Chapter XIV: Preface (14)

Cover the orifices of the vessels containing it with bladders closely
fastened instead of the usual materials, and an aqueous exhalation
will pass through the bladder, leaving some fine crystallizations on
the surface of the wine, which, when skimmed off, leaves the wine
in a highly improved state of flavour. Remnants of wine covered in
this manner, whether in bottles or casks, will not turn mouldy, as
when stopped in the usual way, but will be improved instead of being
deteriorated.

_German method of restoring sour Wines._

Put a small quantity of powdered charcoal in the wine: shake it, and
after it has remained still for forty-eight hours, decant steadily.

_To Concentrate Wines by Cold._

If any kind of wine be exposed to a sufficient degree of cold in
frosty weather, or be put into any place where ice continues all the
year, as in ice-houses, and there suffered to freeze, the superfluous
water contained in the wine will be frozen into ice, and will leave
the proper and truly essential part of the wine unfrozen, unless
the degree of cold should be very intense, or the wine but weak and
poor. When the frost is moderate, the experiment has no difficulty,
because not above a third or fourth part of the superfluous water
will be frozen in a whole night; but if the cold be very intense, the
best way is, at the end of a few hours, when a tolerable quantity of
ice is formed, to pour out the remaining fluid liquor, and set it in
another vessel to freeze again by itself.

The frozen part, or ice, consists only of the watery part of the
wine, and may be thrown away, and the liquid part retains all the
strength, and is to be preserved. This will never grow sour, musty,
or mouldy, and may at any time be reduced to wine of the common
strength, by adding to it as much water as will make it up to the
former quantity.

TO FINE WHITE WINES.

Take an ounce of isinglass, beat it into thin shreds with a hammer,
and dissolve it, by boiling in a pint of water; this, when cold,
becomes a stiff jelly. Whisk up some of this jelly into a froth with
a little of the wine intended to be fined, then stir it well among
the rest in the cask, and bung it down tight; by this means it will
become bright in eight or ten days.

TO FINE RED WINES.

Take whites of eggs beat up to a froth, and mix in the same manner as
in white wines.

_Another Method._

Put the shavings of green beech into the vessel, having first taken
off all the rind, and boil them for an hour in water to extract their
rankness, and afterwards dry them in the sun, or in an oven. A bushel
serves for a tun of wine; and being mashed, they serve again and
again.

Mortimer recommends to gather the grapes when very dry, pick them
from the stalks, press them, and let the juice stand twenty-four
hours in a covered vat. Afterwards to draw it off from the gross
lees, then put it up in a cask, and to add a pint or quart of strong
red or white port to every gallon of juice, and let the whole work,
bunging it up close, and letting it stand till January; then bottling
it in dry weather.

Bradley chooses to have the liquor when pressed, stand with the
husks and stalks in the vat, to ferment for fifteen days.

_To fine a hogshead of Claret._

Take the whites and shells of six fresh eggs, and proceed as with
port finings. Claret requires to be kept warm in saw-dust when
bottled.

_To fine Sherry._

Take an ounce and a half of isinglass, beat it with a hammer till
it can be pulled into small pieces, then put it into three pints of
cider or perry, and let it remain twenty-four hours, till it becomes
a jelly. After which mix it with a quart or two of wine, and whisk it
well with the whites and shells of six fresh eggs. Take four or five
gallons out to make room for the finings, and stir the wine well.
Then nearly fill the can of finings with wine, whisk it well, and put
it in the butt, stirring it well for about five minutes; afterwards
fill it up, and put the bung in loose. In two days bung it up, and in
eight or ten it will be fit for bottling.

_To fine pale Sherry._

Put three pints of skim-milk with the whites of eight eggs, beat well
together in a can; then put in finings, in the same manner as for
common sherry. If the sherry be thin and poor, feed them with good
brandy, as other wines.

_To fine Madeira._

Take three ounces of isinglass, and dissolve it, but if old wine two
ounces will be enough, also one quart of skim-milk, and half a pint
of marble sand: whisk these in a can with some wine. If the pipe is
full, take out a canful, and stir the pipe well; then put in the can
of finings, and stir that with a staff for five minutes; after which,
put the other can of wine into it, and let it have vent for three
days. Then close it up, and in ten days or a fortnight it will be
fine and fit for bottling and stowing with saw-dust in a warm place.

_To improve Madeira which has been round to the Indies._

Madeira should be kept in a warmer place than port wine, and
therefore requires a good body, and to be fed with brandy, but if
deficient in flavour or mellowness, add to it a gallon or two of good
Malmsey.

_To fine Vidonia Wine._

When first imported, Vidonia has a harsh and acid taste; but if
properly managed it more resembles Madeira wine than any other. To
take off the harshness, fine it down, and then rack it off upon the
lees of Madeira or white Port, fining it again with a light fining;
and if 20 or 30 gallons of good Madeira wine be added, it will pass
for Madeira. For the finings, dissolve two ounces of isinglass, and
the whites and shells of six fresh eggs; beat them well up together
with a whisk and add a gill of marble sand.

_To fine Malmsey and other Wines._

Take 20 fresh eggs, beat the whites, yolks, and shells together, and
manage it the same as other finings.—Calcavella, Sweet Mountain,
Paxaretta, and Malaga, should be managed and fined in the same manner
as Lisbon.—Tent, Muscadine, Sack, and Bastard, should be managed the
same as Malmsey, and fined with 16 or 20 fresh eggs, and a quart or
three pints of skim-milk. Old Hock, and Vin de Grave, are thin, but
pleasant wines, and should be fed with a little good brandy, and
fined, if necessary, with the whites and shells of six or eight eggs.

