Nothing daunted, however, he next turned his attention seriously to the production of books on cookery, and from the sales of these he repeated a rich harvest.

News of the distress in the Hospital Camps at Scutari fired his brain to the formulation of a great project, and on February 2, 1855, London was electrified with a letter from Soyer in The Times of that date, offering to go to the Barrack Hospital, at Scutari, at his own expense, and to give his services in the work of organizing and regulating the kitchen operations there.

He was the hero of the day; his offer was accepted by the Government, and in a remarkably short period of time he had caused special stoves to be constructed which, together with the necessary stores, he took with him to the field of battle.

His Culinary Campaign, published in 1857, is not only-illuminating as to the man and his methods, while working hand in hand with Florence Nightingale, but also affords an interesting sidelight on the history of that memorable period.

Volatile to a degree, he never spared himself either in the kitchen or study. His Pantropheon, or History of Food and its Preparation from the Earliest Ages of the World, is the most remarkable book of its kind in our language, representing a compilation at once stupendous and masterly.

His success in the Crimea naturally turned the eyes of the authorities to the man who had worked such wonders, and the whole system of cookery for the Army and Navy was, as a consequence, completely reorganized by Soyer. It was really the outcome of a lecture which he delivered on March 18, 1858, before the United Service Institution, and was followed by an instruction from the Barracks and Hospitals Commissioners to revise and reform the dietary of Military Hospitals. His ideas and most of his special menus were embodied in the famous Army Regulations and Orders - n - Cookery, issued in 1860, and these, together with his Field Kitchen for the Army, have been scarcely altered since his day.

He died August 5, 1858, at the early age of forty-nine, universally regretted; worn out in the service of his adopted country.

And now, after the passing of half a century, during which time Soyer's name has been spoken and written about by epicures and gourmets, in terms which leave no doubt in our minds as to the influence the man and his methods exerted on English cookery, his grandson, Nicolas Soyer, comes before the public in a dramatic fashion. Leaving a lucrative appointment as chef to a great and exclusive London Club, he has devoted his attention and energies to the question of Cookery for the People, thus carrying on the good work started by his grandfather and giving additional luster to the family name.

Those who know Nicolas Soyer intimately have quite easily discovered how much of the grandfather there is in the grandson. The same high appreciation of his art; the same inventive genius; the same passion for organization; the same magnetic personality which characterized Alexis Soyer are typical of Nicolas.

Originally destined for the Church, he, like his grandfather, left the Church for the kitchen, taking service under Papon, a famed confectioner of Clermont-Ferrand.

Facsimile Title-page from an early cookery book published by the famous Chef, Alexis Soyer - the author's grandfather.

Like his illustrious ancestor, he came to London, and, after preliminary appointments in various large kitchens, became in turn chef to the Dowager Duchess of Newcastle, and Sir Herbert Naylor-Leyland, followed by a period of eight or nine years, during which he speculated with varying success in certain large enterprises, until at last he returned to his old love and became chef to Lord Suffolk, a post which he relinquished to become head of the kitchen to that exclusive coterie known as Brooks's Club.

Whilst at Brooks's he tickled the noble palates of those upstairs with dishes, the flavor and perfect cooking of which excited wonder and comment. The situation was truly comic, for Soyer was at this time nearing perfection in a series of experiments towards Cookery Reformation intended to benefit the masses, and was concluding his experiments by practicing on the delicate digestions of the most select of the "Upper Ten Thousand."

Nothing remained but to wait for a favorable opportunity to bring his scheme before the world, and this came at last in an indirect fashion by reason of a challenge from a German rival, who claimed great and lasting benefits from the use of a special stove which he had invented.

Soyer accepted the challenge and launched his sensational Paper-Bag Cookery, a system of economical cookery which took the public by storm, and is now, one year after its introduction, practiced by delighted housewives in many kitchens throughout the world. Praise, criticism and controversy have been lavished on Soyer's Paper-Bag Cookery, and they have combined in making the name of Soyer to-day equal, if not excel, the popularity accorded the family name in the days of an older generation.

Once a chef, always a chef, and Nicolas Soyer is no exception to the rule. He looks upon his Paper-Bag System as a mere interlude in his life - important and beneficent to mankind though it may be - and since, in the hundreds of popular demonstrations which he has personally conducted in both Europe and-America, he has been urged to give to the world a book of General Cookery, he has felt it incumbent upon him to accede to these insistent requests and the result is this present volume.

As its title indicates, it is a complete guide to the art of cooking dainty, varied and economical dishes for the household.

Within these pages is embodied the experience of a lifetime as chef in many of the great homes of England, and every one of the recipes is thoroughly recommended by Monsieur Soyer as worthy of careful consideration and equally careful preparation.

It is not a household guide. M. Soyer has too great a respect for the housewife to presume to teach her how to manage her household, a task which she has reduced to a fine art.

With a view to making the work as complete as possible, the bulk of the recipes contained in the brochure, Paper Bag Cookery, have been incorporated, thus bringing within the scope of a handy volume as complete a guide to present day cookery as could be conceived.

W. J. R.