISHES ON THE TABLE.—Each servant should be provided, at
large dinners, with a bill of fare, and instructed, at small ones, where
the dishes are to be placed. No two dishes resembling each other should
be near the same part of the table. _Soups_ or broth should always be
placed at the head of the table; if there are two, top and bottom; if
four, top, bottom, and two sides, opposite each other, or alternately
with fish. _Fish_ should be placed at the head of the table; if there
are two sorts, have fried at the bottom and boiled at the top; if four,
arrange the same as the soup. We may observe, that a white and a brown,
or a mild and high-seasoned soup, should occupy either side of the
centre-piece, and that it looks handsomer to have fried and boiled fish
opposite each other, but they should never be placed upon the same dish.
Fish is generally served upon a napkin, the corners of which are either
turned in or thrown over the fish, or upon a piece of simple netting,
which is turned in all round; but we recommend our readers to use the
elegant serviette, as being more stylish.

_The first course_ generally consists of soups and fish, which are
removed by the roasts, stews, &c., of the second course.

_The second course_, when there are three, consists of roasts and stews
for the top and bottom; turkey or fowls, ham garnished, tongue, or
fricandeau, for the sides; with small made-dishes for corners, served in
covered dishes, as curries, ragouts, fricassees, stews, palates, &c.

When there are two roasts, one should be white, and the other brown.
Removes are generally placed upon large dishes, for, as they supply the
place of the fish and soups, they constitute the principal part of the
dinner. What are termed _flancs_, are not so large as the removes, nor
so small as the _entrées_, or made-dishes, and are generally served in
a differently formed dish. They are seldom used except when there are
eighteen or twenty persons.

_Entrées_, or made-dishes, require great care in placing them upon the
table, otherwise the gravy slops over and soils the dish; they are,
therefore, usually served with a wall of mashed potatoes, rice, or other
vegetables, to keep them in their proper place. They should also be
served as hot as possible.

When there is but one principal dish, it should be placed at the head of
the table. If three dishes, the principal to the head, and the others
opposite each other, near the bottom; if four, the largest to the head,
the next size to the foot, and the other two at the sides; if five, place
the same as for four, with the smallest in the centre; if six, place the
same as for four, with two small dishes on each side; if seven, put three
dishes down the centre of the table, and two on each side; if eight,
four dishes down the middle, and two on each side, at equal distances;
if nine, place them in three equal lines, but with the proper dishes at
the top and bottom of the table; if ten, put four down the centre, one at
each corner, and one on each side, opposite the vacancy between the two
central dishes; or four down the middle, and three on each side, opposite
the vacancies of the centre dishes; if twelve, place them in three rows
of four each, or six down the middle, and three at equal distances
on each side. If more than twelve, they must be arranged on the same
principles, but varying according to number.

Oval or circular dining-tables require to have the dishes arranged in a
shape corresponding to the table.

_The third course_ consists of game, confectionery, delicate vegetables
dressed in the French style, puddings, creams, jellies, &c.

_When there are only two courses_, the first generally consists of
soups and fish, removed by boiled poultry, ham, tongue, stews, roasts,
ragouts, curries, or made-dishes generally, with vegetables. The second
consists of roasted poultry or game at the top and bottom, with dressed
vegetables, maccaroni, jellies, creams, preserved fruit, pastry and
general confectionery, salads, &c. It is generally contrived to give
as great a variety as possible in these dinners: thus—a jelly, a cream,
a compôte, an ornamental cake, a dish of preserved fruit, fritters, a
blancmange, a pudding, &c.

After the third course has been removed, cheese, ornamented butter,
salad, radishes, celery in a glass bowl or on a dish, sliced cucumber
(and at small parties, marrow-bones) are usually served. A marrow-spoon,
cheese-scoop, and butter-knife, being required upon the table, are to be
placed near to the dishes; a knife and fork near the celery, and a pair
of salad-scissors or a fork and spoon in the bowl with the salad.

The cheese may be served in a glass bowl, and handed round from right to
left; or if a Stilton, surrounded with the elegant serviette, and placed
upon the cheese-cloth. The bread may be served as usual, or the cheese
snaps, piled up on a crochet cloth, in a plated bread-basket placed in
the centre.

WAITING AT TABLE.—Much confusion is avoided by having an attendant
upon each side of the table; or, if the party is large, more than one,
according to the number. The usual number required for parties is
given below; and if the income admit of it, the scale may be increased
according to the second column, which will materially add to the comfort
of the guests.

    _Guests._    _Servants._
        6          1    2
       12          2    3
       15          3    4
       20          4    6
       30          6    8
       40          9   12
       50         12   20, &c.

Every attendant should be neatly attired, have a white neckcloth and
white gloves on, should know where all the articles required are, where
the dishes are to be placed, and, in fact, be acquainted with the whole
routine of the party; and, therefore, it is better to provide each one
with a bill of fare.

When every guest is seated, a servant appointed for that purpose should
stand by the side of each dish, with the right hand upon the cover; and
as soon as grace is said, the cover is to be removed and placed in some
convenient part of the room. The plates for soup should then be taken
singly from the pile opposite the person assisting it, and carried to
those guests that desire that particular soup, observing that ladies are
to be assisted before gentlemen, and that these should commence from the
head of the table, continuing to assist each until both sides are helped.

