Potatoes, per bushel, weighing 58 1/2lb. at 2s. 6d. which gives nearly one halfpenny for each pound.
And I find that a quartern loaf of wheaten bread, weighing 4lb. 5oz. costs now in London 1s. 0 1/4d.;—this bread must therefore be reckoned at 11 25/69 farthings per pound.
Salt costs 1 1/2. per pound; and vinegar (which is probably six times as strong as that stuff called vinegar which is used in the kitchen of the House of Industry at Munich) costs 1s. 8d. per gallon.
This being premised, the computations may be made as follows:
Expence of preparing in London, in the month of November 1795, 1200 portions of the Soup, No I.
lb oz s d L. s. d. 141 2 pearl barley, at 0 2 per lb. 1 12 6 131 4 peas, at 0 1 1/2 ——— 0 16 4 69 10 wheaten bread, at 0 11 25/99 ——— 0 16 6 19 13 salt, at 0 1 1/2 ——— 0 2 5 1/2 Vinegar, one gallon, at 1 8 ——— 0 1 8 Expences for fuel, servants, kitchen furniture, etc. reckoning three times as much as those articles of expence amount to daily at Munich … … … … … 0 10 4 1/4 ——————- Total 3 9 9 1/4
Which sum (3L. 9s. 9 1/4d.) divided by 1200, the number of portions of soup, gives 2 951/1200 farthings, or nearly 2 3/4 farthings for each portion.
For the Soup, No II. it will be,
lb. oz. s. d. L. s. d.
70 9 pearl barley, at 0 2 ——— 0 11 9
65 10 peas, at 0 1 1/2 ——— 0 8 2
230 4 potatoes, at 0 0 1/2 ——— 0 13 9
69 10 bread, at 0 11 25/65 ——— 0 16 6
19 13 salt, at 0 1 1/2 ——— 0 2 5 1/2
Vinegar, one gallon ——— 0 1 8
Expenses for fuel, servants, etc. ——— 0 10 4 1/4
——————-
Total 3 4 7 3/4
This sum (3L. 4s. 7 3/4d.) divided by 1200, the number of portions, gives for each 2 1/2 farthings very nearly.
This soup comes much higher here in London, than it would do in most other parts of Great Britain, on account of the very high price of potatoes in this city; but in most parts of the kingdom, and certainly in every part of Ireland, it may be furnished, even at this present moment, notwithstanding the uncommonly high prices of provisions, at less than ONE HALFPENNY the portion of 20 ounces.