66

"

against degenerating in those situations than on richer lands. Consequently, in a soil so diversified as that of Britain," and the remark may apply to other regions, an almost unlimited supply of potatoes may be grown, without any diminution of the breadth of profitable crops of the cerealia, the legumes, or indeed of any other useful plant.' The author from whom I have quoted these sentences gives from Mr Jacob's Corn Tracts a calculation, by which it appears that an acre of potatoes will maintain a number of individuals, more than double of what is capable of being maintained on the same place, from wheat, the most nutritive of all the corn plants. Here, then, we have an example of a power inherent in vegetable nature, which has only lately been developed, by means of which alone, a capacity of human nourishment has been obtained, surpassing its former limits at a rate which cannot be estimated at less than three or fourfold.

It is very remarkable, and must be regarded as altogether providential, that this accession to human food should have been obtained at a time when, on account of the natural progress of society from other causes, such an accession had become a matter of great importance. This, indeed, is but an example of those facts in the history of the human race in relation to food, which distinctly mark the hand of over-ruling Intelligence. The whole records of the world are full of similar instances. They confirm the truth of the principle already stated, that the intention of the Creator in adjusting the relation between the demand for subsistence and. the supply, was, that there should be a constant pressure on the one hand, and a constant power of yielding to that pressure on the other; and they give additional assurance to the anticipation, that this system will continue so long as the human race exists.

In connexion with this subject, and as a further proof that vegetable nature is full of resources which have

* Library of Entertaining Knowledge.-The Potato.

not yet been called into action, I may refer to the curious statements contained in Mr Turner's recent volume, to show that human nutriment is contained in all classes of the animal and vegetable kingdoms. From an interesting induction of particulars, this author shows that there is scarcely a living creature which is not used as food by some of our species. After particularizing many of the most nauseous of the larger animals, both belonging to the land and waters, as eaten with relish by different tribes, he adds,-" But ants, grubs, snails, worms, and reptiles, are as repulsive, yet these are liked and used. Snakes and serpents are eaten in Egypt and Western Africa; lizards, mice, rats, and caterpillars, also on the Niger; ants are eaten by the Hottentots, either boiled or raw, or roasted after the manner of coffee. Several kinds of grubs are eaten in civilized communities, as well as by those we deem savage. Mr Kirby concurs with Dr Darwin, to recommend the addition of both cockchaffers and their larvæ, to our own well-filled tables. The Greeks feasted so much on their grass-hoppers, as to distinguish critically their different flavours. Locusts are highly valued, and dressed in various ways by the Arabs, and are not less precious to several other nations."

"

From all this Mr Turner concludes, that the convertibility of animal matter into means of subsistence, is bounded only by the use of it; that whatever any people are not in the habit of feeding on, is either unsalutary or unpalatable to them; but whatever they accustom themselves to, becomes agreeable and nourishing; and, therefore, as long as there are any classes of the inferior animal kingdom on the earth, mankind cannot starve.

From the animal, our author directs his attention to the vegetable compartment of nature; and he finds it as universally applicable to human nutrition. He particularizes a vast number of vegetable substances not com* Sacred History of the World, vol. iii. letter 31.

VOL. IV.

H

*

monly used as food by Europeans, which are freely employed and well relished by other communities of men, and among others, grass, and the leaves of trees and herbs, are enumerated. "One of the most remarkable facts," says he, "to show the universal applicability of all vegetable matter to human nutrition is, that in the Quilimane country, in South-East Africa, grass is made an article of human food, and is cultivated for that purpose, and cooked into a palatable porridge. A still more extraordinary circumstance of the same bearing, is, that the leaves of trees and herbs are both applicable and sufficient for the sustenance of a human being, who has been accustomed to the use of them, and are capable of giving both strength and pleasurable vitality. In the department of the Var, a man is now living, who, having been at one period of his life reduced to great want, was obliged to eat raw leaves of trees, herbs, &c. to satisfy his hunger. From being accustomed to it, he now prefers this diet, and adds only three or four ounces of bread and a little wine, to his daily fare, with which he could easily dispense. He is remarkably strong and healthy."+

* Owen's Voyage, vol. ii. p. 51.

