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Fig. 20. An Indian family preparing Tapioca. The woman is poisoning an arrow with the juice which exudes from the bag containing the Tapioca.

and is entirely consumed in the body in maintaining its animal heat. Arrowroot, however, and the other forms of starch, are frequently mixed with nutritious matters, such as milk and bread; and in this way the food into which they enter becomes nutritious.

constituent, their flavour is very different; | Now, starch does not perform this function, hence the preference given to arrowroot as an article of diet. This flavour depends on some peculiar principle which is produced in the plant from which the starch is obtained, and by very careful preparing can be entirely got rid of. Arrowroot is used for making cakes, puddings, and a thick gelatinous fluid in great request in the sick room. It is a property of starch to combine with water at a temperature of 180°, and form a gelatinous compound. This property of starch renders it very useful in cookery, and seems to increase the digestibility of the starch itself.

Arrowroot is frequently regarded as very nutritious; but, if what we have stated above is correct, it will be seen that it is not nutritious in the proper sense of that word. Those foods can alone be called nutritious that contribute to the building up of the fabric of the body by adding those materials to the tissues which are being constantly removed by the wear of the body.

Still, it may be said, that children become fat when fed on arrowroot; and this is an undoubted fact. The explanation is, however, easy. When the carbonaceous substances are taken into the system in larger quantities than can be consumed in maintaining animal heat, they are changed in their characters, and become converted into oil, which being deposited in the tissues, produces fat. This oil is not a living part of the body; and a person may even get fat without having his frame nourished, or his strength increased. This is an important fact to bear in mind, as many persons get fat upon certain kinds of diet, without getting any stronger, or more able to perform the functions of the body.

Another form of starch, sold in the shops of Europe, is sago. It occurs in little round masses, and, when very white and pure, is called pearl sago. When it is in larger and darker masses, it is called common sago. It is starch obtained from the inside of the trunks of palms, and other trees. They are cut down, and the tissues containing the starch being scraped out, the sago is prepared in much the same way as arrowroot. Many plants yield starch in their stems, which, on being prepared, is called sago by Europeans. The sago which is sold in the shops of England is principally imported from the islands of the Indian Archipelago, and is the produce of a palm called the true sago palm, or Sagus lævis. There is, however, another palm belonging to the same genus, the Sagus Rumphi (the prickly sago palm), which yields the sago that is consumed by the natives of India.

Sago is not generally so carefully prepared as arrowroot, and it is a much cheaper article of diet. Its ultimate action is perfectly the same as arrowroot. It is now often employed by starch makers to procure the finer kinds of starch used by manufacturers. When thus prepared, it is used to adulterate arrowroot.

Tapioca is another form of starch. It is brought to Europe from South America, and is the produce of a plant known to botanists by the name of Janipha manihot. It is a poisonous plant, and the Indians, in the countries where it grows, extract a poison from it, which they use to poison their arrows before they obtain the starch. The mode of preparing the tapioca is seen in the accompanying sketch. The roots of the plant, after it is dug up, are bruised and placed in a bag, to allow the juice to drain out, which is collected in a vessel, into which the Indian plunges his arrow, so as to poison its point. After the root is drained, it is taken out of the bag, and submitted to a process such as we have described for preparing arrowroot. Cassava, which is eaten by the natives, is procured from the same plant, but is prepared in a different way from tapioca. The starch of tapioca does not differ in chemical composition from that of sago and arrowroot, and it is used in the same way, and for the same purposes.

There are many other well-known plants which owe their dietetical properties to the starch they contain; amongst these we may mention the potato, the carrot, the turnip, the parsnip, the cabbage, the Jerusalem artichoke. From any of these, starch might be prepared. There is a plant in our hedges, known to children in the spring of the

year by the name of "lords and ladies," and commonly called "cuckoo-pint." This plant, the Arum maculatum of botanists, contains an acrid juice; but, nevertheless, its roots are full of starch. When cooked, the acridity of the plant is got rid of, and they are eaten with impunity. These roots

Fig 21-Arum maculatum-CUCKOO-PINT. are employed in making the substance called Portland sago; which is the starch separated from the rest of the matter of the plant. This sago is used for the same purposes as the other kinds of sago.

