EXPENCES OF HOUSEKEEPING 



hundred persons himself that make it equally good. And, 

 indeed, why should it not be thus in a country where the pasture 

 is so rich ; where the sun warms every thing into sweetness ; 

 where the cattle eat the grass close under the shade of the thickest 

 trees : which we know well they will not do in England. Take 

 any fruit which has grown in the shade in England, and you will 

 find that it has not half the sweetness in it, that there is in fruit of 

 the same bulk, grown in the sun. But, here the sun sends his 

 heat down through all the boughs and leaves. The manufacturing 

 of cheese is not yet generally brought, in this country, to the 

 English perfection ; but, here are all the materials, and the rest 

 will soon follow. 



331. Groceries, as they are called, are, upon an average, at far 

 less than half the English price. Tea, sugar, coffee, spices, 

 chocolate, cocoa, salt, sweet oil ; all free of the Borough-mongers 

 taxes and their pawn, are so cheap as to be within the reach of 

 every one. Chocolate, which is a treat to the rich, in England, 

 is here used even by the negroes. Sweet oil, raisins, currants ; 

 all the things from the Levant, are at afour-th or fifth of the English 

 price. The English people, who pay enormously to keep pos 

 session of the East and West Indies, purchase the produce even 

 of the English possessions at a price double of that which the 

 Americans give for that very produce ! What a hellish oppression 

 must that people live under ! Candles and soap (quality for 

 quality) are half the English price. Wax candles (beautiful) are 

 at a third of the English price. It is no very great piece of ex 

 travagance to burn wax candles constantly here, and it is frequently 

 done by genteel people, who do not make their own candles. 



332. Fish I have not mentioned, because fish is not every where 

 to be had in abundance. But, any where near the coast it is ; 

 and. it is so cheap, that one wonders how it can be brought to 

 market for the money. Fine Black-Rock, as good, at least, as 

 codfish, I have seen sold, and in cold weather too, at an English 

 farthing a pound. They now bring us fine fish round the country 

 to our doors, at an English three pence a pound. I believe they 

 count fifty or sixty sorts of fish in New York market, as the average. 

 Oysters, other shell-fish, called clams. In short, the variety and 

 abundance are such that I cannot describe them. 



333. An idea of the state of plenty may be formed from these 

 facts : nobody but the free negroes who have families ever think 

 of eating a sheep s head and pluck. It is seldom that oxen s heads 

 are used at home, or sold, and never in the country. In the course 

 of the year hundreds of calves heads, large bits and whole joints 

 of meat, are left on the shambles, at New York, for any body to 

 take away that will. They generally fall to the share of the street 

 hogs, a thousand or two of which are constantly fatting in New 

 York on the meat and fish flung out of the houses. I shall be 

 told, that it is only in hot zveather, that the shambles are left thus 

 garnished. Very true ; but, are the shambles of any other country 



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