† Athenæum, 1835, p. 627. In addition to the facts above mentioned, Mr Turner, in another place, quotes a very singular account given by a recent traveller in Germany, of a wild boy found in that country, who subsisted entirely on grass. I abridge the following from the protocol to government:" On the 15th March 1749, two fishermen of Kapnoar found, in the Hansay Morass, a being, whose appearance was that of a wild animal, but who bore an exact resemblance to the human form, except that his limbs were longer, the fingers and toes double the usual length, and his skin scaly and knotty. His head was perfectly round, eyes small and sunk, hooked nose, and mouth immoderately large. He was supposed to be about ten years of age; and when first taken, it was impossible to induce him to eat any thing but grass, hay, or straw; nor would he allow himself to be clothed. After being confined for about, a year, he consented to wear clothes, and to eat cooked victuals, and conformed, in every respect, to domestic habits, and was baptized; but it was found impossible to teach him to articulate a single syllable." This creature at last eluded the vigilance of his keepers, and disappeared. He was afterwards twice seen at an interval of some years by different parties. But on finding himself observed, he made his escape, on one of these occasions, by diving to the bottom of a small lake, among the reeds of which he was discovered.

But not only are grass and leaves capable of affording nourishment to the human frame; what is still more remarkable, it has been found that this property belongs even to the substance of the hardest wood. We owe this discovery to the German professor, Autenrieth. Dr Prout has thus described the preparation of it in the Philosophical Transactions:-" First, every thing that was soluble in water was removed by frequent maceration and boiling. The wood was then reduced to a minute state of division; that is, not merely into fine fibres, but into actual powder, and after being repeatedly subjected to the heat of an oven, was ground in the usual manner of corn. Wood, thus prepared, according to the author, acquires the smell and taste of corn flour. It is, however, never quite white, but always of a yellowish colour. It also agrees with corn flour in this respect, that it does not ferment without the addition of leaven; and, for this, some leaven of corn flour is found to answer best. With this it makes a perfectly uniform and spongy bread; and, when it is thoroughly baked, and has much crust, it has a much better taste of bread than what, in times of scarcity, is prepared from the bran and husks of corn. Wood-flour, also, boiled in water, forms a thick tough trembling jelly, like that of wheat starch, and is very nutritious."

For further details, I must refer the reader to Mr Turner's instructive work.† Enough has been said to warrant the conclusion, that, with few exceptions, all the plants of the field, and trees of the forest, as well as all the animal creation, have been purposely so formed, as to yield, when properly prepared, nutritious and agreeable food to mankind; and we may confidently concur with this author in his averment, that," as far as the question of our subsistence rests between man and his Creator, there is a most diversified and abundant provision made for him, which will never fail for his sup* Philosophical Transactions, 1827, part ii. p. 318. † Letters 31 and 32, vol. iii.

port, through all his generations, let them spread as they may, as long as herbs and trees can grow, or animals exist, in addition to all the corn and cattle that can be reared."

FOURTH WEEK-FRIDAY.

HUMAN FOOD.-VEGETABLE AND ANIMAL.

ALTHOUGH there are probably above a hundred thousand vegetable productions in the world, by far the greater part of which might be converted into articles of human food, there are only a few that can strictly be included under the title of necessaries. Of those species that afford the kind of nutritive matter which constitutes bread, emphatically called the staff of life, the number is very small, unless we extend the kinds, by taking into account those which modern ingenuity has, by means of various processes, added to the list. The whole amount may be nearly comprised under the heads of the cereal grasses, rice, the leguminous plants, farinaceous roots such as the potato, and the fruit and pith of some palms and bananas. The other more numerous classes of vegetables which supply food to man, may be regarded more as luxuries than necessaries; but, at the same time, they certainly afford an agreeable, and sometimes useful variety.

The inhabitants of very warm climates live principally, and often entirely, on vegetable food; but animal food, as it seems more necessary, is used in greater abundance in temperate and polar regions. I have formerly mentioned the nature and qualities of the domestic animals furnished by Providence for the supply of this want; and I shall here merely state, on this subject, that they are not only disposed to live gregariously, but are readily brought under obedience, becoming docile and inoffensive, and that they are all granivorous and