_To fine Port Wine._

Take the whites and shells of eight fresh eggs, beat them in a wooden
can or pail, with a whisk, till it becomes a thick froth; then add a
little wine to it, and whisk it again. If the pipe is full take out
four or five gallons of the wine to make room for the finings. If the
weather be warmish, add a pint of fresh-water sand to the finings.
Stir it well about; after which put in the finings, stirring it for
five minutes; put in the can of wine, leaving the bung out for a few
hours, that the froth may fall: then bung it up, and in eight or ten
days it will be fine and fit for bottling.

_To make and apply Finings._

Put the finings into a can or pail, with a little of the liquor
about to be fined, whisk them altogether till they are perfectly
mixed, and then nearly fill the can with the liquor, whisking it
well about again; after which, if the cask be full, take out four or
five gallons to make room; then take the staff, and give it a good
stirring; next whisk the finings up, and put them in; afterwards stir
it with the staff for five minutes. Then drive the bung in, and bore
a hole with a gimblet, that it may have vent for three or four days,
after which drive in a vent peg.

_To convert White Wine into Red._

Put four ounces of turnesole rags into an earthen vessel, and pour
upon them a pint of boiling water; cover the vessel close, and leave
it to cool; strain off the liquor, which will be of a fine deep red
inclining to purple. A small portion of this colours a large quantity
of wine. This tincture may either be made in brandy, or mixed with
it, or else made into a syrup, with sugar, for keeping.

In those countries which do not produce the tinging grape which
affords a blood-red juice, wherewith the wines of France are often
stained, in defect of this, the juice of elderberries is used, and
sometimes logwood is used at Oporto.

_To force down the Finings of all White Wines, Arracks, and
Small Spirits._

Put a few quarts of skimmed milk into the cask.

_To render Red Wine White._

If a few quarts of well-skimmed milk be put to a hogshead of red
wine, it will soon precipitate the greater part of the colour, and
leave the whole nearly white; and this is of known use in the turning
red wines, when pricked, into white; in which a small degree of
acidity is not so much perceived.

Milk is, from this quality of discharging colour from wines, of
use also to the wine-coopers, for the whitening of wines that have
acquired a brown colour from the cask, or from having been hastily
boiled before fermenting; for the addition of a little skimmed milk,
in these cases, precipitates the brown colour, and leaves the wines
almost limped, or of what they call a water whiteness, which is much
coveted abroad in wines as well as in brandies.

_To preserve new Wine against Thunder._

Thunder will turn and often change wines. Cellars that are paved,
and the walls of stone, are preferable to boarded floors. Before a
tempest of thunder, it will be advisable to lay a plate of iron on
the wine-vessels.

_To make Wine settle well._

Take a pint of wheat, and boil it in a quart of water, till it burst
and become soft; then squeeze it through a linen cloth, and put a
pint of the liquor into a hogshead of unsettled white wine; stir it
well about, and it will become fine.

_To make a Match for sweetening Casks._

Melt some brimstone, and dip into it a piece of coarse linen cloth;
of which, when cold, take a piece of about an inch broad and five
inches long, and set fire to it, putting it into the bung-hole, with
one end fastened under the bung, which must be driven in very tight:
let it remain a few hours before removing it out.

_To make Oyster Powder._

Get some fresh oyster-shells, wash them and scrape off the yellow
part from the outside; lay them on a clear fire till they become red
hot; then lay them to cool, and take off the softest part, powder it,
and sift it through a fine sieve; after which use it immediately, or
keep it in bottles well corked up, and laid in a dry place.

_To make a Filtering Bag._

This bag is made of a yard of either linen or flannel, not too fine
or close, and sloping, so as to have the bottom of it run to a point,
and the top as broad as the cloth will allow. It must be well sewed
up the side, and the upper part of it folded round a wooden hoop, and
well fastened to it; then tie the hoop in three or four places with
a cord to support it; and when used, put a can or pail under it to
receive the liquor, filling the bag with the sediments; after it has
ceased to run, wash out the bag in three or four clear waters, then
hang it up to dry in an airy place, that it may not get musty. A wine
dealer should always have two bags by him, one for red, and the other
for white wines.

_To bottle Wine._

When wine is made fine and pleasant, it may be bottled, taking care
afterwards to pack it in a temperate place with saw-dust or leather.
After which it will not be fit to drink for at least two months.
Never use new deal saw-dust, as that causes the wine to fret, and
often communicates a strong turpentine smell through the corks to the
wine.

_To Detect Adulterated Wine._

Heat equal parts of oyster-shells and sulphur together, and keep them
in a white heat for fifteen minutes, and when cold, mix them with an
equal quantity of cream of tartar; put this mixture into a strong
bottle with common water to boil for one hour, and then decant into
ounce phials, and add 20 drops of muriatic acid to each; this liquor
precipitates the least quantity of lead, copper, &c. from wines in a
very sensible black precipitate.

