Of Food. 461 



use, where it is not known, to begin with Indian (bag) 

 puddings, such as I have here been describing ; and 

 that this is a very cheap kind of food will be evident 

 from the following computation : — 



Expense of preparing the Indian Pudding above mentioned. 



Pence. 



3 lbs. of Indian meal, at i\d. 4^ 



■| lb. of molasses, at 6d. 4^ 



I oz. of salt, at 2d. per pound o^ 



Total for the ingredients .... 9^ 



As this pudding weighed lOiV lbs., and the ingre- 

 dients cost ninepence and half a farthing, this gives 

 three farthings and a half for each pound of pudding. 



It will be observed that in this computation I have 

 reckoned the Indian meal at no more than i\d. per 

 pound, whereas in the calculation which was given to 

 determine the expense of preparing hasty pudding it 

 was taken at twopence a pound. I have here reckoned 

 it at \\d. a pound, because I am persuaded it might 

 be had here in London for that price, and even for 

 less. That which has lately been imported from 

 Boston has not cost so much ; and were it not for 

 the present universal scarcity of provisions in Europe, 

 which has naturally raised the price of grain in North 

 America, I have no doubt but Indian meal might be 

 had in this country for less than one penny fart hifig 

 per pound. 



In composing the Indian pudding above mentioned, 

 the molasses is charged at ^d. the pound, but that 

 price is very exorbitant. A gallon of molasses weigh- 

 ing about 10 lbs. commonly costs in the West Indies 

 from ^d. to (^d. sterling ; and allowing sufficiently for 

 the expenses of freight, insurance, and a fair profit for 



