PRESERVATION OF FRESH MEAT. (From the Yeoman.)

Otago Witness, Issue 571, 8 November 1862, Page 3

PRESERVATION OF FRESH MEAT. (From the Yeoman.)

If the Australian colonies could send fresh meat to the nvirkets of Europe it would be a great triumph, in a scientific point ot view, bpciu?e the result* would he most advantageous to all parties. Year by year the docks and herds of Australia will far increase beyond the wants of the population, and th" price of meat must, therefore come gradually down, until mclti g for the sake of tuc tallow is ag.iin adopted. With sU'-h a demand ;is exists in the old world, it seems nothing 1 short of waste to feed pigs here with it, saving only the tallow. It has long been felt, that if we could only find out a method of preserving; meat without the me of salt, we might be able to supply the old world with a large quantity of uutii tious animal food, and thus not only prevent waste hut produce an exportable nrtie'e of great vnlup. If mm r at were cut into slices and thoroughly dried in the the aud then kept thoroughly dry during- the voyage, there would be little danger of 'its becoming tainted. Some experiment* of this sort were tried many inon>li4a?oat Mr.Dennyi's establishment, near (Jeelong, hut we have not heard with wnat succe-s they were attended. The following qu itation from nn Knglish piper will be read with interest. We may liereineution that the osnia^ouu 1 which is applied as a varnish is cxtracred from uii^cular fibre, and is soluble both in water and alcohol : — " RKstrwd of Experiments on the Preservation

op Fresh Meat.

" An inquiry, presented to the British Association by Mr. fch Hamilton, w.is uuderia' c i with a view of discovering a method by w'-ich beef coul.l be ta.k«n to Englai.d in a iresb state from South America. The experiments were made hy "nclosintr pieces of beef in ■ ottles contsiiiiiim 1 one, or a mixture of two or more, of the following gases— chlorine, hy.lrogen, nitrogen^ ammonia, carbo d" acid, carbo lie oxide, and binoxide of nitmgi-n. of these, the lust two ouly p »ssessed the power i.f retnrilinir puti emotion. Jieef that had been iv contact with carbonic oxide for the spac» or' three welw wns fimml to be pei fectly fresh, and of a fine ivd color, Hinoxide of nitrogen is capable ofpreserviiiu: bepf from puircfacsion for at lea^tfive months, during which tiiue the beef retains its natural color aid consistence. When m"at that has been preserved by the last process was oeoked by roasting, it was Io uid to possess a disagrcable flavor. It cooked by b nling, the ebullition must he continued for :i much greater length of time than is neeebsary for fresh miiit

•'The French hive been experimenting upon t'lis su'-j ct anil it is r.'ported that a mdc of preserving me it and fruit his bien dihcovt-red, by which they aie not altered in size or appearance, so that at the end of six or eight months wen placed upon the table, wry would be tik*u to be perfectly fresh. MM. JJelaunrre and Monnet have submitted to the Freivh MinK r of War tome samples of meat preserved by their method Thi> consists in drying it by natural means, and then p-ephrinur it wiihuiaterialsfurui^lu'd by the ni.iinal. When th-j wafer which composes a large pai tof ixr sh me tis driven off, the osinazoiue -iioplie I by the animal is applied as a varnish, to th increase oi the nutritious properties of the meat. By di'ssieation the meat i- reduce I in size and weig- it one half, and th s it done without the application of artificial heat It may be e-iten in this state, and is not disaareeable. When co ked, halfan bour't imniHrsinn in hot waW is sufficient to increase its bulk to wlut it was originally, and to render it as palatable as it fres'i meat had been cooked. "lv addition to ihe above, a kindred process hap been devised by a Hungarian for preserving the potito, which, valuable as it is, especially in view of its cheapness, is nevertheless rend rod "lnr less widely available than it should he, by reason nf its hulk and perishable nature. But both these pro.ue ties are due to the great proportion of water it contains— about seven-eighths of its witire weiuht. The Hungarian's process divests the potatoes f their water, and reduces them to a dry powder liko Indian meal, which may be cheaply transported any distunce, and will keep in any climate ; a ton of potatoes being rertuced to less tbfin three-hundred weight of the potato me 1, which can at once be restored to the state ol Buuacd potatoes, by simply boiling in fresh water.

AUCKLAND

(FROM THE DAILT TIMKS CORRESPONDENT.) 24th October, 1862.

The despatch of the s. s. Aiie !ale fur Du■ledin and Southern Ports, affords me an o.ijiortuniy of continuing my narrative of events trnnspiiing in and arounJ this city.