To these notices of plants yielding starch, we may add the Orchis mascula, which is a common plant of our meadows, the roots of which form the substance called salep. When it is boiled, it forms an agreeable article of diet, which, before the introduction of tea and coffee, was very generally used in this country. It is now almost entirely disused in Great Britain; those, however, who visited the Great Exhibition, and looked over the articles of diet exhibited in the Persian section, found there many specimens of salep, indicating that this humble plant still supplies portions of the human family with food.

ANTIPATHIES.- It is said that Lord Bacon swooned at each eclipse of the moon; Scalager trembled in every limb at the sight of watercresses; Brahe nearly expired at the sight of a fox; Uladislaus, of Poland, ran from the sight of apples; Ariosto shuddered at the sight of a bath; Carden at the breaking of an egg; Cæsar at the crowing of a cock; Erasmus took a fever whenever he smelled fish; Mary of Medicis and the Cardinal Gardono from the odour of a rose.

DOMESTIC HINTS AND RECEIPTS.

FURNISHING.-It is a great mistake to crowd a room, and it is also an extravagance which brings no good return. In Paris apartments appear to much more advantage at much less cost. Looking-glasses are usually fixtures in the suites of rooms, thus preventing dilapidations of the walls on removal. If in beginning life the money often so disadvantageously spent in articles that encumber, rather than improve a dwelling, were deposited for accumulation, with such after-additions as were found practicable, the foundations of future independence would often be laid.

WASHING LACE.-I have lately used the following method of washing lace, face collars, or crochet collars, and find that it not only makes them look well, but saves much of the wear and tear of other washing:-Cover a glass bottle with calico or linen, and then tack the lace or collar smoothly upon it; rub it with soap, and cover it with calico. Boil it for twenty minutes in soft water; let it all dry together, and the lace will be found ready for use. A long piece of lace must be wound round and round the bottle, the edge of each round a little above the last, and a few stitches to keep it firm at the beginning and end will be found sufficient, but a collar will require more tacking to keep it in its place.-S. S. B.

THE USE OF SILK.-Silk is an agreeable and healthy material, Used in dress, it retains the electricity of our bodies; in the drapery of our rooms and furniture covers, it reflects the sunbeams, giving them a quicker brilliancy, and it heightens colours with a charming light. It possesses a cheerfulness of which the dull surfaces of wool and linen are destitute. It promotes cleanliness, and will not readily imbibe dirt. Its continually growing use by man, accordingly, is beneficial in many ways.

How To BUY THOSE THINGS THAT ARE TO BE WORN-One of the most important departments of household economy is to know how to buy those things that are to be worn. The deceptions that are practised in the manufacturing world render it extremely difficult to form a correct judgment of almost every kind of human production; consequently, a few hints to purchasers of such articles of wearing apparel as are almost in daily use will enable them to detect the qualities of many things that are spurious, and yet submitted to them as genuine :

Stockings-It is almost the universal practice to judge of the goodness of stockings by examining the calf, as it is called, and makers take care that they shall be stoutest in that part. An intending purchaser should take the strength of the foot, and especially the heel, for his guidance. Another deception is resorted to in making the stockings have a stout appearance, and this is not so easily detected. The bleachers use stoves, in which they burn brimstone, and it is this that imparts that stiffness which is frequently felt on handling new stockings.

Fustians. When you look at a piece of fustian in a shop, smell it; and if it be indifferent material, you will find it very offensive, while the good well-made article is quite the reverse.

Woollen Cloth.-In the manufacture of coarse woollen cloth, it is common to introduce quan

tities of fuller's earth, and to finish the pressed side with fine oil, so as to give the cloth a delicate, soft, and smooth appearance. It is advisable never to make choice of cloth that is glossy and stiff.

Muslins. No one ought to buy a piece of muslin that appears highly glazed, thick, or stiff'; as to give it these qualities the bleacher has resorted to the use of pipeclay, and other deteriorating ingredients. When this kind of muslin is washed, it is poor, thin, and rough; the fibres of the cotton, instead of being dressed off, as was formerly the case, serve only to hold the composition with which it is stiffened. It is also a prevailing practice to cover very thin muslins with the pulp of paper, to deceive the ignorant.

