pale or sulphur yellow, bright or bloodred, and the greenish, belong to few but the poisonous. The safe kinds have most frequently a compact, brittle texture; the flesh is white; they grow more readily in open places, such as dry pastures and waste lands, than in places humid or shaded by wood. In general, those should be suspected which grow in caverns and subterranean passages, on animal matter undergoing putrefaction, as well as those whose flesh is soft or watery.

91. GUM ARABIC STARCH.Get two ounces of fine white gum arabic, and pound it to powder. Next put it into a pitcher, and pour on it a pint or more of boiling water (according to the degree of strength you desire), and then, having covered it, let it set all night. In the morning, pour it carefully from the dregs into a clean bottle, cork it, and keep it for use. A tablespoonful of gum water stirred into a pint of starch that has been made in the usual manner, will give to lawns (either white or printed) a look of newness to which nothing else can restore them after washing. It is also good (much diluted) for thin white muslin and bobbinet.

92. SEIDLITZ POWDERS.-Seidlitz powders are usually put up in two papers. The larger blue paper contains tartarized soda (also called Rochelle salt) two drachms, and carbonate of soda two scruples; in practice it will be found more convenient to mix the two materials in larger quantity by passing them twice through a sieve, and then divide the mixture either by weight or measure, than to make each powder separately. One pound of tartarized soda, at 1s. 2d. per pound, and five ounces and a half of carbonate of soda, at 4d. per pound, will make sixty powders. The smaller powder, usually put up in white paper, consists of tartaric acid, at 2s. per pound, half a drachm.

Directions for use.-Dissolve the contents of blue paper in half a tumbler of cold water, stir in the other powder, and drink during effervescence.

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MY WIFE'S LITTLE SUPPERS. 93. MEAT CAKES.- Take any cold meat, game, or poultry (if under-done, all the better), mince it fine, with a little fat bacon or ham, or an anchovy ; season it with a little pepper and salt; mix well, and make it into small cakes three inches long, half as wide, and half an inch thick: fry these a light brown, and serve them with good gravy, or put into a mould, and boil or bake it. N.B Bread-crumbs, hard yolks of eggs onions, sweet herbs, savoury spices,, zest, or curry-powder, or any of the forcemeats.

94. OYSTER PATTIES.-Roll out or puff paste a quarter of an inch thick, cut it into squares with a knife, sheet eight or ten patty pans, put upon each a bit of bread the size of half a walnut; roll out another layer of paste of the same thickness, cut it as above, wet the edge of the bottom paste, and put on the top, pare them round to the pan, and notch them about a dozen times with the back of the knife, rub them lightly with yolk of egg, bake them in a hot oven about a quarter of an hour: when done, take a thin slice off the top, then with a small knife, or spoon, take out the bread and the inside paste, leaving the outside quite entire; then parboil two dozen of large oysters, strain them from their liquor, wash, beard, and cut them into four, put them into a stew-pan with an ounce of butter rolled in flour, half a gill of good cream, a little grated lemon-peel, the oysterliquor, free from sediment, reduced by boiling to one half, some cayenne pepper, salt, and a tea spoonful of lemon-juice; stir it over a fire five minutes, and fill the patties. (See 11.)

95. LOBSTER PATTIES.-Prepare the patties as in the last receipt. Take a hen lobster already boiled-pick the meat from the tail and claws, and chop it fine; put it into a stew-pan with a little of the inside spawn pounded in a mortar till quite smooth, an ounce of fresh butter, half a gill of cream, and half a gill of veal consommé, cayenne pepper, and salt, a tea-spoonful of essence of

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anchovy, the same of lemon-juice, and a table-spoonful of flour and water: stew it five minutes. (See 8.)

96. EGG AND HAM PATTIES.-Cut a slice of bread two inches thick, from the most solid part of a stale quartern loaf; have ready a tin round cutter, two inches diameter, cut out four or five pieces, then take a cutter two sizes smaller, press it nearly through the larger pieces, then remove with a small knife the bread from the inner circle; have ready a large stew-pan full of boiling lard; fry them of a light brown colour, drain them dry with a clean cloth, and set them by till wanted; then take half a pound of lean ham, mince it small, add to it a gill of good brown sauce; stir it over the fire a few minutes, and put a small quantity of cayenne pepper and lemon juice :-fill the shapes with the mixture, and lay a poached egg upon each.

