The Sun.
London, England, 1844-11-14 00:00:00

BAD BREAD.

" ACCIDENT ON TIIE RIVER.—Yesterday an acci- 1
dent, which was near being attended with the loss of
three lives, occurred on the Surrey side of the river, be-
tween Blackfriars and 'Waterloo bridges, by the upsetting
of a punt, in which were three labourers, named Murray,
Delany, and Cripps. "The three men were rowing from
the slip at Blackfriars- bridge;Ab a raft of timber lying
on the river, and upon nearing it, whether through want
of caution, or the force of the tide, they struck some of
the projecting beams of the raft with the side of the boat,
which was instantly upset., and the three men precipi-
tated into the water. Delany and Murray clung to the
raft for a considerable time, until they were rescued by \
some fellow-workmen, who, hearing their cries, hastened
to the spot ; but Cripps was less fortunate, for he failed
in grasping the raft, and was carried by the force of the \
tide under it. After considerable exertion on the part
of those who hurried to the spot on witnessing the acci-
dent, he was at length got into a boat in an exhausted
and almost insensible state, when ho was taken ashore
and every attention paid him, but a considerable time
elapsed before he could be considered out of danger. The
other men escaped with a good ducking only, and were
enabled to resume their work after a change of clothes.

At a meeting of the members of the Devon and
Cornwall Natural History Society, held at their
rooms, at the Union Baths, on Monday, Dr. Tripe
read an important paper on "Ropy Bread," in the
course of which he stated that the state of bread
termed " ropy" was generally admitted to depend on the
presence of fungi. After promising to write a paper
on the subject, he had made numerous inquiries of se-
veral parties practically interested in the question,
but he regretted to say he had found a total ignorance
both as to its origin, its true nature, and the best re-
medy. As to the remedy, it was true that experience
had taught bakers that washing, both with lime-wash
and plain water, would frequently answer ; but, in spite
of these remedies, it frequently continued for weeks,
and that to their great loss, and not unfrequently
ruin. Recent writers on the subject agreed in
attributing the ropy state of bread to the presence of
fungi. And they all accounted for the presence ( f
fungi on the ground of the quality of the flour, but
he (Dr. Tripe) thought it might originate from three
causes—that of atmosphere, from yeast, which he
thought the main cause, and from the flour. With
respect to yeast, he said it appeared, from a micros-
copic examination of a mass of yeast, that it consists
of minute disconnected vesicles, that appear to con-
stitute one of the simplest forms of vegetation.
these, like seeds, may remain for any length of time
in an inactive condition without losing their vitality ;
but when placed in a fluid in which any kind of
sugary matter is contained, they commence vege-
tating actively, provided the temperature be suffi-
ciently high, and they assist in producing that change
in the composition of the fluid which is known
• under the name of fermentation. Having referred
to several opinions on fermentation, the Learned
Gentleman went on to say, that if a small portion
of the fermenting fluid be examined at intervals
with a powerful microscope, it is observed that
each of the little resides at first contained in it puts
forth one or more prolongations, which in time be-
come new vesicles like their parents. These organs
perform the same office, so that in a few hours the
single vesicles have developed themselves into rows
of five or six. This is not the only way, however,
in which they multiply, for sometimes the vesicles
burst, and emit a number of minute granules,
which are the germs of new plants, and which
soon develope themselves into additional cells. By
the time that five or six vesicles are formed in each

group, the fermentation is sufficiently far advanced
for the puposes to which it is to be applied, and
measures are then taken to check it, by which the
vegetation of the yeast plant is checked. If they
could suppose any circumstance to arise by which the
vegetation of the yeast was not suspended, or after
it was checked and the yeast amalgamated with
the flour, for the vegetation again to be active,
they would have a sufficient cause for the
origin of the fungi in bread. The progress of
the disease, as it may be called, in bakehouses from
one lot of bread to another were elaborately gone
into and pointed out, and instances cited in which its
ravages had prevailed to the extent of even ruining
the bakers. As a remedy, he suggested ventilation,
fumigation with chlorine, and the application of cold
instead of hot washing. At the conclusion of the
reading of the paper the subject was discussed with
considerable ingenuity by the President, Messrs.
Markes, Bartlett, Boswarva, Oxiand, Harper, Captain
APAdam, and Dr. Tripe, and a Committee was ap-
pointed to inquire and report upon the subject.—
Plymouth Times.