_To Detect Alum in Wine._

Wine merchants add alum to red wine, to communicate to it a rough
taste and deeper colour; but this mixture produces on the system the
most serious effects. For the discovery of the fraud in question,
adopt the following means:—The wine is to be discoloured by means of
a concentrated solution of chlorine; the mixture is to be evaporated
until reduced to nearly the fourth of its original volume; the liquor
is to be filtered; it then possesses the following properties when
it contains alum:—1st. It has a sweetish astringent taste; 2d. it
furnishes a white precipitate (sulphate of barytes) with nitrate
of barytes, insoluble in water and in nitric acid; 3d. caustic
potass rise to a yellowish white precipitate of alumine, soluble
in an excess of potass; 4th. the sub-carbonate of soda produces a
yellowish white precipitate (sub-carbonate of alumine) decomposable
by fire into carbonic acid gas, alumine, easily recognisable by its
characters.

TO BOTTLE BEER.

When the briskness of small liquors in the cask fails, and they
become vapid and dead, which they generally do soon after they are
tilted, let them be bottled.

TO TRY THE GOODNESS OF SPIRITS.

Set fire to some in a spoon; if good it will burn brightly away,
without leaving any moisture in the spoon.

TO COOL LIQUORS IN HOT WEATHER.

Dip a cloth in cold water and wrap it two or three times round the
bottle and place it in the sun. Repeat this once or twice.

TO PACK GLASS OR CHINA.

Procure some soft straw or hay to pack them in, and if they are to be
sent a long way, and are heavy, the hay or straw should be a little
damp, which will prevent them slipping about. Let the largest and
heaviest things be always put undermost in the box or hamper. Let
there be plenty of straw, and pack the articles tight; but never
attempt to pack up glass or china which is of much consequence, till
you have seen it done by some used to the job. The expense will be
but trifling to have a person to do it who understands it, and the
loss may be great if articles of much value are packed up in an
improper manner.

TO CLEAN WINE DECANTERS.

Cut some brown paper into very small bits, so as to go with ease into
the decanters; then cut a few pieces of soap very small, and put some
water, _milk-warm_, into the decanters, upon the soap and paper:
put in also a little pearl ash; by well working this about in the
decanters it will take off the crust of the wine, and give the glass
a fine polish. Where the decanters have had wine left to stand in
them a long time, take a small cane with a bit of sponge tied tight
at one end: by putting this into the decanters any crust of the wine
may be removed. When the decanters have been properly washed, let
them be thoroughly dried, and turned down in a proper rack.

If the decanters have wine in them when put by, have some good corks
always at hand to put in instead of stoppers; this will keep the wine
much better.

TO DECANT WINE.

Be careful not to shake or disturb the crust when moving it about, or
drawing the cork, particularly Port wine. Never decant wine without
a wine-strainer, with some fine cambric in it, to prevent the crust,
and bits of cork going into the decanter. In decanting Port wine do
not drain it too near; there are generally two-thirds of a wine glass
of thick dregs in each bottle, which ought not to be put in; but in
white wine there is not much settling; pour it out however slowly,
and raise the bottle up gradually, the wine should never be decanted
in a hurry, therefore always do it before the family sit down to
dinner. Do not jostle the decanters against each other when moving
them about, as they easily break when full.

TO MIX A SALAD.

Always inquire before you mix a salad, how your master or mistress
would like to have it done. If no particular method be pointed out
to you, adopt the following, which has been much approved of. Let
the salad be well washed and dried in a cloth before you cut it up;
save a part of the celery with a little beet-root and endive for
ornament in the middle of the dish: cut the rest small as well as the
lettuce and mustard and cresses, and put to it the following mixture:
take the yolk of an egg boiled hard, rub it quite smooth with a
table-spoonful of oil and a little mustard; when they are well mixed
together add six spoonsful of milk or cream, and when these are well
mixed, put six or seven spoonsful of vinegar to the whole, and mix it
all together with the salad. Never make the salad long before it is
wanted, as it becomes flat with standing.

TO MAKE PUNCH.

Put 40 grains of citric acid,
7 full drops of essence of lemon,
7 oz. of lump sugar,
in a quart mug; pour over 1 pint of boiling water, when the
sugar is melted, stir; then add ½ pint of rum, and ¼ pint
of brandy.

TO PREPARE SODA WATER.

Soda water is prepared (from powders) precisely in the same manner as
ginger beer, except that, instead of the two powders there mentioned,
the two following are used: for one glass, 30 grains of carbonate of
soda; for the other, 25 grains of tartaric (or citric) acid.

TO MAKE GINGER BEER.

Take an ounce of powdered ginger, half an ounce of cream of tartar,
a large lemon sliced, two pounds of lump sugar, and one gallon of
water; mix all together, and let it simmer over the fire for half
an hour, then put a table-spoonful of yeast to it, let it ferment a
little time, and then put it into stone pint bottles, and cork it
down closely for use.

TO PREPARE GINGER BEER POWDERS.

Take 2 drams of fine loaf sugar, 8 grains of ginger, and 26 grains
of carbonate of potass, all in fine powder; mix them intimately in
a Wedgwood’s-ware mortar. Take also 27 grains of citric or tartaric
acid, (the first is the pleasantest but the last the cheapest.) The
acid is to be kept separate from the mixture. The beer is prepared
from the powders thus: take two tumbler glasses, each half filled
with water, stir up the compound powder in one of them, and the acid
powder in the other, then mix the two liquors, when an effervescence
takes place, the beer is prepared and drank off immediately.

METHOD OF PRESERVING PEAS GREEN FOR WINTER.