97. VEAL AND HAM PATTIES.-Chop about six ounces of ready-dressed lean veal, and three ounces of ham very small, put it into a stew-pan with an ounce of butter rolled in flour, half a gill of cream, half a gill of veal stock, a little grated nutmeg and lemon-peel, some cayenne pepper and salt, a spoonful of essence of ham, and lemon-juice, and stir it over the fire some time, taking care it does not burn.

98. PUFF PASTE.-To a pound and a quarter of sifted flour rub gently in with the hand half a pound of fresh butter; mix up with half a pint of spring water; knead it well, and set it by for a quarter of an hour; then roll it out thin, lay on it in small pieces three-quarters of a pound more of butter, throw on it a little flour, double it up in folds, and roll it out thin three times, and set it by for about an hour in a cold place. Or, if a more substantial and savoury paste is desired, use the following::

99. PASTE FOR MEAT OR SAVOURY PIES.-Sift two pounds of fine flour to one and a-half of good salt butter, break it into small pieces, and wash it well in cold water; rub gently to

gether the butter and flour, and mix it up with the yolk of three eggs, beat together with a spoon, and nearly a pint of spring-water; roll it out, and double it in folds three times, and it is ready.

100. CHICKEN AND HAM PATTIES. Use the white meat from the breast of the chickens or fowls, and proceed as for veal and ham patties.

101. PRIME BEEF SAUSAGES.-Take a pound of lean beef, and half a pound of suet, clean from the skin,-chop it fine as for mince collop, then beat it well with a roller, or in a marble mortar, till it is all well mixed and will stick together-season highly with zest, if you have it, and salt, or any mixed spices you please,-make it into flat round cakes, about an inch thick, and shaped with a cup or saucer, and fry them a light brown. They should be served up on boiled rice, as for curry: if for company, you may do them with eggs and bread crumbs; but they are quite as good without. Or they may be rolled in puff or pie paste, and baked. (See 98 and 99.)

Take cold

102. POTATO PUFFS. roast meat, either beef or mutton, or veal and ham, clear it from the gristle, cut it small, and season either with zest, or pepper and salt, and cut pickles -boil and mash some potatoes, and make them into a paste with one or two eggs, roll it out, with a dust of flour, cut it round with a saucer, put some of your seasoned meat on one half, and fold it over like a puff; pinck or nick it neatly round, and fry it a light brown. This is the most elegant method of preparing meat that has been dressed before.

103. FRIED EGGS AND MINCED HAM OR BACON. Choose some very fine bacon streaked with a good deal of lean; cut this into very thin slices, and afterwards into small square pieces; throw them into a stew-pan, and set it over a gentle fire, that they may lose some of their fat. When as much as will freely come is thus melted from them, lay them on a warm dish.

Put into a stew-pan a ladleful of melted bacon or lard; set it on a stove; put in about a dozen of the small pieces of bacon, then stoop the stew-pan and break an in egg. Manage this carefully, and the egg will presently be done it will be very round, and the little dice of bacon will stick to it all over, so that it will make a very pretty appearance. Take care the yolks do not harden when the egg is thus done, lay it carefully in a warm dish, and do the others.

104. FISH CAKE.-Take the meat from the bones of any kind of cold fish, which latter put with the head and fins into a stew-pan with a pint of water, a little salt, pepper, an onion, and a faggot of sweet herbs to stew for gravy. Mince the meat, and mix it well with crumbs of bread and cold potatoes equal parts, a little parsley and seasoning. Make into a cake, with the white of an egg, or a little butter or milk; egg it over, and cover with bread crumbs, then fry a light brown. Pour the gravy over, and stew gently for fifteen minutes, stirring it carefully twice or thrice. Serve hot, and garnish with slices of lemon, or parsley.

