night, and otherwise be mutually helpful. The directors have also a room to meet in, who form rules for the government of the house, hear complaints, and rectify what is amiss. Gentlemen are directors of the male establishment, ladies of the female. A committee of two are chosen every year, who visit often, see the rules observed, and take care of the management. At the end of the year these are thanked off; and as an honourable memorial of their service, their names, with the year they served, are added to the golden list on the walls of the room. All the furniture is neat and convenient, the beds and the rooms kept clean and sweet by the servants of the house, and the people appear to live happily.

These institutions seem calculated to prevent poverty, which is rather a better thing than relieving it; for it keeps always in the public eye a state of comfort and repose, with freedom from care in old age, held forth as an encouragement to so much industry and frugality in youth as may at least serve to raise the required sum (suppose 507.) that is to entitle a man or woman at fifty to a retreat in these houses. And in acquiring this sum, habits may be acquired that produce such affluence before this age arrives, as to make the retreat unnecessary, and so never claimed.

CHEAP DINING.

A person of very respectable exterior was recently brought before the magistrate, charged with assaulting the waiter, and destroying the property of an eating-house proprietor, in the neighbourhood of Covent-garden. Eating-houses, properly so called, are, as is well known to the initiated, vulgarly denominated "slap-bang" shops; and certainly the affair of the defendant, in the present case, was a genuine slap-bang adventure.

The gentleman went into the house in question, and called for some roast beef, "under done, and not too fat." The waiter instantly brought him what they call a plate" of roast beef-several good jolly flapping

slices, swimming in twelve-water gravy, and duly displayed upon an ordinary sized dinner-plate. "What the devil do you bring me such an infernal quantity for?" asked the gentleman. 66 Do you think I am a coalporter, or a ploughman? Take it away, you vagabond, and bring a more Christian-like quantity-about half as much."-" Master doesn't make half plates, Sir," replied the waiter. Then I shall have none!" rejoined the gentleman, and resuming his gloves, hat, and stick, he was about to make his exit in a rage; but the waiter, with plate of beef in hand, and napkin under arm, placed himself at the head of the stairs, seeking to cut off his retreat with a 66 Please to pay me for the beef, Sir; it was cut by your orders, and you mustn't go till you've paid for it. It only comes to nine-pence, Sir, wedgibles and all." "Stand out of my way, you scoundrel, or I'll knock you down!" said the gentleman. "I shan't, Sir; you only wants to bilk master, and bolt," replied the waiter. It was enough. In the next instant, a kick from the enraged gentleman sent the plate of beef spinning up to the ceiling; the waiter seized the gentleman by the collar; the gentleman grasped the waiter by the throat, and they struggled together for a moment, and down stairs they trundled closely embraced, slap-bang on to a table just covered with smoaking-hot dishes of roast and boiled; the table was upset in the concussion, and in the next moment the half-strangled combatants lay sprawling upon the floor, in the midst of shoulders of mutton, pieces of beef, dabs of boiled cabbage, broken platters, capsized mustard-pots, and many other odd things, too tedious to mention.

The master-cook stood aghast at the horrible clatter occasioned by this comical catastrophe, and the ruin which accompanied it; but he was soon sufficiently recovered from his astonishment to gather the gentleman up again; and then having had him well wiped down, he gave him in charge to a constable. The constable carried him before the magistrate, as a matter of course, and the master

cook now sought compensation in damages for the injury done to his plates, dishes, and victuals, and the waiter sought a reparation for the bodily injury he sustained.

The magistrate directed the gentleman to find bail to answer the complaint of the waiter at the sessions; but he refused to make any order with respect to the damages upon the eatables, inasmuch as the waiter appeared to be as deeply implicated in that part of the business as the gentleman.

