Datasets:

elenahuang
/

primary-sector-1k

Dataset card Data Studio Files Files and versions Community

Split (1)

train · 1k rows

text stringlengths 53 2.71M
<s>[INST] buy herring fillets [/INST] herring bandi gourmet herring fillet in oil 500g product size 500g 17 5 oz qty in case 6 units qty on pallet 240 cases storage life 8 months at 5 f product of lithuania upc 710228339379 product 6034 bandi scandinavian herring fillet in oil 500g product size 500g 17 5 oz qty in case 6 units qty on pallet 240 cases storage life 8 months at 5 f product of lithuania upc 710228339362 product 6035 bandi smoke aroma gourmet herring fillet in oil 500g product size 500g 17 5 oz qty in case 6 units qty on pallet 240 cases storage life 8 months at 5 f product of lithuania upc 710228340139 product 6036 bandi gourmet herring fillet in oil 260g product size 260g 9 2 oz qty in case 6 units qty on pallet 150 cases storage life 8 months at 5 f product of lithuania upc 710228340436 product 6004 bandi scandinavian herring fillet in oil 260g product size 260g 9 2 oz qty in case 6 units qty on pallet 150 cases storage life 8 months at 5 f product of lithuania upc 710228340443 product 6005 bandi spiced lightly salted herring with head 1 3kg product size 1 3kg 2 9 lb qty in case 2 units qty on pallet 240 cases storage life 8 months at 5 f product of lithuania upc 710228340092 product 6025 bandi lightly salted herring with head 1 3kg product size 1 3kg 2 9 lb qty in case 2 units qty on pallet 240 cases storage life 8 months at 5 f product of lithuania upc 710228340115 product 6024 bandi baltic sprat fillet with spices 170g product size 170g 6 oz qty in case 9 units qty on pallet 240 cases storage life 8 months at 5 f product of lithuania upc 710228340078 product 6026 dauparu salted cleaned herring head on vacuum packed product size 4 kg 8 8 lb sold by case storage life 8 months at 5 f product of lithuania upc 2534404003322 product 6508 dauparu pickled herring head on in the bucket product size 3 kg 6 6 lb storage life 10 months at 5 f product of lithuania upc 4779027061900 product 6520 vici herring fillet traditional in oil 240g product size 240g 8 46 oz qty in case 10 units storage life 8 months at 5 f product of lithuania upc 4770190035781 product 6043 vici herring fillet traditional in oil 400g product size 400g 14 10 oz qty in case 6 units storage life 8 months at 5 f product of lithuania upc 4770190350310 product 6039 vici herring fillet traditional in oil 1000g product size 1kg 35 27 oz qty in case 3 units storage life 8 months at 5 f product of lithuania upc 4770190352277 product 6042 vici herring fillet traditional in oil 150g product size 150g 5 29 oz qty in case 12 units storage life 8 months at 5 f product of lithuania upc 4770190084956 product 6038 vici herring fillet smoke taste 240g product size 240g 8 46 oz qty in case 10 units storage life 8 months at 5 f product of lithuania upc 4770190035798 product 6047 vici herring fillet rich in oil 240g product size 240g 8 46 oz qty in case 10 units storage life 8 months at 5 f product of lithuania upc 4770190378918 product 6048 vici herring fillet traditional in oil 300g product size 300g 10 58 oz qty in case 8 units storage life 8 months at 5 f product of lithuania upc 4770190100083 product 6049 vici traditional herring fillet in oil with onions 300g product size 300g 10 58 oz qty in case 8 units storage life 8 months at 5 f product of lithuania upc 4770190099943 product 6050 vici herring fillet traditional in oil 600g product size 600g 21 16 oz qty in case 6 units storage life 8 months at 5 f product of lithuania upc 4770190379922 product 6040 vici matias herring fillet traditional in oil 800g product size 800g 28 21 oz qty in case 6 units storage life 8 months at 5 f product of lithuania upc 4770190351379 product 6041 junga lightly salted herring 240g product size 240g 8 46 oz qty in case 13 units storage life 8 months at 5 f product of lithuania upc 4770221164862 product 6001 junga lightly salted herring 400g product size 400g 14 10 oz qty in case 21 units storage life 8 months at 5 f product of lithuania upc 4770221165760 product 6004 zigmas lightly salted herring 180g product size 180g 6 34 oz qty in case 10 units storage life 8 months at 5 f product of lithuania upc 4770221164565 product 6015 zigmas lightly salted herring 240g product size 240g 8 46 oz qty in case 12 units storage life 8 months at 5 f product of lithuania upc 4770221164114 product 6018 zigmas lightly salted herring 1kg product size 1kg 35 27 oz qty in case 9 units storage life 8 months at 5 f product of lithuania upc 4770221165579 product 6023 zigmas herring with smoked aroma product size 240g 8 46 oz qty in case 12 units storage life 8 months at 5 f product of lithuania upc 4770221164121 product 6019 zigmas atlantic salted herring head off brine spices product size 1300g 45 85 oz qty in case 8 units storage life 8 months at 5 f product of lithuania upc 4030957081018 product 6030 zigmas atlantic salted herring head off brine product size 1300g 45 85 oz qty in case 8 units storage life 8 months at 5 f product of lithuania upc 4030957081001 product 6031 zigmas atlantic salted herring fillet skin off oil product size 1300g 45 85 oz qty in case 8 units storage life 8 months at 5 f product of lithuania upc 4770221361001 product 6032 zigmas italian style marinated herring fillet with sun dried tomatoes spices product size 350g 12 3 oz qty in case 8 units qty on pallet 160 cases storage life 8 months at 5 f product of lithuania upc 4779040610260 product 6011 zigmas lithuanian style marinated herring fillet with onions spices product size 350g 12 3 oz qty in case 8 units qty on pallet 160 cases storage life 8 months at 5 f product of lithuania upc 4779040610253 product 6013 bandi lightly salted herring with head in bucket 2 5kg product size 2 5 kg 5 5 lb qty in case 1 unit qty on pallet 336 cases storage life 12 months at 5 f product of lithuania upc 4770432002267 product 6027 1 888 201 0733 browse product catalog see our bandi foods catalog we have in stock hundreds competitively priced frozen dairy seafood groceries meats and bakery products call us today and find out how we can help grow your business new jaunpils latvijskoe zoloto sour cream 25 350g march 21 2020 new bandi wood smoked farmer cheese with garlic 250g march 20 2020 new marlenka apricot honey nuggets 235g march 17 2020 new bandi vanilla ice cream sandwich with raisins march 16 2020 new organic farmer cheese 15 fat 250g january 27 2020 bandi foods distributors dadu ice cream inc dba bandi foods van nuys ca 91406 toll free 888 201 0733 p f 818 902 0710 email info bandifoods com m a marketing group inc dba bandi foods pompano beach fl 33064 phone 954 962 2223 fax 954 962 2236 email fl bandifoods com baltic food distributing inc countryside il 60446 phone 630 378 9408 fax 630 378 9406 dadu ice cream inc wa sumner wa 98390 phone 206 419 6453 dadu new york ltd staten island ny 10303 toll free 347 558 2828 phone 1 347 558 2828 grand distribution llc menlo park ca 94025 phone 650 261 1991 bandi foods houston distribution houston tx phone 832 382 4149 r corporation ltd concord on l4k 2y2 canada phone 1 905 482 3238 </s>
<s>[INST] a fishery manager's guidebook pdf [/INST] u s department of the interior bureau of land management home visit camping climbing e bikes hiking hunting fishing shooting mountain biking off highway vehicles maps about leadership history of the blm organization chart how we manage budget what we manage our mission laws and regulations foia data learn every kid outdoors kids teachers outdoor ethics interpretive centers science in blm blm library national training center services tribal consultation collaborative action and dispute resolution contracting forms land records national operations center financial assistance and grants geospatial get involved resource advisory councils partnerships volunteers artist in residence internships programs planning and nepa energy and minerals national conservation lands recreation and visitor services wild horse and burro lands realty and cadastral survey law enforcement fire and aviation public safety cultural heritage and paleontology natural resources fish and wildlife states contact us national office alaska arizona california colorado eastern states idaho montana dakotas nevada new mexico oregon washington utah wyoming coronavirus updates you are here home information center national public room national public room national office alaska arizona california colorado eastern states idaho montana dakotas nevada new mexico oregon washington utah wyoming nevada blm nevada covid 19 information all blm nevada offices are closed to visitors at this time many of our staff continue to telework and can be reached by phone or email click text to read full alert nevada public room welcome to the bureau of land management nevada state office public room in addition to the links below we also carrya diverse variety of brochures mapsand other informational material that can be ordered on line over the telephoneor by visiting us at the state office or any field or district office america the beautiful pass program collection of meteorites on public land instructional memorandum and attachment e planning and nepa search federal land patent records glo records federal register fire aviation georeferenced pdf maps land and mineral records lr2000 navigator nevadageospatial downloadspage nevada land records site nevadanational conservation lands national monuments national conservation areas historic trails wilderness areas nevada press releases oil gas lease geothermal leasingand mining forms recreation state director priorities for 2019 sales of forest products wild horse and burroprogram through the searchablepublic room list below find and download our frequently requested documents nevada public room welcome to the bureau of land management nevada state office information access center iac on this page you will find access to a wealth of information ranging from mining to recreation the iac also carries a diverse variety of brochures maps and other informational material that can be ordered on line over the telephone or by visiting the iac through the searchablepublic room list below find and download our frequently requested documents 2019 mining claims transfers of interest slideshow nevada mining claims mapping a claim slideshow nevada mining claims land status slideshow nevada mining claims certificate of location slideshow nevada mining claims annual filings slideshow nevada 2018 the historic mill site at american flat nevada logandale trails adventure book nevada archaeology junior ranger book nevada 2018 nevada fire prevention order nevada 2017 red rock canyon national conservation area nevada shoshone ohv trail system brochure nevada sloan canyon national conservation area nevada red rock canyon national conservation area nevada black rock desert high rock canyon emigrant trails national conservation area nevada basin and range national monument nevada nevada national conservation lands step down strategy nevada pages 1 2 next last </s>
<s>[INST] sardines fishing spots [/INST] fishing adventurers in brunei waters skip to main skip to sidebar powered by ip2location com logo brunei fishing create your badge advertisement snap shot preview post directory a editorial message a slide show advertisement aktiviti aligator gar alu alu baracuda alu alu lengkoh baracuda ampa patches andapung anduping sweetlip emperor aur aur tamban awat awat ayam laut badung bakulan banau banglus cobia bantang laut baung f w catfish bebarahan bebatik bedukang bekalang bekara lobster belais belanak belangkas belida belut eel bemasa giant trevally beruis sejenis catfish bfishing wanita borneo bulletin news brunei trenches bulan bulan tarphoon buna buntal cermin cermin tawih dalak damak2 emperor fish equipment information events fish markets fishing cr from fred fishing fishing cr from oversea fishing gadgets fishing location fishing trip stories fred fishing catch report gami garut garut gelama gerongong get to know fish gulama gumbir ikan bayan parrot fish ikan languran ikan merah red snapper ikan putih mengasang ikan putih tungap international jarang gigi kalangkitok kalapahan small trevally kaloi kapas kapas karuk kebura kembura kerapu grouper kerapu merah kerapu tiger kerapu tikus keratang kerapu besar kerisi kerisi bali ketam ketambak ketumbang ketutu f w grouper kirong kirong kitang knots kuasi kunau type of shell kurau lamading lampam jawa langisi langut lapih spotted sweetlips laporan igfa tournament lapu manok zebra lionfish lawang layaran sailfish ligu marlin mayong membangan menukuk amberjack mv appollo pacu pahat2 pari buruk buruk blue spot sting ray pari harimau pari helang patihan patin pelayak pecah periuk pengantaran penyu sea turtle peropok picnic seabream pila pila pisang pisang red snapper salmon sampariding takat sampriding santak sapiee sardine small mackerel seberau sekilas lalu selangin selayur timah selungsung barramundi sembilang cat fish shovel nose ray snapshot kaki pancing snapshot kaki pancing asean snapshot kaki pancing fresh water sotong squid spotted sting ray pari bintik sting ray ikan pari suhong dorado sulit hijau sulit merah sumpit sumpit tabana talang sam pan thiao talapia tapah temanong tengiri mackerel the brunei times tingkur tingkur gray moray eel tips and trick tirusan jew fish todak toman tongkol tuna tournament tuka tuka keluarga pari tungkul dog tooth tungkul yellow fin tuna tungkul kembayau tungkul sisik bonito udang galah udang harimau umpak umpan ungah mangrove jack utik video yu yu parita shovel nose ray yu takat yu tukul editor brunei fishing editorial boards bruneifishing da fly drhu dyt7 hammoor jack sparrow sy si pengapon the jep buii din din hash brunei darussalam brunei lures baits review extreme snakehead hunter fishers paradise baitfighter ko25 barramundianglers inda mau2 anglers lauk brunei about brunei brunei fisheries department today weather forecast fred fishing travel adventure local angling bloggers u fishing 3v team angler 6 geng suka mancing aerotels fishing anak pengail b4republic barra hunter angler batman 890 blackgold team c dapatz team c style fishing cflounge cp7anglers crox fiber d crazy guru dlah geng joran duo fishing ezzy anglers fish busters fish hunter team fish hunterz team freakfishing gaara geng joran geng lumut anglerz geng2 mengail gmt 13 anglers gmt13anglers huntez ikanbesarlaukdamit ironsilk2007 its tenangsaja jbsfishing joran biasa kaki joran kb ians anglers team kkanglerssaga kkanglerssaga lumut trip lun fishing mkstrade mnzx night anglers team oo pocot panunsinanglers pengailan preciousanglers psd anglers pumpung man putih2hitam airule r82 fishing rda team sangkar ikan sco anglerz selingkuh warrior selunsong team anglerz siuk siuk suka2 pancing tta fishing u fishing x pancher singapore squid fish forum ken fishing heaven sportfishing association singapore fishing around singapore malaysia siakap putih msk sdn bhd unipro fishing club joran pancing labuan marshal pe m m my fishing kaki mlysia joran news malaysia gamefish ws chinese fishing web forum fishy forum labuan sport fishing kuantan slip way anuar s fishing fortunecity angling peninsular malaysia sabah sarawak angling in malaysia the malaysian anglers fishing net catch fish thailand zoom fish fishing in thailand fish thailand asia trading on line phuket travel fishing fishing thai fishing khaolak fly fishing thailand thailand paradise angling thailand thai fishing guide indonesia mancing gembira angling report indonesia tourism adventure indonesia philipine philangler good catch fishing cabo fishing bobby gallery fishing album brunei blogging nation plp anglers agukanglers iwaly brunei team bratzboopssy woman in wet suit anak brunei worldnews magazines persatuan gemilang b p j biskita brunei manchester utd f c world s fishing web fisher girl fish i d florida lagooner tackle tour product review the fishingsite top 10 sites fishing world fish species i g f a western australia world wide fishing fishing work world info online how to marinefish of singapore free tips about fishing marine fish pictures find a fish amonline net au salt water fish malay knots learn fishing knots fishing rss feed jigging tips fishing products jd artac vmc thomas stroker rod humminbird gadgets st croix sufix banax strike pro pioneer tackle haiyen leader in fishing xzoga tce tackles malaysia shakepeare seahawk equipment powerpro line mustad penn shimano banax strike pro others fins on line dive tenggara asia dive site international angling bloggers fishing idiots ikuzo fishing fish society net xtreme fishing south afrika asean angling bloggers joran sabah mysia shoresfighter memancing fishing mysia memancing fishing gang pancing tawau kaki nginti srwk prawn maniac moh ngail patin mysia no fishing mysia longkang gang mysia bachok fishing pro mlsia wan izhan mysia hokage angler ngail pah ceroh mysia catch fish mysia the chronicles of kcg mysia my fishing life sg jompancingsokmo mysia singapore sea brothers sg kelab joran mikrobiologi ukm mysia pahang anglers world mysia mind the shark angler chef jom pancing sokmo crazy fisherman ky jigging space blog archive 2017 3 march 2 hakikat 69 ngambur di takat january 1 2016 5 november 2 july 1 april 1 february 1 2015 16 december 4 november 4 july 4 june 1 april 2 february 1 2014 22 september 3 august 5 july 1 march 8 february 3 january 2 2013 75 december 4 october 2 september 9 august 4 july 8 june 11 may 5 april 15 march 8 february 3 january 6 2012 72 december 5 november 5 october 4 september 5 august 5 july 4 june 6 may 10 april 6 march 10 february 8 january 4 2011 171 december 6 november 4 october 6 september 10 august 25 july 22 june 12 may 19 april 19 march 15 february 20 january 13 2010 304 december 22 november 17 october 14 september 15 august 23 july 27 june 28 may 38 april 26 march 39 february 28 january 27 2009 575 december 30 november 26 october 43 september 27 august 40 july 48 june 71 may 59 april 66 march 70 february 58 january 37 2008 748 december 50 november 46 october 47 september 34 august 66 july 92 june 116 may 81 april 89 march 28 february 51 january 48 2007 386 december 28 november 38 october 37 september 41 august 31 july 36 june 50 may 48 april 53 march 20 february 4 etika memancing membawa balik ikan yang diperlukan sahaja untuk menghormati kehidupan laut tidak membuang sampah merata rata serta menjaga kebersihan persekitaran sentiasa meningkatkan ilmu memancing pengunaan peralatan dan pengendalian bot mematuhi peraturan memancing dan pengendalian bot menghormati hak hak pemancing yang lain menghormati peraturan padang pancing persendirian menyebarkan pengetahuan serta nasihat berguna untuk generasi baru menyokong usaha usaha pemuliharaan alam sekitar tidak melepaskan ikan dan tumbuhan keperairan awam berusaha memajukan sukan memancing negara kita about saltwater fishing loading fishing organisation weather forecast plan your trip local radar detailed forecast khazanah ilmu memancing kita kepada teman pemancing semua hantaran cerita2 pendek trip memancing anda info pengunaan alat2 penangkapan ikan seperti bubu bintur rambat dan sebagainya adalah dialu2kan bersama gambar sipenangkapnya kepada editor sama2 lah kita akan mendapat menafaatnya jua dengan memperkenalkannya kepada generasi baru email bruneifishing gmail com album bruneifishing wednesday 1 march 2017 hakikat 69 nama hakikat 69 tangkapan ikan tenggiri bemasa sampan tiaw ceritanya uleh ngambur di takat sama takat timbul posted by bruneifishing at 21 23 no comments labels bemasa giant trevally snapshot kaki pancing talang sam pan thiao tengiri mackerel ngambur di takat name b azri rod reel line tangkapan bemasa ceritanya ikan bemasa uleh ngambur di takat batah jua main sangal jua tangan posted by bruneifishing at 21 04 no comments labels bemasa giant trevally snapshot kaki pancing saturday 28 january 2017 gong xi fa cai 2017 posted by bruneifishing at 21 03 no comments labels a editorial message wednesday 23 november 2016 tarphoon vs set ul name wee brunei good cast anglers rod ganko specialized ul 4 8lb reel cetus 500l line berkley nanofil 6lb leader 10lb tomman leader lure starlit mini prawn catch indo pacific tarphoon bulan bulan location luagan sungai teraban posted by bruneifishing at 21 52 no comments labels bulan bulan tarphoon snapshot kaki pancing ikan tengiri nama kaci ikan tenggiri uleh mangambur di takat umpan sulai posted by bruneifishing at 21 48 no comments labels snapshot kaki pancing tengiri mackerel monday 18 july 2016 majalah rod line jun 2016 issue 246 posted by bruneifishing at 22 20 no comments labels advertisement wednesday 27 april 2016 duo softbait beachwalker haul nama ak putera rod major craft volkey reel daiwa z2020h hooks s owner double sd 36tn 2 posted by bruneifishing at 11 24 no comments labels kerapu grouper snapshot kaki pancing friday 12 february 2016 raya kan tahun monyet brunei fishing mengucapkan selamat tahun baru cina kepada teman2 pemancing yang merayakannya semoga tahun baru ini iaitu tahun monyet akan memberi rezeki yang meluas lagi bagi kita semua gong xi fat chai posted by bruneifishing at 00 24 no comments labels a editorial message tuesday 1 december 2015 barracuda fever part 2 name wee brunei good cast anglers catch barracuda location batu sg teraban time morning rod storm trickster reel shimano calcutta 101xt mainline and leader 10lb kirin with 20lb sufix zippy leader lure storm thunderstick b fishing tangkapan baik maju seni pancing bro posted by bruneifishing at 21 09 no comments labels alu alu lengkoh baracuda snapshot kaki pancing barracuda fever name wee wen and mom brunei good cast anglers catch barracuda lengkoh location batu sg teraban technique casting time morning rod reel lure random find us on facebook brunei good cast anglers brunei fish on community posted by bruneifishing at 21 05 no comments labels alu alu lengkoh baracuda snapshot kaki pancing rapala storm in action name wee brunei good cast anglers tangkapan mangrove jack and grouper lure storm thunderstick rapala huskyjerk rod storm trickster reel shimano calcutta 101xt mainline and leader kirin 10lb with 20lb sufix zippy location batu sg teraban posted by bruneifishing at 21 02 no comments labels kerapu grouper snapshot kaki pancing ungah mangrove jack tirusan ferry lama sg teraban tangkapan tirusan jew fish group brunei good cast anglers umpan udang siar rod jenama pioneer reel ajiking aion 6000 lokasi ferry lama kg sg teraban posted by bruneifishing at 20 58 no comments labels snapshot kaki pancing tirusan jew fish older posts home subscribe to posts atom visitor counter website counter advertisement tawaran hebat kajian cuaca bruneibay net moon forecast current moon about the moon iucn red list catch release current marine data current marine data for brunei click south china sea sun and moon forum kitani weekend fishing in brunei perjalanan bulan may 2010 drop off bruneifishing deep sea video adventure apa kata anda comments latest bruneifishing forum post loading sabah int fishing tournament monsoon cup hot news from the igfa loading fishing news digest loading b fishing blog list bait fighter lesen selungsong 2020 2 months ago selunsong team anglerz ungah aka siakap merah kelaparan 4 months ago precious anglers sambutan ulang tahun yg ke 10 3 years ago hidup mesti santai bui berguna memasak metode for life sibuk anda 5 years ago aerotels fishing club koleksi mancing bulan september 2014 5 years ago c dapatz team keluar siang 25 mei 2014 5 years ago k k anglerssaga 5 years ago barramundi anglers buletin pancing 5 years ago dlahgengjoran rezeki laut muara 6 years ago pa nun sin anglers 6 years ago memancing fishing 6 years ago oo pocot 110212 pantai serasa 7 years ago nelayan sepanjang zaman koleksi gambar nsz mengilaie mempopping 7 years ago you fishing mangrove jack with baby golden snapper 7 years ago suka suka pancing 7 years ago lets fish tiga saja bro 7 years ago croxfiber lounge 20 km from jerudong s base 7 years ago geng lumut anglerz fish on brader 7 years ago lumut trip 8 years ago fishing adventures 1st trip in 2012 8 years ago extreme hunters lubuk bawan vs cyan 8 years ago adventure anglers cp7 after work activity 8 years ago the ultimate fishing crew geng hardcore pamajalers blog it s been awhile 8 years ago joranbiasa assalamualaikum semua d 8 years ago kb ians anglers team fishing madness 2011 8 years ago ko25 spooning success 9 years ago mr smart fishing crew happy chinese new year 9 years ago ttafishing some fishy that i caught long time ago yang alum ku te update 9 years ago night anglers team selamat hari raya aidilfitri 9 years ago airule lagun saba 12 06 10 with u fishing crew 9 years ago geng joran december 10 years ago c styler fishing team lubok pulau trip 10 years ago freakfishing rezeki ramadhan part ii 10 years ago d crazy guru anglerz team tarikan sang pari pelepas gian 10 years ago mkstrade fishing its rainy night at matan river 11 years ago geng geng mengail trip mengail di sangkar sungai bunga 12 years ago a place to share your fishing experience r82 fishing scoanglerz one stop fishing center all about forum fishing kaki singapore malaysian fishing net bruclass forum kaki pancing net pancing net deep jigging fishy forum my visitors fishing fans referrer www e referrer com merchandise item editorial selamat datang ke laman web brunei fishing dan salam perkenalan diucapkan kepada kaki joran atau kaki pancing brunei tujuan utama laman ini adalah sebagai tempat berkongsi pengalaman dan ilmu pegetahuan dalam bidang memancing sama ada di sungai kolam tasik ataupun dilaut dalam negara ini disini juga akan memaparkan teknik cerita hasil tangkapan melawat kedai menjual alat2 panching dan sebagainya oleh itu diharap awda yang bergelar kaki pancing diharap dapat berkongsi pengalaman serta terus menyokong laman web ini kami akan sentiasa majukan laman web ini sebagai tempat rujukan kepada semua kaki pancing yang ada di negara brunei darussalam ini berikut ialah beberapa perancangan yang ingin di sampaikan kepada semua i senarai tempat tempat memancing berserta gambar dan senarai ikan yang pernah dinaikan ii maklumat kedai kedai pancing yang ada di negara brunei darussalam iii maklumat alat alat memancing iv profail ikan nama tempatan v gambar kenangan setiap pemancing vi brunei fishing forum ruangan yang terbaru didalam brunei fishing com untuk para peminat pancing berkomunikasi serta berkongsi pengalaman didalam hal dunia memancing kita oleh itu kalau ada sesiapa yang ingin berkongsi pengalaman teknik memancing dan apa saja hal pancing memancing dinegara kita bagi section snap shot kaki pancing sila email gambar tangkapan awda nama samaran pun boleh sertakan serba sedikit cerita mengenai gambar tersebut kepada bruneifishing gmail com maju terus sukan atau hobby memancing anda </s>
<s>[INST] buy wood graining tool [/INST] wood graining tool this innovative tool produces the realistic grains and patterns found in real wood the old masterswood graining tool is a simple device that allows the user to rearrange the stain into patterns that resemble wood grain this tool allows an average do it yourselfer to create professional results every time directions where to use the wood graining tool can be used on nearly any smooth flat surface in which paint can adhere various surfaces including metal plastic painted objects or masonite can be wood grained you can make almost any object look like wood including metal file cabinets kitchen cabinets tables bookcases chests vanities wood or steel doors paneling dressers desks and more easy to follow instructions old masters offers extensive instructions on how to woodgrain to view the wood graining made easy booklet click here supplies list for wood graining old masters graining base paint old masters wiping stain old masters oil based polyurethane satin 1 wood graining tool 1 foam brush 1 tack rag wood graining made easy booklet additional items needed 1 to 2 natural bristle paint brush medium grit sandpaper 120 150 grit fine grit sandpaper 220 280 grit masking tape 1 paint thinner or mineral spirits learn more how to use the tool hold it by its handle and place your index finger directly on the base of the head where the handle and curved portion of the tool meet press the face of the tool firmly against the surface of your project and slide it along in a straight smooth motion try it out on your test piece spread a thin coat of gel stain or wiping stain over your test piece with a foam brush now try using the wood graining tool press firmly and slide the tool along at a gentle speed think of the motion similar to how you would drag a squeegee on glass on your second pass try sliding and rolling it just a little create all kinds of patterns with just one tool by changing the pivoting point on the tool you change the pattern all the basic designs shown below can be created with the wood graining tool pulling the tool from top to bottom pushing the tool from bottom to top vein grain vein grain is achieved by using the comb edge of the tool vein grain is usually used between and around the major patterns to join and blend the designs into a realistic simulated wood finish quarter sawn grain quarter sawn grain is achieved by using the notched top edge of the tool basically flip the tool over much like vein grain quarter sawn grain is a secondary pattern for blending knots create knots using a rocking motion of your wrist as you move the tool beginning with the tool on the center of the curved part rock it to the bottom and then back to the center and youve created a knot by varying the length of time you spend in the rocking motion while moving youll create short stubby knots or long skinny knots heart grain use the face of the tool to create heart grain a common pattern related products graining base wiping stain gel stain oil based polyurethane masters armor ascend exterior spar marine varnish </s>
<s>[INST] a fishery collapse occurs when the [/INST] uk firm pesky fish launches home delivery service for seafood as prices collapse by matilde mereghetti march 25 2020 10 27 gmt photo credit pesky fish share article a a a a a comment advertisement x a uk supply chain technology firm pesky fish is launching a new home delivery service to bring seafood caught in british waters directly from fishermen to the final customer the launch which will take place next week across the country after a soft launch this wednesday comes as measures introduced to contain the spread of coronavirus forced many restaurants and pubs apart from those operating takeaway services to close over the past week seafood sales to bars and restaurants in the uk as in many other countries have evaporated as shoppers run to grocers to stock up on canned and packaged food fishermen and seafood companies that rely on sales to the foodservice sector are struggling to sell their products photo credit pesky fish with international fish buyers leaving the uk fish prices have fallen through the floor by as much as 75 or more ben king a londoner who grew up in japan and founder of pesky fish told undercurrent news as they risk not even being able to cover the cost of their fuel some boats won t even go to sea king said last week fish prices at markets in the uk s southwest showed a massive drop for most species he said pollock prices at the market dropped to 0 91 per kilogram from an average of 4 kg two weeks before lemon sole to 4 from 10 kg monkfish to 8 from 16 kg plaice to 2 50 from 4 50 kg sole to 15 from 17 kg and turbot to 9 from 20 kg lobster one of the most expensive species also saw prices collapse photo credit pesky fish this is why pesky fish which built its business to try and empower small independent fishermen to sell their products at better prices is rushing to launch a home delivery service we are going to make it possible for everyone to buy direct from the brilliant fishermen and producers across our fleet as affordably as possible more importantly outside of the delivery costs every single penny will be returned to the skippers king told undercurrent credit pesky fish pesky fish launched in november 2017 with one boat in one port delivering to one customer king said i couldn t believe it took two weeks for fish to go from the sea to supermarkets when we are surrounded by 19 000 miles of coastline in the uk king said when i found out that fish had traded hands up to four times between boat and consumer pesky was born we had the ambition to provide an alternative value chain model king said noting that while fish markets operate monday friday fish suppliers tend to operate a day later tuesday saturday pesky is able to land fish on the same day delivering it within 18 hours including on mondays read also saint patricks busiest day for uk pubs restaurants becomes saddest as venue closures start the firm has brought an increasing number of fishermen from the southwest and northeast of the uk into its reach delivering to restaurants and pubs across the country as well as some grocery stores but after the covid 19 crisis forced restaurants and pubs to close in the country pesky s business is now about turning a problem into an opportunity this awful phase will pass and normality will return in the meantime if the fish you buy can help keep these guys afloat isnt that a bit of good news to hold onto contact the author emailprotected advertisement x read next companies federal stimulus not too soon for massachusetts fish shellfish industry prices people companies salmonid trout whitefish shrimp pelagics shellfish salmon europe supply fishing upstream products foodservice retail consumer processing downstream share article you may also like eu salmon prices collapse to below 5 kg down 20 week on week nsc five facts about covid 19 impact on seafood markets travel bans closure of fish markets hit european crew movement fleet activity eu fishing industry calls for urgent measures to secure supply in wake of covid 19 like this article sign up to our newsletter comments 0 to view or post comments simply sign up for free already registered log in here enter the email address associated with your account we ll send you instructions to reset your password email sent weve sent a link to to change your password please check your inbox to reset your password securely and easily redirecting forgot username or password help i can t log in uk firm pesky fish launches home delivery service for seafood as prices collapse by matilde mereghetti march 25 2020 10 27 gmt a uk supply chain technology firm pesky fish is launching a new home delivery service to bring seafood caught in british waters directly from fishermen to the final customer premium no subscription you re missing out join the global community relying on undercurrent news for quality reporting to continue reading us simply sign up for free have an account log in here enter the email address associated with your account we ll send you instructions to reset your password email sent weve sent a link to to change your password please check your inbox to reset your password securely and easily redirecting forgot username or password help i can t log in don t miss a beat start your week with our editor s recap go selection 1 details 2 confirmation 3 next close back cancel prices latest chiles latam adds cargo flights to ease salmon supply chain difficulties samherji sees fresh volumes drop by 75 cuts production in half rabobank farmed shrimp will be one of hardest hit sectors by coronavirus salmon prices steady for week 14 norway sees global demand shift from fresh to processed frozen as prices fall most read rabobank farmed shrimp will be one of hardest hit sectors by coronavirus salmon prices steady for week 14 chile s latam adds cargo flights to ease salmon supply chain difficulties vietnam sees china return to pangasius buying though prices remain at bottom samherji sees fresh volumes drop by 75 cuts production in half most shared rabobank farmed shrimp will be one of hardest hit sectors by coronavirus india seeks to calm panic in shrimp market difficult task after lockdown norebo heads into fas market storm in strong position after chippy closures trade insights ecuador s feb shrimp exports to china higher despite covid 19 norway sees global demand shift from fresh to processed frozen as prices fall latest prices view all prices latest chiles latam adds cargo flights to ease salmon supply chain difficulties samherji sees fresh volumes drop by 75 cuts production in half rabobank farmed shrimp will be one of hardest hit sectors by coronavirus salmon prices steady for week 14 norway sees global demand shift from fresh to processed frozen as prices fall most read rabobank farmed shrimp will be one of hardest hit sectors by coronavirus salmon prices steady for week 14 chile s latam adds cargo flights to ease salmon supply chain difficulties vietnam sees china return to pangasius buying though prices remain at bottom samherji sees fresh volumes drop by 75 cuts production in half most shared rabobank farmed shrimp will be one of hardest hit sectors by coronavirus india seeks to calm panic in shrimp market difficult task after lockdown norebo heads into fas market storm in strong position after chippy closures trade insights ecuador s feb shrimp exports to china higher despite covid 19 norway sees global demand shift from fresh to processed frozen as prices fall spotlight view all spotlight spotlight offshore farming spotlight seafood firms fear brexit impact spotlight fighting transnational iuu spotlight shrimp ems spotlight rafael aka codfather faces federal charges spotlight us investigates tuna brands spotlight cooke us escape prompts possible ban spotlight coronavirus unsettles seafood trade spotlight pescanova spotlight asia drives seafood m a spotlight thai labor issues come to a head spotlight greeces aquaculture restructuring latest reports russian companies fishing quotas 2020 aquaculture frontiers part 6 the future of marine aquaculture aquaculture frontiers part 5 financing aquacultures potential worlds 100 largest seafood companies view all reports editor s choice chiles latam adds cargo flights to ease salmon supply chain difficulties fish factor seafood stimulus helps alaska seashare donations prince william sound expansion global airline slump has seafood firms opting for expensive air cargo rabobank farmed shrimp will be one of hardest hit sectors by coronavirus editors recap indian shrimp packers close 300m for coronavirus hit us seafood firms pescanova plans to follow us branded shrimp launch with toothfish octopus portions indian shrimp packers confirm plants closing amid lockdown uk foodservice processors close to weather coronavirus market storm camanchaca suspends its mussels operations as covid 19 causes issues in chiloe logistics sykes ceo grateful for retail strength of klaas puul in coronavirus foodservice crash </s>
<s>[INST] ping g400 3 wood buy [/INST] ping g400 fairway wood details item no 30173228 299 97 sku 301732285 g400 mens fairways l 3 alta cb 65 softr details variations flex select flex extra stiff regular hand left right head select head shaft select shaft share facebook twitter details reviews additional information details product overview its ball speed and stopping power comes from an innovative maraging steel face that flexes 30 more than any previous design making it our hottest highest launching fairway wood ever a low lead edge and new bolder turbulators elevate your ball flight and confidence from any distance features and benefits maraging steel face one of strongest and most flexible alloys in the world maraging steel is an ideal face material to deliver faster ball speeds that launch shots farther higher and straighter cascading sole engages at impact to increase face flexing for higher launch thinnest crown ultra thin 17 4 ss crown cast to 48mm for weight savings to increase moi and optimize cg location available 3 14 5 5 17 5 7 20 5 and 9 wood 23 5 reviews </s>
<s>[INST] fishing company c [/INST] sail the ultimate destination for your outdoor adventures up to 30 off discounts on almost everything details menu fr stores account sign in create an account my account account my orders my wishlist cart menu men jackets winter jackets shell jackets transitional jackets training cross country ski jackets vests clothing tops bottoms sportswear plus size underwear outdoor pants snow pants rain pants multi sport pants swimwear swimwear rash guards accessories winter accessories socks caps hats tubes belts sunglasses new arrivals women jackets winter jackets shell jackets transitional jackets training cross country ski jackets vests clothing tops bottoms dresses jumpsuits sportswear plus size underwear outdoor pants snow pants rain pants multi sport pants swimwear bikinis one piece rash guards beachwear accessories winter accessories socks caps hats scarves tubes belts sunglasses new arrivals kids jackets outdoor pants winter jackets snow pants mid season jackets pants mid layer jackets fleece clothing tops bottoms dresses jumpsuits sportswear baselayers pyjamas swimwear girls boys rash guards accessories winter accessories socks caps hats tubes belts clips sunglasses new arrivals footwear men casual shoes hiking boots shoes rain boots winter boots sports shoes sandals water shoes slippers women casual shoes hiking boots shoes rain boots winter boots sports shoes sandals water shoes slippers kids casual shoes hiking boots shoes rain boots winter boots sports shoes sandals water shoes accessories socks soles laces ice cleats shoe care heating accessories new arrivals camping tents three season tents winter tents bivouacs shelters parts accessories camping furniture chairs seats hammocks cot beds tables sleeping bags mats rectangular sleeping bags mummy sleeping bags mats accessories health safety survival kits insect repellents bug nets sun protection sanitation products whistles camp kitchen bbq stoves smokers cookware dishware food coolers coffee makers kettles hydration water bottles hydration bags hydration belts water containers flexible water reservoirs water filters purification systems camping accessories outdoor tools lighting heating systems fire starters showers toilets accessories cords emergency and safety gear new arrivals outdoor gear bags backpacks duffel bags hydration compression dry bags waist shoulder bags travel luggage travel bags fanny packs compression bags organizers security car accessories hiking hiking boots shoes backpacking packs hiking poles parts climbing harnesses belay devices ascenders ropes cords slings carabiners draws climbing shoes helmets accessories chalk chalk bags rock protection bags winter sports snowshoes cross country skiing gaiters ice cleats kids sleds heating accessories orienteering binoculars spotting scopes knives multi tools lighting gps navigation books atlases activities strollers carriers games entertainment dog accessories electronic activity monitors watches cameras radios chargers solar panels nautical gear kayaks canoes stand up paddleboards paddles pfd fishing boats diving gear water activities watersport clothing new arrivals fishing rods spinning bait casting trolling floating rod reel kits reels spinning bait casting trolling center pin spincast lures spoons hard bait soft bait spinners spinnerbait buzzbait rigs musky carp catfish attractants paste bait great lakes sonars sonars transducers accessories motors marine accessories motors batteries seating kayaks downriggers accessories fishing clothing boots waders wading boots rainwear pfd vests t shirts sweaters shirts pants accessories ice fishing rod reel kits ice fishing lures sonars fishing clothing reel cases bags chairs ice fishing line shelters ice augers tip ups sleds ice fishing accessories fly fishing rods reels kits fly tying flies bags boxes vests fly line leaders cyrils tackle boxes pike fishing walleye fishing bass fishing fly fishing trout fishing starter kit fishing accessories terminal tackle fishing line tools tackle boxes bags sunglasses books marine atlases new arrivals hunting firearms centerfire rifles shotguns rimfire rifles muzzleloaders ammunition firearm accessories barrels stocks others choke tubes gun rests magazines rifle slings gun cases ammunition boxes gun locks safes cleaners scope shooting accessories scopes bases rings targets accessories shooting protective gear rangefinders accessories hunting clothing high visibility clothing shooting vests jackets rainwear pants sweaters t shirts shirts baselayers underwear accessories hunting boots boots footwear waders crossbows bows crossbows bows arrows bolts blades hunting accessories trail cameras blinds stands chairs seats bags lamps game processing trapping odor eliminators hunting dog accessories books atlases decor lifestyle game calls turkey duck goose big game predator lanyards decoys turkey duck goose big game predator dove accessories attractants urine feeders attractants minerals feeders salt urine hunting knives tools airguns air guns pellets co2 slingshots accessories tactical clothing boots bags tools accessories new arrivals clearance women jackets outdoor pants clothing accessories swimwear plus size men jackets outdoor pants clothing accessories plus size swimwear kids jackets outdoor pants clothing accessories swimwear footwear women men kids accessories camping tents sleeping bags mats camping furniture accessories camp kitchen hydration outdoor gear bags travel winter sports hiking climbing orienteering electronic nautical gear hunting firearms firearm accessories airguns hunting clothing boots hunting accessories decoys hunting knives tools attractants urine feeders scopes and shooting accessories crossbows bows game calls turkey hunting fishing ice fishing sonars rods reels lures fly fishing fishing clothing boots tools terminal tackle motors batteries marine accessories fishing line tackle boxes bags rod reel kits brands men jackets winter jackets shell jackets transitional jackets training cross country ski jackets vests shop all jackets clothing tops bottoms sportswear plus size underwear shop all clothing outdoor pants snow pants rain pants multi sport pants shop all outdoor pants swimwear swimwear rash guards shop all swimwear accessories winter accessories socks caps hats tubes belts sunglasses shop all accessories new arrivals shop all men women jackets winter jackets shell jackets transitional jackets training cross country ski jackets vests shop all jackets clothing tops bottoms dresses jumpsuits sportswear plus size underwear shop all clothing outdoor pants snow pants rain pants multi sport pants shop all outdoor pants swimwear bikinis one piece rash guards beachwear shop all swimwear accessories winter accessories socks caps hats scarves tubes belts sunglasses shop all accessories new arrivals shop all women kids jackets outdoor pants winter jackets snow pants mid season jackets pants mid layer jackets fleece shop all jackets outdoor pants clothing tops bottoms dresses jumpsuits sportswear baselayers pyjamas shop all clothing swimwear girls boys rash guards shop all swimwear accessories winter accessories socks caps hats tubes belts clips sunglasses shop all accessories new arrivals shop all kids footwear men casual shoes hiking boots shoes rain boots winter boots sports shoes sandals water shoes slippers shop all men women casual shoes hiking boots shoes rain boots winter boots sports shoes sandals water shoes slippers shop all women kids casual shoes hiking boots shoes rain boots winter boots sports shoes sandals water shoes shop all kids accessories socks soles laces ice cleats shoe care heating accessories shop all accessories new arrivals shop all footwear camping tents three season tents winter tents bivouacs shelters parts accessories shop all tents camping furniture chairs seats hammocks cot beds tables shop all camping furniture sleeping bags mats rectangular sleeping bags mummy sleeping bags mats accessories shop all sleeping bags mats health safety survival kits insect repellents bug nets sun protection sanitation products whistles shop all health safety camp kitchen bbq stoves smokers cookware dishware food coolers coffee makers kettles shop all camp kitchen hydration water bottles hydration bags hydration belts water containers flexible water reservoirs water filters purification systems shop all hydration camping accessories outdoor tools lighting heating systems fire starters showers toilets accessories cords shop all camping accessories emergency and safety gear new arrivals shop all camping outdoor gear bags backpacks duffel bags hydration compression dry bags waist shoulder bags shop all bags travel luggage travel bags fanny packs compression bags organizers security car accessories shop all travel hiking hiking boots shoes backpacking packs hiking poles parts shop all hiking climbing harnesses belay devices ascenders ropes cords slings carabiners draws climbing shoes helmets accessories chalk chalk bags rock protection bags shop all climbing winter sports snowshoes cross country skiing gaiters ice cleats kids sleds heating accessories shop all winter sports orienteering binoculars spotting scopes knives multi tools lighting gps navigation books atlases shop all orienteering activities strollers carriers games entertainment dog accessories shop all activities electronic activity monitors watches cameras radios chargers solar panels shop all electronic nautical gear kayaks canoes stand up paddleboards paddles pfd fishing boats diving gear water activities watersport clothing shop all nautical gear new arrivals shop all outdoor gear fishing rods spinning bait casting trolling floating rod reel kits shop all rods reels spinning bait casting trolling center pin spincast shop all reels lures spoons hard bait soft bait spinners spinnerbait buzzbait rigs musky carp catfish attractants paste bait great lakes shop all lures sonars sonars transducers accessories shop all sonars motors marine accessories motors batteries seating kayaks downriggers accessories shop all motors marine accessories fishing clothing boots waders wading boots rainwear pfd vests t shirts sweaters shirts pants accessories shop all fishing clothing boots ice fishing rod reel kits ice fishing lures sonars fishing clothing reel cases bags chairs ice fishing line shelters ice augers tip ups sleds ice fishing accessories shop all ice fishing fly fishing rods reels kits fly tying flies bags boxes vests fly line leaders shop all fly fishing cyrils tackle boxes pike fishing walleye fishing bass fishing fly fishing trout fishing starter kit shop all cyrils tackle boxes fishing accessories terminal tackle fishing line tools tackle boxes bags sunglasses books marine atlases shop all fishing accessories new arrivals shop all fishing hunting firearms centerfire rifles shotguns rimfire rifles muzzleloaders ammunition shop all firearms firearm accessories barrels stocks others choke tubes gun rests magazines rifle slings gun cases ammunition boxes gun locks safes cleaners shop all firearm accessories scope shooting accessories scopes bases rings targets accessories shooting protective gear rangefinders accessories shop all scope shooting accessories hunting clothing high visibility clothing shooting vests jackets rainwear pants sweaters t shirts shirts baselayers underwear accessories shop all hunting clothing hunting boots boots footwear waders shop all hunting boots crossbows bows crossbows bows arrows bolts blades shop all crossbows bows hunting accessories trail cameras blinds stands chairs seats bags lamps game processing trapping odor eliminators hunting dog accessories books atlases decor lifestyle shop all hunting accessories game calls turkey duck goose big game predator lanyards shop all game calls decoys turkey duck goose big game predator dove accessories shop all decoys attractants urine feeders attractants minerals feeders salt urine shop all attractants urine feeders hunting knives tools airguns air guns pellets co2 slingshots accessories shop all airguns tactical clothing boots bags tools accessories shop all tactical new arrivals shop all hunting clearance women jackets outdoor pants clothing accessories swimwear plus size shop all women men jackets outdoor pants clothing accessories plus size swimwear shop all men kids jackets outdoor pants clothing accessories swimwear shop all kids footwear women men kids accessories shop all footwear camping tents sleeping bags mats camping furniture accessories camp kitchen hydration shop all camping outdoor gear bags travel winter sports hiking climbing orienteering electronic nautical gear shop all outdoor gear hunting firearms firearm accessories airguns hunting clothing boots hunting accessories decoys hunting knives tools attractants urine feeders scopes and shooting accessories crossbows bows game calls turkey hunting shop all hunting fishing ice fishing sonars rods reels lures fly fishing fishing clothing boots tools terminal tackle motors batteries marine accessories fishing line tackle boxes bags rod reel kits shop all fishing shop all clearance brands big savings from the comfort of your home including new spring collections and hunting and fishing gear 30 off selected products goods that last for generations shop patagonia now 25 off selected products for a successful spring expedition shop the north face 25 off selected products stay warm dry or cool with columbia shop columbia greet spring with tons of deals on all your favourite brands shop discounted brands be ready for any situation food tools first aid kit shop emergency and safety gear fishing must haves fish won t be able to resist shop fishing now hunting essentials game ain t got nothin on you shop hunting now join our community we re still here for you online facebook discover all of our mail in rebates on the biggest hunting and fishing brands shop now 10 criteria to consider when choosing a mid season jacket read more witness nature s awakening 3 spring activities read more orientation the basics to find your way in the forest read more 5 ideal destinations to take a break during winter read more canadian owned company for over 40 years free returns within 30 days free shipping 25 and over </s>
<s>[INST] fishing company of alaska seattle wa [/INST] join our crew apply now about leader creek leader creek fisheries began operations in 1999 with one goal in mind to produce the highest quality bristol bay sockeye fillets period leader creek has been first in quality and innovation and our fishermen are the best in the bay our fleet paved the way for quality and best handling practices it s no secret that we were the first and remain the only 100 refrigerated fleet this is how we ve been able to consistently produce the best fillets in bristol bay our fishermen understand what it takes to deliver the highest quality fish and they adhere to the highest quality handling practices from the point of harvest to the point of off load from there we process these beautiful sockeye salmon using state of the art filleting freezing and packaging equipment join our crew every year we hire over 400 people to come join our crew for the bristol bay salmon season if you re ready to join our team for a summer adventure like no other you can learn more here working here our fleet is family our fleet our fishermen are some of the hardest working men and women around leader creek s fleet has led the way in quality in bristol bay as the first and only 100 refrigerated fleet in the bay our fishermen take pride in what they do and it shows in every fish that makes its way from their boat to your table many of our fishermen have been a part of leader creek since the beginning and we wouldn t have it any other way each and every boat is a small business often a family business and here at leader creek we treat our fishermen like family because they are visit our fleet page to learn more about this unique way of life and the hard working men an women that are a part of this remarkable fishery and a part of the leader creek family meet the fleet meet fisherman photographer alana kansaku sarmiento and check out her work from the 2018 bristol bay salmon season on our fleet page for the love of salmon our fish leader creek prides itself on producing the highest quality sockeye salmon fillets in bristol bay we ve been producing beautiful fillets for 20 years our history of high quality processing goes right back to the very beginning when leader creek was literally built for quality we didn t build a cannery we built a plant with state of the art equipment for filleting freezing and packaging we have never canned fish we have always focused on providing premium fresh and fresh frozen fillets our fishermen employ some of the highest quality handling standards in the state carefully hand harvesting each and every fish that comes on board we love what we do and it shows leader creek was built for the love of salmon nom nom nom bristol bay sockeye salmon is wild sustainable and harvested by small boat fishermen it s also wildly delicious check out these recipes from bristol bay sockeye salmon recipes the love runs deep we love bristol bay for more than a decade the people of bristol bay and the people that love bristol bay have been tirelessly working to protect this amazing resource from the threat of large scale mining in the bristol bay watershed the bristol bay commercial fishery began over 100 years ago and today bristol bay alone produces 40 of the global sockeye supply the salmon of bristol bay literally feed the world but bristol bay is not just a commercial fishery it s home it s a watershed that has sustained the native people of this region for generations upon generations upon generations the fish in these waters run thick and the love for these salmon run deep save bristol bay save bristol bay opening banner description about fleet is family description fleet for the love of salmon description salmon the love runs deep description the love runs deep </s>
