as comfortable and agreeable as we can.*

If we take a review of the Qualifications that are indispensable in that highly estimable domestic, a complete GOOD COOK, we shall find that very few deserve that name.

"God sends Meat"-who sends Cooks? the proverb has long saved us the trouble of guessing.

Of what value then is not this Book? --which will render every person of common sense-a good Cook, in as little time as they can read it through attentively.

If the Masters and Mistresses of Families will sometimes condescend to make an amusement of this Art, they will escape a number of disappointments, &c. which those who will not, must suffer, to the detriment of both their Health and their Fortune.

The author wishes he had more time to devote to the subject. For an ingenious Chemist, and an intelligent Cook, might form a very complete work.

I did not presume to offer any observations of my own, till I had read all that I could find written on the subject, and submitted (with no small pains) to a patient and attentive consideration of every preceding work, relating to culinary concerns, that I could meet with. These Books vary very little from each other, except in the preface "ab uno, disce omnes," cutting and pasting seem to have been much oftener employed than the Pen and Ink:

any one who has occasion to refer to two or three of them, will find the Receipts almost always "verbatim et literatim ;" equally unintelligible to those who are ignorant,-and useless to those who are acquainted with the business of the Kitchen.

My Receipts are the results of experiments carefully made and accurately and circumstantially related;

The Time requisite for dressing being stated.

The Quantities of the various articles contained in each composition being carefully set down in Number, Weight, and Measure.

This precision has never before been attempted in Cookery books, but I found it indispensable, from the impossibility of guessing the quantities intended by such obscure expressions as have been usually employed for this occasion in former works.

For instance: a little bit of this-a handful of that a nip or an inch of t'other, do 'em over with an Eggand, a sprinkling of salt,-a dust of flour,-a shake of pepper,—a squeeze of lemon,-or a dash of vinegar, &c. are the constant phrases; season it to your palate, (meaning the Cook's,) is another form of speech now, if she has any, it is very unlikely that it is in unison with that of her employers,-by continually sipping piquante relishes, it becomes blunted and insensible, and soon looses the faculty of appreciating delicate flavours,-so that every thing

1st. The Mutton must be good,

2d.-Must have been kept a good time,

3d.-Must be roasted at a good fire,

4th.-By a good Cook,

5th.-Who must be in good temper,

is done at random. These Culinary technicals are so differently understood by the learned who write them,and the unlearned who read them, and their 'rule of Thumb' is so extremely indefinite, that if the same dish be dressed by different persons, it will generally be so different, that nobody would imagine they had worked from the same directions, which will assist a person who has not served a regular apprenticeship in the Kitchen, no more than reading "Robinson Crusoe," would enable a Sailor to steer safely from England to India.

Careless expressions in Cookery are the more surprising, as the Confectioner is regularly attentive, in the description of his preparations, to give the exact quantities, though his business, compared to Cookery, is as unimportant, as the Ornamental is inferior to the Useful.

The maker of Blanchmange, Custards, &c., and the endless and useless collection of pretty playthings for the Palate, (of first and second childhood, for the vigour of manhood seeketh not to be sucking Sugar-candy, or sipping

Turtle,) is scrupulously exact even to a grain, in his ingredients; whilst Cooks are unintelligibly indefinite, although they are intrusted with the administra tion of our food, upon the proper qual ity and preparations of which, all our powers of Body and Mind depend;their Energy, being invariably, in the ratio, of the performance of the the restorative process, i. e. the quantity, quality, and perfect digestion of what we eat and drink; and a sufficient portion of sound Sleep," the balm of hurt minds, chief nourisher in life's feast, great Nature's second course.".

Unless the Stomach be in good humour, every part of the machinery, of life must vibrate with languor ;—can we then be too attentive to its adjustment !!!

Thus, the table of the most Economical Family, may, by the help of this Book-be served with as much delicacy and salubrity, as that of a Sovereign Prince, and the comforts of the Opulent are brought within the reach of the Middle Ranks of Society.

THE HE remarkable circumstances of an extensive tour written by a Blind Traveller recommends this singular volume to an early notice. But this is not the only claim of Mr. Holman's pages to our attention. They are in themselves agreeable; and they offer to the reflecting mind curious phenomena to trace, which are not to be discovered in the travels of many who journey with their eyes wide open. The impressions made by noble cathedrals, by exquisite works of art, by nature, by the difference of manners in society, upon an author in whom

Wisdom [is] at one entrance quite shut out,

are not only extraordinary but highly instructive. An Essay upon such im

pressions would have been a pleasing publication; but such a practical essay as this journal exhibits, introducing all the facts incidentally, as called forth by events, and not dwelling upon them longer than consists with a modest and lively narrative, possesses still greater attractions for the reader. The simplicity, the candour, and the ardour of Mr. H. are quite delightful; and his disposition appears to be altogether so amiable, that we do not wonder at his meeting with civilities every where, though almost a stranger to the languages of the countries through which he travelled with an independence of spirit and confidence in himself, the possible existence of which, in his dark situation, can hardly be conceived.

48 ATHENEUM VOL 11.

The volume is dedicated by permission to the Princess Augusta; and the author in his preface thus apologises for any errors into which he may have fallen:

"The want of vision must frequent ly make his observations and descriptions imperfect; to compensate for this, he has availed himself of such intelligence as he could derive from others; and, for the same reasons, has introduced a variety of extracts from interesting authors, which appeared desirable to elucidate or enliven his narrative.