Put into a kettle of hot water any quantity of fresh shelled green
peas, and after just letting them boil up, pour them into a large
thick cloth, cover them with another, make them quite dry, and set
them once or twice in a cool oven to harden a little; after which put
them into paper bags, and hang them up in the kitchen for use.—To
prepare them when wanted, they are first to be soaked well for an
hour or more, and then put into warm water, and boiled with a little
butter.

TO MEND GLASS.

The juice of garlick, pounded in a stone mortar, is said to be the
strongest cement to mend broken glass.

TO CONVEY FRESH FISH.

To ensure the sweetness of fish conveyed by land carriage, the belly
of the fish should be opened, and the internal parts sprinkled with
powdered charcoal. The same material will restore impure or even
putrescent water to a state of perfect freshness.

TO PURIFY WATER BY CHARCOAL.

Nothing has been found so effectual for preserving water sweet as
charring the insides of the casks well before they are filled.
When the water becomes impure and offensive, from ignorance of the
preservative effect produced on it by charring the casks previous to
their being filled, it may be rendered perfectly sweet by putting a
little fresh charcoal in powder into the cask, or by filtering it
through fresh burnt and coarsely pulverized charcoal.

TO EXTINGUISH A RECENT FIRE.

A mop and a pail of water are generally the most efficacious
remedies, but if it has gained head, then keep out the air, and
remove all ascending or perpendicular combustibles, up which the fire
creeps and increases in force as it rises.

TO EXTINGUISH FIRE IN A CHIMNEY.

Shut the doors and windows, throw water on the fire in the grate, and
then stop up the bottom of the chimney.

_Another Method._

The mephitic vapour produced by throwing a handful of flour of
sulphur on the burning coals, where a chimney is on fire, will
immediately extinguish the flames.

THE VALET.

The duties of this servant are not so various nor so important as those of the footman; indeed, they are very frequently, and particularly in small families, a part of the business of a footman. The particular province of the valet is to attend to the personal accommodation of his master. He waits on him when dressing and undressing, has the care of his wardrobe, brushes and keeps his clothes in good order and ready to put on when wanted. For this purpose every garment or other article of wearing apparel, should be carefully examined, cleaned or brushed on the first opportunity that offers, and then put away in its proper place.

He should chuse the earliest part of the morning to clean the boots and shoes, unless it be otherwise arranged, and brush the clothes, and to do all such work, so as to be able to get to his master’s dressing-room time enough to make the necessary arrangements there before he expects him to rise. He will see that the housemaid has lighted the fire, and cleaned out and dusted the rooms; will prepare the washing-stand, fill the ewer with clean soft water, and the caroft with fresh spring water.—The basin and towels, the hair, nail, and tooth-brushes clean, and in their proper places; hot water, and all the necessary apparatus for shaving, quite ready; his dressing-gown and slippers airing before the fire; and his clean linen perfectly well aired by himself, before it be considered as fit to be put on. The coat, trowsers, &c. intended to be worn must be taken out and placed at length across the backs of chairs, the sleeves and outsides turned inward, with a clean linen or brown Holland wrapper thrown over them, to save them from dust. Having once ascertained the way in which these things are to be done, he will find it easy in future, and will be sure to please. The best way to hang up a coat is, to fold it once at full length, with the inside outward, the sleeves put straight, and the two fronts together, and then hang it on a cloak-pin by the inside of the shoulder.

If the wardrobe be sufficiently large to hold each kind of garment separately, it will be so much the better, as the coats and other articles may then be laid in smoothly and at length, as soon as they are brushed and cleaned, and a brown Holland cloth may be spread over each drawer or shelf, to preserve them from the dust.

Gentlemen who shave themselves, usually strop their own razors immediately after the operation, whilst the metal is yet warm, which is the best way: but if it be left to the valet to do, the razor must be dipped in warm water and wiped dry with a clean cloth or rag; then laying it flat on the strop, draw it diagonally, from the heel to the point, the whole length of the strop, turning the elbow in and out every time the razor is turned; half a dozen or half a score strokes backwards and forwards, as often as it is used, will keep it in good order for a considerable time. Good razors are made concave, or hollow, between the back and the edge, on both sides, for the greater security in shaving, and for the purpose of giving them a better edge in setting or stropping.

Having attended his master while dressing, combed his hair, &c. the valet will take the first opportunity, after he is gone, to set the room in order, by looking over his things, folding away his night clothes, washing the brushes and combs occasionally, when necessary, with warm water and soap, wiping them clean, and drying them at an easy distance from the fire, and then putting them away in their places.—The dressing-stand must be wiped clean and dry, the basin washed and wiped, the ewer and caroft rinsed out and filled again with clean water, the towels taken away and replaced with clean ones, the fire stirred, the room dusted, and every thing put in order, as if immediately to be used again. This must always be done as soon as possible after his master is dressed or re-dressed, and every garment or other article that has been taken off, must be brushed, folded, and put away in its proper place.

In case of the master’s coming home wet from a ride, or otherwise, an immediate change of warm dry clothes must be provided, and the wet or damp things taken away and dried at a proper distance from the fire; after having wiped the coat, or other woollen garments, with a sponge, the way of the nap, or, if only spotted, with a silk handkerchief, in the same manner, which will effectually smooth the grain of the cloth, and remove all the spots.

When preparing for a journey, care should be taken to ascertain the probable time of absence, that sufficient change of linen, &c. may be provided—nor must the shaving and dressing apparatus be forgotten. When arrived at an inn, or visiting place, all his master’s things must be carried into his dressing-room, and set in order for dressing, or for the night, as nearly as possible in the same order as at home. If the footman be not there, the valet will have to attend to his master’s accommodation below stairs also.

