16 BREWING. [NO. 



fire again to be made, the clattering tea-tackle again 

 to come forward ; and even in the longest day she 

 must have candle light, which never ought to be seen 

 in a cottage (except in case of illness) from March to 

 September. 



24. Now, then, let us take the bare cost of the use 

 of tea. I suppose a pound of tea to last twenty days ; 

 which is not nearly half an ounce every morning and 

 evening. I allow for each mess half a pint of milk. 

 And I allow three pounds of the red dirty sugar to 

 each pound of tea. The account of expenditure 

 would then stand very high ; but to these must be 

 added the amount of the tea tackle, one set of which 

 will, upon an average, be demolished every year. 

 To these outgoings must be added the cost of beer 

 at the public -house ; for some the man will have, 

 after all, and the woman too, unless they be upon 

 the point of actual starvation. Two pots a week is 

 as little as will serve in this way ; and here is a dead 

 loss of ninepence a week, seeing that two pots of 

 beer, full as strong, and a great deal better, can be 

 brewed at home for threepence. The account of the 

 year's tea drinking will then stand thus : 



L. s. d. 



' 18Ib. of tea . . . 4 10 



541b. of sugar . . . 1 11 6 



365 pints of milk . . . 1 10 

 Tea tackle . . .050 



200 fires . ... 16 8 



30 days' work . . . 15 



Loss by going to public-house 1 19 



L.ll 7 2* 



25. I have here estimated every thing at its very 

 lowest. The entertainment which I have here pro- 

 vided is as poor, as mean, as miserable as any thing 

 short of starvation can set forth ; and yet the wretch- 

 ed thing amounts to a good third part of a good and 

 able labourer's wages ! For this money, he and his 



* The above items may be converted into United States' money by 

 reckoning 4s. 6d. to the dollar : Thus As 4*. 6d. ; 1 dollar: ; III. 7s, 2d. J 

 50 dollars 48 cents. 