Soon after the soup has been served, the servants may pass down each
side of the table, and ask each guest what they will take, assisting
them to the dish desired as soon as it can be procured. When champagne
is given, it is handed round upon a waiter or salver at small parties,
commencing at the right hand side of the table from the top and
bottom simultaneously, without any distinction as regards ladies or
gentlemen. In large parties—and we prefer the arrangement ourselves
even in small ones—the bottle being enveloped as far as the neck with a
clean dinner-napkin, the wine is assisted in the same order as before;
but instead of being handed round on a salver, the servants pour the
wine into the glass, at the right hand side of each guest. By these
means, there is less danger of the glasses being broken by any awkward
collision. The champagne is generally iced in summer, and cool in winter,
and is assisted as soon as the soup is finished, or just after the guests
have been helped to the second course or removes.

Liqueurs are handed round when sweets are on the table. Sauces are handed
round in the sauce-boat, and, when served, placed on the sideboard or
dinner-waggon; if only a family party, they are returned to the table.
Sweet sauces are handed round in glass dishes, and bottle sauces in a
stand or basket made for that purpose.

_In removing the dinner-things_, one servant goes round the table with a
butler’s tray, and the other removes and places the things upon it. The
cloth is then brushed with a crumb-brush; or the two sides are turned in,
and then the cloth dexterously jerked off the table, the lights replaced,
and the dessert set on.

When knives, forks, and spoons, are removed from dishes or plates, they
should be placed in proper trays covered with napkins; one being used for
the silver, the other for the steel articles.

When plates or dishes are removed from the table, great care is to be
observed with respect to holding them horizontally, otherwise the gravy,
syrup, or liquid, may injure the dresses of the guests. We remember
well to have seen a clumsy servant let some soup fall over the whole of
the back of an officer’s new red coat, which was, of course, completely
spoiled!

In some circles, the fashion prevails of placing finger-glasses on table
immediately preceding dessert; but in others, especially of the highest
fashion, cut-glass bowls, partially filled with rose or orange-flower
water, iced in summer and lukewarm in winter, are handed down each side
of the table, upon salvers: into these each guest dips the corner of the
dinner-napkin, and just touches the lips and the tips of the fingers, to
afford a refreshing feeling.


III.

DESSERTS, TEAS, AND SUPPERS.

THE DESSERT.—The dessert may consist of merely two dishes of fruit for
the top and bottom; dried fruits, biscuits, filberts, &c., for the sides
and corners; and a cake for the centre.

When the party is large, and ices are served, the ice-plates are placed
round the table, the ice-pails at both ends of the table, and dishes with
wafer-biscuits at the sides. Some persons have the ices served in glass
dishes, which, together with the wafer-biscuits, are handed round before
the usual dessert.

When there is preserved ginger, it follows the ices, as it serves to
stimulate the palate, so that the delicious coolness of the wines may be
better appreciated.

The side and corner dishes usually put on for dessert, consist
of:—Compôtes in glass dishes; frosted fruit served on lace-paper,
in small glass dishes; preserved and dried fruits, in glass dishes;
biscuits, plain and fancy; fresh fruit, served in dishes surrounded with
leaves or with moss; olives, wafer-biscuits, brandy-scrolls, &c.

The centre dishes may consist either of a savoy or an ornamental cake, on
an elevated stand—a group of waxen fruit, surrounded with moss—a melon, a
pine-apple, grapes, or a vase of flowers.

[Illustration: _Fig. 5._]

Each plate should contain a knife, fork, and spoon, with two
wine-glasses, arranged upon a d’oyley, as in _Fig. 5_. These are to be
placed before each guest; and a finger-glass, with cold water in summer,
and lukewarm water in winter, on the right of each plate; and grape
scissors, and melon knife and fork, before their respective dishes. Glass
bowls containing sifted sugar, with pierced ladles, or others filled with
cream, are to be placed near to the centre dish, if they are required.
A cut-glass jug, with a tumbler on either side, should be placed in a
convenient part of the centre of the table.

The wine, either cooled or not, should be placed at both ends of the
table, or at the bottom, if only a small party, the decanters being
placed in casters, though this fashion is now much abolished.

Zests are put down after the dessert is removed, and consist chiefly of
anchovy toasts, devilled poultry and game, and biscuits, gravy, toast,
grills, &c.

Coffee is the last thing served, and is generally handed round upon a
salver; after this, the gentlemen withdraw to the drawing-room.

TEA.—If after a dinner party, the tea is generally handed round by two
servants, the one having tea and coffee, with hot milk, cream, and sugar,
upon one tray; the other having thinly-cut and rolled bread and butter,
biscuits, and cake, upon another tray.

If served at an evening party or dance, a servant assists the guests,
as they arrive, to tea or coffee, which is ranged upon a side-table in
a small room. The tea and coffee occupy the two ends of the table, on
either side of the urn, which is placed in the centre and back. In front
of the urn are ranged the sugar-candy for coffee, sugar, hot milk, cream,
bread and butter, cake, and biscuits. When the guests have been assisted,
they are ushered into the presence of the host and hostess.

Tea, when only for a small party, may be brought in upon a tray, the tea
and coffee pots occupying the centre of the tray; the cups and saucers
the front; and the hot milk, cream, slop-basin, and sugar, the ends. The
urn is placed at the back of the tray; and the bread and butter, cut or
not, with cake, biscuits, muffins, crumpets, or toast, at the sides.

SUPPERS.—The great secret of laying out a supper consists in arranging
the china, glass, silver, linen, lights, confectionery, substantials,
trifles, flowers, and other articles, with a due regard to form, colour,
size, and material.