105. MARBLED GOOSE.-The following, though scarcely pertaining to "My Wife's Little Suppers," is too delicious a relish to be overlooked. It is suitable for larger supper parties, or as a stock dish for families where visitors are frequent. It is also excellent for breakfasts, or for pic-nics :-Take a fine mellow ox-tongue out of pickle, cut off the root and horny part at the tip, wipe dry, and boil till it is quite tender; then peel it, cut a deep slit in its whole length, and lay a fair proportion of the following mixture within it:- Mace half an ounce, nutmeg half an ounce, cloves half an ounce, salt two tablespoonfuls, and twelve Spanish olives. The olives should be stoned, and all the ingredients well pounded and mixed together. Next take a barndoor fowl and a good large goose, and bone them. Lay the tongue inside the fowl, rub the latter outside with the

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seasoning, and having ready some slices of ham divested of the rind, wrap them tightly round the fowl; put these inside the goose, with the remainder of the seasoning, sew it up, and make all secure and natural shape with a piece of new linen and tape. Put it in an earthen pan or jar just large enough to hold it, with plenty of clarified butter, and bake it two hours and a half in a slow oven; then take it out, and when cold take out the goose and set it in a sieve; take off the butter and hard fat, which put by the fire to melt, adding, if required, more clarified butter. Wash and wipe out the pan, put the bird again into it, and take care that it is well covered with the warm butter; then tie the jar down with bladder and leather. It will keep thus for a long time. When wanted for the table, the jar should be placed in a tub of hot water so as to melt the butter, the goose then can be taken out, the cloth taken off it, and sent to table cold.

106. OYSTER PIE.-The following directions may be safely relied upon. Take a large dish, butter it, and spread a rich paste over the sides and round the edge, but not at the bottom. The oysters should be fresh, and as large and fine as possible. Drain off part of the liquor from the oysters. Put them into a pan, and season them with pepper, salt, and spice. Stir them well with the seasoning. Have ready the yolks of eggs, chopped fine, and the grated bread. Pour the oysters (with as much of their liquor as you please), into the dish that has the paste in it. Strew over them the chopped egg and grated bread. Roll out the lid of the pie, and put it on, crimping the edges handsomely.

Take a small sheet of paste, cut it into a square, and roll it up. Cut it with a sharp knife into the form of a double tulip. Make a slit in the centre of the upper crust, and stick the tulip in it. Cut out eight large leaves of paste, and lay them on the lid. Bake the pie in a quick oven.

107. SALAD. This is a point of pro

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ficiency which it is easy to attain with care. The main point is, to incorporate the several articles required for the sauce, and to serve up at table as fresh as possible. The herbs should be "morning gathered," and they will be much refreshed by laying an hour or two in spring water. Careful picking, and washing, and drying in a cloth, in the kitchen, are also very important, and the due proportion of each herb requires attention. The sauce may be thus prepared :-Boil two eggs for ten or twelve minutes, and then put them in cold water for a few minutes, so that the yolks may become quite cold and hard. Rub them through a coarse sieve with a wooden spoon, and mix them with a tablespoonful of water or cream and then add two tablespoonfuls of fine flask oil, or melted butter; mix, and add by degrees, a teaspoonful of salt, and the same quantity of mustard; mix till smooth, when incorporate with the other ingredients about three tablespoonfuls of vinegar; then pour this sauce down the side of the salad-bowl, but do not stir up the salad till wanted to be eaten. Garnish the top of the salad with the white of the eggs, cut in slices; or these may be arranged in such manner as to be ornamental on the table. Some persons may fancy they are able to prepare a salad without previous instruction, but, like everything else, a little knowledge in this case may not be thrown away.

108. USE OF FRUIT.—Instead of standing in any fear of a generous consumption of ripe fruits, we regard them as positively conducive to health. The very maladies commonly assumed to have their origin in the free use of apples, peaches, cherries, melons, and wild berries, have been quite as prevalent, if not equally destructive, in seasons of scarcity. There are so many erroneous notions entertained of the bad effects of fruit, that it is quite time a counteracting impression should be promulgated, having its foundation in common sense, and based on the com

mon observation of the intelligent. We have no patience in reading the endless rules to be observed in this particular department of physical comfort. No one, we imagine, ever lived longer or freer from the paroxysms of disease, by discarding the delicious fruits of the land in which he finds a home. On the contrary, they are necessary to the preservation of health, and are therefore caused to make their appearance at the very time when the condition of the body, operated upon by the deteriorating causes not always understood, requires their grateful, renovating influences.

