September 18. COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION. 451 
The Ne Plus Ultra Yinaigre. —This is the name given 
to it by the party from whom I received the receipt in the 
vicinity of Bordeaux, in France. I believe it has never be¬ 
fore been in print. In addition to its fine refreshing flavour, 
it is an excellent stomachic ; and for those suffering from in¬ 
digestion, or dyspepsia, a most invaluable ingredient with all 
kinds of food. Take one quart of young Nasturtium seed, 
two flowers of the French Marigold, four sprigs of Tar¬ 
ragon, one Shallot, or a clove of Garlic, pound these in a 
mortar; when pounded, place them in a bottle, and add to 
them one quart of distilled White Wine Vinegar, cork the 
bottle, and let it remain in a warm (not hot) place for four¬ 
teen days; decant off the vinegar, and keep for use. I be¬ 
lieve it is not generally known, that for those troubled with 
flatulency and indigestion, a seed of Nasturtium, eaten be¬ 
fore breakfast, is a great relief. 
Sorrel. —This is an excellent vegetable to be eaten at 
this time of year by those suffering from scorbutic affections, 
or disease, and is very good to give to children, particularly 
those who partake largely of sweetmeats. It is cooked ex¬ 
actly like spinach, that is, boiled in plenty of water, with a 
little salt; it may then be chopped up with a little butter and 
served, and eaten with any roast joint. 
Sorrel-Sauce. — It should be cooked as above, then 
pressed with a wooden spoon through a hair-sieve ; then put 
into a saucepan with a little butter, pepper, and salt, and a 
little lemon juice, boiled and served under anything, that 
may be required, as lamb cutlets, sweetbreads, &c. 
Sorrel Soup. —Proceed as for the sauce ; but to every 
pint of sorrel add one quart of good beef gravy, in which 
has been boiled one onion, some parsley, one turnip, and a 
carrot; pass these through a sieve, like the sorrel, and add 
to it; put it in a saucepan and boil, adding one teaspoonful 
of sugar ; the gravy having previously been seasoned with 
pepper and salt. Serve with fried bread cut, into small 
sqUares, like dice, or with toasted bread. This is a most 
excellent soup for those suffering with diseases of the skin. 
In France, the Sorrel is boiled and mashed together before 
being taken to market, and is then sold by the pound 
weight; most tradesmen’s families at this time of the year 
partake of Sorrel in some form. The French, both young 
and old, being such lovers of sugar, find it peculiarly refresh¬ 
ing. Sorrel may likewise be served, like spinach, with 
poached eggs. 
Apple Pie with Pine Apple.— West Indian Pine Apples 
being plentiful at this time of the year, a small quantity 
being added to an apple-pie gives it a delicious flavour, 
similar, but superior, to the Quince.—G. W. 
A TOMB FOR THE MILLION. 
Of all the plans and propositions for securing a decent 
resting-place for the dead, without injurious effects to the 
living, I have seen none, in my opinion, at all likely for the 
million. I, therefore, take the liberty to lay the following 
ideas before the public, believing, that if carried out, the plan 
would answer the purpose. 
For instance, if a piece of ground was selected close to 
Watford Station, say 14,000 feet square, this would give 
room for 8,000,000 bodies, allowing seven feet in length by 
three-and-a-half feet in width for each ; and supposing it 
was enclosed by a wall fourteen feet in height, and allowing 
three feet in depth for each body, it would hold four in 
depth, and leave room for two feet of earth, above the twelve 
feet of concrete that I advise to imbed the coffins in. This 
alone would hold 32,000,000; and supposing thero was a 
set-off of 100 feet at the height of every fourteen feet, till 
it was reduced at the top to 200 feet square, it would reach 
about 1,000 feet in height, and hold upwards of 700,000,000. 
giving seventy noble terraces of all aspects, the lowest 50,000 
l'eet in length, and the highest 1,600, and all 100 feet in 
breadth, which would allow of thirty feet for gravel, and 
thirty-five feet on each side for turf, vases, flowers, &c. I 
would plant an avenue of Cedar of Lebanon , Ccdrus 
deodora, Common Yew, and Auracaria imbricata, on the 
lower terrace, and soon with the hardy varieties of Conifene 
with the other terraces, giving them ample room, so that 
the sun and air would not be obstructed, and also allowing 
room for Thorns, Laburnums, Lilacs, &c. &c. 