A supper table should neither be too much crowded, nor too scanty,
nor scattered and broken up with small dishes. Two dishes of the same
description should not be placed near to each other: dishes should not be
heaped up as if for a ploughman’s repast, but contain sufficient to make
them look well, without being over or under-done as regards quantity.

Hot suppers are now seldom served; for people dine later than they did
formerly; and besides being more expensive than cold ones, they also give
more trouble.

The centre of the table is generally occupied by an épergne, vase of
flowers, globe of fish upon an elevated stand, a plateau, or small
fountain; around which are arranged:—Dried, preserved, frosted, or
candied fruits; custards, jellies, and trifles, in glasses; and small
biscuits. The top and bottom of the table are furnished with game,
fowls, or meat; the sides have dishes of ham sliced; tongue, collared,
potted, hung, and grated; brawn, mock or real; savoury pies; lobsters;
oysters; dressed crab or cray-fish; prawn pyramids; sandwiches of ham,
beef, tongue, anchovy, or other savoury morsels; tarts, tartlets; cake,
biscuits; whipped and other creams; jellies, blancmange; caramel baskets;
patties, &c.




TRUSSING AND CARVING.


POULTRY AND GAME.

OBSERVATIONS ON TRUSSING.—Although in London the various articles are
trussed by the poulterer from whom they are purchased, yet it happens
that presents from the country are sometimes spoiled for want of a
knowledge of the following rules, both on the part of the mistress and
cook.

All poultry should be well picked, every plug, or stub, removed, and the
bird carefully and nicely singed with white paper. In drawing poultry
or game, care should be taken not to break the gall-bladder—as it would
spoil the flavour of the bird by imparting a bitter taste to it, that
no washing or any process could remove—nor the gut joining the gizzard,
otherwise the inside would be gritty.

OBSERVATIONS ON CARVING.—The carving knife for poultry and game is
smaller and lighter than that for meat; the point is more peaked, and the
handle longer.

In cutting up wild-fowl, duck, goose, or turkey, more prime pieces may be
obtained by carving slices from pinion to pinion without making wings,
which is a material advantage in distributing the bird when the party is
large.


A GOOSE.

TRUSSING.—Pick and stub it clean, cut the feet off at the joint, and
the pinion off at the first joint. Then cut off the neck close to the
back, leaving the skin of the neck long enough to turn over the back.
Pull out the throat, and tie a knot at the end. Loosen the liver and
other matters at the breast end with the middle finger, and cut it open
between the vent and the rump. Draw out all the entrails except the soul,
wipe the body clean out with a cloth, beat the breast-bone flat with a
rolling-pin, put a skewer into the wing, and draw the legs up close; put
the skewer through the middle of the leg, and through the body, and the
same on the other side. Put another skewer in the small of the leg, tuck
it close down to the sidesman, run it through, and do the same on the
other side. Cut off the end of the vent, and make a hole large enough for
the passage of the rump, as by that means it will keep in the seasoning
much better.

[Illustration]

CARVING.—Turn the neck towards you, and cut two or three long slices on
each side of the breast, in the lines 1–2, quite to the bone. Then remove
the leg by turning the goose on one side, putting the fork through the
small end of the leg-bone, and pressing it close to the body, which,
when the knife has entered at 4, raises the joint; the knife is then to
be passed under the leg, in the direction 4–5. If the leg hangs to the
carcass at the joint 5, turn it back with the fork, and it will readily
separate if young, but will require some strength if old. Take the wing
off by putting the fork into the small end of the pinion, and press it
close to the body; divide the joint at 3 with the knife, carrying it
along as far as 4. When the leg and wing on one side are taken off,
remove those on the other side.

To get at the stuffing, the apron must be removed by cutting in the line,
6, 5, 7, and then take off the merry-thought in the line, 8, 9. The
neck-bones are next to be separated as in a fowl, and all other parts
divided the same.

The best parts are the breast slices; the fleshy part of the wing,
which may be divided from the pinion; the thigh-bone, which may be
easily divided in the joint from the leg-bone; the pinion; and next,
the side-bones. The rump is a nice piece to those who like it; and the
carcass is preferred by some to other parts.

When assisting the stuffing, extract it with a spoon from the body
through the aperture caused by removing the apron; mix it with the gravy,
which should first be poured from the boat into the body of the goose,
before any one is helped.


GREEN GOOSE

Is trussed and carved in the same way, but the most delicate parts are
the breast, and the gristle at the lower part of it.


TURKEY.

TRUSSING.—When the bird is picked carefully, break the leg-bone close
to the foot, hang on a hook, and draw out the strings from the thigh;
cut the neck close off to the back, taking care to leave the crop-skin
long enough to turn over the back. Remove the crop, and loosen the liver
and gut at the throat end with the middle finger. Cut off the vent,
remove the gut, pull out the gizzard with a crooked wire, and the liver
will soon follow; but be careful not to break the gall. Wipe the inside
perfectly clean with a wet cloth, then cut the breast-bone through on
each side close to the back, and draw the legs close to the crop, then
put a cloth on the breast, beat the thigh-bone down with a rolling-pin
till it lies flat.

If the turkey is to be trussed for _boiling_, cut the first joint of the
legs off; pass the middle finger into the inside, raise the skin of the
legs, and put them under the apron of the bird. Put a skewer into the
joint of the wing and the middle joint of the leg, and run it through the
body and the other leg and wing. The liver and gizzard must be put in the
pinions, care being taken to open and previously remove the contents of
the latter; the gall-bladder must also be detached from the liver. Then
turn the small end of the pinion on the back, and tie a packthread over
the ends of the legs, to keep them in their places.

