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animadverfion. Nor is this to be wondered at. 

 The culinary art depends almofl entirely on che- 

 mical principles, and every profefled cook may in 

 fome meafure be confidered as a pra6lical chemift; 

 and the kitchen, the laboratory wherein are daily 

 performed various chemical procefles highly im- 

 portant to health. The principles of chemiftry 

 therefore ought to be well underflood by thofe who 

 pra6life cookery, and particularly by fuch as under- 

 take to inftrud others in the art. But where fhall 

 wc find cooks competent to the talk? or even a 

 j&ngle book on the fubjecSb that does not betray 

 the author's ignorance, not only of the chemical pro- 

 perties of the various fubflances, but alfo of the 

 veflels and apparatus employed. From this caufe 

 proceed many dangerous miftakes and inaccuracies. 

 Thefe from time to time are copied by fucceeding 

 writers, perhaps equally enlightened as their prede- 

 cefTors, and are thus tranfmitted through various 

 new impreflions. Hence wc every where meet with 

 error and inconfiftency, blended with inftrudlion ; 

 and thefe pervade all their works. 



It is curious to remark, that in the introdudory 

 part of thefe complete Treatifes on Modern Cookery, 

 the reader is generally very gravely admonifhed 

 againft the ufe of veffels made of copper, brafs, 

 and other dangerous materials — that vinegar and 



fait 