<s>[INST] buy sheep wool yarn [/INST] shops superstores adore boerdijk 35 7918ta nieuwlande nederland 052 8851304 visit website amarice zwijnaardsesteenweg 114 9000 gent belgi 32 471 491 183 visit website atelier 9a breeschoot 9a 9800 deinze astene belgie 32 477 97 76 84 visit website atelier la vivere dorpstraat 179 2712 aj zoetermeer nederland 079 8896012 visit website atelier t wolhuisje ekris 83 3931 pv woudenberg nederland 033 286 5101 visit website be inspired 18 msinsi road 3610 kloof south africa 27 81 439 8578 visit website bij mir zuiderzeestraatweg 127a 8096 be oldebroek nederland 0525 692923 visit website black sheep wools ltd warehouse studios glaziers lane wa3 4aq culcheth warrington united kingdom uk 44 1925 764231 visit website boetiek miss janet dorpsstraat 144 3925 ke scherpenzeel nederland 033 277 1048 visit website bolleke wol design kerkstraat 5 9090 melle belgi 32 479 605 104 visit website brei en allerlei eduard van wegbergplein 5 6093 ex heythuysen nederland 0475 480 151 visit website breihof hofstede 6 2400 mol belgi 32 478 792 420 visit website breiwebshop beeldschermweg 5 9 5 11 3821ah amersfoort nederland visit website c r couture molendijk 40a 3161 kn rhoon nederland 010 501 4041 visit website caro s atelier de huchtstraat 21 1327 eb almere nederland 036 525 5680 visit website crea irene dorpsstraat 91 2665 bh bleiswijk nederland 010 316 05 42 visit website creahuys 41 potgieterlaan 10a 2394 ve hazerswoude rijndijk nederland 06 46 07 12 37 visit website creamijn nylonstraat 12 10 8281 jx genemuiden nederland 038 458 1132 visit website crochet australia 1563 yandina coolum road 4561 yandina australia visit website cutedutch nijverheidsweg 17a 2821 at stolwijk nederland 085 273 2319 visit website darling deviance 6549 hart highway v2k3a4 prince george bc canada 1 250 962 0418 visit website de baronie grotestraat 106 7471 bs goor nederland 0618323784 de breibar trekwei 6 9104 ab damwald nederland 0511 702 118 visit website de breiboerderij webshop helmond nederland 06 45 88 23 38 visit website de handige hand fanny blankers koenlaan 124 2134 cr hoofddorp nederland 023 557 8602 de wolhoorn zeestraat 22 1779 ak den oever nederland 0227 512 430 de woljutter keizerstraat 42 1781 gh den helder nederland 06 54 64 39 13 visit website de wolkast tubbergen waldeckstraat 17 7651 ee tubbergen nederland visit website deramores unit 1 sabre way pe15ej peterborough united kingdom 44 845 519 4573 visit website de breicaravan amalia van solmsstraat 13 3314 ld dordrecht nederland 078 614 2000 visit website ea creatief menso poppiusstraat 5 8536 tw oosterzee netherlands 0649759417 visit website ellie creatief onderlangs 34 2991 em barendrecht nederland 0180 619 932 visit website elodia kerkstraat 39 9988 waterland oudeman belgi 32 476 439 429 visit website fels singer westwagenstraat 37 4201 he gorinchem nederland 0183 633 305 visit website filomena be staatsbaan 67b 3945 ham belgi 013 305318 visit website finessa sint jorisstraat 3 5 9300 aalst belgi 32 53 777 665 garen en meer bosstraat 15 4611 na bergen op zoom nederland visit website geur kleur steynlaan 19e 3701 ea zeist nederland 030 276 5539 visit website handwerken xl valge 47 9965 pd leens nederland 0595 854 934 helders naaimachinehuis den helder wezenstraat 1a 1781 gj den helder nederland 0223 610 570 visit website het crea grietje opeindestraat 9 3720 kortessem belgi 32 478 427 100 visit website het magisch naaldje ertbrandstraat 150 2950 kapellen belgi 32 32 904 956 visit website het wolwinkeltje drachten zuiderbuurt 1 9203cs drachten netherlands 06 14527310 visit website hobby dee dorpsstraat 62 3641 ed mijdrecht nederland 0297 750 662 visit website hobby gigant oude beekbergerweg 14 7331 hl apeldoorn nederland 055 533 6007 visit website hobbydoos tjaerdawei 43a 9105 kd rinsumageast nederland 0511 702 848 visit website hobbykelder vaane laarderweg 26 28 1402 bj bussum nederland 035 692 3844 visit website hobbyshop gouda lange groenendaal 51 2801 lr gouda nederland 0182 787 419 visit website hobbytijd dorpsstraat 691 1723 he noord scharwoude nederland 06 11 18 00 71 homemade4u prins hendrikstraat 11 2411 cr bodegraven nederland 06 54 96 00 00 visit website hooks and yarn haarlemmerdijk 147 1013kh amsterdam nederland 020 331 8928 visit website hooky zandvoort kerkstraat 33 2042 jd zandvoort nederland 023 5765223 visit website in t naaimandje poortstraat 42 1770 liedekerke belgi 32 53 669 638 jana pazourkov michalovice 66 29301 mlad boleslav czech republic 420774890277 kantje boord eendrachtsweg 4 4691 ek tholen nederland 06 13 36 61 50 visit website knotty house gladys ridge rd sw 95 t3e 4h calgary canada visit website koperdraadje scheldeplein 15 2953 ev alblasserdam nederland 078 693 0333 visit website krea idea vuurbaak 5 1906 bs limmen nederland 06 28 56 93 62 little bugz prstevangen 24 8643 ans denmark visit website love wool churchstreet 16 bt62 3ln portadown united kingdom 447771722662 visit website marco kleinvakartikelen v o f lampertheimstraat 8 7641 dp wierden nederland 0546 577 693 visit website melissa stofjes en draadjes nijvelsesteenweg 60 1500 halle belgi 32 486 737 123 visit website mercerie retouche center stationsstraat 30 9230 wetteren belgi 32 93 692 700 mijn hobbywinkeltje urkhovenseweg 17a 5641 ka eindhoven nederland 040 2982274 visit website mikmak kreatief hoornseplein 127 2221 be katwijk nederland 071 542 7387 visit website naaldkunst laat 135 1811 ed alkmaar nederland 072 511 4314 visit website new textrend lavendelstraat 19 6400 ninove belgi 32 54 33 39 34 visit website nitka elexalde 5 48940 leioa spain 34 688 803 011 visit website nostex lebbeke brusselsesteenweg 325 9280 lebbeke belgi 32 52 35 71 01 visit website novy warenhuis joustra van sminiaweg 4 9064 ka oudkerk nederland 058 256 1730 visit website nummer84 marktplein 84 7811 ba emmen nederland 0591 648 111 visit website olydia s van der waalsstraat 111 3132tl vlaardingen nederland 06 53806464 visit website pandje naaimachines snijderstraat 9 8223 aa lelystad nederland 0320 222 747 visit website patricia s handwerkshop rivieradreef 50 2037 ah haarlem nederland 31 023 583 5053 pappn vass anik e v kllsemjn kossuth t 87 4324 kllsemjn hungary 36 703759551 visit website piet johan dorpsstraat 34 1421 at uithoorn nederland 0297 561 360 visit website poppys of holmfirth swallows nest farm deer hill end road hd9 5pt holmfirth united kingdom uk 44 114 360 1001 visit website primera ameland hoofdweg 5 9164 kl buren ameland nederland 0519 543 031 proklubochki ru myasnitskaya street build 10 1 101000 moscow russia 7 926 164 74 41 visit website ria s style glinkastraat 183 1323 rh almere nederland 06 13 62 96 53 visit website ricken haven 28 2871 cn schoonhoven nederland 0182 382 395 visit website roseau cadeau en lifestyle het hoekje 1a 7913 ba hollandscheveld nederland 06 23 39 58 63 visit website sabbie s breishop vaartweg 81 g 8243 pd lelystad nederland 0320 769 165 visit website saiko hobby s aarschotsesteenweg 706 3012 wilsele belgi 32 488 96 90 07 visit website schwarzwaldwolloutlet liebenzeller str 34 75328 schmberg germany 07084 5929795 visit website sissi gistelse steenweg 383 8200 brugge sint andries belgi 32 050 38 55 21 sparkelz creatief nieuwstraat 2 9801 cs zuidhorn nederland 0594 696 465 visit website steekje los hogewoerd 4 2311hm leiden nederland 071 512 2945 visit website sticks cups telingstraat 11 3512 gv utrecht nederland 06 15236252 visit website stoffencentrum gorecht oost 2 9603 aa hoogezand nederland 0598 321 335 visit website suzanne s handwerkshop gorecht oost 6c 9603 hoogezand nederland 0598 371126 visit website suzy wol processiestraat 33 8480 eernegem belgi 32 59 770 046 visit website t handwerkhuis broerswetering 5 3752 al spakenburg nederland 033 298 2437 visit website t krekeltje noord voorstraat 1 3295 bl s gravendeel nederland 078 673 6110 visit website t nifelhoekje sud 83 8711 ct workum nederland 0515 542 501 visit website t winkeltje hoofdstraat 58 7981 ab diever nederland 0521 592 725 taemombo com rural route 1 s9a 2x3 north battleford canada visit website tante lies landerum 8a 8893 gz terschelling nederland 0562 851 012 visit website the art and craft cottage 201 brisbane st 4305 ipswich australia 61732818702 visit website the readshop smilde veenhoopsweg 20 2 9422 ab smilde nederland 0592 412514 visit website the yarn attic 406 route 206 nj 08844 hilsborough united states usa 19088645311 visit website the yarn bowl 17 royal parade shop 3 qld 4014 banyo australia 61 7 3189 1376 visit website thread collective webshop upper brookfield australia 61409272997 visit website tita eekhoekstraat 51 9270 laarne belgie 0477762021 visit website trendy or what knot yarns gifts 33118a 1st avenue v2v 1g4 mission british columbia canada visit website tricots passion 478 avenue mascaux 6001 marcinelle belgi 32 479 97 62 78 visit website tuttebollen rijnstraat 81 3441 bs woerden nederland 0612390226 visit website twee steekjes los kruisstraat 9 8051 gd hattem nederland 038 8531773 visit website ubo mercerie kapellensteenweg 30 2920 kalmhout belgi 32 36 666 639 visit website winkel van sophie destombestraat 3 4501 db oostburg nederland 06 23 70 79 44 visit website wol en hobbyshop wiko langewal 15 8401 dd gorredijk nederland 06 13 53 64 50 visit website wol en zo lisse heereweg 177 2161 bc lisse nederland 0252 411 134 visit website woll of fame hoofdstraat 58a 6051 am maasbracht nederland 0475 472 675 visit website wollwerk wenschebach 6 42929 wermelskirchen germany 49 0177 7339 168 visit website wolschuurtje creapien oostersteijnweg 6 4307 rl oosterland nederland 06 16906307 visit website wool warehouse longfield road 12 cv31 1xb warwickshire united kingdom 44 800 505 3300 visit website yarn cosy webshop webshop only info yarnandcosy com nederland 353 0 89 4163255 visit website yarnish 3 glenleigh avenue 2745 mulgoa nsw australia 61466634966 visit website dealers 1001fonal holln ern u 22 1136 budapest hungary 36 30 839 3518 visit website 1968 de winkel buitenveer 11 1381 aa weesp nederland 0294 431914 visit website a boeken vof stoffen fournituren nieuwe hoogstraat 31 1011 hd amsterdam nederland 020 626 7205 visit website a good yarn 50 oole road dn35 8lr cleethorpes united kingdom 44 1472 508707 visit website abdul razzaq mohiddin abdulla trading est sheikh zayed road street no 18 dubai united arab emirates 971 4 226 9005 adiradi lv ciekurkalna 1 linija 56 lv 1026 riga latvia 371 20010737 visit website ahappa oy kasarminkatu 6 87100 kajaani finland 358 08 630726 visit website ajoure midstraat 130 8501 av joure nederland 0513 413 344 visit website alfring zelf maak mode derksstraat 158 7811aj emmen nederland 0591 612177 visit website alice im wunderladen redwitzstrasse 12 50937 kln germany 49 221 94 10 38 86 visit website all in one shop paardenmarkt 10c 8970 poperinge belgi 32 497 765 303 all renobecam scheestraat 86a 1750 lennik belgi 32 24 526 860 visit website allerlei kreatief schoolstraat 1b 4876 av etten leur nederland 076 5023934 visit website allerhand barendorf lneburger strae 6 21397 barendorf germany 49 4137 648 9455 visit website alles aus stoff am heidknppel 40 66346 pttlingen germany 49 151 12491 706 visit website always present hoofdstraat 113b 5681ad schijndel nederland 0499 323680 andreas wollstudio gartenstrasse 106 71522 backnang germany 49 7191 3206911 visit website andrellaliebtherzen calenberger weg 61 51515 krten germany 49 0 2207 912911 visit website anita garn strick frederikssundsvej 171 2700 brnshj denmark 45 38 89 03 05 visit website anjas hobby winkel vaart zz 21 7833 aa nieuw amsterdam nederland 0641607221 visit website ann lannoo couture kasteelstraat 27 8860 lendelede belgi 32 51 313 071 visit website anyfma stationsstraat 43 5281 gd boxtel nederland 0411 689 354 visit website ariane b kronsforder allee 105 23560 lbeck germany 4917653659826 visit website around the table yarns 20085 chagrin boulevard shaker heights oh 44122 united states of america 12165432980 visit website art hobby winkel zomerspeelgoed com vaart zuid zijde 7 9401 ge assen nederland 06 27837449 visit website artepaschalin webshop only santiago chile 56 9 5310 5695 visit website artisantropy 79c king st w on k9a 2m4 cobourg canada 1 905 372 3150 visit website ascension thuillier sanchez c thailandia 5p 15 c 41020 sevilla spain 34 655 697 054 at issy s naaishop guido gezellestraat 17 9930 zomergem belgi 32 0485648227 visit website atelier boutique kruijer creations boskampsbrugweg 1b 7971 cl havelte nederland 06 54 75 60 50 visit website atelier 6a schreiershoek 6a 9351 ae leek nederland 0594 851 007 visit website atelier bonita loka vogelstraat 23 sch 4845 pa wagenberg nederland 0683169120 visit website atelier handgemaakt essensteenweg 79 2930 brasschaat belgi visit website atelier henrike langestraat 121 8281 ah genemuiden nederland 06 18 26 03 25 visit website atelier het wolbeest hoogstraat 17 6071 jm swalmen nederland 06 10560222 visit website atelier het zwarte schaap dries 95 6006 hr weert nederland 0495 587 032 visit website atelier jaffari markt 1 4341 ep arnemuiden nederland 0118 602 300 visit website atelier kleurrijk vilt rochussenstraat 4 2613 bx delft nederland 06 34 26 58 69 visit website atelier patchwork et point compt rue frre mrantius 62a 6760 ruette belgium 32 0 63 57 12 48 visit website atelier sara molenkouter 35 9620 zottegem belgi atelier wollemien vaartstraat 75 2200 herentals belgi 32 493 208 576 visit website atelyeah kreativwerkstatt ltzowstrasse 1 41061 mnchengladbach germany 49 2161 5675267 visit website autumn embers webshop 40475 richmond united states of america 12068543591 visit website balls of joy webshop singapore singapore 006590023307 visit website bambolina michalovice 66 293 01 mlad boleslav czech republic 420 774 890 277 visit website bazar deux les ateliers rte dyverdon 1a 1028 prverenges switzerland visit website belinda rian creatie churchillweg 7 6707 ja wageningen nederland 0317 415 895 bellemae yarns 174 newcombe street vic 3223 portarlington australia 61 433 388 115 visit website belly button 189 rue d aubervilliers 75018 paris france 33 1 40 05 91 20 visit website bezige bij burgemeester de zeeuwstraat 127 3281 ag numansdorp nederland 0186 654 368 visit website bicreative webshop 06 43222212 visit website bij flor stationsstraat 71 3930 hamont belgi 32 11 445 518 visit website bij tante toos voorstraat 92 2685 ep poeldijk nederland 06 12 41 82 08 visit website bijzondere dochters jousterweg 27 8447 rg heerenveen nederland 0513 626 123 bitacaio webshop 351967936793 visit website bizzy lizzy karel govaertsstraat 36 2222 itegem belgie visit website bjarkarhll ehf hraunb 102b 110 reykjavik iceland 354 587 6662 visit website blayney sew n more 40 coombing lane 2799 barry australia 61 02 6368 2798 visit website blok borduren kerkstraat 5 8051 gj hattem nederland 038 375 8320 visit website blokker borger hoofdstraat 50 9531 ah borger nederland 0599 234 331 blokker brummen marktplein 1 6971aa brummen nederland 0575 564 660 boek mix kerkstraat 88 8325 bm vollenhove nederland 0527 244 900 visit website bolwol nl heimolen 70 4625 dd bergen op zoom nederland 06 20 09 90 95 visit website border wollie aalbessenlaan 21 9032 wondelgem belgi 32 92 273 622 visit website boutis lumire website austria 43 0 660 24 222 44 visit website brei en handwerkatelier de knipoog marktstraat 3 7391 de twello nederland 0571 270 900 breibistro zuiderbuurt 1 9203 cs drachten nederland 06 42 23 87 89 visit website breiboetiek de vlotte knot schellingwouderdijk 251 1023 ng amsterdam nederland 06 55 34 03 83 visit website breiboetiek marja ruigendijk 4b 3234 lc tinte nederland 0181 484 243 visit website breien en zo zijlstraat 8 2011 tn haarlem nederland 06 27 01 67 76 visit website breikunst kortestraat 21 6811 ep arnhem nederland 026 213 40 28 visit website breipunt oegstgeesterweg 222 2231 be rijnsburg nederland 06 36 33 13 94 visit website breiwinkel hazelarenlaan 20 3500 hasselt nederland 32 11 256 415 visit website brokschmidt schoenservice en kledingservice de helling 12a 9665 jx oude pekela nederland 0597 613 546 visit website bols s r o arm gen svobodu 42 08001 presov slovakia buchhandlung vatge schulstrasse 2 39624 kalbe milde germany 49 39080 3141 buldogs n beanies bosduinstraat 95a 2990 wusstwezel gooreind belgi 32 478 361910 visit website buuf co kleyburgplein 2 2957 at nieuw lekkerland nederland 06 34556283 visit website cajoline boetiek dendermondsesteenweg 507 9070 destelbergen belgi 32 92 293 210 camillas livsstil koltrastvgen 16 457 31 tanumshede sweden 46 0 707 28 48 11 visit website candy skein yarn and crafts 382 12th st 97103 astoria united states of america 6199574040 visit website cansu mode fahrenheitstraat 504 2561 dh den haag nederland 070 310 7584 visit website casa cura stationstraat 7 6231 ck meerssen nederland 043 3110144 visit website casa di lana houthulstseweg 44 8920 poelkapelle belgi 057 489927 visit website casa tua breeerweg 15 3950 bocholt belgi 32 89 466 803 ceka prins bernardlaan 22a 3901 cc veenendaal nederland 0318 512 561 visit website chaley kerkplein 23 1777 cd hippolytushoef nederland 06 28 08 12 51 visit website chefwol futendreef 11 2665 ep bleiswijk nederland 06 40 67 52 07 visit website chellebel wout wetering 1 1509 ka zaandam nederland 06 41 23 96 10 visit website chez annette 26 rue jean baptiste boussingault 29200 brest france 33 2 98 48 94 31 christies noordomstraat 10 8680 koekelare belgie 32 51 58 80 59 chrysalide rue joseph wauters 48 4300 waremme belgi 32 19 332 511 visit website city cleaning nieuwegein boogstede 14 3431 hj nieuwegein nederland 030 604 4026 visit website c laine boutique 32 impasse bernard balduzzi 13140 miramas france 0609206331 visit website coastal yarn co prewett street 4 4209 upper coomera australia visit website coloridilana via pezza 26b 21051 induno olona varese italy 39 348 5132407 visit website colorfullmadeshop website slovakia 421 911 871 195 visit website corrie s stoffenplaza ooststraat 2 4697 gn sint annaland nederland 06 25 27 35 74 visit website cortina hulsterweg 94 3980 tesenderlo belgi 32 0 474 390608 cotton pod 44 7951 440196 visit website cozecraftshop woodgates end cm6 2bn dunmow united kingdom uk 447740339412 visit website cozijn van den pol beekstraat 22 8081 ec elburg nederland 0525 681 275 visit website cozy 285 e 5th ave or 97401 eugene united states usa 1 541 485 9204 visit website cpn nicoline kouterstraat 22 8550 zwevegem belgi 32 56 758 595 crea boetiek duinenstraat 313 8450 bredene belgi 32 495 42 49 39 visit website crea lana graafjansdijk a 132 4554 ak westdorpe nederland 0115 851 842 visit website creabeaux peulenstraat 193 3371am hardinxveld giessendam nederland 06 22439689 visit website creactivity nieuwstraat 17 ophaaladres webshop 5211 nl den bosch nederland 06 18 88 19 57 visit website creadeau heuvelenweg 34e 7991 cm dwingeloo nederland 0522 281 040 creahuis eigenhandig klarestraat 12 6811 dr arnhem nederland 06 2353 6226 visit website creamira hellingpad 7 8468 bd haskerdijken nederland 06 27 14 52 88 visit website creapicobello beversesteenweg 260 8800 roeselare belgi 0493614395 visit website creashop duymelot de waag 41 8102 ck raalte nederland 0572 360 577 visit website creasis jan van nassaustraat 10 9600 ronse belgi 32 495 70 81 90 visit website creaslingers burgermeester van waninglaan 21 2924 av krimpen aan den ijssel nederland 0180 551 176 visit website creatiefcentrum kaart klos nieuweweg 79 3905 lh veenendaal nederland 0318 612090 creatief huizeken langemunte 63 9570 lierde belgi 32 55 427 680 visit website creatief wonen dorpsplein 7 4231 ba meerkerk nederland 0183 351 409 creatiefpunt oud ferdinandusdijk 15 4566 rk heikant nederland 06 53 10 53 99 visit website creatieve koeien emmerikseweg 34 7227 dm toldijk nederland 0575 441 245 visit website creatique hilversum hoge larenseweg 5 1221 aj hilversum nederland 035 683 2858 visit website creative spirits de eenhoorn 24 1492 ea middenbeemster nederland 0610873834 creazin drienerschoolweg 11 7552 pc hengelo nederland 06 11450424 visit website creyo linnenstraat 30 5411 aj zeeland nederland 06 54690088 visit website crochet 10 san sebastin de los reyes spain 34 912190484 visit website crochets4u joek molenwal 9 8377 zuienkerke belgi 32496379972 visit website crochet my hobby enterprise medalla serviced suite pju 1a 2 ara damansara 47301 petaling jaya malaysia 6019 750 7001 visit website dlia correia unipessoal lda lda avenida jos estevo 493b 3830 554 gafanha da nazar portugal 351937723937 das handarbeitsgeschaeft untere hauptstrae 18 7100 neusiedl am see austria 43 699 81761664 visit website das handarbeitshaus grtzinger strae 71 d76227 karlsruhe germany 49 721 404 717 visit website dbd hobby fournituren osdorper ban 1068 mj amsterdam nederland 020 619 1593 de afstap oude leliestraat 12 1015 aw amsterdam nederland 020 623 1445 visit website de borduurnaald 003278040404 visit website de breifiets de wetstraat 33 7551 ga hengelo nederland 074 3579923 visit website de breinaald achterdijk 4 4241 tg arkel nederland 06 13 36 29 06 de creatieve vlinder richard holstraat 6 1443 md purmerend nederland 0299 472 120 visit website de crocheernaald steenbeekstraat 75 8650 houthulst belgi 32 479 71 90 78 visit website de haakfabriek webshop hoefijzer 8 8307 eb ens nederland 0527 253 650 visit website de haaknaald groenestraat 48 6991 gg rheden nederland 026 3823082 visit website de handwerkzaak platte vijverstraat 9 3500 hasselt godsheide belgi 32 11 241 180 visit website de happy haaknaald oostdijk 19 4575 cd sint philipsland nederland 06 51 43 12 64 visit website de hobby boet hilbersplein 7a 1944 ra beverwijk nederland 0251 206188 visit website de hobby knuffel webshop visit website de hobbystudio langestraat 65 8281 ag genemuiden nederland 06 15 51 95 00 visit website de hobbytafel leenderweg 117 5555cb valkenswaard netherlands 040 2026131 visit website de kaardebol buitensingel 2 3920 lommel belgi 32 11 745 737 visit website de kameleon hoofdstraat 159a 3781 ad voorthuizen nederland 0342 476 488 visit website de kettingkast willemsoord 39 1781 as den helder nederland 0223 612669 visit website de knip etage bosstraat 105 1731 sc winkel nederland 0224 540 437 de knutselkeet polenweg 14 8314 pn bant nederland 0527 261 777 visit website de kreatief lekkenburg 59a 2804 xb gouda nederland 0182 699 748 visit website de naaibox beneluxlaan 7 9501 ct stadskanaal nederland 0599 610 921 visit website de losse steek raadhuisstraat 1c 1941 eb beverwijk nederland visit website de naaldboetiek langstraat 45a 8131 bb wijhe nederland 0570 522 108 visit website de opkamer brugstraat 23 25 1775 bc middenmeer nederland 0227 501 717 visit website de quiltkoffer bartenswei 1 9137 cd oosternijkerk nederland 0519 589 209 visit website de roopoorte beenstraat 2 9810 nazareth belgi 32 93 808 464 visit website de schaar asselsestraat 130 7311 es apeldoorn nederland 055 522 3105 visit website de schapekop hoogstraat 30 2965 al nieuwpoort nederland 06 82 80 48 79 visit website de schat van pachamama jachthoornlaan 14 2820 ri rijmenam belgi 32 22 431 313 visit website de sierspeld kanaalstraat 31 4388 bj oost souburg nederland 06 81559070 visit website de spinboet binnenburg 6a 1791 cg den burg texel nederland 0222 314 468 visit website de spinnerij theo thijssenlaan 16 4481 dx kloetinge nederland 0113 568 120 visit website de stofwolk julianastraat 30 6644 br ewijk nederland 024 677 2343 visit website de toverdoos amstenraderweg 48 6431 em hoensbroek nederland 045 563 0414 visit website de vingerhoed nijmegen meijhorst 7017 6537 en nijmegen nederland 06 13 94 02 31 de vingerhoed ulft ingenieur sassenstraat 16 7071 bc ulft nederland 0315 685 630 de vlijt molenkade 27 4271 ae dussen nederland 0416 391 456 de vlinder dorpshuisweg 26 9617 bn harkstede nederland 050 404 1256 de wever weverstraat 38 1791 ae den burg texel nederland 0222 315 705 visit website de witte engel binnenburg 15 1791 cg den burg texel nederland 0222 310 387 visit website de wolboetiek markt 90a 4361 ag westkapelle nederland 0118 570 303 de wolboetiek keiweg 16b 4901 ja oosterhout nederland 0162 427 868 de wolboutique dorpsstraat 44 7683 bk den ham nederland 0546 672 271 visit website de wolhal j g van blomstraat 18 9203 rv drachten nederland 0512 525 222 de wolhook raadhuisstraat 142 5981 bj panningen nederland 077 307 2654 de wolknot drielandweg 2 7581pa losser nederland 06 21 83 15 36 visit website de wolkoker friesestraat 34 7741 gw coevorden nederland 0524 516 632 visit website de wolschuur oosteinde 77b 2841 ab moordrecht nederland 0182 349 510 visit website dechado principe de vergara 256 28016 madrid spain 34914579871 visit website deco ann hylaerderpad 5a 9031 xw boksum nederland 058 254 2100 visit website deinewollwelt mhlenweg 8 98639 rippershausen germany 0049 03693 4880844 visit website detallitos 10441 devonshire st 80504 firestone united states of america 17164256651 visit website detz markten nederland 06 28 51 84 96 visit website devo grootzand 20 8601 aw sneek nederland 0515 439 871 visit website dewi preekekeplein 7 9190 stekene belgi 32 3 789 17 07 di lana e d alltre storie via verrotti 130 65015 montesilvano pe italy 39 347 446 8198 visit website dianor zeelaan 45 8670 koksijde belgi 32 58 521 517 visit website dibadu lange strasse 26 32805 horn bad meinberg germany 49 5234 2061841 visit website die maschen schmiede falkenseer chaussee 23 13583 berlin germany 49 30 25899111 visit website dinie kleine burgemeester backxlaan 348 7711 al nieuwleusen nederland 0529 483 805 visit website diny s wol en handwerken voorstadslaan 261 6541 sp nijmegen nederland 024 377 8012 visit website dio drogist dorpstraat 39 7361 ar beekbergen nederland 055 506 4545 do it creatief smidsstraat 2 6662 dr elst nederland 0481 453 424 visit website doitsuya co ltd nakarnachi iwanami bldg 2f 1 30 2 nakamachi japan 81 0 80 9279 5976 visit website dolce lana laageind 3b 2940 stabroek belgi 32 36 892 488 visit website dol op wol kleine overstraat 6 7411 rj deventer nederland 0570 769 084 visit website draad en zo advocaat de backerstraat 5 9450 denderhoutem belgi 32 0 488 242642 visit website drogist smerdiek markt 55 4695 hs sint maartensdijk nederland 0166 667 477 echt by ikke boerhoorndreef 48 9403 kd assen nederland 0592 408 088 visit website echtstudio prins hendrikstraat 99 2405 ah alphen aan den rijn nederland 0172 748 111 visit website colaines rue des marchales route de lorient 25 35132 vezin le coquet france 33 299 146 927 visit website eeks grotestraat 39 7151 ba eibergen nederland 0545 286 919 visit website een wrongske sette lekestraat 33 9900 eeklo belgi 32 477 43 20 25 eenrechteenaverecht doggerstraat 13 1086vg amsterdam nederland 0683357483 visit website elena s wolwinkel ommegangstraat 32 9240 zele nederland 32 52 28 01 04 visit website elmely design webshop voer frgevej 64 8950 rsted denmark 45 42410664 visit website esd dokkum waagstraat 20 9101 lc dokkum nederland 06 44 06 80 24 visit website especial more webshop sevenhovenstraat 7 3412 kk lopikerkapel nederland 030 687 6035 visit website ethel em 57 king street la1 5hj lancaster united kingdom 01524 65344 visit website fair met flair langestreek 15 9166 la schiermonnikoog nederland 0519 531 600 visit website fantasy fournituren galerij 2a 5341 cl oss nederland 06 23 36 79 73 visit website fashion and more mudakkers 5 3920 lommel belgi 0032 11 913266 visit website fastryga maeckiego 14 60 707 pozna poland 48 61 865 51 22 visit website favoritgarner vstra rydsvgen 130 196 31 kungsngen sweden 46 0 8 410 510 65 visit website filinfilato via a gramsci 22 21013 gallarate va italy 393498307525 visit website fineholdings d 278 dong ho ro jung ku 04617 seoul south korea 82 2 2266 0207 visit website finlandia import b v kleine dorpsstraat 26 1861 kn bergen nederland 072 589 4642 visit website firma in t veld ommerweg 154 7447 rj hellendoorn nederland 0572 331 244 visit website firma rima braak 10 4724 dr wouw nederland 0165 752 486 visit website floor mode voorstraat 111 1931 aj egmond aan zee nederland 072 507 1035 visit website framalo 7e geniestraat 4a 8650 houthulst belgie 32 496 78 82 76 visit website frans stael zuidstraat 15 8820 torhout belgi 32 50 212 819 visit website freubelwebwinkel webshop apeldoorn nederland 06 40762321 visit website frutsels en meer reinous reed 4 9113 pg wouterswoude nederland 0511 420 380 visit website frutsels en meer reinous reed 4 9113 pg wouterswoude nederland 0511 420 380 visit website garenhuis u keus van harenstraat 82 86 9076 bz st annaparochie nederland 0518401670 garnyarn hammelvej 22 4600 kge denmark 45 24808313 visit website gebroeders harmsen goudkampsweg 8 7637pr oud ootmarsum nederland 0546 697 538 visit website gemacht mit liebe luxemburger strae 228 50937 kln germany 0221 355 227 925 visit website gemiver bvba ommegangstraat 32 9240 zele belgi gerard meijer dorpsstraat 25 8381 am vledder nederland 0521 380 061 gerrie s hobby huske verlengde hoofdstraat 12 8723 as koudum nederland 06 46 05 45 59 visit website gjaltema s textielgroothandel provincialeweg 115 9865 ad opende nederland 0594 658 135 glitter paper scissors website united kingdom 44 7880 315 816 visit website godelieve van damme veldegemsestraat 48 8210 veldegem belgi 32 50 279 429 granny bird s wool shoppe 5 king street east k0m 1a0 bobcaygeon canada 17057311106 visit website granny s hobbys webshop info grannyshobbys nl nederland visit website gre johan voorstraat 8 9171 lv blije nederland 0519 561646 grunnebo garn ab lingatan 8 451 75 uddevalla sweden 46 522 67 81 81 visit website h r creatief handelsstraat 47 48 9501 ew stadskanaal nederland 0599 650 026 visit website h meisters louis van der maesenstraat 5 6301 ea valkenburg nederland 043 601 2871 haak smakelijk madjoe landelijk wonen voorstreek 22 8911jp leeuwarden netherlands 0634317678 visit website haakbarak molenstraat 23 2960 brecht belgi 32479477771 visit website haakpret rijnstraat 9e 5347kl oss nederland 0615388420 visit website haakstudio reviuslaan 15 3852 bs ermelo nederland visit website habbedash webshop alphen aan den rijn nederland visit website haken breien bij saskia veenweide 18 3223 ng hellevoetsluis nederland 06 25 37 03 70 haken en ogen ruys de beerenbrouckstraat 134 7204 mn zutphen nederland 0575 519 222 visit website hak in schoen en kledingreparatie prinsenstraat 18 7721 aj dalfsen nederland 0529 433 711 visit website hand diy calle de juan pablo ii 23 38004 santa cruz de tenerife spain 34 922 07 41 39 visit website hand gemaakt elsakker 18 3950 kaulille belgi 32 473 456 831 visit website handels onderneming zuidema hoofdweg 176 9628 cv siddeburen nederland 0598 432432 visit website handelsonderneming jeceve voorburgseweg 31 2264 ac leidschendam nederland 070 327 3605 handig handje dorpsstraat 64 3550 zolder belgi 32 11 538 696 visit website handmedith weerstraat 20 4001ld tiel nederland 0344 605801 visit website handwerk en hobbyzaak handig edegemsestraat 64 2640 mortsel belgi 32 36087483 visit website handwerk kristoffel dorpsstraat 1 3560 lummen belgi 32 13 522 603 handwerk nl hoogstraat 24b1 3862 al nijkerk nederland 033 888 1315 visit website handwerk hobbyzaak streeperstraat 45 6371 gl landgraaf nederland 045 532 1759 visit website handwerkhuis de rozet rozenkampsweg 35 7039 ac stokkum nederland 0314 665 061 visit website handwerkspeciaalzaak kesteren boveneindsestraat 25 4041 eh kesteren nederland 0488 482 324 handwerkspeciaalzaak lohuis tijhuis steenstraat 26 7571 bk oldenzaal nederland 0541 512 626 visit website handwerkwinkel holten van bussel burgemeester van de borchstraat 47 7451 cg holten nederland 0548 361 235 visit website handwerkzaak het zwarte schaap wooldstraat 51 7101 nn winterswijk nederland 0543 521 972 handwerkzaak kreatief meidoornplein 17 8091 jn wezep nederland 038 376 4620 visit website happyland herentalsesteenweg 96 2270 herenthout belgi 32 14 233 515 visit website happyland lubbeek staatsbaan 61 3210 lubbeek belgi 32 16 620 950 visit website happyland mechelen leestsesteenweg 93 2800 mechelen belgi 32 15 277 224 visit website happy wool keizerstraat 297 2584bg den haag nederland 0620970082 visit website hennie s hobbyhoek het lot 8 7991 te dwingeloo nederland 0521 590 811 visit website hermien zelfmaakmode vlaminckhorstweg 2 8141 gg heino nederland 0572 392 662 het achterpand lage der 1a 9718 bj groningen nederland 050 280 5500 visit website het breipunt meester strikstraat 22 5708 gb helmond nederland 0492475800 visit website het creatieve visje tervuursesteenweg 15 1981 hofstade belgi 32 497 36 18 89 het engeltje gentseweg 21 9120 beveren belgi 32 3 775 34 58 het garenrijk jonker fransstraat 101a 3031 ap rotterdam nederland 010 413 6697 het haakbeest rijmenamsesteenweg 10 3150 haacht belgi 32 16 370 306 visit website het haakschuurtje webshop only info hethaakschuurtje nl nederland 06 31960552 visit website het kleine winkeltje pastoor graatweg 36 6566 db millingen aan den rijn nederland 0481 431 539 visit website het kleinvak oerdijk 80 7433 ad schalkhaar nederland 0570 631 987 visit website het knottie schilperoortstraat 14 7906 er hoogeveen nederland 0528 231 125 het naailabo palinckstraat 2100 deurne belgi 32 477 378 285 visit website het naaldje heistraat 29 2610 wilrijk belgi 32 38 300 014 visit website het ritske stationsstraat 33 2950 kapellen belgi 32 36 654 712 visit website het snuffelhoekje prinsenstraat 6v 4881 vb zundert nederland 076 5974957 visit website het stoffenhonk bickerstraat 37 1701 ed heerhugowaard nederland 072 572 9903 visit website het stoffenpalet hoge ham 172 5104 jm dongen nederland 0162 312 571 visit website het vlijtig bijtje waanrode dorp 12 3473 waanrode belgi 32 016 49 00 16 visit website het vlijtig bijtje werchter hogeweg 1 3118 werchter belgi 32 16 531 616 visit website het wolhoekje polsbroekpassage 4 7201 ca zutphen nederland 0575 473 326 visit website het wolhofje webshop 6669cv dodewaard netherlands 0488 484080 visit website het wolhuis haarstraat 148 7462 av rijssen nederland 0548 785 275 visit website het wolpaleis de lyts ein 17 9137 sg oosternijkerk nederland 06 22 77 74 85 het zwarte schaap zichem brabantsebaan 58 3271 zichem okselaar belgie 32 13 77 45 67 het zwarte schaap dirksland straatdijk 32 3247 bx dirksland nederland 0187 603 957 het zwarte schaap margraten pastoor brouwersstraat 18c 6269 bp margraten nederland 043 458 4516 visit website hobby doetiek yvonne schoolstraat 18 9468 bs annen nederland 0592 272325 hobby en wol wedderweg 53 9699 rb vriescheloo nederland 0597 541 142 visit website hobby en handwerk kiekeboe beverestraat 57 9700 oudenaarde belgi 32 55 314 422 visit website hobby greet stationsstraat 17 9901 bl appingedam nederland 0596 572 739 visit website hobby wol meer jol 1357 8243ek lelystad nederland 0610668337 visit website hobbyatelier de pottekijker hunebedstraat 14 9531 jv borger nederland 0599 238 421 visit website hobbyhuis geitenkamp 40 6823 he arnhem nederland 026 442 3706 visit website hobbyhuis de strandjutters hoekstee 4 8561 bd balk nederland 0514 601 084 visit website hobbykamer de blauwe vlinder het ruim 43 8251 ek dronten nederland 0321 322 566 visit website hobbyleuterij beukenlaan 81 3762 ag soest nederland 31 035 623 8646 visit website hobbypleintje waarmaarderplein 2 8581 waarmaarde belgi 32 485 202 494 visit website hobbyshop katootje waterstraat 20 9934av delfzijl netherlands 0596 617512 visit website hobbyshop kreatief korte achterzijde 10 8302 dz emmeloord nederland 0527 621 513 visit website hobbyshop online nl breinderveldweg 21 6365 cm schinnen nederland 046 4339789 visit website hobbytien burgemeester vrieslaan 20 3267 bc goudswaard nederland 06 27887091 visit website hobby time marktstraat 8 3891 ex zeewolde nederland 036 5226103 visit website hobbyzuss nieuwenhuisstraat 72 7462 mn rijssen nederland 0548 515 486 visit website holland stoffenhuis katwijk haven 5 2225 bh katwijk nederland 071 401 9520 visit website holland stoffenhuis leiden diamantplein 9 2332 leiden nederland 071 5727000 visit website homelaine alle le pav de la cigalire 24 26200 montelimar france 33 680476858 hoop haberdashery 92 high street tn30 6jb tenterden united kingdom 44 1580 388011 visit website huis inge goderis onze lieve vrouwestraat 131 133 2800 mechelen belgi 32 15 414 054 visit website huize van marrosa julianastraat 98a 5121 le rijen nederland 0161 232 056 visit website hylke reinders kleine emstermate 2 7396 bk terwolde nederland 31 6 34097448 visit website ideenreich gmbh viktoria strasse 47 33602 bielefeld germany 49 0521 9238688 visit website ihobby marktstraat 36 1745 opwijk belgi 3252351423 visit website irika ro str hallo nee 12 cluj 40049 cluj napoca romania visit website i sew 2 117 townhead g66 1nx glasgow united kingdom 44 141 777 6633 visit website imran abdulwahed alsulais est webshop 32632 3986 qatif saudi arabia 00966503819046 visit website indigo chase specialties 200 w 68th ave c 99518 anchorage alaska united states of america 9072308102 visit website interloop company ltd 28 pegu road 04 01 the tier 382373 singapore singapore 65 98787237 visit website ilda dos santos nossas artes elpdio belmonte de barros 83 79112342 campo grande brazili 5567992926224 visit website israls textiel oranje nassauplein 27 6961 cj eerbeek nederland 0313 651 173 visit website j kooiker textiel gemeenteweg 197 7951 ck staphorst nederland 0522 461 365 visit website j j pruijs goudoever 4 3752 gs bunschoten spakenburg nederland 06 27 54 37 89 jacky nelis damstraat 132 9220 hamme belgi 32 52 477 881 jacobi hobby en creatief houtlaan 7 9203 an drachten nederland 0512 512 662 visit website jan de grote kleinvakman albert cuypstraat 203a 1073 be amsterdam nederland 020 673 8247 visit website jestex stoffen lange vorststraat 39 4461 jm goes nederland 0113 231 345 visit website jimmy beans wool 4850 joule st suite a1 89502 nevada reno verenigde staten 1 877 529 5648 visit website jimmy s bvba bosstraat 4 2040 berendrecht belgi 32 35 686 881 jongbloed lunteren dorpsstraat 168 6741 ar lunteren nederland 0318 482 490 visit website jootjes haakcadeautjes achtersloot 22 3401nw ijsselstein nederland 0682064857 visit website jorbeau baby en wol weststraat 9 3253 ap ouddorp nederland 0187 684 002 visit website julekind meyerhofstrasse 11 b 40589 dsseldorf germany kalvaratas lt pu g 9 giraits k lt 54307 kauno r lithuania 37060163683 visit website kangaroo kolokotroni 44 105 60 athina greece 30 21 0323 4939 visit website kdb creative boslaan 193 1502 lembeek belgi 32 485 52 27 13 visit website kniterary 124 dundas st w l1n 2l9 whitby on canada 905 668 8368 visit website knit spin weave 5 266 main north rd sa 5453 clare australia 61 429 457 689 visit website knussel beenderstraat 87 2560 nijlen belgie visit website karoo genkerbaan 11 3520 zonhoven nederland 011 814384 visit website katrincola yarn havlkova 119 6 602 00 brno czech republic 420 724185607 visit website keros shop hauptstrasse 11 02943 boxberg ot uhyst germany 49 35728 85444 visit website kersten karl rue de la dportation 14 7130 binche belgi 32 64 333 907 k b z boven nieuwstraat 78 8261 hg kampen nederland 038 331 5939 visit website k f vloedgraven textiel gemeenteweg 101 7951 cg staphorst nederland 0522 461 344 visit website katarina majercikova sputnikova 15 82102 bratislava slovakia 421903161113 visit website kiekeboe gemeenteplein 5 1730 asse belgi 32 24 530 376 visit website klazien s kreatie klapperdijk 28e 8191 ae wapenveld nederland 038 447 0574 visit website klbkoopa msiarska 5 903 01 senec slovakia 421 948 296 024 visit website kledingreparatie lia ten hoven oude apeldoornseweg 20 8171lw vaassen nederland 0578 575434 visit website kloppenburg bodyfasion runde noordzijde 95 7881 jk emmer compascuum nederland 0591 351 798 visit website knit and yarn 2 new street cv82ez kenilworth united kingdom 447802507489 visit website knitted knots hoofdstraat 1c 9451 ba rolde nederland 085 273 6902 visit website knot wol dokter harmansstraat 15 3971 cj driebergen nederland 0652733636 visit website knit purl yarn boutique haynes street 3 22 6076 kalamunda australia 61409916131 visit website knoppunt axelsestraat 122 4537 ap terneuzen nederland 0115 692883 knotje nl webshop groningen nederland 06 46 43 25 61 visit website knotten voldersgracht 23 2611 ev delft nederland 015 215 5842 visit website knutsel maatje meddosestraat 17 7101 cs winterswijk nederland 0543 750 441 kokonki kolejowa 12e 15 701 biaystok poland 48 50 77 37 374 visit website kosmeijer marktstraat 82 9581 ad musselkanaal nederland 0599 412 774 koud kunstje rozengracht 49e 1016 rl amsterdam nederland 06 36 13 16 34 visit website kralenboerderijtje creatief lisdoddeweg 7 8251 sm dronten nederland 0321 315 580 krant en hobbyshop de kiosk weertersteenweg 374 3640 kinrooi belgi 32 89 773 388 krea hobby woldstraat 12 7941 lj meppel nederland 0522 292 232 visit website kreafabriek leonard springerlaan 470 7424 dc deventer nederland 0570 546494 visit website kreagea taco haringstraat 5 9626 tm schildwolde nederland 0598 423 029 visit website krea lin vledderstraat 2b 7597 dj denekamp nederland 0541 354216 visit website kreamee walderstraat 7 7241 bh lochem nederland 0573 255 550 kreamiekes bakkerstraat 4 6671 ab zetten netherlands 0651872765 visit website kre ann diestsestraat 23 3200 aarschot belgi 32 16 561 023 kreatief modestoffen lindelsebaan 342 3900 overpelt belgi 32 11 649 213 visit website kreatiks rietveldlaan 31 9731 mj groningen nederland 050 542 4074 visit website kreativa manauplein 10 12 8391 bz noordwolde nederland 0561 432 979 visit website kreatuurtje tipstraat 116 3740 beverst belgi 32 11 333 533 visit website kreawinkel t klosje het haagje 140 7906 ad hoogeveen nederland 06 27 33 84 11 visit website l heure crative 180 chemin de villeneuve 18000 bourges france 33 6 64 85 28 47 visit website l le aux laines chemin long 327 1310 la hulpe belgi 0032470576184 visit website la belle mercerie 13 rue des pelletiers 77260 la ferte sous jouarre france 0954201966 la compagnie des laines grand rue 38 6760 virton belgi 32 63 67 78 00 visit website la grange fils de lucie sarl 12 rue d etampes 91410 dourdan frankrijk 33160802387 visit website la lainerie 22 rue des ayres 33000 bordeaux france 33 5 56 81 43 92 visit website la pelote vagabonde website france 33 4 58 00 53 64 visit website la vaca kreatief herenstraat 4 4331 jt middelburg nederland 0118 611 169 visit website le pantin dijkstraat 48 8801 lw franeker nederland 0517 397 113 visit website lady violet hobbymaterialen theodoor van ryswycklaan 34 2850 boom belgi 32 32 887 691 visit website laines de la cote rue gast 1 29200 brest france 33 298 430 869 visit website landelijk boetiek avekingecamp 25 7824 ee emmen nederland 06 43 64 32 50 visit website langbroekertje doornseweg 26a 3947 me langbroek nederland 0343 563 058 visit website lankalinja ay kpmansgatan 3 10300 raasepori finland 358 40 6614106 visit website lapjesvrouw stationsstraat 49 2910 essen belgi 32 36 672 768 visit website laresa wol koshof 3 1761 at anna paulowna nederland 0223 693 031 visit website las tijeras mgicas carrer del capit antoni mena 150 03204 elx alacant spain 34 966 65 64 52 visit website laura haakt pruimengaarde 46 5103 ez dongen nederland 06 24657563 visit website layasa s schrieksebaan 136 3120 tremelo belgi 32 0 470 211473 visit website lea handwerken houtstraat 140 2960 sint lenaarts belgi 32 33 134 444 les ditions de saxe 13 rue jules verne 69630 chaponost france 33 4 78 72 92 54 visit website les pelotes de lolotte bp 25 29170 fouesnant france 33 979003611 visit website les ateliers kokobohme rue henri barbusse 42 59880 saint saulve france 330783157009 visit website lesandria neudorf bei staatz 188 2135 neudorf bei staatz austria visit website lidi s stoffenhuis kerkweg west 8 2742 bd waddinxveen nederland 0182 611 120 visit website lieblingsstck gewolltes und gebundenes louisenthal 39 50169 kerpen germany 492237972737 visit website liljan lankakauppa levsjoentie 1212 fi 29880 levsjoki finland 358 40 9111066 visit website lincoln woolpack 4 the eshings welton ln2 3fp 4 the eshings welton lincoln united kingdom 44 7921332658 visit website linda s wereld herentalsesteenweg 76 2220 heist op den berg belgie 32 485 59 17 21 visit website linnenshop borger torenlaan 2a 9531 jj borger nederland 0599 238442 lisette fournituren molenstraat 10 7481 gm haaksbergen nederland 053 572 8871 visit website little haakshop wolbrantskerkweg 112a 1069 da amsterdam nederland visit website little box of crochet visit website little things hoofdstraat 152 9982 ak uithuizermeeden nederland 06 10 18 99 82 visit website lola punto calle montereros 3 18001 granada spain 34 858 10 11 52 visit website lolles wolle bahnhofstrasse 5 8494 bauma switzerland visit website lolox dorpsstraat 1 3171 ed poortugaal nederland 010 212 6959 visit website loop knitting camden passage 15 n1 8ea london united kingdom 44 207 288 1160 visit website loremar knitting sewing high street 112 ct21 5le hythe united kingdom uk 44 130 323 8769 visit website lost craft diestsesteenweg 22 3200 aarschot belgi 32 16 50 32 19 visit website love stitch 242 telegraph rd ch60 7sg heswall united kingdom 44 151 345 6738 visit website loveknitting com lovecrochet com mo63042 hazelwood united states usa visit website lckman handwerkspec zaak nieuwstraat 6 5111 cw baarle nassau nederland 013 507 9295 lunds garn tarupvej 71 5210 odense denmark 45 50 49 44 56 visit website lusciously loopy lakeland gates low road brigham ca13 0xh cockermouth united kingdom 44 7584 194149 visit website madebymaly ravelstraat 4 5491 mb sint oedenrode nederland 0413 478 751 visit website magisch rondje oude rijksweg 9 9798 pa garmerwolde nederland 06 50 51 89 16 magnolia tree crafts 49 park lane poynton sk12 1rd cheshire united kingdom 44 1625 404708 visit website manine di fate turnhoutsebaan 13 3980 tessenderlo belgi 32 14 301 549 visit website mardy restyled ranstsesteenweg 65 2520 broechem belgi 32 495 924 190 visit website maria trapos calle birmania 2 41020 sevilla spain 34 655697054 visit website marian s hobbyshop dorpsstraat 47f 6721jj bennekom netherlands 0318 256501 visit website marianne s brei en haakboetiek rijsoordsestraat 30 2988cl ridderkerk nederland 06 24 33 22 91 visit website marikari asserstraat 7 9331 ja norg nederland 0592 613 528 visit website marion s pingouin stadhuisplein 263 5038 tg tilburg nederland 013 536 4486 visit website markthal bakker tichelersdyk 28 9041 ep berlikum nederland 0518 462 260 visit website marmot tricots route de saint maixent 73 79800 la mothe saint hray france 33 0 549759194 visit website marthali bonenburgerlaan 28 8181 hg heerde nederland 0578 694 505 visit website marz kreatiek westerweg 32 1815 de alkmaar nederland 072 512 4800 visit website matanko bvba goed ter motestraat 28 8570 ingooigem belgi 0498 699253 visit website mdln winderickxplein 19 1652 alsemberg belgi 32 23 564 013 visit website menita espoo ylkartanontie 26 02360 espoo finland 358 09 256 7536 visit website mercerie zenderseweg 3 7665 tj albergen nederland 0546 441 218 visit website mercerie marie laure lebeau rue de berry 50 5570 beauraing belgi 32 0 82666499 visit website mercerie moderne route nationale 1661 59194 raches france 33 327 365 459 mercerie schmidt route du theil 9 61340 berd huis belgi 32 899 239 493 mercerie sonja gruitroderstraat 5 3960 bree belgi 32 89 466 667 visit website mientje s wolhoekje weverswal 1 9243 jl bakkeveen nederland 06 55338470 mikilon hendrik droststraat 48 8121 bj olst nederland 0570 561 384 visit website miranda sjop zeddamseweg 7 7041 cm s heerenberg nederland 0314 640 216 visit website miss daisy sint benedictusstraat 15 2640 mortsel belgi 32 3 344 46 02 visit website mitteke brei leonardstraat 2 3970 leopoldsbrug belgi 32 11 347 307 mk hobby shop ebern germany visit website mobile yarn 4318 downtowner loop n suite m al 36609 mobile united states usa 251 308 2257 visit website mode mercerie carine stalenstraat 77 3600 genk belgi 32 89 843 456 modebreien libelkleuven 63 9403 zd assen nederland 084 877 9070 visit website modehuys den horsten zuiderzeestraatweg west 59 8085 ab doornspijk nederland 0525 661 241 visit website modehuys ter morsche nijverdalsestraat 28 7642 ad wierden nederland 0546 571 485 mooigemaakt overwinningsstraat 54 4 2830 willebroek belgi 32 3 336 27 59 visit website moois crea kado markt 22 5541 ea reusel nederland 0497337712 visit website moon s bolletjes torenpad 16a 4872 xn etten leur nederland 06 38384384 moving on nieuwe es 73 4254 av sleeuwijk nederland 0183 303 943 visit website mr lebrun rue neuve 19 7780 comines belgi muldertje hoofdstraat 72 4844 cg terheijden nederland 076 593 1100 visit website mymphil peperstraat 22 9600 ronse belgi 32 55 213 519 visit website naaiatelier monique de handwerkhoek arendsnest 10 5427 lb boekel nederland 06 51967650 visit website naaicaf zigzag kerkweg 4 3956 rt leersum nederland 0343 453864 visit website naaicentrum dekker kelders 21 8911 jd leeuwarden nederland 058 212 4326 visit website naaimodecentrum den ouden harderwijk pc hooftplein 2 3842 hb harderwijk nederland 0341 413 398 visit website naaimodecentrum den ouden nunspeet eperweg 10 8071 ax nunspeet nederland 0341 261 310 visit website naald draad markt 23 2900 schoten belgi 32 33 536 259 visit website naaldkunst mur langestraat 13 3811 aa amersfoort nederland 033 461 7837 visit website naked sheep yarn traders n lincoln 1102 87401 farmington united states of america visit website nathalie van reymenant paul de smet de naeyerstraat 4 8430 middelkerke belgi 32 59 312 977 naturalmente lanas c joan aguilar 15 08760 martorell spain 34 680 901 160 visit website nederlandsch wolhuys rhederweg 16 9695 cc bellingwolde nederland 0597 674 750 visit website needles and pins gebroeders de winterstraat 79 2275 wechelderzande belgi 32 32 954 736 visit website nemravka cz k nemocnici 50 251 62 tehovec vojkov czech republic 420 734 742 604 visit website nice4us kerstraat 3 9982 ga uithuizermeeden nederland 06 12 46 62 17 visit website nicole de wilde stenenbrug 169 2140 borgerhout belgi 32 32 357 892 nieuwe franssen molenstraat 27a 5461 jp veghel nederland 0413 364 239 visit website nifelje mar ta keppelstraat 4 9101 mv dokkum nederland 06 38 05 69 15 o gato mimo avenida joo xxiii 343 2870 159 montijo portugal 351 21 584 50 26 oenema naaimachines molenstraat 3 8442 cb heerenveen nederland 0513 623 391 visit website online hobbyhuis kleistraat 75 9320 aalst belgi 32 53 423 218 visit website onnink textiel hogestraat 65 67 7122 br aalten nederland 0543 472 522 ons winkeltje pastoor van beugenstraat 15 5061 cr oisterwijk nederland 0615505104 visit website origami jules capronstraat 10 8900 ieper belgi 32 57 216 022 visit website ornament voorstraat 106 9291 cn kollum nederland 0511 450 426 ou moliten hospidali 3 80011 parnu parnumaa estonia our fine yarnery 22 vera court 2850 mudgee australia 0473 338 584 visit website ovelha negra rua da conceio 100 4050 214 porto portugal 351 220935847 visit website oyambre needlework roger de lluria 92 08009 barcelona spain 34 93 487 26 72 visit website p 10tje kalmthoutsesteenweg 193 a 2990 wuustwezel belgi 32 495 34 42 02 passage wassenaar langstraat 58d 2242 kn wassenaar nederland 070 5117574 patroonstoffen julianastraat 2 7710 gl dedemsvaart nederland 0523 612 657 visit website pauwelyn els mandellaan 8 8890 dadizele moorslede belgi 32 0 473 55 18 59 peppelman handelsweg 12 7021 bz zelhem nederland 0314 621 870 visit website pera pasha pijnacker emmapark 96 2641 en pijnacker nederland 015 364 9694 visit website petit point herenstraat 3 4116 bk buren nederland 06 22336294 pgj helder boeken en wol theeheuvellaan 15 3903 de veenendaal nederland 0318 543 570 phildar beek wethouder sangersstraat 235 6191 na beek nederland 046 437 6958 philpotts ex22 7nz holsworth devon united kingdom 44 1409261573 visit website pieterse handwerken rijksstraatweg 39 7231 ab warnsveld nederland 0575 526 132 visit website pieterse mode simon van capelweg 117a 2431 ae noorden nederland 0172 408 232 visit website pingouin alphen aan den rijn ridderhof 24 2402 en alphen aan den rijn nederland 0172 421 656 pingouinwolle alserstrasse 21 1080 wien austria 41 79 301 86 20 visit website pingouin wolvenga van harenstraat 47 8471 jc wolvega nederland 0561 617 170 pink water moorkuhlenweg 7 28357 bremen germany 49 421 89778626 visit website pins and needles headley road grayshott surrey gu26 6lg grayshott united kingdom 44 01428 608817 visit website pipilota o vlja 12 10616 tallinn estonia 3725544045 visit website pipoos amersfoort langestraat 125 3811 ae amersfoort nederland 033 470 0740 visit website pipoos amsterdam ceintuurbaan 334 1072 gn amsterdam nederland 020 637 4015 visit website pipoos antwerpen jezusstraat 18a 2000 antwerpen belgi 32 32 262 650 visit website pipoos arnhem bovenbeekstraat 11 6811 cv arnhem nederland 026 443 0168 visit website pipoos assen koopmansplein 16 9401 el assen nederland 0592 313 674 visit website pipoos breda houtmarktpassage 19 21 4811 jv breda nederland 076 514 3866 visit website pipoos den bosch vughterstraat 22 5211 gh den bosch nederland 073 613 0518 visit website pipoos den haag dagelijkse groenmarkt 33 2513 al den haag nederland 070 392 2244 visit website pipoos dordrecht visstraat 100 102 3311 kx dordrecht nederland 078 613 2030 visit website pipoos eindhoven piazza 66 5611 ae eindhoven nederland 040 236 6550 visit website pipoos gent woodrow wilsonplein 4 9000 gent belgi 32 92 343 515 visit website pipoos groningen oosterstraat 13 9711 nn groningen nederland 050 313 5918 visit website pipoos haarlem grote houtstraat 158 2011 sx haarlem nederland 023 551 9185 visit website pipoos hazerswoude rijndijk 2e 2394 ah hazerswoude rijndijk nederland 071 341 5430 visit website pipoos hilversum groest 86 112 1211 ed hilversum nederland 035 629 5964 visit website pipoos maastricht wycker brugstraat 17 6221 ea maastricht nederland 043 356 1824 visit website pipoos middelburg lange delft 119 4331 am middelburg nederland 0118 625 358 visit website pipoos nijmegen passage molenpoort 33 6511 hs nijmegen nederland 024 360 3492 visit website pipoos rotterdam coolsingel binnenwegplein 6c 3012 ka rotterdam nederland 010 413 0308 visit website pipoos rotterdam zuidplein zuidplein hoog 970 3083 bs rotterdam nederland 010 293 7074 visit website pipoos sint niklaas kapelstraat 100 9100 sint niklaas belgi 32 37 763 919 visit website pipoos tilburg besterdring 129 5014 hj tilburg nederland 013 544 0604 visit website pipoos utrecht lange viestraat 2e 3511 bk utrecht nederland 030 231 1140 visit website pipoos veenendaal passage 40a 3901 az veenendaal nederland 0318 554 689 visit website pipoos venlo markt 18 19 5911 hd venlo nederland 077 351 9117 visit website pipoos wijnegem wijnegemtunhoutsebaan 5 b 2110 wijnegem belgi 0032 3 353 07 70 visit website pipoos zaandam rozengracht 134 1506 se zaandam nederland 075 612 29 67 visit website plectorium 23is oktovriou 64 412 23 larisa greece 30 241 301 6488 visit website pletnky kateina hlavov sady pionr 850 3 410 02 lovosice czech republic 420778069212 visit website plume designs and products aletta jacobsstraat 24 2642 ad pijnacker nederland 06 45736058 visit website polly pruts heischeutstraat 195 5345 vt oss nederland 0642076547 visit website poppeke wol driekoningenstraat 74 9100 sint niklaas belgi 32 474 521 544 visit website popsies rumbeeksesteenweg 4 8800 roeselare belgi postma gedempte vaart 9 9231 as surhuisterveen nederland 0512 363 548 visit website prousaloglou oe m stratiotou 13 miaoyli 6 14342 philadelphia athene greece 30 210 2532864 visit website pull o torhoutsesteenweg 129 8400 oostende belgi 32 59 509 831 visit website purly yarns 69 herlington behind the spar store pe2 5pw orton malbourne peterborough united kingdom uk 44 01733 391569 visit website purple sheep yarns webshop 2 old boundary way l39 2yw ormskirk united kingdom 44 1695 570199 visit website puurcent guido gezellelaan 115 2870 puurs belgi 32 33 363 233 visit website quiltzauberei de hans bckler str 10 12 46535 dinslaken germany 492064827980 visit website r b textiel zwedeweg 14 7513 cw enschede nederland 053 431 7587 visit website rainbow halingstraat 33 3806 velm belgi 32 11 691 520 visit website rainbow valley high street 25b pe16 6bg chatteris united kingdom 01354669922 visit website rascol zac vic les tangs chemin de la condamine 34110 vic la gardiole france 33 820 56 70 52 visit website reitsma sterk zilverschoon 84 8607 gc sneek nederland 0515 422 263 renske creatief webshop doesburg nederland 06 26 96 01 08 visit website renskes handwerken birkenhof 19 3864 ej nijkerkerveen nederland 06 27 65 74 55 visit website retouches cova paretteplein 35 8530 harelbeke belgi 32 486 403 943 ricken s naaimachinehandel nagel 52a 8321 rg urk nederland 0527 690 362 visit website rieky s hobbyshop markt 31 5401 gn uden nederland 0413 250 759 rikkers bermweg 354 2907 lb capelle aan den ijssel nederland 010 450 6364 rito dk gyrovej 1 7800 skive denmark 4571999844 visit website rito se terrassgatan 12 456 32 kungshamn sweden 46 0 91 350 33 33 visit website ritohobby co uk 5 station court station lane nr9 3ay hethersett united kingsdom 44 8455 282999 visit website ritohobby no tomtegata 80 3012 drammen norway 47 56 99 99 99 visit website rits in assendorperstraat 105 8012 dh zwolle nederland 038 421 2616 visit website ritsies purmerplein 21 1023 bc amsterdam nederland 020 494 5520 visit website robique collecties kievitweg 49 7971 db havelte nederland 0623047818 visit website rocio alcalde martin calero av miguel delibes 19 47008 valladolid spain 34629511465 rok en wol hoogstraat 38 9660 zottegem belgi 32 495 491 228 visit website rosalien hin texel nesweg 39 1794 gc oosterend texel nederland 0222 318 244 s a neue mode rue du pere damien 5 7700 mouscron belgi 32 56 85 20 30 sandra imhof illustration design frauholzstrasse 40 6422 steinen switzerland visit website sanfan charbonlaan 2 2171 cn sassenheim nederland 0252 213 523 schapenvacht en lifestyle lage maat 4 07 3961 nj wijk bij duurstee nederland 06 18259747 visit website schafgabe gottfried claren strasse 7 53225 bonn germany 49 228 53 665 225 visit website schrder modestoffen en fournituren westblaak 61 3012 kd rotterdam nederland 010 412 5188 visit website sconch blake house craft centre unit 15abc cm77 6ra blake end united kingdom uk 44 1376 743123 visit website sd retouches maatwerk webshop 8600 diksmuide belgie 32 0486 37 78 86 visit website selden s dowemattereed 3 9131 ed ee nederland 0519 518 801 visit website shahad mohamad abdulmatloob alabih it est bahrah 3051 22823 jeddah saudi arabia 00966544938063 visit website sieraden enzo snijdersstraat 16 8224 aa lelystad nederland 06 24 47 95 26 visit website siltas siulas ukmergs g 315b 06321 vilnius lithuania 37 061 559 870 visit website simon bursens zevenkootstraat 108 9420 erpe mere belgi 32 473 403 422 singer naaimachines derksstraat 158 7811 aj emmen nederland 0591 612 177 singer naaimodecentrum hoofdstraat 127 8162ae epe singer presikhaaf hanzestraat 225 6826 ml arnhem nederland 026 361 7373 visit website singer soezy feijsman vischstraat 17 3231 av brielle nederland 0181 415 847 sissi s wolmandje ale tun 16 9151 ks holwerd netherlands 0519 296519 sisters stoffen fournituren pastoor van winkelstraat 4a 5374 bj schaijk nederland 0486 461 918 visit website skein sisters 721 new canterbury rd nsw 2203 dulwich hill australia 61 2 9554 7444 visit website sklep ik website poland visit website sklep zeberka website poland 48 606276777 visit website something naais fabriekstraat 80 9200 dendermonde belgi visit website somnis de llana passeig cordelles 29 local 3 08290 barcelona spain 34936914413 snufflebean yarn lu2 7fl luton 447701040414 visit website snuffelhoekje herestraat 6 9843 ak grijpskerk nederland 0594 688 535 visit website snurre malminrinne 1 b 00180 helsinki finland 358 40 5335400 visit website solli garn og hobby hjortsen 5412 stord norway visit website sonja s haakboet govert flinckplantsoen 18 1701 nh heerhugowaard nederland 06 12 86 68 85 visit website souvenirs en handwerk sarah spui 5 1135ba edam nederland 0629313349 st och flitig sgare gatan 9 68430 munkfors sweden 0046700953062 visit website special made haarlem gen cronjstraatzwart 43 2021jb haarlem nederland 0646081527 visit website special place alkmaar europaboulevard 177a 1825 re alkmaar nederland 072 5824534 visit website sproet stationsstraat 13c 8431 et oosterwolde nederland 0516 523 040 visit website staarink warenhuis markt 7 6981 cj doesburg nederland 0313 472 313 visit website steek van wal hagelingerweg 43 2071 ca santpoort noord nederland 023 574 7233 visit website 2bleaf brinkstraat 30 7581 gd losser nederland 06 11431554 visit website stefanie grietsestraat 45 6901 gs zevenaar nederland 0316 340 726 visit website stegeman s textiel oude rijksweg 413 7954 gh rouveen nederland 0522 291 270 visit website stikkestek walweinstraat 3 8000 brugge belgi 32 50 340 345 visit website stitch n b h in time high street 16 tn28 8by new romney united kingdom 441797363922 visit website stitched naturally 438 w wabash ave wi 53186 waukesha united states usa visit website stitchingfactory kruitmolen 28i 1601 mc enkhuizen nederland 06 44 96 82 88 visit website stof stuff kerkstraat 14 7271 bc borculo nederland 0545 275 391 visit website stof wol belcrumweg 24 4815 hb breda nederland 076 532 7424 visit website stof en sier korte rapenburgsestraat 16 7131 de lichtenvoorde nederland 0544 376 058 visit website stoffen babystudio klaas bosstraat 14 3882 am putten nederland 0341 360717 visit website stoffen en meer hoogstraat 64 4251 cn werkendam nederland 06 43 11 38 57 visit website stoffen en stiksels klm laan 28 4631 jw hoogerheide nederland 0164 767 277 visit website stoffenkraam capelle aan de ijssel wingerd 263 2906 th capelle aan de ijssel nederland 010 737 0366 visit website stoffenkraam kampen geerstraat 15 8261 hl kampen nederland 038 333 4342 visit website stoffenkraam sliedrecht stationsstraat 27 3362 ha sliedrecht nederland 0184 422 843 visit website stoffico zum steckengarten 30 63322 rdermark germany 49 6074 3017873 visit website stoffig stel dorpstraat 48 2211 gd noordwijkerhout nederland 0681335609 visit website stokpaardje gasthuisstraat 18 8331 jp steenwijk nederland 0521 852 907 stomerij krom plantage 120 1943 lr beverwijk nederland 0251 224 857 strick und naetreff bergstrasse 9 46446 emmerich am rhein elten germany 49 0 2828 9036330 visit website strikkes dk vibeholmsvej 20 kaelder 2605 brndby denmark 4542614259 visit website studio de wollerie middenweg 111 1782 bc den helder nederland 0223 697 495 visit website studio sier hogestraat 81a 7091cc dinxperlo nederland 06 28310381 visit website stuifzand allerhande hoofdstraat 57 7921 ac zuidwolde nederland 0528 371 561 visit website supra bazar gullegem driemasten 109 8560 gullegem belgie 32 56 43 97 70 visit website supra bazar lievegem grote baan 124 9920 lievegem belgie 32 9 372 50 34 visit website supra bazar tielt meulebeeksesteenweg 2 e 8700 tielt belgie 32 51 40 55 44 visit website sweet apple designs zoutmanstraat 21 2404xs alphen aan den rijn visit website t brunssums poppenhuis maastrichterstraat 