What a scope for tombs for all classes, and all descrip¬ 
tions of architecture, along the front of the terraces! The 
interior could also be turned to account to those that admire 
subterraneous caverns and gloomy halls to lay their dead. 
Those that prefer an unearthly effect would have scope here 
to their heart’s content; the gas, the bell, the organ, &c., 
could be made to work wonders for them. 
I would have a railway under the terrace walks to reach 
the top, with others to traverse it for convenience. When 
the pile was completed, the space could be used for tombs 
or kept as a railway, to carry visitors that wished to enjoy 
mountain air without personal inconvenience. 
My reason for saying Watford is, that it is an easy dis¬ 
tance from London, and with the exception of stone for the 
front of the terraces, the materials are on the spot—chalk 
to make lime, and gravel to mix with it to make concrete. 
There is also one consolation for the living—it is high and 
dry; and their feelings would not be hurt by seeing their 
dead friends placed in water, which is frequently the case 
in the churchyards in this country, which is certainly no 
honour nor credit to the clergy that have the charge and 
j benefit of them. 
In constructing the pile, I should have moveable frames, 
sufficiently large to allow room for the coffins, and about two 
j inches of peat charcoal, so that when the corpse was brought 
to the place of interment, it would only be necessary to 
lower them into the place allotted for them, and fill up the 
space with the charcoal, common soot, or burnt earth, and 
place slabs of concrete, which had been previously prepared, 
over the place. After the followers had left, it could be 
! made up with concrete to the height required ; and in cases 
where friends wished to lie near each other, the place could 
be left vacant, and be covered with slabs, as above, till 
wanted, which would allow of the whole assuming a finished 
appearance. 
I should have moveable chapels in connection with the 
railway, so that the burial service could be performed under 
cover. 
One pyramidal tomb, of 7,000 feet square, would hold 
90,000,000, and reach about 500 feet in height; one of 700 
, feet square, reducing the width of the terraces to 50 feet, 
j would hold 200,000, and reach about 90 feet in height; one 
; of 300 feet, reducing the terraces to 25 feet, and the top to 
i 100 feet square, would hold about 36,000, and reach about 
70 feet in height. Tombs on this principle would do away 
with disturbing the graves, at least for a much longer 
period; and, in my opinion, if established in places such as 
Watford, would enable companies to find a place for the 
dead, to convey the mourners there, and back at little ex¬ 
pense, and to realise a good remuneration for their capital. 
The purchase of the land would be the principle of the 
capital required, as the pile would progress only according 
to the interments, and, therefore, would be a ready-money 
affair. Why should not the railway companies carry out 
such a plan as the above—they have waste land enough ? 
J The London and North-Western, for instance, could bury 
• millions of bodies on this principle, without purchasing any 
land at Watford. 
Railway carriages for the dead ought to be so constructed 
as to admit two inches of peat charcoal all round them to 
prevent infection. 
Cemeteries, if carried out as the law now stands, will 
occupy a great part of the land, and become very expensive 
to keep in order. Indeed, the celebrated one at Kensal- 
green has already assumed the appearance of a common 
churchyard.—I). Ferguson, Stowe, Buckingham. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER versus MACLISE. 
In The Cottage Gardener (June 19), fault is found 
with Maclise’s picture, No. 78, of the Royal Academy’s 
Catalogue for the present year, because it is wanting in 
truth. The period is the fifteenth century; the country, 
France; but, snys the critic, “ neither the Passion-Flower, 
nor the Fuchsia are natives of France. * * * The 
Fuchsia was not known to Europeans until some thirty 