The valet is to be always in attendance, in case of his master’s coming home unexpectedly—and he is to assist in waiting at table at all meal-times.

As the valet is much about his master’s person, and has the opportunity of hearing his off-at-hand opinions on many subjects, he should endeavour to have as short a memory as possible, and, above all, keep his master’s council; and he should be very cautious of mischief-making or tale-bearing, to the prejudice of other persons, as calculated to involve his master in disputes, and ruin himself, if by chance he is incorrect.

The usual salary is from 30l. to 60l. per annum, but in some situations much more. Perquisites, his master’s cast-off clothes.

TO CLEAN GOLD LACE.

Rub it with a soft brush dipped in roche alum burnt, sifted to a very
fine powder.

TO REMOVE STAINS FROM MOURNING DRESSES.

Boil a good handful of fig-leaves in two quarts of water till reduced
to a pint. Bombazine, crape, cloth, &c. need only be rubbed with
a sponge dipped in the liquor, and the effect will be instantly
produced.

NEW MODE OF SHAVING.

Mix up with the brush, in prepared lather, one tea-spoonful of
finely pounded best lump whiting, without the smallest danger to the
razor’s edge or the surface of the chin. Perhaps the very best edge
may be given to the razor also, by throwing a pinch of whiting on a
moderately oiled or soaped strop.

TO CLEAN GILT BUCKLES, CHAINS, &C.

Dip a soft brush in water, rub a little soap on it, and brush the
article for a minute or two, then wash it clean, wipe it; place it
near the fire till dry, and brush it with burnt bread finely powdered.

TO MANAGE RAZOR STROPS.

Keep them moderately moist with a drop or two of sweet oil; a little
crocus martis and a few drops of sweet oil, rubbed well in with a
glass bottle, will give the razor a fine edge; pass it afterwards
on the inside of your hand when warm, and dip it in hot water just
before using.

TO SCOUR CLOTHES, COATS, PELISSES, &C.

If a black, blue, or brown coat, dry 2 ounces of Fuller’s earth, and
pour on it sufficient boiling water to dissolve it, and plaster with
it the spots of grease; take a pennyworth of bullock’s gall, mix with
it half a pint of stale urine; and a little boiling water; with a
hard brush, dipped in this liquor, brush spotted places. Then dip the
coat in a bucket of cold spring water. When nearly dry, lay the nap
right, and pass a drop of oil of olives over the brush to finish it.

If grey, drab, fawns, or maroons, cut yellow soap into thin slices,
and pour water upon it to moisten it. Rub the greasy and dirty spots
of the coat. Let it dry a little, and then brush it with warm water,
repeating, if necessary, as at first, and use water a little hotter;
rinse several times, in warm water, and finish as before.

TO CLEAN GLOVES WITHOUT WETTING.

Lay the gloves upon a clean board, make a mixture of dried
fulling-earth and powdered alum, and pass them over on each side
with a common stiff brush: then sweep it off, and sprinkle them well
with dry bran and whiting, and dust them well; this, if they be not
exceedingly greasy, will render them quite clean; but if they are
much soiled, take out the grease with crumbs of toasted bread, and
powder of burnt bone: then pass them over with a woollen cloth,
dipped in fulling-earth or alum powder; and in this manner they can
be cleaned without wetting, which frequently shrinks and spoils them.

FULLER’S PURIFIER FOR WOOLLEN CLOTHS.

Dry, pulverize, and sift the following ingredients:
6 lbs. of fuller’s earth,
1 lb. of pipe-clay, and
4 oz. of French chalk.
Make a paste of the above with the following:—
1 oz. of rectified oil of turpentine,
2 oz. of spirit of wine, and
1½ lbs. of melted oil soap.
Make up the compound into cakes, which are to be kept in
water, or in small wooden boxes.

TO DRIVE AWAY, OR PREVENT THE APPROACH OF MOTHS.

Wrap up yellow or turpentine soap in paper, or place an open bottle,
containing spirits of turpentine within the wardrobe. But as the
smell of the latter may be unpleasant, sprinkle bay leaves, lavender,
or walnut-leaves, black pepper in grains, or Russia leather shavings.

TO REVIVE FADED BLACK CLOTH.

Having cleaned it well, boil two or three ounces of logwood for half
a hour. Dip it in warm water and squeeze it dry, then put it into the
copper, and boil half an hour. Take it out and add a small piece of
green copperas, and boil it another half hour. Hang it in the air for
an hour or two, then rinse it in two or three cold waters, dry it and
let it be regularly brushed over with a soft brush, over which a drop
or two of oil of olives has been rubbed.

TO DRY-CLEAN CLOTH.

Dip a brush in warm gall, apply it to greasy places, and rinse it
off in cold water; dry by the fire, then lay the coat flat, strew
damp sand over it, and with a brush beat the sand into the cloth;
then brush it out with a hard brush, and the sand will bring away the
dirt. Rub a drop of oil of olives over a soft brush, to brighten the
colours.

TO MAKE BREECHES BALL.

Mix 1 pound of Bath brick, 2 pounds of pipe-clay, 4 ounces of pumice
stone powder, and six ounces of ox gall; colour them with rose pink,
yellow ochre, umber, Irish slate, &c. to the desired shade.

CLOTHES’ BALL.