If the turkey is to be _roasted_, leave the legs on, put a skewer in the
joint of the wing, tuck the legs close up, and put the skewer through the
middle of the legs and body; on the other side put another skewer in at
the small part of the leg. Put it close on the outside of the sidesman,
and push the skewer through, and the same on the other side. Put the
liver and gizzard between the pinions, and turn the point of the pinion
on the back. Then put, close above the pinions, another skewer through
the body of the bird.

[Illustration]

CARVING.—The finest parts of a turkey are the breast, neck-bones, and
wings; the latter will bear some delicate slices being removed. After
the four quarters are severed, the thighs must be divided from the
drum-sticks, which, being tough, should be reserved till the last. It
is customary not to cut up more than the breast, but if any more is
required, to take off one of the wings; a thin slice of the forcemeat,
which is under the breast, should be given to each person, cutting in the
direction from the rump to the neck. A turkey is generally carved the
same as a pheasant; it has no merry-thought.


TURKEY-POULTS.

TRUSSING.—Separate the neck from the head and body, but not the
neck-skin. Draw the same as a turkey. Put a skewer through the joint of
the pinion, tuck the legs close up, run the skewer through the middle of
the leg, through the body, and so on the other side. Cut off the under
part of the bill, twist the skin of the neck round and round, and skewer
the head with the bill end forward; another skewer must then be put into
the sidesman, and the legs placed between the sidesman and apron on each
side. Pass the skewer through all, and cut off the toe-nails. Some lard
them on the breast. It is optional whether the liver and gizzard be used
or not.

CARVING.—They are to be carved the same as a turkey.


FOWLS.

TRUSSING.—Fowls must be picked very clean, and the neck cut off close
to the back. Take out the crop, and, with the middle finger, loosen the
liver and other parts. Cut off the vent, draw it clean, and beat the
breast-bone flat with a rolling-pin.

If the fowl is to be _boiled_, cut off the nails of the feet, and tuck
them down close to the legs. Put your finger into the inside, and raise
the skin of the legs; then cut a hole in the top of the skin, and put the
legs under. Put a skewer in the first joint of the pinion, and bring the
middle of the leg close to it; put the skewer through the middle of the
leg, and through the body, and then do the same on the other side. Open
the gizzard, remove the contents, and wash well; remove the gall-bladder
from the liver. Put the gizzard and the liver in the pinions, turn the
points on the back, and tie a string over the tops of the legs, to keep
them in their proper places.

[Illustration: _Boiled Fowl._]

If the fowl is to be _roasted_, put a skewer in the first joint of the
pinion, and bring the middle of the leg close to it. Put the skewer
through the middle of the leg, and through the body, and do the same on
the other side. Put another skewer in the small of the leg, and through
the sidesman; do the same on the other side, and then put another through
the skin of the feet, which should have the nails cut off.

[Illustration: _Roast Fowl._]

CARVING.—A fowl is cut up in the same way, whether roasted or boiled.
We have illustrated the method of carving upon the boiled fowl. Fix the
fork in the middle of the breast at 5, take off the wing in the direction
1–2, dividing the joint at 1. Lift up the pinion with your fork, and draw
the wing towards the leg, which will separate the fleshy part better
than by the knife; and between the leg and the body at 3 to the bone as
far as the joint; then give the knife a sudden twist, and the joint will
yield if the bird is young; repeat this on the other side, and then take
off the merry-thought in the line 2–5–4, by passing the knife under it
towards the neck; now remove the neck-bones by passing the knife in at
7 under the long broad part of the bone in the line 7–6; then lifting
it up, and breaking off the end of the shorter part of the bone, which
cleaves to the breast-bone. Divide the breast from the back, by cutting
through the tender ribs on each side, from the neck quite down to the
vent; turn up the back, press the point of the knife about half-way
between the neck and rump, and on raising the lower end it will separate
easily. Turn the rump from you, take off the sidesman by forcing the
knife through the rump-bone, in the lines 5–8, and when this is done the
whole fowl is completely carved.

The prime parts of a fowl, whether roasted or boiled, are the wings,
breast, and merry-thought; and next to these, the neck-bones and
side-bones; the legs are rather coarse; of a boiled fowl, however, the
legs are rather more tender than a roasted one; of the leg of a fowl the
thigh is the better part, and therefore when given to any one should
be separated from the drum-stick, which is done by passing the knife
underneath, in the hollow, and turning the thigh-bone back from the
leg-bone.


CHICKEN.

TRUSSING.—Pick and draw them in the same manner as you would fowls; but,
as their skins are very tender, plunge them into scalding water, and
remove when the feathers will come off readily.

If they are to be _boiled_, cut off the nails, notch the sinews on each
side of the joint, put the feet in at the vent, and then peel the rump.
Draw the skin tight over the legs, put a skewer in the first joint of the
pinion, and bring the middle of the legs close. Put the skewer through
the middle of the legs, and through the body; and do the same on the
other side. Clean the gizzard, and remove the gall from the liver; put
them into the pinions, and turn the points on the back.

If for _roasting_, cut off the feet, put a skewer in the first joint
of the pinions, and bring the middle of the leg close. Run the skewer
through the middle of the leg and body, and do the same on the other
side. Put another skewer into the sidesman, put the legs between the
apron and the sidesman, and run the skewer through. Having cleaned the
liver and gizzard, put them under the pinions, turn the points on the
back, and pull the breast-skin over the neck.

