The Sun.
London, England, 1846-11-10 00:00:00

QUALITIES OF MEAT.

Every country is famous more or less for some pro-
duce, so is every county; for instance, for the best beef
we are indebted principally to Scotland; the Highland
ox, which, if bred in Scotland, kept there until four
months old, and fed twelve months in Norfolk, cannot be
surpassed; those also that are killed in Scotland are
likewise very commendable, but the connoisseur would
give the preference by far to those that had undergone a
change of atmosphere and pasturage. Norfolk also pro-
duces excellent beef, as likewise does Herefordshire,
which three sorts are ranked as best by the best judges.
The Brighton downs are noted for producing sheep of
the first quality, next to which may be ranked those of
the Norfolk downs; they are rather larger, more fleshy,
and the meat sometimes a darker colour. Herefordshire
also produces some very excellent. The Scotch mutton
is also very good, and deservedly of very high repute,
but I rarely ever use it, as it is killed in Scotland, and
hurriedly packed, which causes it not to look so well,
and frequently very much bruises it; but that of Leices-
tershire is, in my opinion, quite the contrary, being
coarse meat and very fat; I consider it unworthy of
making its appearance on the table of a man of wealth.
When residing at Melton Mowbray I tried several
haunches, even after hanging a month in winter, and
then roasted to perfection; I could not find in them any
savour worthy of the taste of an epicure; I consider it
more as a useful nourishment than a delicate meat. The
best Welsh mutton is direct from its native mountains;
the heath upon which it feeds gives a very rich flavour
to the meat, which is very dark and without much fat;
many are fed in the English counties; they are very
excellent and much fatter; but do not possess the same
wild flavour. The best veal to be obtained iu the spring
time of year comes from the west of England, being
rather small and very white; but there is a ready supply
of good veal from Surrey and Essex throughout the
year. Although very fine veal may be obtained in this
country, it is not to be compared to the quality we obtain
in France; the veal of P3ntoise, a little town six miles
from Paris, outrivals any; I would venture to say that
one pound of that veal would make a better stock than
double the quantity of the veal procured here; no one
can account for it, but such is the actual case; although
there the quality of any other description of animal
food is deficient, we have to boast of the excellent fla-
vour, succulence, and the excessive whiteness of our veal.
House lamb may be obtained throughout the whole year,
but there is no great demand for it before February.
Grass lamb makes its appearance now much earlier than
formerly; the quality much depends upon the winter
season; if a mild winter they may really be fed upon
grass; but if the contrary, they must be fed with pre-
pared food, which increases their size but diminishes
their quality. Pork for roasting is best when about six
months old, Berkshire and Hampshire producing the
best. The size of a leg of pork should not exceed seven
pounds, nor much less than six. Ido not know why
but of late years pork has lost in a great measure its
popularity, and but seldom appears on a nobleman s
table; it is in season from October to about March.—
Soyer's Cookery.