27 6444 ga brunssum nederland 045 525 6688 t draadjeshuis klooster leuterstraat 25 3961 ax wijk bij duurstede nederland 0343 411 385 visit website t hamsterke bvba heidestraat 110 3945 kwaadmechelen belgi 32 13 675 531 t heerenbrinkje varsenerstraat 2a 7731 dc ommen nederland 0529 452 021 t ingeltje conradi veenlandstraat 42 9104 bn damwoude nederland 0511 424 071 visit website t kelderke grotestraat 5a 5431 dk cuijk nederland 0485 313 926 visit website t kloske tuinstraat 27 5317 jk nederhemert nederland 0418 552 161 visit website t kreatiefje akkerstraat 80 3680 neeroeteren belgi 32 89 865 131 visit website t kreatiefje lebbeke brusselsesteenweg 154 9280 lebbeke belgi 32 52 41 25 34 t kreatiefje maaseik eikerstraat 63 3680 maaseik belgi 32 89 563 468 visit website t lemster wolhs straatweg 70b 8531 pz lemmer nederland 0638055741 visit website t naaihoekje marktplein 33 8750 zwevezele belgi 32 51 613 244 t naaiwinkeltje neerlintersesteenweg 5 3300 oplinter tienen belgi 32 16 816 439 t spinneke dorpsstraat 59 4861 ab chaam nederland 0161 778 070 visit website t spoeltje modestoffen biezelingsestraat 14 4421 bm kapelle nederland 0113 330 077 visit website t stoffenwinkeltje kapellestraat 30 2431 veerle laakdal belgi 32 14 840 948 t trendje hoogstraat 60 5051 rx goirle nederland 013 534 1020 visit website t voorpand molenberg 9 8325 bb vollenhove nederland 06 34 11 74 75 visit website t wolhofke wijmersweg 79 9919 bk loppersum nederland 0650675414 t wolhuisje statiestraat 62 8810 lichtervelde belgi 32 471 087 435 t wolmoleken ridderstraat 18 9200 dendermonde belgi 32 52 218 614 t wolpunt julianaplein 9 7681 ax vroomshoop nederland 0613045622 visit website t wolwinkeltje parijsstraat 25 a 3000 leuven belgi 32 16 227 548 visit website t zwarte schaap korte kapoeniestraat 1 7001 ca doetinchem nederland 0314 345 348 t dijkstra markthandel eco eckiusstraat 25 9051 cb stiens nederland 058 257 2475 taj crafts 71 pyle street newport po30 1uj isle of wight united kingdom uk 44 0 1983 533377 visit website talili 8 hagat street 378610 katzir israel tant thea sdra storgatan 14 252 23 helsingborg sweden 46 42 13 51 53 visit website tante janna s atelier professor oudpark 72 6716 ej ede nederland 06 29 00 28 12 visit website tante thea ratzeburger allee 29 23562 lbeck germany 49 451 98906844 tassies haakwinkel dorpstraat 42 3433 cl nieuwegein nederland 06 33 14 92 02 visit website tausendschn mainzer strasse 24 66111 saarbrcken germany 49 681 9880181 visit website ten klooster gaffel 80 8061 lc hasselt nederland 038 477 3441 texelana shop weverstraat 38 1791 ae den burg nederland 0222 320038 visit website texas yarn farm po box 46 tx 76379 scotland texas united states usa visit website the barn yarn the old grain barn moss end village maidenhead road rg42 6ej warfield bracknell united kingdom 07767476262 visit website the bubbles radenberg 15 9506 idegem belgi 32 478 293 241 visit website the crazy quilt westwagenstraat 95 4201 hg gorinchem nederland 0183 760 873 visit website the gilliangladrag fluff a torium 20 west street rh4 1bl dorking united kingdom 44 1306 898144 visit website the knitter attic pump corner bredfield ip13 ah woodbridge united kingdom uk 44 1394 547077 visit website the knitting club alatsaton 11 14231 nea lonia athene greece 302130344606 visit website the make it shop 488 wilbraham road m21 9as manchester united kingdom 44 161 881 6858 visit website the readshop eelde hoofdweg 71 9761eb eelde nederland 050 3095774 the stitchery sherwood park alberta canada 780 905 6110 visit website the wool baa 187 hamilton road ip11 7dt felixstowe united kingdom uk 44 7752776942 the woollen hideaway the long room babylon lane pr6 9nr chorley united kingdom uk the yarn tree faklands ave 8 2193 johannesburg south africa 2782751968 visit website tinonee treasures shop 1 51 beecher street 2430 tinonee nsw australia 0403015722 tinsimink brisbane 4069 brisbane australia visit website tinys hobby passionistenlaan 3 8500 kortrijk belgi 32 56 214 516 visit website tirelire sint cicindriastraat 5 3800 sint truiden belgi 32 499 218 019 visit website tiretteke markt 19 2590 berlaar belgi 32 34 225 867 toby co haakveld 35 2547 lint belgi visit website tndering strik graven 3 8000 aarhus c denmark 45 88 42 08 70 visit website trendy stoffen dorpsplein 28 6658 cl beneden leeuwen nederland 0487 506 253 visit website trendywol zo grote dijlakker 44 8701 kx bolsward nederland 06 39 44 98 85 visit website triscote boulevard de la marne 41 77420 champs sur marne france 33 892 976 186 visit website trizas y trazos calle fuenterraba 3 28014 madrid spain 34 910 29 44 28 visit website turquoise brusselsesteenweg 5 1500 halle belgi 32 484 94 61 91 tussen haakjes liersebaan 104 2240 zandhoven belgi 32 479 431 039 visit website tuuleluud tallinna 16 93819 saare mk estonia 372 501 9927 twinset fashion grachtstraat 19a 9991 ba middelstum nederland 0595 552 794 visit website twist yarn company 265 king street l4r 3m4 midland canada 1705 527 7585 visit website upplings garn mode kungsgatan 2 722 11 vsters sweden 46 21 13 00 94 visit website vamms fiber arts llc webshop 1213 w madison ave 68701 norfolk united states of america 14027502452 visit website van daalen mode marktstraat 3 4527 cl aardenburg nederland 0117 491 517 visit website van den bos molenstraat 10 4311 ec bruinisse nederland 0111 481 595 visit website van der lee stoffen stationsstraat 30 1211 en hilversum nederland 035 621 8816 visit website van der raad spaarnwouderstraat 124 2011 ah haarlem nederland 023 538 3033 visit website van der wouden lange stoep 9 2941 ae lekkerkerk nederland 0180 661 253 van hove bonaventura kamperbaan 19 3940 hechtel eksel belgi 32 11 734 437 vanillamuss moscow russia 79852809713 visit website van de veerdonk fournituren kruisstraat 41a 5341 ha oss nederland 0413 631264 van soest dorpsstraat 30 3648ah wilnis nederland 0297 282 148 visit website van weerden mode wonen hogestraat 20 9919 am loppersum nederland 0596 571 465 visit website varbergs ull garn sveagatan 11 432 42 varberg sweden 46 0 340 83240 visit website variatiekraam marktplein 3 9861 ja grootegast nederland 085 208 0785 visit website veltrop shop zesstedenweg 81 1613 jb grootebroek nederland 0228 515 611 visit website vera s krealade hoofdstraat 89 9861 ac grootegast nederland 06 16 48 13 28 visit website verf en wonen ochten b v schoolstraat 6 4051 av ochten nederland 0344 645 660 vero louise zuidstraat 12 8630 veurne belgi 32 58 623 996 visit website vertlaine rue des croisiers 22 5000 namur belgi 32 0 81 222 312 visit website verwaayen rozenstraat 7 6673 ag andelst nederland 0488 454 864 verwimp luc lierseweg 2 2200 herentals belgie 0032 476595873 very wool calle jose del toro 23 11004 cadiz spain 34 956 07 00 43 visit website victoria vip fashion prozastraat 1321 kp almere nederland 06 801 41 638 visit website vlaswinkel callunaplein 50 6951 cr dieren nederland v o f schepping agnietensteeg 10 7201 kt zutphen nederland 0575 514 276 visit website wolwinkel voor de sier middenpad 5 7772 bw hardenberg nederland 06 30 13 29 45 vultink s glas decoratie oudestraat 66 7161dx neede nederland 0683773969 0545785134 wanders kapelstraat 102 5591 hh heeze nederland 040 226 4509 warenhuis houter dorpsstraat 48 8899 aj vlieland nederland 0562 451 354 visit website warenhuis pijnacker hoofdstraat 46 9172 mp ferwert nederland 0518 412 376 visit website wawol dorpsstraat 2 8490 jabbeke belgie 0474 53 69 22 visit website webs america s yarn store service center rd 75 01060 northampton ma united states usa 1 1 800 367 9327 visit website welkoop wolvega stationsweg 12 8471 ar wolvega nederland 0561 612 562 welnabawelna pl poznanska 127a 21 05 850 ozarow mazowiecki poland 48 514 104 818 visit website wenasi yarns trading llc 1005 damac business tower al abraj street business bay dubai 971566903445 visit website wendy s home collection visit website wendy s naaiboetiek mortelstraat 1a 2960 brecht belgi 32 475 557 511 werbestudio wendel steinkaul 28 53881 euskirchen germany 49 2255 950442 visit website wester creatief jan van schaffelaarstraat 11 3771 bp barneveld nederland 0342 400 043 visit website wicked geelsebaan 76 2460 kasterlee belgi 32 14 590 779 visit website wicked wool rue principale 74 8376 kahler luxemburg 352 661 157 210 visit website wiela skaftsvgen 1 13974 djurhamn sweden wilmas naald en draad langestraat 14 3861 bn nijkerk nederland 033 2454477 wilmas wolltreff wolle und wohlfhlen janningsweg 8 48159 mnster germany 492512639777 visit website winkel van sinkel hogehuisstraat 15 8271 br ijsselmuiden nederland 038 333 6680 winkeltje nooit gedacht klapstraat 129 6931 ch westervoort nederland 026 379 0307 visit website winkeltje van jannetje harderwijkerweg 45a 3888 lp uddel nederland 0577 401 076 winnie s wool wagon 3 woodbine park a94 t8p0 dublin ireland 353 1 260 3734 visit website wish i were stitching 12 arumugam road unit 03 12a ltc building b 409958 singapore singapore 68414380 visit website wol h kiewietstraat 6 9988 sm usquert nederland 06 43 81 21 40 wol zo dijkstraat 52 9901at appingedam nederland 06 33829264 wol lokaal dorpsstraat 251a 1531 hg wormer nederland 0649308200 visit website wol en breiboetiek ans bienefelt heuvelsweg 7 4321 te kerkwerve nederland 0111 412 179 visit website wol en quiltschuurtje garst 18 9673 ae winschoten nederland 0597 672 054 wol en wol raadhuisplein 22 1701 ej heerhugowaard nederland 06 23818272 visit website wol en zo bonheiden schoolstraat 4 2820 bonheiden belgi 32 15 527 660 visit website wol met verve de zegge 6 8064 dv zwartsluis nederland 06 51 82 14 18 visit website wol van grobbebol reigerpad 7 3766 xa soest nederland 035 880 0533 visit website wol van moos voorstraat 20 4793 ev fijnaart nederland 06 21 89 28 48 visit website wolatelier bernardien dorpstraat 9 11 4356 ah oostkapelle nederland 0118 582 762 visit website wolatelier knots bruggestraat 37 3841 cm harderwijk nederland 06 11 35 21 43 visit website wolby gran canariastraat 78 1339 xl almere nederland 036 713 0933 visit website wolcaf varkensmarkt 6 2871 cx schoonhoven nederland 06 13 83 52 75 visit website wolhandel oost coevorderstraatweg 101 7911 tb nieuweroord nederland 0528 342 024 wolheukske markt 30 6051 dz maasbracht nederland 0475 466 273 wolhoekje alise van echtenskanaal 143a 7891 ah klazienaveen nederland 0591 317 990 visit website wollandhof hollandhof 30 5709 da helmond nederland 06 49 67 23 70 visit website wolle mehr hauptstrasse 88 58332 schwelm germany 49 233 640 850 30 visit website wolle petra eversdijckstraat 34a 3083 mbvvv rotterdam nederland 010 7370999 visit website wollenbak lauralaan 54 1082 brussel belgi 32 26 699 099 visit website wollerlei van baerlestraat 101 3132 ec vlaardingen nederland 010 435 2777 visit website wolletjes nistelrode weijen 16 5388 hn nistelrode nederland 0412 610 071 visit website wolletjes uithuizen hoofdstraat oost 12 9981 ah uithuizen nederland 0595 854 238 wolleundhandarbeit wiener strae 8 2640 gloggnitz austria 43 2662 42308 visit website wollig herenstraat 95 2271 cc voorburg nederland 070 415 8321 visit website wolliges vom tauchkrampus hauptstrae 24 top 1 8301 lanitzhhe austria 43 664 1207050 visit website wolllolli lippramsdorfer strasse 347 46286 dorsten germany visit website wollgefhl gbr kurze str 6 71332 waiblingen germany 49 7151 9448320 visit website wollstreet rijksweg noord 58 6131 cm sittard nederland 046 458 6330 visit website wollstube wollin hermann krimmer weg 9 71522 backnang germany visit website wolltreff kannenstrasse 16 91522 ansbach germany 49 981 97220610 visit website wollyhood concordiastraat 68 22 3551 em utrecht nederland 06 13 61 31 26 visit website wolmarkt de roef 2 4285 wr woudrichem nederland 0183 301 110 visit website wolnut bissegemsestraat 224 8501 bissegem belgi 32 56 294 944 visit website wolrus bergstraat 33 2220 heist op den berg belgi 32 15 64 40 10 visit website wolschuur achteres 2a 7683 sw den ham nederland 0546 671 794 wolshop grensstreek bosvelden 19 2370 arendonk belgi visit website wolshop jabo pastoor van eekelenstraat 27 4721 bb schijf nederland 0165 342 467 visit website wolstube franekereind 19 8861 aa harlingen nederland 06 31900610 visit website wolstudio fochteloo stienekamp 20 8428 ha fochteloo nederland 0516 588 515 visit website wol uniek bevrijding 79 7121 ws aalten nederland 0543 538948 visit website wolwebwinkel 1dr8 de bleek 2 5801 md venray nederland 06 13231433 visit website wolweide be tuinwijk 48 8600 diksmuide blgie 0474 86 66 14 visit website wolwinkel atelier ann het nieveen 52 7948 cj nijeveen nederland 06 24 32 37 92 visit website wolwinkelputten nl dorpsstraat 21 3881 ba putten nederland 0 6 27 190 938 visit website wolwolf mispelbilk 30 9030 mariakerke belgi 32 92 276 518 visit website woolmarket aufeldgasse 37 3400 klosterneuburg austria 00436644311321 visit website wool n yarn webshop brisbane australia 61 427 987 937 visit website wool tree plymouth lippell drive 11 pl9 9e plymouth united kingdom 44 1752 229921 visit website woolys blatenplak 14 6644 cj ewijk nederland 06 44 60 46 27 visit website yarn basket jupiter crescent 11 3977 cranbourne west vic australia 61430565846 visit website yarnbow inc 1310 ranch road 620 south suite b202 austin texas us united states of america 1 5127771703 visit website yarn etc knaresborough road 17 hg2 7sr harrogate united kingdom 44 142 388 5565 visit website yarn glorious yarn moggill road suite 11 180 4068 taringa australia 61 438374364 visit website yarn in the works pound lane 28 sheung wan hong kong china 852 2915 8211 yarn me calm 3033 east keilor australia 61417506018 visit website yarnfreak ingerslevs plads 2 8000 aarhus denmark 45 93 97 78 33 visit website yarno dk flengsager 4000 roskilde denmark visit website yarns for all website australia 61 433 206 390 visit website yarn souq office 27 asala alkhaleej business center 22nd floor concord tower dubai media city united arab emirates 971 50 104 5130 yarn wool website slovakia 421 948 780 550 visit website yarninspired 5 treetop street tea tree gully s a 5091 south australia 61449021963 visit website yarnonet rabbenvegen 59 3740 skien norway 47 404 06 843 visit website yla lifestyle wol leichelweg 24 7241 cv lochem nederland 0573 460412 visit website yourzs nl webshop speelhuislaan 67 4815 cc breda nederland visit website ytims wol en zo erasmuslaan 74 8024 dc zwolle nederland 06 40 31 14 32 visit website zaans geluk kleine tocht 7l 1507 cb zaandam nederland 075 6124024 visit website zapleteno pekask 50 60200 brno czech republic 420775054790 visit website zelfgemaakt hasselt bvba paalsteenstraat 140 3500 hasselt belgi 0488 01 45 54 visit website zin in breien van ewijkweg 35 6861 zc oosterbeek nederland 06 38 28 57 37 visit website zwarte schaap nijverheidsweg 8 5421 wn gemert nederland 049 2364952 visit website stay in touch mercuriusweg 16 9482 wl tynaarlo the netherlands contact us by email or find us on social media find your way patterns yarn accessories books bloggers friends cals mals shops about us shops contact history privacystatement newsletter sign up now leave your email address close home patterns yarn accessories books bloggers friends cals mals shops language nederlands english </s>
<s>[INST] coal mining supplies near me [/INST] canadian cluster data data by cluster traded clusters 51 traded clusters produce goods and services in a particular locale and then distribute across the nation or to other countries these clusters are concentrated only in a handful of regions aerospace vehicles and defense cluster composition aircraft missiles and space vehicles and search and navigation equipment see data see linkages agricultural inputs and services cluster composition agricultural services farm management and labor services and fertilizers see data see linkages apparel cluster composition accessories and specialty apparel men s clothing women s clothing and apparel contractors see data see linkages automotive cluster composition automotive parts gasoline engines and engine parts motor vehicles small vehicles military vehicles and tanks and metal mills and foundries see data see linkages biopharmaceuticals cluster composition biopharmaceutical products biological products and diagnostic substances see data see linkages business services cluster composition corporate headquarters consulting services business support services computer services employment placement services engineering services architectural and drafting services and ground passenger transportation see data see linkages coal mining cluster composition coal mining see data see linkages communications equipment and services cluster composition communications services communications equipment and communications equipment components see data see linkages construction products and services cluster composition construction water sewage and other systems construction products construction components and construction materials see data see linkages distribution and electronic commerce cluster composition warehousing and storage electronic and catalog shopping wholesale trade agents and brokers support services wholesale of apparel and accessories wholesale of books periodicals and newspapers wholesale of chemical and allied products and wholesale of drugs and druggists sundries wholesale of farm products and supplies wholesale of food products wholesale of furniture and home furnishing wholesale of jewelry watches precious stones and precious metals wholesale of paper and paper products wholesale of sporting and recreational goods and supplies wholesale of toy and hobby goods and supplies wholesale of other merchandise wholesale of farm and garden machinery and equipment wholesale of construction and mining machinery and equipment wholesale of industrial machinery equipment and suppliers wholesale of service establishment equipment and supplies wholesale of transportation equipment and supplies except motor vehicles wholesale of professional and commercial equipment and supplies wholesale of electrical and electronic goods wholesale of metals and minerals except petroleum wholesale of petroleum and petroleum products and rental and leasing see data see linkages downstream chemical products cluster composition personal care and cleaning products processed chemical products dyes pigments and coating explosives and lubricating oils and greases see data see linkages downstream metal products cluster composition metal products ammunition fabricated metal structures and metal containers see data see linkages education and knowledge creation cluster composition training programs colleges universities and professional schools educational support services research organizations and professional organizations see data see linkages electric power generation and transmission cluster composition fossil fuel electric power alternative electric power and electric power transmission see data see linkages environmental services cluster composition waste collection waste processing and other waste management services see data see linkages financial services cluster composition financial investment activities credit intermediation credit bureaus monetary authorities central bank and securities brokers dealers and exchanges see data see linkages fishing and fishing products cluster composition fishing and fishing products see data see linkages food processing and manufacturing cluster composition specialty foods and ingredients baked goods candy and chocolate coffee and tea packaged fruit and vegetables dairy products animal foods soft drinks and ice malt beverages distilleries wineries milling and refining of cereals and oilseeds milling and refining of sugar farm wholesalers and glass containers see data see linkages footwear cluster composition footwear and footwear components see data see linkages forestry cluster composition forestry see data see linkages furniture cluster composition household furniture institutional furniture office furniture wood cabinets and woodwork and mobile homes see data see linkages hospitality and tourism cluster composition spectator sports amusement parks and arcades cultural and educational entertainment gambling facilities other tourism attractions accommodations and related services and tourism related services see data see linkages information technology and analytical instruments cluster composition electronic components computers and peripherals semiconductors software publishers software reproducing process and laboratory instruments medical apparatus and audio and video equipment see data see linkages insurance services cluster composition insurance related services insurance carriers and reinsurance carriers see data see linkages jewelry and precious metals cluster composition jewelry and precious metals products see data see linkages leather and related products cluster composition personal leather goods and luggage women s handbags and purses and textile bags and canvas products see data see linkages lighting and electrical equipment cluster composition lighting fixtures and parts electrical equipment electrical components and storage batteries see data see linkages livestock processing cluster composition meat processing and livestock merchant wholesalers see data see linkages marketing design and publishing cluster composition advertising related services other marketing related services design services and publishing see data see linkages medical devices cluster composition optical instruments and ophthalmic goods and surgical and dental instruments and supplies see data see linkages metal mining cluster composition metal mining see data see linkages metalworking technology cluster composition metalworking machinery machine tools and accessories hand tools fasteners and metal processing see data see linkages music and sound recording cluster composition music and sound recording see data see linkages nonmetal mining cluster composition nonmetal mining see data see linkages oil and gas production and transportation cluster composition petroleum processing support activities for oil and gas operations drilling wells oil and gas extraction oil and gas machinery and pipeline transportation see data see linkages paper and packaging cluster composition paper mills packaging and paper products see data see linkages performing arts cluster composition performing artists and promoters and managers see data see linkages plastics cluster composition plastic products and plastic materials and resins see data see linkages printing services cluster composition printing inputs support activities for printing printing services and greeting card printing and publishing see data see linkages production technology and heavy machinery cluster composition industrial machinery agricultural and construction machinery and components air handling equipment commercial and service industry machinery moving and material handling equipment and process equipment and components see data see linkages recreational and small electric goods cluster composition recreational and decorative goods games toys and children s vehicles motorcycles and bicycles sporting and athletic goods office supplies and electric housewares see data see linkages textile manufacturing cluster composition yarn and thread mills fabric mills textile and fabric finishing knitting mills household textile products other textile products and fibers see data see linkages tobacco cluster composition tobacco see data see linkages trailers motor homes and appliances cluster composition trailers and motor homes burial caskets and household appliances see data see linkages transportation and logistics cluster composition air transportation specialty air transportation ground transportation support activities trucking and bus transportation see data see linkages upstream chemical products cluster composition organic chemicals inorganic chemicals industrial gas and agricultural chemicals see data see linkages upstream metal manufacturing cluster composition iron and steel mills and forging metal processing metal products and wires and springs see data see linkages video production and distribution cluster composition video production and distribution see data see linkages vulcanized and fired materials cluster composition clay products and refractories glass products and rubber products see data see linkages water transportation cluster composition water passenger transportation marine transportation services and boat building and repairing see data see linkages wood products cluster composition wood processing wood components and products and prefabricated wood building see data see linkages local clusters 16 local clusters are found everywhere and produce goods and services that are needed by the local population local food and beverage processing and distribution cluster composition food wholesaling commerical and retail bakeries retail food stores tobacco retailing beer and liquor wholesaling beer wine and liquor retailing and vending and direct selling see data local personal services non medical cluster composition cleaning services hair care services photographic and photofinishing services repair services child care services other personal services and personal products retailing see data local health services cluster composition healthcare provider offices hospitals medical laboratories home and residential care funeral service and crematories medical equipment distribution and rental drug stores and optical goods retailing see data local utilities cluster composition communications services electric power distribition natural gas distribution heating oil and other fuel dealers and sanitary services see data local logistical services cluster composition local passenger transportation llocal transportation services warehousing services truck leasing and passenger car rental see data local household goods and services cluster composition landscape and horticultural services electronics repair appliance retailing hardware wholesaling hardware retailing gardening products and supplies retailing and furniture and homefurnishings retailing see data local financial services cluster composition deposit taking institutions pension health and welfare funds insurance agents and brokers tax return preparation services and collection agencies see data local motor vehicle products and services cluster composition automotive wholesaling automobile dealers other motor vehicles distribution automotive repair shops gasoline stations parking services other automotive services automotive parts wholesaling and automotive parts retailing see data local retailing of clothing and general merchandise cluster composition apparel retailing jewelry retailing general merchandise retailing sewing needlework and piece goods retailing and luggage retailing see data local entertainment and media cluster composition newspapers electronic media movie theatres book and periodical retailing musical instruments retailing sporting and hobby retailing video rental and electronic and photographic retailing see data local hospitality establishments cluster composition hospitality establishments recreational facilities and instruction and gifts and souvenirs retailing see data local commercial services cluster composition local professional services commercial photography printing and signmaking laundry and linen services building support services miscellaneous repair services security services testing laboratories and stationery and office supply retailing see data local education and training cluster composition elementary and secondary schools job training services and recreational and other services see data local community and civic organizations cluster composition trusts social service organizations business associations labor organizations political organizations and religious organizations see data local real estate construction and development cluster composition real estate services general contractors developers specialty contractors highway and street construction water and sewer line construction concrete products construction materials wholesaling construction materials retailing and building equipment see data local industrial products and services cluster composition industrial repair services industrial products and services wholesaling industrial machinery and distribution and miscellaneous equipment rental and leasing see data 2017 2018 2016 2017 2015 2016 2014 2015 data by cluster data by region cluster studies </s>
<s>[INST] buy horse feed near me [/INST] home page free shipping on all outerwear online only shop now feed the birds only thebest shop now get prepared calving supplies shop now price actual price our price is lower than the manufacturer s minimum advertised price as a result we cannot show you the price in catalog or the product page you have no obligation to purchase the product once you know the price you can simply remove the item from your cart great deals to feed the birds products list quick view backyard wonder backyard wonder hanging platform feeder sku 107412229 product price 29 99 be the first to review quick view backyard wonder backyard wonder suet feeder sku 100003781 product price 34 99 be the first to review quick view backyard wonder backyard wonder backyard nut mealworm blend wild bird food sku mas4132 starting at product price 9 99 rating 100 of 100 100 1 review quick view cardinal wild bird food sku mas002674 starting at product price 15 99 be the first to review quick view songbird essentials whole peanut wreath ring feeder sku 107364043 product price 16 99 be the first to review quick view pine tree farms peanut butter suet cake 3lb sku 107300742 product price 9 99 be the first to review quick view inshell peanuts 5lb bag sku 107299375 product price 16 99 be the first to review quick view suet balls peanut butter 4 pk sku 107300701 product price 5 99 be the first to review quality products with trusted value steel ford riding toy over 49 off shop now reliable electric heaters shop now fresh water not frozen stock tank de icers shop now this is orscheln new store now open decatur tx learn more newstorenowopen phillipsburg ks learn more in stores online heating guide view now start following our blog check it out beekeeping supplies in stores online shop now happeningnow instoresonly see the sale this week s deals products list quick view cat cat heavy mover sku 100007372 regular price 49 99 special price 34 99 be the first to review quick view tonka tonka steel excavator sku 100007366 regular price 49 99 special price 34 99 be the first to review quick view tonka tonka classic steel crane sku 100007365 regular price 49 99 special price 34 99 be the first to review quick view tuff tools engine overhaul sku 100005654 product price 24 99 be the first to review quick view tactix tactix 21 in structure foam case sku 100000623 regular price 34 99 special price 14 99 be the first to review quick view tactix tactix interlock organizer 15 in 37 5cm 2pc sku 100000601 regular price 14 99 special price 8 99 be the first to review quick view tactix tactix plastic organizer set 4 in 1 sku 100000599 regular price 12 99 special price 8 99 be the first to review quick view milwaukee milwaukee shockwave red helix titanium drill bit set 10 pc sku 107409716 regular price 29 99 special price 14 99 be the first to review quick view vise grip 2 pc groovelock pliers set sku 101011180 regular price 24 99 special price 19 99 be the first to review our mission to provide the communities we serve with quality products trusted value and neighborly service with the highest level of integrity and appreciation </s>
<s>[INST] buy wood gasifier [/INST] thriveoffgrid net gasifier pellet stove united states gasifier wood gasifier commercial gasifier for sale gasifier for sale biomass gasifier biomass generator for sale wood gas forum free gasifier plans commercial wood gasification generator best wood gasifier design micro wood gasifier small gasifier fema gasifier welcome to thrive energy systems the 2020model year is here for the2020model year we introduce you to fusion gasifier the 2020 fusion gasifier systems are offered in a stand alone gasifier module orfully integrated gasifier power units they feature full automation and controlledfroma touch screen interface the automation features self ignition flare lighting engine generator controls electronic automaticfuel mixture control system vitals monitoring and automated gasifier support systems all from an interactive display system machines are very easy to use and maintain with low maintenance just clean out the ash and drain the filter system once a week all new 2020 machines feature our new self cleaning micron filter system this filter system scrubs the gas up to 300 microns tar will never be an issue ever with this system and render the fusion gasifier systems as the cleanest engine grade gas systems on market this along with the reliability of our well developed automation systems will set the stage for us to enter into the mass market if you are looking for the best look no further you are already here 2020 base features all models 1 4 inch 7mm wood pellets standardized fuel 14 gage and 12 gage steel base construction thick 1 4 inch wall cast stainless steel reactor cores 1 3kgs kw consumption rate 0 65 kgs kw on chp models power options are 2 5kw up to 12 5kw low maintenance filtration system 12 hour char ash clean out intervals units starting out at just 3500 00 down to learn more see our products page here versifire 2020 fusion stand alonegasifier module 2019 flex power system 2018 utility gasifier main corporate office 13980 155th ave grand haven mi 49417 mryder thrivenrg net </s>
<s>[INST] forestry business logo [/INST] choctaw land timber contact us about us recent projects career opportunities 850 951 0630 welcome timber harvesting trucking reforestation choctaw land timber contact us about us recent projects career opportunities 850 951 0630 professional forestry services timber harvesting logging trucking hauling reforestation professional forestry services meeting your forestry needs is our business choctaw land timber is a full service timber company serving the panhandle of florida and south alabama we take great pride in our team our work and our clients to ensure you are working with experts who have an in depth understanding and experience in the forestry industry over the years we have worked hard to develop a successful team who can handle many facets of the business from timber purchasing harvesting and more choctaw land timber is made up of several entities ready and able to handle all forestry related needs from harvesting large tracts of land to helping produce successful forestry activities for current and future generations our many years of experience has helped us build a solid reputation for success by developing strong working relationships and providing our property owners with well thought out forestry practices it is important that our landowners feel completely confident in our abilities to help them meet both their needs and future objectives maintaining an excellent reputation is our top priority and we will work tirelessly to provide superior service to our customers over the years we have worked with many landowners where most end up to be long term customers a great deal of trust is placed in our abilities and we want all customers to experience the advantages of working with the choctaw land timber team view our recent projects founded in 2005 multiple dedicated logging crews company owned harvesting crews expert procurement department master logger since 1995 sfi certified and trained trained in all bmps and smzs timber purchasing and harvesting reforestation and road construction services internal trucking department direct dealer from landowner to mill call now 850 951 0630 choctaw land timber llc 850 951 0630 info choctawlandandtimber com physical address 672 baldwin avenue defuniak springs fl 32435 mailing address p o box 1553 defuniak springs fl 32435 shop address 1383 fink mill road samson al 36477 timber purchase timber harvesting trucking reforestation proudly serving locations in northwest florida and south alabama memberships sitemap copyright 2020 choctaw land timber </s>
<s>[INST] buy wood uk online [/INST] wood products sca wood products share share on facebook share on twitter share on linkedin copy link we provide high quality wood products for the timber industry our products made of high quality raw materials from northern sweden are manufactured in the uk sweden and france and are used around the world by for example individuals architects and professionals our wood products go to the home improvement building materials sectors and also to the wood industry wood for merchants retailers high quality machined softwood carcassing mdf sheet materials sawn timber and decking both softwood and compositeavailable to the merchant retail industry wood for builder s merchants retailers wood products for builder s merchants retailers builder s merchants retailers builder s merchants retailers wood for industry we create products that are fully adapted to the needs that you and your company have to find the right properties for your final product we use x ray when we sort the raw material wood for industrial uses wood products for the industry wood industry wood industry wood for your home our high quality wood products offerdurability and possess unique slow grown properties due to their nordic origin no dream is too big when using our products get inspired wood products for your home for your home for your home softwood shavings for your horse thoroughbred wood shavings are only produced by machining kiln dried pure softwood material and are never blended or mixed with lower grade or chipped end of life wood this ensures we provide you with a low moisture content bale with a light dry flake excellent for absorbency and cushioning only available in the uk softwood bedding softwood shavings thoroughbred thoroughbred europe s leading supplier we have five sawmills in sweden and wood processing units with planing and distribution centres in the uk sweden and france we are one of europe s leading suppliers of wood based products we employee approximately 1 100 colleagues to produce 2 2 million cubic meters per year which generates sales of over 4 6 billion our businesses about us fact file fact file with the force of the forest we contribute to a sustainable future read more about our sustainability strategy sca sustainability sustainability sustainability news news news open close new sca wood magazine focuses on sustainability and wood today we are launching the brand new sca wood magazine this magazine focuses on sustainability and wood it contains fascinating stories from all over the world and interviews with amazing people all content is strongly connected to the material of the future wood 2020 03 25 3 open close new edition of timber news in the new issue of timber news you can amo ng other things read about how using timber will cut the carbon footprint for the paris olympics in 2024 as well as how architecture students create oases of calm in the nature 2019 10 14 0 news to all news sca wood magazine sca wood magazine 1 2020 pdf new window download sca wood magazine become a subscriber do you want to read interesting articles about both our business and our customers do you want to be inspired and read interviews and tips about wood then sca wood magazine is the magazine for you subscribetoday its free sca wood magazine become a subscriber sca wood magazine sca wood magazine slavery and human trafficking statement slavery and human trafficking statement statement statement </s>
<s>[INST] buy horse chestnut [/INST] horse chestnut all auction buy it now sort best match best match time ending soonest time newly listed price shipping lowest first price shipping highest first distance nearest first view gallery view 1 25 of 5 983 results guaranteed 3 day delivery horse chestnut improves blood circulation extract 350 mg 60 capsules 1 out of 5 stars 1 product rating 1 product ratings horse chestnut improves blood circulation extract 350 mg 60 capsules 8 37 from india was previous price 9 30 free shipping or best offer 16 sold watch horse chestnut extract powder 20 aescin varicose control spider veins 8 45 to 79 95 from india free shipping horse chestnut extract capsules 20 aescin varicose control spider veins 6 95 to 77 95 from india free shipping horse chestnut extract 20 aescin 500mg caps circulatory varicose support 0 99 to 35 43 from india free shipping 6 watching aescin horse chestnut extract 98 aescin by hplc powder pure high quality 6 50 to 325 00 from india free shipping horse chestnut extract 20 aescin 500mg capsules circulatory varicose support 1 49 to 35 49 from india trending at 15 49 ebay determines this price through a machine learned model of the product s sale prices within the last 90 days free shipping 28 sold horse chestnut extract 20 aescin 500mg120 capsules circulatory varicose support 15 49 from india free shipping 12 sold watch planetary herbals horse chestnut cream tonifier for tissue 2 oz 56 7 g 4 5 out of 5 stars 8 product ratings 8 product ratings planetary herbals horse chestnut cream tonifier for tissue 2 oz 56 7 g 13 26 brand planetary herbals free shipping watch horse chestnut extract capsules 20 aescin varicose control spider veins 6 95 to 77 95 from india free shipping horse chestnut varicose veins 50 caps castaa de indias para las varices 11 00 14 25 shipping 148 sold watch aescin horse chestnut extract 98 aescin by hplc powder pure high quality 6 50 to 325 00 from india free shipping horse chestnut relief joint pain extract powder herbal supplement capsule 2 23 to 34 07 from india free shipping 2 watching pure horse chestnut extract powder 20 aescin varicose spider veins control 3 49 to 141 49 from india free shipping horse chestnut extract powder 20 aescin varicose control spider veins 8 45 to 79 95 from india free shipping 7 sold horse chestnut tincture extract 100 natural aescin conker highest quality 100ml 15 99 from romania 7 99 shipping watch horse chestnut extract powder 20 aescin varicose control spider veins 8 45 to 79 95 top rated plus free shipping from india horse chestnut aescin extract for circulatory system immune caps pure 2 01 to 30 66 from india was previous price 14 89 free shipping horse chestnut extract 400mg solaray 60 caps 5 out of 5 stars 9 product ratings 9 product ratings horse chestnut extract 400mg solaray 60 caps 9 38 brand solaray was previous price 15 09 customs services and international tracking provided 25 07 shipping watch horse chestnut 20 aescin extract 180 capsules for circulatory system pure herb 17 09 from india was previous price 18 99 free shipping watch aescin horse chestnut extract 98 aescin by hplc powder pure high quality 6 50 to 325 00 top rated plus free shipping from india horse chestnut standardized extract 90 quick release capsules 200 mg each 9 45 top rated plus trending at 9 98 ebay determines this price through a machine learned model of the product s sale prices within the last 90 days 7 00 shipping watch planetary herbals horse chestnut full spectrum 60 tablets 13 48 brand planetary herbals free shipping see similar items watch horse chestnut extract capsules 20 aescin varicose control spider veins 6 95 to 77 95 from india free shipping horse chestnut extract capsules 20 aescin varicose control spider veins 6 95 to 77 95 top rated plus free shipping from india planetary herbals horse chestnut 4 oz cream 5 out of 5 stars 32 product ratings 32 product ratings planetary herbals horse chestnut 4 oz cream 12 36 brand planetary herbals was previous price 18 54 60 00 shipping watch results pagination page 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 side refine panel brand see all now foods natures way unbranded puritan s pride solaray gnc planetary herbals guaranteed delivery see all no preference 1 day shipping 2 day shipping 3 day shipping 4 day shipping condition see all new used not specified price under 9 00 9 00 to 10 00 over 10 00 please provide a valid price range buying format see all all listings best offer auction buy it now classified ads item location see all delivery options see all free shipping free in store pickup show only see all returns accepted completed items sold items deals savings authorized seller authenticity verified more refinements more refinements </s>
<s>[INST] where to buy pacific herring [/INST] the real story of puget sounds disappearing herring rumors about local herring abound here s the scoop from the scientists facebook twitter print email linkedin author lisa stiffler lisa stiffler on march 29 2013 at 8 00 am editors note a revised version of this article is available as a pdf pacific herring stevewyshy flickr puget sounds pacific herring are a small fish with a whale sized slate of problems many of the local herring stocks are in decline and despite some localized efforts to save them their numbers havent bounced back scientists have identified numerous culprits that have likely contributed to the waning populations including disease pollution increasing numbers of predators climate change shoreline development and fishing but from this line up of offenders no one has been able to pinpoint the villain that bears the greatest blame for the herrings troubles it hasnt been for a lack of trying the washington department of fish and wildlife keep the closest watch over puget sounds approximately 20 pacific herring stocks with particular attention to the fish that spawn at cherry point north of bellingham the cherry point herring were once the largest stock in puget sound but the population has been in a near freefall for decades the number of spawning fish plummeted 92 percent from 1973 to 2012 according to data from the wdfws kurt stick not all of the herring are in such dire straits in its 2008 assessment the most recent available wdfw concluded that 47 percent of the regions herring stocks were healthy or moderately healthy based on their abundance however that only tells part of the story wayne landis director of the institute of environmental toxicology at western washington university and herring population expert drilled into wdfw data that included information about the age of the fish age matters because older fish have more and healthier offspring in a paper published in 2010 landis concluded that in the 70s local herring sometimes lived 8 or 9 years but that over time the stocks have been getting younger until now most live only to age 2 or 3 and this trend toward younger fish was seen in populations not just at cherry point but around puget sound but because cherry point was such an important stock historically and one that dropped so far the fish there have garnered special attention cherry point aquatic reserve washington state department of natural resources flickr while the state still allows some herring fishing in puget sound cherry point fish and eggs were put off limits for a period in the 1980s and then permanently in 1996 in 2000 the state department of natural resources created the cherry point aquatic reserve to protect the significant environmental resource of the area including the herring four years later conservationists tried unsuccessfully to get endangered species act protections for the beleaguered population the petition was denied in large part because federal scientists argued that other herring stocks could repopulate the cherry point area should the fish there vanish though other researchers are skeptical a sea of hurt a closer look at the herring shows that they suffer from a variety of physical afflictions puget sound herring are infected with viral diseases and a parasite called ichthyophonus hoferi which creates heart and liver lesions possibly impeding their swimming research on the parasite in 2002 by university of washington wdfw and u s geological survey scientists found that in some stocks more than half the fish carried the parasite and older fish had higher infection rates herring eggs gregthebusker flickr a 2005 study by many of the same researchers took a closer look specifically at the cherry point fish they found the stock suffered from an unusually high frequency of skeletal abnormalities and the fish were smaller and weighed less many folks concerned about the herring suspected that pollution could be the trigger for the ailments and stock decline the region is home to industrial activities including an aluminum smelter and petroleum refineries that are now operated by conocophillips also called phillips 66 and bp plus puget sound is continually hit with a deluge of pollution thats carried into the sea with stormwater runoff research on the mutating and deadly effects of petroleum toxics on herring eggs is well documented from the exxon valdez spill to a more recent accident in san francisco bay fred felleman a tireless advocate for the herring who holds a uw masters degree in fisheries biology points to a rarely discussed 1972 oil spill in the cherry point area as another potentially significant blow to the fish so the researchers investigating the mutant cherry point herring incubated their eggs in water from elsewhere in the sound and took eggs from other stocks and raised them in cherry point water they found that the cherry point fish were abnormal regardless of where the water came from around the same time other scientists delved into the amount of pollution in the adult herring still searching for answers to the herrings woes jim west at wdfw and sandy oneill and gina ylitalo at the northwest fisheries science center have taken a pollution pulse for countless species swimming in the sound they tested for persistent organic pollutants in herring caught in three spots in puget sound and those from three areas in the strait of georgia including cherry point the chemicals accumulate in organisms and can be passed from mothers to offspring find this article interesting please consider making a gift to support our work the puget sound herring were deemed to be significantly contaminated with pcbs and to a lesser degree ddts according to the research published in 2008 the cherry point fish were polluted too but at lower levels no one had yet found the smoking gun to explain what some were now calling the cherry point pacific herring syndrome home inhospitable home puget sound sea lions starmist1 flickr but of course its not enough to look only at the physical condition of the fish scientists also have tried to unravel whats happening with herring predators and habitat the tally of what doesnt eat pacific herring is possibly shorter than the list of what does marine ducks seabirds and crabs eat their eggs jellyfish and other squishy creatures slurp the larval herring chinook salmon sea lions seals and still more birds gobble the adult fish climate change and the pacific decadal oscillation or pdo can warm water temperatures and potentially increase the herrings predators scientists predict much of the cherry point stocks plummet coincided with a so called warm phase in the pdo however the fish havent rebounded during recent colder cycles herring have specific environmental needs namely shoreline areas that provide eelgrass where they deposit their sticky tapioca pearl eggs the newly hatched fish also linger near these beaches after hatching researchers are concerned about the effects of shoreline development and activity which can disrupt natural processes that replenish sandy beaches destroy eelgrass beds alter predator prey interactions and generally disturb fish behavior human encroachment already has put the squeeze on herring based on spawning surveys scientists know that in 1981 cherry point herring spawned along more than 60 kilometers of shoreline by 2004 the fish utilized less than 22 km of the nearshore the shift is worrisome whether its the result of the fish population getting smaller or because of human activity in the area a 2006 report from the national marine fisheries service concluded that the shrinking spawning area increases risks from man made insults such as oil spills and contaminant releases near cherry point cherry points future the tidal wave of troubles confronting puget sound herring region wide and the cherry point stock in particular are facing closer scrutiny once again thats because pacific international terminals a subsidiary of ssa marine is proposing to build a deep water shipping hub in cherry point to transfer coal from trains to large vessels the gateway pacific terminal would allow for ships this size or larger to dock jaxport flickr project proponents say that their planned wharf and trestle would include numerous features to protect the environment such as metal grating for the decking to limit the amount of shading that can kill eelgrass a design that will prevent disturbance of the bluff and shoreline and covered conveyors to prevent coal dust from blowing into the water additionally government agencies are working on an environmental impact statement to assess what effect the proposed gateway pacific terminal could have on human health and the marine ecosystem the project could be modified to better protect the environment if that is deemed necessary and terminal supporters say they currently plan to conduct field research on the cherry point herring in partnership with state agencies this research is a requirement of a 1999 settlement agreement betweenpacific international terminals state agencies and the non profit washington environmental council shoreline train tracks jaskdfjasudfoasdfjalsk flickr some local herring experts remain concerned about risks associated with more shoreline development increased train and ship traffic the potential for oil spills and the threat of invasive species tagging along with the shipping vessels they ask whether pacific international terminals project can really be protective enough for the herring they have to guarantee that they do not alter the spawning habitat said wwus landis have they done that im not sure how you do that editors note if you want to hear more from the researchers themselves i wrote a news story about the mysterious disappearance of the herring for crosscut you can power us forward on sustainable solutions make a donation to sightline now facebook twitter print email linkedin comments jim nance march 31 2013 at 8 01 am although i applaud your efforts to protect the resources i feel a sense of frustration because of my past experiences corporations can amass incredible inertia when they have plans for development and politicians are sometimes part of the problem good luck reply ray kinney april 1 2013 at 9 10 am i have not read all of the research on this issue what i have read appears consistent with toxic metals effects combined with water acidification potentiation of the metals effects many anthropogenic acidification pressures are beginning to be studied show strong potential to increase pathogenic effects on aquatic organisms and appear to be increasing beyond general adaptation of organisms to prehistoric conditions the plasticity and resiliency of many organisms appear to have been inadequate to match the pace of pollution we have been imposing on these critters good background for understanding why all of this is happening without adequate assessment and corrective measures taken is presented in the february mother jones cover article the article provides a basis for further helping to evaluate how metals pollution is associated with forage fish declines and prespawn mortality of returning coho salmon moving toward causation factor determinations needs this background ray kinney reply fred felleman april 1 2013 at 10 58 pm it was with trepidation that i spoke with lisa about cherry point herring having spent more time than i care to mention thinking about this issue i ended up sharing more information then could be presented but overall it was great to see the herring finally getting some attention chris dunagan also just did a series on the indicators the partnership is using the track puget sound recovery when it rains it pours for context it is important to note that most of the studies cited for cherry point are pretty old and ssa marine has been recalcitrant in fulfilling the studies obligated by the settlement agreement the fact that the one study they are doing on vessel traffic is being done under a new contractor is troubling furthermore some of the studies that were done had design flaws in their sampling and assumptions to flagrantly init was with trepidation that i spoke with lisa about cherry point herring having spent more time than i care to mention thinking about this issue i ended up sharing more information then could be presented but overall it was great to see the herring finally getting some attention chris dunagan also just did a series on the indicators the partnership is using the track puget sound recovery when it rains it pours for context it is important to note that most of the studies cited for cherry point are pretty old and ssa marine has been recalcitrant in fulfilling the studies obligated by the settlement agreement the fact that the one study they are doing on vessel traffic is being done under a new contractor is troubling furthermore some of the studies that were done had design flaws in their sampling and assumptions to direct attention away from the contributions of the industrial facilities to the herring decline now for my point talk about burying the lead 1 while wdfw is correctly credited for keeping the closest watch over the states 20 herring stocks the next paragraph notes that the most current published assessment is 2008 2 no sooner did the psp leadership council overrule wdfws request that jellyfish not herring be used as an indicator species that wdfw stopped sampling the spawning fish instead of making wild assumptions about the number of fish based on the amount of eggs distributed over a potentially wide area 3 a critical reason cherry point herring gets attention was not included their genetic uniqueness due to their spring spawning while all other stocks spawn in winter it also appears that these late spawners are more tolerant of high temperatures and could therefore provide important adaptive value in warming seas 4 i have been the only one to bring attention to the timing of the large spill at cherry point the year preceding the steep decline of the stock which could also help to explain their genetic damage it is also worthy to note that the refinery was being built the previous two years and prior to that the westshore coal terminal was built in the northern limits of the cherry point run the location of that terminal results in excessive amounts of coal being blown into the water where the accumulated pahs would have significant impacts on these spring spawners due to uv enhanced toxicity 5 nmfs excuse for not listing the cherry point stock in response to the petition i wrote for cbd was the same they used to not list the southern resident orca theyre distinct theyre in decline but there are other fish in the sea like the orca even if another group of that species moves in to replace where they left it is not going to be the same other herring stocks will not be spring spawners which have evolved to appear when forage is available and numerous other predators such as surf scoters and nooksack chinook have come to expect 6 the fact that cherry point herring are not quite as polluted as other stocks does not mean that their level of pollution is not deleterious furthermore if they had tetragenic impacts from a majore spill during the spawning season it should not matter what water the eggs are incubated in they have the gift that keeps on giving i am glad to see wayne landis quotes but i am concerned how ssa has been using his research to support their claim that their project would be anything but the last straw that breaks the fishes back reply kevin matthews april 12 2013 at 10 04 am curious about the state of the art of large vessel anti fouling treatments and how the toxicity from these might fit into the current and future survival challenges to the herring and the many other specifies that depend on them reply david otness april 20 2013 at 6 02 am resurrection bay conservation society seward alaska seward has had a coal terminal for 3 decades with the attendant coal dust pollution reply earle jewell january 30 2014 at 6 38 pm i was the wdf biologist assigned to working on herring in the mid 60s i noted that no mention was made of the clouds of alumna dust that occurred when ships were unloading at that time the herring were near their peak divers at the time told me of alumna dust as far south as the pt migley buoy lummi island spawners were noted as far south as the west shoreline of portags island my primary work was on the large population wintering at eliza island and my observations were incidental to other work in the area reply jonn matsen november 8 2018 at 6 09 pm my name is jonn matsen and i am the herring recovery coordinator of the squamish streamkeepers herring recovery coordinator just north of vancouver b c first we brought back a herring run in squamish that had lost its natural spawning vegetation using artificial materials the run returned in 6 years with hundreds of dolphins after them following this surprising result we found dead herring eggs at fishermans wharf in vancouver and by applying similar artificial spawning materials we hatched out one billion eggs last year and these fish were tested and confirmed to be cherry point stock their spawning starts in early february and peaks in mid march we have photo documentation of all of this reply spencer masters november 16 2018 at 5 44 pm i remember miles of herring off of hansville in the early 1940s and seiners netted then out can there be an project and grant too get them back i sent a letter to the governor and was ignored too plant salmon is a waste of money and time the salmon are now staving reply fred rogers january 27 2019 at 4 44 pm the herring are almost gone salmon stock depleted orcas starving what else has to happen before action is taken to save the native species not only should this be stopped without a second thought commercial fishing should drastically reduced or suspended for atleast 5 to 10 years to give the different species a chance to recover we are doing this to ourselves and we are the only ones that can fix it reply mike mackay february 1 2019 at 9 58 am maybe its time to concider a herring hatchery there are herring hatcheries in japan the lummi nation has had some sucess with native chinooks enhancemet they are a logical choice for this kind of venture having a traditional relationship to the cherry pt herring and the facilities available for this kind of endavour reply tove nelson chatham june 2 2019 at 1 47 pm my new book called the herring ladys plan to save the orcas will be published today i have pictures and data going back to 1953 on how we started herring runs i will gladly send a pdf to any of you herring enthusiasts tove nelson chatham emailprotected june 2 2019 reply leave a comment cancel reply sightline institute s work is made possible by the generosity of people like you thanks to robert liberty for supporting a sustainable northwest donate today stay up to date on the northwest s most important sustainability issues subscribe research areas climate energy democracy strategic messaging transportation transit economy jobs sustainable living housing urbanism thin green line </s>
