136 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1800. 



great advantage to the food of the 

 poorer classes, especially if mixed 

 with rice. In Scotland it is used in 

 broth and mixed with vegetables ; 

 but it has not yet been brought into 

 any general use in England, though 

 upon the trials hitherto made by 

 mixing it with rice and with pease, 

 it has been received as a very ac- 

 ceptable article of food, particularly 

 as a substitute for bacon, the price 

 of which is now unusually high. 



Sojips. 



Soups werelast winter distributed 

 in considerable quantities, particu- 

 larly in the metropolis ; and it is 

 stated that two-thirds of the ex- 

 pense that would have been in- 

 curred in the usual mode of parish 

 relief, has thus been saved, and 

 that greatly to the advantage of 

 the persons receiving this aid. 



Your committee cannot too 

 strongly express their sense of the 

 infinite advantages that have been 

 derived from these excellent insti- 

 tutions, v»rhich they have the satis- 

 faction to know have been imitated 

 in variousparts of the country, both 

 by the benevolence of individuals, 

 and also by the well-applied zeal 

 and discretion of parochial officers. 

 Every degree of encouragement 

 should, in the opinion of the com- 

 mittee, be given to the continuance 

 of this system, which is peculiarly 

 beneficial, not only to those per- 

 sons who actually receive parochial 

 relief, but also to those, who not 

 receiving such relief, yet neverthe- 

 less feel most severely the pressure 

 from the present dearth of provi- 

 sions. And your committee has 

 been informed, that one of the most 

 useful ways of giving this encou- 

 ragement, would be the disuse of 

 soup or gravy meats in opulent fa- 



milies, by which means the coarser, 

 but notlessnourishingpieces, would 

 be sold at a reduced price to these 

 establishments, or for the consump- 

 tion of poorer families. 



The lords' committees having 

 thus called your lordships' attention 

 to the modes in which these substi- 

 tutes of our own growth, and of im- 

 portation can be used, proceed to 

 give your lordships their humble 

 opinion with respect to the econo- 

 mical consumption of them ; but 

 before they proceed to observe on 

 this subject, they think proper to 

 state, with respect to wheats al- 

 though the deficiency of the crop 

 may be calculated at not much more 

 than a fourth of the average growth, 

 they cannot but most earnestly re- 

 commend an endeavour to reduce 

 the consumption of that grain in 

 the proportion of at least one-third, 

 as required by his majesty's royal 

 proclamation, such reduction ap- 

 pearing to themabsolutely necessary, 

 taking into consideration the want 

 of stock in hand, the deficiency 

 above stated, and the expenditure 

 of a sixth of the crop, which may 

 be taken as the quantity already 

 used for seed. They are unani- 

 mously of opinion, that the entire 

 use of pure wheaten flour, and the 

 use of pure wheaten bread, other 

 than such as shall be made of the 

 whole meal (the broad bran only 

 being excluded), should be wholly 

 discontinued ; that a mixture of 

 at least one-third of other grain 

 should be used where it can be pro- 

 cured ; and farther that such re- 

 duction in the consumption even of 

 bread so mixed, should be made 

 from the usual allowance in fami- 

 lies ( where other articles of food 

 can be provided) as may bring it to 

 one quartern loaf per head per 



