Star.
London, England, 1824-09-07 00:00:00

MINERAL TALLOW.

This rare substance, which was discoveied in Finland
in 1736, has la.eiv been found in a bog on the borders
of Loch-Fyne, in Scotland. It has the colour and feel
of tallow, and is tasteless. It melts at 118 degrees, and
boils at 290 degrees ; when melted, it is transparent
and colou: les, ; on cooling, becomes spongy and
though not so much sons at first. It is insoluble
water, but soluble in alcohol, oil of turpentine, olive
ill, wit; naphtha, while these liquids are hot ; hot it is
1-ecipitated again when they cool. Its specific gravity,
in its natural state, is 0.6078, but the tallow is full of
air babbles ; and after fu.ion, which disengages the
air, the specific gtavity is 0.98:3, which is rather higher
than that of tailow. It does not combine with alkalis,
nor form soap. Thus it iliffers from every class of bodies
known—from the fixed oils in not forming soap, and j
from the volatile oils and ilitumens in being tasteless
and de-aitute of smell. Its volatility and combustibility
ate equal to those of any volatile oil or naphtha.—
Edinburgh Philosophical Journal.

Tricks off akers Unmasked. A Letter addressed to the
Right Hon. the Lord Mayor of Lyndon. Bvo. pp. 28.

To a London housekeeper this must rove an ap-
palling letter, harrowing up his very soul to think how
often and to what an extent he has been robbed of his
viands on S.indays.
The anther's account may, we think, be received
without besitati,tr, as he seems to make no secret what-
ever of the pal t lie acted in these Sunday depredations.
We need not hunt through the letter for a fit specimen
of the rognety of both master and man. We shall take
the first place he had after his arrival in London from
Wiltshire, where he served his apprenticeship. He was
employed by a master baker in the neighbourhood of
Bloomsbury-square, at 4s. a week and his board. " I had
not been long in the service (says he) before I became
fully acquainted with London honesty ! for on the first
Sunday after I entered my service I had to attend with
the other men the baking of the dishes of meat and
other things which were brought to the shop; the
custom being to leave the dish and receive a ticket in
return for it. As I was the underman, it became my
duty to take the dishes out of the shop into the bake-
house ; the second hand, as the cant phrase is, shaves
the meat (that is to say) cuts as much off from each
joint as he thinks will not be missed ; the foreman
drains the water off, and puts the dishes in the oven till
they require to be turned ; after which the liquid fat is
drained from each dish, and the deficiency is supplied
with water ; this fat is the master's perquisite. Being
a novice in this part of the business, on one occasion,
instead of pouring the fat into its proper receptacle, I
emptied the fat from a leg of pork into my young
master's boot, which terribly scalded his leg and foot.
Upon the return •of my master, mistress, and their
daughter, from Spa Fields Chapel, seeing their son
Charles's leg in bandages, for the skin had come off
with his stocking, the mother exclaimed 0 Charles,
what is the matter with your leg?'—' Why, mother,
(responded the afflicted youth) whilst we were turning
the dinners, this stupid countryman, instead of pouring
the fat into the pan, pouted the fat of a large leg of
pork into my boot, and scalded me terribly; 0!
(dies the tender mother), Mr. B. you always engages
stupid countrymen!' Being at the top of the stairs lis-
tening, I was reminded of the old adage, that.lis-
teners seldom hear any good of themselves.' It may
be plainly seen, between master and man, that by these
perquisites, the public loses two ounces on each pound
of meat, and these being a mutual understanding be-
tween master and man, there is little fear of detection.
MT master soictly forbad me from resorting to
Bakers Houses of Call, for he said they were guilty of
all kinds of vice. Scarcely a week elapsed in this ho-
nest baker's service, but I had a loaf to pay for, with
which my master overcharged my account: to remedy
this imposition, I bought a memorandum book, wherein
I wrote the number of loaves I daily received from my
master, and each customer's name to whom I delivered
the bread, and thus fairly detected my master's
roguery, not only in cheating me, but his customers also,
by making in the trade's cant phrase, Dead nien I* I
mentioned this circumstance to some other journeymen,
who told me the dead men' ought to be my perqui-
site, and finding the customers did not detect the impo-
sition, or have their bills examinedt I began to deal in
' dead men,' determined not to bury any after Wed-
nesday, for fear they should rise in judgment against
me at the weekly settlements; and if my master at-
tempted to bury his dead men' in the same ground, I
took care to detect him, and to tell him of it before the
bills were carried in to the customers, when he would
say it was a mistake. I soon became master of killing
and burying, but wanted a confidential undertaker,
being but a simple countryman. One day my master
said to me, JAnes, you keep a book against me.' I
answered, 6 I did, as I had paid him for many loaves I
never received, and it was the best way to rectify mis-
takes. Well, (he replied), I have been in business
forty years, and never before did any journeyman keep
an account against me.' Sir, (says I), you very fre-
quently make mistakes.' He replied, You have found
out the Houses of Call, and if you frequent them, you
will not suit my service.' This happened in the summer
of 1796, when Our business was slack. The second
hand going away, I took his place, and was retained at
sixteen shillings per week, with lodging, bread, beer,
and a Sunday's dinner ; my board scarce cost anything,
as I had plenty of broken victuals given me; besides, sse
kept a sharp knife in the bakehouse, which would shave
off a dinner to :t hair's breadth. But notwithstanding
my promotion, and the advantages attached to it, I
round upon comparison, that four shillings per week,
with the spoils of the' dead men,' were more profitable.
I frequently detected my master in his deficient weigh-
ings of the flour ; when ordered to take a peck of flour
to a Gentleman's house, the quantity seldom exceeded
ten pounds, instead of fourteen pounds; and if a half
peck, live pounds instead of seven pounds; the ser-
vants never thought about the weight, it being imme-
oiately emptied into the flour tub, and if any fault was
alterwards found, it was attributed to a mistake."

The foregoing, n hich is a general species of robbery
in London, acorn ding to this practical agent, sinks how.
ever into perrect insigniticance when compared with
the profits that accrue from a contract to furnish the
military with wheaten hi eati of g )ed quality. Instead
of ,'hex*, a mixture of wheat, barley, rye, oats, beans,
peis and caravairser4s (in American legume), was em-
• Dead men,' in the baker4' cant. are loaves iharged to the cus.:
nant.r* which were tn.ret deliveitki to them.

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