ut
all the ingredients into the stewpan in layers, first a layer of
vegetables, then one of meat, and sprinkle seasoning of pepper and salt
between each layer; cover closely, and let the whole stew very gently
for 1 hour of rather more, shaking it frequently to prevent its burning.

_Time_.--Rather more than 2 hours. _Average cost_, 1s, 6d.

_Sufficient_ for 5 or 6 persons.

_Seasonable_.--Suitable for a winter dish.

_Note_.--Irish stew may be prepared in the same manner as above, but
baked in a jar instead of boiled. About 2 hours or rather more in a
moderate oven will be sufficient time to bake it.

ITALIAN MUTTON CUTLETS.

723. INGREDIENTS.--About 3 lbs. of the neck of mutton, clarified butter,
the yolk of 1 egg, 4 tablespoonfuls of bread crumbs, 1 tablespoonful of
minced savoury herbs, 1 tablespoonful of minced parsley, 1 teaspoonful
of minced shalot, 1 saltspoonful of finely-chopped lemon-peel; pepper,
salt, and pounded mace to taste; flour, 1/2 pint of hot broth or water,
2 teaspoonfuls of Harvey's sauce, 1 teaspoonful of soy, 2 teaspoonfuls
of tarragon vinegar, 1 tablespoonful of port wine.

_Mode_.--Cut the mutton into nicely-shaped cutlets, flatten them, and
trim off some of the fat, dip them in clarified butter, and then, into
the beaten yolk of an egg. Mix well together bread crumbs, herbs,
parsley, shalot, lemon-peel, and seasoning in the above proportion, and
cover the cutlets with these ingredients. Melt some butter in a
frying-pan, lay in the cutlets, and fry them a nice brown; take them,
out, and keep them hot before the fire. Dredge some flour into the pan,
and if there is not sufficient butter, add a little more; stir till it
looks brown, then pour in the hot broth or water, and the remaining
ingredients; give one boil, and pour round the cutlets. If the gravy
should not be thick enough, add a little more flour. Mushrooms, when
obtainable, are a great improvement to this dish, and when not in
season, mushroom-powder may be substituted for them.

_Time_.--10 minutes;--rather longer, should the cutlets be very thick.

_Average cost_, 2s. 9d.

_Sufficient_ for 5 or 6 persons.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

THE DOWNS.--The well-known substance chalk, which the chemist
regards as a nearly pure carbonate of lime, and the microscopist
as an aggregation of inconceivably minute shells and corals,
forms the sub-soil of the hilly districts of the south-east of
England. The chalk