CARVING.—They are to be cut up the same as a fowl.


PHEASANT.

TRUSSING.—Pick them clean, cut a slit at the back of the neck, take out
the crop, loosen the liver, and gut the breast with the fore-finger; then
cut off the vent, and draw them. Cut off the pinion at the first joint,
and wipe out the inside with the pinion. Beat the breast-bone flat with
a rolling-pin, put a skewer in the pinion, and bring the middle of the
legs close. Then run the skewer through the legs, body, and the other
pinion, twist the head, and put it on the end of the skewer, with the
bill fronting the breast. Put another skewer into the sidesman, and put
the legs close on each side of the apron, and then run the skewer through
all. If you wish the cock-pheasant to look well, leave the beautiful
feathers on the head, and cover with paper to protect them from the fire.
Save the long feathers from the tail; and when cooked, stick them into
the rump before sending to table.

If the pheasants are for _boiling_, put the legs in the same manner as in
trussing a fowl.

[Illustration]

CARVING.—Fix the fork in the centre of the breast, just below the cross
line 6–7, you will then be enabled to hold the bird firmly. Slice down
the breast in the lines 1–2, and then proceed to take off the leg on one
side, in the direction 4–5, and the wing on the same side, in the line
3–4. Turn the bird over, remove the leg and wing of the other side, and
separate the slices previously divided on the breast. In removing the
wing, be careful to cut it in the notch 1, for if cut too near the neck,
as at 1–6, the neck-bone will interfere, from which, of course, the wing
must be separated. The merry-thought is now to be removed in the line
6–7, by passing the knife under it toward the neck. The remaining parts
are to be cut up in the same manner as a roast fowl.

The best parts are the breast, the wings, and merry-thought. Some give
preference to the brains, but the leg is the highest flavoured.


PARTRIDGE.

TRUSSING.—Partridges, and all kinds of moor-game, are to be trussed in
the same manner as pheasants.

[Illustration]

CARVING.—This bird is cut up in the same manner as a fowl, only, on
account of the smallness, the merry-thought is seldom divided from
the breast. The wings must be taken off in the lines 1–2, and the
merry-thought, if wished, in the lines 3–4. The prime parts are the
wings, breast, and merry-thought. The wing is considered best, and the
tip of it is esteemed the most delicate piece of the whole.


DUCK.

TRUSSING.—Ducks are trussed in the same manner as geese, except that the
feet must be left on, and turned close to the legs.

[Illustration: _Back of a Duck, trussed._]

CARVING.—Remove the legs and wings as directed before for a goose, and
cut some slices from each side of the breast. The seasoning will be
found under the apron, as in the other bird. If it is necessary, the
merry-thought, &c., can be detached in the same manner as when carving a
fowl.


WILD-FOWL.

TRUSSING.—Pick clean, cut off the neck close to the back, and, with the
middle finger, loosen the liver and other parts. Cut off the pinions at
the first joint; then cut a slit between the vent and the rump, and draw
them clean. Clean them properly with the long feathers on the wing, cut
off the nails, and turn the feet close to the legs. Put a skewer in the
pinion, pull the legs close to the breast, and run the skewer through the
legs, body, and the other pinion. Cut off the end of the vent, and put
the rump through it.

All kinds of wild-fowl are to be trussed thus.

CARVING.—Every kind of wild-fowl must be carved the same as a duck.


PIGEON.

TRUSSING.—Pick clean, take off the neck close to the back; then remove
the crop, cut off the vent, and draw out the entrails and gizzard, but
leave the liver, as a pigeon has no gall-bladder.

If for _roasting_, cut off the toes, cut a slit in one of the legs,
and put the other through it. Draw the leg tight to the pinion, put a
skewer through the pinion, legs, and body, and with the handle of the
knife break the breast flat. Clean the gizzard, put it under one of the
pinions, and turn the points on the back.

If for _boiling_ or _stewing_, cut the feet off at the joints, turn the
legs, and stick them in the sides, close to the pinions. If for a _pie_,
they must be done in the same manner.

[Illustration]

CARVING.—There are three methods of carving them:—1st, as a chicken; 2nd,
by dividing them down the middle; and 3rd, dividing them across, which is
done by fixing the fork at 1, and entering the knife just before it, then
cutting in the lines 1–2 and 1–3. The lower part is considered the better
half.


WOODCOCK, PLOVER, AND SNIPE.

TRUSSING.—If these birds are not very fresh, great care must be taken in
picking them, as they are very tender to pick at any time; for even the
heat of the hand will sometimes take off the skin, which will destroy
the beauty of the bird. When picked clean, cut the pinions in the first
joint, and with the handle of a knife beat the breast-bone flat. Turn the
legs close to the thighs, and tie them together at the joints. Put the
thighs close to the pinions, put a skewer into the pinions, and run it
through the thighs, body, and other pinion. Skin the head, turn it, take
out the eyes, and put the head on the point of the skewer, with the bill
close to the breast. _These birds must never be drawn._

[Illustration]

CARVING.—Woodcocks and plovers are carved the same as a fowl, if large;
but cut in quarters if small. Snipes are cut in halves. The head is
generally opened in all.


LARKS, WHEAT-EARS, AND ALL SMALL BIRDS.

