the Poor in Bavaria. 285 



of the cart, the bread-chest was opened by the steward, 

 who keeps the key of it ; and its contents, after being 

 entered in a register kept for that purpose, were deliv- 

 ered over to the care of the store-keeper. 



The bread collected was commonly such as, not hav- 

 ing been sold . in time, had become too old, hard, and 

 stale for the market ; but which, being cut fine, a hand- 

 ful of it put into a basin of good pease-soup was a 

 great addition to it. 



The amount of these charitable donations in kind 

 may be seen in the translations of the original returns 

 which are annexed in the Appendix No. III. 



The collections of soup were not long continued, it 

 being found to be in general of much too inferior a qual- 

 ity to be mixed with the soup made in the kitchen of 

 the poor-house ; but the collections of bread and of 

 meat continue to this time, and are still very produc- 

 tive. 



But the greatest resource in feeding the poor is one 

 which I am but just beginning to avail myself of, the 

 use of potatoes.* Of this subject, however, I shall 

 treat more largely hereafter. 



The above-mentioned precautions, used in making 

 collections in kind, may perhaps appear trifling and 

 superfluous : they were nevertheless very necessary. It 

 was also found necessary to change all the poor's 

 boxes in the churches, to prevent their being robbed ; 

 for though in those which were first put up the openings 

 were not only small, but ended in a curved tube, so that 

 it appeared almost impossible to get any of the money 

 out of the box by the same opening by which it was put 

 into it, yet means were found, by introducing into the 



* This was written in the summer of the year 1795. 



