The next London baker with whom our confessionalist lived, was 68 a most singular character," and said to Mr. Maton, previous to engaging him, "If you are honest, you will not suit me. Maton soon satisfied him on this subject; at least he was a most unconscionable master-baker if he was not satisfied, for, says Maton, "In the first two hours of his employ, I assisted him to defraud five hundred individuals whom I had never *seen. " As it was customary with my master to take away the fat from all dishes of meat sent to be baked, I purchased a knife whose edge was not afraid of the lean; so between the master's perquisite of fat, and his servant's of lean, the customers lost two ounces of every pound of meat baked in the oven. For half a pint of rum, a journeyman baker "put Maton "up to a trick" of which he knew nothing-it was to take advantage of a woman who could neither read nor write, that kept a chandler's shop, and charge four loaves a week more than she had. "This trick," says Mr. Maton, "fully answering my purpose, I thought the purchase of it cheap, at the price of half a pint of rum. The price of bread, at one shilling and nine-pence the quartern loaf, made a profit to me of seven shillings per week!" In these Confessions, which are those of Mr. Maton himself, we have confined ourselves to the detail of flagrant robberies on the part of master and journeymen bakers; his pamphlet, however, goes much farther: it details various frauds in the adulteration of bread, by means of potatoes, alum, &c. Mr. Maton, who appears to have been an adept in this sort of business, or what he calls being "reckoned clever in the trade," frequently lived with army bakers in the country, and he gives a terrible account of the frauds, adulterations, &c. that took place in these contracts. It appears that the contractor let it to sub-contractors, two or three deep, and that the bread for which government paid 8d. was only charged 6d. by the actual baker, and even he got a good profit. The bread, which Maton says no one could eat, was made of wheat, barley, rye, oats, beans, peas, &c.; and, instead of salt, sea-water was used. Mr. Maton says, one person, who had a contract for the French prisoners of war, cleared £95,000 in one year, by substituting sea-water for salt. This, it seems, is a common practice. Mr. Maton, from some motive or other, unmasked this system of robbery to the commissary-general, but nothing came of it; he even insinuates that other persons besides bakers and contractors had an interest in keeping up the system; and what a system it is, is fully shown in Mr. Maton's pamphlet, though in these "Confessions of a Journeyman Baker," we have but slightly alluded to them, confining ourselves more particularly to the tricks of the London bakers. X. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS-NO. VI. What is consols?-Consols is something in the Bank of England, that dead people leave to living ones to console them for their loss! What is a post obit ?—A post obit, young spendthrift gives to a swindor post a bit, is a security that a ling money-lender, to pay a large sum of money upon the death of a near relative (whose speedy remove to another world he most devoutly wishes) upon receiving a comparative small sum prompt, to waste at the gaming-table What is a leading article?—A short essay written between sleeping and waking, by the editor of a newspaper, which the writer hates to write, and the reader frequently dislikes to read; also a piece of calico, or other ware, hung at the door of a linendraper's shop to delude the unwary! REFLECTIONS, MAXIMS, &c. 42. The greatest friend of Truth is Time, her greatest enemy is Prejudice, and her constant companion is Humility. 43. It has been said, that men carry on a kind of coasting trade with religion. In the voyage of life, they profess to be in search of heaven, but take care not to venture so far in their approximations to it, as entirely to lose sight of the earth; and should their frail vessel be in danger of shipwreck, they will gladly throw their darling vices overboard, as other mariners their treasures, only to fish them up again when the storm is over. To steer a course that shall secure both worlds, is still, I fear, a desideratum in ethics-a thing unattained as yet either by the divine or the philosopher; for the track is discoverable only by the shipwrecks that have been made in the attempt. John Wesley quaintly observed, that the road to heaven is a narrow path, not intended for wheels; and that to ride in a coach here, and to go to heaven hereafter, was a happiness too much for man! 44. Two things are necessary to a modern martyr-some to pity and some to persecute, some to regret and some to roast him. If martyrdom is now on the decline, it is not because martyrs are less zealous, but because martyr-mongers are more wise. The light of intellect has put out the fire of persecution, as other fires are observed to smoulder before the light of the sun. 45. The