Letter to Dr. Majendie. 785 



and encouraging such mechanical improvements as 

 are really useful, good taste, with its inseparable com- 

 panion, good morals, will revive ; rational economy will 

 become fashionable ; industry and ingenuity will be 

 honoured and rewarded ; and the pursuits of all the 

 various classes of society will then tend to promote 

 the public prosperity. 



LETTER TO THE REV. DR. MAJENDIE OF 

 WINDSOR. 



Brompton Row, Dec. 5, 1799. 



Rev. Sir, — Mr. Atkinson, who brought yours to 

 me of yesterday's date, will be the bearer of this letter. 

 He is a young man of good character and considerable 

 talents ; and I believe you will find him intelligent and 

 well informed in the business in which you are desirous 

 of employing him. 



In answer to the questions you have done me the 

 honour to propose to me respecting the means that can 

 be used with the fairest prospect of success for relieving 

 the distresses to which the poor are exposed in con- 

 sequence of the present scarcity of provisions, I would 

 take the liberty to say that, in my opinion, the pro- 

 viding of food for them in public kitchens, and selling 

 it to them at such low price as they can afford to pay 

 for it, would be the best method that could be adopted 

 for that purpose ; for, besides being an effectual relief 

 to the poor in the moment of difficulty and distress, if 

 in preparing this food care be taken to economize costly 

 and scarce ingredients (which, with due attention, may 

 be done to a surprising degree), the establishment of 

 these public kitchens would have a direct and very 



VOL. IV. 50 



