Expeditions to Afrita.— ^Improved Mode of making Bread. 465 



EXPEDITIONS TO AFRICA. 



Melancholy accounts have, we are sorry to say, been received^ 

 respecting these expeditions. There are two : — the one intended 

 to penetrate from Senegal through the Deserts to the Ijanks of the 

 Niger ; the other to proceed by steam-boats up the Congo, under 

 the idea that the former empties its waters into the Atlantic 

 through the latter great river, on the hanks of which the two ex- 

 peditions expected to meet ;— the former under the directions of 

 RIajor Peddie ; the latter commanded by Captain Tuckey, who 

 proceeded sooner than had been generally reported. Major Ped- 

 die was at Senegal the end of September. The following is an 

 extract of a letter from the agent to Lloyd's, dated Bahia, Oc- 

 tober 30 ; — " You will observe by the list herewith, the arrival of 

 the Congo and Dorothy, two ships fitted out on the coast of 

 Africa for a voyage of discovery ; they have put in here from the 

 opposite coast, in consequence of the sickly state of their remain- 

 ing crews, nearly two-thirds having died of the fever, including 

 the commander, first-lieutenant, and botanists." 



IMPROVED METHOD OF MAKING BREAD. 



Mr. Edmund Davy, of the Cork Institution, has communicated 

 th^ following important facts to the public in The Munster 

 Farmer's Mcgazine. 



" The carbonate of magnesia of the shops, when well mixed 

 with the new flour, in the proportion of from twenty to forty 

 grains to a pound of flour, materially improves it for the purpose 

 of making bread. Loaves made with the addition of the carbon- 

 ate of magnesia rise well in the oven ; and after being baked, the 

 bread is light and spongy, has a good taste, and keeps well. In 

 cases when the new flour is of indifferent quality, from twenty to 

 thirty grains of the carbonate of magnesia to a pound of the flour 

 will considerably im]m)ve the bread. When the flour is of the 

 worst quality, forty graiiis to a pound of flour seem necessary to 

 produce the same effect. 



" As the improvement in the bread from the new flour de- 

 pends upon the carbonate of magnesia, it is necessary that care 

 should be taken to mix it intimately with the flour, previous to 

 the making of the dough. 



" I have made a great number of comj)arative experiments with 

 dther substances, mixed in different proportions with the new 

 flour. Tbe fixed alkalies, both in their pure and carbonated state, 

 whenused in small quantitv, to a certain extent improve the bread 

 from the new flour ; but I have found no substance so cllicacious 

 In this respect as the carbonate of magnesia. 



" The greater number of mv experiments have been pciformcd 



Vol. IS. No. 221. Dec. l^lti. ii g on 



