16 



this was clone either by boiling it in earthen pots 

 adapted to tlie purpose, or roasting it in hot sand, an 

 operation which rendered it lighter and less viscous. 

 But not satisfied with preparing it in this mode, 

 which has always been the most usual among nations 

 emerging from the savage state, they proceeded to 

 make of it two distinct kinds of meal, the parched, 

 to which they gave the name of murque^ and the raw, 

 which they called rugo. With the first they made 

 gruels, and a kind of beverage whicii they at present 

 use for breakfast instead of chocolate ; from the se- 

 cond they prepared cakes, and a bread called by them 

 couque^ which they baked in holes formed like ovens, 

 excavated in the sides of the mountains and in the 

 banks of the rivers, a great number of which are still 

 to be seen. Their invention of a kind of sieve, cal- 

 led chignigiie, for separating the bran from the flour, 

 affords matter of surprise ; that they employed 

 leaven is, however, still more surprising, as such a 

 discovery can only be made gradually, and is the 

 fruit of reasoning or observation, unless they were 

 led to it by some fortunate accident, which most 

 probably was the case when they first began to make 

 use of bread. 



From the above mentioned grains, and the berries 

 of several trees, they obtained nine or ten kinds of 

 spiritous liquor, which they fermented and kept in 

 earthen jars, as was the custom with the Greeks and 

 Romans. This refinement of domestic economy, 

 though not originating from actual necessity, appears 

 to be natural to man, in whatever situation he is 

 found J more especially when he is brought to live m 