<s>[INST] fishery bycatch [/INST] foreign fisheries to be subject to regulatory requirements for exports to u s monday march 23 2020 sandler travis rosenberg trade report the national marine fisheries service is inviting public comments through may 1 on its draft 2020 list of foreign fisheries which reflects available information on marine mammal interactions in commercial fisheries exporting fish and fish products to the u s under the import provisions of the marine mammal protection act fish or fish products cannot be imported into the u s from commercial fishing operations that result in the incidental mortality or serious injury of marine mammals in excess of u s standards by jan 1 2022 a harvesting nation must apply for and receive a finding that its regulatory program addressing marine mammal incidental mortality and serious injury is comparable in effectiveness to that of the u s for each of its export and exempt fisheries on the loff to continue to export fish and fish products to the u s the draft loff which updates one issued in 2017 comprises 129 nations or economies with 906 exempt fisheries up from 720 and 1 990 export fisheries down from 3 270 exempt fisheries have no known or a remote likelihood of marine mammal bycatch and must therefore meet only those conditions related to the prohibition of intentional killing or injury of marine mammals to receive a comparability finding export fisheries have more than a remote likelihood of marine mammal bycatch or insufficient information available on marine mammal interactions and as a result must also maintain regulatory programs comparable in effectiveness to that of the u s for reducing incidental marine mammal bycatch all fisheries that export to the u s must be on the loff to get news like this in your inbox daily subscribe to the sandler travis rosenberg trade report customs international headlines covid 19 update on trade agency operations in response to pandemic customs changes tariff reduction among measures responding to covid 19 coronavirus trade war with china weakens crucial links in us medical supply chain south china morning post locations boston guangzhou hong kong miami new york pawling san francisco shanghai washington d c 2020 sandler travis rosenberg p a worldtrade interactive inc all rights reserved the hiring of an attorney is an important decision that should not be based solely upon advertisements before you decide ask us to send you free written information about our qualifications and experience m aterials contained on this site are for informational purposes only and not to be considered legal advice site map terms conditions privacy policy copyright trademark site by firmseek </s>
<s>[INST] buy 4x4 wood box [/INST] posts beams timbers show filters 4x4 7 or 8 actual 3 1 2 x3 1 2 untreated southern pine post sku 01064300 24 available at searcy 8 99 add to cart 4x4 8 actual 3 1 2 x3 1 2 2 ground contact treated pine sku 011003 145 available at searcy 7 69 add to cart 5x5 8 actual 4 1 2 x4 1 2 rough ground contact treated pine sku 01102208 84 available at searcy 14 89 add to cart 5x5 12 actual 4 1 2 x4 1 2 rough ground contact treated pine sku 01102212 14 available at searcy 24 39 add to cart 5x5 16 actual 4 1 2 x4 1 2 rough ground contact treated pine sku 01102216 37 available at searcy 32 89 add to cart 3 treated landscape timber sku 011039 temporarily out of stock at searcy 3 89 add to cart 6x8 8 1 used retaining railroad tie sku 01104200 219 available at searcy 20 99 add to cart 4x4 8 actual 3 1 2 x3 1 2 2 or better rough cedar sku 013950 14 available at searcy 29 99 add to cart 4x4 10 actual 3 1 2 x3 1 2 2 or better rough cedar sku 013954 31 available at searcy 33 99 add to cart 6x6 8 2 or better rough cedar sku 01395404 19 available at searcy 95 99 add to cart 6x6 10 2 or better rough cedar sku 01395408 8 available at searcy 132 99 add to cart 4x4 10 actual 3 1 2 x3 1 2 2 waxed ground contact treated pine sku 01100605 27 available at searcy 13 19 add to cart 4x4 12 actual 3 1 2 x3 1 2 2 waxed ground contact treated pine sku 01100905 33 available at searcy 14 19 add to cart 4x4 16 actual 3 1 2 x3 1 2 2 waxed ground contact treated pine sku 01101205 29 available at searcy 24 19 add to cart 4x6 8 actual 3 1 2 x5 1 2 2 waxed ground contact treated pine sku 01101305 not stocked in store contact store for availability 18 39 add to cart 4x6 10 actual 3 1 2 x5 1 2 2 waxed ground contact treated pine sku 01101505 not stocked in store contact store for availability 21 39 add to cart 4x6 12 actual 3 1 2 x5 1 2 2 waxed ground contact treated pine sku 01101805 not stocked in store contact store for availability 26 39 add to cart 6x6 10 actual 5 1 2 x5 1 2 2 waxed ground contact treated pine sku 0110230005 26 available at searcy 31 49 add to cart 6x6 8 actual 5 1 2 x5 1 2 2 waxed ground contact treated pine sku 01102305 34 available at searcy 24 49 add to cart 6x6 12 actual 5 1 2 x5 1 2 2 waxed ground contact treated pine sku 01102405 12 available at searcy 38 49 add to cart 6x6 16 actual 5 1 2 x5 1 2 2 waxed ground contact treated pine sku 01102705 27 available at searcy 52 49 add to cart 1 filter items closest stores add update product company info careers about us environmental policy community involvement fraud hotline press publicity vendor portal store locator online services faq contact us services pay my bill consumer credit commercial credit find a contractor delivery online ordering gift cards military sales tax exemption top products lumber doors culverts fasteners plumbing accessories power tools fencing cabinets vanities concrete farm ranch quotes questions appearance schedule corporate sponsorships be the first to know about our sales promotions corporate headquarters 1350 ih 35 north san marcos tx 78666 1 877 542 8986 contact customer service mccoy s facebook page mccoy s twitter page mccoy s youtube page mccoy s pinterest page mccoy s linkedin page mccoy s instagram page privacy policy legal notice copyright 2020 mccoy s building supply contact us legal notice mccoy s facebook page mccoy s twitter page mccoy s youtube page mccoy s pinterest page mccoy s linkedin page mccoy s instagram page </s>
<s>[INST] buy wood effect floor tiles [/INST] wood effect tiles if you re looking for stylishwood effect flooringtry wood effect tiles an attractive durable option perfect for busy homes and commercial environments these ceramic or porcelain wood effect tiles will lookbeautiful for years to come and can be fitted with underfloor heating see for yourself with free tiles samples from the direct tile warehouse team porcelain wood effect tiles ceramic wood effect tiles outdoor decking tiles shop by reset filters view filters anexcellent collection of great value wood effect tiles in the last couple of years thesales of wood effect tiles has shot up and they are especially popular throughout the home advances in printing techniques means a wide choice of colours styles and sizes including longer length plank tiles are available perfect for modern rustic or traditional interiors the maryland tiles with an anti slip finish are also an excellent choice for outdoor flooring whether youre looking for porcelain or ceramic tiles both offer a durable attractive option to laminate or real wood flooring for more information please contact the direct tile warehouse team or refer to our wood effect flooring tile guide best sellers bayur ceniza grey wood effect tiles 17 5 cms x 50 cms 1 34 per tile 15 32 per sq m maryland natural wood effect tiles anti slip 20 cms x 114 cms 6 46 per tile 28 37 per sq m 5 48 per tile 24 11 per sq m samba multi wood effect floor tiles 15 cms x 90 cms 2 96 per tile 21 94 per sq m products per page 60 90 all aliso cedro wood effect tiles 17 5 cms x 50 cms 1 34 per tile 15 32 per sq m aliso roble wood effect tiles 17 5 cms x 50 cms 1 34 per tile 15 32 per sq m bayur borneo grey wood effect tiles 17 5 cms x 50 cms 1 50 per tile 17 10 per sq m bayur brown wood effect ceramic tiles 17 5 cms x 50 cms 1 50 per tile 17 10 per sq m bayur ceniza grey skirting tiles 8 cms x 50 cms 2 27 per tile bayur ceniza grey wood effect tiles 17 5 cms x 50 cms 1 34 per tile 15 32 per sq m bayur terracotta skirting tiles 8 cms x 50 cms 2 27 per tile bayur wood effect terracotta tiles 17 5 cms x 50 cms 1 50 per tile 17 10 per sq m bosse floor tile designs brown wood effect tiles 17 5 cms x 50 cms 1 50 per tile 17 10 per sq m bosse floor tile designs grey wood effect tiles 17 5 cms x 50 cms 1 50 per tile 17 10 per sq m eramosa ice matt floor tiles 30 cms x 60 cms 2 99 per tile 16 62 per sq m 2 51 per tile 13 94 per sq m eternity beige decorative tiles 45 cms x 45 cms 4 99 per tile 24 64 per sq m eternity terracotta tiles 45 cms x 45 cms 4 99 per tile 24 64 per sq m eternity wood patterned ceramic tiles 45 cms x 45 cms 4 99 per tile 24 64 per sq m genuine grey porcelain wood effect tiles 23 3 cms x 120 cms 7 02 per tile 25 08 per sq m jungle rustic tiles beige wood effect 20 cms x 60 cms 2 47 per tile 20 62 per sq m jungle rustic tiles grey wood effect 20 cms x 60 cms 2 47 per tile 20 62 per sq m kivu wood look tiles brown 17 5 cms x 50 cms 1 50 per tile 17 10 per sq m kivu wood look tiles grey 17 5 cms x 50 cms 1 34 per tile 15 32 per sq m maryland anti slip tiles beige wood effect tiles 20 cms x 114 cms 6 46 per tile 28 37 per sq m 5 48 per tile 24 11 per sq m maryland anti slip tiles grey wood effect tiles 20 cms x 114 cms 6 46 per tile 28 37 per sq m 5 48 per tile 24 11 per sq m maryland natural wood effect tiles anti slip 20 cms x 114 cms 6 46 per tile 28 37 per sq m 5 48 per tile 24 11 per sq m maryland porcelain brown wood effect tiles 20 cms x 114 cms 6 19 per tile 27 17 per sq m 5 27 per tile 23 09 per sq m maryland porcelain wood effect floor tiles dark brown 20 cms x 114 cms 6 19 per tile 27 17 per sq m 5 27 per tile 23 09 per sq m nature beige porcelain wood effect tiles 22 cms x 85 cms 5 71 per tile 30 58 per sq m nature brown porcelain wood effect tiles 22 cms x 85 cms 5 71 per tile 30 58 per sq m nature grey porcelain wood effect tiles 22 cms x 85 cms 5 71 per tile 30 58 per sq m roof white wood effect tiles 15 cms x 90 cms 2 96 per tile 21 94 per sq m samba multi wood effect floor tiles 15 cms x 90 cms 2 96 per tile 21 94 per sq m selvas beige wood effect floor tiles 15 cms x 90 cms 2 96 per tile 21 94 per sq m selvas brown wood effect tiles 15 cms x 90 cms 2 96 per tile 21 94 per sq m vintage grey wood effect tiles 15 cms x 60 cms 1 62 per tile 17 98 per sq m products per page 60 90 all anexcellent collection of great value wood effect tiles in the last couple of years thesales of wood effect tiles has shot up and they are especially popular throughout the home advances in printing techniques means a wide choice of colours styles and sizes including longer length plank tiles are available perfect for modern rustic or traditional interiors the maryland tiles with an anti slip finish are also an excellent choice for outdoor flooring whether youre looking for porcelain or ceramic tiles both offer a durable attractive option to laminate or real wood flooring for more information please contact the direct tile warehouse team or refer to our wood effect flooring tile guide aliso cedro wood effect tiles product code bal328 1 34 per tile inclusive of vat 15 32 per sq m inclusive of vat size 17 5 cms x 50 cms view full details aliso roble wood effect tiles product code bal325 1 34 per tile inclusive of vat 15 32 per sq m inclusive of vat size 17 5 cms x 50 cms view full details bayur borneo grey wood effect tiles product code bal426 1 50 per tile inclusive of vat 17 10 per sq m inclusive of vat size 17 5 cms x 50 cms view full details bayur brown wood effect ceramic tiles product code balweb361 1 50 per tile inclusive of vat 17 10 per sq m inclusive of vat size 17 5 cms x 50 cms view full details bayur ceniza grey skirting tiles product code balweb372 2 27 per tile inclusive of vat 0 00 per sq m inclusive of vat size 8 cms x 50 cms view full details bayur ceniza grey wood effect tiles product code bal334 1 34 per tile inclusive of vat 15 32 per sq m inclusive of vat size 17 5 cms x 50 cms view full details bayur terracotta skirting tiles product code balweb374 2 27 per tile inclusive of vat 0 00 per sq m inclusive of vat size 8 cms x 50 cms view full details bayur wood effect terracotta tiles product code balweb360 1 50 per tile inclusive of vat 17 10 per sq m inclusive of vat size 17 5 cms x 50 cms view full details bosse floor tile designs brown wood effect tiles product code benweb068 1 50 per tile inclusive of vat 17 10 per sq m inclusive of vat size 17 5 cms x 50 cms view full details bosse floor tile designs grey wood effect tiles product code benweb067 1 50 per tile inclusive of vat 17 10 per sq m inclusive of vat size 17 5 cms x 50 cms view full details eramosa ice matt floor tiles product code yby319 2 51 per tile inclusive of vat 13 94 per sq m inclusive of vat size 30 cms x 60 cms view full details eternity beige decorative tiles product code reaweb133 4 99 per tile inclusive of vat 24 64 per sq m inclusive of vat size 45 cms x 45 cms view full details eternity terracotta tiles product code reaweb135 4 99 per tile inclusive of vat 24 64 per sq m inclusive of vat size 45 cms x 45 cms view full details eternity wood patterned ceramic tiles product code reaweb136 4 99 per tile inclusive of vat 24 64 per sq m inclusive of vat size 45 cms x 45 cms view full details genuine grey porcelain wood effect tiles product code ker319 7 02 per tile inclusive of vat 25 08 per sq m inclusive of vat size 23 3 cms x 120 cms view full details jungle rustic tiles beige wood effect product code geoweb429 2 47 per tile inclusive of vat 20 62 per sq m inclusive of vat size 20 cms x 60 cms view full details jungle rustic tiles grey wood effect product code geoweb428 2 47 per tile inclusive of vat 20 62 per sq m inclusive of vat size 20 cms x 60 cms view full details kivu wood look tiles brown product code benweb057 1 50 per tile inclusive of vat 17 10 per sq m inclusive of vat size 17 5 cms x 50 cms view full details kivu wood look tiles grey product code ben361 1 34 per tile inclusive of vat 15 32 per sq m inclusive of vat size 17 5 cms x 50 cms view full details maryland anti slip tiles beige wood effect tiles product code bal403 5 48 per tile inclusive of vat 24 11 per sq m inclusive of vat size 20 cms x 114 cms view full details maryland anti slip tiles grey wood effect tiles product code bal401 5 48 per tile inclusive of vat 24 11 per sq m inclusive of vat size 20 cms x 114 cms view full details maryland natural wood effect tiles anti slip product code bal405 5 48 per tile inclusive of vat 24 11 per sq m inclusive of vat size 20 cms x 114 cms view full details maryland porcelain brown wood effect tiles product code bal404 5 27 per tile inclusive of vat 23 09 per sq m inclusive of vat size 20 cms x 114 cms view full details maryland porcelain wood effect floor tiles dark brown product code bal402 5 27 per tile inclusive of vat 23 09 per sq m inclusive of vat size 20 cms x 114 cms view full details nature beige porcelain wood effect tiles product code geoweb451 5 71 per tile inclusive of vat 30 58 per sq m inclusive of vat size 22 cms x 85 cms view full details nature brown porcelain wood effect tiles product code geoweb450 5 71 per tile inclusive of vat 30 58 per sq m inclusive of vat size 22 cms x 85 cms view full details nature grey porcelain wood effect tiles product code geoweb452 5 71 per tile inclusive of vat 30 58 per sq m inclusive of vat size 22 cms x 85 cms view full details roof white wood effect tiles product code yby320 2 96 per tile inclusive of vat 21 94 per sq m inclusive of vat size 15 cms x 90 cms view full details samba multi wood effect floor tiles product code yby324 2 96 per tile inclusive of vat 21 94 per sq m inclusive of vat size 15 cms x 90 cms view full details selvas beige wood effect floor tiles product code yby334 2 96 per tile inclusive of vat 21 94 per sq m inclusive of vat size 15 cms x 90 cms view full details selvas brown wood effect tiles product code yby335 2 96 per tile inclusive of vat 21 94 per sq m inclusive of vat size 15 cms x 90 cms view full details vintage grey wood effect tiles product code yby327 1 62 per tile inclusive of vat 17 98 per sq m inclusive of vat size 15 cms x 60 cms view full details wood effect tiles if you re looking for stylishwood effect flooringtry wood effect tiles an attractive durable option perfect for busy homes and commercial environments these ceramic or porcelain wood effect tiles will lookbeautiful for years to come and can be fitted with underfloor heating see for yourself with free tiles samples from the direct tile warehouse team porcelain wood effect tiles ceramic wood effect tiles outdoor decking tiles </s>
<s>[INST] fishery definition [/INST] offshore 20fishery in english translation and definition offshore 20fishery dictionary english english online we don t have translation of given word but maybe you have misspelled and you have meant offshore example sentences with offshore 20fishery translation memory giga fren the project has no requirement for an offshore heavy lift patents wipo steel production riser offshore hydrocarbon production system and method of producing a hydrocarbon stream opensubtitles2018 v3 i got a disk loaded with offshore accounts of the biggest dogs in the world opensubtitles2018 v3 that links this carbon dioxide to organic sediments way offshore in the ocean tmclass tools machine or parts of machines for dredging excavating and offshore work and for treating and or moving dredged material giga fren about 86 per cent of total goods exports i e about 6 9 billion are destined for canadas fta partners primarily the u s leaving 1 1 billion for offshore market destinations that include the european union and china eurlex 2 table 3 below is an abstract of the kind of data sharing in which the uk and norway invest to benchmark the performance of their offshore sectors and to assist developing strategic priorities cordis the system depends on a line of buoys each equipped with the latest visual and acoustic sensors located offshore to amass comprehensive data on movement and activities in europe s territorial waters giga fren draft joint review panel agreement released for comment full text september 22 2006 availability of 30 000 in participant funding for the comprehensive study assessment of the proposed deep panuke offshore gas development project full text september 22 2006 continental stone limited crushed granite rock quarry common crawl we also have projects in the rocky reefs offshore of sandy beach and in the esteros of la cholla baha san jorge and baha adair gv2019 abc aired a documentary in 2016 alleging torture and child abuse linked to australian government s offshore asylum seeker processing centers which are managed by nauru giga fren schooner regional development corporation contracted to hold a conference to examine the challenges facing the offshore or deepsea fisheries industry and to develop a strategic plan for this industry giga fren with respect to potential offshore petroleum projects the panel has provided two illustrative examples of hypothetical future projects giga fren marine habitat staff is in the process of developing a standardized methodology to classify coastal and offshore marine habitats within the newfoundland region that have the potential to be impacted by various development initiatives eurlex 2 member states shall require operators and owners to prepare a document setting out their corporate major accident prevention policy which is to be submitted pursuant to point a of article 11 1 and to ensure that it is implemented throughout their offshore oil and gas operations including by setting up appropriate monitoring arrangements to assure effectiveness of the policy mea gov in ongc videsh has earmarked approximately 400 million dollars for acquisition of a state in an offshore block in south east brazil hansard i the refusal of the sable offshore energy project joint review panel and the national energy board to hear the proposal submitted by transmaritime pipeline may seriously prejudice the rights of canadians in the development and use of their energy resources and may undermine canada s sovereignty over these resources giga fren previous offshore oil and natural gas projects that have been subject to a comprehensive study assessment include the white rose development project on newfoundland s grand banks and the deep panuke project on nova scotia s scotian shelf multiun the territory has a relatively flat topography a total landmass of km and includes several offshore islets un 2 one year after lebanons deposition israel which is not a party to the convention is claiming to assert its alleged right over offshore areas that include a significant portion of lebanons exclusive economic zone thereby once again encroaching upon my countrys sovereign rights opensubtitles2018 v3 how quickly can you get me approved for an offshore loan ha ha giga fren drilling from offshore rigs has proved the presence of enormous reserves of petroleum and natural gas in this area giga fren the fsf reviewed issues related to the reinsurance industry credit risk transfers audit practices accounting standards corporate governance and offshore financial centres eurlex ships not flying the flag of a member state but operating under the authority of a member state and c ships that enter a port or offshore terminal of a member state but do not fall within points a or b eurlex 2 vessels of not less than 100 gt for the performance of a specialized service for example dredgers and ice breakers excluding floating docks and mobile offshore units showing page 1 found 30841 sentences matching phrase offshore 20fishery found in 5 ms translation memories are created by human but computer aligned which might cause mistakes they come from many sources and are not checked be warned </s>
<s>[INST] buy 4 wood golf club [/INST] brand story golf clubs equipment shoplist onoff fairway arms kuro hotlist japan 2017 gold award maximum distance 3 wood a semi automatic club focused on maximum distance while still providing playability rivals even a driver off the tee the super titanium spoon forgiving big distance 4 wood a buffy that flies like a spoon the balance between distance ad control while putting an emphasis on ease of use it also has semi automatic playability aim at the pin with the 5 and 7 woods the 5 and 7 wood are designed to produce easy launch stable spin and a focus on control and direction without sacrificing distance these sem manual fairway woods can also be used from the rough for recovery shots shingo katayama pro supervised model with golfers in mind an optimal design by club from a semi automatic 3w with distance priority to a semi manual 7w with playbility priority fly and score with the kuro fairway wood katayama pro comment fairway wood a fairway wood can sometimes be a substitute for the driver so a spoon with big distance is key with oother fairway woods designed depending o the role it plays in each players bag super titanium spoon i want big distance from the long clubs especially the spoon with both distance and forgiveness in order to meet the requirements of katayama pro the kuro spoon is made using titanium which improves replulsion and distance performance the sole is made from heavy tungsten which allows 65 of the head weight to be moved to the sole the largest amount in onoff history this creates the low and deep center of gravity needed to achieve katayama pro s desire for an easy to use super spoon gravity control a center of gravity design that creates more forgivness the 3 and 4w are easy to launch the ball and create optimal spin they are easy to hit straight mid high trajectory shots thanks to a center of gravity that helps the face square to the ball for a powerful launch the 3w in particular has an ultra low and super deep center of gravity thanks to a ti body and tungsten sole which results in maximum distance and forgiveness the 4w removes as much weight from the crown as possible in order to achieve a deep center of gravity that balances distance and forgiveness the 5 and 7 woods have a cg placement that focus on playability and shot making the kuro fairway woods are truly designed depending on each clubs purpose appealing shape at address impact feel and sound katayama pro wanted a fairway wood that was easy to address provides confidence and has a straight face which would allow him to easily aim and control direction the kuro fairway woods are finished in a nice contrasting silver satin finish to easily separate the face from the head the 3 and 4w are slightly larger in size and give a sense of confidence the 5 and 7w have a smaller head shape that give a sense of control and playability a soft feel and crisp sound were key priorities for katayama pro as well 3w 4w have shallow faces 3w and 4w are easy to launch the ball and provide a sense of forgiveness 5w 7w have deeper faces 5w an 7w have deeper faces with a focus on spin control and shot making smaller heads with an emphasis on control and direction stable spin performance thanks to laser face milling by laser milling the entire face the kuro fairway woods are able to stabilize spin performance by suppressing spin variation caused by miss hits or wet conditions such as rain more stable and consistent spin equals more consistent distance and direction original carbon shaft onoff smooth kick mp 617f a shaft specially designed and manufactured in house to match the kuro fairway woods for stability and playability draw fade high low by incorporating the stability and control of a steel shaft into a carbon shaft the shaft has a sharp sense of control yet smooth and pleasant to swing by optimizing the tip rigidity to match the head the mid kick shaft supresses unecessary shot variation by creating more consistent and stable impact better impact equals more distance and directional stability standard shaft specifications onoff fairway arms kuro standard shaft specifications recommended head speed is based on the driver and to be used for reference only recommended head speed is based on the driver and for reference only head w3 5 3 3 3ti face 6 4ti body tungsten weight sole w4 5 7 hi maraging plus face 17 4ph stainless body shaft smooth kick mp 617f grip onoff tour velvet rubber 47b47g head cover included made in japan onoff fairway arms kuro 3w is a titanium head which conbines a ti body and tungsten weight sole in order to create the lowest possible center of gravity for maximum distance performance because of the joining of two different materials the joint is visible on the sole please note this joint will not affect performance in any way view labospec shaft specs here labospec shaft specifications the following specifications are based on using our recommended grip onoff x hold rubber weight 49g m60 values are for reference only jgga reference length is obtained by adding 0 25 inches to current values hashiri f50 hashiri 60 hashiri 70 shinari 50 shinari 60 shinari 70 tataki f50 tataki 40 tataki 60 tataki 70 onoff brand site about onoff brand concept golf clubs aka series kuro series lady forged wedge labospec custom equipment caddie bags boston bags tote bags club case travel cover head covers shoes socks caps visors gloves ball rain goods accessory labodesign collaboration model lady apparel collection tour pros with onoff shingo katayama yosuke asaji ji hee lee akane iijima o sattaya where to buy onoff global shop list social media facebook instagram tour pros with onoff warning about counterfeit clubs it has recently come to our attention that counterfeit onoff golf products are being sold on auction sites and online through the internet please beware of counterfeit clubs and avoid buying from non authorized channels and dealers please check with your local onoff distributor or contact us directly to ensure you are purchasing authentic and fully warrantied onoff products from authorized sellers privacy policy about this website g globeride copyright 2017 globeride inc </s>
<s>[INST] fishing company brands [/INST] 10 best fishing rods brands in the world 13 10 2019 0 por admin compartilhe the top 10 of the fishing rod brands around the world of fishing you have your fishing rod brands favorites then you need to read this publication now fishing rods are long flexible devices used to catch fish in rivers lakes oceans streams and ponds several features of fishing rods include action power taper weight length responsiveness and line weight of the bait but i believe that this basic concept is already part of your knowledge do you fisherman friend but this publication deals with quality fishing rods and help you to know the best fishing rod brands available in the fish market brought a post with some suggestions of the product it can be confusing to select a new fishing rod heres all you need to know about fishing rods and choose the right one for you 10 best fishing rod brands shimano temple reef trabucco daiwa yuki spinoza redai penn okuma saint plus 1 shimano the shimano understands the fisherman needs thats why you will find a wide range of fishing rods designed for practitioners of all ages and levels of experience and all kinds offishing arrangements shimano latin america a subsidiary of japans shimano inc was established in 2007 to from his office in brazil coordinating the representation of works and actions of the brand in latin america in addition to working for the expansion and development of cycling and fishing markets the office of shimano latin america supports its network of distributors throughout latin america ensuring the availability of our products pre and post sales technical development and support to market professionals and consumers throughout the region shimano latin america has a team of professionals committed to the constant evolution of our markets throughout latin america honoring the mission company statement to promote the happiness and well being through interaction with nature and the world around us 2 temple reef the development of products temple reef is supported by experts and meticulously selected testers and specifically recruited for their knowledge and experience your comments and prototype testing allow us todesign and design a wide range of special rods our goal is toprovide high performance products at a reasonable price so that fishermen from day to day can experience the same products that professionals use without breaking the bank only premium materials and components are used in the construction of our rods the raw materials of the temple reef are 100 manufactured in japan to maintain consistency in quality and performance we use only pre impregnated carbon nest toray industries and mitsubishi chemical industries critical components like guides are also japanese and epoxy is imported from the usa every single model is designed from the ground up based on what our prostaff need it is then tested at the factory then reworked and tested again this process is repeated until our questions are met 3 trabucco sticks trabucco have an excellent cost benefit ratio for the performance you get founded in 1986 thanks to the experience and passion of roberto trabucco the trabucco fishing diffusion is commercial leader since the first year of business in quality and assortment of products the well known competition fishing fights lethal groundbaits unmatched line quality precision and technical solution on floats make trabucco fishing diffusion one of the most recognized brands in the european market the research and development of new products can rely on the experience of the champion enabling the production of new items with unique features which are extremely important for the growth of the company 4 daiwa the fishing rods daiwa represent the pinnacle of technology and innovation the wiring daiwa rods and suspended project continue to exceed expectations through excellence in engineering facing the challenge to remain a world leader in fishing tackle discover the wide range of daiwa fishing rods the globeride inc is a japanese company that produces fishing equipment as well as tennis equipment golf and cycling fishing products globeride sold under the brand daiwa account for the majority of its sales 5 yuki the yuki rods are exceptional continental fishing rods and are at the forefront with a stick to suit most places and situations as well as a series of fantastic fishing rods in 1993 the company artfishing sl by the hand of leonel pereira thanks to his love since childhood for sport fishing and realized his dream making your passion your way of life from the beginning his greatest wish was to travel around the world to meet and develop the many existing techniques fishing in each country focusing primarily on the study of materials and improvements that enabled the advancement and evolution of the sport fishing industry 6 spinoza the spinoza builds the worlds finest bamboo sticks and celebrating the history and craft of fly fishing since 1973 marc aroner builds high performance bamboo rods for anglers worldwide today he continues this tradition in his studio in new england and also sells classic equipment and classics the genesis of spinoza rod company in 1973 when on the advice of friends marc aroner entered the thomas thomas rod company in greenfield massachusetts hoping to find someone who could fix his broken fiberglass stick lately there he met the bamboo producer tom maxwell and tom dorsey and found himself mesmerized by his office he often returned in the following months culminating in the signing of an apprentice contract earlier in the fall he has made bamboo sticks professionally since 7 redai the redai offers fishing rods manufactured with the best materials and technology available in the world for the fisheries on peacock bass sea bass gold and other species of brazilian fish the redai was born of the need to create excellent quality products compared to the best fishing equipment found in the world but adapted to brazilian species of fish using the best materials and technology available in the market coupled with the experience of over 20 years of our developers our team was able to innovate the market creating products with international quality the redai sticks are made in an almost artisanal process that results in a product of extremely high quality ready to support the sportiness of the fish and all the fishing features in brazil 8 penn experience unmatched quality of penn fishing rods since otto henze founded the penn fishing tackle company in 1932 the company is at the forefront of design and production of modern reels penn is proud of the fact that millions of experienced fishermen around the world put their faith in penn products every day thats what inspires penn to continue the dream of our founder to manufacture the highest quality fishing tackle world 9 okuma if you are playing big baits in the waves or dropping a dry fly sticks okuma were built with you the fisherman in mind since 1986 okuma fishing is a fishing rods and reels manufacturer based in taiwan the okuma fishing strives to provide the best fishing experience to all and to create the best reels and fishing rods for our fellow fishermen which are light and accurate the okuma fishing offers quality fishing rods and accessible such as fishing rods floating bars wire rods fishing reels including spinning baitcast trolling and fly reels they are all made with advanced materials with dynamic designs 10 saint plus their fishing trips will be much easier and rewarding after acquiring one of saint plus stick the brand operates in the brazilian market for over 10 years always innovating and bringing to brazil the very best products for fishing always improving their products to meet quality standards ever higher it is currently distributed throughout thenational market for the pet of brazil which guarantees the origin who resells and provides full assistance to those who use the products saint plus to take their fishery products saint plus know that behind them there is he who takes their sport seriously or pleasure conclusion like our post with the top 10 fishing rod brands your favorite brand does not not reported in our post so leave your opinion in the comments enjoy and follow fishing s a on facebook and stay updated on our content thank you for visiting the blog fishing s a good fishing categoria in english tags fishing blog fishing in the africa fishing in the asia fishing in the australia fishing in the china fishing in the europe fishing in the india fishing in the indonesia fishing in the south america fishing in the uk fishing in the usa sport fishing deixe uma resposta cancelar resposta publicidade pescaria s a nas redes sociais pesquisar na web pesquisar no site categorias curiosidades geral in english iscas lojas de pesca materiais de pesca notcias peixes pesca esportiva pescaria recreativa pesqueiros turismo de pesca vdeos de pesca ltimos posts fishing in the quarantine what is your opinion on this pescar na quarentena qual a sua opinio sobre isso 10 melhores jogos de pesca para vrias plataformas 5 melhores iscas para pescar dourado 5 melhores marcas de linha de pesca multifilamento 5 iscas artificiais que funcionam bem na pesca de trara pesca proibida no paran resoluo 13 2020 suspensa iscas artificiais as 10 melhores marcas do mercado rgua para medir peixes para imprimir grtis onde pescar no carnaval veja as opes onde comprar material de pesca barato e de qualidade 5 melhores pesqueiros pesque e pague da bahia como fazer secretria de pesca de praia fcil e barato onde comprar as melhores camisas de pesca em 2020 como pescar papa terra betara melhores iscas e dicas publicidade publicidade publicidade publicidade </s>
<s>[INST] buy stones australia [/INST] paving stones masonry landscaping supplies garden screen paving stones masonry pebbles stone pavers paving supplies accessories retaining wall blocks building blocks paving sand garden bed edging garden trellis stakes wire fencing fencing posts leading paving stones masonry brands at warehouse prices view all brands decor8 tiles cirtex matrix brunnings dingo mother earth brighton masonry adbri masonry tuscan path whites protek view all 229 products related d i y advice 01 20 paths landscaping d i y timber pavers learn how easy it is to make timber pavers for your garden paths landscaping landscaping for any size backyard here are some simple d i y landscaping ideas to make a great outdoor space paths landscaping six garden feature ideas whether youve got an acre or a patio area chances are when it comes to your garden theres always room for improvement and youd be surprised it doesnt take a lot to transform your outside space and make it a more attractive and enjoyable plac 05 09 paths landscaping how to repair a concrete path learn everything you need to know to repair a concrete path yourself 01 10 paths landscaping how to remove a tree stump learn the easiest way to remove tree stumps by yourself 07 40 paths landscaping how to build a brick letterbox find out everything you need to know to help you build a brick letterbox for your front yard paths landscaping add colour to your garden after a cold grey winter spring is the perfect time to brighten up your garden while flowers are one solution there are plenty of other easy and inexpensive ways to add a splash of colour to your outdoors 00 22 planning projects brighten up your place with an instant hedge an artificial hedge or plant wall is not only an attractive feature in your garden it can also add some much needed privacy bunnings greenlife buyer katie tells us how easy it is to add an instant hedge to your outdoor area accept close we use cookies to offer a better browsing experience to find out more please refer to our privacy policy top of the content </s>
<s>[INST] belarus forestry company [/INST] uk satellite firm oneweb files for bankruptcy blames covid 19 increase decrease text size conor reynolds 30th march 2020 add to favorites the commercial potential for a cost effective worldwide telecoms satellite system is huge london based satellite communications firm oneweb has filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy in new york less than two weeks after launching 34 satellites founded in 2012 the company was aiming to establish global connectivity at speeds of 500mb s with a latency under 50ms using a constellation of 650 satellites operating in a low earth orbit so far it has launched 74 out of the proposed 650 satellites just nine days before filing for bankruptcy it undertook its second launch of 2020 blasting 34 satellites into low orbit it claims to have half of its 44 ground stations completed or in development and has demonstrated connectivity of 400 mbps and latency of 32 ms from its existing space infrastructure yet iin a release march 27 openweb said it had failed to secure vital finance the company said since the beginning of the year oneweb had been engaged in advanced negotiations regarding investment that would fully fund the company through its deployment and commercial launch while the company was close to obtaining financing the process did not progress because of the financial impact and market turbulence related to the spread of covid 19 this may not be the end of the road for onewebs project chapter 11 bankruptcy essentially allows companies to reorganise debts in an attempted to stay afloat according to its court filings oneweb has roughly 1 6 billion 2 1 in total liabilities with a range of creditors such as launch service provider arianespace in those filings it is revealed that the firm also owes chipmaker qualcomm 6 4 million oneweb investment following onewebs public announcement that it was filing for bankruptcy one of its largest investors the softbank group corp saw its share value take a 10 percent dive a host of companies have invested in the satellite enterprise from coca cola virgin group to airbus and qualcomm in 2016 the firm raised 1 2 billion 9 6 in investment during a softbank led fundraising round that sought to build a high volume production facility in florida that site now employees more than 250 workers the fate of that facility is now unknown but they have started to let staff go this hurts i was at oneweb since day one and put my blood sweat and tears into the mission along with everyone else who believed in it to see it end like this is heartbreaking my sincere condolences to the team there any company would be lucky to pick up that talent mike lindsay mikeclindsay march 28 2020 the uk tax payer is also getting burnt in the collapse of oneweb as the uk space agency last year contributed 18 million towards the project through the european space agencys telecommunications research programme artes around the time of that investment then science minister chris skidmore commented on a visit to an esa station in the netherlands the commercial potential for a cost effective worldwide telecoms satellite system is huge and the uk space sector is playing a leading role in delivering it it is made possible by our ongoing commitment to the european space agency and our world leading capabilities in space and telecommunications see also businesses are ditching banking applications over snails pace kyc </s>
<s>[INST] buy wood quality [/INST] 5 places to get the best wood for your wood shop 1 comment best places to buy wood for your woodworking business whenyou start awoodworking business you need a reliable supply of wood as a hobbyist a shortage can be frustrating as you have to put your woodworking project on a hold download a complete guide to a woodworking business make a great income working from home see how however the need for wood is much more urgent when you are running awoodworking business not having the supply whenyou need it very possibly means loss of income and even a dent on thebusiness reputation ifyou cannot deliver an order on time we do not want this situation arising so we are going to discuss some of the most popular and reliable places to buy wood for your business 1 one of the first options for a beginner in woodworking will be the closest home center superstore these home centers usually store for a lot of items concerning home improvement not only will you be able to find construction grade wood and some common wood such as pine red oak birch poplar redwood and cedar you will also find many other useful tools and instruments that you need for your projects one of the advantages of shopping for wood at the closest home center is exactly that it is close the downside is that you might not get as much variety as a lumberyard in case you are not aware of any home centres close to your house look in the yellow pages under home improvement hardware stores building materials or lumber 2 the second option is to go to the closest lumberyard this is the practical solution when you want variety are looking for a more uncommon kind of wood and want to get better prices if you are unsure if there is a lumberyard close by look in the yellow pages under lumber hardwoods or woodworking there might be many businesses listed there so you might have to do some calling before you find the place you are looking download professional blueprints for beautiful wood projects learn more most large lumberyards carry furniture grade wood and hardwood in their inventory as well 3 the third option may sound a little unusual but it works you can order wood using mail and phone orders suppliers this option turns out to be quite practical if you cannot find a lumberyard or do not have a local home center the advantage of using mail or phone of the supplier is that you can order from the connivence of your home and place an order for exactly what you want some of these suppliers also sell recycled and reclaimed wood which may further reduce your cost of buying wood initially it might be uncomfortable to place remotely because you cannot physically examine what you re ordering however you can specify exactly what you re looking for such as boards of similar kind free of sap etc the suppliers are usually very compliant with the customers requests since they want further business from you you should always inspect the the batch of wood you receive through mail order or online ordering most mail order suppliers accept and allow returns if you find you order is not what you ordered or some of it is defective you can send it back for free replacement the huge advantage of mail order supplies is that you don t have to spend as much time in a lumber yard or a home store choosing the right kind of wood in a lumber yard can easily take up an entire day these are some more great ideas from around the web from real people on how to find the best wood for your woodworking needs use your woodworking skills to make a great income also get access to over 500 best selling wood projects learn more this site can be helpful in finding lumber in your area http www woodfinder com you can specify exactly the kind of wood you and for what purpose woodworkerssource com is reputed to providetop notch wood there are many satisfied reviews from people about it depending on where you live they might also have a local store close to you http www woodcraft com they are expensive but they do carry exotics they are a good source of wood for small projects also if you are certain to sell something for a profit despite the higher cost ordering through them is convenient and dependable people have found a lot of useful listings on craigslist under the materials section your success with searches depends on your area also certain places wood may be more difficult to find and more expensive look for sawmills on google maps and go talk to the owners if you can develop a relationship with these folks you can get lots of good wood for a good price for domestic woods find a good local sawmill with a kiln if you have a planer and a jointer any reputable mill should offer kiln dried wood it is important to use dried wood for your projects specially indoor projects otherwise it could warp and twist find a store that sells lumber exclusively they ll carry all kinds of wood domestic and exotic and the people there will know everything you need to know about each wood check out your home depot store more throughly go to their back sections ask if they have something more in their storage section you might be able to find more hardwoods and variety than what you first see on display the stock that home centres carry depends on your location as well some home depots are better stocked with wood supplies than others call your local flooring company and ask them for leads look around for a local woodworking or turning group they re usually a wealth of information for finding local sources of lumber share this click to share on facebook opens in new window click to share on pinterest opens in new window click to share on twitter opens in new window click to share on whatsapp opens in new window more click to email this to a friend opens in new window previous post next post you may also like november 12 2015 how to use chisels to clean make cuts and joints july 20 2014 how much space is needed to setup a woodshop february 12 2019 how to setup tune and maintain a perfect table saw for years 1 comment </s>
