Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1864-03-15
DIet In the wilderness.
From the Round Tablel


W. Winwood Resde, Fellow Of the Geo.
graphical and AnthrOpologicsI Societies
Of London, has just published there very
amusing and interesting narrative Of q
tour on the African continent, in which
he gives q remarkably rich account Of 8
dinner ct q French trsding-post on the
Casemanche River in SenegambiR. The
cookery in this case was French, but most
Of the delicacies were indigenous. The
first course consisted Of tres-eysteTs for
be it known that on the western coast Of
Africa the trees that dip their branches
finto the tidal waters are the roosting pls-
ces of most delicious bivalves, which are
torn from their coigns Of vantage as we
should pull chickens from the perch, and
served raw on the half shell, or broiled OF
boiled, IS the taste Of the epicure may die
tate. After the semi-sylVaD oysters came
gszelle outlets en- PaPiIlote, and two small
monkeys served cross-legged, on toast,
with liver sauce-a dish for anthropop
hagi, but rather too much like barbscued
babies to be relished by Christian fathers.
SteWed iguana-an exaggerated lizard
fianked with roasted crocodile eggs fol-
lowed, and, says cur traveller, "they were
mUC1 Ing AcAA LhAAAy WAo
smoked elephant from the interior, which
was not admired, being somewhat tougher
than hammered sole-leather. On the heels
Of the elephant came fried locusts-which
are said to have the favor Of that parlis-
mentsry fish, the English white-bait-snd
fsttened land-crabs. What the African
lsnd-erabs feed on we do not know, but
EVERYBODY who has been to the West In
dies is aware that they haunt the grave
Yards in Jamacis and Barbados, and
generally get very fat in yellow-fever
seasons. It may be prejudice, perhaps,
but we prefer sea crabs. A very especial
6onas 6ouehe was next in order-the breasts
Of the nlanatus or ses-oow, an smphibious
creature with hsnd-like paws, halEhuman
face, and fshy extremity, which is sup
posed to have been the mermaid Of the
mendacious past. Some boiled alligator,
which chad taste between "pork and
cod" with the addition Of a pachouly fa-
vor, was sfterward introduced, and Ship
popotamus- steaks 0uI pommss de teTfe'
closed the series Of substsntisls.
But the desert was glorious-s treat for
"9uno when she banquets." There were
pine apples, custsrd-spples, oranges roast
ed plantHlnS, slIVer-DanAna5i PapaWs Two
have these latter in our Southern States,
and they are excellent in tsTts when prop
erly spieed), and the famous palm cabbage,
which when raw tastes like celery and
when steWed with white sauce is superior
to any other vegetable on the terraqueous
globe. Mr.. Resde, who is little given
to rsphsopy, opines that it must have been
the smbrosis Of the Gods. Enraptured
with Africa, he seems to anticipate time
when there will be tea gardens and Gre
mornes in the Gases Of the Great Sahara,
hetels at the sources of the Nile, pleasure
yachts on the lakes Of the Great Plateau,
gentlemen's seats on the Ysubesi with
elephant parks and hippopotsmi waters,
and picnics under the palms and when
it will be as common q thing TO do the
Niger as it now is to do the Rhine.