"He rests his chief hope of the approbation of the public, upon having given a plain and faithful statement of a journey, which must be regarded as possessing a degree of originality, arising from the peculiar circumstances under which it was undertaken.

"He now concludes his prefatory matter, by soliciting the indulgence of his readers, and entreating them not to criticise with too much severity, a work which, he trusts, has some claims upon their forbearance; and which, if it happens to repay their perusal by any pleasurable emotion, or to excite a kind sympathy for his own situation, will have answered the fullest expectation of its author."

Interested, as every breast must be, by such an appeal, we proceed with no unfriendly emotions to give our brief abstract of Mr. Holman's labours:

He set out from Dover in November 1819, and was duly wafted over to Calais-where he says

“Behold me, then, in France! surrounded by a people, to me, strange, invisible, and incomprehensible; separated from every living being who could be supposed to take the least interest in my welfare, or even existence; and exposed to all the influence of national prejudice, which is said to prompt this people to take every advantage of their English neighbours. To counteract these disadvantages, I had nothing but the common feelings of humanity, which might be elicited in favour of an unfortunate person like myself, assisted by the once boasted politesse of the great nation."

The politesse spoken of is sometimes a little ludicrously inconvenient to him,

as we learn from the story of his first evening's adventures:

"On returning to the Hotel, I partook for the first time of a French dinner; and, the commissionaire having left me, had the advantage of being waited upon by Paul the garçon, who did not understand one word of Eng lish; I had no little difficulty in getting through the routine of this important repast. In the evening, Virginie, the fille-de-chambre, attended to put me to bed, and appeared literally to have expected to assist in the various operations of disrobing, &c. I was, however, enabled, through the medium of the commissionaire, to assure her, that it was quite unnecessary to give her that trouble. So dismissing my attendants with the candle, I secured the door, and retired to rest."

Such dilemmas were not unfrequent ; afterwards, for instance, travelling in the voiture near Toulouse, Mr. H. relates

"My companions appeared to enjoy their repast, and every additional glass evidently produced increased animation, as they talked louder and faster. They were, however, particularly attentive to myself, my want of sight probably exciting their sympathy.

"At length, fatigued with the scene, I retired to my chamber, which was capacious, and furnished with several beds, and had the pleasure of finding the one which had been selected for my repose, good and commodious. But an important dilemma now presented itself: taking the fille-de-chambre by the hand, in order to ascertain that she was carrying the candle away with her, a point I am always particular in attending to, as, when it has been left behind, I have occasionally burnt my fingers, and once even made an extinguisher of my chin; and then making a

motion to lock her out, that I might, according to the especial clause in my agreement to that effect, appropriate the room entirely to myself, I was surprised to find her as strenuously oppose this measure, as most of the fair sex, 1 have no doubt, would an attempt to lock them in. It was useless endeavouring to comprehend her meaning, and only by returning to the supper

rive was "toute a l'heure," and the conviction that nothing remained for me but to be patient.

"But patience is more oft the exercise

Of saints, the trial of their fortitude."-Milton.

"At length the motion began to increase, and to my great surprise, after an hour's suspense, I heard the horses again attached to the carriage; the passengers re-entered the coach, and we once more proceeded on our journey! "It was afterwards explained to me, that these unaccountable proceedings arose, on our having arrived on the banks of the river Dordogne, which enters the Garonne, near Bordeaux, from the necessity, at this point, of transporting the carriage on a raft for some distance down the stream; that the passengers had crossed the river in a ferry-boat, to a coach waiting for them on the other side, leaving me to float down with the carriage on the raft, or sink to the bottom as fate might determine; in short, I found that, while I supposed myself sitting in the coach-office yard at Bordeaux, I had actually travelled four miles by water, without having entertained the least idea of such an adven

ture.

"A short time before my departure from Montpellier, I had the misfortune to sprain my ancle, which abridged materially my usual pleasure of walking, but did not prevent me pursuing my original intention of proceeding to Aix.

"M. de C was kind enough to accompany me to the coach, and, with the best possible motives, recommended me to the care of the passengers and conducteur, but which I must admit I would rather have declined, as it disarmed me of that independencel wished to feel; I fancied it was placing me in the light of a school-boy; or perhaps a package of "Glass.- Keep this side uppermost." I would prefer being treated with the little ceremony of a wool pack, which by its accommodating elasticity, not only avoids injury from slighter contact, but under more decided and ruder pressure, becomes so solid, so confirmed, so compact, as effectually to oppose additional restraint, and probably at length by its innate powers, to throw off the superincumbent weight, and immediately regain its original state; in short, I find less difficulty and inconvenience in travelling amongst strangers, than people imagine, and prefer being left to my own resources; habit has given me the power of acquiring by a kind of undefinable tact, as correct ideas of objects as the most accurate descriptions would give; and unbiassed by the opinions of others, I feel more facility in forming my estimates of human nature."

Having visited Nismes, Aix, and other places, Mr. H. took up his residence at Nice, where he enjoyed every comfort; and gives us the following ac counts of various matters which attract ed his observations there and at St. Rosalie, a rural abode of Madame M and two daughters, near the city:

"The process of making the wine is as follows:-The grapes being selected and picked, are put into a large vat, where they are well trodden down by the naked feet; after which the liquor is drawn off from below; the bruised grapes are then put into a press, and the remaining liquor extracted. The whole of the juice is now put into casks with their bungs open, and allowed to ferment, and discharge its impurities