<s>[INST] buy fresh herring london [/INST] london labour and the london poor a cyclopdia of the condition and earnings of those that will work those that cannot work and those that will not work by henry mayhew the london street folk comprising street sellers street buyers street finders street performers street artizans street labourers with numerous illustrations from photographs volume one first edition 1851 volume one only and parts of volumes two and three enlarged edition four volumes 1861 62 new impression 1865 i contents of volume i the street folk page wandering tribes in general 1 wandering tribes in the country 2 the london street folk 3 costermongers 4 street sellers of fish 61 street sellers of fruit and vegetables 79 stationary street sellers of fish fruit and vegetables 97 the street irish 104 street sellers of game poultry rabbits butter cheese and eggs 120 street sellers of trees shrubs flowers roots seeds and branches 131 street sellers of green stuff 145 street sellers of eatables and drinkables 158 street sellers of stationery literature and the fine arts 213 street sellers of manufactured articles 323 the women street sellers 457 the children street sellers 468 ii list of illustrations london costermonger page 13 the coster girl 37 the oyster stall 49 the orange mart dukes place 73 the irish street seller 97 the wall flower girl 127 the groundsell man 147 the baked potato man 167 the coffee stall to face page 184 coster boy and girl tossing the pieman 196 doctor bokanky the street herbalist 206 the long song seller 222 illustrations of street art no i 224 no ii 238 the hindoo tract seller 242 the kitchen fox court 251 illustrations of street art no iii 278 the book auctioneer 296 the street seller of nutmeg graters 330 the street seller of dog collars 360 the street seller of crockeryware 366 the blind boot lace seller 406 the street seller of grease removing composition 428 the lucifer match girl 432 the street seller of walking sticks 438 the street seller of rhubarb and spice 452 the street seller of combs 458 portrait of mr mayhew to face the title page iii preface the present volume is the first of an intended series which it is hoped will form when complete a cyclopdia of the industry the want and the vice of the great metropolis it is believed that the book is curious for many reasons it surely may be considered curious as being the first attempt to publish the history of a people from the lips of the people themselvesgiving a literal description of their labour their earnings their trials and their sufferings in their own unvarnished language and to pourtray the condition of their homes and their families by personal observation of the places and direct communion with the individuals it may be considered curious also as being the first commission of inquiry into the state of the people undertaken by a private individual and the first blue book ever published in twopenny numbers it is curious moreover as supplying information concerning a large body of persons of whom the public had less knowledge than of the most distant tribes of the earththe government population returns not even numbering them among the inhabitants of the kingdom and as adducing facts so extraordinary that the traveller in the undiscovered country of the poor must like bruce until his stories are corroborated by after investigators be content to lie under the imputation of telling such tales as travellers are generally supposed to delight in be the faults of the present volume what they may assuredly they are rather short comings than exaggerations for in every instance the author and his coadjutors have sought to understate and most assuredly never to exceed the truth for the omissions the author would merely remind the reader of the entire novelty of the taskthere being no other similar work in the language by which to guide or check his inquiries when the following leaves are turned over and the two or three pages of information derived from books contrasted with the hundreds of pages of facts obtained by positive observation and investigation surely some allowance will be made for the details which may still be left for others to supply within the last two years some thousands of the humbler classes of society must have been seen and visited with the especial view of noticing their condition and learning their histories and it is but right that the truthfulness of the poor generally should be made known for though checks have been usually adopted the people have been mostly found to be astonishingly correct in their statements so much so indeed that the attempts at deception are certainly the exceptions rather than the rule those persons who from an ignorance of the simplicity of the honest poor might be inclined to think otherwise have in order iv to be convinced of the justice of the above remarks only to consult the details given in the present volume and to perceive the extraordinary agreement in the statements of all the vast number of individuals who have been seen at different times and who cannot possibly have been supposed to have been acting in concert the larger statistics such as those of the quantities of fish and fruit c sold in london have been collected from tradesmen connected with the several markets or from the wholesale merchants belonging to the trade specifiedgentlemen to whose courtesy and co operation i am indebted for much valuable information and whose names were i at liberty to publish them would be an indisputable guarantee for the facts advanced the other statistics have been obtained in the same mannerthe best authorities having been invariably consulted on the subject treated of it is right that i should make special mention of the assistance i have received in the compilation of the present volume from mr henry wood and mr richard knight late of the city mission gentlemen who have been engaged with me from nearly the commencement of my inquiries and to whose hearty co operation both myself and the public are indebted for a large increase of knowledge mr wood indeed has contributed so large a proportion of the contents of the present volume that he may fairly be considered as one of its authors the subject of the street folk will still require another volume in order to complete it in that comprehensive manner in which i am desirous of executing the modern history of this and every other portion of the people there still remainthe street buyers the street finders the street performers the street artizans and the street labourers to be done among the several classes of street people and the street jews the street italians and foreigners and the street mechanics to be treated of as varieties of the order the present volume refers more particularly to the street sellers and includes special accounts of the costermongers and the patterers the two broadly marked varieties of street tradesmen the street irish the female street sellers and the children street sellers of the metropolis my earnest hope is that the book may serve to give the rich a more intimate knowledge of the sufferings and the frequent heroism under those sufferings of the poorthat it may teach those who are beyond temptation to look with charity on the frailties of their less fortunate brethrenand cause those who are in high places and those of whom much is expected to bestir themselves to improve the condition of a class of people whose misery ignorance and vice amidst all the immense wealth and great knowledge of the first city in the world is to say the very least a national disgrace to us london labour and the london poor the street folk of wandering tribes in general of the thousand millions of human beings that are said to constitute the population of the entire globe there aresocially morally and perhaps even physically consideredbut two distinct and broadly marked races viz the wanderers and the settlersthe vagabond and the citizenthe nomadic and the civilized tribes between these two extremes however ethnologists recognize a mediate variety partaking of the attributes of both there is not only the race of hunters and manufacturersthose who live by shooting and fishing and those who live by producingbut say they there are also the herdsmen or those who live by tending and feeding what they consume each of these classes has its peculiar and distinctive physical as well as moral characteristics there are in mankind says dr pritchard three principal varieties in the form of the head and other physical characters among the rudest tribes of menthe hunters and savage inhabitants of forests dependent for their supply of food on the accidental produce of the soil and the chasea form of head is prevalent which is mostly distinguished by the term prognathous indicating a prolongation or extension forward of the jaws a second shape of the head belongs principally to such races as wander with their herds and flocks over vast plains these nations have broad lozenge shaped faces owing to the great development of the cheek bones and pyramidal skulls the most civilized races on the other handthose who live by the arts of cultivated life have a shape of the head which differs from both of those above mentioned the characteristic form of the skull among these nations may be termed oval or elliptical these three forms of head however clearly admit of being reduced to two broadly marked varieties according as the bones of the face or those of the skull are more highly developed a greater relative development of the jaws and cheek bones says the author of the natural history of man indicates a more ample extension of the organs subservient to sensation and the animal faculties such a configuration is adapted to the wandering tribes whereas the greater relative development of the bones of the skullindicating as it does a greater expansion of the brain and consequently of the intellectual facultiesis especially adapted to the civilized races or settlers who depend mainly on their knowledge of the powers and properties of things for the necessaries and comforts of life moreover it would appear that not only are all races divisible into wanderers and settlers but that each civilized or settled tribe has generally some wandering horde intermingled with and in a measure preying upon it according to dr andrew smith who has recently made extensive observations in south africa almost every tribe of people who have submitted themselves to social laws recognizing the rights of property and reciprocal social duties and thus acquiring wealth and forming themselves into a respectable caste are surrounded by hordes of vagabonds and outcasts from their own community such are the bushmen and sonquas of the hottentot racethe term sonqua meaning literally pauper but a similar condition in society produces similar results in regard to other races and the kafirs have their bushmen as well as the hottentotsthese are called fingoes a word signifying wanderers beggars or outcasts the lappes seem to have borne a somewhat similar relation to the finns that is to say they appear to have been a wild and predatory tribe who sought the desert like the arabian bedouins while the finns cultivated the soil like the industrious fellahs but a phenomenon still more deserving of notice is the difference of speech between the bushmen and the hottentots the people of some hordes dr andrew smith assures us vary their speech designedly and adopt new words with the intent of rendering their ideas unintelligible to all but the members of their own community for this last custom a peculiar name exists which is called cuze cat this is considered as greatly advantageous in assisting concealment of their designs here then we have a series of facts of the utmost social importance 1 there are two distinct races of men viz the wandering and the civilized tribes 2 to each of these tribes a different form of head is peculiar the wandering races being remarkable for the development of the bones of the face as the jaws cheek bones c and the civilized for the development of those of the head 3 to each civilized tribe there is generally a wandering horde attached 4 such wandering hordes have frequently a different language from the more civilized portion of the community and that adopted with the intent of concealing their designs and exploits from them it is curious that no one has as yet applied the above facts to the explanation of certain anomalies in the present state of society among ourselves that we like the kafirs fellahs and finns are surrounded by wandering hordesthe sonquas and the fingoes of this countrypaupers beggars and outcasts possessing nothing but what they acquire by depredation from the industrious provident and civilized portion of the community that the heads of these nomades are remarkable for the greater development of the jaws and cheekbones rather than those of the head and that they have a secret language of their ownan english cuze cat or slang as it is calledfor the concealment of their designs these are points of coincidence so striking that when placed before the mind make us marvel that the analogy should have remained thus long unnoticed the resemblance once discovered however becomes of great service in enabling us to use the moral characteristics of the nomade races of other countries as a means of comprehending the more readily those of the vagabonds and outcasts of our own let us therefore before entering upon the subject in hand briefly run over the distinctive moral and intellectual features of the wandering tribes in general the nomad then is distinguished from the civilized man by his repugnance to regular and continuous labourby his want of providence in laying up a store for the futureby his inability to perceive consequences ever so slightly removed from immediate apprehensionby his passion for stupefying herbs and roots and when possible for intoxicating fermented liquorsby his extraordinary powers of enduring privationby his comparative insensibility to painby an immoderate love of gaming frequently risking his own personal liberty upon a single castby his love of libidinous dancesby the pleasure he experiences in witnessing the suffering of sentient creaturesby his delight in warfare and all perilous sportsby his desire for vengeanceby the looseness of his notions as to propertyby the absence of chastity among his women and his disregard of female honourand lastly by his vague sense of religionhis rude idea of a creator and utter absence of all appreciation of the mercy of the divine spirit strange to say despite its privations its dangers and its hardships those who have once adopted the savage and wandering mode of life rarely abandon it there are countless examples of white men adopting all the usages of the indian hunter but there is scarcely one example of the indian hunter or trapper adopting the steady and regular habits of civilized life indeed the various missionaries who have visited nomade races have found their labours utterly unavailing so long as a wandering life continued and have succeeded in bestowing the elements of civilization only on those compelled by circumstances to adopt a settled habitation of the wandering tribes of this country the nomadic races of england are of many distinct kindsfrom the habitual vagranthalf beggar half thiefsleeping in barns tents and casual wardsto the mechanic on tramp obtaining his bed and supper from the trade societies in the different towns on his way to seek work between these two extremes there are several mediate varietiesconsisting of pedlars showmen harvest men and all that large class who live by either selling showing or doing something through the country these are so to speak the rural nomadsnot confining their wanderings to any one particular locality but ranging often from one end of the land to the other besides these there are the urban and suburban wanderers or those who follow some itinerant occupation in and round about the large towns such are in the metropolis more particularly the pickpocketsthe beggarsthe prostitutesthe street sellersthe street performersthe cabmenthe coachmenthe watermenthe sailors and such like in each of these classesaccording as they partake more or less of the purely vagabond doing nothing whatsoever for their living but moving from place to place preying upon the earnings of the more industrious portion of the community so will the attributes of the nomade tribes be found to be more or less marked in them whether it be that in the mere act of wandering there is a greater determination of blood to the surface of the body and consequently a less quantity sent to the brain the muscles being thus nourished at the expense of the mind i leave physiologists to say but certainly be the physical cause what it may we must all allow that in each of the classes above mentioned there is a greater development of the animal than of the intellectual or moral nature of man and that they are all more or less distinguished for their high cheek bones and protruding jawsfor their use of a slang languagefor their lax ideas of propertyfor their general improvidencetheir repugnance to continuous labourtheir disregard of female honourtheir love of crueltytheir pugnacityand their utter want of religion of the london street folk those who obtain their living in the streets of the metropolis are a very large and varied class indeed the means resorted to in order to pick up a crust as the people call it in the public thoroughfares and such in many instances it literally is are so multifarious that the mind is long baffled in its attempts to reduce them to scientific order or classification it would appear however that the street people may be all arranged under six distinct genera or kinds these are severally i street sellers ii street buyers iii street finders iv street performers artists and showmen v street artizans or working pedlars and vi street labourers the first of these divisionsthe street sellers includes many varieties viz 1 the street sellers of fish c wet dry and shell fishand poultry game and cheese 2 the street sellers of vegetables fruit both green and dry flowers trees shrubs seeds and roots and green stuff as water cresses chickweed and grunsel and turf 3 the street sellers of eatables and drinkables including the vendors of fried fish hot eels pickled whelks sheeps trotters ham sandwiches peas soup hot green peas penny pies plum duff meat puddings baked potatoes spice cakes muffins and crumpets chelsea buns sweetmeats brandy balls cough drops and cat and dogs meatsuch constituting the principal eatables sold in the street while under the head of street drinkables may be specified tea and coffee ginger beer lemonade hot wine new milk from the cow asses milk curds and whey and occasionally water 4 the street sellers of stationery literature and the fine arts among whom are comprised the flying stationers or standing and running patterers the long song sellers the wall song sellers or pinners up as they are technically termed the ballad sellers the vendors of play bills second editions of newspapers back numbers of periodicals and old books almanacks pocket books memorandum books note paper sealing wax pens pencils stenographic cards valentines engravings manuscript music images and gelatine poetry cards 5 the street sellers of manufactured articles which class comprises a large number of individuals as a the vendors of chemical articles of manufactureviz blacking lucifers corn salves grease removing compositions plating balls poison for rats crackers detonating balls and cigar lights b the vendors of metal articles of manufacturerazors and pen knives tea trays dog collars and key rings hardware bird cages small coins medals jewellery tin ware tools card counters red herring toasters trivets gridirons and dutch ovens c the vendors of china and stone articles of manufactureas cups and saucers jugs vases chimney ornaments and stone fruit d the vendors of linen cotton and silken articles of manufactureas sheeting table covers cotton tapes and thread boot and stay laces haberdashery pretended smuggled goods shirt buttons etc etc and e the vendors of miscellaneous articles of manufactureas cigars pipes and snuff boxes spectacles combs lots rhubarb sponges wash leather paper hangings dolls bristol toys sawdust and pin cushions 6 the street sellers of second hand articles of whom there are again four separate classes as a those who sell old metal articlesviz old knives and forks keys tin ware tools and marine stores generally b those who sell old linen articlesas old sheeting for towels c those who sell old glass and crockeryincluding bottles old pans and pitchers old looking glasses c and d those who sell old miscellaneous articlesas old shoes old clothes old saucepan lids c c 7 the street sellers of live animals including the dealers in dogs squirrels birds gold and silver fish and tortoises 8 the street sellers of mineral productions and curiosities as red and white sand silver sand coals coke salt spar ornaments and shells these so far as my experience goes exhaust the whole class of street sellers and they appear to constitute nearly three fourths of the entire number of individuals obtaining a subsistence in the streets of london the next class are the street buyers under which denomination come the purchasers of hareskins old clothes old umbrellas bottles glass broken metal rags waste paper and dripping after these we have the street finders or those who as i said before literally pick up their living in the public thoroughfares they are the pure pickers or those who live by gathering dogs dung the cigar end finders or hard ups as they are called who collect the refuse pieces of smoked cigars from the gutters and having dried them sell them as tobacco to the very poor the dredgermen or coal finders the mud larks the bone grubbers and the sewer hunters under the fourth division or that of the street performers artists and showmen are likewise many distinct callings 1 the street performers who admit of being classified into a mountebanksor those who enact puppet shows as punch and judy the fan toccini and the chinese shades b the street performers of feats of strength and dexterityas acrobats or posturers equilibrists or balancers stiff and bending tumblers jugglers conjurors sword swallowers salamanders or fire eaters swordsmen etc c the street performers with trained animalsas dancing dogs performing monkeys trained birds and mice cats and hares sapient pigs dancing bears and tame camels d the street actorsas clowns billy barlows jim crows and others 2 the street showmen including shows of a extraordinary personsas giants dwarfs albinoes spotted boys and pig faced ladies b extraordinary animalsas alligators calves horses and pigs with six legs or two heads industrious fleas and happy families c philosophic instrumentsas the microscope telescope thaumascope d measuring machinesas weighing lifting measuring and striking machines and e miscellaneous showssuch as peep shows glass ships mechanical figures wax work shows pugilistic shows and fortune telling apparatus 3 the street artists as black profile cutters blind paper cutters screevers or draughtsmen in coloured chalks on the pavement writers without hands and readers without eyes 4 the street dancers as street scotch girls sailors slack and tight rope dancers dancers on stilts and comic dancers 5 the street musicians as the street bands english and german players of the guitar harp bagpipes hurdy gurdy dulcimer musical bells cornet tom tom c 6 the street singers as the singers of glees ballads comic songs nigger melodies psalms serenaders reciters and improvisatori 7 the proprietors of street games as swings highflyers roundabouts puff and darts rifle shooting down the dolly spin em rounds prick the garter thimble rig etc then comes the fifth division of the street folk viz the street artizans or working pedlars these may be severally arranged into three distinct groups 1 those who make things in the streets 2 those who mend things in the streets and 3 those who make things at home and sell them in the streets 1 of those who make things in the streets there are the following varieties a the metal workerssuch as toasting fork makers pin makers engravers tobacco stopper makers b the textile workersstocking weavers cabbage net makers night cap knitters doll dress knitters c the miscellaneous workers the wooden spoon makers the leather brace and garter makers the printers and the glass blowers 2 those who mend things in the streets consist of broken china and glass menders clock menders umbrella menders kettle menders chair menders grease removers hat cleaners razor and knife grinders glaziers travelling bell hangers and knife cleaners 3 those who make things at home and sell them in the streets are a the wood workersas the makers of clothes pegs clothes props skewers needle cases foot stools and clothes horses chairs and tables tea caddies writing desks drawers work boxes dressing cases pails and tubs b the trunk hat and bonnet box makers and the cane and rush basket makers c the toy makerssuch as chinese roarers childrens windmills flying birds and fishes feathered cocks black velvet cats and sweeps paper houses cardboard carriages little copper pans and kettles tiny tin fireplaces childrens watches dutch dolls buy a brooms and gutta percha heads d the apparel makersviz the makers of womens caps boys and mens cloth caps night caps straw bonnets childrens dresses watch pockets bonnet shapes silk bonnets and gaiters e the metal workers as the makers of fire guards bird cages the wire workers f the miscellaneous workersor makers of ornaments for stoves chimney ornaments artificial flowers in pots and in nose gays plaster of paris night shades brooms brushes mats rugs hearthstones firewood rush matting and hassocks of the last division or street labourers there are four classes 1 the cleansers such as scavengers nightmen flushermen chimney sweeps dustmen crossing sweepers street orderlies labourers to sweeping machines and to watering carts 2 the lighters and waterers or the turncocks and the lamplighters 3 the street advertisers viz the bill stickers bill deliverers boardmen men to advertising vans and wall and pavement stencillers 4 the street servants as horse holders link men coach hirers street porters shoe blacks of the number of costermongers and other street folk the number of costermongers that it is to say of those street sellers attending the london green and fish markets appears to be from the best data at my command now 30 000 men women and children the census of 1841 gives only 2 045 hawkers hucksters and pedlars in the metropolis and no costermongers or street sellers or street performers at all this number is absurdly small and its absurdity is accounted for by the fact that not one in twenty of the costermongers or of the people with whom they lodged troubled themselves to fill up the census returnsthe majority of them being unable to read and write and others distrustful of the purpose for which the returns were wanted the costermongering class extends itself yearly and it is computed that for the last five years it has increased considerably faster than the general metropolitan population this increase is derived partly from all the children of costermongers following the fathers trade but chiefly from working men such as the servants of greengrocers or of innkeepers when out of employ taking to a costers barrow for a livelihood and the same being done by mechanics and labourers out of work at the time of the famine in ireland it is calculated that the number of irish obtaining a living in the london streets must have been at least doubled the great discrepancy between the government returns and the accounts of the costermongers themselves concerning the number of people obtaining a living by the sale of fish fruit and vegetables in the streets of london caused me to institute an inquiry at the several metropolitan markets concerning the number of street sellers attending them the following is the result during the summer months and fruit season the average number of costermongers attending covent garden market is about 2 500 per market day in the strawberry season there are nearly double as many there being at that time a large number of jews who come to buy during that period on a saturday morning from the commencement to the close of the market as many as 4 000 costers have been reckoned purchasing at covent garden through the winter season however the number of costermongers does not exceed upon the average 1 000 per market morning about one tenth of the fruit and vegetables of the least expensive kind sold at this market is purchased by the costers some of the better class of costers who have their regular customers are very particular as to the quality of the articles they buy but others are not so particular so long as they can get things cheap i am informed they do not care much about the quality the irish more especially look out for damaged articles which they buy at a low price one of my informants told me that the costers were the best customers to the growers inasmuch as when the market is flagging on account of the weather they the costers wait and make their purchases on other occasions such as fine mornings the costers purchase as early as others there is no trust given to themto use the words of one of my informants they are such slippery customers here to day and gone to morrow at leadenhall market during the winter months there are from 70 to 100 costermongers general attendants but during the summer not much more than one half that number make their appearance their purchases consist of warren rabbits poultry and game of which about one eighth of the whole amount brought to this market is bought by them when the market is slack and during the summer when there is no great call for game etc the costers attending leadenhall market turn their hand to crockery fruit and fish the costermongers frequenting spitalfields market average all the year through from 700 to 1 000 each market day they come from all parts as far as edmonton edgeware and tottenham highgate hampstead and even from greenwich and lewisham full one third of the produce of this market is purchased by them the number of costermongers attending the borough market is about 250 during the fruit season after which time they decrease to about 200 per market morning about one sixth of the produce that comes into this market is purchased by the costermongers one gentleman informed me that the salesmen might shut up their shops were it not for these men in fact said another i dont know what would become of the fruit without them the costers at billingsgate market daily number from 3 000 to 4 000 in winter and about 2 500 in summer a leading salesman told me that he would rather have an order from a costermonger than a fishmonger for the one paid ready money while the other required credit the same gentleman assured me that the costermongers bought excellent fish and that very largely they themselves aver that they purchase half the fish brought to billingsgatesome fish trades being entirely in their hands i ascertained however from the authorities at billingsgate and from experienced salesmen that of the quantity of fish conveyed to that great mart the costermongers bought one third another third was sent into the country and another disposed of to the fishmongers and to such hotel keepers or other large purchasers as resorted to billingsgate the salesmen at the several markets all agreed in stating that no trust was given to the costermongers trust them exclaimed one o certainly as far as i can see them now adding the above figures together we have the subjoined sum for the gross number of costermongers attending the london markets billingsgate market 3 500 covent garden 4 000 spitalfields 1 000 borough 250 leadenhall 100 8 850 besides these i am credibly informed that it may be assumed there are full 1 000 men who are unable to attend market owing to the dissipation of the previous night another 1 000 are absent owing to their having stock on hand and so requiring no fresh purchases and further it may be estimated that there are at least 2 000 boys in london at work for costers at half profits and who consequently have no occasion to visit the markets hence putting these numbers together we arrive at the conclusion that there are in london upwards of 13 000 street sellers dealing in fish fruit vegetables game and poultry alone to be on the safe side however let us assume the number of london costermongers to be 12 000 and that one half of these are married and have two children which from all accounts appears to be about the proportion and then we have 30 000 for the sum total of men women and children dependent on costermongering for their subsistence large as this number may seem still i am satisfied it is rather within than beyond the truth in order to convince myself of its accuracy i caused it to be checked in several ways in the first place a survey was made as to the number of stalls in the streets of londonforty six miles of the principal thoroughfares were travelled over and an account taken of the standings thus it was found that there were upon an average upwards of fourteen stalls to the mile of which five sixths were fish and fruit stalls now according to the metropolitan police returns there are 2 000 miles of street throughout london and calculating that the stalls through the whole of the metropolis run upon an average only four to the mile we shall thus find that there are 8 000 stalls altogether in london of these we may reckon that at least 6 000 are fish and fruit stalls i am informed on the best authority that twice as many costers go rounds as have standings hence we come to the conclusion that there are 18 000 itinerant and stationary street sellers of fish vegetables and fruit in the metropolis and reckoning the same proportion of wives and children as before we have thus 45 000 men women and children obtaining a living in this manner further to make assurance doubly sure the street markets throughout london were severally visited and the number of street sellers at each taken down on the spot these gave a grand total of 3 801 of which number two thirds were dealers in fish fruit and vegetables and reckoning that twice as many costers again were on their rounds we thus make the total number of london costermongers to be 11 403 or calculating men women and children 28 506 it would appear therefore that if we estimate the gross number of individuals subsisting on the sale of fish fruit and vegetables in the streets of london at between twenty five and thirty thousand we shall not be very wide of the truth but great as is this number still the costermongers are only a portion of the street folk besides these there are as we have seen many other large classes obtaining their livelihood in the streets the street musicians for instance are said to number 1 000 and the old clothesmen the same there are supposed to be at the least 500 sellers of water cresses 200 coffee stalls 300 cats meat men 250 ballad singers 200 play bill sellers from 800 to 1 000 bone grubbers and mud larks 1 000 crossing sweepers another thousand chimney sweeps and the same number of turncocks and lamp lighters all of whom together with the street performers and showmen tinkers chair umbrella and clock menders sellers of bonnet boxes toys stationery songs last dying speeches tubs pails mats crockery blacking lucifers corn salves clothes pegs brooms sweetmeats razors dog collars dogs birds coals sand scavengers dustmen and others make up it may be fairly assumed full thirty thousand adults so that reckoning men women and children we may truly say that there are upwards of fifty thousand individuals or about a fortieth part of the entire population of the metropolis getting their living in the streets now of all modes of obtaining subsistence that of street selling is the most precarious continued wet weather deprives those who depend for their bread upon the number of people frequenting the public thoroughfares of all means of living and it is painful to think of the hundreds belonging to this class in the metropolis who are reduced to starvation by three or four days successive rain moreover in the winter the street sellers of fruit and vegetables are cut off from the ordinary means of gaining their livelihood and consequently they have to suffer the greatest privations at a time when the severity of the season demands the greatest amount of physical comforts to expect that the increased earnings of the summer should be put aside as a provision against the deficiencies of the winter is to expect that a precarious occupation should beget provident habits which is against the nature of things for it is always in those callings which are the most uncertain that the greatest amount of improvidence and intemperance are found to exist it is not the well fed man be it observed but the starving one that is in danger of surfeiting himself moreover when the religious moral and intellectual degradation of the great majority of these fifty thousand people is impressed upon us it becomes positively appalling to contemplate the vast amount of vice ignorance and want existing in these days in the very heart of our land the public have but to read the following plain unvarnished account of the habits amusements dealings education politics and religion of the london costermongers in the nineteenth century and then to say whether they think it safeeven if it be thought fitto allow men women and children to continue in such a state of the varieties of street folk in general and costermongers in particular among the street folk there are many distinct characters of peoplepeople differing as widely from each in tastes habits thoughts and creed as one nation from another of these the costermongers form by far the largest and certainly the mostly broadly marked class they appear to be a distinct raceperhaps originally of irish extractionseldom associating with any other of the street folks and being all known to each other the patterers or the men who cry the last dying speeches c in the street and those who help off their wares by long harrangues in the public thoroughfares are again a separate class these to use their own term are the aristocracy of the street sellers despising the costers for their ignorance and boasting that they live by their intellect the public they say do not expect to receive from them an equivalent for their moneythey pay to hear them talk compared with the costermongers the patterers are generally an educated class and among them are some classical scholars one clergyman and many sons of gentlemen they appear to be the counterparts of the old mountebanks or street doctors as a body they seem far less improvable than the costers being more knowing and less impulsive the street performers differ again from those these appear to possess many of the characteristics of the lower class of actors viz a strong desire to excite admiration an indisposition to pursue any settled occupation a love of the tap room though more for the society and display than for the drink connected with it a great fondness for finery and predilection for the performance of dexterous or dangerous feats then there are the street mechanics or artizansquiet melancholy struggling men who unable to find any regular employment at their own trade have made up a few things and taken to hawk them in the streets as the last shift of independence another distinct class of street folk are the blind people mostly musicians in a rude way who after the loss of their eyesight have sought to keep themselves from the workhouse by some little excuse for alms seeking these so far as my experience goes appear to be a far more deserving class than is usually supposedtheir affliction in most cases seems to have chastened them and to have given a peculiar religious cast to their thoughts such are the several varieties of street folk intellectually consideredlooked at in a national point of view they likewise include many distinct people among them are to be found the irish fruit sellers the jew clothesmen the italian organ boys french singing women the german brass bands the dutch buy a broom girls the highland bagpipe players and the indian crossing sweepersall of whom i here shall treat of in due order the costermongering class or order has also its many varieties these appear to be in the following proportions one half of the entire class are costermongers proper that is to say the calling with them is hereditary and perhaps has been so for many generations while the other half is composed of three eighths irish and one eighth mechanics tradesmen and jews under the term costermonger is here included only such street sellers as deal in fish fruit and vegetables purchasing their goods at the wholesale green and fish markets of these some carry on their business at the same stationary stall or standing in the street while others go on rounds the itinerant costermongers as contradistinguished from the stationary street fishmongers and greengrocers have in many instances regular rounds which they go daily and which extend from two to ten miles the longest are those which embrace a suburban part the shortest are through streets thickly peopled by the poor where duly to work a single street consumes in some instances an hour there are also chance rounds men working these carry their wares to any part in which they hope to find customers the costermongers moreover diversify their labours by occasionally going on a country round travelling on these excursions in all directions from thirty to ninety and even a hundred miles from the metropolis some again confine their callings chiefly to the neighbouring races and fairs of all the characteristics attending these diversities of traders i shall treat severally i may here premise that the regular or thorough bred costermongers repudiate the numerous persons who sell only nuts or oranges in the streets whether at a fixed stall or any given locality or who hawk them through the thoroughfares or parks they repudiate also a number of jews who confine their street trading to the sale of coker nuts on sundays vended from large barrows nor do they rank with themselves the individuals who sell tea and coffee in the streets or such condiments as peas soup sweetmeats spice cakes and the like those articles not being purchased at the markets i often heard all such classes called the illegitimates of costermongering mechanics from the numbers of mechanics said one smart costermonger to me that i know of in my own district i should say theres now more than 1 000 costers in london that were once mechanics or labourers they are driven to it as a last resource when they cant get work at their trade they dont do well at least four out of five or three out of four dont theyre not up to the dodges of the business they go to market with fear and dont know how to venture a bargain if one offers theyre inferior salesmen too and if they have fish left that wont keep its a dead loss to them for they arent up to the trick of selling it cheap at a distance where the coster aint known or of quitting it to another for candle light sale cheap to the irish or to the lushingtons that havent a proper taste for fish some of these poor fellows lose every penny theyre mostly middle aged when they begin costering theyll generally commence with oranges or herrings we pity them we say poor fellows theyll find it out by and bye its awful to see some poor women too trying to pick up a living in the streets by selling nuts or oranges its awful to see them for they cant set about it right besides that theres too many before they start they dont find a living its only another way of starving ancient calling of costermongers the earliest record of london cries is according to mr charles knight in lydgates poem of london lyckpeny which is as old as the days of henry v or about 430 years back among lydgates cries are enumerated strawberries ripe and cherries in the rise the rise being a twig to which the cherries were tied as at present lydgate however only indicates costermongers but does not mention them by name it is not my intention as my inquiries are directed to the present condition of the costermongers to dwell on this part of the question but some historical notice of so numerous a body is indispensable i shall confine myself therefore to show from the elder dramatists how the costermongers flourished in the days of elizabeth and james i virtue says shakespeare is of so little regard in these coster monger times that true valour is turned bear herd costermonger times are as old as any trading times of which our history tells indeed the stationary costermonger of our own day is a legitimate descendant of the tradesmen of the olden time who stood by their shops with their open casements loudly inviting buyers by praises of their wares and by direct questions of what dye buy what dye lack ben jonson makes his morose who hated all noises and sought for a silent wife enter upon divers treaties with the fish wives and orange women to moderate their clamour but morose above all other noisy people cannot endure a costard monger he swoons if he hear one in fords suns darling i find the following upon my life he means to turn costermonger and is projecting how to forestall the market i shall cry pippins rarely in beaumont and fletchers scornful lady is the following pray sister do not laugh youll anger him and then hell rail like a rude costermonger dr johnson gives the derivation of costard monger the orthography he uses as derived from the sale of apples or costards round and bulky like the head and he cites burton as an authority many country vicars writes burton are driven to shifts and if our great patrons hold us to such conditions they will make us costard mongers graziers or sell ale the costard monger says mr charles knight in his london was originally an apple seller whence his name and from the mention of him in the old dramatists he appears to have been frequently an irishman in ireland the word costermonger is almost unknown of the obsolete cries of the costermongers a brief account of the cries once prevalent among the street sellers will show somewhat significantly the change in the diet or regalements of those who purchase their food in the street some of the articles are not vended in the public thoroughfares now while others are still sold but in different forms hot sheeps feet for instance were cried in the streets in the time of henry v they are now sold cold at the doors of the lower priced theatres and at the larger public houses among the street cries the following were common prior to the wars of the roses ribs of beef hot peascod and pepper and saffron these certainly indicate a different street diet from that of the present time the following are more modern running from elizabeths days down to our own pippins and in the times of charles ii and subsequently oranges were sometimes cried as orange pips fair lemons and oranges oranges and citrons new wall fleet oysters fresh fish was formerly cried as new new river water i may here mention that water carriers still ply their trade in parts of hampstead rosemary and lavender small coals a cry rendered almost poetical by the character career and pitiful end through a practical joke of tom britton the small coal man pretty pins pretty women lilly white vinegar hot wardens pears hot codlings and lastly the greasy looking beverage which charles lambs experience of london at early morning satisfied him was of all preparations the most grateful to the stomach of the then existing climbing boysviz sa loop i may state for the information of my younger readers that saloop spelt also salep and salop was prepared as a powder from the root of the orchis mascula or red handed orchis a plant which grows luxuriantly in our meadows and pastures flowering in the spring though never cultivated to any extent in this country that required for the purposes of commerce was imported from india the saloop stalls were superseded by the modern coffee stalls there were many other cries now obsolete but what i have cited were the most common of the costermongers economically considered political economy teaches us that between the two great classes of producers and consumers stand the distributorsor dealerssaving time trouble and inconvenience to the one in disposing of and to the other in purchasing their commodities but the distributor was not always a part and parcel of the economical arrangements of the state in olden times the producer and consumer were brought into immediate contact at markets and fairs holden at certain intervals the inconvenience of this mode of operation however was soon felt and the pedlar or wandering distributor sprang up as a means of carrying the commodities to those who were unable to attend the public markets at the appointed time still the pedlar or wandering distributor was not without his disadvantages he only came at certain periods and commodities were occasionally required in the interim hence the shopkeeper or stationary distributor was called into existence so that the consumer might obtain any commodity of the producer at any time he pleased hence we see that the pedlar is the primitive tradesman and that the one is contradistinguished from the other by the fact that the pedlar carries the goods to the consumer whereas in the case of the shopkeeper the consumer goes after the goods in country districts remote from towns and villages the pedlar is not yet wholly superseded but a dealer who has a fixed abode and fixed customers is so much more to be depended on says mr stewart mill that consumers prefer resorting to him if he is conveniently accessible and dealers therefore find their advantage in establishing themselves in every locality where there are sufficient customers near at hand to afford them a remuneration hence the pedlar is now chiefly confined to the poorer districts and is consequently distinguished from the stationary tradesman by the character and means of his customers as well as by the amount of capital and extent of his dealings the shopkeeper supplies principally the noblemen and gentry with the necessaries and luxuries of life but the pedlar or hawker is the purveyor in general to the poor he brings the greengrocery the fruit the fish the water cresses the shrimps the pies and puddings the sweetmeats the pine apples the stationery the linendrapery and the jewellery such as it is to the very door of the working classes indeed the poor mans food and clothing are mainly supplied to him in this manner hence the class of travelling tradesmen are important not only as forming a large portion of the poor themselves but as being the persons through whom the working people obtain a considerable part of their provisions and raiment but the itinerant tradesman or street seller is still further distinguished from the regular fixed dealerthe stall keeper from the shop keeperthe street wareman from the ware house man by the arts they respectively employ to attract custom the street seller cries his goods aloud at the head of his barrow the enterprising tradesman distributes bills at the door of his shop the one appeals to the ear the other to the eye the cutting costermonger has a drum and two boys to excite attention to his stock the spirited shopkeeper has a column of advertisements in the morning newspapers they are but different means of attaining the same end the london street markets on a saturday night the street sellers are to be seen in the greatest numbers at the london street markets on a saturday night here and in the shops immediately adjoining the working classes generally purchase their sundays dinner and after pay time on saturday night or early on sunday morning the crowd in the new cut and the brill in particular is almost impassable indeed the scene in these parts has more of the character of a fair than a market there are hundreds of stalls and every stall has its one or two lights either it is illuminated by the intense white light of the new self generating gas lamp or else it is brightened up by the red smoky flame of the old fashioned grease lamp one man shows off his yellow haddock with a candle stuck in a bundle of firewood his neighbour makes a candlestick of a huge turnip and the tallow gutters over its sides whilst the boy shouting eight a penny stunning pears has rolled his dip in a thick coat of brown paper that flares away with the candle some stalls are crimson with the fire shining through the holes beneath the baked chestnut stove others have handsome octohedral lamps while a few have a candle shining through a sieve these with the sparkling ground glass globes of the tea dealers shops and the butchers gaslights streaming and fluttering in the wind like flags of flame pour forth such a flood of light that at a distance the atmosphere immediately above the spot is as lurid as if the street were on fire the pavement and the road are crowded with purchasers and street sellers the housewife in her thick shawl with the market basket on her arm walks slowly on stopping now to look at the stall of caps and now to cheapen a bunch of greens little boys holding three or four onions in their hand creep between the people wriggling their way through every interstice and asking for custom in whining tones as if seeking charity then the tumult of the thousand different cries of the eager dealers all shouting at the top of their voices at one and the same time is almost bewildering so old again roars one chestnuts all ot a penny a score bawls another an aypenny a skin blacking squeaks a boy buy buy buy buy buybu u uy cries the butcher half quire of paper for a penny bellows the street stationer an aypenny a lot ing uns twopence a pound grapes three a penny yarmouth bloaters wholl buy a bonnet for fourpence pick em out cheap here three pair for a halfpenny bootlaces nows your time beautiful whelks a penny a lot heres haporths shouts the perambulating confectioner come and look at em heres toasters bellows one with a yarmouth bloater stuck on a toasting fork penny a lot fine russets calls the apple woman and so the babel goes on one man stands with his red edged mats hanging over his back and chest like a heralds coat and the girl with her basket of walnuts lifts her brown stained fingers to her mouth as she screams fine warnuts sixteen a penny fine war r nuts a bootmaker to ensure custom has illuminated his shop front with a line of gas and in its full glare stands a blind beggar his eyes turned up so as to show only the whites and mumbling some begging rhymes that are drowned in the shrill notes of the bamboo flute player next to him the boys sharp cry the womans cracked voice the gruff hoarse shout of the man are all mingled together sometimes an irish 10 man is heard with his fine ating apples or else the jingling music of an unseen organ breaks out as the trio of street singers rest between the verses then the sights as you elbow your way through the crowd are equally multifarious here is a stall glittering with new tin saucepans there another bright with its blue and yellow crockery and sparkling with white glass now you come to a row of old shoes arranged along the pavement now to a stand of gaudy tea trays then to a shop with red handkerchiefs and blue checked shirts fluttering backwards and forwards and a counter built up outside on the kerb behind which are boys beseeching custom at the door of a tea shop with its hundred white globes of light stands a man delivering bills thanking the public for past favours and defying competition here alongside the road are some half dozen headless tailors dummies dressed in chesterfields and fustian jackets each labelled look at the prices or observe the quality after this is a butchers shop crimson and white with meat piled up to the first floor in front of which the butcher himself in his blue coat walks up and down sharpening his knife on the steel that hangs to his waist a little further on stands the clean family begging the father with his head down as if in shame and a box of lucifers held forth in his handthe boys in newly washed pinafores and the tidily got up mother with a child at her breast this stall is green and white with bunches of turnipsthat red with apples the next yellow with onions and another purple with pickling cabbages one minute you pass a man with an umbrella turned inside up and full of prints the next you hear one with a peepshow of mazeppa and paul jones the pirate describing the pictures to the boys looking in at the little round windows then is heard the sharp snap of the percussion cap from the crowd of lads firing at the target for nuts and the moment afterwards you see either a black man half clad in white and shivering in the cold with tracts in his hand or else you hear the sounds of music from fraziers circus on the other side of the road and the man outside the door of the penny concert beseeching you to be in timebe in time as mr somebody is just about to sing his favourite song of the knife grinder such indeed is the riot the struggle and the scramble for a living that the confusion and uproar of the new cut on saturday night have a bewildering and saddening effect upon the thoughtful mind each salesman tries his utmost to sell his wares tempting the passers by with his bargains the boy with his stock of herbs offers a double andful of fine parsley for a penny the man with the donkey cart filled with turnips has three lads to shout for him to their utmost with their ho ho hi i i what do you think of this here a penny a bunchhurrah for free trade heres your turnips until it is seen and heard we have no sense of the scramble that is going on throughout london for a living the same scene takes place at the brillthe same in leather lanethe same in tottenham court roadthe same in whitecross street go to whatever corner of the metropolis you please either on a saturday night or a sunday morning and there is the same shouting and the same struggling to get the penny profit out of the poor mans sundays dinner since the above description was written the new cut has lost much of its noisy and brilliant glory in consequence of a new police regulation stands or pitches have been forbidden and each coster on a market night is now obliged under pain of the lock up house to carry his tray or keep moving with his barrow the gay stalls have been replaced by deal boards some sodden with wet fish others stained purple with blackberries or brown with walnut peel and the bright lamps are almost totally superseded by the dim guttering candle even if the pole under the tray or shallow is seen resting on the ground the policeman on duty is obliged to interfere the mob of purchasers has diminished one half and instead of the road being filled with customers and trucks the pavement and kerb stones are scarcely crowded the sunday morning markets nearly every poor mans market does its sunday trade for a few hours on the sabbath morning the noise bustle and scramble of the saturday night are repeated and but for this opportunity many a poor family would pass a dinnerless sunday the system of paying the mechanic late on the saturday nightand more particularly of paying a man his wages in a public housewhen he is tired with his days work lures him to the tavern and there the hours fly quickly enough beside the warm tap room fire so that by the time the wife comes for her husbands wages she finds a large portion of them gone in drink and the streets half cleared so that the sunday market is the only chance of getting the sundays dinner of all these sunday morning markets the brill perhaps furnishes the busiest scene so that it may be taken as a type of the whole the streets in the neighbourhood are quiet and empty the shops are closed with their different coloured shutters and the people round about are dressed in the shiney cloth of the holiday suit there are no cabs and but few omnibuses to disturb the rest and men walk in the road as safely as on the footpath as you enter the brill the market sounds are scarcely heard but at each step the low hum grows gradually into the noisy shouting until at last the different cries become distinct and the hubbub din and confusion of a thousand voices bellowing at once again fill the air the road and footpath are crowded as on the over night the men are standing in groups smoking and talking whilst the women run 11 to and fro some with the white round turnips showing out of their filled aprons others with cabbages under their arms and a piece of red meat dangling from their hands only a few of the shops are closed but the butchers and the coal shed are filled with customers and from the door of the shut up bakers the women come streaming forth with bags of flour in their hands while men sally from the halfpenny barbers smoothing their clean shaved chins walnuts blacking apples onions braces combs turnips herrings pens and corn plaster are all bellowed out at the same time labourers and mechanics still unshorn and undressed hang about with their hands in their pockets some with their pet terriers under their arms the pavement is green with the refuse leaves of vegetables and round a cabbage barrow the women stand turning over the bunches as the man shouts where you like only a penny boys are running home with the breakfast herring held in a piece of paper and the side pocket of the apple mans stuff coat hangs down with the weight of the halfpence stored within it presently the tolling of the neighbouring church bells breaks forth then the bustle doubles itself the cries grow louder the confusion greater women run about and push their way through the throng scolding the saunterers for in half an hour the market will close in a little time the butcher puts up his shutters and leaves the door still open the policemen in their clean gloves come round and drive the street sellers before them and as the clock strikes eleven the market finishes and the sundays rest begins the following is a list of the street markets and the number of costers usually attending markets on the surrey side new cut lambeth 300 lambeth walk 104 walworth road 22 camberwell 15 newington 45 kent street borough 38 bermondsey 107 union street borough 29 great suffolk street 46 blackfriars road 58 764 markets on the middlesex side brill and chapel st somers town 300 camden town 50 hampstead rd and tottenham ct rd 333 st georges market oxford street 177 marylebone 37 edgeware road 78 crawford street 145 knightsbridge 46 pimlico 32 tothill st broadway westminster 119 drury lane 22 clare street 139 exmouth street and aylesbury street clerkenwell 142 leather lane 150 st johns street 47 old street st lukes 46 whitecross street cripplegate 150 islington 79 city road 49 shoreditch 100 bethnal green 100 whitechapel 258 mile end 105 commercial rd east 114 limehouse 88 ratcliffe highway 122 rosemary lane 119 3147 we find from the foregoing list of markets held in the various thoroughfares of the metropolis that there are 10 on the surrey side and 27 on the middlesex side of the thames the total number of hucksters attending these markets is 3 911 giving an average of 105 to each market habits and amusements of costermongers i find it impossible to separate these two headings for the habits of the costermonger are not domestic his busy life is past in the markets or the streets and as his leisure is devoted to the beer shop the dancing room or the theatre we must look for his habits to his demeanour at those places home has few attractions to a man whose life is a street life even those who are influenced by family ties and affections prefer to homeindeed that word is rarely mentioned among themthe conversation warmth and merriment of the beer shop where they can take their ease among their mates excitement or amusement are indispensable to uneducated men of beer shops resorted to by costermongers and principally supported by them it is computed that there are 400 in london those who meet first in the beer shop talk over the state of trade and of the markets while the later comers enter at once into what may be styled the serious business of the eveningamusement business topics are discussed in a most peculiar style one man takes the pipe from his mouth and says bill made a doogheno hit this morning jem says another to a man just entering youll stand a top o reeb on answers jem ive had a trosseno tol and have been doing dab for an explanation of what may be obscure in this dialogue i must refer my readers to my remarks concerning the language of the class if any strangers are present the conversation is still further clothed in slang so as to be unintelligible even to the partially initiated the evident puzzlement of any listener is of course gratifying to the costermongers vanity for he feels that he possesses a knowledge peculiarly his own among the in door amusements of the costermonger is card playing at which many of them are adepts the usual games are all fours all fives cribbage and put whist is known to a few but is never played being considered dull and slow of short whist they have not heard but said one whom i questioned on the subject if its come into fashion itll soon be among us the play is usually for beer but the game is rendered exciting by bets both among the players and the lookers on ill back jem for a yanepatine says one jack for a gen cries another a penny is the lowest sum laid and five shillings generally the highest but a shilling is not often exceeded we play fair among ourselves said a costermonger to meaye fairer than the aristocratsbut well take in anybody else where it is known that the landlord will not supply cards a sporting coster carries a pack or two with him the cards played with have rarely been stamped 12 they are generally dirty and sometimes almost illegible from long handling and spilled beer some men will sit patiently for hours at these games and they watch the dealing round of the dingy cards intently and without the attemptcommon among politer gamestersto appear indifferent though they bear their losses well in a full room of card players the groups are all shrouded in tobacco smoke and from them are heard constant soundsaccording to the games they are engaged inof im low and peds high tip and mes game fifteen four and a flush of five i may remark it is curious that costermongers who can neither read nor write and who have no knowledge of the multiplication table are skilful in all the intricacies and calculations of cribbage there is not much quarrelling over the cards unless strangers play with them and then the costermongers all take part one with another fairly or unfairly it has been said that there is a close resemblance between many of the characteristics of a very high class socially and a very low class those who remember the disclosures on a trial a few years back as to how men of rank and wealth passed their leisure in card playingmany of their lives being one continued leisurecan judge how far the analogy holds when the card passion of the costermongers is described shove halfpenny is another game played by them so is three up three halfpennies are thrown up and when they fall all heads or all tails it is a mark and the man who gets the greatest number of marks out of a given amountthree or five or morewins three up is played fairly among the costermongers but is most frequently resorted to when strangers are present to make a pitch which is in plain words to cheat any stranger who is rash enough to bet upon them this is the way sir said an adept to me bless you i can make them fall as i please if im playing with jo and a stranger bets with jo why of course i make jo win this adept illustrated his skill to me by throwing up three halfpennies and five times out of six they fell upon the floor whether he threw them nearly to the ceiling or merely to his shoulder all heads or all tails the halfpence were the proper current coinsindeed they were my own and the result is gained by a peculiar position of the coins on the fingers and a peculiar jerk in the throwing there was an