To The Editor Of The Time...
The Times, 1824-02-12T00:00:00

I ADVERTISEMfENT.1 Sir.-As you lhave thought proper (gratuitously, I presumne) to copy into Your paper an aponyv ous attack upon me, first inserted in the ilfechcnicr' Jlf.M aine, headed " Hunt's roasted corn," which contains a most exaggerated statement, calculated to cleceive the ptub- lic and. to injure me, I trust that in cominoni justice I may claim the insertion of this its refutation in the columns of' your next pub- licaton. This malignant attack is couched as follows :-" Mlr. Huntt has for some time guUed the public by selling htis roasted corn at Is. a pound: a bashelof tye, wshich costs4s., contains 481., there- fore tr. Hunt makes eleven hundred per ceut. clear profit." Although it iS the first timne I ever heard of a nianufacturer, a merchant, or a tradesman, in this or any other country, being caUed utian by the whoil of the public press of that countrv, to account for his profits or his private transaction.s in business; yet, as the press of England appear to think that the public are more interested -about :r. hunt, and thetcfore more entitled to inquire into his private affairs as well as his public exertions, than into zhoso of an v other man, I shall so tar compl,v in this instance, as to batisfy the most curious, as well as the giost nialignant and officious. that I have not been izulling the pablic. In the first place, the premises are as erroneous as the conclusion is false and malicious. A bushel of good rye cannot be purchased for less than Os. ; I have been givirg 7s. 3d. It must be a very prime bushel of rye to produce 281b. of roasted corn, after it has gone throuigh the unique preparatory process, and the peculiar me- thod of roasting, always adoptedI in the manutacture of my prepared roasted corn. Thus, Sir, you will see, that for the sum of 7s. ex- per4ded in rye. 281b. of my roasted corn is produced, which sells retail for 28s. and if all that I miake was sold retail, without any ,;uch trifling expenses as rent, taxes, labour, coals, paper, string, csartage, gas, advertisements, and a hundred other incidental cx- peases, learinn nothing for my own incessant and unwearie(l exer- tions, the proht would be about three hundred per cent. But as it happens t&at four-fifths of what I manufacture is sold sWholesale, and as the retailers of mine, as well as most other low. priced articles, alre gilowed nearly 1001. ler cent, on the retail price, mty profits would then be reduced nearly to 1001. per cent., but with the deductionis of more thart 1,2001. a-year rent and taxes, from ;001. to 900L a year for Labour. from 2001. to 30C1. a-year for coals, and double that amoutnt for pa-per, string. &c, I find that my clear profit (although very goad) yet is very reasonable, and very much below thc profits obtained for istany artf:l1es of general consumption, viz. perfumlery, patent medicines, blacking, fish sauce.s, Embdlen groats, fancy biscuits, pastry, and all other lowv-priced articles, se- veral of which are retailed at many hundred per cent. profit; and yet, Sir, did you ever hear of an inqtance of the public press entlea- wouring to hunt down any of the numerous nuaiiufacturers of these usetul articles, for the great profits they might be supposed to clear ? *Se have heard of proprietors of newspapers selling their copyrighlts for t20.0001. or 30,0001.. and of cotton-spiurners clearing now er income of as many thousandIs per year, but yet we neve-r hear of the whole public press running them down for tnic. Again, Sir, I have no exclusive monopoly-E have no p n , a5 I might have had, for the peculiar method 1 adopt heve nosart of protection, I rely solely upon the superiority of my article. There are upwards of 700 manufacturers and venders of roasted cort.'n in this vast metropolis alone, and six times that number in England, 'elling their goods, some for fifteen-pence, many for one thillisg; others for ten pence, eight pence, and sixpettce per lb. No- thing can be a fa2 er competitioni, and yet Mlr. Hunt is to be singled out, and exclusivel attacked by the wlhole press of the United Kingdom. Now, Sir, t set,this naitter at rest, if you, or any of your numie-i rouc readers, willundertake to pay me 25 per cent., after payitig me for all my out-goings, and a fair remunieration for w aown indivi- dual exertions and sttendance. I will produce my books, and enter intto a mutual bond for 10,001., that they shall hare the whole of the surplus profits since the passing of the act in Jdly, 1822. As Jbr my retail shops, I hall be happv to accommodate any person who may envy mc the profits, by transferring them upon proper security being given mrse for the payment of rents, taxes,&c., for whieh I have nade I am. Sir. vour obedient servart, It. HUNT. 36, Starnftrd-qtrcet, Bfacktriars, keb. U. TO THE EDITORI OF-THE TIMi ES.