186 



^l)C /ttvincr's iHcintl)lij bisitor. 



"The assertion, that a waniv dinner may be 

 cooked for one llioDsaml persons, iit th(! trifling 

 expense of four pence li'tif-peMiiy for fuel; and 

 lliat, too, where the cord, five f(H;t ei^lit inclies 

 and nine-tenrhs Ion-.', five feet eight inches and 

 nine-lenlhs high, and five feet three indies and 

 two-tenthx wide, Engfisli ineastire, of pine wood, 

 of the most imrifterent quality, costs ahove seven 

 shiMings ; and wheie the <-oril of hard wood, 

 such as heeeh ntid oak, of eipial diiiiensinns, costs 

 more thati twice that snm, may appear incredi- 

 ble; yet I will venture to assert, and 1 herehy 

 pledge myself with the piihlic to frrove, tVyat in 

 the kitclien of tht? IVIilrtary At-aitemy at IWimich, 

 and especially in a kilehen lately hnilt under my 

 direction at Verona, in the Hospital of la Pidrt. 

 1 have carried the eeouomy still further." 



"How necessary ii« it to he acqiminled with 

 tlje secret springs o[' action in the luun.in heart, 

 to direct even the lowest tiiul most rrnfeeling 

 class of mankind ! The rrjachine is intrins'ically 

 the same in all sftrrations; — the great secret is, 

 first lo put in liuie, hefore an attempt is made to 

 play upon it. The iarrnyg si>imds of former 

 vibrations must first he stilled, otherwise no har- 

 mony can be produced; hot when the instrument 

 IS ill order, the note? rnnnot fail to ai>s\Ter to the 

 touch of n skilful master. 



"Though every thing was done that cwdd I>e 

 devised to impress the luiiids of all those, old and 

 young, who frer(iiented this establishment, with 

 sncli sentiments as were necessary in m\'>er to 

 their hectmiing good anil useftrl mEmhcra pf 

 society ; (and in these attempts I was certainly 

 successful, much beyond my most sanguine ex- 

 pectations,) yet my hopes vyere chiefly idaced 

 on the rising generation. 



"The ehildreii, therefore, of the poor, were oh- 

 jecls of rny peculiar care and attention- To 

 induce their parents to send them to tfris estah- 

 lishment, even hefore they were old enough to 

 do any liind of work, ulirn they attended at the 

 regular hours, (hey not only received their din- 

 ner g-cff/i's, hut ea<di of them was paid three creul- 

 zers a day for doing nothing, bin merely heing 

 present where others worked. 



"1 have already mentioned that those children, 

 \\ho were loo young lo work, were placeil upon 

 seats hnilt aromid the halls where olher children 

 worked. This was done in oi (h^r to inspire them 

 with a desire to do that which other children, 

 apparei'illy more favored — more caressed — and 

 more praised than ihemselvos, were permitted to 

 do; and of which (hey Wfn- ohiiged to he idle 

 specialors: ;ind this h.'ffl the dcsirc'd I'tt'ect. 



"As iiothing is so tedious lo a chihl as being 

 ohiigi'd to sit gllll ill the saini! placid for a con- 

 siderable lime, and as ihe work which the other 

 more tiivored children were engaged in was light 

 anil easy, and a[ipeared rallier afiiinsing than 

 otherwise, being the spinning of hemp and tlax, 

 with small liglil wheel.-*, tiirnet) wMli the fool, 

 these children, who were obliged to he spectti- 

 tors of this bii.»y and enlr'rl-.vining scene, became 

 so uneasy in their silnations, ami so jealous of 

 those who were permilled lo bi^ toon.' aciivc, that 

 they frefpiifiitly soliciled with Ihe groles! Mupor- 

 tiinily to be permilled lo »vt»rk, and oflen tried 

 most heartily if ihi;* (iiTor was nut inslanr^y grain- 

 ed them. 



" How swee! these tears vrere tir ine, can easily 

 be imagined. 



" Nolwillislaiiding all the ui-^irltanlages under 

 which it labnri-d in its infifn slate, the net 

 profits .arising from it diiiieg the: si.» years it has 

 existeil, ainouni to iihont tOO.OOO florins, after 

 the expenses of every kind, s.-daries, wages, and 

 n^pairs, litc, h.iving (jL-en dcduf led ; anil the 

 business is so iioicli incri nsed of late, in conse- 

 (pietice of the aiigiiienialion irf the ilemands of 

 clolhiiig for till' Irocrps, that llie aii.'ount of tin; 



orders ri ivi'd and exrcuied, l.isl year, did not 



liill miii'h short of hittf ii mlllinn of llorilis." 



Vli(tii!ii- jiradiirrJ in Itir iiiivntrrx riiiit ilia/Kisilliius 

 o/' llie I'anr : Prmifi Unit Itir itniina iisnlj'nr ma- 

 A'lHg lh( ii: iii{tii,ihinus, romfoilahlv (iiu/ liii/i/ii/, were 

 siieiessftil. 