amusing manifestation of the pride of art in the way in which my obliging informant displayed his skill skittles is another favourite amusement and the costermongers class themselves among the best players in london the game is always for beer but betting goes on a fondness for sparring and boxing lingers among the rude members of some classes of the working men such as the tanners with the great majority of the costermongers this fondness is still as dominant as it was among the higher classes when boxers were the pets of princes and nobles the sparring among the costers is not for money but for beer and a larka convenient word covering much mischief two out of every ten landlords whose houses are patronised by these lovers of the art of self defence supply gloves some charge 2 d a night for their use others only 1 d the sparring seldom continues long sometimes not above a quarter of an hour for the costermongers though excited for a while weary of sports in which they cannot personally participate and in the beer shops only two spar at a time though fifty or sixty may be present the shortness of the duration of this pastime may be one reason why it seldom leads to quarrelling the stake is usually a top of reeb and the winner is the man who gives the first noser a bloody nose however is required to show that the blow was veritably a noser the costermongers boast of their skill in pugilism as well as at skittles we are all handy with our fists said one man and are matches aye and more than matches for anybody but reglar boxers weve stuck to the ring too and gone reglar to the fights more than any other men twopenny hops are much resorted to by the costermongers men and women boys and girls at these dances decorum is sometimes but not often violated the women i was told by one man doesnt show their necks as ive seen the ladies do in them there pictures of high life in the shop winders or on the stage their sunday gowns which is their dancing gowns aint made that way at these hops the clog hornpipe is often danced and sometimes a collection is made to ensure the performance of a first rate professor of that dance sometimes and more frequently it is volunteered gratuitously the other dances are jigs flash jigshornpipes in fettersa dance rendered popular by the success of the acted jack sheppardpolkas and country dances the last mentioned being generally demanded by the women waltzes are as yet unknown to them sometimes they do the pipe dance for this a number of tobacco pipes about a dozen are laid close together on the floor and the dancer places the toe of his boot between the different pipes keeping time with the music two of the pipes are arranged as a cross and the toe has to be inserted between each of the angles without breaking them the numbers present at these hops vary from 30 to 100 of both sexes their ages being from 14 to 45 and the female sex being slightly predominant as to the proportion of those in attendance at these hops there is nothing of the leisurely style of dancinghalf a glide and half a skipbut vigorous laborious capering the hours are from half past eight to twelve sometimes to one or two in the morning and never later than two as the costermongers are early risers there is sometimes a good deal of drinking some of the young girls being often pressed to drink and frequently yielding to the temptation from 1 l to 7 l is spent in drink at a hop the youngest men or lads present spend the most especially in that act of costermonger 15 politenesstreating the gals the music is always a fiddle sometimes with the addition of a harp and a cornopean the band is provided by the costermongers to whom the assembly is confined but during the present and the last year when the costers earnings have been less than the average the landlord has provided the harp whenever that instrument has added to the charms of the fiddle of one use to which these hops are put i have given an account under the head of marriage the london costermonger here pertaters kearots and turnups fine brockello o o from a daguerreotype by beard the other amusements of this class of the community are the theatre and the penny concert and their visits are almost entirely confined to the galleries of the theatres on the surrey sidethe surrey the victoria the bower saloon and but less frequently astleys three times a week is an average attendance at theatres and dances by the more prosperous costermongers the most intelligent man i met with among them gave me the following account he classes himself with the many but his tastes are really those of an educated man love and murder suits us best sir but within these few years i think theres a great deal more liking for deep tragedies among us they set men a thinking but then we all consider them too long of hamlet we can make neither end nor side and nine out of ten of usay far more than thatwould like it to be confined to the ghost scenes and the funeral and the killing off at the last macbeth would be better liked if it was only the witches and the fighting the high words in a tragedy we call jaw breakers and say we cant tumble to that barrikin we always stay to the last because weve paid for it all or very few costers would see a tragedy out if any money was returned to those leaving after two or three acts we are fond of music nigger music was very much liked among us but its stale now flash songs are liked and sailors songs and patriotic songs most costersindeed i cant call to mind an exceptionlisten very quietly to songs that they dont in the least understand we have among us translations of the patriotic french songs mourir pour la patrie is very popular and so is the marseillaise a song to take hold of us must have a good chorus they like something sir that is worth hearing said one of my informants such as the soldiers dream the dream of napoleon or i ad a dreaman appy dream the songs in ridicule of marshal haynau and in laudation of barclay and perkins draymen were and are very popular among the costers but none are more popular than paul jonesa noble commander paul jones was his name among them the chorus of britons never shall be slaves is often rendered britons always shall be slaves the most popular of all songs with the class however is duck legged dick of which i give the first verse duck legged dick had a donkey and his lush loved much for to swill one day he got rather lumpy and got sent seven days to the mill his donkey was taken to the green yard a fate which he never deserved oh it was such a regular mean yard that alas the poor moke got starved oh bad luck cant be prevented fortune she smiles or she frowns hes best off thats contented to mix sirs the ups and the downs their sports are enjoyed the more if they are dangerous and require both courage and dexterity to succeed in them they prefer if crossing a bridge to climb over the parapet and walk along on the stone coping when a house is building rows of coster lads will climb up the long ladders leaning against the unslated roof and then slide down again each one resting on the others shoulders a peep show with a battle scene is sure of its coster audience and a favourite pastime is fighting with cheap theatrical swords they are however true to each other and should a coster who is the hero of his court fall ill and go to a hospital the whole of the inhabitants of his quarter will visit him on the sunday and take him presents of various articles so that he may live well among the men rat killing is a favourite sport they will enter an old stable fasten the door and then turn out the rats or they will find out some unfrequented yard and at night time build up a pit with apple case boards and lighting up their lamps enjoy the sport nearly every coster is fond of dogs some fancy them greatly and are proud of making them fight if when out working they see a handsome stray whether he is a toy or sporting dog they whip him upmany of the class not being very particular whether the animals are stray or not their dog fights are both cruel and frequent it is not uncommon to see a lad walking with the trembling legs of a dog shivering under a bloody handkerchief that covers the bitten and wounded body of an animal that has been figuring at some match these fights take place on the slythe tap room or back yard of a beer shop being generally chosen for the purpose a few men are let into the secret and they attend to bet upon the winner the police being carefully kept from the spot pigeons are fancied to a large extent and are kept in lath cages on the roofs of the houses the lads look upon a visit to the red house battersea where the pigeon shooting takes place as a great treat they stand without the hoarding that encloses the ground and watch for the wounded pigeons to fall when a violent scramble takes place among them each bird being valued at 3 d or 4 d so popular has this sport become that some boys take dogs with them trained to retrieve the birds and two lambeth costers attend regularly after their mornings work with their guns to shoot those that escape the shots within a good pugilist is looked up to with great admiration by the costers and fighting is considered to be a necessary part of a boys education among them cowardice in any shape is despised 16 as being degrading and loathsome indeed the man who would avoid a fight is scouted by the whole of the court he lives in hence it is important for a lad and even a girl to know how to work their fists wellas expert boxing is called among them if a coster man or woman is struck they are obliged to fight when a quarrel takes place between two boys a ring is formed and the men urge them on to have it out for they hold that it is a wrong thing to stop a battle as it causes bad blood for life whereas if the lads fight it out they shake hands and forget all about it everybody practises fighting and the man who has the largest and hardest muscle is spoken of in terms of the highest commendation it is often said in admiration of such a man that he could muzzle half a dozen bobbies before breakfast to serve out a policeman is the bravest act by which a costermonger can distinguish himself some lads have been imprisoned upwards of a dozen times for this offence and are consequently looked upon by their companions as martyrs when they leave prison for such an act a subscription is often got up for their benefit in their continual warfare with the force they resemble many savage nations from the cunning and treachery they use the lads endeavour to take the unsuspecting crusher by surprise and often crouch at the entrance of a court until a policeman passes when a stone or a brick is hurled at him and the youngster immediately disappears their love of revenge too is extremetheir hatred being in no way mitigated by time they will wait for months following a policeman who has offended or wronged them anxiously looking out for an opportunity of paying back the injury one boy i was told vowed vengeance against a member of the force and for six months never allowed the man to escape his notice at length one night he saw the policeman in a row outside a public house and running into the crowd kicked him savagely shouting at the same time now you b ive got you at last when the boy heard that his persecutor was injured for life his joy was very great and he declared the twelvemonths imprisonment he was sentenced to for the offence to be dirt cheap the whole of the court where the lad resided sympathized with the boy and vowed to a man that had he escaped they would have subscribed a pad or two of dry herrings to send him into the country until the affair had blown over for he had shown himself a plucky one it is called plucky to bear pain without complaining to flinch from expected suffering is scorned and he who does so is sneered at and told to wear a gown as being more fit to be a woman to show a disregard for pain a lad when without money will say to his pal give us a penny and you may have a punch at my nose they also delight in tattooing their chests and arms with anchors and figures of different kinds during the whole of this painful operation the boy will not flinch but laugh and joke with his admiring companions as if perfectly at ease gambling of costermongers it would be difficult to find in the whole of this numerous class a youngster who is notwhat may be safely calleda desperate gambler at the age of fourteen this love of play first comes upon the lad and from that time until he is thirty or so not a sunday passes but he is at his stand on the gambling ground even if he has no money to stake he will loll away the morning looking on and so borrow excitement from the successes of others every attempt made by the police to check this ruinous system has been unavailing and has rather given a gloss of daring courage to the sport that tends to render it doubly attractive if a costermonger has an hour to spare his first thought is to gamble away the time he does not care what he plays for so long as he can have a chance of winning something whilst waiting for a market to open his delight is to find out some pieman and toss him for his stock though by so doing he risks his market money and only chance of living to win that which he will give away to the first friend he meets for the whole week the boy will work untiringly spurred on by the thought of the money to be won on the sunday nothing will damp his ardour for gambling the most continued ill fortune making him even more reckless than if he were the luckiest man alive many a lad who had gone down to the gambling ground with a good warm coat upon his back and his pocket well filled from the saturday nights market will leave it at evening penniless and coatless having lost all his earnings stock money and the better part of his clothing some of the boys when desperate with bad luck borrow to the utmost limit of their credit then they mortgage their kings man or neck tie and they will even change their cord trousers if better than those of the winner so as to have one more chance at the turn of fortune the coldest winters day will not stop the sundays gathering on the river side for the heat of play warms them in spite of the sharp wind blowing down the thames if the weather be wet so that the half pence stick to the ground they find out some railway arch or else a beer shop and having filled the tap room with their numbers they muffle the table with handkerchiefs and play secretly when the game is very exciting they will even forget their hunger and continue to gamble until it is too dark to see before they think of eating one man told me that when he was working the races with lemonade he had often seen in the centre of a group composed of costers thimble riggers and showmen as much as 100 l on the ground at one time in gold and silver a friend of his who had gone down in company with him with a pony truck of toys 17 lost in less than an hour his earnings truck stock of goods and great coat vowing to have his revenge next time he took his boy on his back and started off on the tramp to london there to borrow sufficient money to bring down a fresh lot of goods on the morrow and then gamble away his earnings as before it is perfectly immaterial to the coster with whom he plays whether it be a lad from the lambeth potteries or a thief from the westminster slums very often too the gamblers of one costermonger district will visit those of another and work what is called a plant in this way one of the visitors will go before hand and joining a group of gamblers commence tossing when sufficient time has elapsed to remove all suspicion of companionship his mate will come up and commence betting on each of his pals throws with those standing round by a curious quickness of hand a coster can make the toss tell favourably for his wagering friend who meets him after the play is over in the evening and shares the spoil the spots generally chosen for the sundays sport are in secret places half hidden from the eye of the passers where a scout can give quick notice of the approach of the police in the fields about kings cross or near any unfinished railway buildings the mint st georges fields blackfriars road bethnal green and marylebone are all favourite resorts between lambeth and chelsea the shingle on the left side of the thames is spotted with small rings of lads half hidden behind the barges one boy of the party is always on the look out and even if a stranger should advance the cry is given of namous or kool eslop instantly the money is whipped up and pocketed and the boys stand chattering and laughing together it is never difficult for a coster to find out where the gambling parties are for he has only to stop the first lad he meets and ask him where the erht pu or three up is going on to discover their whereabouts if during the game a cry of police should be given by the looker out instantly a rush at the money is made by any one in the group the costers preferring that a stranger should have the money rather than the policeman there is also a custom among them that the ruined player should be started again by a gift of 2 d in every shilling lost or if the loss is heavy a present of four or five shillings is made neither is it considered at all dishonourable for the party winning to leave with the full bloom of success upon him that the description of one of these sunday scenes might be more truthful a visit was paid to a gambling ring close to although not twenty yards distant from the steam boat pier yet the little party was so concealed among the coal barges that not a head could be seen the spot chosen was close to a small narrow court leading from the street to the water side and here the lad on the look out was stationed there were about thirty young fellows some tall strapping youths in the costers cable cord costume others mere boys in rags from the potteries with their clothes stained with clay the party was hidden from the river by the black dredger boats on the beach and it was so arranged that should the alarm be given they might leap into the coal barges and hide until the intruder had retired seated on some oars stretched across two craft was a mortar stained bricklayer keeping a look out towards the river and acting as a sort of umpire in all disputes the two that were tossing had been playing together since early morning and it was easy to tell which was the loser by the anxious looking eye and compressed lip he was quarrelsome too and if the crowd pressed upon him he would jerk his elbow back savagely saying i wish to ct youd stand backer the winner a short man in a mud stained canvas jacket and a weeks yellow beard on his chin never spake a word beyond his heads or tails but his cheeks were red and the pipe in his mouth was unlit though he puffed at it in their hands they each held a long row of halfpence extending to the wrist and topped by shillings and half crowns nearly every one round had coppers in his hands and bets were made and taken as rapidly as they could be spoken i lost a sov last night in less than no time said one man who with his hands in his pockets was looking on never mindi musnt have no wenson this week and try again next sunday the boy who was losing was adopting every means to bring back his luck again before crying he would toss up a halfpenny three times to see what he should call at last with an oath he pushed aside the boys round him and shifted his place to see what that would do it had a good effect for he won toss after toss in a curiously fortunate way and then it was strange to watch his mouth gradually relax and his brows unknit his opponent was a little startled and passing his fingers through his dusty hair said with a stupid laugh well i never see the likes the betting also began to shift sixpence ned wins cried three or four sixpence he loses answered another done and up went the halfpence half a crown joe loses here you are answered joe but he lost again ill try you a gen shilling said a coster and a rouf yenap fourpence added the other say a exes sixpence done and the betting continued till the ground was spotted with silver and halfpence thats ten bob hes won in five minutes said joe the loser looking round with a forced smile but ned the winner never spake a word even when he gave any change to his antagonist and if he took a bet he only nodded to the one that offered it and threw down his money once when he picked up more than a sovereign from the ground that he had won in one throw a washed sweep with a black rim round his neck said theres a hog but 18 there wasnt even a smile at the joke at last joe began to feel angry and stamping his foot till the water squirted up from the beach cried its no use lucks set in himhed muck a thousand and so he shifted his ground and betted all round on the chance of better fortune attending the movement he lost again and some one bantering said youll win the shine rag joe meaning that he would be cracked up or ruined if he continued when one oclock struck a lad left saying he was going to get an inside lining dinner the sweep asked him what he was going to have a two and half plate and a haporth of smash a plate of soup and a haporth of mashed potatoes replied the lad bounding into the court nobody else seemed to care for his dinner for all stayed to watch the gamblers every now and then some one would go up the court to see if the lad watching for the police was keeping a good look out but the boy never deserted his post for fear of losing his threepence if he had such is the wish to protect the players felt by every lad that even whilst at dinner one of them if he saw a policeman pass would spring up and rush to the gambling ring to give notice when the tall youth ned had won nearly all the silver of the group he suddenly jerked his gains into his coat pocket and saying ive done walked off and was out of sight in an instant the surprise of the loser and all around was extreme they looked at the court where he had disappeared then at one another and at last burst out into one expression of disgust theres a scurf said one hes a regular scab cried another and a coster declared that he was a trosseno and no mistake for although it is held to be fair for the winner to go whenever he wishes yet such conduct is never relished by the losers it was then determined that they would have him to rights the next time he came to gamble for every one would set at him and win his money and then turn up as he had done the party was then broken up the players separating to wait for the new comers that would be sure to pour in after dinner vic gallery on a good attractive night the rush of costers to the threepenny gallery of the coburg better known as the vic is peculiar and almost awful the long zig zag staircase that leads to the pay box is crowded to suffocation at least an hour before the theatre is opened but on the occasion of a piece with a good murder in it the crowd will frequently collect as early as three oclock in the afternoon lads stand upon the broad wooden bannisters about 50 feet from the ground and jump on each others backs or adopt any expedient they can think of to obtain a good place the walls of the well staircase having a remarkably fine echo and the wooden floor of the steps serving as a sounding board the shouting whistling and quarrelling of the impatient young costers is increased tenfold if as sometimes happens a song with a chorus is started the ears positively ache with the din and when the chant has finished it seems as though a sudden silence had fallen on the people to the centre of the road and all round the door the mob is in a ferment of excitement and no sooner is the money taker at his post than the most frightful rush takes place every one heaving with his shoulder at the back of the person immediately in front of him the girls shriek men shout and a nervous fear is felt lest the massive staircase should fall in with the weight of the throng as it lately did with the most terrible results if a hat tumbles from the top of the staircase a hundred hands snatch at it as it descends when it is caught a voice roars above the tumult all right bill ive got itfor they all seem to know one anotherkeep us a pitch and ill bring it to any one unaccustomed to be pressed flat it would be impossible to enter with the mob to see the sight in the gallery it is better to wait until the first piece is over the ham sandwich men and pig trotter women will give you notice when the time is come for with the first clatter of the descending footsteps they commence their cries there are few grown up men that go to the vic gallery the generality of the visitors are lads from about twelve to three and twenty and though a few black faced sweeps or whitey brown dustmen may be among the throng the gallery audience consists mainly of costermongers young girls too are very plentiful only one third of whom now take their babies owing to the new regulation of charging half price for infants at the foot of the staircase stands a group of boys begging for the return checks which they sell again for 1 d or 1 d according to the lateness of the hour at each step up the well staircase the warmth and stench increase until by the time one reaches the gallery doorway a furnace heat rushes out through the entrance that seems to force you backwards whilst the odour positively prevents respiration the mob on the landing standing on tiptoe and closely wedged together resists any civil attempt at gaining a glimpse of the stage and yet a coster lad will rush up elbow his way into the crowd then jump up on to the shoulders of those before him and suddenly disappear into the body of the gallery the gallery at the vic is one of the largest in london it will hold from 1500 to 2000 people and runs back to so great a distance that the end of it is lost in shadow excepting where the little gas jets against the wall light up the two or three faces around them when the gallery is well packed it is usual to see piles of boys on each others shoulders at the back while on the partition 19 boards dividing off the slips lads will pitch themselves despite the spikes as you look up the vast slanting mass of heads from the upper boxes each one appears on the move the huge black heap dotted with faces and spotted with white shirt sleeves almost pains the eye to look at and should a clapping of hands commence the twinkling nearly blinds you it is the fashion with the mob to take off their coats and the cross braces on the backs of some and the bare shoulders peeping out of the ragged shirts of others are the only variety to be found the bonnets of the ladies are hung over the iron railing in front their numbers nearly hiding the panels and one of the amusements of the lads in the back seats consists in pitching orange peel or nutshells into them a good aim being rewarded with a shout of laughter when the orchestra begins playing before the gods have settled into their seats it is impossible to hear a note of music the puffed out cheeks of the trumpeters and the raised drumsticks tell you that the overture has commenced but no tune is to be heard an occasional burst of the full band being caught by gushes as if a high wind were raging recognitions take place every moment and bill smith is called to in a loud voice from one side and a shout in answer from the other asks whats up or family secrets are revealed and bob triller is asked where sal is and replies amid a roar of laughter that she is a larning the pynanney by and by a youngster who has come in late jumps up over the shoulders at the door and doubling himself into a ball rolls down over the heads in front leaving a trail of commotion for each one as he passes aims a blow at the fellow presently a fight is sure to begin and then every one rises from his seat whistling and shouting three or four pairs of arms fall to the audience waving their hands till the moving mass seems like microscopic eels in paste but the commotion ceases suddenly on the rising of the curtain and then the cries of silence ord a a r ord a a r make more noise than ever the vic gallery is not to be moved by touching sentiment they prefer vigorous exercise to any emotional speech the child of the storms declaration that she would share her fathers death or imprisonment as her duty had no effect at all compared with the split in the hornpipe the shrill whistling and brayvos that followed the tars performance showed how highly it was relished and one god went so far as to ask how it was done the comic actor kicking a dozen polish peasants was encored but the grand banquet of the czar of all the russias only produced merriment and a request that he would give them a bit was made directly the emperor took the willow patterned plate in his hand all affecting situations were sure to be interrupted by cries of orda a r and the lady begging for her fathers life was told to speak up old gal though when the heroine of the dummestic dreamer as they call it told the general of all the cossack forces not to be a fool the uproar of approbation grew greater than ever and when the lady turned up her swans down cuffs and seizing four russian soldiers shook them successively by the collar then the enthusiasm knew no bounds and the cries of bray vo vincent go it my tulip resounded from every throat altogether the gallery audience do not seem to be of a gentle nature one poor little lad shouted out in a crying tone that he couldnt see and instantly a dozen voices demanded that he should be thrown over whilst the pieces are going on brown flat bottles are frequently raised to the mouth and between the acts a man with a tin can glittering in the gas light goes round crying port a a a r whos for port a a a r as the heat increased the faces grew bright red every bonnet was taken off and ladies could be seen wiping the perspiration from their cheeks with the play bills no delay between the pieces will be allowed and should the interval appear too long some one will shout outreferring to the curtainpull up that there winder blind or they will call to the orchestra saying now then you catgut scrapers lets have a hapurth of liveliness neither will they suffer a play to proceed until they have a good view of the stage and higher the blue is constantly shouted when the sky is too low or light up the moon when the transparency is rather dim the dances and comic songs between the pieces are liked better than anything else a highland fling is certain to be repeated and a stamping of feet will accompany the tune and a shrill whistling keep time through the entire performance but the grand hit of the evening is always when a song is sung to which the entire gallery can join in chorus then a deep silence prevails all through the stanzas should any burst in before his time a shout of orda a r is raised and the intruder put down by a thousand indignant cries at the proper time however the throats of the mob burst forth in all their strength the most deafening noise breaks out suddenly while the cat calls keep up the tune and an imitation of a dozen mr punches squeak out the words some actors at the minor theatres make a great point of this and in the bill upon the night of my visit under the title of theres a good time coming boys there was printed assisted by the most numerous and effective chorus in the metropolis meaning the whole of the gallery the singer himself started the mob saying now then the exeter hall touch if you please gentlemen and beat time with his hand parodying m jullien with his baton an angcore on such occasions is always 20 demanded and despite a few murmurs of change it to duck legged dick invariably insisted on the politics of costermongers policemen the notion of the police is so intimately blended with what may be called the politics of the costermongers that i give them together the politics of these people are detailed in a few wordsthey are nearly all chartists you might say sir remarked one of my informants that they all were chartists but as its better you should rather be under than over the mark say nearly all their ignorance and their being impulsive makes them a dangerous class i am assured that in every district where the costermongers are congregated one or two of the body more intelligent than the others have great influence over them and these leading men are all chartists and being industrious and not unprosperous persons their pecuniary and intellectual superiority cause them to be regarded as oracles one of these men said to me the costers think that working men know best and so they have confidence in us i like to make men discontented and i will make them discontented while the present system continues because its all for the middle and the moneyed classes and nothing in the way of rights for the poor people fancy when alls quiet that alls stagnating propagandism is going on for all that its when alls quiet that the seeds a growing republicans and socialists are pressing their doctrines the costermongers have very vague notions of an aristocracy they call the more prosperous of their own body aristocrats their notions of an aristocracy of birth or wealth seem to be formed on their opinion of the rich or reputed rich salesmen with whom they deal and the result is anything but favourable to the nobility concerning free trade nothing i am told can check the costermongers fervour for a cheap loaf a chartist costermonger told me that he knew numbers of costers who were keen chartists without understanding anything about the six points the costermongers frequently attend political meetings going there in bodies of from six to twelve some of them i learned could not understand why chartist leaders exhorted them to peace and quietness when they might as well fight it out with the police at once the costers boast moreover that they stick more together in any row than any other class it is considered by them a reflection on the character of the thieves that they are seldom true to one another it is a matter of marvel to many of this class that people can live without working the ignorant costers have no knowledge of property or income and conclude that the non workers all live out of the taxes of the taxes generally they judge from their knowledge that tobacco which they account a necessary of life pays 3 s per lb duty as regards the police the hatred of a costermonger to a peeler is intense and with their opinion of the police all the more ignorant unite that of the governing power can you wonder at it sir said a costermonger to me that i hate the police they drive us about we must move on we cant stand here and we cant pitch there but if were cracked up that is if were forced to go into the union ive known it both at clerkenwell and the city of london workhouses why the parish gives us money to buy a barrow or a shallow or to hire them and leave the house and start for ourselves and whats the use of that if the police wont let us sell our goods which is right the parish or the police to thwart the police in any measure the costermongers readily aid one another one very common procedure if the policeman has seized a barrow is to whip off a wheel while the officers have gone for assistance for a large and loaded barrow requires two men to convey it to the green yard this is done with great dexterity and the next step is to dispose of the stock to any passing costers or to any standing in the neighbourhood and it is honestly accounted for the policemen on their return find an empty and unwheelable barrow which they must carry off by main strength amid the jeers of the populace i am assured that in case of a political riot every coster would seize his policeman marriage and concubinage of costermongers only one tenthat the outside one tenthof the couples living together and carrying on the costermongering trade are married in clerkenwell parish however where the number of married couples is about a fifth of the whole this difference is easily accounted for as in advent and easter the incumbent of that parish marries poor couples without a fee of the rights of legitimate or illegitimate children the costermongers understand nothing and account it a mere waste of money and time to go through the ceremony of wedlock when a pair can live together and be quite as well regarded by their fellows without it the married women associate with the unmarried mothers of families without the slightest scruple there is no honour attached to the marriage state and no shame to concubinage neither are the unmarried women less faithful to their partners than the married but i understand that of the two classes the unmarried betray the most jealousy as regards the fidelity of these women i was assured that in anything like good times they were rigidly faithful to their husbands or paramours but that in the worst pinch of poverty a departure from this fidelityif it provided a few meals or a firewas not considered at all heinous an old costermonger who had been mixed up with other callings and whose 21 prejudices were certainly not in favour of his present trade said to me what i call the working girls sir are as industrious and as faithful a set as can well be im satisfied that theyre more faithful to their mates than other poor working women i never knew one of these working girls do wrong that way theyre strong hearty healthy girls and keep clean rooms why theres numbers of men leave their stock money with their women just taking out two or three shillings to gamble with and get drunk upon they sometimes take a little drop themselves the women do and get beaten by their husbands for it and hardest beaten if the mans drunk himself theyre sometimes beaten for other things too or for nothing at all but they seem to like the men better for their beating them i never could make that out notwithstanding this fidelity it appears that the larking and joking of the young and sometimes of the middle aged people among themselves is anything but delicate the unmarried separate as seldom as the married the fidelity characterizing the women does not belong to the men the dancing rooms are the places where matches are made up there the boys go to look out for mates and sometimes a match is struck up the first night of meeting and the couple live together forthwith the girls at these dances are all the daughters of costermongers or of persons pursuing some other course of street life unions take place when the lad is but 14 two or three out of 100 have their female helpmates at that early age but the female is generally a couple of years older than her partner nearly all the costermongers form such alliances as i have described when both parties are under twenty one reason why these alliances are contracted at early ages is that when a boy has assisted his father or any one engaging him in the business of a costermonger he knows that he can borrow money and hire a shallow or a barrowor he may have saved 5 s and then if the father vexes him or snubs him said one of my informants hell tell his father to go to hl and he and his gal will start on their own account most of the costermongers have numerous families but not those who contract alliances very young the women continue working down to the day of their confinement chance children as they are called or children unrecognised by any father are rare among the young women of the costermongers religion of costermongers an intelligent and trustworthy man until very recently actively engaged in costermongering computed that not 3 in 100 costermongers had ever been in the interior of a church or any place of worship or knew what was meant by christianity the same person gave me the following account which was confirmed by others the costers have no religion at all and very little notion or none at all of what religion or a future state is of all things they hate tracts they hate them because the people leaving them never give them anything and as they cant read the tractnot one in fortytheyre vexed to be bothered with it and really what is the use of giving people reading before youve taught them to read now they respect the city missionaries because they read to themand the costers will listen to reading when they dont understand itand because they visit the sick and sometimes give oranges and such like to them and the children ive known a city missionary buy a shillings worth of oranges of a coster and give them away to the sick and the childrenmost of them belonging to the costermongersdown the court and that made him respected there i think the city missionaries have done good but im satisfied that if the costers had to profess themselves of some religion to morrow they would all become roman catholics every one of them this is the reason london costers live very often in the same courts and streets as the poor irish and if the irish are sick be sure there comes to them the priest the sisters of charitythey are good womenand some other ladies many a man thats not a catholic has rotted and died without any good person near him why i lived a good while in lambeth and there wasnt one coster in 100 im satisfied knew so much as the rectors name though mr daltons a very good man but the reason i was telling you of sir is that the costers reckon that religions the best that gives the most in charity and they think the catholics do this im not a catholic myself but i believe every word of the bible and have the greater belief that its the word of god because it teaches democracy the irish in the courts get sadly chaffed by the others about their priests but theyll die for the priest religion is a regular puzzle to the costers they see people come out of church and chapel and as theyre mostly well dressed and theres very few of their own sort among the church goers the costers somehow mix up being religious with being respectable and so they have a queer sort of feeling about it its a mystery to them its shocking when you come to think of it theyll listen to any preacher that goes among them and then a few will sayive heard it oftena by fool why dont he let people go to h ll their own way theres another thing that makes the costers think so well of the catholics if a catholic costertheres only very few of themis cracked up penniless hes often started again and the others have a notion that its through some chapel fund i dont know whether it is so or not but i know the cracked up men are started again if theyre catholics its still the stranger that the regular costermongers who are nearly all londoners should have such respect for the roman catholics when they have such a hatred of the irish whom they look upon as intruders and underminers if a missionary came among 22 us with plenty of money said another costermonger he might make us all christians or turks or anything he liked neither the latter day saints nor any similar sect have made converts among the costermongers of the uneducated state of costermongers i have stated elsewhere that only about one in ten of the regular costermongers is able to read the want of education among both men and women is deplorable and i tested it in several instances the following statement however from one of the body is no more to be taken as representing the ignorance of the class generally than are the clear and discriminating accounts i received from intelligent costermongers to be taken as representing the intelligence of the body the man with whom i conversed and from whom i received the following statement seemed about thirty he was certainly not ill looking but with a heavy cast of countenance his light blue eyes having little expression his statements or opinions i need hardly explain were given both spontaneously in the course of conversation and in answer to my questions i give them almost verbatim omitting oaths and slang well times is bad sir he said but its a deadish time i dont do so well at present as in middlish times i think when i served the prince of naples not far from here i presume that he alluded to the prince of capua i did better and times was better that was five years ago but i cant say to a year or two he was a good customer and was very fond of peaches i used to sell them to him at 12 s the plasket when they was new the plasket held a dozen and cost me 6 s at covent gardenmore sometimes but i didnt charge him more when they did his footman was a black man and a ignorant man quite and his housekeeper was a englishwoman he was the prince o naples was my customer but i dont know what he was like for i never saw him ive heard that he was the brother of the king of naples i cant say where naples is but if you was to ask at euston square theyll tell you the fare there and the time to go it in it may be in france for anything i know may naples or in ireland why dont you ask at the square i went to croydon once by rail and slept all the way without stirring and so you may to naples for anything i know i never heard of the pope being a neighbour of the king of naples do you mean living next door to him but i dont know nothing of the king of naples only the prince i dont know what the pope is is he any trade its nothing to me when hes no customer of mine i have nothing to say about nobody that aint no customers my crabs is caught in the sea in course i gets them at billingsgate i never saw the sea but its salt water i know i cant say whereabouts it lays i believe its in the hands of the billingsgate salesmenall of it ive heard of shipwrecks at sea caused by drownding in course i never heard that the prince of naples was ever at sea i like to talk about him he was such a customer when he lived near here here he repeated his account of the supply of peaches to his royal highness i never was in france no sir never i dont know the way do you think i could do better there i never was in the republic there whats it like bonaparte o yes ive heard of him he was at waterloo i didnt know hed been alive now and in france as you ask me about him i dont think youre larking sir did i hear of the french taking possession of naples and bonaparte making his brother in law king well i didnt but it may be true because i served the prince of naples what was the brother of the king i never heard whether the prince was the kings older brother or his younger i wish he may turn out his older if theres property coming to him as the oldest has the first turn at least so ive heardfirst come first served ive worked the streets and the courts at all times ive worked them by moonlight but you couldnt see the moonlight where it was busy i cant say how far the moons off us its nothing to me but ive seen it a good bit higher than st pauls i dont know nothing about the sun why do you ask it must be nearer than the moon for its warmer and if theyre both fire that shows it its like the tap room grate and that bit of a gas light to compare the two is what was st pauls that the moon was above a church sir so ive heard i never was in a church o yes ive heard of god he made heaven and earth i never heard of his making the sea thats another thing and you can best learn about that at billingsgate he seemed to think that the sea was an appurtenance of billingsgate jesus christ yes ive heard of him our redeemer well i only wish i could redeem my sunday togs from my uncles another costermonger in answer to inquiries said i spose you think us riginal coves that you ask were not like methusalem or some such swells name i presume that malthus was meant as wanted to murder children afore they was born as i once heerd lectured aboutwere nothing like that another on being questioned and on being told that the information was wanted for the press replied the press ill have nothing to say to it we are oppressed enough already that a class numbering 30 000 should be permitted to remain in a state of almost brutish ignorance is a national disgrace if the london costers belong especially to the dangerous classes the danger of such a body is assuredly an evil of our own creation for the gratitude of the poor creatures to any one who seeks to give them the least knowledge is almost pathetic 23 language of costermongers the slang language of the costermongers is not very remarkable for originality of construction it possesses no humour but they boast that it is known only to themselves it is far beyond the irish they say and puzzles the jews the root of the costermonger tongue so to speak is to give the words spelt backward or rather pronounced rudely backward for in my present chapter the language has i believe been reduced to orthography for the first time with this backward pronunciation which is very arbitrary are mixed words reducible to no rule and seldom referrable to any origin thus complicating the mystery of this unwritten tongue while any syllable is added to a proper slang word at the discretion of the speaker slang is acquired very rapidly and some costermongers will converse in it by the hour the women use it sparingly the girls more than the women the men more than the girls and the boys most of all the most ignorant of all these classes deal most in slang and boast of their cleverness and proficiency in it in their conversations among themselves the following are invariably the terms used in money matters a rude back spelling may generally be traced flatch halfpenny yenep penny owt yenep twopence erth yenep threepence rouf yenep fourpence ewif yenep fivepence exis yenep sixpence neves yenep sevenpence teaich yenep eightpence enine yenep ninepence net yenep tenpence leven elevenpence gen twelvepence yenep flatch three half pence and so on through the penny halfpennies it was explained to me by a costermonger who had introduced some new words into the slang that leven was allowed so closely to resemble the proper word because elevenpence was almost an unknown sum to costermongers the transitionweights and measures notwithstandingbeing immediate from 10 d to 1 s gen is a shilling and the numismatic sequence is pursued with the gens as regards shillings as with the yeneps as regards pence the blending of the two is also according to the same system as owt gen teaich yenep two and eightpence the exception to the uniformity of the gen enumeration is in the sum of 8 s which instead of teaich gen is teaich guy a deviation with ample precedents in all civilised tongues as regards the larger coins the translation into slang is not reducible into rule the following are the costermonger coins of the higher value couter sovereign half couter or net gen half sovereign ewif gen crown flatch ynork half crown the costermongers still further complicate their slang by a mode of multiplication they thus say erth ewif gens or 3 times 5 s which means of course 15 s speaking of this language a costermonger said to me the irish cant tumble to it anyhow the jews can tumble better but were their masters some of the young salesmen at billingsgate understand us but only at billingsgate and they think theyre uncommon clever but theyre not quite up to the mark the police dont understand us at all it would be a pity if they did i give a few more phrases a doogheno or dabheno is it a good or bad market a regular trosseno a regular bad one on no say yes tumble to your barrikin understand you top o reeb pot of beer doing dab doing badly cool him look at him the latter phrase is used when one costermonger warns another of the approach of a policeman who might order him to move on or be otherwise unpleasant cool look is exclaimed or cool him look at him one costermonger told me as a great joke that a very stout policeman who was then new to the duty was when in a violent state of perspiration much offended by a costermonger saying cool him cool the esclop look at the police cool the namesclop look at the policeman cool ta the dillo nemo look at the old woman said of any woman young or old who according to costermonger notions is giving herself airs this language seems confined in its general use to the immediate objects of the costermongers care but is among the more acute members of the fraternity greatly extended and is capable of indefinite extension the costermongers oaths i may conclude are all in the vernacular nor are any of the common salutes such as how dyou do or good night known to their slang kennetseeno stinking applied principally to the quality of fish flatch kanurd half drunk flash it show it in cases of bargains offered 24 on doog no good cross chap a thief showfulls bad money seldom in the hands of costermongers im on to the deb im going to bed do the tightner go to dinner nommus be off tol lot stock or share many costermongers but principallyperhaps entirely i was told those who had not been regular born and bred to the trade but had taken to it when cracked up in their own do not trouble themselves to acquire any knowledge of slang it is not indispensable for the carrying on of their business the grand object however seems to be to shield their bargainings at market or their conversation among themselves touching their days work and profits from the knowledge of any irish or uninitiated fellow traders the simple principle of costermonger slangthat of pronouncing backward may cause its acquirement to be regarded by the educated as a matter of ease but it is a curious fact that lads who become costermongers boys without previous association with the class acquire a very ready command of the language and this though they are not only unable to spell but dont know a letter in a book i saw one lad whose parents had until five or six months back resided in the country the lad himself was fourteen he told me he had not been a costermongering more than three months and prided himself on his mastery over slang to test his ability i asked him the costers word for hippopotamus he answered with tolerable readiness musatoppop i then asked him for the like rendering of equestrian one of astleys bills having caught my eye he replied but not quite so readily nirtseque the last test to which i subjected him was good naturedly and though i induced him to repeat the word twice i could not on any of the three renderings distinguish any precise sound beyond an indistinct gabbling concluded emphatically with doog good being a word with which all these traders are familiar it must be remembered that the words i demanded were remote from the young costermongers vocabulary if not from his understanding before i left this boy he poured forth a minute or mores gibberish of which from its rapid utterance i could distinguish nothing but i found from his after explanation that it was a request to me to make a further purchase of his walnuts this slang is utterly devoid of any applicability to humour it gives no new fact or approach to a fact for philologists one superior genius among the costers who has invented words for them told me that he had no system for coining his term he gave to the known words some terminating syllable or as he called it a new turn just to use his own words as if he chorussed them with a tol de rol the intelligence communicated in this slang is in a great measure communicated as in other slang as much by the inflection of the voice the emphasis the tone the look the shrug the nod the wink as by the words spoken of the nicknames of costermongers like many rude and almost all wandering communities the costermongers like the cabmen and pickpockets are hardly ever known by their real names even the honest men among them are distinguished by some strange appellation indeed they are all known one to another by nicknames which they acquire either by some mode of dress some remark that has ensured costermonger applause some peculiarity in trading or some defect or singularity in personal appearance men are known as rotten herrings spuddy a seller of bad potatoes until beaten by the irish for his bad wares curly a man with a curly head foreigner a man who had been in the spanish legion brassy a very saucy person gaffy once a performer the one eyed buffer jaw breaker pine apple jack cast iron poll her head having been struck with a pot without injury to her whilky blackwall poll a woman generally having two black eyes lushy bet dirty sall the costermongers generally objecting to dirty women and dancing sue of the education of costermongers children i have used the heading of education but perhaps to say non education would be more suitable very few indeed of the costermongers children are sent even to the ragged schools and if they are from all i could learn it is done more that the mother may be saved the trouble of tending them at home than from any desire that the children shall acquire useful knowledge both boys and girls are sent out by their parents in the evening to sell nuts oranges c at the doors of the theatres or in any public place or round the houses a stated circuit from their place of abode this trade they pursue eagerly for the sake of bunts though some carry home the money they take very honestly the costermongers are kind to their children perhaps in a rough way and the women make regular pets of them very often one experienced man told me that he had seen a poor costermongers wifeone of the few who could readinstructing her children in reading but such instances were very rare the education of these children is such only as the streets afford and the streets teach them for the most partand in greater or lesser degrees acutenessa precocious acutenessin all that concerns their immediate wants business or gratifications a patient endurance of cold and hunger a desire to obtain money without working for it a craving for the excitement of gambling an inordinate love of amusement and an irrepressible repugnance to any settled in door industry 25 the literature of costermongers we have now had an inkling of the london costermongers notions upon politics and religion we have seen the brutified state in which he is allowed by society to remain though possessing the same faculties and susceptibilities as ourselvesthe same power to perceive and admire the forms of truth beauty and goodness as even the very highest in the state we have witnessed how instinct with all the elements of manhood and beasthood the qualities of the beast are principally developed in him while those of the man are stunted in their growth it now remains for us to look into some other matters concerning this curious class of people and first of their literature it may appear anomalous to speak of the literature of an uneducated body but even the costermongers have their tastes for books they are very fond of hearing any one read aloud to them and listen very attentively one man often reads the sunday paper of the beer shop to them and on a fine summers evening a costermonger or any neighbour who has the advantage of being a schollard reads aloud to them in the courts they inhabit what they love best to listen toand indeed what they are most eager forare reynoldss periodicals especially the mysteries of the court theyve got tired of lloyds blood stained stories said one man who was in the habit of reading to them and im satisfied that of all london reynolds is the most popular man among them they stuck to him in trafalgar square and would again they all say hes a trump and feargus oconnors another trump with them one intelligent man considered that the spirit of curiosity manifested by costermongers as regards the information or excitement derived from hearing stories read augured well for the improvability of the class another intelligent costermonger who had recently read some of the cheap periodicals to ten or twelve men women and boys all costermongers gave me an account of the comments made by his auditors they had assembled after their days work or their rounds for the purpose of hearing my informant read the last number of some of the penny publications the costermongers said my informant are very fond of illustrations i have known a man what couldnt read buy a periodical what had an illustration a little out of the common way perhaps just that he might learn from some one who could read what it was all about they have all heard of cruikshank and they think everything funny is by himfunny scenes in a play and all his bottle was very much admired i heard one man say it was very prime and showed what lush did but i saw the same man added my informant drunk three hours afterwards look you here sir he continued turning over a periodical for he had the number with him heres a portrait of catherine