ignorance of the Chinese may be attributed to their language. A literary Chinese must spend half his life in acquiring a thorough knowledge of it. The use of metaphor, which may be said to be the algebra of language, is unknown amongst them. And as language, after all, is made up only of the signs and counters of knowledge, he that is obliged to lose so much time in acquiring the sign, will have but little of the thing. So complete is the ignorance of this conceited nation, on many points, that very curious brass models of all the mechanical powers, which the French government has sent over as a present, they considered to be meant as toys for the amusement of the grandchildren of the emperor. And the late Sir George Staunton declared, that the costly mathematical instruments inade by Ramsden and Dollond, and taken to Pekin by * Yet honest John rode in his own coach before he died. Lord Macartney, were as utterly useless to the Chinese as a steam-engine to an Esquimaux, or a loom to a Hottentot. The father of Montaigne, not inaptly to the present subject, has observed, that the tedious time which we moderns employ in acquiring the language of the ancient Greeks and Romans, which cost them nothing, is the principal reason why we cannot arrive at that grandeur of sou', and perfection of knowledge that was in them. But the learned languages, after all, are indispensable to form the gentleman and the scholar, and are well worth all the labour that they cost us, provided they are valued not for themselves alone, which would make a pedant, but as a foundation for farther acquirements. The foundation, therefore, should be in a great measure hidden, and its solidity presumed and inferred from the strength, elegance, and convenience of the superstructure. An old writer observes, "we fatten a sheep with grass, not in order to obtain a crop of hay from his back, but in the hope that he will feed us with mutton, and clothe us with wool." We may apply this to the sciences: we teach a young man algebra, the mathematics, and logic, not that he should take his equations and his parallelograms into Westminster-hall, nor bring his ten predicaments to the House of Commons, but that he should bring a mind to both these places, so well stored with the sound principles of truth and of reason, as not to be deceived by the chicanery of the bar, nor the sophistry of the senate. The acquirements of science may be termed the armour of the mind; but that armour would be worse than useless, that cost us all we had, and left us nothing to defend. 46. Doubt is the vestibule which all must pass before they can enter into the temple of wisdom; therefore, When we are in doubt, and puzzle out the truth by our own exertion, we have gained a something that will stay by us, and which will serve us again. But if, to avoid the trouble of the search, we avail ourselves of the superior information of a friend, such knowledge will not remain with us, we have not bought but borrowed it. (To be continued.) GARDENING, HORTICULTURE, &c. METHOD OF GROWING FLOWERS IN WINTER. In order to produce this effect, the trees or shrubs being taken up in the spring, at the time when they are, about to bud, with some of their own soil carefully preserved among the roots, must be placed upright in a cellar till Michaelmas; when, with the addition of fresh earth, they are to be put into proper tubs or vessels, and placed in a stove or hot-house, where they must every morning be moistened or refreshed with a solution of half an ounce of sal-ammoniac in a pint of rain water. Thus in the month of February, fruits or roses will appear; and with respect to flowers in general, if they are sown in pots at or before Michaelmas, and watered in a similar manner, they will blow at Christmas. TO CULTIVATE HOPS. The hop is planted on various soils, and chiefly in valleys. Hops are generally of the best quality from strong clay land. The crop, however, is there very precarious. Those on peat are much more productive, but are liable to be affected by the mould in some seasons, which reduces their value considerably. The best plantations are on a deep loamy soil, where "he produce of the latter, and the quality of the former, are sometimes obtained. Those which are grown on sandy and gravelly lands are seldom remarkable for either great produce or superior quality. The plant is extremely liable to disasters, from its first putting up in the spring, until the time of picking the crop, which is in September. Snails or slugs, ants and flies, are formidable enemies in the first instance. Frosts are inimical to its growth; and the vines are frequently blighted, even after they have reached. the top of the poles. Small green flies, and other insects, which make their appearance in the months of May and June, when the wind is about north-east, often greatly injure: them; and they are subject to take damage by high winds from the southwest. The best situation for a plan- › tation, therefore, is a southern