The Sun.
London, England, 1829-01-17 00:00:00

POTATOE FLOUR.

(From the Glasgow Free Press.)
The numerous discussions which have taken
place on the subject of the Corn Laws, }move
that this country is unfortunately at the mercy 01
foreign nations for a portion of the subsistence"
of its people, under present circumstances. It
evident, however, that if means could be disco-
vered for preserving the surplus of our crops or
potatoes from one year to another, this defect
would no. longer exist.
Cur readers are aware that we have paid at-
tention to lids matter for some time, and we are
convinced, from our own observation, that the
very desirable object above-mentioned has been
accomplished. A cheap, easy, imd•simple mean
has been found, not only to preserve the surplus
of any year's produce of this root, to supply the
,•
deficiency of another year, but to render the
whole equal in quality, and greatly superior ill
quantity to wheat.

The manufacture of Potatoe Flour leas made
considerable progress ill many parts of Great
Britain and Ireland, and we have some eviden6e
that it was sold in England, last spring; at the.
very moderate price of three-halfpence thepoimd-
In France it is prepared on a very large scale:,--.
It is stated by Chabral that 40,000 tons of this
root are converted into flour or fecule annually,
in the neighbourhood of Paris, where it is sold
at three farthings a pound. It is true that ia
this country it has been hitherto sold highs
because there are very few competitors, but it rs
daily falling, anti will soon come to its pr4er
level. Sir John Sinclair has paid much atten-
tion to this object, but his ideas differ materially
from those of Dr. Maclean, to whose
however, the worthy Baronet bears ample tessti-
molly in the following passage, which we extract
from Sir John's late pamphlet on the culture and
uses of Potatoes.
There is nothing fanciful or imaginary in this
art ; the whole is founded on p!aii and evident
facts, of which every man may soon satisfy
himself.

" There is a very able paper on the subject of
the farina of potatoes, in the thirty-first volume. of
the Transactions Of the Society of Arts, p. 13, by
John Whitely, Esq., of Cork, printed anno 1813 ;
but the subject had been in a great measure lost
sight of, until lately that it has been revived, in
consc (rience of some communications inserted M the
newspaper?, written by an intelligent and public-
spirited physician, (Dr. Maclean,) under the narnir
of " Medicos," who deserves much credit for hia at-
tendon to this most interesting object of inquiry?'
We i,kevvise subjoin the following article- Oa
this subject, from the Edinbitrgh Examiner
At a Meeting of the Royal Physical Society of
Edinburgh, held on the 13th of May last, Dr.
ill`Lean, an Extraordinary Men- :,rr of the Society.
read a parl on the advantages winch would result
to the country from the manufacture of potatoe into
dour. The excellent quality of this farina—the
length of time which it may he preserved free from
damage—the very remarkable fact of its being proof
against the attack of vermin of all kinds—and above
all, the Vast increase of food which is created by
the chemical change from the ordinary team of the
root into floor. This last circumstance, which many
of the gentlemen could hardly conceive to be pos-
sible, the Doctor demonstrated most satisfactorily, in
their presence, having actually prepared several
dishes of a most delicious pulp or jelly in the public
hall, before all the members, and completely proved
the correctness of all his assertions on this most im-
portant and interesting subject, to the entire convic-
tion of all present. The moat unqualified approba-
tion rras expressed on the occasion, and the warmest
thanks of the society were unanimously voted to the
learned gentleman for his valuable communication."