#108] 
profitas might encourage his making 
it for sale at such a reduced price as 
should encourage the purchaser to 
take it. 
Nov. 5. Mr. William Cramp, 
keeper of the house of correction at 
Lewes, Sussex, gave an account of 
the mode of making starch from 
horse-chesnuts. He put the ches- 
nuts first in water to swell them till 
they burst, then took off the skin, 
_ and grated thekernel into fresh cold 
water. When that was done, he 
strained it through a coarse strainer 
or cheese-cloth, rinsing the pulp 
well with fresh water, and then 
strained it again through a very fine 
Strainer to take off the internal skin, 
or little thin red film next to the 
kernel. The strainer cannot be too 
fine for this second straining; for’ 
starch will get through where 
water does. It was then left to set- 
tle five or six hours till the starch 
was effectually settled at bottom. 
The water in which it was settled 
was poured off, and fresh water put 
on it, and all stirred up again, and 
left to settle a second time, serving 
it in that manner two or three times, 
till the starch was bleached quite 
white; and, after it had again efiec- 
tually settled, the last water was 
poured off, and it was put upon 
boards to dry. The whole process 
jn summer, when the weather is fine 
to dry it outof doors, may be finished 
in four days, and the starch will be 
fit to box up. It is better to dry it 
in the open air than on a stove, as 
the stove would probably dry it 
too fast, and affect the colour, which 
was also the case unless the chesnut 
was very clean of the inside skin. 
The whole expence is in grating 
and breaking the kernels; and that 
of making 5lb. of starch would not 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 179%. 
exceed. Is, 6d. One gallon of chese 
nuts was enough for experiment. 
Mr. C. imagines that acorns would / 
answer the same purpose, and might 
be ground along with the chesnuts, 
but he had not tried. The process 
of making starch from chesnuts and 
potatoes is exactly the same; anda 
bushel of the: latter; at 56lb. the 
bushel, will make about 6b. 4 oz 
of starch. 
The first report from the select / 
committee, appointed to take into F 
consideration the present high price — 
of corn, printed Nov. 19, 1795, 
states the firstand most obvious mode 
of supplying the deficiency to be by 
the importation of grain from fos 
reign ports, by the restoraffn of the 
trade on corn toits natural channel, 
with the additional encouragement 
of a bounty of 20s. per quarter on 
wheat, and a proportionate bounty 
per barrel of flour from Europe 
south of Cape Finistere, or the ports 
in the Mediterranean-or Africa, till 
the quantity of wheat and flour to- 
gether shall equal 3,000,000 quars 
ters, a bounty of 15s. per quarter on 
a certain quantity of wheat, and 
10s. per quarter on all exceeding 
it from the other ports of Europe; 
and from America; and of 5s: 
per quarter, and in proportion on 
flour of Indian corn. A proclama- 
tion prohibiting the exportation 
and encouraging the importation 
from Feb. 13, 1795, until the expir- 
ation of six weeks from the com- 
mencement of the next session of | 
parliament. The report on the 
assize of bread, Nov. 9, 1795y 
was that the old standard bread, 
made of flour the whole produce of 
the wheat, and weighing three 
quarters of the weight of wheat, 
would tend to prevent many incon- 
veniences 