"In the inliincy of this esiablishmi'in, when 

 these poor creatnn's wen' lirsl brought together, 

 1 used very freqiieinly to visit them, — to speiik 

 kindly to them, — ami toeiieomage them ;— and I 

 isehhim passed through the halls where they were 

 at work, without being a w itiiess to the most mov- 

 ing scenes. 



" Objects, fonnerly the most wietched.and mis- 

 erable, whom I had seen for years as beggars in 

 the streets; — young women, perhaps the unhap- 

 py vieitms of seduction, who, having lost their 

 reptilation, and heing inriied adrift in the worhl, 

 without a friend and without a home, were re- 

 duced to the necessity oi' begging, to sustain a 

 miseialjlc existence, now recognized iiie as their 

 biuiefai^tor ; and, with tears dropping fast from 

 their cheeks, eonlinued their work in the most 

 expressive silence, 



"If they were asked, what Ihe mailer was with 

 them? their ansv^er w;is, (' iiichts,') 'nothing'; 

 accompanied by a look of afl'eetioiiate regardant! 

 gratitude, so exquisitely touching as frequently to 

 draw tears from the most insensible of bystand- 

 ers. 



" It was not possible to be mistaken with re- 

 spect to the real slate of the minds (d' these poor 

 i people ; every thing abiuit them showed that they 

 were deeply atJecled with the kindness showed 

 them ■- — and that their hearts were really soften- 

 ed, appi'.ired, iiol only from their unaOected ex- 

 pressions of gratitude, biit also from the efTusions 

 of their att'ectionale regard (or those who were 

 dear to them. In short, never did I witness such 

 .■ifTecting scenes as passed between some of these 

 poor peirple and tlieir eliildreu. 



"It was mentioned above that the children were 

 separated from the grown persons. This wa.-; 

 the case at first : but so soon as order was tho- 

 I'onghly established in every part of the house, 

 and the poor people had .-.c piired a certain degree 

 of address in their work, and evidently took plea- 

 sure in it, as many as those who had child.eii ex- 

 pressed an earnest desire lo have Ihem near them ; 

 permission was granted for that purpose; and 

 the spinning halls, by degrees, were filled with 

 the most interesting little groups of industrious 

 fiimilies, who vied with each other in diligence 

 and address ; jmil who displayed a scene, at once 

 the most busy, and the most cheerful, that can be 

 iniagiiied. 



".■^n industrious family is ever a pleasing ob- 

 ject; but there was something peculiarly interest- 

 ing and afJ'ecling in the groups of these poor peo- 

 ple. Whether it was, those who saw them com- 

 pared their present silualiou with the state of 

 misery and wretchedness from which they had 

 been taken : — or wheth(?r it was the joy and ex- 

 ultation which was expressed in the coimlenaiices 

 of the poor parents in conteinplaling their chil- 

 dren all busily employed about them ; — or the .-lir 

 of sell'-satisl'ai'lioii wliieb ihese lillli; urchins put 

 on, at llie consciousness of iheir own dexierily, 

 while they piusned their work with redoubled 

 diligence upon heing observed, tli.at rendered the 

 siujiie so singularly interesting — I know not ; but 

 certainly it is, that lew strangers who visited Ihe 

 est.'iblishinenl, ciime out of ihcse halls v\ iihont 

 being much atfecleil. 



" Many humane and well disposed persons are 

 often wilhhi-ld from gi\ iiig alms on acconni of the 

 bad ch.'iracter cd' bet'giirs in general; but this cir- 

 cumstance, though it ought imdonbtedly to be 

 lakeii iuin considinatiou in delermining the mode 

 of admiuislei'ing our eliMi'it.-ible assistance, should 

 certainly not prevent our iiiteresliiig ourselves in 

 Ihe liite ol tlii'si; unhappy beings. On the con- 

 trary, it ought lo be an additional iiii iti'inent to us 

 to relieve them; — for nolhing is more ci'ttain, 

 than that their crimes are olii.'ii the effvefs, not the 

 causes of thi'ir misery : and when this is the case, 

 by removing the cause, tin! efVects will cease. 



"Nothing is more extraordinary and iinaccoimt- 

 alile, than the inconsistency of mankiiid in every 

 thing; even in thi; praclice of that divine \irlue, 

 benevolence ; and most ol' our mistakes arise 

 more from indolence and lioin inalteniion, than 

 from any thing else. The bii.sy part of mankind 

 are too mieiit upon tliinr own private pursuits; 

 and those who have leisure, are too averse from 

 giving themselves trouble, to investigate a snbjc'ct 

 linl Ion i;eiier.illv C(uisideied as tiresome .and iiii- 

 m'eresiiiig. Hut if it be true, that we are really 

 happy only in proportion as we ought lo be so; 

 that is, in pr(qioriiim as we are inslrnmental in 

 promoling the happiness id" olhers ; no sindv 

 sundy can be so interesting, aa that which leach- 

 es lis how most idreclnally lo conlribule to the 

 well-being of onr Itdlow-crealnres. 