TRUSSING.—Pick well, cut off their heads, and the pinions of the first
joint. Beat the breast-bone flat, and turn the feet close to the legs,
and put one into the other. Draw out the gizzard, and run a skewer
through the middle of the bodies. Tie the skewer fast to the spit when
you put them down to roast.

CARVING.—These birds may be divided down the middle, or given whole,
especially when small.


HARE.

TRUSSING.—Run a skewer through the two shoulders, at 2; another through
the head at 1, or pass it into the mouth and through the body, to keep
the head in its place; two others should be passed through the roots of
the ears, to keep them erect; and another through the legs at 3. The
inside of the ears should be singed out with a hot poker before roasting,
and the eyes extracted with a fork. Many people let a hare soak in cold
water all night before trussing, but a few hours is quite sufficient to
extract the blood.

[Illustration]

CARVING.—Insert the point of the knife inside the shoulder at 6, and
divide all the way down to the rump, on both sides, in the line 6, 7, 8,
which will separate the hare into three pieces. Sever the shoulders in
the direction 5, 6, 7, and the legs in a similar manner; as the latter is
too large for one person in a large hare, it should be divided from the
thigh. Now behead it, cut off the ears close to the roots, and divide the
upper from the lower jaw; then place the former on a plate, put the point
of the knife into the forehead, and divide it through the centre down
to the nose. Cut the back into several small pieces in the lines 9–10,
and proceed to assist, giving some stuffing (which is found below 10),
and, gravy to each person. This can only be done easily when the animal
is young; if old, it must be cut up as follows:—Cut off the legs and
shoulders first, and then cut out long narrow slices on each side of the
back-bone in the direction 7–8; then divide the back-bone into three or
more parts, and behead the hare as usual.

The prime parts are the back and legs; the ears are considered a luxury
by some, and so are the head, brains, and bloody part of the neck. The
best part of the leg is the fleshy part of the thigh at 8.


RABBITS.

RABBITS, whether for roasting or boiling, are trussed and cut up the
same as a hare, except that the back is divided into two or three parts,
without separating it from the belly. The best parts are the shoulders
and back; the head should not be given unless asked for.

All printed directions must fail without constant practice; yet with
practice, and due attention to the rules we have laid down, we doubt not
that many of our readers will speedily become good carvers.


DIRECTIONS FOR CARVING FISH.

As the manner in which joints, and other provisions are carved, makes
a material difference in the consumption and comfort of a family, it
becomes highly important to those who study economy and good order in
their domestic arrangements, to practise the art. We therefore recommend
them to study the rules we purpose laying down, and which we commence
with directions for carving fish. Our papers upon this subject will be
accompanied by excellent illustrations. It must be remembered that, in
carving, more depends upon skill than on strength; that the carving knife
should be light, and of moderate size, with a keen edge; and that the
dish should be so placed as to give the operator complete command over
the joint.

Fish is served with a fish-slice, or the new fish-knife and fork, and
requires very little carving, care being required, however, not to break
the flakes, which, from their size, add much to the beauty of cod and
salmon. Serve part of the roe, milt, or liver, to each person. The heads
of carp, part of those of cod and salmon, sounds of cod, and fins of
turbot, are likewise considered delicacies.

[Illustration: _Mackerel._]

MACKEREL.—Take off the head and tail by passing the slice across in the
direction of lines 1 and 2; they should then be divided down the back, so
as to assist each person to a side; but if less is required, the thicker
end should be given, as it is more esteemed. If the roe is asked for, it
will be found between 1 and 2.

Barbel, Carp, Haddock, Herring, Perch, Whiting, &c., should be assisted
the same as Mackerel; remembering that the head of the Carp is esteemed a
delicacy.

[Illustration: _Cod’s Head and Shoulders._]

COD’S HEAD AND SHOULDERS.—Pass the fish-slice or knife from 1 to 6 down
to the bone; then help pieces from between 1–2, and 3–4, and with each
slice give a piece of the sound, which lies under the back-bone, and
is procured by passing the knife in the direction 4–5. There are many
delicate parts about the head, particularly the oyster, which is the
cheek, below the eye; and a great deal of the jelly kind, which lies
about the jaws. The tongue and palate are considered delicacies, and are
obtained by passing the slice or a spoon into the mouth.

[Illustration: _Salmon._]

SALMON.—Give part of the back and belly to each person, or as desired.
If a whole salmon is served, remember that the choice parts are next the
head, the thin part is the next best, and the tail the least esteemed.
Make an incision along the back 9 to 10, and another from 1 to 2, and 3
to 4; cut the thickest part, between 5–6, 10–2, for the lean; and 7–8 for
the fat. When the fish is very thick, do not help too near the bone, as
the flavour and colour are not so good.

[Illustration: _Turbot._]

TURBOT.—Place the fish with the under part uppermost on the dish, so that
this may be assisted in preference. Make an incision from 1 to 2, and
another from 3 to 4; then cut from between as 5, 6, which is the primest
part. When the whole of this side is finished, assist the upper part,
raising the back-bone with the fork, while you use the fish-knife for the
flesh: this is more solid and less delicate. The fins are much esteemed.

BRILL, PLAICE, and flat fish generally are assisted in the same manner as
turbot.

SOLES may be assisted the same as turbot, or cut across the middle, bone
and all, so as to divide the fish into three or four parts; one portion
being given to each person.

EELS are usually cut into pieces about three inches long; and the
thickest part being most esteemed, should be given first.


NAMES OF THE VARIOUS JOINTS IN ANIMALS.

