The National Register.
London, England, 1821-03-12 00:00:00

77

About the year 1812, some experiments were
made on the probability of preserving provisions
without salt, under all trials of climate and time.—
It was ofivitnis that a discovery of this kind ►must be
of singular importance to the sea service, where
fresh provisions are, on many occasions, a necessary
of life. The success of the experiments resulted in
u patent taken out by Messrs Donkiu, Hall, and
Gamble; and a well brochure of authorities, dis-
plays the sanction of a crowd of imposing names--
the victualling board, officers commanding &pal
Bruns and foreign stations, and ship captains—in
var:ous climates, all giving their witness to the
excellence and completeness of the invention.
'I be first use of the discovery is to obviate alto-
gether the necessity of having live stuck on board.
The cost of this itrt eis enormous, independently
of its incooven knee. Taking its attendant expellees,
toss by death, into account, it is from es. 6d.
to ss. u pound out voyages of average length. But
cooking, and the septa:Adult of the bane, diminish
this weight by one-half; thus the general cost is
about ss, by the pound The average price of the
p.itetit provisions is under 3s. the pound. These
provisions are every kind of meat fa to be eaten
cold—a matter of great importance in bail weather,
or to be heated in a few minutes. To those the
patentees have added concentrated soups and milk.
There are testimonials from'Culling Smith, Esq.
the Duke of Kent by his Secretary, Sir Alexander
Cochrane, Sir Hurry Neale, Astley Cooper, Sir F.
Latorev, Sir Home Popham, Commodore Evans, Sir
Joseph Bulks, the Governor and Council of St. He.
lens, Rear-Admiral Barium, Dr. Baillie, &c. and
they establish, in the most satisfactory manner, the
great points of salubrity, of perfect preservation, and
of cemparative cheapness. The letter of one of the
East India Captains mentions the travels of wino
canisters of those meats, which were opened in Lon-
don in good condition. They had gone from London
to Batavia, thence to Sourabaya, then to Batavia
again, to Calcutta, to Batavia, and thence to London
—above 35,000 miles in the warmest climates !
But perhaps the most interesting testimony, from
all the circumstances, is the latest—that subjoined
from the Discovery Ships. Prom these, therefore,
we make extracts, to confirm the importance of this
invaluable pruccs4.

FROM Carl. PARRY.
" fl. AL Ileebi, 91h Dee. 1820:
"Gentlemen,—ln reply to your letter of the 28th alt.
I beg leave to aequAiut you, that I felt it impossible to
speak 100 highly of the preserved meats and soups, pre-
pared by Messrs. Dunkin, Ord, and (iambic, and sup-
plied to 11. AI. slops ilecia and G.ip:r, employed under
oy ordeo Ili:• tale espedcion fur the discovery of a
sturtit-west passage.
"Of the v. ry trio supply we obtained, not • single
instance tier:tined of opening a Chid C4lllSicl ut meat ; four
or live bullies of vegetairle swap, and two or three of the
cuiseenti ale d gravy soup, wets I I sloth fur use. Willi
these sew exceptions they were exc :dem, mid proved a
must i 1154114de artoisitiuu Or us, is tile absence of all
111)11 supplies.
" I have Gee honour to curiose the opinions of the sur-
geons ut the tirclu aid Griper, .11111 Milt &C."
Mr. Edwards says,—
" I beg leave to state to you, that I coletidcr them to
have been ariptisitions of the lii4ltest saute to the pro%
sional stores tor that service, mod I cannot hesitate in
saying, that I believe the rubslitntion of those ail Mies, tor
a considerable poriion of the salt meet usually allowed
ins the service, was one of the principal causes of the I,te-
octal good Stale of beanie wilted previi.,ell arannseg the
crews ut both vi sscls dining the Soy age."
And Mr. Ileverlty also writes thus strongly :
" I have the honour to state to yen, that otter 1111: trial
afforded ity the late voyage, ut sue uene`icial ellects ats
tending the use of ottoktit's preset viii 1111,1114 and soups,
I have oil ilealldll.ll ill 111.0114114C1114 gay opultuu, drat to
ths.ol.litious employment ut loess 41111'. Its is to be atlti-
butrd
in a great Measure lite piseservntittil of the general
health of tin officers and rrew of M. At. g Griper; :incl
to the same means is 11.1 Ise ascribed the set useiy 01 the
individual attacked by toe scurvy. Ihe souks I tulibl.ltT
peculiarly excellent, as I have every rc.ts•irr io oelieve
hat Ihe antiscorlitinc quality of toe vegetable is OA al.
lilted w the preparatiou."
We understand, that an order for about 6,0001.
worth of the preserved provisions fur the next voyage
has consequently been given.

• A recurrence of Ibi• is OWN we I.ltttiel 'Wt.!, wholly prevettted by
the soups ih.iug ihepared m tin C. 1411111.4, the 11.41.1# Y 1114

Bread bears a good price, notwithstanding the
low price of corn, and it it wore advanced, the ...Ina-
sumption would he consideatibly reduced in conse-
quence of the poverty of the people, so that the
flamer would nut beaelit la) a rise to the pri,:e. If
the loaf were (jeerer, tiurasands wit() are barely able
to purchase it. at present, must have recourse to po-
tatoes, as they did in the year of scarcity. A reduc-
tion of the taxes is the only mode of curing the evil,
us it would give activity to our manutactures, and
the price of corn would advance in proportion to a
more extensive circulation of motley. Without 4:cc-
minty and retrenclumut every expedient to relieve
the landed interest wail prove fruitless and mig3toly.
This calendar thr the county of %%ilts contains t: e
names of up..ards of ninety prisoners—the heaviest
ever known there; and the climes with which they
stand charged, are in magnitude as unpreecdenti:d.