Page 210 - Reading Mercury

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Sat 22 May
LITERARY INSTITUTION
The members and their friends have been highly gratified, through the kindness of
the Rev. J. Stoughton, of Kensington, who delivered two most interesting lectures
within the last few days upon the Middle Ages. The subject was one calculated to
create a peculiar interest, on account of the eccentric but important movements by
which that agitating period was characterised, and the lecturer succeeded to
admiration in holding in abeyance the guarded attention of his audience, some of
whom, perhaps anticipating a particular bias, were most agreeably disappointed at
finding amidst the lively anecdotes aptly illustrative of the rude manners, and, by
contrast, the peculiar moral tone prevalent at that dark era, the most liberal views,
expressed in language full of that rich and rare poetic elegance which wins the hearer
as it flows, and leaves him a retainer of an elevating taste and a conquered prejudice.
The whole was an elaborate and talented review of the period referred to, and the
members most cheerfully awarded the rev. gentleman their warm applause, and were
not a little pleased, to hear him offer, unsolicited, a repetition of his visit when he had
an opportunity.

SINGULAR ATTACHMENT
Mrs. May, of the Literary Institution, has a cat which has undertaken the singular
responsibility of a breed of ducks, which she is as careful ever as if they were her own
offspring.

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Sat 12 June
MECHANIC’ INSTITUTION
The members have lately had their attention drawn by Mr. Lance, of Bagshot, to the
subject of Chemistry as applied to the Arts and Agriculture, in two interesting lectures
at the Town-hall. He stated that the elements of matter were about 55, and that most
of these entered into the combination of the surface of the globe. He explained the
properties of air and water, and the mineral structure of soils, and traced their origin to
the decomposed rocks of elevated districts deposited in vallies, and becoming fertile
or otherwise in proportion to the admixture of earths, acids, alkalies, and metallic
oxides. The germination of seeds, and the development of plants, were dilated on
relative to its culture.
The growth of wheat was more particularly described, and some interesting facts
quoted relative to its culture. He said that the heaviest and strongest wheats grow in
the hottest summers, and hence the propriety of importing wheats from warmer
climates. The quality of wheat depends upon the nature of the soil, and the food
supplied to the plant: that a large supply of nitrogen is necessary for the structure of
strong wheats, and that this, if wanting naturally in the soil, can be supplied by the
ammonia of the market, from which he inferred that it was unnecessary to go to
remote parts of the world for a fertiliser in the shape of guano, when we have an
ample supply of the corn-forming principle at home. He said that wheat consisted of
gluten and starch, and that an excess of gluten indicated strong wheat, and that where
an excess of starch prevailed, bread from such flour would not “rise” well in the oven.
The millers and bakers, he said, were well aware of this fact; for a sack of inferior
flour of 280lbs., would generally make eighty 4lb. Loaves, the increase of weight
being 40lbs.: whereas a sack of flour of strong wheat would make ninety-three, the
increase of weight being 93lbs.; such increase being caused by the addition of salt and
water, glutinous flour absorbing so much more water, that 3lbs. Of it would make a

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