The quantity of each of the ingredients contained in one portion of soup is as follows:

 In avoirdupois
weight.
Ingredients. Soup, No I. Soup, No II.
Of pearl barley 1 1058/1200 0 1129/1200
Of peas ... ... 1
960/1200 0 1050/1200
Of potatoes ... ------ 3 84/1200
Of bread ... ... 0 1114/1200 0 1114/1200
----------- --------------
Total solids 4 772/1200 5 977/1200
Of salt ... ... 0 316/1200 0 316/1200
Of weak vinegar 0
748/1200 0 748/1200
Of water ... ... 14 432/1200 13 127/1200
----------- --------------
Total 19 968/1200
19 968/1200

Suppose, for instance, it were required to determine how much 1200 portions of the Soup, No. I. would cost in London at this present moment, (the 12th of November 1795,) when all kinds of provisions are uncommonly dear. I see by a printed report of the Board of Agriculture, of the day before yesterday (November 10), that the prices of the articles necessary for preparing these soups were as follows:

Barley, per bushel weighing 46lb. at 5s. 6d. which gives for each pound about 1½d; but prepared as pearl barley, it will cost at least two pence per pound⁶.

Boiling peas per bushel, weighing 61¼lb. (at 10s.) which gives for each pound nearly 1½d.

Potatoes, per bushel, weighing 58½lb. at 2s. 6d. which gives nearly one halfpenny for each pound.

And I find that a quartern loaf of wheaten bread, weighing 4lb. 5oz. costs now in London 1s. 0¼d.;--this bread must therefore be reckoned at 11 25/69 farthings per pound.

Salt costs 1½. per pound; and vinegar (which is probably six times as strong as that stuff called vinegar which is used in the kitchen of the House of Industry at Munich) costs 1s. 8d. per gallon.

This being premised, the computations may be made as follows:

Expence of preparing in London, in the month of November 1795, 1200 portions of the Soup, No I.

lb
oz s d £. s. d.
141 2 pearl barley, at 0 2 per lb. 1 12 6
131 4 peas, at 0 1½ ------ 0 16 4
69 10 wheaten
bread, at 0 11 25/99 ------ 0 16 6
19 13 salt, at 0 1½ ------ 0 2 5½
Vinegar, one gallon, at 1 8 ------ 0 1 8
Expences for fuel, servants, kitchen
furniture, &c. reckoning three times
as much as those articles of
expence amount
to daily at Munich ... ... ... ... ... 0 10 4¼
-------------
Total 3 9 9¼
Which sum (3L. 9s. 9¼d.)
divided by 1200,
the number of portions of soup, gives 2 951/1200
farthings, or nearly 2¾ farthings for
each portion.
For the Soup, No II. it will be,
lb. oz. s. d. £. s. d.
70 9 pearl barley, at 0 2 ------ 0 11 9
65 10 peas, at 0 1½ ------ 0 8 2
230 4 potatoes, at 0 0½ ------ 0 13 9
69 10 bread, at 0 11 25/65 ------ 0 16
6
19 13 salt, at 0 1½ ------ 0 2 5½
Vinegar, one gallon ------ 0 1 8
Expenses for fuel, servants, &c ------ 0 10
4¼
-------------
Total 3 4 7¾

This soup comes much higher here in London, than it would do in most other parts of Great Britain, on account of the very high price of potatoes in this city; but in most parts of the kingdom, and certainly in every part of Ireland, it may be furnished, even at this present moment, notwithstanding the uncommonly high prices of provisions, at less than one halfpenny the portion of 20 ounces.

Though the object most attended to in composing these soups was to render them wholesome and nourishing, yet they are very far from being unpalatable.--The basis of the soups, which is water prepared and thickened by barley, is well calculated to receive, and to convey to the palate in an agreeable manner, every thing that is savoury in the other ingredients; and the dry bread rendering mastication necessary, prolongs the action of the Food upon the organs of taste, and by that means increases and prolongs the enjoyment of eating.