ROBBERIES IN MINES IN CORNWALL.—At the
Cornwall General Quarter Sessions, held at Bodmin last
week, a series of cases were tried, which exposed a
complete organised system of plundering mines. The
prisoners were chiefly convicted through the agency of
a man named Moyle, who was admitted an approver.
It appeared that four or five months ago several valuable
mining implements, composed chiefly of brass, were
missing from various mines in the western parts of the
county, and, in consequence of some suspicions, this
man's house was searched, and a large quantity of the
articles found concealed in a cavity up the chimney.
Moyle is a dealer in marine stores, and lives at Red-
ruth ; on being taken before the magistrates, he Con-
sented to confess, and become an approver, on condition
of receiving a pardon. He then acknowledged him-
self an extensive receiver and buyer of brass and
other metal from different miners, and in consequence
of that information several parties were taken
up and convicted. The depredations appear to have
been carried on to a considerable extent. William
Prince and Joseph Prince, two miners, were convicted
of stealing at Wheal Unity Wood Mine, in the parish of
Knwyn, a brass air pump-bucket, 1,000 lbs. weight of
brass, and 50 pieces of brass. The prisoners, on the night
of the 24th July last, broke open the door of the engine
house in which these articles were kept, and removed
them into a lane near the mine. They then went and
informed Moyle they had some brass to sell, and the
prisoners, in company with Moyle, and another
dealer in marine stores, named Hooper, went with
a cart and brought the brass home to Moyle's
house, and kindled a strong fire under it, and
broke it in pieces to avoid detection. Several
other cases of a similar character from the Wheal Jowell
and other mines were heard, the prisoners being sen
tented, according to the aggravation of their cases, either
to transportation or imprisonment with hard labour.
UNCONSECRATED GROUND.—As a proof of the
growing indifference of the people to interment in con-
secrated ground, we mention a fact of recent occurrence.
A child of a labouring couple, living in St. Sidwell's,
Exeter, died. The mother waited upon the Rev. Francs
Courtenay, and asked him if he would bury the child ot.
Sunday last, at four o'clock in the afternoon, in the
cemetery. He replied that he could not attend, having,
we,presnme, other duties. She replied that asSunday after-
noon was the only time that the father and bearers could
attend, the child must be buried then, and that if he would
not attend, the child should be buried in the dissenters'
ground by a dissenter. He was greatly shocked at the
unscrupulous manner in which the mother was prepared
to consign the remains of her child to unconsecrated
earth. She gave him the opportunity, however, of pre-
venting it, by performing the ceremony at the time
named, but he still refused. Having thus shown the
reverend gentleman that he had himself, by his indis-
position to accommodate her as to time, shown very
little desire to avert the dreaded event, she " crossed the
ditch," and the child was buried in unconsecrated ground
the funeral service being performed by a member of the
Wesleyan Church, a church which has proved itself on
this, as on other occasions, worthy of the title of the
poor man's church.— Western Times.
FOREIGN POTATOES.—At the latter portion of the
past week some arrivals of potatoes had taken place.
from foreign countries, and which seemed more es-
pecially to require particular mention. Some have
since taken place which, in some instances from their
extent, and others from their partial or entire novelty,
would appear equally entitled to remark, and
the notice of which will not be at all uninteresting
at the present time, when the scarcity, and in many
cases-disease, of this esteemed vegetable is so much com-
mented upon. The steam-ship Rainbow, from Rotter
dam, brought 66 bags, the produce of Holland; the Mi-
nerva, from Borregaard, three barrels of the article, of
Norwegian produce; the Alkmaar, from Amsterdam, two
bags of Dutch produce; the Emerald steamer, from Bou-
logne, 12 sacks the growth of France ; the Countess
of Lonsdale, from Hamburgh, 6 baskets ; the Oxford,
from New York, 18 barrels, of American produce ; the
Perseverance, from Dunkirk, a cargo comprising 30 tons
weight of the article, the growth of Normandy; and the
William and Matthew, from Dunkirk, also, the very
large quantity of 115 tons weight, the produce of the
same place; and again the Ypres from the same port,
an entire cargo, comprising 50 tons weight of this
vegetable, also the growth of Normandy. The
Giraffe, from Rotterdam, brought thirteen baskets
of Dutch produce; the Caledonia, from Hambnrgh,
11 bags, of Hanseatic produce ; the Albion, from Dun-
kirk, a cargo consisting of 49 tons weight, again the
produce of Normandy ; and, finally, the Ocean, at the
port of Liverpool, from Havre, 104 bags of the article,:the
produce of France. Of these arrivals it will be scarcely
necessary for us to allude, even in the most succinct
manner to the extensive importations which have taken
place this week from Dunkirk, the produce of Nor-
mandy. They form quite a feature, and have evidently
taken place to an extent unprecedented from that or any
of the other continental States, and will be read with
exceeding interest, as they form a subject of very great
commercial importance.
THE NEW PLANET.—The present distance of the
new planet, expressed in common measure, is about
3,200,000,000 English miles from the sun, and about
3,100,000,000 from the Earth. Its distance from Uranus
—whose motion it disturbs—is about 150,000,000 of
miles. It diameter is estimated at 50,000 miles. That
of Uranus is about 35,000 ; of Jupiter, 86,000 ; of
Saturn, 79,000 ; of the Earth, 8,000. Its cubic bulk is
to that of the earth as 250 to 1. The new planet is the
largest in our system except Jupiter and Saturn ; and
since these two planets as well as Uranus, are each at-
tended by a train of Satellites, it is extremely probable
that the new planet will have a similar accompaniment.
We had the pleasure of seeing the planet on Thursday
night from the Calton Hill. It comes to the meridian
a few minutes before nine, and is within a short distance
of Saturn. With a power under 200 it is not distin-
guishable from a fixed star.—Scotsman.
DISCOVERY OF AN ILLICIT DISTILLERY UNDER
THE WATERLOO-ROAD.—One of the most extraordinary
seizures ever brought under the notice of the public, was
made on Friday by the officers of Excise. For a consi-
derable time past, indeed for years suspicion had existed
in the minds of the officers of the district, respecting
some premises in the neighbourhood of the Waterloo-
road, but no clue could be obtained to anything of a con-
traband nature being carried on within them. The
premises are situated immediately under and ex-
tending beyond the building in the Waterloo-road,
known as the Royal Hospital for the Diseases of
Children. Although daily visited by a great number of
persons, no idea existed in the mind of any person con-
nected with it, or otherwise, of the extensive trade that
was carried on immediately below. On Friday, how-
ever, from a strong impression that all was not right, or
from information received, Messrs. Bayford and Levying
officers of the Excise, made their way to the rear of the
premises, which are approached by a narrow passage,
running parallel with the Waterloo-road, near to Stam-
ford street. Large gates inclosed the entrance to what
were known as vaults for the depositary of old ales and
publican's fittings in trade. On gaining an entrance
they made their way to a vault, approached by a very
narrow passage, and totally excluded from a ray of
light, where they discovered two large stills fitted up,
both set in brickwork, and under one of which a fire had
been recently lighted. A quantity of illicit spirits were
also 1 eind in the place. On pursuing their search in the
adjoining vaults they found from 80 to 90 barrels of old
ale, and the refuse of porter, amounting to 8,000 or 9,000
gallons. Whether the large quantity here found was
intended or not for the service of the stills has not been
determined. A very strong spirit has been frequently
made from the grounds of beer, and it can be more safely
used for this purpose, as it emits no strong odour, as is
the case with wash produced by molasses in the course
of fermentation. No molasses wash whatever was found
on the premises. The worm tubs were supplied with
water from vessels below the ordinary supply in the
dwelling-houses in the Waterloo-road, and the waste
water was discharged by pipes downwards from the stills
into the common sewer, so that not the slightest clue to
any premises could be obtained from this circumstance.