" Why should I not mention even the marks 

 of allectioiiale regard and respect which I re- 

 cei\e<l from the poor people for whose happiness 

 1 interebtcd myself, and the lesliniouies of Ihe 



public esteem with which 1 was honored ? — Wi" 

 it III' reckoned vanity, if I mention Ihe concern 

 which the poor of Munich expressed in so affect- 

 ing a manner when I wasd.ingeroiisly ill? — that 

 they went publickly in a body in procession to the 

 cathedral church, w here they had divine service 

 |)erfornied, and put up public prayers for my re- 

 covery ? — that four years afterwards, on hearing 

 that I was again dangerously ill at Naples, they, 

 of their own accord, set apart an hour each eve- 

 ning, after they had finisiied llieir work in Ihe 

 Military Wmkhouse, to pray for me? 



" Will it he thought improper to mention the 

 aflecting reception I met with from them, at my 

 first visit to the Military Workhouse upon my re- 

 turn to Munich last summer, after an absence of 

 fifteen inonihs; a scene which drew tears from 

 all who were present? — and must 1 refuse myself 

 the salisliielion of describing the fete I gave them 

 in return, in tiic English Garden, at which 

 1800 poor people of all ages, and above .30,- 



000 of the inhabitants of Munich, assisted ? — 

 and all this pleasure I iiinst forego, merely that I 

 may not be thought vain and ostentations ? Be it 

 lio, then ; — but I would just beg leave to call tin; 

 reader's alleiuinn to my feelings upon the occa- 

 sion ; and then let him ask himself, if any earth- 

 ly reward can jiossibly he supposed greater; any 

 eiijoymeiils more complele, than those I received. 

 Let him figure to himself, if he can, my situation, 

 sick in bed, worn out by iiileuse ap[dicalion, and 

 dying, as everybody thought, a martyr in the cause 

 lo wliiidi I had devoted myself; — let him imagine 



1 say, my feelings, upon hearing (he confused 

 noise of prayers of a nmllitnile of people, who 

 were passing by in the streets, u)ioii being told that 

 it was the poor of iM nnich,m.iiiy hundreds in num- 

 ber, who were going in procession to the idinrch 

 to put up public prayi'is fiir me : — puhlii- prayers 

 forme! — tor a private person !— a stranger ! — a 

 protestain ! — I believe it is the first instance of the 

 kind that ever happened : — and I dare venture ti< 

 atlirni that no procd' could well be stronger than 

 this, that the meiLsnres adopted for making ihese 

 poor people happy, were really successful ; — and 

 let it be rememhered, thai this fart is U'hat I am 

 most aiirious to make appear, i.n the clearest 



ANU MOST SATISFACTOKV MANNER. 



Potatoes- 



It was onr accidental lot in the last season lo 

 be more Ibi Innate in raising mir crop of potatoes 

 than any of our neighbors of whom we have yet 

 he.iid. We had a lield of five acres planleil in 

 drills of eighleen inches apiui in rows Ihree and 

 a half feet distance. The ground had been 

 plained and inaunred (not in the hill) two years 

 previous. Il was again spread over with ahonl 

 twenty-five loads of coiiqiost, consisting' of two- 

 ihiiils iiinek and turf tempered « iili lime, and 

 one-third common co.arse manure from Ihe stable 

 and yard. There was not lime to intermix this 

 compost heap as much as \\ as desirable! : in mak- 

 ing il, the yaid and st.-ible maiinre was cairiecl lo 

 the muck and lime in the heap, it being a great 

 saving of l.dior not to carry the iinick to the 

 yard. The land was the higher intervale upon 

 llieMenimaek which had been ofliui exhansleil 

 by successive cropping: ilic year before the 

 sward was broken, its produce was less ihan half 

 a ton of hay lo the acre. It was such l;uid as 

 ihe drought of the last summer would be most 

 severe upon. .\s an experiment in breaking up 

 this land two years before, the subsoil plough 

 (one of the fust made by I'lonty and Mears) was 

 n.seil in the tiuniug np the l.irger jiortion. The 

 method of using ihe subsoil plough v\ as the fol- 

 lowing of the heavier team immediately on the 

 track of that which turned over the sward. 

 W iiliunl lurning the hilherlo nninoved subsoil 

 over, only raising and lightening it up in the 

 prei-eding furrow, ihe last plniigh increased ihe 

 depth liiHii six to eight inches. The mamue was 

 fiisl spreail over ihe sward in heaps— il was cov- 

 ered eniirely by the fiist plough, and repo.-cd 

 dlreellv under the luriied turf and over the new 

 gioimii hrmighl into aelion by the subsoil plough. 

 Wi! had ihe lirsl year ii very good crop of po- 

 tatoes planleil in rows between the tiirf of every 

 ihiril furrow liirned. If there was any (aidt in 

 the planting, it was the pulling the seed down 

 loo deep, which, done in our absence, was done 

 nearly lo the depth of the first plough, whereas 

 the seed should have repo.sed in the line between 

 ihe iwo turned I'm rows not over two inches be- 



