A national militia, when properly constituted, is an institution of the highest utility to a state, the men being engaged in military occupations only so long as may be necessary for becoming qualified to serve as soldiers when called upon to take the field, sud being at all other times employed in labours subservient to the practice of the useful arts. They thus possess the united characters of defenders of their country and of contributors to its prosperity, while they remain connected in social union with their fellow-citizens, and are interested, like them, in the support of the laws and in the preservation of good government. It is in some respects otherwise with the soldiers of a regular army, devoted exclusively to the profession of arms, and, though their services are indispensable iu the prosecution of foreign wars, have few feelings in common with the civil portion of the community ; and who, except in a nation like Great Britain, where the military power is duly subordinated to the civil magistrate, might, under the Influence of an ambitious chief, become dangerous to the liberty of their country. The system of embodying militia regiments for long periods, which leas prevailed since the Crimean war, cannot be defended, except on the ground of urgent necessity, as they can then no longer be formed of the same class of men ; while, from the con stant volunteering into the line, the discipline is impaired.
From this analysis it would appear that milk is a compound fluid, chiefly consisting of oleaginous and albuminous materials, with different salts.
According to Dr. Prout, " albuminous and oleaginous principles may be considered already fitted for the purposes of the animal economy, without undergoing any essential change in their composition." And thus, by the action of the organs of the parent, the food is brought into a state very favourable for its assimilation in the body of the young, without taxing severely the digestive organs of the latter. The salts present in the milk serve also important uses, especially the phosphate of lime by consolidating the bones, which, at the time of birth, are soft and cartilaginous. The period when lactation in the human offspring should cease must vary with the vigour and progress of development of the infant; but in general nine months is the proper time for suckling, and its continuance beyond that period is injurious both to parent and child.
The milk of cows or other animals is extensively used as the food even of adults, and, though insufficient alone, is a most valuable in gredient of diet. It is often enjoined as the food of invalids, especially of persons who have a tendency to consumption.
Milk is also used as an antidote in cases of poisoning by some metallic salts, such as corrosive sublimate, perchloride of tin, sulphate of copper, &c.
Though cheese L9 in general difficult of digestion, fresh-pressed curd is often found to suit the stomach of persons affected with disease of that organ. (See Abercrombie, ' On Diseases of the Stomach?) Milk may be brought to a dry state, and powdered, in which con dition it keeps for a length of time ; and by dissolving it in tepid water an artificial milk may be formed, capable of being used at sea, particularly for children during long voyages. [MILK, and FOOD, in NAT. IIIST. Div.] Milk, in its commercial relations, has been affected in a remarkable degree by the opening of railways. Under the old system, London and other great towns had their entire supply of milk from dairies in and near the towns themselves. (DAIRY.] The adulteration, so much complained of, was due to the small dealers ; the milk was sent from the large establishments in a pure state. Attempts were more than once made to insure the genuineness of the milk sold by retailers, by establishing joint-stock companies, and sending out the milk in locked cans; but the companies failed as commercial speculations. This
system, though not superseded, is greatly lessened by the facilities of railway conveyance. Farmers and dairymen within fifty miles of Lon don can send up milk at an average cost of about three farthings per gallon for freight, and sell it to the smaller dealers. New York and other cities of America, are supplied in a similar way.
,Much useful progress has been made in so treating milk that it will keep good for a considerable length of time, and thus be available at times and places where cows cannot be kept. We will briefly de scribe sonic of the processes adopted. Moore's essence of milk is pre pared by placing the milk in long 'shallow copper pans, heating it by steam to 110" Fahr., adding a little sugar, and stirring for four hours; the milk loses three-fourths of its bulk by evaporation ; and the rest, as a very thick cream, is put into small tin cases, soldered down, steeped in boiling water for a time, and taken out to cool. This milk will keep good for a long period. Blathhfoid's solidified milk is thus prepared. About 112 lbs. of milk are mixed with 28 lbs. of white sugar, and a teaspoonful of bicarbonate of soda ; the liquid mixture is exposed for three hours in an enamelled iron pan, to the heat of steam; while it is at the same time being constantly stirred, and a blast of cool air blown upon its surface. This is continued until the milk is con verted into a kind of creamy powder, which is cooled, weighed into parcels of 1 lb. each, and pressed by heavy weights iuto brick-shaped pieces ; these bricks are grated into powder when the milk is to be used. Grimwade's desiccated milk has a little sugar and alkali mixed with it ; it is heated and stirred over a hot water boiler until as thick as dough ; then dried into hard cakes, crushed beneath granite rollers, and bottled. This milk was used by Miss Florence Nightingale in the hospitals at Balaklava and Scutari. Fadeuille's desiccated milk is pre pared nearly in the same way as Grimwade's ; and a suit for infringe ment of patent was brought by one inventor against the other in 1859. At the Aberdeen Meeting of the British Association, in 1859, the Abbe Moigno gave a brief description of [four kinds of milk preserved by methods adopted in France. Villeneuve's is rendered solid by the addition of solid substances ; but it is no longer milk proper. Signac's is a kind of syrup of milk and sugar. Maber's is prepared by putting the milk into a vessel, excluding the air, exposing it to a steam atmosphere of 100° centigrade, and sealing it up in bottles; Moigno found this kind of milk perfectly good after five and a-half years keep ing. The Abbe brought to Aberdeen some milk which had been prepared by De Pierre's process, the details of which were not fully made public. This milk, unlike others in a prepared state, is liquid. Heat is applied in some peculiar way, so as to remove a sort of diastase or animal ferment which exists in minute quantity in milk, and which is the real cause of its speedy decomposition. The milk brought by Moigno from France to Aberdeen had undergone a good deal of shaking during its travels ; but it was pronounced by Professor Christison to be perfectly sweet and fresh.
There are other processes for preserving milk, mostly in a dry or a pasty state; but the above will sufficiently illustrate them all. Some of the preserved milks are over-sweetened with sugar, while others afford proof that the cheese-making stage has just been touched ; and it is evident that the process requires to be conducted with great precision.