﻿38 PEMICAN. 1847. 



been from the inexperience of the labourers, who 

 required to be trained, and from the necessity of 

 buying meat in the London market at a rate above 

 the contract price, occasioned by the bullocks 

 slaughtered b}^ the contractor for the naval force 

 at Portsmouth being inadequate to the supply of 

 the required number of rounds. Various tempo- 

 rary expedients were also resorted to in drying 

 part of the meat, the malt kiln and the whole 

 Clarence Yard establishment being at that time 

 fully occupied night and day in preparing flour 

 and biscuit for the relief of the famishing popu- 

 lation of Ireland. By the suggestions of Messrs. 

 Davis and Grant, the intelligent chief ofiicers of 

 the Victualling Yard, and their constant personal 

 superintendence, every difliculty was obviated. 



As the meat in drying loses more than three 

 fourths of its original weight, the quantity required 

 Avas considerable, being 35,651 lbs.*; and the sudden 

 abstraction of more than one thousand rounds of 

 beef from Leadenhall Market occasioned speculation 

 among the dealers, and a rise in the price of a 

 penny per pound, with an equally sudden fall 

 when the extra demand was found to be very 

 temporary, f 



* By drying this was reduced to about 8000 lbs. 



I Particulars of the estimated expense of pemican, manu- 



