PUBLISHED WEDNESDAYS AND SATURDAYS BY 7 OHM FFNNn \7« c. uir n c-td r c-t
7 iANo - ®9> HIGH.STRESI, BETWEEN SECOND AND THIRD STREETS, PHILADELPHIA.
[No. 65, of Vol. lII.]
LETTERS,
EARL OF DUN DONALD,
ON MAKING BREAD FROM POTATOES
A VARIETY of other business has put it oui
of my power ro have made all the experi
ments I could have wifljed, so as to leave nothing
to others but lo follow the directions and hints
fuggeited to them. Imp re (Ted, however, with
the importance of a fnbjeifl, which has for its ob
ject the more plentiful and cheaper supplying
mankind, particularly the lower clafles, with
food, I venture here to throw out fonie ideas on
the fitnefs of the potatoe, and its farina, to cer
tain uses not yet mentioned :—To which will be
added a statement of the value of an acre of po
tatoes, manufactured as recommended, and com
pared with the value of an acre of wheat.—
Whence it will not be difficult to forefee the ef
fect, that the more general cultivation of pota
toes, especially by cottagers, and manufacturers
residing in the country, will have, in keeping
down the price of provisions, adding to the ge
neral comfort of individuals, and in tending to
the increase oj population, which every where
thrives belt where food is to be had in abun
dance ; making true the old Roman faying, Sine
Baccho et Cerere frige: Venus.
Experiments have been made, with the finer
part of thepotatoe-powder, by myfelfand others,
to fubltitute it as a light, nutritive food, for lick,
tender, or convalescent persons, instead of fag'>
or falup ; which it very much refenibles, in the
fine clear jelly, or vegetable mucilage, it forms,
when mixed in a proper manner with boiling wa
ter. It may be taken with wine, milk, or broth.
—If found, on further trials, to be equally nu
tritive and reitorative, as I believe it to be, it
will prove a molt valuable addition to the sup
plies, which government have been so careful,
of late years, in fending to sea, for the use of
our seamen.
1 here is reason to believe, that it will not be
fubjed:, like wheat-flour, to fpuil, or to be de
ftroyed by infeifts ; and that it may bepreferved
found, for a length of time, in the warmed cli
mate.
The reasons which lead me to form the above
opinion, are, that it is homogeneous, and docs
not con fill; at two diftintf, and opposite fubftau
ces, as wheat-flour does : In which, when it be
gins to spoil, there may be supposed a chemical
action-os the one part on the other. Heat will
thereby be let loose, the original arrangement
of the parts will be altered, and the flour will
no longer be fit to be used for food, exclusive of
the final! infetiis, always found in bread, or in
flour, when in a decayed, or decaying (late. It
is probable, that potatoe-powder will not be lia
ble to thole inconveniences, from the reasons al
ready given.
Potatoe-powder does not occupy near the space
of an equal weight of wheat-flour. It is capable
of being made fully dry, by exposure to air. It
does not imbibe or absorb nioifture, as other meal
er flour does in datnp weather. It is extremely
cold to ]he touch ; or, in other wordsf a power
ful abftra<slor of heat from bodies to which it is
applied. These its properties seem to ensure,
a priori, its keeping in warm climates :—Where,
indeed, a similar flour, or powder, may be made
from the yam, and sweet potatoc :—perhaps to
greater advantage than from the potatoe produc
ed in this country.—A circumstance of no incon
fiderahle moment to the inhabitants of the Weft
India islands, who are totally fnpplied with flour
and grain from North America, and from Eu
rope.
Potatoe-powder is very inflammable. When
burning, it emits a fniell similar to burningfugar,
with an acid which sensibly effects the eyes, as is
the cafe likewise with sugar. From tliefe, and
other circumitances, I am led a priori, to fay,that
althoug sugar may not be made from potatoes,
at least, in the present state of our chemical
knowledge, yet, it is my opinion, that potatoe
powder may be n<ed to very great advantage in
making ardent spirits, by mixing it with the pro
portion of malted grain, commonly used with un
nialted grain at the distilleries. I think, also',
that the spirit will be much purer than what is
got from a mixture of malted and unmalted grain.