[Illustration: 1.—_Beef._

_Hind Quarter._

   1. Sirloin.
   2. Rump.
   3. Aitch-Bone.
   4. Buttock.
   5. Mouse-Buttock.
   6. Veiny Piece.
   7. Thick Flank.
   8. Thin Flank.
   9. Leg.
  10. Fore-ribs; 5 ribs.

_Fore Quarter._

  11. Middle-rib; 4 ribs.
  12. Chuck; 3 ribs.
  13. Shoulder, or Leg of Mutton Piece.
  14. Brisket.
  15. Clod.
  16. Neck, or Sticking Piece.
  17. Shin.
  18. Cheek.]

[Illustration: 2.—_Mutton or Lamb._

   1. Leg.
   2. Loin, best end.
   3. Loin, chump end.
   4. Neck, best end.
   5. Neck, scrag end.
   6. Shoulder.
   7. Breast.
   8. Head.

A Chine is two Necks. A Saddle is two Loins.]

[Illustration: 3.—_Pork._

   1. The Spare-rib.
   2. The Hand.
   3. The Belly or Spring.
   4. Fore-loin.
   5. Hind-loin.
   6. Leg.
   7. Head.]

[Illustration: 4.—_Veal._

   1. Loin, best end.
   2. Loin, chump end.
   3. Fillet.
   4. Hind-knuckle.
   5. Fore-knuckle.
   6. Neck, best end.
   7. Neck, scrag end.
   8. Blade-Bone.
   9. Breast, best end.
  10. Breast, Brisket end.
  11. Head.]

[Illustration: 5.—_Venison._

   1. Haunch.
   2. Neck.
   3. Shoulder.
   4. Breast.]


DIRECTIONS FOR CARVING JOINTS.

In assisting the more fleshy joints—such as beef, leg, or saddle of
mutton, and fillet of veal—cut thin, smooth, and neat slices; taking care
to pass the knife through to the bones of beef and mutton.

The carver would be saved much trouble, if the joints of carcass pieces
of mutton, lamb, and veal, were divided by the butcher previous to
cooking. If the whole of the meat belonging to each bone should be too
thick, a slice may be taken off from between every two bones.

In assisting some boiled joints, as aitch-bone or round of beef, remove
and lay aside a thick slice from the top, before you begin to serve.

[Illustration: _Edge or Aitch-bone of Beef._]

EDGE OR AITCH-BONE OF BEEF.—Cut off a slice three-quarters of an inch
thick, from the upper part, from 1 to 2; help in long thin slices. The
soft marrow fat lies below 3, at the back; the firm fat is to be cut in
thin horizontal slices at 4. Before sending to table, remove the wooden
skewers and insert _atelets_, which may be withdrawn when you cut them
down.

[Illustration: _Part of a Sirloin of Beef._]

SIRLOIN OF BEEF.—There are two modes of helping this joint; either by
carving long thin slices from 3 to 4, and assisting a portion of the
marrowy fat, which is found underneath the ribs, to each person; or by
cutting thicker, slices in the direction 1 to 2. When sent to table the
joint should be laid down on the dish with the surface 2 uppermost.

RIBS OF BEEF are carved similarly to the sirloin, commencing at the thin
end of the joint, and cutting long slices, so as to assist fat and lean
at the same time.

ROUND, OR BUTTOCK OF BEEF.—Remove the upper surface in the same manner as
for an aitch-bone of beef, carve thin horizontal slices of fat and lean,
as evenly as possible. It requires a sharp knife and steady hand to carve
it well.

[Illustration: _Brisket of Beef._]

BRISKET OF BEEF must be carved in the direction 1–2, quite down to the
bone, after cutting off the outside, which should be about three-quarters
of an inch thick.

[Illustration: _Shoulder of Mutton._]

SHOULDER OF MUTTON.—First cut down to the bone, in the direction of the
line 1, assist thin slices of lean from each side of the incision. The
best fat is found at 2, and should be cut in thin slices in the direction
of that line. Several delicate slices may be cut on either side of the
line 3, and there are some nice bits on the under-side, especially near
the shank and the flap. Some carve this joint by cutting long slices from
the knuckle to the broad end, which is in fact, an extension of line 3;
it is not an economical way. When sent to the table, the knuckle should
be bound round with writing-paper, or a knitted ornament, as for ham.

[Illustration: _Leg of Mutton._]

LEG OF MUTTON.—Wether mutton is esteemed most, and is known by a lump
of fat at the edge of the broadest part, 7. The finest slices are to
be obtained from the centre, by cutting in the direction 1–2; and some
very good cuts may be got off the broad end from 5 to 6. Some persons
prefer the knuckle, which, though tender, is dry; the question should
therefore be asked. By turning over the leg, some excellent slices may be
procured, especially when it is cold, by cutting lengthways, the same as
carving venison. The cramp-bone is another delicacy, and is obtained by
cutting down to the thigh-bone at 4, and passing the knife under it in a
semicircular direction to 3. The fat lies chiefly on the ridge 5. When
sent to table, it should have a frill of paper, or a knitted ornament
round the knuckle; and if boiled, should lie on the dish as represented
above, but should be turned over if roasted.

HAUNCH OF MUTTON consists of the leg and part of the loin, cut so as to
resemble a haunch of venison, and is to be carved in the same manner.

SADDLE, OR CHINE OF MUTTON.—This is an excellent and elegant joint,
and should be carved in long, thin, smooth slices from the tail to the
end, commencing close to the back-bone—a portion of fat being assisted
with each slice, which must be taken from the sides. It is carved on
both sides of the back-bone. Some carvers make an incision close to the
back-bone through its length, and cut slices cross-ways from thence. If
sent to table with the tail on, it may be removed by cutting between the
joint.