aspect, well shaded on three sides, either by hills or planting, which is supposed. to be the chief protection that can be given them. In the winter-time provide the soil and manure for the hop-ground against the following spring. If the dung be rotten, mix it with two or three parts of common earth, and let it incorpo→ rate together, till there is occasion to make use of it in making the hop hills; but if it be new dung, then let it be mixed as before, till the spring in the next year, for new dung is very injurious to hops. Hops require to be planted in a situation so open that the air may freely pass round and between them, to dry up and dissipate the moisture, which often destroys the middles of large plantations, while the outsides remain unhurt. The hills should be 8 or 9 feet asunder. If the ground be intended to be ploughed with horses between the hills, it will be best to plant them in squares, chequerwise; but if the ground is so small that it may be done with the breast-plough, or spade, the holes should be ranged in a quincunx form. Which way soever is made use of, a stake should be stuck down at all the places where the hills are to be made. TO MAKE A WINDSOR PUDDING. Shred half a pound of suet very fine; grate into it half a pound of French roll, a little nutmeg, and the rind of a lemon; add to these, half a pound of chopped apple; half a pound. of currants, clean washed and dried; half a pound of jar raisins, stoned and chopped; a glass of rich sweet wine, and five eggs, beaten with a little salt: mix all thoroughly together, and boil it in a basin or mould for three hours; sift fine sugar over it when sent to table, and pour white-wine sauce into the dish. A CHESHIRE PUDDING. Make a crust as for a fruit pudding; roll it out to fourteen or fifteen inches in length, and eight or nine in width; spread with raspberry jam, or any other preserve of a similar kind, and roll it up in the manner of a collared eel; wrap a cloth round it two or three times, and tie it tight at each end; two hours and a quarter will boil it. TO MAKE A PLAIN PUDding. Weigh three quarters of a pound of any odd scraps of bread, whether crust or crumb; cut them small, and pour on them a pint and a half of boiling water, to soak them well; let it stand till the water is cool; then press it out, and mash the bread smooth with the back of a spoon; add to it a tea-spoonful of beaten ginger, some moist sugar, and three quarters of a pound of currants: mix all well together, and lay it in a pan well buttered; flatten it down with a spoon, and lay some pieces of butter on the top; bake it in a moderate oven, and serve it hot; when cold, it will turn out of the pan, and eat like good plain cheese-cakes. USEFUL RECEIPTS. ANTI-ATTRITION. One pound of plumbago added to four pounds of hogs' lard or tallow, well incorporated together; this is the famous anti-attrition composition, of which you make as much for a shilling as used to be charged ten shillings for: for wheels, spindles, or machinery, it will be found very useful to prevent friction. TO BRONZE PLASTER FIGURES. For the ground, after it has been sized and rubbed down, take Prussian blue, verditer and spruce ochre; grind. them separately in water, turpentine, or oil, according to the work, and mix them in such proportions as will produce the colour desired; then grind Dutch metal in a part of this composition, laying it with judgment on the prominent parts of the figure, which produces a grand effect. TO POLISH VARNISHED FURNITURE. Take two ounces of tripoli, powdered; put it in an earthen pot, with water to cover it; then take a piece of white flannel; lay it over a piece of cork or rubber, and proceed to polish the varnish, always wetting it with the tripoli and water; it will be known when the process is finished by wiping a part of the work with a sponge, and observing whether there is a fair even gloss; when this is the case, take a bit of mutton suet and fine flour, and clean the work. TO POLISH WOOD. Take a piece of pumice stone and water, and pass regularly over the work until the rising of the grain is cut down; then take powdered tripoli and boiled linseed oil, and polish the work to a bright surface. TO FOLISH BRASS ORNAMENTS INLAID IN WOOD. File the brass very clean with a smooth file; then take some tripoli powdered very fine, and mix it with the linseed oil; dip in this a rubber of hat, with which polish the work until the desired effect is obtained. If the work is ebony, or black rose f &c. froin the pulp first taken out of the oranges, and add to it one of the whole oranges, previously boiled, with an equal weight of sugar to it and the pulp; boil this together till it looks clear, over a slow fire; and when cold, fill the oranges with this marmalade, and put on the tops; cover them with syrup, and put brandy paper on the top of the jar. It is better to take out the inside at first, to preserve the fine flavour of the juice and pulp, which would be injured by boiling in the water. |