I have not much to report from Coromandel- no extraordinary rinds. Yet those 0 i 'bo ground are exceedingly well satisfied with their | ros.ieets, and are patiently waiting u.mlKevtns machinery sh ill have been put up, to proclaim the wealth of their pickings. L i ISo 16, the company are continuing to find most valuable stone, which is being safely stowed away until crushing is feasible with the stampers. A claim lately taken up by a pers n named Jones proves to contain a 1 irge fteder to a reet. Three leaders running into a solid body of stons are reported. 18 inches on the top, dipping to the east, right for a reef, and cropping out on the surlac<j of he creek The stone here obtained is proved to be highly auriferous; and although a Hale mundio is al«o to be fuund, the gold is met with in very satisfactory quantity. Several claims north and sou'h of the reef centre line have, of course, been marked out, and mining operations commenced with activity. The shaft, wherever investigated, has proved thickly impregnated with gold. Messrs KUy and Company's claim is yielding some very ich stone. They have -unk a shaft whenthe leader of No. 13 enters their claim. The J'u r ther in the bans the leader is traced the mote it appears to increase. No. 13 continues to turn out excee ingly rich specimens, and a ntw shaft, recently sunk, proves to be equa ly auriferous, in Brackenbury"s and Keven's claims a large quantity of stone has been taken up, and is ready for crushing; and I am informed that at least 40 tons per week can now be taken from Keven's claim — of course, with a greater number of men a far larger quantity of stone can be procured. The extraordinary richness of the quartz on Keven's claim— which, from stones recently brought thence by Mr. Keven, has bern judged to yield from 20 to 50 per cent, of gold — will astonish the little world of Auck land when once the stampers are put in motion. The erection of the machine for Keven's company has been somewhat delayed, owing to the very rotten nature of the subsoil; and the foundation has had to be made of very heavy timber and stonework. It now appears to be very substantial indeed, and in seven or eight weeks it is believed the stampers will he at work.

Since the return of. his Excellency Sir George Grey, expectation has been on tip-toe as to what line ot conduct he might adopt in regard to native matters. That his presence amongst the natives has not effected the good anticipated, all seem to admit; and unless some impression has been made by his Excel ency's private interviews with the King natives which may lead to important results hereafter, no present result has been obtained, the securing of winch required his presence. His meetings with the Wellington natives, and the pertinacious manner in which they stood aloof, was to say the least somewhat humiliating ; and the envct produced at Wanganuni seems to be alike unimportant So far as the Government natives are concerned his visit may have done good in confirming their loxalty and giving them fresh reason for rejoicing in their wise choice of aside. Aud the increase and wider extension of the salaries paid to them will have some effect in making them believe his JSxce.lency's visit to have been a fortunate event for them. The King natives seem imbued with a determination to assert their independence, and this appears based on the idea that they are well able to support it. The concessions and promises made to them are viewed in the light of want of physical power on the part of the Government, or from weakness ;* they consequently consider everything will yield, should they show a bold front. The printing of a code of laws is being pushed on with vigor among the King natives at Waikato, aud these it is expected will shortly be distributed amongst tne disaffected natives in other parts of the colony. It is greatly to be hoped that his Excellency, who has now made himsell personally acquainted with the state of feeling in most of the accessible districts of the colony, will be able to solve the difficulty. Throughout his tour he had the benefit of reports and personal interviews to secure a perfect understanding, and mu9t now be in a position to judge, where his institutions will be effective to restore the domination of the Queen, and where other means will require to be resorted to. The difficulty cannot be terminated too promptly ; and he must have the best wishes of all reasonable men that it will be done successfully.

Tl.e resignation of Mr. Williamson, the Superintendent of the Province, ha 9 been accepted ; and the writ for the new election was signed on the 18th October. Mr. Jo-eph Newman is as yet the only candidate who ha 3 issued au address, but rumors are abroad that several other gentlemen are intending to offer themselves as lit and proper persons to undertake the onerous duties these may be mentioned Mr. Robert Graham, Dr. Weekes, and Mr. Smythies. The nomination of a new^ Superintendent will take place on the stn November, and the election if necessary on the 26th prox. Mr W. Powditch, the Speaker of the Provincial Council acts as Deputy. On Sunday the 19th. and Monday the 20th, the good ships Romulus and Indian Empire anchored in the Waitemata, off the North Head. The Romulus was 1 13 days out, and the Indian Empire 107. ' They brought about 400 souls, and cargoes of general merchandise. The William Milles with the remaining party of the Nonconformists for the special settlement at Albertland ; and the Ida Zeigler are expected shortly.

During Sunday and Monday, the 19th and 20th October, Auckland was visited by severe westerly gales, and considerable damage was clone to the erection^ on the weather side of the Queen-street wharf. A cargo boat belonging to Messrs Henderson and Macfarlane was blown foul of Mr Cadman'a timber wharf, which was carried away, as well as the offices belonging to the agents of the Taamaniuß Maid steamer.