The defedt of which articles consist in their con.
taining too large a proportion of vegeto-anima)
BY THE
LETTER 2
Saturday, December 5, 1791.
matter, more than is neceff'ary, in the proceiles
of germination or malting ; and afli:iiilation for
forming a saccharine fubllance or juice. The
ftiperabundant proportion of vegeto-animal mat
ter is the reason why malt spirits acquire an em.
pyreumatic flavor from the tendency which it has
to be ailed on, by the great heat applied to the bot
tom of the still.
I have every reason to believe, that the process
of afimilation will succeed equally well with po
tatoe-flour, mixed with malted grain, as when
ground barley or other unmalted grain is made
use of; and that the spirit will be much purer.
If this, on trial, (hall prove to be the cafe, much
less wheat and barley will be consumed in the
manufacture of spirits : ofconfequence the price
of grain will fall, one of the objects which 1 have
in view, by communicating to the public what Is
stated in this and in the preceding letter.
1 row come to state some of the purposes to
which the liquor got from potatoes is applicable,
lit, It may be used as a nourilhing food, or li
quor for cows, lo as to make them in the winter
time give a much larger quantity of milk, the
milk richer, yielding more and better cream,
than the milk of cows fed on cabbages or tur
nips ; and free from the rank disagreeable taste,
and smell which milk from thence acquires.
The other life to which it is recommended to
apply the liquor got from potatoes, is in the pre
paration of vegetable fixed alkali, vulgarly called
pearl or pot ashes : from which it may be obtain
ed in large quantities. According to the expe
riments 1 have made, in a proportion from the
produce of a Scots acre of potatoes, rated at 40
bolls, of notlefs than 2cwt. of fixed alkaline fait.
The applying the superabundance of the pota
toe-liquor, or more than is requisite to give to
cows and cattle, to this last mentioned purpose,
will diminish our importations from abroad of
an article so indispensably neceflary to different
branches of manufacture.
Culrofs Abbey, Feb. 1791.
[letter 3, IN OUR NEXT.]
FOR THE GAZETTE OF THE UNITED STATES.
MR. FEN NO ,
If you will give this a place in your Gazette, you will
oblige a conjlaiit reader.
WHEN a wicked person is determined to
take offanot her by poison, it is always ne
cessary to the success of the design, that the poi
son should be concealed by being mixed, with
something that is good ; I observe that some of
your correspondents pradtice the fame art, in
administering their political poisons to the peo
ple ; for if you will examine their compositions
with care, you will find in many of them, amongst
a number of good sentiments some dangerous
ones concealed, tending to corrupt the political
sentiments of the people, and poison the very
sources of freedom.
One of your correspondents in your "Gazette
of the 2d ult. afFords a mod linking proof of the
justice of the above assertions ; for while he is
warmly advocating the great utility, and necef
fity of difFufing knowledge amongst the people,
and of the public opinion's being enlightened
and unprejudiced, by mifinformation, or misre
presentation—how strenuously does he endeavor,
to mislead and deceive the people, and that on a
point the most eflential to their freedom and
happiness, that is, refpeJiing the Constitution
and form of government they live under ; for
it must be evident to any one who will read his
observations, that he is endeavoring to establish
the opinion, th it we must form our judgment of
the nature of the constitution by the operations
of the government, an opinion than which no
thingcan be more delusive or dangerous to liberty.
and prosperity of a people under
a government, may be a proof of good adminif
tration—but is no proof of a good constitution ;
for it is allowed by all that an absolute monar
chy, if there be a wife and good monarch at the
head of it, may make a people very happy and
prosperous ; but would our men of worth and
talentj endeavor to persuade us from this to adopt
that system of government. These zealous in
formers of mankind, while they propagate this
sentiment, mean rather to deceive,than to inftrutft;
to blind, than to enlighten, to mifinform, rather
than to inform the public mind. I hey wifli us
blindly to transfer that confidence which we
have in our rulers, to the constitution itfelf—but
249
[Whole No. 271.]
if thayhope for this, they mufl indeed think we
want enlightening—for the worst form ofgovern
menc oil earth may chance to have good men a:
the head of it, and while that is the cafe it liiav
operate well. Theßaftile in France would have
been an harmless building, had it never been
made use of for bad purposes ; the pernicious
effedts of poison are not experienced while it re
mains corked up in the apothecaries vial, nor
can we feel the evils of a bad government, while
the dangerous powers of it are not put into ope
ration ?