109. DAUGHTERS.-Mothers, who wish not only to discharge well their own duties in the domestic circle, but to train up their daughters at a later day to make happy and comfortable firesides for their families, should watch well, and guard well, the notions which they imbibe and with which they grow up. There will be so many persons ready to fill their young heads with false and vain fancies, and there is so much always afloat in society opposed to duty and common sense, that if mothers do.not watch well, they may contract ideas very fatal to their future happiness and usefulness, and hold them till they grow into habits of thought or feeling. A wise mother will have her eyes open, and be ready for every case. A few words of common, downright, respectable, practical sense, timely uttered by her, may be enough to counteract some foolish idea or belief put into her daughter's head by others, whilst, if it be left unchecked, it may take such possession of the mind that it cannot later be corrected. One main falsity abroad in this age is the notion, that women, unless compelled to it by absolute poverty, are out of place when engaged in domestic affairs. Now, mothers should have a care lest their daughters get hold of this conviction as regards themselves-there is danger of it; the fashion of the day endangers it, and the care that an affectionate family take to keep a girl, during the

time of her education, free from other occupations than those of her tasks or her recreations, also endangers it. It is possible that affection may err in pushing this care too far; for as education means a fitting for life, and as a woman's life is much connected with domestic and family affairs, or ought to be so, if the indulgent consideration of parents abstains from all demands upon the young pupil of the school not connected with her books or her play, will she not naturally infer that the matters with which she is never asked to concern herself are, in fact, no concern to her, and that any attention she ever may bestow on them is not a matter of simple duty, but of grace, or concession, or stooping, on her part? Let mothers avoid such danger. If they would do so, they must bring up their daughters from the first with the idea that in this world it is required to give as well as to receive, to minister as well as to enjoy; that every person is bound to be useful, practically, literally useful, in his own sphere, and that a woman's first sphere is the house, and its concerns and demands. Once really imbued with this belief, and taught to see how much the comfort and happiness of woman herself, as well as of her family, depends on this part of her discharge of duty, and a young girl will usually be anxious to learn all that her mother is disposed to teach, and will be proud and happy to aid in any domestic occupations assigned to her, which need never be made so heavy as to interfere with the peculiar duties of her age, or its peculiar delights. If a mother wishes to see her daughter become a good, happy, and rational woman, never let her admit of contempt for domestic occupations, or even suffer them to be deemed secondary. They may be varied in character by station, but they can never be secondary to a woman.

110. SERVANTS.-There are frequent complaints that, in these days, servants are bad, and apprentices are bad, and dependents and aiding hands

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generally are bad. It may be so. But if it is so, what is the inference? In the working of the machine of society, class moves pretty much with class; that is, one class moves pretty much with its equals in the community (equals so far as social station is concerned), and apart from other classes, as much those below as those above itself; but there is one grand exception to this general rule, and that is, in the case of domestic servants. The same holds, though in less degree, with apprentices and assistant hands; and in less degree only, because, in this last case, the difference of grade is slighter. Domestic servants and assistants in business and trade, come most closely and continually into contact with their employers; they are about them from morning to night, see them in every phase of character, in every style of humour, in every act of life. How influence will descend! Conscientiousness is spread, not only by precept but by example, and, so to speak, by contagion, it is spread more widely. Kindness is communicated in the same way. Virtue of every kind acts like an electric shock. Those in contact with its practisers receive the communication of it. The same with qualities and tempers that do no honour to our nature. If servants come to you bad, you may at least improve them; possibly almost change their nature. Here follows, then, a recipe to that effect :-Recipe for obtaining good servants.-Let them observe in your conduct to others just the qualities and virtues that you would desire they should possess and practise as respects you. Be uniformly kind and gentle. If you reprove, do so with reason and with temper. respectable, and you will be respected by him. Be kind, and you will meet kindness from them. Consider their interests, and they will consider yours. A friend in a servant is no contemptible thing. Be to every servant a friend and heartless, indeed, will be the servant who does not warm in love to you.

Be