of russia tell us all about her said one man to me last night read it what was she when i had read it my informant continued another man to whom i showed it said dont the cove as did that know a deal for they fancyat least a many dothat one man writes a whole periodical or a whole newspaper now here proceeded my friend you sees an engraving of a man hung up burning over a fire and some costers would go mad if they couldnt learn what hed been doing who he was and all about him but about the picture they would say and this is a very common question put by them whenever they see an engraving heres one of the passages that took their fancy wonderfully my informant observed with glowing cheeks flashing eyes and palpitating bosom venetia trelawney rushed back into the refreshment room where she threw herself into one of the arm chairs already noticed but scarcely had she thus sunk down upon the flocculent cushion when a sharp click as of some mechanism giving way met her ears and at the same instant her wrists were caught in manacles which sprang out of the arms of the treacherous chair while two steel bands started from the richly carved back and grasped her shoulders a shriek burst from her lipsshe struggled violently but all to no purpose for she was a captiveand powerless we should observe that the manacles and the steel bands which had thus fastened upon her were covered with velvet so that they inflicted no positive injury upon her nor even produced the slightest abrasion of her fair and polished skin here all my audience said the man to me broke out withaye thats the way the harristocrats hooks it theres nothing o that sort among us the rich has all that barrikin to themselves yes thats the b way the taxes goes in shouted a woman anything about the police sets them a talking at once this did when i read it the ebenezers still continued their fierce struggle and from the noise they made seemed as if they were tearing each other to pieces to the wild roar of a chorus of profane swearing the alarm as bloomfield had predicted was soon raised and some two or three policemen with their bulls eyes and still more effective truncheons speedily restored order the blessed crushers is everywhere shouted one i wish id been there to have had a shy at the eslops said another and then a man sung out o dont i like the bobbys if theres any foreign language which cant be explained ive seen the costers my informant went on annoyed at itquite annoyed another time i read part of one of lloyds numbers to thembut they like something spicier one article in themhere it isfinishes in this way the social habits and costumes of the magyar noblesse have almost all the characteristics of the corresponding class in ireland this word noblesse is one of wide signification in hungary and one may with great truth say of this strange nation that qui nest point noble nest rien i cant tumble to that barrikin said a young fellow its a jaw breaker but if this herewhat dye call it you talk aboutwas like the irish why they was a rum lot noblesse said a man thats considered a clever fellow from having once learned his letters though he cant 26 read or write noblesse blessed if i know what hes up to here there was a regular laugh from other quarters i learned that some of the costermongers who were able to read or loved to listen to reading purchased their literature in a very commercial spirit frequently buying the periodical which is the largest in size because when theyve got the reading out of it as they say its worth a halfpenny for the barrow tracts they will rarely listen to but if any persevering man will read tracts and state that he does it for their benefit and improvement they listen without rudeness though often with evident unwillingness sermons or tracts said one of their body to me gives them the orrors costermongers purchase and not unfrequently the first number of a penny periodical to see what its like the tales of robbery and bloodshed of heroic eloquent and gentlemanly highwaymen or of gipsies turning out to be nobles now interest the costermongers but little although they found great delight in such stories a few years back works relating to courts potentates or harristocrats are the most relished by these rude people of the honesty of costermongers i heard on all hands that the costers never steal from one another and never wink at any one stealing from a neighbouring stall any stall keeper will leave his stall untended to get his dinner his neighbour acting for him sometimes he will leave it to enjoy a game at skittles it was computed for me that property worth 10 000 l belonging to costers is daily left exposed in the streets or at the markets almost entirely unwatched the policeman or market keeper only passing at intervals and yet thefts are rarely heard of and when heard of are not attributable to costermongers but to regular thieves the way in which the sum of 10 000 l was arrived at is this in hooper street lambeth said my informant there are thirty barrows and carts exposed on an evening left in the street with nobody to see to them left there all night that is only one street each barrow and board would be worth on the average 2 l 5 s and that would be 67 l 10 s in the other bye streets and courts off the new cut are six times as many hooper street having the most this would give 405 l in all left unwatched of a night there are throughout london twelve more districts besides the new cutat least twelve districtsand calculating the same amount in these we have altogether 4 860 l worth of barrows taking in other bye streets we may safely reckon it at 4 000 barrows for the numbers i have given in the thirteen places are 2 520 and 1 480 added is moderate at least half of those which are in use next day are left unwatched more i have no doubt but say half the stock of these 2 000 will average 10 s each or 1 000 l and the barrows will be worth 4 500 l in all 5 500 l and the property exposed on the stalls and the markets will be double in amount or 11 000 l in value every day but say 10 000 l besides sir i was told the thieves wont rob the costers so often as they will the shopkeepers its easier to steal from a butchers or bacon sellers open window than from a costermongers stall or barrow because the shopkeepers eye cant be always on his goods but theres always some one to give an eye to a costers property at billingsgate the thieves will rob the salesmen far readier than they will us they know wed take it out of them readier if they were caught its lynch law with us we never give them in charge the costermongers boys will i am informed cheat their employers but they do not steal from them the costers donkey stables have seldom either lock or latch and sometimes oysters and other things which the donkey will not molest are left there but are never stolen of the conveyances of the costermongers and other street sellers we now come to consider the matters relating more particularly to the commercial life of the costermonger all who pass along the thoroughfares of the metropolis bestowing more than a cursory glance upon the many phases of its busy street life must be struck with astonishment to observe the various modes of conveyance used by those who resort to the public thoroughfares for a livelihood from the more provident costermongers pony and donkey cart to the old rusty iron tray slung round the neck by the vendor of blacking and down to the little grey eyed irish boy with his lucifer matches in the last remains of a willow hand basketthe shape and variety of the means resorted to by the costermongers and other street sellers for carrying about their goods are almost as manifold as the articles they vend the ponyor donkeycarts and the latter is by far the more usual beast of draught of the prosperous costermongers are of three kinds the first is of an oblong shape with a rail behind upon which is placed a tray filled with bunches of greens turnips celery c whilst other commodities are laid in the bed of the cart another kind is the common square cart without springs which is so constructed that the sides as well as the front and back will let down and form shelves whereon the stock may be arranged to advantage the third sort of pony cart is one of home manufacture consisting of the framework of a body without sides or front or hind part sometimes a costers barrow is formed into a donkey cart merely by fastening with cord two rough poles to the handles all these several kinds of carts are used for the conveyance of either fruit vegetables or fish but besides those there is the salt and mustard vendors cart with and without the tilt or covering and a square piece of tin stuck into a block of salt on which is 27 painted salt 3 lbs a penny and mustard a penny an ounce then there is the poultry cart with the wild ducks and rabbits dangling at its sides and with two uprights and a cross stick upon which are suspended birds c slung across in couples the above conveyances are all of small dimensions the barrows being generally about five feet long and three wide while the carts are mostly about four feet square every kind of harness is used some is well blacked and greased and glittering with brass others are almost as grey with dust as the donkey itself some of the jackasses are gaudily caparisoned in an old carriage harness which fits it like a mans coat on a boys back while the plated silver ornaments are pink with the copper showing through others have rope traces and belly bands and not a few indulge in old cotton handkerchiefs for pads the next conveyance which indeed is the most general is the costermongers hand barrow these are very light in their make with springs terminating at the axle some have rails behind for the arrangement of their goods others have not some have side rails whilst others have only the frame work the shape of these barrows is oblong and sloped from the hind part towards the front the bottom of the bed is not boarded but consists of narrow strips of wood nailed athwart and across when the coster is hawking his fish or vending his green stuff he provides himself with a wooden tray which is placed upon his barrow those who cannot afford a tray get some pieces of board and fasten them together these answering their purpose as well pine apple and pine apple rock barrows are not unfrequently seen with small bright coloured flags at the four corners fluttering in the wind the knife cleaners barrow which has lately appeared in the streets must not be passed over here it consists of a huge sentry box with a door and is fixed upon two small wheels being propelled in the same way as a wheel barrow in the interior is one of kents patent knife cleaning machines worked by turning a handle then there are the cat and dogs meat barrows these however are merely common wheelbarrows with a board in front and a ledge or shelf formed by a piece of board nailed across the top of the barrow to answer the purpose of a cutting board lastly there is the hearth stone barrow piled up with hearth stone bath brick and lumps of whiting another mode of conveying the goods through the streets is by baskets of various kinds as the sieve or head basket the square and oval shallow fastened in front of the fruit woman with a strap round the waist the hand basket and the prickle the sieve or head basket is a round willow basket containing about one third of a bushel the square and oval shallows are willow baskets about four inches deep and thirty inches long by eighteen broad the hand basket is the common oval basket with a handle across to hang upon the arm the latter are generally used by the irish for onions and apples the prickle is a brown willow basket in which walnuts are imported into this country from the continent they are about thirty inches deep and in bulk rather larger than a gallon measure they are used only by the vendors of walnuts such are the principal forms of the costermongers conveyances but besides carts barrows and baskets there are many other means adopted by the london street sellers for carrying their goods from one part of the metropolis to another the principal of these are cans trays boxes and poles the baked potato cans sometimes are square and sometimes oval they are made with and without legs a lid fastened on with hinges and have a small charcoal fire fixed at the bottom of the can so as to keep the potatoes hot while there is a pipe at top to let off the steam on one side of the can is a little compartment for the salt and another on the other side for the butter the hot pie can is a square tin can standing upon four legs with a door in front and three partitions inside a fire is kept in the bottom and the pies arranged in order upon the iron plates or shelves when the pies at the bottom are sufficiently hot they are taken out and placed on the upper shelf whilst those above are removed to the lower compartments by which means all the pies are kept hot and hot the muffin and crumpet boy carries his articles in a basket covered outside with oil cloth and inside with green baize either at his back or slung over his arm and rings his bell as he walks the blacking boy congreve match and water cress girl use a rusty tray spread over with their goods and suspended to the neck by a piece of string the vendors of corn salve plating balls soap for removing grease spots paper steel pens envelopes c carry their commodities in front of them in boxes suspended round the neck by a narrow leather strap rabbits and game are sometimes carried in baskets and at other times tied together and slung over a pole upon the shoulder hat and bonnet boxes are likewise conveyed upon a pole door mats baskets and duffers packs wood pails brushes brooms clothes props clothes lines and string and grid irons dutch ovens skewers and fire shovels are carried across the shoulder of the smithfield races having set forth the costermongers usual mode of conveying his goods through the streets of london i shall now give the reader a description of the place and scene where and when he purchases his donkeys when a costermonger wishes to sell or buy a donkey he goes to smithfield market on a friday afternoon on this day between the hours of one and five there is a kind of fair held 28 attended solely by costermongers for whose convenience a long paved slip of ground about eighty feet in length has been set apart the animals for sale are trotted up and down thisthe race course as it is calledand on each side of it stand the spectators and purchasers crowding among the stalls of peas soup hot eels and other street delicacies every thing necessary for the starting of a costermongers barrow can be had in smithfield on a friday from the barrow itself to the weightsfrom the donkey to the whip the animals can be purchased at prices ranging from 5 s to 3 l on a brisk market day as many as two hundred donkeys have been sold the barrows for sale are kept apart from the steeds but harness to any amount can be found everywhere in all degrees of excellence from the bright japanned cart saddle with its new red pads to the old mouldy trace covered with buckle marks wheels of every size and colour and springs in every stage of rust are hawked about on all sides to the usual noise and shouting of a saturday nights market is added the shrill squealing of distant pigs the lowing of the passing oxen the bleating of sheep and the braying of donkeys the paved road all down the race course is level and soft with the mud trodden down between the stones the policeman on duty there wears huge fishermens or flushermens boots reaching to their thighs and the trouser ends of the costers corduroys are black and sodden with wet dirt every variety of odour fills the air you pass from the stable smell that hangs about the donkeys into an atmosphere of apples and fried fish near the eating stalls while a few paces further on you are nearly choked with the stench of goats the crowd of black hats thickly dotted with red and yellow plush caps reels about and the hi hi i i of the donkey runners sounds on all sides sometimes a curly headed bull with a fierce red eye on its way to or from the adjacent cattle market comes trotting down the road making all the visitors rush suddenly to the railings for fearas a coster near me saidof being taught the hornpipe the donkeys standing for sale are ranged in a long line on both sides of the race course their white velvetty noses resting on the wooden rail they are tied to many of them wear their blinkers and head harness and others are ornamented with ribbons fastened in their halters the lookers on lean against this railing and chat with the boys at the donkeys heads or with the men who stand behind them and keep continually hitting and shouting at the poor still beasts to make them prance sometimes a party of two or three will be seen closely examining one of these jerusalem ponys passing their hands down its legs or looking quietly on while the proprietors ash stick descends on the patient brutes back making a dull hollow sound as you walk in front of the long line of donkeys the lads seize the animals by their nostrils and show their large teeth asking if you want a hass sir and all warranting the creature to be five years old next buff day dealers are quarrelling among themselves downcrying each others goods a hearty man shouted one proprietor pointing to his rivals stock could eat three sich donkeys as yourn at a meal one fellow standing behind his steed shouts as he strikes heres the real brittannia mettle whilst another asks whos for the pride of the market and then proceeds to flip the pride with his whip till she clears away the mob with her kickings here standing by its mother will be a shaggy little colt with a group of ragged boys fondling it and lifting it in their arms from the ground during all this the shouts of the drivers and runners fill the air as they rush past each other on the race course now a tall fellow dragging a donkey after him runs by crying as he charges in amongst the mob hulloa hulloa hi hi his mate with his long coat tails flying in the wind hurrying after and roaring between his blows keem up on nearly every post are hung traces or bridles and in one place on the occasion of my visit stood an old collar with a donkey nibbling at the straw that had burst out some of the lads in smock frocks walk about with cart saddles on their heads and crowds gather round the trucks piled up with a black heap of harness studded with brass those without trays have spread out old sacks on the ground on which are laid axle trees bound up springs and battered carriage lamps there are plenty of rusty nails and iron bolts to be had if a barrow should want mending and if the handles are broken an old cab shaft can be bought cheap to repair them in another race course opposite to the donkeys the ponies are sold these make a curious collection each one showing what was his last masters whim one has its legs and belly shorn of its hair another has its mane and tail cut close and some have switch tails muddy at the end from their length a big hipped black nag with red tinsel like spots on its back had its ears cut close and another curly haired brute that was wet and steaming with having been shown off had two huge letters burnt into its hind quarters here the clattering of the hoofs and the smacking of whips added to the din and one poor brute with red empty eye holes and carrying its head high upas a blind man doessent out showers of sparks from its hoofs as it spluttered over the stones at each blow it received occasionally in one part of the pony market there may be seen a crowd gathered round a nag that some one swears has been stolen from him raised up over the heads of the mob are bundles of whips and men push their way past with their arms full of yellow handled curry combs whilst amongst other cries is heard that of sticks d each sticksreal smarters at one end of the market the barrows for sale 29 are kept piled up one on another or filled with old wheels and some with white unpainted wood showing where they have been repaired men are here seen thumping the wooden trays and trying the strength of the springs by leaning on them and here too stood on the occasion of my visit a ragged coster lad trying to sell his scales now the cherry season had past on all sides the refreshment barrows are surrounded by customers the whelk man peppers his lots and shouts a lumping pennorth for a hapenny and a lad in a smock frock carries two full pails of milk slopping it as he walks and crying hapenny a mug full new milk from the ke ow the only quiet people to be seen are round the peas soup stall with their cups in their hands and there is a huge crowd covering in the hot eel stand with the steam rising up in the centre baskets of sliced cake apples nuts and pine apple rock block up the pathway and long wicker baskets of live fowls hem you in round which are grouped the costers handling and blowing apart the feathers on the breast of the donkeys of the costermongers the costermongers almost universally treat their donkeys with kindness many a costermonger will resent the ill treatment of a donkey as he would a personal indignity these animals are often not only favourites but pets having their share of the costermongers dinner when bread forms a portion of it or pudding or anything suited to the palate of the brute those well used manifest fondness for their masters and are easily manageable it is however difficult to get an ass whose master goes regular rounds away from its stable for any second labour during the day unless it has fed and slept in the interval the usual fare of a donkey is a peck of chaff which costs 1 d a quart of oats and a quart of beans each averaging 1 d and sometimes a pennyworth of hay being an expenditure of 4 d or 5 d a day but some give double this quantity in a prosperous time only one meal a day is given many costermongers told me that their donkeys lived well when they themselves lived well its all nonsense to call donkeys stupid said one costermonger to me thems stupid that calls them so theyre sensible not long since i worked guildford with my donkey cart and a boy jack the donkey was slow and heavy in coming back until we got in sight of the lights at vauxhall gate and then he trotted on like one oclock he did indeed just as if he smelt it was london besides seeing it and knew he was at home he had a famous appetite in the country and the fresh grass did him good i gave a country lad 2 d to mind him in a green lane there i wanted my own boy to do so but he said ill see you further first a london boy hates being by himself in a lone country part hes afraid of being burked he is indeed one cant quarrel with a lad when hes away with one in the country hes very useful i feed my donkey well i sometimes give him a carrot for a luxury but carrots are dear now hes fond of mashed potatoes and has many a good mash when i can buy them at 4lb a penny there was a friend of mine said another man had great trouble about his donkey a few months back i saw part of it and knew all about it he was doing a little work on a sunday morning at wandsworth and the poor thing fell down dead he was very fond of his donkey and kind to it and the donkey was very fond of him he thought he wouldnt leave the poor creature hed had a good while and had been out with in all weathers by the road side so he dropped all notion of doing business and with help got the poor dead thing into his cart its head lolloping over the end of the cart and its poor eyes staring at nothing he thought hed drag it home and bury it somewheres it wasnt for the value he dragged it for whats a dead donkey worth there was a few persons about him and they was all quiet and seemed sorry for the poor fellow and for his donkey but the church bells struck up and up came a crusher and took the man up and next day he was fined 10 s i cant exactly say for what he never saw no more of the animal and lost his stock as well as his donkey of the costermongers capital the costermongers though living by buying and selling are seldom or never capitalists it is estimated that not more than one fourth of the entire body trade upon their own property some borrow their stock money others borrow the stock itself others again borrow the donkey carts barrows or baskets in which their stock is carried round whilst others borrow even the weights and measures by which it is meted out the reader however uninformed he may be as to the price the poor usually have to pay for any loans they may require doubtlessly need not be told that the remuneration exacted for the use of the above named commodities is not merely confined to the legal 5 l per centum per annum still many of even the most knowing will hardly be able to credit the fact that the ordinary rate of interest in the costermongers money market amounts to 20 per cent per week or no less than 1040 l a year for every 100 l advanced but the iniquity of this usury in the present instance is felt not so much by the costermongers themselves as by the poor people whom they serve for of course the enormous rate of interest must be paid out of the profits on the goods they sell and consequently added to the price so that coupling this overcharge with the customary short allowancein either weight or measure as the case may bewe can readily perceive how cruelly the poor are defrauded and how they not only get often too little for what they do but have as often to pay too much for what they buy 30 premising thus much i shall now proceed to describe the terms upon which the barrow the cart the basket the weights the measures the stock money or the stock is usually advanced to the needy costermongers by their more thrifty brethren the hire of a barrow is 3 d a day or 1 s a week for the six winter months and 4 d a day or 1 s 6 d a week for the six summer months some are to be had rather lower in the summer but never for less than 4 d sometimes for not less than 6 d on a saturday when not unfrequently every barrow in london is hired no security and no deposit is required but the lender satisfies himself that the borrower is really what he represents himself to be i am informed that 5 000 hired barrows are now in the hands of the london costermongers at an average rental of 3 l 5 s each or 16 250 l a year one man lets out 120 yearly at a return dropping the 5 s of 360 l while the cost of a good barrow new is 2 l 12 s and in the autumn and winter they may be bought new or as good as new at 30 s each so that reckoning each to cost this barrow letter 2 l he receives 360 l rent or interestexactly 150 per cent per annum for property which originally cost but 240 l and property which is still as good for the ensuing years business as for the past one man has rented a barrow for eight years during which period he has paid 26 l for what in the first instance did not cost more than twice as many shillings and which he must return if he discontinues its use i know men well to do said an intelligent costermonger who have paid 1 s and 1 s 6 d a week for a barrow for three four and five years and they cant be made to understand that its rather high rent for what might cost 40 s at first they cant see they are losers one barrow lender sends his son out mostly on a sunday collecting his rents for barrows but hes not a hard man some of the lenders complain that their customers pay them irregularly and cheat them often and that in consequence they must charge high while the borrowers declare that it is very seldom indeed that a man shirks the rent for his barrow generally believing that he has made an advantageous bargain and feeling the want of his vehicle if he lose it temporarily let the lenders however be deceived by many still it is evident that the rent charged for barrows is most exorbitant by the fact that all who take to the business become men of considerable property in a few years donkey carts are rarely hired if theres 2 000 donkey and pony carts in london more or less not 200 of thems borrowed but of barrows five to two is borrowed a donkey cart costs from 2 l to 10 l 3 l 10 s being an average price the hire is 2 s or 2 s 6 d a week the harness costs 2 l 10 s new but is bought nineteen times out of twenty second hand at from 2 s 6 d to 20 s the donkeys themselves are not let out on hire though a costermonger may let out his donkey to another in the trade when he does not require its services the usual sum paid for the hire of a donkey is 2 s 6 d or 3 s per week the cost price of a pony varies from 5 l to 13 l that of a donkey from 1 l to 3 l there may be six donkeys or more in costermonger use to one pony some traffic almost weekly in these animals liking the excitement of such business the repairs to barrows carts and harness are almost always effected by the costermongers themselves shallows baskets which cost 1 s and 1 s 6 d are let out at 1 d a day but not five in 100 of those in use are borrowed as their low price places them at the costermongers command a pewter quart pot for measuring onions c is let out at 2 d a day its cost being 2 s scales are 2 d and a set of weights 1 d a day another common mode of usury is in the lending of stock money this is lent by the costermongers who have saved the means for such use of their funds and by beer shop keepers the money lending costermongers are the most methodical in their usury1 040 l per cent per annum as was before stated being the rate of interest usually charged it is seldom that a lower sum than 10 s is borrowed and never a higher sum than 2 l when a stranger applies for a loan the money lender satisfies himself as i have described of the barrow lender he charges 2 d a day for a loan of 2 s 6 d 3 d a day for 5 s 6 d a day for 10 s and 1 s a day for 1 l if the daily payments are rendered regularly at a months end the terms are reduced to 6 d a week for 5 s 1 s for 10 s and 2 s for 1 l thats reckoned an extraordinary small interest was said to me only 4 d a day for a pound the average may be 3 s a week for the loan of 20 s it being only to a few that a larger sum than 20 s is lent i paid 2 s a week for 1 l for a whole year said one man or 5 l 4 s for the use of a pound and then i was liable to repay the 1 l the principal however is seldom repaid nor does the lender seem to expect it though he will occasionally demand it one money lender is considered to have a floating capital of 150 l invested in loans to costermongers if he receive 2 s per week per 1 l for but twenty six weeks in the year and he often receives it for the fifty two weeks his 150 l brings him in 390 l a year sometimes a loan is effected only for a day generally a saturday as much as 2 s 6 d being sometimes given for the use of 5 s the 5 s being of course repaid in the evening the money lenders are subject to at least twice the extent of loss to which the barrow lender is exposed as it is far oftener that money is squandered on which of course no interest can be paid than that a barrow is disposed of the money lenders from the following statement made to me by one who was in the habit of borrowing pursue their business in a not very dissimilar manner to that imputed to those who advance larger sums if i want to borrow in a hurry said my informant as i may 31 hear of a good bargain i run to my neighbour ls and he first says he hasnt 20 s to lend and his wifes by and she says she hasnt 2 s in her pocket and so i cant be accommodated then he says if i must have the money hell have to pawn his watch or to borrow it of mr an innkeeper who would charge a deal of interest for he wasnt paid all he lent two months back and 1 s would be expected to be spent in drinkthough l dont drinkor he must try if his sister would trust him but she was sick and wanted all her moneyor perhaps his barrow merchant would lend him 10 s if hed undertake to return 15 s at night and it ends by my thinking ive done pretty well if i can get 1 l for 5 s interest for a days use of it the beer shop keepers lend on far easier terms perhaps at half the interest exacted by the others and without any regular system of charges but they look sharp after the repayment and expect a considerable outlay in beer and will only lend to good customers they however have even lent money without interest in the depth of last winter said a man of good character to me i borrowed 5 s the beer shop keeper wouldnt lend hell rather lend to men doing well and drinking but i borrowed it at 6 d a day interest and that 6 d a day i paid exactly four weeks sundays and all and that was 15 s in thirty days for the use of 5 s i was half starving all the time and then i had a slice of luck and paid the 5 s back slap and got out of it many shopkeepers lend money to the stall keepers whom they know from standing near their premises and that without interest they generally lend however to the women as they think the men want to get drunk with it indeed if it wasnt for the women said a costermonger to me half of us might go to the union another mode of usurious lending or trading is as i said before to provide the costermongernot with the stock moneybut with the stock itself this mode also is highly profitable to the usurer who is usually a costermonger but sometimes a greengrocer a stock of fruit fish or vegetables with a barrow for its conveyance is entrusted to a street seller the usual way being to let him have a sovereigns worth the value of this however at the market cost rarely exceeds 14 s still the man entrusted with it must carry 20 s to his creditor or he will hardly be trusted a second time the man who trades with the stock is not required to pay the 20 s on the first day of the transaction as he may not have realised so much but he must pay some of it generally 10 s and must pay the remainder the next day or the money lender will decline any subsequent dealings it may be thought as no security is given and as the costermongering barrow stock or money lender never goes to law for the recovery of any debt or goods that the per centage is not so very exorbitant after all but i ascertained that not once in twenty times was the money lender exposed to any loss by the non payment of his usurious interest while his profits are enormous the borrower knows that if he fail in his payment the lender will acquaint the other members of his fraternity so that no future loan will be attainable and the costermongers business may be at an end one borrower told me that the re payment of his loan of 2 l borrowed two years ago at 4 s a week had this autumn been reduced to 2 s 6 d a week hes a decent man i pay now he said he has twice forgiven me a month at a time when the weather was very bad and the times as bad as the weather before i borrowed of him i had dealings with he was a scurf if i missed a week and told him i would make it up next week that wont do hed say ill turn you up ill take dd good care to stop you ill have you to rights if i hadnt satisfied him as i did at last i could never have got credit again never i am informed that most of the money lenders if a man has paid for a year or so will now drop it for a month or so in a very hard up time and go on again there is no i o u or any memorandum given to the usurer theres never a slip of paper about it sir i was told i may add that a very intelligent man from whom i derived information said to me concerning costermongers never going to law to recover money owing to them nor indeed for any purpose if any one steals anything from meand that as far as i know never happened but once in ten yearsand i catch him i take it out of him on the spot i give him a jolly good hiding and theres an end of it i know very well sir that costers are ignorant men but in my opinion laughing our never going to law shows that in that point we are in advance of the aristocrats i never heard of a coster in a law court unless he was in trouble charged with some offence for assaulting a crusher or anybody he had quarrelled with or something of that kind the barrow lender when not regularly paid sends some one or goes himself and carries away the barrow my personal experience with this peculiar class justifies me in saying that they are far less dishonest than they are usually believed to be and much more honest than their wandering habits their want of education and principle would lead even the most charitable to suppose since i have exhibited an interest in the sufferings and privations of these neglected people i have as the reader may readily imagine had many applications for assistance and without vanity i believe i may say that as far as my limited resources would permit i have striven to extricate the street sellers from the grasp of the usurer some to whom i have lent small sums for gifts only degrade struggling honest men into the apathy of beggars have taken the money with many a protesta 32 tion that they would repay it in certain weekly instalments which they themselves proposed but still have never made their appearance before me a second timeit may be from dishonesty and it may be from inability and shameothers however and they are not a few have religiously kept faith with me calling punctually to pay back a sixpence or a shilling as the precariousness of their calling would permit and doing this though they knew that i abjured all claims upon them but through their honour and was indeed in most cases ignorant where to find them even if my inclination led me to seek or enforce a return of the loan one case of this kind shows so high a sense of honour among a class generally considered to rank among the most dishonourable that even at the risk of being thought egotistical i will mention it here two young men street sellers called upon me and begged hard for the loan of a little stock money they made needle cases and hawked them from door to door at the east end of the town and had not the means of buying the wood i agreed to let them have ten shillings between them this they promised to repay at a shilling a week they were utter strangers to me nevertheless at the end of the first week one shilling of the sum was duly returned the second week however brought no shilling nor did the third nor the fourth by which time i got to look upon the money as lost but at the end of the fifth week one of the men called with his sixpence and told me how he should have been with me before but his mate had promised each week to meet him with his sixpence and each week disappointed him so he had come on alone i thanked him and the next week he came again so he did the next and the next after that on the latter occasion he told me that in five more weeks he should have paid off his half of the amount advanced and that then as he had come with the other man he would begin paying off his share as well those who are unacquainted with the character of the people may feel inclined to doubt the trustworthiness of the class but it is an extraordinary fact that but few of the costermongers fail to repay the money advanced to them even at the present ruinous rate of interest the poor it is my belief have not yet been sufficiently tried in this respect pawnbrokers loan offices tally shops dolly shops are the only parties who will trust thembut as a startling proof of the good faith of the humbler classes generally it may be stated that mrs chisholm the lady who has exerted herself so benevolently in the cause of emigration has lent out at different times as much as 160 000 l that has been entrusted to her for the use of the lower orders and that the whole of this large amount has been returned with the exception of 12 l i myself have often given a sovereign to professed thieves to get changed and never knew one to make off with the money depend upon it if we would really improve we must begin by elevating instead of degrading of the slang weights and measures all counterfeit weights and measures the costermongers call by the appropriate name of slang there are not half so many slangs as there was eighteen months ago said a general dealer to me you see sir the letters in the morning chronicle set people a talking and some altered their way of business some was very angry at what was said in the articles on the street sellers and swore that costers was gentlemen and that theyd smash the mens noses that had told you sir if they knew who they were theres plenty of costers wouldnt use slangs at all if people would give a fair price but you see the boys will try it on for their bunts and how is a man to sell fine cherries at 4 d a pound that cost him 3 d when theres a kid alongside of him a selling his tol at 2 d a pound and singing it out as bold as brass so the men slangs it and cries 2 d a pound and gives half pound as the boy does which brings it to the same thing we doesnt dulterate our goods like the tradesmenthat is the regular hands doesnt it wouldnt be easy as you say to dulterate cabbages or oysters but we deals fair to all thats fair to us and thats more than many a tradesman does for all their juries the slang quart is a pint and a half it is made precisely like the proper quart and the maker i was told knows well enough what its for as its charged new 6 d more than a true quart measure but its nothing to him as he says what its for so long as he gets his price the slang quart is let out at 2 d a day1 d extra being charged for the risk the slang pint holds in some cases three fourths of the just quantity having a very thick bottom others hold only half a pint having a false bottom half way up these are used chiefly in measuring nuts of which the proper quantity is hardly ever given to the purchaser but then it was often said or implied to me the price is all the lower and people just brings it on themselves by wanting things for next to nothing so its all right its peoples own faults the hire of the slang pint is 2 d per day the scales used are almost all true but the weights are often beaten out flat to look large and are 4 5 6 or even 7 oz deficient in a pound and in the same relative proportion with other weights the charge is 2 d 3 d and 4 d a day for a pair of scales and a set of slang weights the wooden measuressuch as pecks half pecks and quarter pecksare not let out slang but the bottoms are taken out by the costers and put in again half an inch or so higher up i call this said a humorous dealer to me slop work or the cutting system one candid costermonger expressed his perfect contempt of slangs as fit only for bunglers as he could always work slang with a true 33 measure why i can cheat any man he said i can manage to measure mussels so as youd think you got a lot over but theres a lot under measure for i holds them up with my fingers and keep crying mussels full measure live mussels i can do the same with peas i delight to do it with stingy aristocrats we dont work slang in the city people know what theyre a buying on there theres plenty of us would pay for an inspector of weights i would we might do fair without an inspector and make as much if we only agreed one with another in conclusion it is but just i should add that there seems to be a strong disposition on the part of the more enlightened of the class to adopt the use of fair weights and measures and that even among the less scrupulous portion of the body short allowance seems to be given chiefly from a desire to be even with a scaly customer the coster makes it a rule never to refuse an offer and if people will give him less than what he considers his proper price whyhe gives them less than their proper quantity as a proof of the growing honesty among this class many of the better disposed have recently formed themselves into a society the members of which are one and all pledged not only to deal fairly with their customers but to compel all other street sellers to do the same with a view of distinguishing themselves to the public they have come to the resolution of wearing a medal on which shall be engraved a particular number so that should any imposition be practised by any of their body the public will have the opportunity of complaining to the committee of the association and having the individual if guilty immediately expelled from the society of half profits besides the modes of trading on borrowed capital above described there is still another means of obtaining stock prevalent among the london costermongers it is a common practice with some of the more provident costermongers who buy more largelyfor the sake of buying cheaplythan is required for the supply of their own customers to place goods in the hands of young men who are unable to buy goods on their own account on half profits as it is called the man adopting this means of doing a more extensive business says to any poor fellow willing to work on those terms heres a barrow of vegetables to carry round and the profit on them will be 2 s you sell them and half is for yourself the man sells them accordingly if however he fail to realize the 2 s anticipated profit his employer must still be paid 1 s even if the seller prove that only 13 d was cleared so that the costermonger capitalist as he may be described is always to use the words of one of my informants on the profitable side of the hedge boys are less frequently employed on half profits than young men and i am assured that instances of these young men wronging their employers are hardly ever known of the boys of the costermongers and their bunts but there are still other agents among the costermongers and these are the boys deputed to sell a mans goods for a certain sum all over that amount being the boys profit or bunts almost every costermonger who trades through the streets with his barrow is accompanied by a boy the ages of these lads vary from ten to sixteen there are few above sixteen for the lads think it is then high time for them to start on their own account these boys are useful to the man in calling their shrill voices being often more audible than the loudest pitch of an adults lungs many persons moreover i am assured prefer buying of a boy believing that if the lad did not succeed in selling his goods he would be knocked about when he got home others think that they are safer in a boys hands and less likely to be cheated these however are equally mistaken notions the boys also are useful in pushing at the barrow or in drawing it along by tugging at a rope in front some of them are the sons of the costermongers some go round to the costermongers abodes and say will you want me to morrow shall i come and give you a lift the parents of the lads thus at large are when they have parents either unable to support them or if able prefer putting their money to other uses such as drinking and so the lads have to look out for themselves or as they say pick up a few halfpence and a bit of grub as we can such lads however are the smallest class of costermongering youths and are sometimes called casalty boys or nippers the boysand nearly the whole of themsoon become very quick and grow masters of slang in from six weeks to two or three months i suppose said one man familiar with their character theyd learn french as soon if they was thrown into the way of it they must learn slang to live and as they have to wait at markets every now and then from one hour to six they associate one with another and carry on conversations in slang about the penny gaffs theatres criticising the actors or may be they toss the pieman if theyve got any hapence or else they chaff the passers by the older ones may talk about their sweethearts but they always speak of them by the name of nammow girls the boys are severe critics too continued my informant on dancing i heard one say to another what do you think of johnny millicents new step for they always recognise a new step or they discuss the female dancers legs and not very decently at other times the boys discuss the merits or demerits of their masters as to who feeds them best i have heard one say o aint bob stingy we have bread and cheese another added we have 34 steak and beer and ive the use of bills the masters baccy box some of these lads are paid by the day generally from 2 d or 3 d and their food and as much fruit as they think fit to eat as by that they soon get sick of it they generally carry home fruit in their pockets for their playmates or brothers or sisters the costermongers allow this if they are satisfied that the pocketing is not for sale some lads are engaged by the week having from 1 s to 1 s 6 d and their food when out with their employer their lodging is found only in a few cases and then they sleep in the same room with their master and mistress of master or mistress however they never speak but of jack and bet they behave respectfully to the women who are generally kind to them they soon desert a very surly or stingy master though such a fellow could get fifty boys next day if he wanted them but not lads used to the trade for to these hes well known by their talk one with another and they soon tell a man his character very plainly very plainly indeed sir and to his face too said one some of these boys are well beaten by their employers this they put up with readily enough if they experience kindness at the hands of the mans wife for as i said before parties that have never thought of marriage if they live together call one another husbands and wives in working the country these lads are put on the same footing as their masters with whom they eat drink and sleep but they do not gamble with them a few however go out and tempt country boys to gamble andas an almost inevitable consequenceto lose some of the boys said one who had seen it often will keep a number of countrymen in a beer shop in a roar for the hour while the countrymen ply them with beer and some of the street lads can drink a good deal ive known three bits of boys order a pot of beer each one after the other each paying his share and a quartern of gin each after thatdrunk neat they dont understand water drink doesnt seem to affect them as it does men i dont know why some costermongers said another informant have been known when theyve taken a fancy to a boyi know of twoto dress him out like themselves silk handkerchiefs and all for if they didnt find them silk handkerchiefs the boys would soon get them out of their bunts they like silk handkerchiefs for if they lose all their money gambling they can then pledge their handkerchiefs i have mentioned the term bunts bunts is the money made by the boys in this manner if a costermonger after having sold a sufficiency has 2 s or 3 s worth of goods left and is anxious to get home he says to the boy work these streets and bring me 2 s 6 d for the tol lot which the costermonger knows by his eyefor he seldom measures or countsis easily worth that money the lad then proceeds to sell the things entrusted to him and often shows great ingenuity in so doing if for instance turnips be tied up in penny bunches the lad will open some of them so as to spread them out to nearly twice their previous size and if any one ask if that be a pennorth he will say heres a larger for 1 d marm and so palm off a penny bunch at 1 d out of each bunch of onions he takes one or two and makes an extra bunch all that the lad can make in this way over the half crown is his own and called bunts boys have made from 6 d to 1 s 6 d bunts and this day after day many of them will in the course of their traffic beg old boots or shoes if they meet with better sort of people and so work it to rights as they call it among themselves servants often give them cast off clothes it is seldom that a boy carries home less than the stipulated sum the above is what is understood as fair bunts unfair bunts is what the lad may make unknown to his master as if a customer call from the area for goods cried at 2 d the lad may get 2 d by pretending what he had carried was a superior sort to that called at 2 d or by any similar trick i have known some civil and industrious boys said a costermonger to me get to save a few shillings and in six months start with a shallow and so rise to a donkey cart the greatest drawback to struggling boys is their sleeping in low lodging houses where they are frequently robbed or trepanned to part with their money or else they get corrupted some men employ from four to twelve boys sending them out with shallows and barrows the boys bringing home the proceeds the men who send lads out in this way count the things and can tell to a penny what can be realised on them they neither pay nor treat the boys well i am told and are looked upon by the other costermongers as extortioners or unfair dealers making money by trading on poor lads necessities who serve them to avoid starvation these men are called scurfs if the boys working for them make bunts or are suspected of making bunts there is generally a row about it the bunts is for the most part the gambling money as well as the money for the penny gaff the twopenny hop the tobacco and the pudding money of the boys more would save their wages and their bunts was said to me on good authority but they have no place to keep their money in and dont understand anything about savings banks many of these lads are looked on with suspicion by the police and treated like suspected folks but in my opinion they are not thieves or they wouldnt work so hard for a thiefs is a much easier life than a costermongers when a boy begins business on his own account or sets up as they call it he purchases a shallow which costs at least 1 s and a half hundred of herrings 1 s 6 d by the sale of the herrings he will clear 1 s going the round he has been accustomed to and then trade on the 2 s 6 d or if it be fruit time he will trade in 35 apples until master of 5 s and then take to a barrow at 3 d a day hire by this system the ranks of the costermongers are not only recruited but increased there is one grand characteristic of these lads i heard on all hands they are every one of them what the costers callwide awake there are i am assured from 200 to 300 costers who in the busier times of the year send out four youths or lads each on an average the young men thus sent out generally live with the costermonger paying 7 s a week for board lodging and washing these youths i was told by one who knew them well were people who didnt care to work for themselves because they couldnt keep their money together it would soon all go and they must keep it together for their masters they are not fed badly but then they make bunts sometimes and it goes for grub when theyre out so they eat less at home of the juvenile trading of the costermongers my inquiries among the costermongers induced one of their number to address me by letter my correspondenta well informed and well educated mandescribes himself as being one of those that have been unfortunately thrust into that precarious way of obtaining a living not by choice but circumstances the writer then proceeds to say no person but those actually connected with the streets can tell the exertion anxiety and difficulties we have to undergo and i know for a fact it induces a great many to drink that would not do so only to give them a stimulant to bear up against the troubles that they have to contend with and so it ultimately becomes habitual i could point out many instances of the kind my chief object in addressing you is to give my humble suggestion as to the best means of alleviating our present position in society and establishing us in the eyes of the public as a respectable body of men honestly endeavouring to support our families without becoming chargeable to the parish and to show that we are not all the degraded class we are at present thought to be subject to the derision of every passer by and all looked upon as extortioners and the confederates of thieves it is grievous to see children as soon as they are able to speak thrust into the streets to sell and in many instances i am sorry to state to support their parents kind sir picture to yourself a group of those children mixing together indiscriminatelythe good with the badall uneducatedand without that parental care which is so essential for youthand judge for yourself the result the lads in some instances take to thieving this being easier for a living and the girls to prostitution and so they pass the greater part of their time in gaol or get transported even those who are honestly disposed cannot have a chance of bettering their condition in consequence of their being uneducated so that they often turn out brutal husbands and bad fathers surely sir government could abolish in a measure this juvenile trading so conducive to crime and so injurious to the shopkeeper who is highly rated how is it possible if children congregate around his door with the very articles he may deal in that he can meet the demands for rates and taxes whereas the educated man brought by want to sell in the streets would not do so but keep himself apart from the shopkeeper and not merit his enmity and the interference of the police which he necessarily claims i have procured an existence with a few years exception in the streets for the last twenty five years as a general salesman of perishable and imperishable articles and should be most happy to see anything done for the benefit of my class this juvenile trading i consider the root of the evil after the removal of this the costermongers might by classifying and co operation render themselves comparatively happy in their position and become acknowledged members of society another costermonger in conversing with me concerning these young traders said that many of them would ape the vices of men mere urchins would simulate drunkenness or boast with many an exaggeration of their drinking feats they can get as much as they please at the public houses and this too i may add despite the 43rd clause in the police act which enacts that every person licensed to deal in exciseable liquors within the said metropolitan police district who shall knowingly supply any sort of distilled exciseable liquor to be drunk upon the premises to any boy or girl apparently under the age of sixteen years shall be liable to a penalty of not more than 20 s and upon a second conviction to 40 s penalty and on a third to 5 l of the education of the coster lads among the costers the term education is as i have already intimated merely understood as meaning a complete knowledge of the art of buying in the cheapest market and selling in the dearest there are few lads whose training extends beyond this the father is the tutor who takes the boy to the different markets instructs him in the art of buying and when the youth is perfect on this point the parents duty is supposed to have been performed nearly all these boys are remarkable for their precocious sharpness to use the words of one of the class these young ones are as sharp as terriers and learns every dodge of business in less than half no time theres one i knows about three feet high thats up to the business as clever as a man of thirty though hes only twelve years old hell chaff down a peeler so uncommon severe that the only way to stop him is to take him in charge it is idle to imagine that these lads possessed of a mental acuteness almost wonderful will not educate themselves in vice if we neglect 36 to train them to virtue at their youthful age the power of acquiring knowledge is the strongest and some kind of education is continually going on if they are not taught by others they will form their own charactersdeveloping habits of dissipation and educing all the grossest passions of their natures and learning to indulge in the gratification of every appetite without the least restraint as soon as a boy is old enough to shout well and loudly his father takes him into the streets some of these youths are not above seven years of age and it is calculated that not more than one in a hundred has ever been to a school of any kind the boy walks with the barrow or guides the donkey shouting by turns with the father who when the goods are sold will as a reward let him ride home on the tray the lad attends all markets with his father who teaches him his business and shows him his tricks of trade for said a coster a governor in our line leaves the knowledge of all his dodges to his son jist as the rich coves do their tin the life of a coster boy is a very hard one in summer he will have to be up by four oclock in the morning and in winter he is never in bed after six when he has returned from market it is generally