"Many were standing with all their branches dead, stripped of the bark to make bread, and blanched by the weather, resembling white marble,--mere ghosts of trees. The bread is made of the inner rind next the wood, taken off in flakes like a sheet of foolscap paper, and is steeped or washed in warm water, to clear off its astringent principle. It is then hung across a rope to dry in the sun, and looks exactly like sheets of parchment. When dry it is pounded into small pieces mixed with corn, and ground into meal on the hand-mill or quern. It is much more generally used than I supposed. There are districts in which the forests suffered very considerable damage in the years 1812 and 1814, when bad crops and the war, then raging, reduced many to bark bread. The Fjelde bonder use it, more or less, every year. It is not very unpalatable; nor is there any good reason for supposing it unwholesome, if well prepared; but it is very costly. The value of the tree, which is left to perish on its root, would buy a sack of flour, if the English market were open." Now, if G. D., or any enterprising individual, could succeed in converting saw-dust into wholesome food, or fit for admixture with flour, somewhat after the above manner, it would indeed be a "happy discovery," considering the present high price of "the staff of life." Bread has also been made from the horse-chesnut; but the expense of preparation, removing the strong bitter flavour, is no doubt the obstacle to its success. What could be done with the Spanish chesnut? WILLO. The saw-dust recipe is to be found in the _Saturday Magazine_, Jan. 3, 1835, taken from No. 104. of the _Quarterly Review_. It is entitled, "How to make a Quartern Loaf out of a Deal Board." J. C. Your correspondent G. D. may find something to his purpose in a little German work, entitled _Wie kann man, bey grosser Theuerung und Hungersnoth, ohne Getreid, gesundes Brod verschaffen?_ Von Dr. Oberlechner: Xav. Duyle, Salzburg, 1817. W. T. _Brydone the Tourist_ (Vol. ix., p. 138.).--The literary world would feel obliged to J. MACRAY to tell us the name of the writer of the criticism who says, "Brydone never was on the Summit of Etna." Did the scholars of Italy know more of what was done by Englishmen in Sicily in Brydone's day than they do at present? How are the dates reconciled? Brydone would be 113 years old. Mr. Beckford, I think, must have been some thirteen or fourteen years younger. Brydone was always considered to be in his relations in life a man of probity and honour. I used to hear much of him from one nearly related to me, whose father was first cousin to Brydone's wife. H. R., NÉE F.