94 Foreign Notices: — Russia. 



except the finer grits. Manna and Smolenskaia grits, when boiled in milk, 

 and sweetened with sugar, are most delicious ; and be not alarmed, I beg, at 

 the appearance of the dry fish : a little boiling will take out the wrinkles. The 

 most effectual way would be to get any Russian cook, if such is to be found 

 in London, to make the dishes ; or, perhaps, a cook might be found among 

 the Jews; but a Russian would be best. The operation is very simple ; and, if 

 you have eaten your porridge, as I suspect you have, you will understand me at 

 once, only substituting baking for boiling. The former is, in this country, an 

 easy matter, as every peasant must have an oven in his house to keep him 

 warm, and all the ovens are made in the form of a baker's. This is well ; but 

 my hope of rendering what 1 have said really useful is grounded on a renewal 

 of my former recommendation of sedulously cultivating bees, as their honey 

 will make many an insipid dish palatable, especially for children. Should the 

 care of a few hives be too much for a labourer's family, several families might 

 join, collect all their hives into one place, and get some old man, past the years 

 of working in the fields, to look after them ; and, if they cannot aiFord to pay 

 him, a parish pauper might be employed, whose little comforts might be in- 

 creased by occasional gifts either of money or of food. The number of hives 

 might be increased to any amount in the course of a very few years ; and, 

 besides bettering the situation of the family, the surplus honey and wax would 

 leave a little fund for domestic purposes. Bees, when once introduced, cost 

 nothing ; what they yield is clear profit; and, when the swarming season comes, 

 plenty of people will be found to join, under a leader, in the sport of collect- 

 ing them. 



There are many peasants in this country who have 200, and some even as 

 many as 500, hives, whence they draw a handsome revenue. The hives are 

 the rudest unaginable, being simply the trunk of a tree hollowed out. The 

 peasants here do not often destroy the bees ; when they take the honey they 

 fix an old sack to a hair sieve, and cover their face, neck, and shoulders with 

 it, the sieve serving as a visor, through which they can see to do their work. 

 They pass a ligature round their coats, at the wrist, to prevent the bees getting 

 up their sleeves, and defend their hands with gloves. They next create some 

 smoke in any vessel they have at hand, with which they drive the bees afield, 

 and, by holding it close to their persons, keep themselves from being incom- 

 moded. They then open the hive, cut out what they want ; and, on leaving it, 

 the bees return to their former occupations. The visor I used was similar to 

 a fencing mask, made of thin brass wire, with the pendent part of leather, 

 which forms an impenetrable defence to the head and upper part of the body. 

 Mead forms also a very pleasant drink, and would give zest to a Sunday's 

 dinner, if the taste for ardent spirits is not too predominant in the country. 

 Here some of the finest is sold as high as 2].d. the bottle. Mushrooms form 

 a considerable part of the food of the people here during the fasts ; but I do 

 not send a sample of them, as the population of England are too little ac- 

 quainted with their qualities to collect the proper sorts : here an accident is, 

 at least to me, unknown, though thousands and thousands of pounds of mush- 

 rooms are brought to supply the markets of all the towns in the country. I 

 presume there must be a surplus of hazel nuts in England, and that oil might 

 be manufactured there, and, perhaps, be of use. Mustard oil is excellent, and 

 may be used as a substitute for the better oils, where the price of the latter is 

 too high for the labouring men. Poppy oil might, I doubt not, be fabricated, 

 though the opium is extracted ; but the idea is theoretical, and experiment must 

 decide. The dried fruit I would recommend your trying at your own table, 

 stewing it till tender, and seasoning the dish with sugar. The pears may 

 require a little soaking, to take out the smoky smell, and to soften them. 

 The fritters in this country are made by mixing the ingredients with warm 

 water, or, much better, with warm milk, and adding a little yeast. When well 

 risen, the material is put into a frying-pan, and baked in a brisk oven (I doubt 

 not, a Dutch oven would serve), much on the principle of a Yorkshire pudding. 

 These fritters must be eaten hot, as soon as made. They may also be pre- 



