332 VR. CHASE'S RECIPES. 



Inch space from the kettle — the rim around the cover does this. To show the 

 real value of the old English plum pudding, I take my first one from the New 

 York Times, as related by a sailor — the second mate on a ship from New York 

 to Liverpool — in which case, of course, even the half of the Christmas plum 

 pudding saved (?) the ship and quickly brought all safely to their desired 

 haven. Note well the instructions given in the receipt part of the item, aa they 

 will all be found correct and worthy to be followed, on land as well as on the 

 sea. I take the item from the Detroit Free Press, but it originated with the 

 Times, as credited above. It is as follows: 



English Plum Pudding.— It was about the stormiest voyage I ever 

 see. We left the Hook on November 5, 1839, in a regular blow, and struck 

 worse weather off the Banks (New Foundland), and it grew dirtier every mile 

 we made. The old man was kind of gruff and anxious like, and wasn't 

 easy to manage. This ain't no Christmas story, and ain't got no moral to it. I 

 was second mate and knowed the captain pretty well, but he wasn't sociable, 

 and the nearer we got to land according to our dead reckoning (for we hadn't 

 been able to take an observation) the more cross-grained he got. I was eating 

 my supper on the 24th, when the steward he comes in, and says he, " Captain, 

 plum pudding to-morrow, as usual, sir? " It wouldn't be polite in me to give 

 what that captain replied, but the steward he didn't mind. All that night and 

 next day, the 25th of December, it was a howling storm, and the captain he 

 kept the deck. About 3 o'clock Christmas day dinner was ready, and a 

 precious hard time it was to get that dinner from the galley to the cabin on 

 account of the green seas that swept over the ship. The old man, after a bit, 

 came down, and says he, "Where's the puddin'?" The steward he come in 

 just then as pale as a ghost, and says he showing an empty dish: "Washed 

 overboard, sir." It ain't necessary to repeat what that there captain said. 

 Kind of how it looked as if the old man had wanted to give himself some 

 heart with that pudding, and now there wasn't none. I disremember whether 

 it wasn't a passenger as said "that, providing we only reached port safe, in 

 such a gale puddings was of no consequence." I guess the old man most bit 

 his head off for interfering with the ship's regulations. Just then the cook 

 he came into the cabin with a dish in his hand, saying: "There is another 

 pudding. I halved 'em," and he sot a good-sized pudding down on the table. 

 Then the old man kind of unbent and went for that pudding and cut it in big 

 hunks, helping the passenger last, with a kind of triumphant look. He hadn't 

 swallowed more than a single bit than the first mate he comes running down, 

 and says he: "Lizard Light on the starboard bow, and weather brightening 

 up." "How does she head?" "East by north." "Then give her full three 

 points more northerly, sir, and the Lord be praised." And the captain, he 

 swallowed his pudding in three gulps, and was on deck, just saying, "I 

 knowed the pudding would fetch it," and he left us. We was in Liverpool 

 three days after that, though a ship that started the day before us from New 

 York was never heard of. This here is the receipt for that there pudding: 



Take six ounces of suet, mind you skin it and cut it up fine. Just you use 

 the same quantity of raisins, taking out the stones, and the same of currants ; 

 always wash your currants and dry them in a cloth. Have a stale loaf of 

 bread, and crumble, say three ounces of it. You will want about the same of 

 sifted flour. Break three eggs, yolks and all, but don't beat them much. Have 

 a teaspoonful of ground cinnamon and grate half a nutmeg. Don't forget a 

 teaspoonful of salt. You will require with all this a half pint of milk — we 

 kept a cow on board of ship in those days — say to that four ounces of white 

 sugar. In old days angelica root candied was used; it's gone out of fashion 

 now. [Angelica grows all over the United States, as well as Europe, has 