Tho' the above was not designed for my Oppo.
nent, yet he may take some part of it, fori think
it will suit his performance very well : but I can
not take leave of liini without congratulating
hiai very sincerely upon the success of my little
eflay ; for it has clearly converted one foul from
idolatry, to the acknowledgment of a divine
Providence. A RESPONDENT.
L O N D O JS, September 21.
The Spanifli edicts refpeciting foreigners have
undergone repeated modifications, and are now
reduced to a simple oath of fubmiflion to the
King and the laws during the reildence of the
person taking it in Spain.
Their Majesties the Emperor and Emprefi of
Germany made their public entry into Prague
on the 3d inftai)t.
The Count d'Artois also arrived at the fame
time ; but not with a view [o afiifl at the ceremo
ny of the coronation, for, accompanied by the
Prince of Naflau, he set off the fame day to Ha
nau, on his journey from Pilnitzto Coblentz.
It was remarked, that during the stay of the
Emperor and his Pruffiavi Majelty at Pilnitz, the
Minifler of France to the Eletftor of Saxony ap
peared neither ac that place nor even at Dresden,
when the augull company came there to alfiit ac
the meeting.
On the 27th of Augufl: the Count d'Artois had,
in the apartment of the King of Prussia, a con
verfatiou of two hours and a half Em
peror and his Prussian Majesty. After this con
versation, the Count d'Artois having retired, the
two Monarchs continued in conversation for a
whole hour.
After the conferences at Pilnirz, on the even
ing of the fame day, when the company had
reached Dresden, there aflembled, after supper,
in the apartment of the Emperor, the King of
Prussia, the Count d'Artois, Field Marlhall Count:
de Lafcy, Baron de Speilinann, M. de Calonne,
and Major General de Biflchofswerder. The
conference laited till half paftone o'clock in the
morning, when the Emperor continued liis route
for Bohemia.
By the llegifters of Cadiz and Lisbon, the im
portation of gold and silver from South America,
upon an average, is five millions annually. Of
this above a million is brought every year into
England, in return for the manufactures Tent to
Spain and Portugal, independent of raw mate
rials, wine, fruit, fait, &c. obtained from these
countries. Thus it happens from the superior
industry of the British manufacturers, and the
spirit of enterprise among the merchants, that
the mines of Mexico, Peru, and Brazil, produce
more solid advantages to this country, than they
do to the Spaniards and Portuguese.
Hostilities between the Moors and Spaniards
have already begun by an attack made by the
former 011 Ceuta, which has turned out luccefs
fullyfor the Spanilh arms.
The Moors cannonaded the place, and damaged
some of the works : but the besieged made a sortie
and spiked up the cannon of the enemy.
bmice John, the African Prince, is arrived
here ft otn Sierra Leona. His business to this
country appears chiefly to be refpefting the
Slave Trade. He has met with a very cordial
reception in this city, and particularly among
the gentlemen who with for the abolition of the
Slave Trade.
Yesterday accompanied by Mr. Clarkfon and
other gentlemen, he dined with Samuel Frederick
Milford, Esq. To day he dines with T. Hill, Esq.
His visit hereengrofles a great part of our pre
fentconverfation—He has displayed great disgust
again it his former traffic in huinan o flefh. Yes
terday a gentleman in conversion, observed
him pull out his watch, begged to know how
much lie gave for it in Guinea ? <•' Oh ! I give
I give—what I never give more." What might
that be Prime John ? " On! I give a fine boy."