LETTER No. XXIII.

DEAR ELOISE,-Since our little labours first went to press, I have received several kind notes from various persons requiring information on various points. To give all the information sought would make this volume double the size; but amongst others, there is a very polite one from a young bachelor, who states that finding we have so well described a dinner party as it ought to be, with ladies, he should like to know how one ought to be managed when gentlemen only are present, he being a young gentleman, and having no female relatives and acquaintances—a class which, he adds, is, unfortunately, numerous in England—and that it would be a boon for them to receive some information on the subject. I declare, my dear Eloise, that the style of his writing is so graceful and pleasing, that I should, if possible, like to gratify his wish.—Your ever grateful pupil,

HORTENSE.

LETTER No. XXIV.

MY DEAR HORTENSE,—Our labours will never cease, if we are to answer all the questions and correspondence submitted to us; but as you seem to have a fancy for this young bachelor, we will endeavour to gratify his wish, although I assure you it is what we ought not to do, for I cannot conceive why men wish to dine together without the company of ladies. Our friend M. Soyer, in his Gastronomic Regenerator, has very justly stated that a gastronomic reunion without ladies appeared to his eyes "a flower-bed without flowers, an ocean without waves, a vessel without sails ;" and I think it is bad taste in us ladies to assist these bachelors to enjoy their entertainments better than at present, without us; and if I agree to your request, it is with the hope that in following our counsel, they will find their dinners improved, and thus see the necessity of following it still further, by admitting ladies to their banquets.

I can well imagine that some men enjoy the science of eating better when ladies are not present than when they are; but, as I said in my former letter, the dinner ought only to be the means of enjoyment, and not the act. But still, when men of wit and talent meet together around a table, upon which the viands are well chosen and artistically prepared, I can imagine that the mind of man is more amiably disposed than in ordinary times, and ready to impart the talent which he possesses in bright corruscations of wit or new flights of genius to those around him. And, perhaps, after all, we ladies are not such great losers as we might at first imagine; although we do not immediately enjoy the wit and talent thus improvisatised,

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yet we may receive it second-hand; as an instance, there is Mrs. knows the sayings and doings of Mr., the witty member of her husband's club, just as if she was a member herself.

Now for the point. What ought a bachelor's dinner to be? In the first place, the number of guests ought not to consist of more than eight, with the table nicely arranged and set out, with all that is required in its proper place, napkins nicely folded, glasses of unrivalled crystal, and the groom of the chamber in his last new attire, assisted by one more au fait in the matter, with the lights nicely disposed, and the room an agreeable temperature,— say 63°.

The guests all seated, with good appetites, and six delicate oysters upon the plate before each of them, and a few hors-d'œuvres, such as a small dish of sardines, some slices of Lyons sausages, a little cavaire on toast, and two bottles of Chablis. This is an excellent beginning it does not stop the appetite, and merely clears the road. Some persons go too long without eating, and the moment they begin, eat with an avidity which spoils their taste for the after part of the dinner, and during which time the whole mind is absorbed upon the plate before them, and until they are satisfied, no words escape their lips, and when at last they come forth, they do so with a heaviness and dulness which belongs not to the person who utters them, but to the inartistic manner of eating. Some of the greatest wits, from going too long without eating previous to dinner, become the dullest guests; whilst some, who from want of thought thus begin their meal, find themselves, before dessert is on the table, in the arms of Morpheus, instead of enjoying the gifts of Bacchus.

The pleasure of eating requires an appetite, but the pleasures of the table require that the appetite should not be appeased until it is time to arise from it. The mind should never give way to any great intensity of feeling, no ecstasy, no surprise, no transports, which would destroy that equilibrium which is so requisite for digestion.

If artistically partaken of, at the end of the repast the mind becomes exhilarated, the brain is refreshed, the physiognomy opens, the colour rises, the eyes become brilliant, and a warmth spreads over the whole body; the imagination glows, and wit sparkles and overflows, whereas, on the contrary, the mind becomes dull, the eyes heavy, and the body shuddering with cold.

The dinner having thus began with six oysters, a large glass of Chablis, or, if preferred, White Hermitage, or even Moselle, the soup is then placed upon the table. This ought to be of a light kind, and should turtle be preferred, it ought to be light and transparent. With the soup, a glass of Sherry or Madeira is the best accompaniment. At the same time as the soup is placed upon the table, so are the fish, the sauce, and the potatoes on the sideboard. The fish, if boiled, should be accompanied by Hock or white Burgundy, if baked or stewed, with Claret of a light kind.

The next course should consist of a boiled and roast Remove and two Entrées. To those who know artistically how to eat a dinner, it may appear strange when I tell them that I have known those who have considered themselves gourmets commence this course with the Entrées. The plan which ought to be followed is to begin with the boiled, and if your appetite is good, to slightly touch the roast, partaking of wines according to the nature of the dish; for instance, boiled poultry with oyster sauce, return to Chablis ; lamb, with caper sauce, to Hock or Moselle ; roast mutton, light Claret; roast beef, Sherry or Madeira. The two substantials having been disposed of, the palate has now arrived at that degree of perfection (supposing the wines partaken of to have been good of their kind, for nothing destroys the reputation of a good dinner more than bad wines), the art of the cook as displayed in his Entrées now engages the attention of the guests. These Entrées should be as different as possible, and also differ from the roast and boiled. With the Entrées, whatever their nature, it is generally the custom to partake of Champagne. This, when ladies are at the table, I do not object to, as they are not supposed to be professors in the science of eating, but with the real epicure it is a sin I cannot pardon. The wine to be partaken of depends upon the nature of the Entrée, but should never be of that luscious description as to overpower that delightful sensation of taste produced by the "plat."

