evised every fortnight; the food best
suited to each district, and the most easily obtained _there_, to be at
once taken into consideration.

As to rations, it was considered that the most nourishing and economical
food was soup made after some of the approved receipts, with a portion
of bread, meal, or biscuit.

The 26th rule fixed the quantity and quality of a ration.

It was to consist of

1-1/2 lbs. of bread; or
1 lb. of biscuit; or
1 lb. of meal or flour of any grain; or
1 quart of soup thickened with a portion of
meal, according to the known receipts,
and one quarter ration of bread, biscuit or
meal, in addition.

Persons above nine years of age to have one full ration; those under
that age half a ration.

These rules were promulgated from the Relief Commission Office, in
Dublin Castle, on the 8th of March.

A difficulty having arisen as to what could be strictly considered
"soup," the following definition of it was issued by the Relief
Commissioners to the Inspecting officers of each Union.

"Sir, As the term 'Soup' in the Instructions seems to have created an
impression with many parties, that only the liquid ordinarily so called
is meant, and that meat must necessarily form an ingredient, the Relief
Commissioners beg that the general term 'soup,' in their Instructions,
may be understood to include any food cooked in a boiler, and
distributed in a liquid state, thick or thin, and whether composed of
meat, fish, vegetables, grain or meal."

The Commissioners published their first report on the 10th of March,
eleven days after the Relief Act came into force; an exceedingly short
time for them in which to have done anything worth reporting; but this
is explained by the fact, that they and their officers had been set to
work a considerable time before the Relief Act had become law; the
Government assuming that it would meet with no real opposition in its
passage through Parliament.

From this Report we learn that there were, at the time, 2049 electoral
divisions in Ireland; and from a later one, that Blackrock, near Dublin,
was the smallest electoral division, consisting only of 257 acres; that
the largest was Belmullet, in the County of Mayo, which contained
145,598 acres. The extremes in the valuation of electoral divisions
were,--Mullaghderg, in Glenties Union, L331 10s. 0d.; South Dublin,
L402,516 3s. 4d. So that a shilling rate levied off Mullaghderg would
prod