No. 144.] 363 



Hon. R. S. Livingston in the cliair. Henry Meigs, Secretary. 



The Secretary read the following papers, translated or selected 

 by him, viz : 



SOYER'S GOOD COOKERY FOR POOR FOLKS. 



The London Athenseum for September, 1854, contains a useful 

 paper showing M. Soyer's efforts in that matter. 



He recommends nettles, which can be had for nothing, and fol- 

 lowing his directions, when cooked, are as good as spinach. He 

 says that the plainest dishes can be made (with economy) to sa- 

 vour of the richest dishes. The great Duchess of Marlborough 

 owed some of her power over the great duke, her husband, to the 

 daintiness of the dishes of omelette which she cooked for him. 



Talleyrand is said to have remarked that England had oub 

 hundred and twenty religions^ but only one sauce, and that was 

 melted butter ! It is supposed to have been said long before the 

 time of the cunning Bishop of Autun, by one who added, that 

 there was in England nothin g 'polished but steel, and her only ripe 

 fruit was " baked apjjlesP^ Mr. Soyer gravely (gravy ly) says, 

 that he was near the truth, but that he should have told, at the 

 same time, how to engraft 119 sauces upon the original one. It 

 is a fact, tliat with our one sauce, butter, we often spoil both our 

 dinner and stomach, and offend other senses besides. It reminds 

 of Qaeen Elizabeth's remark on the anointing at her coronation. 

 " The oil is grease, and smells nasty." 



Soyer insists that we must begin our good eating of meats by 

 proper methods of rearing animals. He was horror struck with 

 the nastiuess of the pig pen. Hogs should be washed as clean as 

 a lady, and kept so, to be' good meat, and wholesome too. 



Sam. Patrick, in his edition of the Colloquies of Erasmus, says, 

 " Omnes fere gentts Europeanse prseter nos, lavant manus ante- 

 quam discumbunt " 



Almo>t all European nations (except us) wash their hands' 

 before iliey sit d(jwn (o dinner, so that only eighty yeais ago we 

 were self acknowledged, the dirty nation. 