LOIN OF MUTTON is easily carved, as the bones are divided at the joints.
Begin at the narrow end, and take off the chops; some slices of meat may
be obtained between the bones, when the joints are cut through.

[Illustration: _Fore Quarter of Lamb._]

FORE QUARTER OF LAMB.—First separate the shoulder from the breast by
passing the knife in the direction 3, 4, and 5, then holding the shoulder
up with the carving-fork, sprinkle some salt and cayenne pepper on both
surfaces, and squeeze a lemon or Seville orange over them; add a small
piece of fresh butter, and replace the shoulder for a short time; then
remove it to another dish. The body should be divided by an incision, as
in 1, 2, so as to separate the ribs from the gristly part, and either
may be assisted, by cutting in the direction 6, 7. The shoulder is to be
carved the same as mutton.

LOIN OF LAMB, LEG OF LAMB, and SHOULDER OF LAMB, must be carved in the
same manner as mutton, for which see directions.

[Illustration: _Haunch of Venison._]

HAUNCH OF VENISON.—First cut it across down to the bone in the line
1–3–2, then turn the dish with the end, 4, towards you, put in the point
of the knife at 3, and cut it down as deep as possible in the direction
3–4, after which, continue to cut slices parallel to 3–4, on the right
and left of the line. The best slices are on the left of the line 3–4,
supposing 4 to be towards you; and the fattest slices are to be found
between 4 and 2.

LOIN OF VEAL should be jointed previous to being sent to table, when the
divisions should be separated with the carving knife, and a portion of
the kidney, and the fat which surrounds it, given with each division.

[Illustration: _A Breast of Veal Roasted._]

BREAST OF VEAL, ROASTED, should be divided into two parts by an incision
in the direction 1–2; then divide the brisket, or gristly part,
into convenient pieces, as 3–4, 5–6, and the ribs also, as 7–8. The
sweetbread, 9, may be divided into portions, or assisted whole; it is
more economical, however, to make a side dish of it, if you have a few
friends.

[Illustration: _A Fillet of Veal._]

FILLET OF VEAL is carved similarly to round of beef, in thin smooth
slices, off the top; some persons like the outside, therefore ask the
question. For the stuffing, cut deep into the flap between 1–2, and help
a portion of it to each person. The _atelets_ may be removed when you cut
down to them.

[Illustration: _Knuckle of Veal._]

KNUCKLE OF VEAL is to be carved in the direction 1–9. The most delicate
fat lies about the part 4, and if cut in the line 3–4, the two bones,
between which the marrowy fat lies, will be divided.

[Illustration: _A Roasted Pig._]

ROASTED PIG.—The pig is seldom sent to table whole, but is divided by
the cook, and served up as represented in the accompanying illustration.
First divide the shoulder from the body on one side, and then the leg in
the same manner; separate the ribs into convenient portions, and assist
a little stuffing and gravy with each. If the head has not been divided,
it must be done, and the brains taken out and mixed with the gravy and
stuffing. The triangular piece of the neck is the most delicate part
of the pig, the ribs the next best, and the ear is also regarded as a
delicacy.

[Illustration: _Leg of Pork._]

LEG OF PORK, whether boiled or roasted, is carved the same. Commence
about midway, between the knuckle and the thick end, and cut thin deep
slices from either side of the line 1 to 2. For the seasoning in the
roast leg, look under the skin at the thick end.

HAND OF PORK.—Cut thin slices either across near the knuckle or from the
blade-bone, the same as for a shoulder of mutton.

LOIN OF PORK is to be carved in the same manner as a loin of mutton.

A SPARE-RIB OF PORK is carved by cutting slices from the fleshy part,
after which the bones should be disjointed and separated.

[Illustration: _Ham._]

HAM may be carved in three ways; firstly, by cutting long delicate slices
through the thick fat in the direction 1–2, down to the bone; secondly,
by inserting the point of the carving knife in the circle in the middle,
taking out a piece as 3, and by cutting thin circular slices, thus
enlarge the hole gradually, which keeps the meat moist; and thirdly,
which is the most economical way, by commencing at the hock end 4–5, and
proceeding onwards. When used for pies, the meat should be cut from the
under-side, after taking off a thick slice. It should be sent to table
with a frill of white paper or a knitted ornament on the knuckle.

[Illustration: _Half a Calf’s Head Boiled._]

HALF A CALF’S HEAD BOILED should be cut in thin slices from 1 to 2, the
knife passing down to the bone. The best part in the head is the throat
sweetbread, which is situated at the thick part of the neck 3, and should
be carved in slices from 3 to 4, and helped with the other parts. If the
eye is wished for, force the point of the carving knife down on one side
to the bottom of the socket, and cut it quite round. The palate or roof
of the mouth is esteemed a great delicacy, and some fine lean will be
found on the lower jaw, and nice gristly fat about the ear. The brains
and tongue are generally sent to table on a separate dish; the centre
slice of the tongue is considered the best.

[Illustration: _A Tongue._]

TONGUE should be cut across nearly through the middle, at the line 1, and
thin slices taken from each side; a portion of the fat, which is situated
at the root of the tongue, being assisted with each.


                                 THE END.

       Sumfield & Jones, Printers, West Harding Street, Fetter Lane.

*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 78164 ***