1836.] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



145 



Pope, however, has well remarked, that "envy 

 will Ibllow merit like its shade." INlany minds 

 were incapable of lakinij in the extent of opera- 

 tions, which to their feeble comprehensions seem- 

 ed theoretic and Utopian. Tliere was too mnch 

 uprootintr ofold prejudices not to excite detraction 

 and invidious surmises; and these feelinfrs were 

 necessarily asirravated by the circumstance of its 

 beini'- requisite to reu)ove many fi'om their humble. 

 and rude, and unambitious, yet ancestral dwellinfjs, 

 to give scope lor what sceptics set down as mere 

 experimental speculations. Attacks, on this score, 

 were made upon Sir John, even in some of" the 

 Enslish newspapers. But to more than counter- 

 balance the iirnorance and ingratitude regardino; 

 the character of a great man, which these mani- 

 fested, he was presented in 1811 (when his plans 

 had received "ample room and verge enough"' for 

 practical application,) with an address from the 

 Magistrates of Tinirso, "acknowledging with gra- 

 titude, that, amidst other pursuits of a more ex- 

 tensive tendency, the improvement of his native 

 county had been the peculiar object of his care and 

 attention." Previous to this, the Lord Lieutenant 

 and Freeholders o( Caithness had tendered him a 

 vote of thanks for having carried through so many 

 measures, which had proved "a solid foundation 

 for the future prosperity of the county." Before 

 leavmg this part of our subject, it is pleasing to 

 add the testimony of one of the great living orna- 

 ments of the Scottish bar, to the merits of the 

 eubject of this bioijraphy. Mr. Forsyth, in his 

 dedication to Sir Joim Sinclair of the fifth volume 

 of the Beauties of Scolfand — that containino; the 

 Account of Caithness — eulogises him in the fol- 

 lowing terms: — "Sir, this volume is respectfully 

 addressed to the distinguished promoter and patron 

 of the important art to which nations owe their 

 subsistence; of whom, in future times, it will be 

 said, that he found means to diffuse among man- 

 kind a larger portion of useful knowledge than had 

 been accomplished by any individual of his own, 

 or of any former age." VVe make no commenta- 

 ry on these sentiments so true in themselves, and 

 so simply, yet beautifully, expressed. On the one 

 hand, it must have been delightful to know, that 

 the merited subject of such a panegyric was of his 

 own nation and generation; and, on the other, it 

 must have been no small gratification to be thus 

 made aware, that the philanthropic labors, in- 

 tended for the good of all mankind, were at least 

 appreciated by the wise and good among them. 



Prom the Arcana of Science, for 1836. 

 CHE3I1CAL COMPOSITIOIV OF JBUOTIIS. 



The erroneous notions entertained bj^ many re- 

 specting the administration of soups and broths, as 

 articlesof nourishmentto uivalids, mayderive some 

 corrections from such investigations as the follow- 

 ing: — Five hundred grains of meat, deprived of 

 bone, fat, and tendon, were put into a litre and 

 half of distilled water, and gradually brouglit to 

 the boiling point, and continued so for five hours, 

 renewing the water as it evaporated. The decoc- 

 tion had the odor of soup, an agreeable taste, and 

 j-ellowish color, contained 12 parts in 1,000 of ani- 

 mal matters, and 3 parts in 1,000 of inorganic : 

 spring water, containing sulphate and carbonate 



Vol. IV.-19 



of lime, afforded a broth of less odor, and inferior 

 taste. VVhen the meat was put into boilinnr water 

 at once, the proportion ofanimal matter in solution 

 was les^, ami the broth inferior to that obtained by 

 heating gradually. The dificrence in flavor of 

 broths appears to depend more upon the nature 

 and proportions of the saline than the animal in- 

 o-redients. In boilin<T meat in the usual manner, 

 the albumen is partly dissolved before the temper- 

 ature is raised to the degree at which it coagu- 

 lates, when the remaining portion is partly coag- 

 ulated, rises in scum, and partly dissolved in the 

 water ; the cellular membrane is partly dissolved, 

 but some of it remains in a more or less indura- 

 ted condition. The fibrine of the muscle is har- 

 dened, but none of it is dissolved, and if it was not 

 for the cellular membrane, albumen, and oil be- 

 tween the fibres, would prove a refractory article 

 of diet. The fat remains partly entangled in the 

 meat, and partly floats at top ; the flavor of broths 

 arises from it in a considerable degree : much 

 change is effected by evaporation, decomposition, 

 and new combinations, during protracted boiling, 

 and volatile parts upon which the flavor princi- 

 pally depends bring dissipated. These experi- 

 ments were instituted to determine the nature of 

 the peculiarities of broths obtained from the dried 

 extracts of meat, called portable soups ; and from 

 the results, as well as from common experience, it 

 may be inferred, that the most palatable and suit- 

 able broths or soups for convalescents, requiring 

 oreat care as to delicacy of diet, may be obtained 

 by soaking the meat for some time, at a low tem- 

 perature, and setting aside the solution, to which 

 should subsequently be added the stronger broth 

 obtained by adding fresh water to the meat, and 

 continuinff the boiling; or palatable broths may 

 be made with little delay by macerating the meat 

 for a short time, in warm water, and adding jelly, 

 previously prepared, in such quantity as may be 

 advisable.* 



From tliO Arcana of Science. 



METHOD OF DESTROYING MICE, &C., 1^' THEIR 

 LURKIKG PLACES. 



M. Thenard, in 1882, submitted to the Aca- 

 demy of Sciences a plan for destroying noxious 

 animals, when they have taken refuge in their 

 hiding places. The instrument of destruction is 

 su!j)huretted h3-drogen, which he had remarked to 

 be peculiarlj' deleterious to animal life. Animals, 

 when allowed to breathe the pure g^s, fall down, 

 as if struck wi'h a bullet. Even when considera- 

 bly diluted with atmospheric air, the efl'ects are 

 deadly. A horse dies in less than a minute, in 

 air containing ^W of this gas. A dog of mode- 

 rate size is speedily killed in air containing j-^rn^, 

 while a greenfinch expires in a few seconds, in 

 air possessing y^^Vo of sulphuretted hydrogen. 

 Influenced by these facts, the French chemist pro- 

 posed the employment of this gas to several indi- 

 viduals for the purpose of extirpating: noxious ver- 

 min, but his suggestions beinir treated with indif- 

 fcence, he determined to put the method in prac- 

 tice by his own experiments. 



* From a report of M. Chpvreul to the Royal 

 Academy of vSciences, noticed in tlie Journal de Phar- 

 macie ; and translated in the Dublin Journal, No. 23. 