Lace.-Formerly, lace was made upon cushions, &c., and no person was afraid of tumbling it about; nay, the more it was tossed, the better it looked; but now that machinery is employed, instead of making it from real good double thread, large quantities are made from single cotton; and to make it look clear and fine, it is stiffened with starch, and no sooner is it washed than it falls to pieces. In some articles of lace, particularly veils, many of the sprigs and flowers are so contrived as to be only put upon the lace with gum, so that when they become wet, the sprigs and other adornments fall off, to the great disappointment of the wearer.

These are things which are very necessary to be known by all those who have to do with the management of a household.

To SWEETEN WINES.-To 15 gallons of wine put half a pound of dry ground mustard-seed, and a small handful of clary flowers; put it in a linen bag, and sink it to the bottom of the cask.

COLDS.-The variable nature of our climate renders us peculiarly liable to cold, and at this season especially, we should take such measures as lie within our power to prevent it. As nothing then disarranges the economy of a household more than sickness, often having its origin in cold, we would recommend to those who are in the habit of visiting much, or travelling, the regular use of the cold bath, or sponging with cold water in winter as well as sunimer. Sir Astley Cooper was wont to make his boast that he had escaped colds for thirty years by this simple means, occupying, perhaps, not more than five minutes every morning. It is hardly safe, however, unless the person be uncommonly healthy, to commence the practice, in all its extent, in cold weather: but partially, it may be commenced at any season, by the most delicate. We would recommend, then, to all who are much exposed to visiting and travelling, washing, sponging, or laving the temples, neck, and bosom with cold water, both on going to bed and getting up in the morning. The practice, indeed, ought to be extended to the feet and limbs, and the arms and shoulders. The very exercise which this operation gives, imparts a healthy, cheerful tone to the spirits, whilst it quickens the circulation, gives a colour to the countenance, and spreads a general glow over the whole of the animal machine. The only precaution requisite is to do it quickly, and to instantly rub the parts with a dry cloth till they become agreeably warm. The constitution will thus become fortified against attacks of catarrh and consumptive coughs.

THE HIVE,

THE TRUE WAY TO RISE IN THE WORLD.It is only by plodding active habits of industry that we can hope to win our way through life. The race may be arduous, but it is one which will well repay the competitor. Barrow justly says, "A noble heart will disdain to subsist like a drone upon honey gathered by others' labour; like a vermin to filch its food out of the public granary; or, like a shark, to prey upon the lesser fry; but will rather outdo his private obligations to other men's care and toil, by considerable service and beneficence to the public; for there is no calling of any sort, from the sceptre to the spade, the management whereof with any good success, any credit, any satisfaction, doth not demand much work of the head, or of the hands, or of both." Milton, who, during an active life in the most troublesome times, was unceasing in the cultivation of his understanding, thus describes his own habits:-"Those morning haunts are where they should be, at home, not sleeping or concocting the surfeits of an irregular feast, but up and stirring; in winter, often ere the sound of any bell awake men to labour or devotion; in summer as oft with the bird that first rouses, or not much tardier, to read good authors, or cause them to be read, till the attention be weary, or memory have its full fraught: then with useful and generous labours preserving the body's health and hardiness, to render lightsome, clear, and not lumpish obedience to the mind, to the cause of religion and our country's liberty." Any man who does not profit by such noble example is an enemy to the public weal, and is consequently lost.

FACTS ABOUT MILK.-Cream cannot rise through a great depth of milk. If milk is therefore desired to retain its cream for a time, it should be put into a deep narrow dish; and if it be desired to free it most completely of cream, it should be poured into a broad, flat dish, not much exceeding one inch in depth. The evolution of cream is facilitated by a rise, and retarded by a depression of temperature. In wet and cold weather the milk is less rich than in dry and warm; and on that account more cheese is obtained in cold than in warm, though not in thunder weather. The season has its effects-the milk in the spring is supposed to be best for calves, in summer it is best suited for cheese, and in autumn the butter keeping better than that of summer. Cows less frequently milked than others give rich milk, and consequently much better. The morning's milk is richer than the evening's. The last drawn milk of each milking, at all times and seasons, is richer than the first drawn, which is the poorest.