To the Editor of The Economist. SIR;-With respect to an article concerning made-up wine, inserted in your's of the 5th ult., allow me to remark how such evils grow, as I may say, with the growth, and strengthen only by the degeneracy of age. It is not by the economical tradesman, neither is it by the gentleman or independent, that this article is consumed, the former from knowing good wine is not cheap, the latter from an obvious contempt to buy cheap what must be really dear. The fact is this: there are a great many young and petty tradesmen, who are not contented till they can shine with their moré opulent neighbours, by sporting their wine, consequently a wine-cellar, and, as such, an apartment must, for the credit of its owner, be furnished with something; however two or three bins may be stacked with empty bottles, heel outwards, and plenty of saw-dust, still liquor of some sort must be in the way. Now, wine-merchants, you know, Sir, are generally excellent judges; you may get a dozen, or two dozen perhaps prettygood, but not more; consequently as money is scarce, the cheapest market is sought; and as long as the buyer gets what the vender denominates white and red wine, he is satisfied. "Patience," says a green-grocer of Newgate-market, "letme take a glass of wine!" Picture to yourself, Mr. Editor, a wine-merchant's truck, with six dozen, sweeping the butchers' blocks on either side of Rose-alley, about noon, and you will not be sur

prised to hear five shillings in the pound has been the finale.

Another species of customers to this cheap wine-trade are certain servants, such as shopmen, and valets out of place, who, as their avocation requires an apparel every day which the labouring mechanic can only wear on a Sunday, are puffed up that they are superior and almost coequal with their masters, to ape whom they must take their wine also; for this purpose they must of necessity visit cheap taverns. The Haymar ket and its neighbourhood swarms with cheap houses; and next to cheap drinking is cheap eating, of which latter I could a tale unfold; but not knowing how far my officiousness may have already carried me, I will for the present bid farewell. W.

P. S.-Those articles under the head of Provisions in Season, are very defective, such as could only have arisen from copying some old matter; your own tradespeople would best convince you.

To the Editor of The Economist.

I

SIR; With great pleasure I have perused your useful work, and with much satisfaction have perceived your exposition of the Aldgate concern. now wish to inform you (in com pliance with your desire) of another shameful practice of certain linendrapers, among whom I shall rank the worthy Mr. M******, of High Holborn, and Broad-street, Bloomsbury, who in his window exhibits a great quantity of printed calicoes, &c. marked at 3d. and 21d. a yard, which, in fact, are nothing else than a small portion of very inferior, worth about an halfpenny a yard, which he places between some of a superior description, observing, in doing so, that the paper be nearly large enough to cover the print to which it is attached; so that when a customer comes in, he is shown some of the superior, and should he still require the marked article, it turns out to be a remnant, and the shopman tells him that he has got no more of it,using the opportunity of course to play the gull upon the bait which he has swal lowed, If this communication be ao

ceptable, I shall, in the course of next
week, give you a few useful hints
about the London Wine Company.
I am, Sir,

Your humble servant,
FRANCIS GREEN.

No. 15, Old Broad-street, City, June 1, 1824.

COOKERY.

GENERAL REMARKS FOR ROASTING.

Meat should be well jointed before it is put to the fire, and covered with paper, to prevent the fat from scorching; half an hour before the meat is taken up, the paper must be taken off, and the meat basted and dredged with flour, to make it a fine brown; large poultry should also be covered with paper if the fire is very fierce, but small poultry does not require it; be careful not to place meat too near the fire at first; put it nearer by degrees; rather more time should be allowed for roasting with a bottle-jack or hanging-jack than with a spit; roasted meat should be frequently basted, and, when nearly done, dredged with flour. It is a general rule to allow a quarter of an hour to a pound for roasting as well as boiling meat.

TO ROAST VEAL.

With a good fire veal takes about a quarter of an hour to each pound; cover the fat of the loin and fillet with paper. Stuff the fillet and shoulder as follows: Take a quarter of a pound of suet chopped fine; parsley and sweet herbs chopped fine; grated bread and lemon-peel, pepper, salt, nutmeg, and an egg; mix these well, and stuff it into the veal as securely as you can, that it may not fall out while roasting; roast the breast with the caul on, till nearly done; then take it off, and flour and baste the meat; lay it in the dish, pour a little melted butter over. it, and serve it up with either salad, potatoes, brockoli, cucumbers, French beans, peas, cauliflowers, or stewed celery. Veal must be well done.

TO ROAST PORK.

