and help to pay their landlord’s rent, their corn andcattle being already seized and money a thing unknown

Fifthly, this food would likewise bring great custom to taverns, wherethe vintners will certainly be so prudent as to procure the best receipts fordressing it to perfection, and consequently have their houses frequentedby all the fine gentlemen, who justly value themselves upon their knowl-edge in good eating; and a skillful cook, who understands how to obligehis guests, will contrive to make it as expensive as they please.

Thirdly, whereas the maintenance of an hundred thousand children,from two years old and upwards, cannot be computed at less than tenshillings a piece per annum, the nation’s stock will be thereby increasedfifty thousand pounds per annum, besides the profit of a new dish intro-duced to the tables of all gentlemen of fortune in the kingdom who haveany refinement in taste. And the money will circulate among ourselves,the goods being entirely of our own growth and manufacture.

I do therefore humbly offer it to public consideration that of the hun-dred and twenty thousand children, already computed, twenty thousandmay be reserved for breed, whereof only one fourth part to be males,which is more than we allow to sheep, black cattle, or swine; and myreason is that these children are seldom the fuits of marriage, a circum-stance not much reagarded by our savages, therefore one male will besufficient to serve four females. That the remaining hundred thousandmay at a year old be offered in sale to the persons of quality and fortunethrough the kingdom, always advising the mother to let them suck plen-tifully in the last month, so as to render them plump and fat for a goodtable. A child will make two dishes at an entertainment for friends; andwhen the family dines alone, the fore or hind quarter will make a reason-able dish, and seasoned with a little pepper or salt will be very good boildedon the fourth day, especially in winter.

I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance inLondon, that a young healthy child well nursed is at a year old a mostdelicious, nourishing, and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked,or boiled; and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricassee or aragout*.

The number of souls in this kingdom* being usually reckoned one mil-lion and a half, of these I calculate there may be about two hundred thou-sand couple whose wives are breeders; from which number I subtract thirtythousand couples who are able to maintain their own children, although Iapprehend there cannot be so many under th present distress of the king-dom; but this being granted, thre will remain an hundred seventy thou-sand breeders. I again subtract fifty thousand for those women who mis-carry, or whose children die by accident or disease within the year. Thereonly remain an hundred and twenty thousand children of poor parentsannually born.