194 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
June 16. 
“ N. B. That sallets may be so mix’d, as to be hot and 
moist, hot and dry, temperate, &c., as for example, onions 
and cucumbers being mixed together, viz., double the 
quantity of cucumbers as of onions, the one being cold and 
moist in the second degree, and the other hot and dry in the 
fourth degree. 
“This mixture moderates the opposite natures of both, 
and causes them together to be of a temperate quality, and 
the like of all others. 
“ The best dishes to dress sallets in are china dishes, on 
account that the oil and vinegar are disagreeable to both 
silver and pewter.” 
“ The Oxoleon. 
“ Take of clear and perfect good oyl olive three parts; of 
sharp vinegar, lemon, or juice of orange one part; and therein 
let steep some slices of horse radish, with a little salt, and 
some in vinegar alone; gently bruise a pod of Guinea-pepper, 
straining both the vinegars apart, to make use of either, or 
of both as they best like. Then add as much good dry 
mustard grated as will lie upon an half-crown piece, beat 
and mingle all these very well together; but pour not on the 
oyl and vinegar, till immediately before the sallet is ready 
to be eaten; and then with the yoke of two new laid eggs 
boil’d, squash and bruise them all into a mash with a spoon: 
and lastly, pour it all upon the herbs, stirring and mingling 
them till they are well and throughly imbib’d, not forgetting 
the sprinkling of aromatick flowers that are in season, as 
well as thin slices of red beet, horse radish, berberries, &c.” 
Such were the preparatives, but modern authorities 
differ somewhat from this salad-dresser to George II, in 
their compounding of the Oxoleon, or Oiled-acid, for the 
howl. So accurately should this he prepared, that to 
please some fastidious palates, we have known one in¬ 
variable guest that had not an accomplishment beyond 
his skill in salad-making. In a still earlier day, “ when 
statesmen shrank as Junius plied the lash,” the popular 
salad-dresser received his guinea for one mixing, and 
rolled to his toils in his chariot .just before the appointed 
hour on which the howl of acid, oily, green, salt, savory, 
and insipid, was needed for the side-board. 
The judgment of the compounder of such contra¬ 
rieties was not confined merely to the preparation of 
the Oxoleon; a point quite as grave and as difficult, 
was to apportion and select the herbs. Here, again, 
all modem authorities arc silent; hut not so Batty 
Langley, for he, who had a genius sufficient for the 
apportionment of a palace, found no difficulty in meting 
out the ingredients of a salad-howl. He decrees that of 
Com Sallet —the proportion to he mingled in the howl 
“ is double the quantity of any other sallet herb eaten 
in composition;” of Garden and Water Cresses, “three 
times the quantity of any other kind of sallet herb 
used therein;” of Fennel, “in an indifferent sallet 
about ten of the young shoots;” of Lettuce, if the 
sallet “ be composed of three kinds of herbs, one- 
third part; if of four kinds one-fourth, and so on;” 
of Rampion, “when a sallet is composed of five, six, 
or more sorts of herbs, and of each a Pupil (that 
is, as much as is generally taken up with the thumb 
and two fingers), to such a sallet we generally add 
twelve roots, and of the seed leaves, or tender to])S, 
an equal quantity with any other herb, Radish ex¬ 
cepted ;” of Rochet, “ if the sallet is composed of cooling 
herbs, there may he one pugil or equal quantity;” of 
Celery (Sellery of Langley), “ the number of roots eaten 
in a sallet is generally about five or six; when of other 
kinds, there is hut a pugil of each; ” of Sorrel, “ the 
usual quantity is a fourth part when the sallet is com¬ 
posed of four kinds of herbs, a fifth when of five, and so 
on;” of Tarragon, he observes, that if well mixed in a 
sallet, it gives an agreeable relish to the compound, 
“ although some cannot endure any part of it in a 
sallet. When a sallet is composed of six or seven sorts 
of herbs, and of each a pugil, to them may be added 
about twenty-five large leaves of Tarragon. ’ 
Mr. Langley gives similar directions relative to many 
more “ delectable sallet herbs,” but with this we must 
close our list; hut, as we have said, that modern autho¬ 
rities differ as to the desirable proportions of “ the 
Oxoleon,” we will conclude with the usual recipe thus 
given in verse by the Rev. Sidney Smith,— 
“ Two boil’d Potatoes, pass’d through kitchen sieve, 
Smoothness and softness to the salad give. 
Of mordant Mustard add a single spoon, 
Distrust the condiment that bites too soon ; 
But deem it not, thou man of herbs, a fault 
To add a double quantity of salt. 
Four times the spoon with oil of Lucca crown, 
And twice with vinegar, procur’d from town— 
True flavour needs it, and your poet begs 
The pounded yellow of two well-boil’d eggs. 
Let onions' atoms lurk within the bowl, 
And, scarce suspected, animate the whole. 
And, lastly, in the flavoured compound toss 
A magic spoonful of Anchovy sauce. 
O ! great and glorious !—O ! herbaceous treat! 
T’would tempt the dying anchorite to eat; 
Back to the world he’d turn his weary soul, 
And plunge his fingers in the salad bowl.” 
An advertisement having invited “ Nurserymen, Gar¬ 
deners, and others, exhibitors at the Royal Botanic 
Horticultural Shows,” to meet, and “ to receive, aud 
mako suggestions relating to the Exhibitions of 1854,” 
this meeting took place on the 8th instant, Mr. hair- 
bairn presiding as chairman. Of what then occurred, 
we have received this report. 
“ The Chairman briefly explained the object of the 
Meeting. He had called them together, to know if they 
would agree to strengthen Mr. Marnock’s hands in 
laying before the Council the result of that Meeting. 
The exhibitors were aware, that in order to create a 
greater interest in the public mind, in favour of the 
exhibitions, it had been mooted, that, instead of having 
three exhibitions of one day each, there should he three 
exhibitions of two days each; aud Mr. Marnock would, 
on the part of the Council, endeavour to meet the extra 
expenses the exhibitors would be put to, and propose to 
fit up a hothouse, in which to place the orchids and 
stove plants during the intermediate nights. 
“ Mr. Fraser, of Lea Bridge, gave some further ex¬ 
planations about the facilities and arrangement that 
Mr. Marnock would make to render the matter agree¬ 
able to the exhibitors. 
“An Exhibitor said, that he feared the employers of 
gardeners would object to so many days being devoted 
to showing; hut one or two replied, that they had 
already asked the question, and their employers assented 
to the additional days. 
