230 On coarse Flow\ ^c, 



ed such high perfection in their capacity to manufac^ 

 ture superfine flour, the ship bread (in my estimation) 

 is, by no means so sweet and nutritive, as that made of 

 the ship stuff of former times. The oil and animahzed 

 matter of the coat or skin, correct the costive qualities 

 of the starch, or mucilage, and add to the aiimentan 



this discovery to me, some years ago. I was investigating 

 into a controversy brought before me, on the admiralty side 

 of the district comt, by some American seamen, who com- 

 plained against their captain, under the act of Congress giv- 

 ing one day's pay to eveiy mariner unnecessarily put on short 

 allowance during a voyage ; which in this case was from Am- 

 ^erdam* The principal allegation was that of having no 

 bread, wholesome, or fit for the sustenance of the crew. 

 Specimens were produced, by the seamen, of Dutch ship 

 bread; which, being such as we are not accustomed to see, 

 looked very forbidding. Curiosity induced me to taste one 

 of those which seemed the best. My attention was engaged 

 in, and my mind occupied by, an argument on the construc- 

 tion of a clause in the law. Unconscious' to my self of the 

 circumstance, I continued eating the bread, till the small 

 pieces exhibited were consumed. The counsel intermitted 

 his argument, on perceiving that the testimony had, unluckilv 

 for his client's allegation, disappeared. A sailor stepped 

 forward, under the apprehension of a discomfiture, with what 

 he called another witness ; — another piece of bread, probabh' 

 selected for the purpose. The mouldy and carbonaceous 

 appearance of this specimen, would have gone far to prove 

 the allegation. But having been before satisfied by other 

 circumstances, that the v/hole complaint was vexatious ; and 

 that the bread was generally such as was usually supplied to 

 the Dutch seamen ; I put an end to the ridicule of the trans- 

 action, as well as the controversy, by dismissing the suit* 