Mix 2 pounds of pipe clay, 4 ounces of Fuller’s earth, 4 ounces of
whiting, and a quarter of a pint of ox galls.

TO TAKE GREASE OUT OF LEATHER BREECHES.

The white of an egg applied to the injured part, and dried in the
sun, will effectually answer this purpose.

_Another Method._

To two table spoonsful of spirit of turpentine, put half an ounce of
mealy potatoes, add some of the best Durham mustard, with a little
vinegar; let them dry, and when well rubbed, the spots will be
entirely removed.

TO CLEAN LEATHER.

Take of French yellow ochre, 1 lb.
sweet oil, a dessert spoonful
Mix well together, so that the oil may not be seen: then
take of pipe-clay, 1 lb.
starch, ¼ lb.
Mix with boiling water, when cold, lay it on the leather;
and rub and brush it well when dry.

TO MAKE SCOURING BALLS.

Portable balls for removing spots from clothes, may be thus
prepared. Fuller’s earth perfectly dried, (so that it crumbles
into a powder,) is to be moistened with the clear juice of lemons,
and a small quantity of pure pearl-ashes is to be added. Knead the
whole carefully together, till it acquires the consistence of a
thick elastic paste: form it into convenient small balls, and dry
them in the sun. To be used, first moisten the spot on the clothes
with water, then rub it with the ball, and let the spot dry in the
sun; after having washed it with pure water, the spot will entirely
disappear.

TO CLEAN GOLD LACE AND EMBROIDERY.

For this purpose alkaline liquors are not to be used; for while they
clean the gold they corrode the silk, and change or discharge its
colour. Soap also alters the shade, and even the species of certain
colours. But, spirit of wine may be used without any danger of
its injuring either colour or quality; and, in many cases, proves
as effectual for restoring the lustre of gold, as the corrosive
detergents. But, though spirit of wine is the most innocent material
employed for this purpose, it is not in all cases proper. The golden
covering may be in some parts worn off; or the base metal, with which
it has been alloyed, may be corroded by the air, so as to leave the
particles of gold disunited; while the silver underneath, tarnished
to a yellow hue, may continue a tolerable colour to the whole: so it
is apparent that the removal of the tarnish would be prejudicial, and
make the lace or embroidery less like gold than it was before.

TO TAKE STAINS OUT OF SCARLET CLOTH.

Take soap wort, bruise it, strain out the juice, and add to it a
small quantity of black soap; wash the stains a few times with this
liquor, suffering it to dry between whiles, and in a day or two they
will disappear.

TO TAKE STAINS OUT OF BLACK CLOTH, SILK, CRAPE, &c.

Boil a large handful of fig-leaves in two quarts of water until
reduced to a pint. Squeeze the leaves, and put the liquor into a
bottle for use. The articles need only be rubbed with a sponge in the
liquor, and the stains will instantly disappear.

THE MAN COOK.

The man Cook, now become a requisite member in the establishment of a man of fashion, is in all respects the same as that of a female Cook. He is generally a foreigner, or if an Englishman, possesses a peculiar tact in manufacturing many fashionable foreign delicacies, or of introducing certain seasonings and flavours in his dishes, which render them more inviting to the palate of his employer, than those produced by the simply healthful modes of modern English Cooks.

The man Cook has the entire superintendance of the kitchen, while his several female assistants are employed in roasting, boiling, and all the ordinary manual operations of the kitchen. His attention is chiefly directed to the stew-pan, in the manufacture of stews, fricassees, fricandeaux, &c. At the same time, his situation is one of great labour and fatigue, which, with the superior skill requisite for excellence in his art, procures him a liberal salary, frequently twice or thrice the sum given to the most experienced female English Cook.

As the scientific preparations of the man cook would themselves fill a large volume, and are not generally useful in English families, it is not deemed necessary to give place to them in this work; but the following useful receipts having, inadvertently, been omitted under the head Cook, they are inserted in this place rather than omitted altogether.

As the art of Cookery, or _gourmanderie_, is reduced to a regular science in France, where an egg may be cooked half a hundred ways, so those who can afford large families of servants, and give frequent entertainments, consider a man-cook as economical, because he produces an inexhaustible variety without any waste of materials, and that elegance and piquancy of flavours which are necessary to stimulate the appetites of the luxurious. In France, all culinary business is conducted by men, and there are, at least, as many men cooks as considerable kitchens; but in England, men cooks are kept only in about 3 or 400 great and wealthy families, and in about 40 or 50 London hotels. But it is usual in smaller establishments to engage a man cook for a day or two before an entertainment.[21]

METHOD OF PREPARING AN EAST INDIA CURRY, WITH THE ARTICLES
USED THEREIN.

Let the fowl, duck, rabbit, meat, fish, or vegetable, &c. be cut
up into small pieces, sprinkling a little flour thereon, fried in
butter, (with two middle-sized onions sliced fine,) or what is called
drawn in a pan, then stewed in the gravy from a pound of beef (though
water is as frequently used) over a brisk fire, for about twenty
minutes, with two or three table-spoonsful of the mixture, as below,
stirring the whole occasionally; or the powder may be rubbed well
over the fowl, &c. and fried with it, adding two ounces of butter,
the juice of a fine lemon, or half a wine glass of lemon juice,
or lemon pickle,—two cloves of garlic, chopped very fine, and one
tea-spoonful of salt. If any of the ingredients predominate too much,
or an insufficiency prevail, subtract or add according to taste. For
a larger quantify of meat than the weight of a large fowl, use more
of the mixture in proportion. The curry will be much improved by the
mixture being made into a thin paste with a few spoonsful of cream,
and then rubbed over the meat, previously to its being put into the
stew-pan.

