The two following receipts for _impromptu_ soups are from a French cookery book. The first is called _Soup made in an hour_. Cut into small pieces a pound of beef and a pound of veal; put them into a casserole, or wide shallow saucepan, with a carrot and an onion cut in slices, a few slices of bacon, and half a glass of water. Hold it over the fire for a short time till the meat and vegetables begin to brown, taking care, however, that they are not burnt; then pour over the whole a pint of boiling water, and let the soup stew gently for about three quarters of an hour; after which the soup only requires to be strained through a sieve to be fit for use. The other is for _Soup made in a minute_, and it consists in taking the congealed gravy from roast meat, either from the dish or from under the dripping, after the dripping has become cold and has been removed, in the proportion of a quarter of a pint of jelly to a quart of boiling water, and adding pepper and salt to the taste. An excellent _white soup_ may be made by boiling a knuckle of veal down to a strong jelly, with a bundle of sweet herbs, and another of parsley. The liquor should then be strained from the meat and herbs, and flavoured with mace and nutmeg, adding milk or cream, and thickening with arrow-root. A few Jerusalem artichokes or young turnips (particularly the Teltow turnips), boiled quite soft and rubbed through a sieve, and a little celery, are a great improvement to this soup. Partridges stuffed with forcemeat and stewed in the stock of this soup till they are perfectly tender, but not so much so as to fall to pieces, make a delicious dish; but in this case the soup will not require either to be flavoured with mace and nutmeg, or to be thickened, unless it is wished to be very rich. Vegetable marrow or pumpkin, boiled and rubbed through a sieve, will form a variety to thicken this soup; or chestnuts boiled, peeled, and mashed, may be used for that purpose; celery may also be employed occasionally to flavour it. _For Hare Soup_, cut a large hare into pieces, and put it into a stewpan with five quarts of water, one onion, a few corns of white pepper, a little salt, and some mace. Stew over a slow fire for two hours, or till it become a good gravy. Then cut the meat from the back and legs, and keep it to put into the soup when nearly ready. Put the bones into the gravy, and stew till the remainder of the meat is nearly dissolved. Then strain off the gravy, and put to it two spoonfuls of soy, or three of mushroom or walnut catsup. Cayenne pepper to the taste may be added, and wine in the proportion of half a pint to two quarts of gravy, if it is wished to make the soup very rich. Lastly, put in the meat that was cut from the back and legs, and when it is quite hot send the soup to table.