METHOD OF ASCERTAINING THE STATE OF THE LUNGS.-Persons desirous of ascertaining the true state of their lungs are directed to draw in as much breath as they conveniently can; they are then to count as far as they are able, in a slow and audible voice, without drawing in more breath, The number of seconds they can continue counting must be carefully observed. In a consumption, the time does not exceed ten, and is frequently less than six seconds; in pleurisy and pneumonia it ranges from nine to four seconds. When the lungs are in a sound condition, the time will range as high as from twenty to thirty-five seconds.

CHANGES OF THE KALEIDOSCOPE.-The following curious calculation has been made of the number of changes this wonderful instrument will admit. Supposing the instrument to contain twenty pieces of glass, &c, and that you make ten changes in each minute, it will take the inconceivable space of 462,880,899,576 years and 360 days to go through the immense variety of changes it is capable of producing, amounting (according to our frail idea of the nature of things) to an eternity. Or, if you take only twelve small pieces, and make ten changes in each minute, it will then take 33.264 days, or 91 years and 49 days, to exhaust its variations.

THE ORDEAL OF WATER.-The ordeal of fire and water was frequently resorted to by the Ameers in the absence of direct proof. In the latter ordeal the accused was lowered into a well, placing his head under water; at the very moment, a strong man shot an arrow as far as it would go, and another ran to pick it up. If the accused could remain under water till the arrow was brought back, which was signalised by the shaking of a rope, he was declared innocent; but if he raised his head a moment before that, he was pronounced guilty.-Narrative of a Residence at the Court of Meer Ali Moorad.

CHESS.-When the game of chess was first invented, the Emperor of China sent for the inventor, and desired him to teach it him. The Emperor was so delighted with the game, that he told the inventor whatever he should demand should be given him as a remuneration for his discovery. To which he replied, that if his Majesty would but give him a grain of corn for the first square of the chess-board, and keep doubling it every cheek until he arrived at the end, he would be satisfied. At first the Emperor was astonished at what he thought the man's modesty, and instantly ordered his request to be granted. The following is the sum total of the number of grains of corn, and also the number of times they would reach round the world, which is 360 degrees, each being 69 miles:-18,446,743,573,783,086,315 grains; or, 3,883,401,821 times round the world.

IMPORTANT TO LADIES.-In the reign of Henry IV. the female costume seems to have been very gorgeous; and the legend of a knight, recounted by a father to his daughters, to deter them from extravagance in dress, has some significance even in the present day. The hero of the tale lost his wife, and applied to a hermit to know if her soul had taken an upward or a downward direction. The good man, after prayer, fell asleep in his chapel, and dreamed that he saw the soul of the lady weighed in a balance, with St. Michael on one side and the devil on the other. In the scale which contained the soul were placed the good deeds of her life, and in the opposite one her evil actions, and beside the scale lay her fine costly clothing in the care of a fiend, the evil one. This woman had ten diverse gowns, and as many coats, and you well know that a smaller number would have been sufficient for everything necessary, and that with the value of one of these gowns or coats no less than forty poor men might have been clothed and kept from the cold, and that the mere waste cloth in them would have saved two or three from perishing. So the foul fiend gathered up all her gay garments, rings, and jewels, and flung them into the scale with her evil actions, which instantly preponderated.

FAMILY COUNCIL.

this quiet place, its inhabitants still retained many of their simple habits, and had escaped the follies and formalities which the influx of travellers had

LADIES AND Gentlemen of THE COUNCIL.-introduced among the population of the larger The Conglomerations received this month are very superior to your previous productions of this kind. It is evident that the species of composition wanted is better understood. Some of the specimens would do no discredit to practised writers. We have the words cleverly combined in various forms; the best of the regular essays is by Nina Gordon, on "Ambition;" the best of the moral sketches is Rosa F.'s "Wasted Moments," really an excellent bit of instruction; the best of the comic papers are "The Lost Pleiads," amusing "Colloquy of a Bachelor," and "Mr. Augustus Mac Stony's Continental Tour." Old bachelors are certainly very legitimate subjects for humourous satire, and we heartily wish they may be so hard-pressed as to make their escape as soon as possible into a more social condition, The first of the rhyming papers are Rolando's "Home," in which are a few good lines, and much excellent feeling, but little knowledge of the structure of verse. D. M. R., this month, is not up to the mark of our accomplished Council.