Pork, like veal, must be well done; if a loin, cut the skin across with a sharp penknife, which makes it more convenient to be carved; let each stripe be about half an inch wide score the leg in the same manner; if not disliked, stuff the knuckle part with a stuffing made of sage and onion, chopped fine, a spoonful of grated bread, seasoned with pepper and salt, or put the seasoning into a hole under the twist; skewer it in, and roast it crisp; if a spring (which when young eats well), cut off the hand; strew sage and onion over it, roll it round, and tie it; two hours will do it; if a sparerib, baste it with a bit of lard or butter; dust it with flour; chop dried sage, and strew over it; if a griskin, baste it with lard or butter, and strew sage over it; potatoes, apple-sauce, and mustard, are eaten with roast pork; if a leg of pork, have a little drawn gravy, and pour it into the dish, if you think it necessary.

GOOSEBERRY FOOL.

Set two quarts of gooseberries on the fire in about a quart of water; when they begin to simmer, turn yellow, and look plump, throw them into a cullender to drain the water out; then with the back of a spoon squeeze the pulp carefully through a sieve into a dish; make them tolerably sweet, and let them stand till cold; take two quarts of milk and the yolks of four eggs; beat them up with a little grated nutmeg, and stir it softly over a slow fire; when it begins to simmer, take it off, and by degrees stir it into the gooseberries; let it stand till it is cold, and serve it up: if it is made with cream, it does not require any eggs; the cream should not be boiled.

GOOSEBERRY JAM.

Gather some red gooseberries, when they are quite ripe, smash them, and to four quarts of fruit add three pounds of sugar; put them into a preserving pan; boil, and scum them when boiled enough, which may be known by putting a little on a plate; if the juice drains from the fruit, it

must be boiled longer; when cold, put it into pots; put brandy-paper over, and tie it down with another paper; set it in a dry place.

Gooseberry jam may be made with good moist sugar, and put two pounds and a half of sugar to a gallon of fruit; but it must boil longer.

DOMESTIC MEDICINE.

TO REMOVE PIMPLES FROM THE FACE.

Dissolve common salt in the juice of lemons, and with a linen cloth apply it to the parts affected.

A DRAUGHT FOR HYSTERICAL WOMEN.

Thirty drops, compound spirit of lavender; half a drachm of tincture of bark; half an ounce of cinnamon water, sweetened with syrup of saffron.

A DRAUGHT GOOD IN DROPSICAL COMPLAINTS.

Of fennel-water, one ounce; tincture of cantharides, 15 drops; spirit of nitric æther, one drachm; compound spirit of juniper, 2 drachms. Mix them.-This draught may be taken two or three times a day.

USEFUL RECEIPTS.

LOBSTER SAUCE.

Melt some butter in a little milk, with a little flour and a bit of lemonpeel in it; then add some cream; take out the lemon-peel, and put in the lobster, cut into small pieces, with a little of the spawn; simmer all together about ten minutes. Shrimp sauce may be made in the same way, or the shrimps put into plain melted butter.

TO POT MACKAREL

Clean, season, and bake them in a pan, with spice, bay-leaves, and some

TO PRESERVE YEAST.

Take a quantity of yeast, stir and work it with a whisk, till it is thin; then take a clean and dry tub, and with a soft brush lay a thin layer of yeast over the bottom of the tub, and cover it over with a cloth; when that coat is dry, lay on another, and repeat it till it is two or three inches thick; one coat of yeast must be dry before another is laid on; it will keep good several months: when wanted for use, cut a piece off, and lay it in warm water to dissolve; then stir it with the water, and it will be fit for

use.

TO CHOOSE SALMON.-If a salmon is of a fine red, it is fresh, but particularly so if red at the gills; the scales should be very bright, and the fish very stiff; it is in season in spring and summer.

NOTICE TO CORRESPONDENTS

The subject of the Bill-gulling con cern is "the one alluded to:" we are obliged to do it.

P. S. W. cannot be received.

Econ must lie over until we treat upon particular apprenticeships.

O. Z. is received, and will appear. A Subscriber is informed that Eatinghouses will be shortly considered in our "Annals of Gulling."