These having been removed, and their places occupied by two dishes of nicely roasted game and four Entrémets, as, for instance, woodcocks and pheasants, or even a fine larded capon and wild fowl, and one savory, one vegetable, and two sweets as Entrémets. With the roasts I prefer Claret or red Burgundy; with the Entrémets may be served the Champagne.

These Entrémets should display the skill of the preparer, not in a way that anything about them cannot be partaken of, but that what they are made of may delight the sight as well as the taste. The roast should be removed with two dishes, containing either a souffle, a pudding, or a Charlotte, and a Nesselrode pudding, or something of that nature. These being disposed of, I would have the dessert placed upon the table, with the cheese handed round, and at the same time a loving cup, or if that is not to be obtained, a tankard full of the same liquid. Port wine may be partaken of with the dessert. The plates should be changed as often as required, and not left, as at present, to receive a collection of orange and apple peel an other refuse. During the time this is being partaken of-say twent minutes to half an hour, or even longer, so much depending upon the Amphitryon and his guests-the coffee ought to be introduced, and with a chasse cafe the table is cleared, or the guests go into the drawing-room, should the unhappy bachelor happen to have one, and the remainder of the evening may be passed according to the disposition and taste of the party, such as music, cards, &c.; and I am afraid the enjoyment of the evening would not be complete without cigars.

Such, Hortense, is my humble opinion of what a bachelor's party should be, for in these enlightened times it is not drinking to excess that constitutes the enjoyment of society, and a young man who gets inebriated is one to be shunned; so different from what it was some forty years since, when a fourbottle man was one to be looked up to and followed.

A NEW ALIMENT.

LETTER XXV.

Bifrons Villa.

HERE, dear Eloise, is an entirely new aliment, which has never yet been introduced into this country. A semi-epicure of our acquaintance, on returning from his visit to the National Guard of France, presented me with a pound of it, which he had purchased in Paris; but even there, said he, it is almost in its infancy: you may fancy, if I were not anxious of making an immediate trial of it; but before I give you the receipt how to use it, let me tell you I have found it most delicious. Mr. B. has not yet tasted it, being for a week in the country, but I am confident he will like it, especially for breakfast: but the puzzle is, after my pound is used, how we are to get more? Time, I suppose, will teach us. It appears that we are indebted for it to a celebrated French gentleman, M. le Docteur Lamolte, the inventor of the electric light, who ingeniously, though oddly, named it Cho-ca, being a scientific composition of chocolat and café, the alliance of which balancing admirably their excellence and virtue, and partly correcting their evils, the first being rather irritable, the second heavy. But I think, if my recollection serves me rightly, the idea of this compound must have originated from that great French philosopher, M. de Voltaire, who constantly, for his breakfast, partook of half café-au-lait and half chocolate, which were served at the same time in separate vessels in a boiling state, and poured from each slowly, about eighteen inches in elevation from his cup, which, he said, made it extremely light and digestible.

Years after, that still more extraordinary man, Napoleon Bonaparte, became so partial to it, that he made a constant use of it, and it has often been remarked by those who surrounded his person, that after the great excitement and fatigue of a battle, he has often partaken of two or three cups, which seemed to restore all the strength and energy which used to characterise that great man; on ordinary occasions one cup would suffice him, but served more à la militaire, not being poured so scientifically as did the Fernaise philosopher.

The approval of this mixed beverage by two such eminent characters speaks volumes in favour of the Cho-ca, which ought to be immediately introduced in England. It will also, no doubt, interest you to learn that the first cup of coffee ever introduced in Europe was made and presented to Louis XIV., at his magnificent palace of Versailles, by the Ambassador from the Sublime Porte in the year 1664, when the noble potentate, whose palate was as delicate as he was himself great, pronounced it excellent; and immediately perceived the immense advantage it would be to introduce such a delicacy into France as food, which a short time after took place, and was very successfully received there; also the chocolate, which is made from cacao, was first introduced to the Cardinal Mazarin, who having partook of the first cup like Louis XIV. did of the coffee, and not a worse judge than his illustrious master, remunerated with a handsome reward its inventor. It is much to be regretted that such interesting and useful subjects have never yet attracted the attention of our great Painters, instead of continually tracing on innumerable yards of canvass the horrors of war, the destruction of a fleet by fire and water, the plague, the storm, the earthquake, or an eruption and destruction of a city by an avalanche or an inundation; if we cannot do without those painful historical reminiscences, why not add to those mournful collections a group of Louis XIV. and his court of Versailles, where he, magnificently dressed, was receiving from the hands of the said Pacha, not a cup of coffee, but a branch of that plant covered with its precious berries; and why not also, as a pendant, Mazarin surrounded by his satellites, taking the first cup of chocolate; or the characteristic Voltaire pouring a cup of Cho-ca to Frederic the Great in his tent on the field of Potsdam? These subjects seem to have been entirely neglected in being immortalised on canvass-why? because they have never done harm or evil to any one; but, on the contrary, have, are, and ever will prove to be, among the greatest boons ever conferred upon humanity: it would also engrave in our minds, as well as in our history, to what mortals we are indebted for the importation and introduction of such important productions, which daily constitute a part of our comforts, and have conferred an everlasting benefit on mankind; but, as usual, dear Eloise, you will no doubt reproach me for having so much enthusiasm; however, as on this subject you have been tolerably quiet lately, I not only here inclose you the receipt, but also two of the thin round cakes of this new aliment, the Cho-ca, which will produce two cups by making it as follows:

959. CHO-CA.-Scrape or grate it; put a pint of milk in a stewpan or chocolate pot, and place it on the fire, with two ounces of sugar; boil it, put the Cho-ca in it, and stir it well for two minutes, and serve.