Weekly national intelligencer., 1847-09-18
NEWLY DISCOVERED ARTICLE OF FOOD.

The Paris papers mention vegetable production found or
the high lands of the south of the French provinces Africa
and IN Algerian Sahara during the last campaign, which has
been pointed the French Government by General
sui The article is lichen which is found in a great
part OF Sahara. is noushing like the of the He
brews The following extract from the report this
SUBJECT addressed General Jussuf the Governor
i is dated ELBeida, May IL, ls47
M Raymond, assistant surgeon attached the corps
pointed ou during the expedition of last year, of lche
which he found in abundance parts of Sersou and
wnch appeared him capable Of being used for the food of
animals and perhaps of Considering the advantages
Whch we might derive from this article expeditions
wards the SOUTH in shall prove to be suitable for the
food OF men animals advantage of the march
OF my column across the high lands of Sersou and the south
ern region to gain information questions relating to the er
sence the NATURE the production and the this chen
In the state In which observed it, and in which it ap--
Pred 10 be used detached from the SOIL which
rolled mere and there by the wind and has the appearance
small pieces OF leather OF the color Of the eah rolled dou
oled up together 1t is dry and hard grain of
white inside, and presents arinaceous aspect when it
crushed It's taste very much like dried gan and pro-
logged mastleaon develops slight degree Of bitterness
: According to observations and information which has
been collected we are certain that is produced every year,
alter the rainy season. under the form of moss the ground
70 which It is at hrst attached The upper part then whit
h that which lies the ground takes the of the earth
Inc sun afterwards acts upon this substance which becomes
Dry rolls itself up and crisp then detaches itself
from the SOIL and the wind drives about and collects it
land where it is produced
"Ihe arnaceous appearance of the inside of this chen
the knowledge that all vegetables of this class
ous substance and, have said in Tartary gave
the idea that might be applied nourshent of the
animals in army 1t offered the horses who ate
readily Of them subjected for three weeks to reg
of barley and chen which did seem to be INJURIOUS
to him meantime the experiment ought be repeated and
have given orders that certain number of should be
put upon the chen mixed at first with half barley and then
with the chen alone if possible This regimen will be ap-
piled with all pecauon and all possible prudence and shall
future give account of these results shall beside send
Agers several bags of this substance that may be sub
jected to analysis and observation.
81 learn, that during years of scarcity the Oued
Nayis make Of the ichen mixed with barley but very
substantial kind of bread sent specimen of this substance
and copy of these facts to the different commanding officers
acting in the SOUTH
"Dr Raymond adds to these details the following obse-
vaons The nutrve properties of this cheD he
summed up its of eatab which the botaniss bestow
upon it. and find elsewhere long articles which enumerae
the results of the analysis and show how much amentary
substance contains and give the conviction that
tains nothing hurtful.
'sAs its identity, it is certainly the Lchen Escuients
of which the Tarars make great Their cattle feed upon
and they make of it of bread eaten by the and
which they consider kind of sentthem by Heaven
General Jussu Boghar caused two oaves to be made
OF the chen containing chen, softer and had
less consistency than the ohe to which than tenth Of
flour added This last resembed much the army bread,
Of which it had nearly the taste. The nutrve quail
ties of this bread be denied when is known that
of most distinguished chemists NJ Payen, has ascertain
ed that substance may be extracted from the chen the
in its properties its transformations, and its elementary
position with the starch formerly pointed out in by NJ Bor-
zelus He remarked aerward that the dastas in reacng
the jelly of the ichen, transforms all the archy particles
into dexne and sugar. Ii may then be concluded with GER
tanty that the army of the expedition to the south will find
in this cyptogama sufficient article of food in of the
failure of provisions"