New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1848-10-27
The Kettle or CauldrOn

The common cast-IrOn beified Kettle Or CACf-
DEos furnishes snober proof Of the forms OF culinary
vessels having undergone little change, while
passing through many ages IL shape is precisely
the same a. That VI the sITULA POT sculptUred on
obesk Of HeiopOlis, (see It's figure ia Cut No. j.
and DT. shsws Travels) Others with ears aud feet
delinested 10 tie Thebsn Sculptures In the Tomb
# Rameses the Third is grsphc representation OF
Egyptian Kitchen. showing the processes Of Staying
the snlmals-cuttios the j0ints-prepafng Ingredients
for COMMUNICATING the mea,--stirriDg the fire
making and baking the bread SC. sc. The Csuldrons
Of various sizes are similar In shape to ours Whkin
sons An Egyp H. jl 3-3 3.J. There IL reason 70 be-
iese that boilers this form 10 all the
nstons Of the Ancient World that the pOttage by
which jacob deirauded Essu Of bis birhnght and The
ssvory meat. which Rebeccs cooked for Isaac. were
prepared ia them To one of these, job referred out
OF HE nosuils gOeih smoke out Of seetnng pot or
csuldron" And Elisha also, when he said to his ser
Tsn Set the great pot and seethe the posge ior
the sons Of the Prophets" 1t Ia often mentioned by
Homer, ia whose writings 1t forms a conspicuous object
And soon the flames accomplishing ''ound IT, ample h'Ns
The question naturally arises-why such uniformity
N the figure Of this uensi and what has induced PEG
Do in blatant chimes aud countries TO make It resemble
, portion 4 hollow ,phere or spheroid instead OF
forming IL with plain sdes aud bOOmf III clear there
vas controlling reason for this-ese why should
the .anciiu Greek and Roman Artists have permitted II
to retain lie primitive form while all other household
implements as lamps vases drinking vessels, and tfi
pods &c. were nodded by them into endless shapes.
brszen CauldTobs we know were highly priced They
we're sometimes polished, aud their sides richly orna'
meoted but still their general form the same
those Of more ancient people. In this respect both
Greeks and Romans left them as they found them The
reason IL obvious When a liquid is heated In cynd
ricsi other vessel having perpendicular sides 70
easily bOis but when the sides incline uodras Al
the TOP In these Csuldrons II cannot well be thrown
out by ebulition alone for the heated waves as they
rise directed towards the centre where their force
Is expended against each other. Dyers, Brewers Dis
tillers &c sre well aware of this fact The remote
Ancents had therefore observed the ineihciency OF
straight sided Boilers and applied simple and beauu
tiiu remedy which was possibly suggested by the
previous OF natural vessels the gourd, &c This
proof Of their sagacity and of the early pro
gress of the srts Of founding and moldug From the
extreme antiquity of these Csudrons II Is not impos
BILE that their form similar 10 the pattern which Iuba
Cain himself used and which he taught his pupils %
initiate Similar vessels found in the workshops OF
Vulcan (see plate 20) Brazen Csudrous were formerly
considered suitable presents for hings-rewards OF
valor--prles In the games &c OF the gifts offered by
hgsmemnon to sppease the wrath OF Achilles were
seven Tuposs never suihed yet 10y IRE.
OF sot ten talents. r-rSrt C.rtnsoss bright
They among the goods which lriein took u re-
deem the body of Hector
n. also too. ten taeuts ofth Of gold
Al w.tbed. splendid Tupo1s. C,rtp'oss maf.
And after these Coy Of matches sorth
The Prizes at the funeral games ON the death oi Ps
ospsaou, o.,,pso,.. Iupod' bright.
These unobtrusiye vessels are now used without ex
citing thought OF their worth of the ingenuity oi
those whom indebted for them although
they have contributed infinitely more to the real com
tort and innocent gra,hcaton OF man than al tue speh
did NASKs that made. These have always
had their admirers and historians Volumes embeish
ed with costly illustrations. have been written on then
forms, materials. ages and authors but no modern
Hamilton has entered the Kitchen 10 record aud Illus
uste the origin, improvement notifications and vsri
uses OF the CsudrOn This vessel. like despisec
but necessary attendant has been the insepasble
psnion Of man In his progress from RArbarlsm o. Re
fnement and has administered 90 his necessites at
every stage Yet n has ever been regarded while
literary c-,snis have eNyizted IN numerous treatises
inca ~ me "a thf
essays sauces, but the hstory Of the more useful
sauce Pan 10 yet 20 Dc written m account Of this
sci and of the Csuldron would place IA very novel
and instructive light the domestic manners Of The
world and examination Of thc various modes o.
heliss the latter would bring % view many excellent
ievicos Tor econcmizng fuel lrwbsnks Hydraulics.