CURRY POWDER.

Thirteen ounces coriander seed, three ounces cumin seed, two ounces
black pepper, four ounces China turmeric, or curcuma root, half an
ounce Cayenne pepper, one quarter of an ounce powdered cassia, one
quarter of an ounce powdered white ginger, also one half of an ounce
of cardamums, one quarter of an ounce of cloves, and one quarter of
an ounce of allspice.

The above quantities are enough for twenty curries, but it should be
kept dry in a tin canister.

The curried fowl, &c. as above, will require three quarters of a
pound of rice to be a sufficiency for curry eaters. The curry and the
rice should be served in separate dishes, with covers, the dishes
having heaters, or in hot water dishes, such as those used for
beef-steaks.

N. B.—Two or three sour apples cut into quarters, as well as a few
fresh mushrooms, are great improvements to all curries; as are
truffles. If the latter are used, the liquor in which they are boiled
should be added to the curry.

MODE OF PREPARING MULGA-TAWNEY, AS AT MADRAS.

Cut up a fowl, duck, rabbit, beef, or mutton, boil the same
in two quarts of water for a quarter of an hour; then mix the
under-mentioned therein, previously bruising the spices in a mortar,
rejecting the husk. For a larger quantity of meat than the weight of
a large fowl, use more of the mixture in proportion.

Two table spoons over-filled of the curry powder or ingredients,
answers the purpose, and better, adding the butter, onions, garlic,
pease-flour, acid, &c.

One quarter of an ounce China turmeric, one sixth of an ounce Cayenne
pepper, one ounce and a quarter coriander seed, one third of an ounce
of powdered cassia, two drams two scruples black pepper.

One table-spoon of butter; juice from a fine lemon, or equal quantity
of lemon-pickle, three middle sized onions cut fine, six cloves of
garlic chopped very fine, six tea-spoons of pease-flour, high-dried
or baked; then pour thereon half a pint of boiling-water, strain the
ingredients through a fine cloth or sieve, then put the same with
fowl, &c. over the fire, adding at this time the butter and onions
previously fried together, boil the same for half an hour, adding, in
the last five minutes, the acid, when the Mulga-tawney will be ready
for the table; which eaten as soup and bouilli, mixing rice therein,
will prove not only palatable, but an excellent stomachic. The
Mulga-tawney, or soup, when done, should be nearly the consistency of
cream; if it should prove otherwise, when proceeding as above, more
or less water should be used on the onset, but not afterwards added.
The soup with the meat to be served in a tureen, and sent to table
quite hot; the rice in a dish having hot water below and a cover.

A prejudice may exist against Curry and Mulga-tawney, but there can
be no doubt of both being perfectly wholesome; as, to wit, throughout
the East Indies, it is the daily food of millions of all ages.

METHOD OF BOILING RICE.

The following is different from that adopted generally in England,
but was followed by an old Indian officer when here, and found to
answer perfectly well; but the object to be accomplished is, that the
rice should be well done, as white as possible, and perfectly free
from water: the rice used should be Patna; the Carolina, though much
whiter, is not so good either for Curry or Mulga-tawney.

Take a pound of Patna rice, have the same well washed, looking over
each grain for small stones, husks, &c. then put the rice into a
saucepan, and pour thereon boiling water, put on the cover, and let
the saucepan remain off the fire about a quarter of an hour; in that
time, if the water was full boiling, the rice will be sufficiently
softened for use; pour the water off, and to dry the rice, set it
over the fire for a couple of minutes, stirring it well during the
time with a fork. Proceeding as above the rice will be as dry and as
well cooked as that prepared by the natives in the East Indies; great
care to be taken that it does not become hard by the heat.

Another way of boiling the rice is, to soak it an hour in cold water,
then put it into a saucepan and cover it with hot water, adding one
tea-spoonful of salt to every tea-cup full of rice. Place it over the
fire, and when it has boiled about ten minutes, the water should be
poured off. Then cover the saucepan close down, and let it stand by
the fire for a few minutes, when the rice will become dry, and fit to
serve up with your curry.

THE HEAD COACHMAN.

On the sobriety, steady conduct, and respectable appearance of this important servant, depend the exterior appearance of the family with which he resides. Every genuine Coachman has his characteristic costume. His flaxen curls or wig, his low cocked hat, his plush breeches, and his benjamin surtout, his clothes being also well brushed, and the lace and buttons in a state of high polish. Care in driving his horses so as to preserve his own family and not injure other passengers on horse or foot, that he may not involve his master in law-suits, and wound the feelings of those he is driving, is of the utmost consequence. It is his business to have the carriage kept in repair, and to prevent his master being imposed upon by wanton charges; and in like manner to advise and assist in the purchase of horses, and in this delicate business, protect the interest of his employer. Much depends on his zeal, as to the annual expenditure of a carriage, with reference to the coach-maker, the horse-dealer, and the farrier; and he will do well always to make special contract, and leave as little as possible to the conscience of others. When only one coachman is kept, his duties generally include the whole of the stable business, as well as the cleaning, greasing, and examining the carriage; about which latter, he should never trust to chance; and consult the smith or coach-maker as often as he apprehends a possibility of danger. The following instructions apply to the coachman’s duty when assisted by an establishment, but they apply to the coachman alone when there is no stable establishment, and whether the horses are jobbed or not, his anxious attention to their welfare is equally required.

