The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-01-18 00:00:00

THE MILK OF THE COW TREE;

Alexander Humboldt remarks that among the many
very wonderful natural phenomena which he had during
his extensive travels witnessed none impressed him in a
more remarkable degree than the sight of a tree yield-
ing an abundant supply of milk. the properties of
which seemed to be the same as the milk of a cow.
The adult Indians would go each morning with their
slaves from the village or station on the slope of the
mountain chain borleringonVenezuela,whereHumboltit
was stopping, to a forest where they grew, and, mak-
ing some deep incisions into the trees, in less than two
hours their vessels placed under these incisicns would be
full. All present would then partake of the milk on which
the slaves grew fat, and a quantity would be
home to be given to the childran and to be mixed
with cassava and maize. The tree itself attains a
height of from 45ft. to 601 t., has long alternate leaves,
and was described by Linden as Brosimum, galactoden-
dron. The milk which flows from any wound made in
the trunk is white and somewhat viscid; the flavour is
very agreeable. Some time ago on the occasion of
Boussingault going to South America Humboldt re-
quested him to take every opportunity of investigating
this subject. At Maracay the tree was first met with,
and for more than a month its excellent qualities
were daily tested in connexion with coffee and
chocolate; but there was no opportunity for a chymical
analysis. Nor does such appear to have occurred till
the other day when, amid the many curious things
exhibited by the Venezuelan Government at the
Paris Exhibition, there happened to be several flasks of
this milk, and after a long period M. Boussingault has
been enabled to complete his analysis of this substance,
which is unique in the vegetable world. In a memoir
laid before the Academy of France he gives a detailed
analysis, and concludes by stating that this vegetable
milk most certainly approaches in its composition to
the milk of the Cow; it contains not only fatty matter,
but also sugar, caseine, and phosphates. But the rela-
tive proportion of these substances is greatly in favour
of the vegetable milk, and brings it up to the richness
of cream, the amount of butter in cream being about
the same proportion as the peculiar waxy mat,-rial
found in the vegetable milk, a fact that will readily
account for its great nutritive powers.

carried

The amount taken as deposits at the branches of
the National Penny Bank (Limited), 270, Oxford-street,
London, during 1878, was £1.03,515, aud the amount with-
drawn waa £15,29,2, leaving a net batINO 01 428,223, as com-
pared with £21,210 during art.

A MAN BOUND TO GET ON,

The Pall Mall Gazette, in noticing the death of Marshal
Espartero, gives the following incidents in his early career:—
Being a student in 1808, when the French invaded
Spain, he enlisted in the "Sacred Battalion," formed
of university pupils, and so distinguished himself in
skirmishes with the enemy that he was allowed to enter
the Military School, whence he issued with an ensign's
commission at twenty-three. This was in 1814;
and next year he applied for leave to join General
Murillo's expedition, which was going to South
America to reduce the insurgent colonies. There
were many other applicants for this service more
influential than Espartero, wko had no connections
whatever, and Murillo at first refused his offer some-
what contemptuously; but the young officer boldly
addressed the King at a Levee in the Escurial, and
Ferdinand was so pleased with his spirit that he not
only complied with his request but promoted him
captain out of hand. Such things could be done in
the good times of Royalty. Espartero went out to
America, and, having won the favour of Murillo, was
rapidly advanced to the rank of major in 1815,
lieutenant-colonel in 1817, and colonel in 1822. By
that time, Pablo Murillo's campaign having disastrously
failed, Spain was °biked to abandon her colonies, and
Espartero returned to Europe; but he came backloaded
with wealth. His recipe for getting promotion and
money together was very simple: he shortly disposed of
the insurgents who fell into his hands, and confiscated I
their property. The pictures in churches, the plate
in convents, were no more respected by him than the
beibngings of private persons, for he seemed to have
laid to heart the lessons in spoliation which Marshal
Soult had set to the Spaniards in the Peninsula. One
exploit of Espartero's showed a real genius in looting.
Having captured 2,000 insurgent slaves belonging to
General Garcia Munos, a Peruvian planter who
had remained personally neutral in the rebellion
though he was suspected of having armed his
slaves. Espartero gave him the option of buy-
ing back the slaves or seeing them all shot.
Mufios paid the ransom; then Espartero announced
that he meant to levy the slaves for the King's service
unless their master would pay a further sum for their
exemption. Mufios, not liking this method of dealing,
used some strong words, whereupon Espartero called
him out and killed him in a dueL A man of this
calibre was "bound to get on ; " and, in fact, the
young colonel returned to Spain with quite a dashing
reputation