414 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



February ^th, 1856. 



Present — Messrs. Clapp, Livingston, Pardee, Frye, Judd, 

 Chilson, Dr. Shelton, of Jamaica, Dr. Waterbury, Benjamin Silli- 

 man, Esq., of Westchester, Mr. Leonard, Mr. Chambers, Mr. 

 Riggs, President Pell, and others — twenty-seven members. 



Hon. Eobert Swift Livingston in the chair. 



Henry Meigs, Secretary. 



The Secretai-y read the following papers, translated and pre- 

 pared by him, viz : 



La Presse of Dec. 23, 1855, from Mr. A. B. Archibald, of the 

 Institute, relative to the use of the horse-chesnut for food, viz : 



" In our paper of the 10th of June last we gave an account of 

 the experiments of Mr. H. de Callias, as to making the horse- 

 chestnut wholesome food. He obtained results which enable us 

 to express hopes that these chesnuts which are now trodden 

 under foot, to be made useful food for society, as was the view 

 of the celebrated Parmentier. The flour making from horse- 

 chesnuts is in full activity at this time, and with a success be- 

 yond all expectation. Not only is the flour made as cheaply as 

 that from potatoes, but at least a tenth more of flour is made. 

 Starch made of it is as fine as that from wheat, and those Avho use 

 it say it has more body. We recall to mind that working in pure 

 water takes away all the bitter contained in the horse-chesnut, 

 and thus converts it into flour fit for food. It is used by adding 

 37 per cent, of it to wheat flour for bread making, and it makes 

 excellent bread. It makes grits, which some pastry cooks have 

 mistaken for tapioca ; and as to its nutritious property, the learn- 

 ed Beaume says, that it is as heavy and has more starch in it 

 than the potato. When we recollect the enormous quantities of 

 wheat flour and potatoes which are used up by our bleaching, 

 paper-making, cloth-making, distilling, &c., every year, we see 

 the great advantage of the use of the flour-chesnut. It would be 

 no exaggeration to say that this new invention will greatly benefit 

 society. A premium of 10,001) francs was offered by the Belgian 

 government for a nutritious substance other than our ordinary 

 grains. M. Callias may claim it. Another idea, no less useful, 

 is that the fallen leaves of that tree may be subjected to pressure, 

 and thus be converted into solid fuel." 



AMERICAN GUANO ISLANDS. 



The members will recollect that some time ago Martin E. 

 Thompson (an old and valuable member of the Institute) intro- 



