“We began with stripping the cabin of its doors and windows, with their appendages; next we secured the carpenter’s and gunner’s chests, containing all their tools and implements: those we could remove with levers and rollers were put entire upon the raft, and we took out of the others what rendered them too heavy. One of the captain’s chests was filled with costly articles, which, no doubt, he meant to dispose of to the opulent planters of Port Jackson, or among the savages. In the collection were several gold and silver watches, snuff-boxes of all descriptions, buckles, shirt-buttons, necklaces, rings; in short, an abundance of all the trifles of European luxury. But the discovery that delighted me most was a chest containing some dozens of young plants of every species of European fruits, which had been carefully packed in moss for transportation. I perceived pear, plum, almond, peach, apple, apricot, chestnut trees, and vine shoots. We discovered a number of bars of iron, and large pigs of lead, grinding-stones, cart-wheels ready for mounting, a complete set of farrier’s instruments, tongs, shovels, ploughshares, rolls of iron and copper wire, sacks full of maize, pease, oats, vetches, and even a little handmill. The vessel had been freighted with everything likely to be useful in an infant colony so distant. We found a saw-mill in a separated state, but each piece numbered, and so accurately fitted that nothing was easier than to put it together for use.”
A cook of roughly the same moment, setting down the same dish.
(_A Supper Dish_.) 1404. INGREDIENTS.--10 good-sized apples, the rind of 1/2 lemon, 6 oz. of pounded sugar, 1/2 pint of milk, 1/2 pint of cream, 2 eggs, whipped cream. _Mode_.--Peel, core, and cut the apples into thin slices, and put them into a saucepan with 2 tablespoonfuls of water, the sugar, and minced lemon-rind. Boil all together until quite tender, and pulp the apples through a sieve; if they should not be quite sweet enough, add a little more sugar, and put them at the bottom of the dish to form a thick layer. Stir together the milk, cream, and eggs, with a little sugar, over the fire, and let the mixture thicken, but do not allow it to reach the boiling-point. When thick, take it off the fire; let it cool a little, then pour it over the apples. Whip some cream with sugar, lemon-peel, &c., the same as for other trifles; heap it high over the custard, and the dish is ready for table.
Sources: The passage is from Johann David Wyss, The Swiss family Robinson, free to read in full at Project Gutenberg. The recipe is from Beeton, The Book of Household Management of 1861, also free in full. Both are in the public domain in the United States. The binding above is ours — navy cloth, pudding stamp.