If not fatigued by late hours on the preceding night, he rises to take care of his horses, at the same hour as the other men on the establishment, and they are attended in the same manner, by himself and his assistants, as is hereafter described, under the head _Groom_.

The necessary morning business of the stable usually occupies the servants till breakfast time, after which they all return to the stable, shake down the litter on each side of the horses, and put the stable in good order, in expectation of their master, who probably, pays them a visit after breakfast to inspect the horses, give orders, or make enquiries.

The helpers and assistants are now busily employed in looking over and cleaning such of the harness as was last used, and remains uncleaned. This, having been washed from the wet dirt, and clean sponged over-night, after the arrival of the carriage, and being now dry, is first brushed with a dry hard brush, and the brass ornaments cleaned, for which purpose see the receipts; or the silver ornaments may be cleaned with finely-powdered charcoal, and polished off with a soft brush.

The ornaments being cleaned, the leathers are to be blacked with the liquid mixture, which is a very valuable and excellent receipt for that purpose; the brushes to be used are, 1, a hard brush for taking off the dirt; 2, a soft brush for laying on the mixture; and 3, a polishing brush.

After breakfast, the coachmen, with their assistants, or each, if more than one, proceed to clean their respective coaches; first, well washing the carriage part and wheels with a mop and a water brush. The back straps and straps of the springs are to be blacked, and in short, all the parts, that are of leather, are to be blacked in the same way as the harness, the brass or other ornaments being first cleaned. The wheels and bed of the carriage are next to be greased or oiled, and the linch-pins securely put in.

The inside of the coach is then to be brushed, the glasses cleaned, and the lamps cleaned and trimmed.

The carriage, horses, harness, and the whole equipage being now ready, the coachman attends his master or mistress for _orders_, if not previously received.

When the time is nearly arrived at which the coach is ordered, the helper or assistants harness the horses and _put them to_, while the coachman is dressing himself. He then narrowly inspects the whole equipage—sees that the coach, horses, harness, and all things are in order; when taking his whip and the reins in his left hand, a man standing at the heads of the horses, he mounts the box, on the _near side_, and drives off to the door.

In due time, the coach and other carriages, as well as the saddle horses, return, when the coachman alights, unbuckles the reins, and giving the horses into the care of the helpers, takes his whip with him into the stable, and deposits it in its proper place. He then, if there be time and day-light, washes and cleans his coach.

At eight o’clock, if not otherwise engaged, he attends the regular stable duties, and waters, feeds, rubs down, litters, and racks up his horses, in the usual manner.

The wages of the head or upper coachman, is from 25 to 36 guineas per annum, with generally two suits of livery—a box coat once in two or three years, two hats, and two pair of boots; also one or two stable dresses, consisting of overalls, jackets, waistcoats, and undress frock coat.

TO CLEAN BRASS ORNAMENTS ON CARRIAGES AND HARNESS.

Take half a pint of turpentine, ¼ of a pound of rotten stone,
¼ of a pound of charcoal, finely powdered, and ½ a pint of the
drippings of sweet oil. Mix them, and apply the paste with leather,
and polish it off with powdered charcoal.

BLACK DYE FOR HARNESS.

The colour of harness that has become rusty or brown by wear, may be
restored to a fine black after the dirt has been sponged and brushed
off, by using the following mixture: viz.

Boil logwood chips in three quarts of soft water, to which add three
oz. of nut-galls, finely powdered, and one oz. of alum; simmer the
whole together for half an hour, and it will be fit for use.

LIQUID BLACKING FOR HARNESS.

Take two oz. of mutton suet, melted, 6 oz. of purified bees wax,
melted; ¼ lb. lamp black; 1 gill of turpentine; 2 oz. of Prussian
blue, powdered; 1 oz. of indigo blue, ground; 6 oz. of sugar-candy,
melted in a little water; and 2 oz. of soft soap. Mix, and simmer
over the fire 15 minutes, when add a gill of turpentine. Lay it on
the harness with a sponge, and then polish it.

TO BRING HORSES OUT OF A STABLE IN CASE OF FIRE.

Throw the saddle or harness to which it has been used over its back,
and it will come out of the stable as tractably as usual.

THE FOOTMAN.

The business of the Footman is so multifarious and incessant, that in most families, if he be industrious, attentive, and disposed to make himself useful, he will find full employment in the affairs of the house, and the more useful he can make himself, in a general way, the more acceptable will be his services to the whole house, the greater will be his reward, and the more comfortable he will be himself.

In many genteel small families, the footman is the only man servant, in which case he is expected to make himself generally useful; but his particular departments are, the cleaning of the knives, shoes, plate, and furniture; answering the door, going of errands, waiting at table, and answering the parlour bell. The footman finds himself merely in linen, stockings, shoes, and washing; but if silk stockings, or any extra articles are expected to be worn, they are found by the family. On quitting service, every livery servant is expected to leave behind him any livery had within six months; the last new livery is usually reserved for Sundays and dress occasions.

For the better dispatch of his own particular business, it is indispensably necessary that the footman should _rise early_, and as every moment of his time will be appropriated, he must endeavour to get that part of his business, which depends upon himself, done before the family are stirring, as interruptions may then occur, and his necessary labours be unavoidably delayed, or made to interfere with other business, not less necessary.