A very worthy person, a true lover of his courntry, and whose virtues Ihighly esteem, was lately pleased in discoursing on this matter to offer arefinement upon my scheme. He said that many gentlemen of this king-dom, having of late destroyed their deer, he conceived that the want ofvenison might be well supplied by the bodies of young lads and maidens,not exceeding fourteen years of age nor under twelve, so great a number ofboth sexes in every county being now ready to starve for want of work andservice; and these to be disposed of by their parents, if alive, or otherwiseby their nearest relations. But with due deference to so excellent a friendand so deserving a patriot, I cannot be altogether in his sentiments; for asto the males, my American acquainteance assured me from frequent expe-rience that their flesh was generally tough and lean, like that of our school-boys, by continiual exercise, and their taste disagreeable; and to fattenthem would not answer the charge.

After all, i am not so violently bent upon my own opinion as to rejectany offer proposed by wise men, which shall be found equally innocent,cheap, easy, and effectual.