DYSART ITARBOUR.—The extreme point of the pier
here was partially demolished on Saturday last by the
sea, in consequence of the severe easterly gale which
continued during the greater part of last week. The
harbour has sustained a considerable amount of damage
by the gale. The fair way is half shut up by a large
mass of broken fragments of stone and rubbish, which it
will require considerable expense and labour to remove.
—Fife Journal.
DEATH OF LADY MARY Thu.—We have to re-
cord the demise of Lady Mary Hill, wife of Major-Ge-
neral Sir Dudley St. Leger Hill, -K.C.8., who expired on
Wednesday last, at Turnwood Park, her Ladyship's re-
sidence in Dorsetshirc. The deceased lady was in her
73d year, and had been previously married to Mr. Mark
Davis, of Turnwood, Dorset.
CAUTION TO-PROPRIETORS AND VISITORS OF COP.
FEE-lIOUSES.—A suspicious-and shabby-looking foreigner,
thin and rather elderly, who has been more than sus-
pected of two or three times abstracting French and
other newspapers from various coffee-houses which ho
honours with his visits as a customer, succeeded yester-
day (Tuesday) in getting off quietly with a valuable
umbrella, belonging to a gentleman frequenting a house
near Regent-street, during his temporary absence in an
adjoining room. This person is lame, and has appa-
rently a cork leg.
THE WEATHER.—That ominous bird, "the stormy
peterel," is reported to have been seen off the mouth of
the Tyne, on Sunday last. It is rarely seen here, save
in tempestuous weather. For the last few days the
numbers of wild fowl upon the coast, both north and
south, have been very great. All these things are indi-
cations of a severe winter.—Newcastle Journal.
LEWES.—The works on the Brighton, Lewes, and
Hastiogs Railway have been commenced between Hod-
shrove and Ashcombe, where large gangs of labourers
are set on, who proceed merrily in removing the earth.
One day 'last week, Mr. Acton, of this town, was sworn
at the Brighton Bench to take charge of the police con-
nected with the railway. Several policemen were sworn
in at the same tisne.—Brighton Guardian.
STORNOWAY, OCT. 19.—The brig Mary Wylie, of
Kincardine, Wylie, bound for Liverpool from Riga, in
making out of
,the harbour of Stornoway on Thursday
last, got on shore at the top of high-water, ots a rugged
piece of ground. Fortunately the wind was from the
north throughout the day ; and in the evening the crew
of the revenue cutter Prince of Wales, Captain Oliver,
assisted the Captain and crew of the brig in getting
her off, for which service they were awarded, by
arbiters, 401. After being surveyed, and as it
was ascertained that she received no damage, she
sailed in two days afterwards. The barque Ma-
jestic, of Newcastle, from St. John's, for Hull, was
driven from the Pentland Firth to the Island of Lewis,
and came to anchor in the Broad Bay on Tuesday night,
mistaking it in the darkness of the night for the harbour
of Stornoway. Fortunately the wind was off the land,
and she rode the gale in safety.—Nov. 2. The harvest is
now over in the Island of Lewis, and a plentiful crop
secured in fine condition. In the early part of October
the weather was extremely boisterous, and there wero
heavy falls of rain ; but for the last ten, days it has bee*
particularly favourable for raising and - housing the
potato crops, which is more abundant than it has been
for several years past.—Ross-shire Advertiser.
THE SAURY OR SEA PIKE.—We last week no-
ticed the capture of a few of these fish in the
Conon. Since then large numbers have been taken,
and it was somewhat amusing to see women with
their tucked• up gowns in the water, throwing out
the fish. These fish are driven to the beach by
the action of the waves, are incapable of motion, on
the receding of the waves, and die immediately they are
thrown ashore. At Beaatlys immense numbers have also
been taken, and in the Inverness market, as well as here
have been sold at the rate of four and five for a penny.
Several of the poor have found in them a very bene-
ficial relief, while the philosophical old women auger a
famine from their appearance in our bays.—Ross-shire
Advertiser.:
There was, we hear, a heavy slip of earth on the
Railway on Saturday night, just by the Burgess Hill
station. Great activity has been displayed by the Com-
pany's servants, and the traffic on the line has scarcely
been interrupted.—Briyhton Guardian.
MANUFACTURES AT PERTII.--We understand that a
manufacturing establishment here has taken premises to
commence the manufacture of the goods called unions, that
is, dresses of cotton and woollen combined by means of
power-looms. This is the first attempt at the introduction
of steam power to manufactures in this place, and we
hope it \\ lit be successful, and lead to an extension of
such establishments. The prices of hand-loom weaving
have advanced a fraction during the last month, and the
, prospect of the winter trade here is favourable for the
workurau.—Perth Courier.