The descriptive narratives decidedly take the

lead in merit. We are sure the one we have published will meet with approval and admiration. There are now before us several others quite as good: the most striking are by Emma Butterworth, A. G., Hope C-., and Snow, whose picturesque and terse writing we much like.

In conclusion, we thank the Council for their endeavours to do justice to this fascinating and instructive exercise, which undoubtedly improves

n their hands.

CONGLOMERATION.

RECOLLECTIONS OF NORWAY.

Some time back I received an invitation to visit Norway. As I had often wished for an opportunity of witnessing home life in that country, I eagerly accepted the call, and arrived at the house of my cousin in the month of June, 185-. The village where he resided was a small naval station, situated on the borders of the Christiania fjörd, and surrounded on all sides by singularly wild and beautiful scenery. On a bright summer's day, when the reflection of the clear blue sky tinged the waters of the fjörd with a celestial hue, and toned down the harsh tints of rock and sombre pines, transforming the wild character of the landscape into one of so peaceful an aspect, that the eye never wearied at gazing on its beauties. The descendants of the courageous old Vikings had not inherited the talent for making the most of their ground, for a more straggling little place could hardly be seen-each proprietor fixing his dwelling where fancy dictated. Some electing the top of a hill, others the lowest spot to be found. The houses were generally built of pine logs, neatly squared, and laid one apon another, with layers of moss between them; each crack and crevice being well stuffed with the same material. These gaily-painted tenements, with their slanting roofs, reminded me of those houses we see in children's toy-boxes. Although the inroads of fashion were stealthily asserting their sway in

towns. With few exceptions they were a welleducated, agreeable class of persons, whose chief pride was centred in their dockyard. Small as the buildings appeared to my English eyes and English notions, they were looked upon by the Norwegians as places of immense importance. No loyal subject came within a few miles of the dockyard without obtaining an order through a friend to inspect its wonders. The entrance was guarded by a sentinel, whose only occupation during the weary day was to turn his sword into a weapon of warfare against stray dogs and inquisitive little boys. During the summer months there were constantly pic-nies to some fertile islands in the fjörd, and pedestrian excursions to the most picturesque spots in the neighbourhood; these, combined with other simple pleasures, served to enliven the scene and make the days glide pleasantly along. At the close of September, when the ladies were busily occupied in preparing and preserving their provisions for the approaching winter, most of the families kept indoors. I took advantage of this temporary lull to commit to memory some of the rules in my Danish grammar, which served to while away the time until the return of some frigates from their cruise along the coast of Spain and Italy caused some fetes to be given in honour of their officers.

The

At last one of them

A piercing north wind announced the approach of winter; the intense cold seemed to penetrate into every corner of the house, notwithstanding the precaution of double doors and windows. snow fell thickly on the frozen earth, and, for a few days, we were prisoners in the house. When the ground was sufficiently covered with snow, a cumbrous plough, in the form of a whale's jaw, drawn by six horses moved slowly along the road, hardening, as it passed over, the soft snow into a firm path. As soon as the weather permitted, sledges were ordered, and the spot on which a few days ago the stillness of death brooded, now became the scene of gaiety and gladness. The unmarried officers were, at this time, in a pitiable condition; their ships being laid up for the winter, left them with little else to do than smoke, and saunter about. proposed, as it was a beautiful moonlight night, to arrange a party for the diversion of (kjelkebacken). It was soon organised: sledges capable of holding two or three persons were taken to the top of a hill. When we were all seated a push was given to the sledge, and, with the rapidity of lightning, we found ourselves at the bottom of the hill, or on a heap of snow by its side, from which we had to scramble out in the best manner we could. After having wearied ourselves with this childish amusement, we assembled at one of the houses for supper, where music and dancing finished our evening's entertainment. Christmaseve arrived, bringing with it presents and kind wishes; for the poorest cottager manages, by some means or other, to gladden his children's hearts with a gift. The national dish in Norway on Christmas-eve is roast pork, and rice milk. It is customary after supper for young unmarried girls to take the spoon in their left hand with which they have eaten their rice-milk, and walk

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