The Chemistry of Cookery

reasoning whatever. If, however, he is sufficiently ‘un-English’ to test the question experimentally, he may possibly convince himself. To do this fairly, a large joint of meat should be equally divided, one half roasted in front of the fire, the other in a non-ventilated oven over a little water by a cook who knows how to heat the oven. This condition is essential, as some intelligence is demanded in regulating the temperature of an oven, while any barbarian can carry out the modern modification of the ordinary device of the savage, who skewers a bit of meat, and holds this near enough to a fire to make it frizzle. Having settled this question to my own satisfaction more than twenty years ago, I now amuse myself occasionally by experimenting upon others, and continually find that the most uncompromising theoretical haters of baked meat practically prefer it to orthodox roasted meat, provided always that they eat it in ignorance. Part II. of Count Rumford’s ‘Tenth Essay’ is devoted to his roaster and roasting generally, and occupies ninety-four pages, including the special preface. This preface is curious now, as it contains the following apology for delay of publication: ‘During several months, almost the whole of my time was taken up with the business of the Royal Institution; and those who are acquainted with the objects of that noble establishment will, no doubt, think that I judged wisely in preferring its interest to every other concern.’ To those who attend the fashionable gatherings held on Friday evenings in ‘that noble establishment’ during the London season, it is almost comical to read what its founder says concerning the object for which it was instituted—viz. the noble purpose of DIFFUSING THE KNOWLEDGE AND FACILITATING THE GENERAL INTRODUCTION OF NEW AND USEFUL INVENTIONS AND IMPROVEMENTS.’ The capitals are Rumford’s, and he illustrates their meaning by reference to ‘the repository of this new establishment,’ where specimens of pots and kettles, ovens, roasters, fireplaces, gridirons, tea-kettles, kitchen-boilers, &c., might be inspected. Some years ago, when I was sufficiently imprudent to accept an invitation to describe Rumford’s scientific researches