his duty to wash the goods and help dress the barrow about nine he begins his days work shouting whilst the father pushes and as very often the man has lost his voice this share of the labour is left entirely to him when a coster has regular customers the vegetables or fish are all sold by twelve oclock and in many coster families the lad is then packed off with fruit to hawk in the streets when the work is over the father will perhaps take the boy to a public house with him and give him part of his beer sometimes a child of four or five is taken to the tap room especially if he be pretty and the father proud of him i have seen said a coster to me a baby of five year old reeling drunk in a tap room his governor did it for the lark of the thing to see him chuck hisself aboutsillyfied like the love of gambling soon seizes upon the coster boy youths of about twelve or so will as soon as they can get away from work go to a public house and play cribbage for pints of beer or for a pint a corner they generally continue playing till about midnight and rarelyexcept on a sundaykeep it up all night it ordinarily happens that when a lad is about thirteen he quarrels with his father and gets turned away from home then he is forced to start for himself he knows where he can borrow stock money and get his barrow for he is as well acquainted with the markets as the oldest hand at the business and children may often be seen in the streets under selling their parents hows it possible said a woman for people to live when theres their own son at the end of the court a calling his goods as cheap again as we can afford to sell ourn if the boy is lucky in trade his next want is to get a girl to keep home for him i was assured that it is not at all uncommon for a lad of fifteen to be living with a girl of the same age as man and wife it creates no disgust among his class but seems rather to give him a position among such people their courtship does not take long when once the mate has been fixed upon the girl is invited to raffles and treated to twopenny hops and half pints of beer perhaps a silk neck handkerchiefa kings man is given as a present though some of the lads will when the arrangement has been made take the gift back again and wear it themselves the boys are very jealous and if once made angry behave with great brutality to the offending girl a young fellow of about sixteen told me as he seemed to grow angry at the very thought if i seed my gal a talking to another chap id fetch her sich a punch of the nose as should plaguy quick stop the whole business another lad informed me with a knowing look that the galsit was a rum thing now he come to think on itaxully liked a feller for walloping them as long as the bruises hurted she was always thinking on the cove as gived em her after a time if the girl continues faithful the young coster may marry her but this is rarely the case and many live with their girls until they have grown to be men or perhaps they may quarrel the very first year and have a fight and part these boys hate any continuous work so strong is this objection to continuity that they cannot even remain selling the same article for more than a week together moreover none of them can be got to keep stalls they must be perpetually on the moveor to use their own words they like a roving life they all of them delight in dressing flash as they call it if a governor was to try and palm off his old cord jacket upon the lad that worked with him the boy wouldnt take it its too big and seedy for me hed say and i aint going to have your leavings they try to dress like the men with large pockets in their cord jackets and plenty of them their trowsers too must fit tight at the knee and their boots they like as good as possible a good kings man a plush skull cap and a seam down the trowsers are the great points of ambition with the coster boys the coster girl apples an aypenny a lot apples from a daguerreotype by beard a lad about fourteen informed me that brass buttons like a huntmans with foxes heads on em looked stunning flash and the gals liked em as for the hair they say it ought to be long in front and done in figure six curls or twisted back to the ear newgate knocker style but the worst of hair is they add that it is always getting cut off in quod all along of muzzling the bobbies the whole of the coster boys are fond of good living i was told that when a lad started 39 for himself he would for the first week or so live almost entirely on cakes and nuts when settled in business they always manage to have what they call a relish for breakfast and tea a couple of herrings or a bit of bacon or what not many of them never dine excepting on the sundaythe pony and donkey proprietors being the only costers whose incomes will permit them to indulge in a fourpenny plate of meat at a cooks shop the whole of the boys too are extremely fond of pudding and should the plum duff at an eating house contain an unusual quantity of plums the news soon spreads and the boys then endeavour to work that way so as to obtain a slice while waiting for a market the lads will very often spend a shilling in the cakes and three cornered puffs sold by the jews the owners toss for them and so enable the young coster to indulge his two favourite passions at the same timehis love of pastry and his love of gambling the jews crisp butter biscuits also rank very high with the boys who declare that they slip down like soapsuds down a gully hole in fact it is curious to notice how perfectly unrestrained are the passions and appetites of these youths the only thoughts that trouble them are for their girls their eating and their gamblingbeyond the love of self they have no tie that binds them to existence the life of a coster lad one lad that i spoke to gave me as much of his history as he could remember he was a tall stout boy about sixteen years old with a face utterly vacant his two heavy lead coloured eyes stared unmeaningly at me and beyond a constant anxiety to keep his front lock curled on his cheek he did not exhibit the slightest trace of feeling he sank into his seat heavily and of a heap and when once settled down he remained motionless with his mouth open and his hands on his kneesalmost as if paralyzed he was dressed in all the slang beauty of his class with a bright red handkerchief and unexceptionable boots my father he told me in a thick unimpassioned voice was a waggoner and worked the country roads there was two on us at home with mother and we used to play along with the boys of our court in golding lane at buttons and marbles i recollects nothing more than thisonly the big boys used to cheat like bricks and thump us if we grumbledthats all i recollects of my infancy as you calls it father ive heard tell died when i was three and brother only a year old it was worse luck for us mother was so easy with us i once went to school for a couple of weeks but the cove used to fetch me a wipe over the knuckles with his stick and as i wasnt going to stand that there why you see i aint no great schollard we did as we liked with mother she was so precious easy and i never learned anything but playing buttons and making leaden bonces thats all here the youth laughed slightly mother used to be up and out very early washing in familiesanything for a living she was a good mother to us we was left at home with the key of the room and some bread and butter for dinner afore she got into workand it was a goodish long timewe was shocking hard up and she pawned nigh everything sometimes when we hadnt no grub at all the other lads perhaps would give us some of their bread and butter but often our stomachs used to ache with the hunger and we would cry when we was werry far gone she used to be at work from six in the morning till ten oclock at night which was a long time for a childs belly to hold out again and when it was dark we would go and lie down on the bed and try and sleep until she came home with the food i was eight year old then a man as knowd mother said to her your boys got nothing to do let him come along with me and yarn a few hapence and so i became a coster he gave me 4 d a morning and my breakfast i worked with him about three year until i learnt the markets and then i and brother got baskets of our own and used to keep mother one day with another the two on us together could make 2 s 6 d by selling greens of a morning and going round to the publics with nuts of a evening till about ten oclock at night mother used to have a bit of fried meat or a stew ready for us when we got home and by using up the stock as we couldnt sell we used to manage pretty tidy when i was fourteen i took up with a girl she lived in the same house as we did and i used to walk out of a night with her and give her half pints of beer at the publics she were about thirteen and used to dress werry nice though she werent above middling pretty now im working for another man as gives me a shilling a week victuals washing and lodging just as if i was one of the family on a sunday i goes out selling and all i yarns i keeps as for going to church why i cant afford it besides to tell the truth i dont like it well enough plays too aint in my line much id sooner go to a danceits more livelier the penny gaffs is rather more in my style the songs are out and out and makes our gals laugh the smuttier the better i thinks bless you the gals likes it as much as we do if we lads ever has a quarrel why we fights for it if i was to let a cove off once hed do it again but i never give a lad a chance so long as i can get anigh him i never heard about christianity but if a cove was to fetch me a lick of the head id give it him again whether he was a big un or a little un id precious soon see a henemy of mine shot afore id forgive him wheres the use do i understand what behaving to your neighbour is in coorse i do if a feller as lives next me wanted a basket of mine as i wasnt using why he might have it if i was working it though id see him further i can under 40 stand that all as lives in a court is neighbours but as for policemen theyre nothing to me and i should like to pay em all off well no i never heerd about this here creation you speaks about in coorse god almighty made the world and the poor bricklayers labourers built the houses arterwardsthats my opinion but i cant say for ive never been in no schools only always hard at work and knows nothing about it i have heerd a little about our saviour they seem to say he were a goodish kind of a man but if he says as how a coves to forgive a feller as hits you i should say he knowd nothing about it in coorse the gals the lads goes and lives with thinks our walloping em wery cruel of us but we dont why dont we why because we dont before father died i used sometimes to say my prayers but after that mother was too busy getting a living to mind about my praying yes i knows in the lords prayer they says forgive us our trespasses as we forgives them as trespasses agin us its a very good thing in coorse but no costers cant do it of the penny gaff in many of the thoroughfares of london there are shops which have been turned into a kind of temporary theatre admission one penny where dancing and singing take place every night rude pictures of the performers are arranged outside to give the front a gaudy and attractive look and at night time coloured lamps and transparencies are displayed to draw an audience these places are called by the costers penny gaffs and on a monday night as many as six performances will take place each one having its two hundred visitors it is impossible to contemplate the ignorance and immorality of so numerous a class as that of the costermongers without wishing to discover the cause of their degradation let any one curious on this point visit one of these penny shows and he will wonder that any trace of virtue and honesty should remain among the people here the stage instead of being the means for illustrating a moral precept is turned into a platform to teach the cruelest debauchery the audience is usually composed of children so young that these dens become the school rooms where the guiding morals of a life are picked up and so precocious are the little things that the girl of nine will from constant attendance at such places have learnt to understand the filthiest sayings and laugh at them as loudly as the grown up lads around her what notions can the young female form of marriage and chastity when the penny theatre rings with applause at the performance of a scene whose sole point turns upon the pantomimic imitation of the unrestrained indulgence of the most corrupt appetites of our nature how can the lad learn to check his hot passions and think honesty and virtue admirable when the shouts around him impart a glory to a descriptive song so painfully corrupt that it can only have been made tolerable by the most habitual excess the men who preside over these infamous places know too well the failings of their audiences they know that these poor children require no nicely turned joke to make the evening pass merrily and that the filth they utter needs no double meaning to veil its obscenity the show that will provide the most unrestrained debauchery will have the most crowded benches and to gain this point things are acted and spoken that it is criminal even to allude to not wishing to believe in the description which some of the more intelligent of the costermongers had given of these places it was thought better to visit one of them so that all exaggeration might be avoided one of the least offensive of the exhibitions was fixed upon the penny gaff chosen was situated in a broad street near smithfield and for a great distance off the jingling sound of music was heard and the gas light streamed out into the thick night air as from a dark lantern glittering on the windows of the houses opposite and lighting up the faces of the mob in the road as on an illumination night the front of a large shop had been entirely removed and the entrance was decorated with paintings of the comic singers in their most humourous attitudes on a table against the wall was perched the band playing what the costers call dancing tunes with great effect for the hole at the money takers box was blocked up with hands tendering the penny the crowd without was so numerous that a policeman was in attendance to preserve order and push the boys off the pavementthe music having the effect of drawing them insensibly towards the festooned green baize curtain the shop itself had been turned into a waiting room and was crowded even to the top of the stairs leading to the gallery on the first floor the ceiling of this lobby was painted blue and spotted with whitewash clouds to represent the heavens the boards of the trap door and the laths that showed through the holes in the plaster being all of the same colour a notice was here posted over the canvass door leading into the theatre to the effect that ladies and gentlemen to the front places must pay twopence the visitors with a few exceptions were all boys and girls whose ages seemed to vary from eight to twenty years some of the girlsthough their figures showed them to be mere childrenwere dressed in showy cotton velvet polkas and wore dowdy feathers in their crushed bonnets they stood laughing and joking with the lads in an unconcerned impudent manner that was almost appalling some of them when tired of waiting chose their partners and commenced dancing grotesquely to the admiration of the lookers on who expressed their approbation in obscene terms that far from disgusting the poor little women were received as compliments and acknowledged with smiles and coarse repartees the boys clustered together smoking their 41 pipes and laughing at each others anecdotes or else jingling halfpence in time with the tune while they whistled an accompaniment to it presently one of the performers with a gilt crown on his well greased locks descended from the staircase his fleshings covered by a dingy dressing gown and mixed with the mob shaking hands with old acquaintances the comic singer too made his appearance among the throngthe huge bow to his cravat which nearly covered his waistcoat and the red end to his nose exciting neither merriment nor surprise to discover the kind of entertainment a lad near me and my companion was asked if there was any flash dancing with a knowing wink the boy answered lots show their legs and all prime and immediately the boy followed up his information by a request for a yennep to get a tib of occabot after waiting in the lobby some considerable time the performance inside was concluded and the audience came pouring out through the canvass door as they had to pass singly i noticed them particularly above three fourths of them were women and girls the rest consisting chiefly of mere boysfor out of about two hundred persons i counted only eighteen men forward they came bringing an overpowering stench with them laughing and yelling as they pushed their way through the waiting room one woman carrying a sickly child with a bulging forehead was reeling drunk the saliva running down her mouth as she stared about her with a heavy fixed eye two boys were pushing her from side to side while the poor infant slept breathing heavily as if stupified through the din lads jumping on girls shoulders and girls laughing hysterically from being tickled by the youths behind them every one shouting and jumping presented a mad scene of frightful enjoyment when these had left a rush for places by those in waiting began that set at defiance the blows and strugglings of a lady in spangles who endeavoured to preserve order and take the checks as time was a great object with the proprietor the entertainment within began directly the first seat was taken so that the lads without rendered furious by the rattling of the piano within made the canvass partition bulge in and out with the strugglings of those seeking admission like a sail in a flagging wind to form the theatre the first floor had been removed the whitewashed beams however still stretched from wall to wall the lower room had evidently been the warehouse while the upper apartment had been the sitting room for the paper was still on the walls a gallery with a canvass front had been hurriedly built up and it was so fragile that the boards bent under the weight of those above the bricks in the warehouse were smeared over with red paint and had a few black curtains daubed upon them the coster youths require no very great scenic embellishment and indeed the stagewhich was about eight feet squarecould admit of none two jets of gas like those outside a butchers shop were placed on each side of the proscenium and proved very handy for the gentlemen whose pipes required lighting the band inside the theatre could not compare with the band without an old grand piano whose canvass covered top extended the entire length of the stage sent forth its wiry notes under the be ringed fingers of a professor wilkinsini while another professional with his head resting on his violin played vigorously as he stared unconcernedly at the noisy audience singing and dancing formed the whole of the hours performance and of the two the singing was preferred a young girl of about fourteen years of age danced with more energy than grace and seemed to be well known to the spectators who cheered her on by her christian name when the dance was concluded the proprietor of the establishment threw down a penny from the gallery in the hopes that others might be moved to similar acts of generosity but no one followed up the offering so the young lady hunted after the money and departed the comic singer in a battered hat and the huge bow to his cravat was received with deafening shouts several songs were named by the costers but the funny gentleman merely requested them to hold their jaws and putting on a knowing look sang a song the whole point of which consisted in the mere utterance of some filthy word at the end of each stanza nothing however could have been more successful the lads stamped their feet with delight the girls screamed with enjoyment once or twice a young shrill laugh would anticipate the funas if the words were well knownor the boys would forestall the point by shouting it out before the proper time when the song was ended the house was in a delirium of applause the canvass front to the gallery was beaten with sticks drum like and sent down showers of white powder on the heads in the pit another song followed and the actor knowing on what his success depended lost no opportunity of increasing his laurels the most obscene thoughts the most disgusting scenes were coolly described making a poor child near me wipe away the tears that rolled down her eyes with the enjoyment of the poison there were three or four of these songs sung in the course of the evening each one being encored and then changed one written about pine apple rock was the grand treat of the night and offered greater scope to the rhyming powers of the author than any of the others in this not a single chance had been missed ingenuity had been exerted to its utmost lest an obscene thought should be passed by and it was absolutely awful to behold the relish with which the young ones jumped to the hideous meaning of the verses 42 there was one scene yet to come that was perfect in its wickedness a ballet began between a man dressed up as a woman and a country clown the most disgusting attitudes were struck the most immoral acts represented without one dissenting voice if there had been any feat of agility any grimacing or in fact anything with which the laughter of the uneducated classes is usually associated the applause might have been accounted for but here were two ruffians degrading themselves each time they stirred a limb and forcing into the brains of the childish audience before them thoughts that must embitter a lifetime and descend from father to child like some bodily infirmity when i had left i spoke to a better class costermonger on this saddening subject well sir it is frightful he said but the boys will have their amusements if their amusements is bad they dont care they only wants to laugh and this here kind of work does it give em better singing and better dancing and theyd go if the price was as cheap as this is ive seen when a decent concert was given at a penny as many as four thousand costers present behaving themselves as quietly and decently as possible their wives and children was with em and no audience was better conducted its all stuff talking about them preferring this sort of thing give em good things at the same price and i know they will like the good better than the bad my own experience with this neglected class goes to prove that if we would really lift them out of the moral mire in which they are wallowing the first step must be to provide them with wholesome amusements the misfortune however is that when we seek to elevate the character of the people we give them such mere dry abstract truths and dogmas to digest that the uneducated mind turns with abhorrence from them we forget how we ourselves were originally won by our emotions to the consideration of such subjects we do not remember how our own tastes have been formed nor do we in our zeal stay to reflect how the tastes of a people generally are created and consequently we cannot perceive that a habit of enjoying any matter whatsoever can only be induced in the mind by linking with it some sthetic affection the heart is the mainspring of the intellect and the feelings the real educers and educators of the thoughts as games with the young destroy the fatigue of muscular exercise so do the sympathies stir the mind to action without any sense of effort it is because serious people generally object to enlist the emotions in the education of the poor and look upon the delight which arises in the mind from the mere perception of the beauty of sound motion form and colouror from the apt association of harmonious or incongruous ideasor from the sympathetic operation of the affections it is because i say the zealous portion of society look upon these matters as vanity that the amusements of the working classes are left to venal traders to provide hence in the low priced entertainments which necessarily appeal to the poorer and therefore to the least educated of the people the proprietors instead of trying to develop in them the purer sources of delight seek only to gratify their audience in the coarsest manner by appealing to their most brutal appetites and thus the emotions which the great architect of the human mind gave us as the means of quickening our imaginations and refining our sentiments are made the instruments of crushing every operation of the intellect and debasing our natures it is idle and unfeeling to believe that the great majority of a people whose days are passed in excessive toil and whose homes are mostly of an uninviting character will forego all amusements and consent to pass their evenings by their no firesides reading tracts or singing hymns it is folly to fancy that the mind spent with the irksomeness of compelled labour and depressed perhaps with the struggle to live by that labour after all will not when the work is over seek out some place where at least it can forget its troubles or fatigues in the temporary pleasure begotten by some mental or physical stimulant it is because we exact too much of the poorbecause we as it were strive to make true knowledge and true beauty as forbidding as possible to the uneducated and unrefined that they fly to their penny gaffs their twopenny hops their beer shops and their gambling grounds for pleasures which we deny them and which we in our arrogance believe it is possible for them to do without the experiment so successfully tried at liverpool of furnishing music of an enlivening and yet elevating character at the same price as the concerts of the lowest grade shows that the people may be won to delight in beauty instead of beastiality and teaches us again that it is our fault to allow them to be as they are and not theirs to remain so all men are compound animals with many inlets of pleasure to their brains and if one avenue be closed against them why it but forces them to seek delight through another so far from the perception of beauty inducing habits of gross enjoyment as serious people generally imagine a moments reflection will tell us that these very habits are only the necessary consequences of the non development of the sthetic faculty for the two assuredly cannot co exist to cultivate the sense of the beautiful is necessarily to inculcate a detestation of the sensual moreover it is impossible for the mind to be accustomed to the contemplation of what is admirable without continually mounting to higher and higher forms of itfrom the beauty of nature to that of thoughtfrom thought to feeling from feeling to action and lastly to the fountain of all goodnessthe great munificent creator of the sea the mountains and the flowersthe stars the sunshine and the rainbowthe fancy the reason the love and the heroism of man and womankindthe instincts of the beaststhe glory of the angelsand the mercy of christ 43 of the coster girls the costermongers taken as a body entertain the most imperfect idea of the sanctity of marriage to their undeveloped minds it merely consists in the fact of a man and woman living together and sharing the gains they may each earn by selling in the street the father and mother of the girl look upon it as a convenient means of shifting the support of their child over to anothers exertions and so thoroughly do they believe this to be the end and aim of matrimony that the expense of a church ceremony is considered as a useless waste of money and the new pair are received by their companions as cordially as if every form of law and religion had been complied with the notions of morality among these people agree strangely as i have said with those of many savage tribesindeed it would be curious if it were otherwise they are a part of the nomades of england neither knowing nor caring for the enjoyments of home the hearth which is so sacred a symbol to all civilized races as being the spot where the virtues of each succeeding generation are taught and encouraged has no charms to them the tap room is the fathers chief abiding place whilst to the mother the house is only a better kind of tent she is away at the stall or hawking her goods from morning till night while the children are left to play away the day in the court or alley and pick their morals out of the gutter so long as the limbs gain strength the parent cares for nothing else as the young ones grow up their only notions of wrong are formed by what the policeman will permit them to do if we who have known from babyhood the kindly influences of a home require before we are thrust out into the world to get a living for ourselves that our perceptions of good and evil should be quickened and brightened the same as our perceptions of truth and falsity by the experience and counsel of those who are wiser and better than ourselves if indeed it needed a special creation and example to teach the best and strongest of us the law of right how bitterly must the children of the street folk require tuition training and advice when from their very cradles if indeed they ever knew such luxuries they are doomed to witness in their parents whom they naturally believe to be their superiors habits of life in which passion is the sole rule of action and where every appetite of our animal nature is indulged in without the least restraint i say thus much because i am anxious to make others feel as i do myself that we are the culpable parties in these matters that they poor things should do as they do is but human naturebut that we should allow them to remain thus destitute of every blessing vouchsafed to ourselvesthat we should willingly share what we enjoy with our brethren at the antipodes and yet leave those who are nearer and who therefore should be dearer to us to want even the commonest moral necessaries is a paradox that gives to the zeal of our christianity a strong savour of the chicanery of cant the costermongers strongly resemble the north american indians in their conduct to their wives they can understand that it is the duty of the woman to contribute to the happiness of the man but cannot feel that there is a reciprocal duty from the man to the woman the wife is considered as an inexpensive servant and the disobedience of a wish is punished with blows she must work early and late and to the husband must be given the proceeds of her labour often when the man is in one of his drunken fitswhich sometimes last two or three days continuouslyshe must by her sole exertions find food for herself and him too to live in peace with him there must be no murmuring no tiring under work no fancied cause for jealousyfor if there be she is either beaten into submission or cast adrift to begin life againas anothers leavings the story of one coster girls life may be taken as a type of the many when quite young she is placed out to nurse with some neighbour the motherif a fond onevisiting the child at certain periods of the day for the purpose of feeding it or sometimes knowing the round she has to make having the infant brought to her at certain places to be suckled as soon as it is old enough to go alone the court is its play ground the gutter its school room and under the care of an elder sister the little one passes the day among children whose mothers like her own are too busy out in the streets helping to get the food to be able to mind the family at home when the girl is strong enough she in her turn is made to assist the mother by keeping guard over the younger children or if there be none she is lent out to carry about a baby and so made to add to the family income by gaining her sixpence weekly her time is from the earliest years fully occupied indeed her parents cannot afford to keep her without doing and getting something very few of the children receive the least education the parents i am told never give their minds to learning for they say whats the use of it that wont yarn a gal a living everything is sacrificedas indeed under the circumstances it must bein the struggle to liveaye and to live merely mind heart soul are all absorbed in the belly the rudest form of animal life physiologists tell us is simply a locomotive stomach verily it would appear as if our social state had a tendency to make the highest animal sink into the lowest at about seven years of age the girls first go into the streets to sell a shallow basket is given to them with about two shillings for stock money and they hawk according to the time of year either oranges apples or violets some begin their street education with the sale of water cresses the money earned by this means is strictly given to the parents sometimesthough 44 rarelya girl who has been unfortunate during the day will not dare to return home at night and then she will sleep under some dry arch or about some market until the morrows gains shall ensure her a safe reception and shelter in her fathers room the life of the coster girls is as severe as that of the boys between four and five in the morning they have to leave home for the markets and sell in the streets until about nine those that have more kindly parents return then to breakfast but many are obliged to earn the mornings meal for themselves after breakfast they generally remain in the streets until about ten oclock at night many having nothing during all that time but one meal of bread and butter and coffee to enable them to support the fatigue of walking from street to street with the heavy basket on their heads in the course of a day some girls eat as much as a pound of bread and very seldom get any meat unless it be on a sunday there are many poor families that without the aid of these girls would be forced into the workhouse they are generally of an affectionate disposition and some will perform acts of marvellous heroism to keep together the little home it is not at all unusual for mere children of fifteen to walk their eight or ten miles a day carrying a basket of nearly two hundred weight on their heads a journey to woolwich and back or to the towns near london is often undertaken to earn the 1 s 6 d their parents are anxiously waiting for at home very few of these girls are married to the men they afterwards live with their courtship is usually a very short one for as one told me the life is such a hard one that a girl is ready to get rid of a little of the labour at any price the coster lads see the girls at market and if one of them be pretty and a boy take a fancy to her he will make her bargains for her and carry her basket home sometimes a coster working his rounds will feel a liking for a wench selling her goods in the street and will leave his barrow to go and talk with her a girl seldom takes up with a lad before she is sixteen though some of them when barely fifteen or even fourteen will pair off they court for a time going to raffles and gaffs together and then the affair is arranged the girl tells her parents shes going to keep company with so and so packs up what things she has and goes at once without a word of remonstrance from either father or mother a furnished room at about 4 s a week is taken and the young couple begin life the lad goes out as usual with his barrow and the girl goes out with her basket often working harder for her lover than she had done for her parents they go to market together and at about nine oclock her days selling begins very often she will take out with her in the morning what food she requires during the day and never return home until eleven oclock at night the men generally behave very cruelly to the girls they live with they are as faithful to them as if they were married but they are jealous in the extreme to see a man talking to their girl is sufficient to ensure the poor thing a beating they sometimes ill treat them horriblymost unmercifully indeednevertheless the girls say they cannot help loving them still and continue working for them as if they experienced only kindness at their hands some of the men are gentler and more considerate in their treatment of them but by far the larger portion are harsh and merciless often when the saturday nights earnings of the two have been large the man will take the entire money and as soon as the sundays dinner is over commence drinking hard and continue drunk for two or three days together until the funds are entirely exhausted the women never gamble they say it gives them no excitement they prefer if they have a spare moment in the evening sitting near the fire making up and patching their clothes ah sir said a girl to me a neat gown does a deal with a man he always likes a girl best when everybody else likes her too on a sunday they clean their room for the week and go for a treat if they can persuade their young man to take them out in the afternoon either to chalk farm or battersea fieldswhere theres plenty of life after a girl has once grown accustomed to a street life it is almost impossible to wean her from it the muscular irritability begotten by continued wandering makes her unable to rest for any time in one place and she soon if put to any settled occupation gets to crave for the severe exercise she formerly enjoyed the least restraint will make her sigh after the perfect liberty of the costers roving life as an instance of this i may relate a fact that has occurred within the last six months a gentleman of high literary repute struck with the heroic strugglings of a coster irish girl to maintain her mother took her to his house with a view of teaching her the duties of a servant at first the transition was a painful one to the poor thing having travelled barefoot through the streets since a mere child the pressure of shoes was intolerable to her and in the evening or whenever a few minutes rest could be obtained the boots were taken off for with them on she could enjoy no ease the perfect change of life and the novelty of being in a new place reconciled her for some time to the loss of her liberty but no sooner did she hear from her friends that sprats were again in the market than as if there were some magical influence in the fish she at once requested to be freed from the confinement and permitted to return to her old calling such is the history of the lower class of girls though this lower class i regret to say constitutes by far the greater portion of the whole still i would not for a moment have it inferred that all are bad there are many young girls getting their living or rather helping to get 45 the living of others in the streets whose goodness considering the temptations and hardships besetting such an occupation approximates to the marvellous as a type of the more prudent class of coster girls i would cite the following narrative received from the lips of a young woman in answer to a series of questions the life of a coster girl i wished to have obtained a statement from the girl whose portrait is here given but she was afraid to give the slightest information about the habits of her companions lest they should recognize her by the engraving and persecute her for the revelations she might make after disappointing me some dozen times i was forced to seek out some other coster girl the one i fixed upon was a fine grown young woman of eighteen she had a habit of curtsying to every question that was put to her her plaid shawl was tied over the breast and her cotton velvet bonnet was crushed in with carrying her basket she seemed dreadfully puzzled where to put her hands at one time tucking them under her shawl warming them at the fire or measuring the length of her apron and when she answered a question she invariably addressed the fireplace her voice was husky from shouting apples my mother has been in the streets selling all her lifetime her uncle learnt her the markets and she learnt me when business grew bad she said to me now you shall take care on the stall and ill go and work out charing the way she learnt me the markets was to judge of the weight of the baskets of apples and then said she always bate em down amost a half i always liked the street life very well that was if i was selling i have mostly kept a stall myself but ive known gals as walk about with apples as have told me that the weight of the baskets is sich that the neck cricks and when the load is took off its just as if youd a stiff neck and the head feels as light as a feather the gals begins working very early at our work the parents makes them go out when amost babies theres a little gal im sure she ant more than half past seven that stands selling water cresses next my stall and mother was saying only look there how that little one has to get her living afore she amost knows what a pennorth means theres six on us in family and father and mother makes eight father used to do odd jobs with the gas pipes in the streets and when work was slack we had very hard times of it mother always liked being with us at home and used to manage to keep us employed out of mischiefshed give us an old gown to make into pinafores for the children and such like shes been very good to us has mother and sos father she always liked to hear us read to her whilst she was washing or such like and then we big ones had to learn the little ones but when fathers work got slack if she had no employment charing shed say now ill go and buy a bushel of apples and then shed turn out and get a penny that way i suppose by sitting at the stall from nine in the morning till the shops shuts upsay ten oclock at night i can earn about 1 s 6 d a day its all according to the appleswhether theyre good or notwhat we makes if im unlucky mother will say well ill go out to morrow and see what i can do and if ive done well shell say come youre a good hand at it youve done famous yes mothers very fair that way ah theres many a gal i knows whose back has to suffer if she dont sell her stock well but thank god i never get more than a blowing up my parents is very fair to me i dare say there aint ten out of a hundred gals whats living with men whats been married church of england fashion i know plenty myself but i dont indeed think it right it seems to me that the gals is fools to be ticed away but in coorse they neednt go without they likes this is why i dont think its right perhaps a man will have a few words with his gal and hell say oh i aint obligated to keep her and hell turn her out and then wheres that poor gal to go now theres a gal i knows as came to me no later than this here week and she had a dreadful swole face and a awful black eye and i says whos done that and she says says she why jackjust in that way and then she says says she im going to take a warrant out to morrow well he gets the warrant that same night but she never appears again him for fear of getting more beating that dont seem to me to be like married people ought to be besides if parties is married they ought to bend to each other and they wont for sartain if theyre only living together a man as is married is obligated to keep his wife if they quarrels or not and he says to himself says he well i may as well live happy like but if he can turn a poor gal off as soon as he tires of her he begins to have noises with her and then gets quit of her altogether again the men takes the money of the gals and in coorse ought to treat em wellwhich they dont this is another reason when the gal is in the family way the lads mostly sends them to the workhouse to lay in and only goes sometimes to take them a bit of tea and shuggar but in coorse married men wouldnt behave in such likes to their poor wives after a quarrel too a lad goes and takes up with another young gal and that isnt pleasant for the first one the first step to ruin is them places of penny gaffs for they hears things there as oughtnt to be said to young gals besides the lads is very insinivating and after leaving them places will give a gal a drop of beer and make her half tipsy and then they makes their arrangements ive often heerd the boys boasting of having ruined gals for all the world as if they was the first noblemen in the land it would be a good thing if these sort of goings on could be stopped its half the pa 46 rents fault for if a gal cant get a living they turns her out into the streets and then whats to become of her im sure the gals if they was married would be happier because they couldnt be beat worse and if they was married theyd get a nice home about em whereas if theys only living together they takes a furnished room im sure too that its a bad plan for ive heerd the gals themselves say ah i wish id never seed jack or tom or whatever it is im sure id never be half so bad but for him only last night father was talking about religion we often talks about religion father has told me that god made the world and ive heerd him talk about the first man and woman as was made and livedit must be more than a hundred years agobut i dont like to speak on what i dont know father too has told me about our saviour what was nailed on a cross to suffer for such poor people as we is father has told us too about his giving a great many poor people a penny loaf and a bit of fish each which proves him to have been a very kind gentleman the ten commandments was made by him ive heerd say and he performed them too among other miracles yes this is part of what our saviour tells us we are to forgive everybody and do nobody no injury i dont think i could forgive an enemy if she injured me very much im sure i dont know why i couldnt unless it is that im poor and never learnt to do it if a gal stole my shawl and didnt return it back or give me the value on it i couldnt forgive her but if she told me she lost it off her back i shouldnt be so hard on her we poor gals aint very religious but we are better than the men we all of us thanks god for everythingeven for a fine day as for sprats we always says theyre gods blessing for the poor and thinks it hard of the lord mayor not to let em come in afore the ninth of november just because he wants to dine off themwhich he always do yes we knows for certain that they eats plenty of sprats at the lord mayors blanket they say in the bible that the world was made in six days the beasts the birds the fish and alland sprats was among them in coorse there was only one house at that time as was made and that was the ark for adam and eve and their family it seems very wonderful indeed how all this world was done so quick i should have thought that england alone would have took double the time shouldnt you sir but then it says in the bible god almightys a just and true god and in coorse time would be nothing to him when a good person is dying we says the lord has called upon him and he must go but i cant think what it means unless it is that an angel comeslike when were a dreamingand tells the party hes wanted in heaven i know where heaven is its above the clouds and theyre placed there to prevent us seeing into it thats where all the good people go but im afeerd she continued solemnlytheres very few costers among the angelsspecially those as deceives poor gals no i dont think this world could well go on for ever theres a great deal of ground in it certainly and it seems very strong at present but they say theres to be a flood on the earth and earthquakes and that will destroy it the earthquake ought to have took place some time ago as people tells me but i never heerd any more about it if we cheats in the streets i know we shant go to heaven but its very hard upon us for if we didnt cheat we couldnt live profits is so bad its the same with the shops and i suppose the young men there wont go to heaven neither but if people wont give the money both costers and tradesmen must cheat and thats very hard why look at apples customers want them for less than they cost us and so we are forced to shove in bad ones as well as good ones and if were to suffer for that it does seem to me dreadful cruel curious and extravagant as this statement may perhaps appear to the uninitiated nevertheless it is here given as it was spoken and it was spoken with an earnestness that proved the poor girl looked upon it as a subject the solemnity of which forced her to be truthful of costermongers and thieves concerning the connection of these two classes i had the following account from a costermonger ive known the coster trade for twelve years and never knew thieves go out a costering as a cloak they may have done so but i very much doubt it thieves go for an idle life and costermongering dont suit them our chaps dont care a dn who they associate with if theyre thieves they meet em all the same or anything that way but costers buy what they call a gift may be its a watch or coat wots been stolenfrom any that has it to sell a man will say if youve a few shillings you may make a good thing of it why this identical watch is only twenty shillings and its worth fifty so if the coster has money he buys thieves will get 3 d where a mechanic or a coster will earn d and the most ignorant of our people has a queer sort of respect for thieves because of the money they make povertys as much despised among costers as among other people people thats badly off among us are called cursed in bad weather its common for costers to curse themselves as they call having no trade well im cursed they say when they can make no money its a common thing among them to shout after any one they dont like thats reduced well aint you cursed the costers i am credibly informed gamble a great deal with the wealthier class of thieves and win of them the greater part of the money they get of the more provident costermongers concerning this head i give the statement of a man whose information i found fully confirmed we 47 are not such a degraded set as some believe sir but a living doesnt tumble into a mans mouth now a days a good many of us costers rises into greengrocers and coal sheds and still carries on their rounds as costers all the same why in locks fields i could show you twenty such and youd find them very decent men sirvery theres one man i know thats risen that way who is worth hundreds of pounds and keeps his horse and cart like a gentleman they rises to be voters and they all vote liberal some marry the better kind of servants such servant maids as wouldnt marry a rag and bottle shop but doesnt object to a coal shed its mostly younger men that manages this as far as i have observed these costers after they has settled and got to be housekeepers dont turn their backs on their old mates theyd have a nice life of it if they didyes a very nice life of the homes of the costermongers the costermongers usually reside in the courts and alleys in the neighbourhood of the different street markets they themselves designate the locality where so to speak a colony of their people has been established a coster district and the entire metropolis is thus parcelled out almost as systematically as if for the purposes of registration these costermonger districts are as follows and are here placed in the order of the numerical importance of the residents the new cut lambeth whitecross street leather lane the brill somers town whitechapel camberwell walworth peckham bermondsey the broadway westminster shoreditch paddington and edgeware road tottenham court road drury lane old street road clare market ratcliffe highway lisson grove petticoat and rosemary lane marylebone lane oxford street rotherhithe deptford dockhead greenwich commercial road east poplar limehouse bethnal green hackney road kingsland camden town the homes of the costermongers in these places may be divided into three classes firstly those who by having a regular trade or by prudent economy are enabled to live in comparative ease and plenty secondly those who from having a large family or by imprudent expenditure are as it were struggling with the world and thirdly those who for want of stock money or ill success in trade are nearly destitute the first home i visited was that of an old woman who with the assistance of her son and girls contrived to live in a most praiseworthy and comfortable manner she and all her family were teetotallers and may be taken as a fair type of the thriving costermonger as i ascended a dark flight of stairs a savory smell of stew grew stronger at each step i mounted the woman lived in a large airy room on the first floor the drawing room as she told me laughing at her own joke well lighted by a clean window and i found her laying out the savory smelling dinner looking most temptingly clean the floor was as white as if it had been newly planed the coke fire was bright and warm making the lid of the tin saucepan on it rattle up and down as the steam rushed out the wall over the fire place was patched up to the ceiling with little square pictures of saints and on the mantel piece between a row of bright tumblers and wine glasses filled with odds and ends stood glazed crockeryware images of prince albert and m jullien against the walls which were papered with hangings of four different patterns and colours were hung several warm shawls and in the band box which stood on the stained chest of drawers you could tell that the sunday bonnet was stowed safely away from the dust a turn up bedstead thrown back and covered with a many coloured patch work quilt stood opposite to a long dresser with its mugs and cups dangling from the hooks and the clean blue plates and dishes ranged in order at the back there were a few bushel baskets piled up in one corner but the apples smelt so she said they left them in a stable at night by the fire sat the womans daughter a pretty meek faced gray eyed girl of sixteen who was home nursing for a cold steve her boy i was informed was out working with his help the woman assured me she could live very comfortablygod be praised and when he got the barrow he was promised she gave me to understand that their riches were to increase past reckoning her girl too was to be off at work as soon as sprats came in its on lord mayors day they comes in said a neighbour who had rushed up to see the strange gentleman they says he has em on his table but i never seed em they never gives us the pieces no not even the heads and every one laughed to their utmost the good old dame was in high spirits her dark eyes sparkling as she spoke about her steve the daughter in a little time lost her bashfulness and informed me that one of the polish refugees was a courting mrs m who had given him a pair of black eyes on taking my leave i was told by the mother that their silver gilt dutch clockwith its glass face and blackleaded weightswas the best one in london and might be relied on with the greatest safety as a specimen of the dwellings of the struggling costers the following may be cited the man a tall thick built almost good looking fellow with a large fur cap on his head lived with his family in a front kitchen and as there were with his mother in law five persons and only one bed i was somewhat puzzled to know where they could all sleep the barrow standing on the railings over the window half shut out the light and when any one passed there was a momentary shadow thrown over the room and a loud rattling of the 48 iron gratings above that completely prevented all conversation when i entered the mother in law was reading aloud one of the threepenny papers to her son who lolled on the bed that with its curtains nearly filled the room there was the usual attempt to make the fireside comfortable the stone sides had been well whitened and the mantel piece decorated with its small tin trays tumblers and a piece of looking glass a cat with a kitten were seated on the hearth rug in front they keeps the varmint away said the woman stroking the puss and gives a look of home by the drawers were piled up four bushel baskets and in a dark corner near the bed stood a tall measure full of apples that scented the room over the head on a string that stretched from wall to wall dangled a couple of newly washed shirts and by the window were two stone barrels for lemonade when the coster visited the fairs and races whilst we were talking the mans little girl came home for a poor mans child she was dressed to perfection her pinafore was clean her face shone with soap and her tidy cotton print gown had clearly been newly put on that morning she brought news that janey was coming home from aunteys and instantly a pink cotton dress was placed by the mother in law before the fire to air it appeared that janey was out at service and came home once a week to see her parents and take back a clean frock although these people were living so to speak in a cellar still every endeavour had been made to give the home a look of comfort the window with its paper patched panes had a clean calico blind the side table was dressed up with yellow jugs and cups and saucers and the band boxes had been stowed away on the flat top of the bedstead all the chairs which were old fashioned mahogany ones had sound backs and bottoms of the third class or the very poor i chose the following type out of the many others that presented themselves the family here lived in a small slanting roofed house partly stripped of its tiles more than one half of the small leaden squares of the first floor window were covered with brown paper puffing out and crackling in the wind while through the greater part of the others were thrust out ball shaped bundles of rags to keep out the breeze the panes that did remain were of all shapes and sizes and at a distance had the appearance of yellow glass they were so stained with dirt i opened a door with a number chalked on it and groped my way up a broken tottering staircase it took me some time after i had entered the apartment before i could get accustomed to the smoke that came pouring into the room from the chimney the place was filled with it curling in the light and making every thing so indistinct that i could with difficulty see the white mugs ranged in the corner cupboard not three yards from me when the wind was in the north or when it rained it was always that way i was told but otherwise said an old dame about sixty with long grisly hair spreading over her black shawl it is pretty good for that on a mattrass on the floor lay a pale faced girleighteen years old last twelfth cake dayher drawn up form showing in the patch work counterpane that covered her she had just been confined and the child had died a little straw stuffed into an old tick was all she had to lie upon and even that had been given up to her by the mother until she was well enough to work again to shield her from the light of the window a cloak had been fastened up slantingly across the panes and on a string that ran along the wall was tied amongst the bonnets a clean nightcapagainst the doctor came as the mother curtsying informed me by the side of the bed almost hidden in the dark shade was a pile of sieve baskets crowned by the flat shallow that the mother worked with the room was about nine feet square and furnished a home for three women the ceiling slanted like that of a garret and was the colour of old leather excepting a few rough white patches where the tenants had rudely mended it the white light was easily seen through the laths and in one corner a large patch of the paper looped down from the wall one night the family had been startled from their sleep by a large mass of mortarjust where the roof bulged infalling into the room we never want rain water the woman told me for we can catch plenty just over the chimney place they had made a carpet out of three or four old mats they were obligated to it for fear of dropping anything through the boards into the donkey stables in the parlour underneath but we only pay ninepence a week rent said the old woman and mustnt grumble the only ornament in the place was on the mantel piecean old earthenware sugar basin well silvered over that had been given by the eldest girl when she died as a remembrance to her mother two cracked tea cups on their inverted saucers stood on each side and dressed up the fire side into something like tidiness the chair i sat on was by far the best out of the three in the room and that had no back and only half its quantity of straw the parish the old woman told me allowed her 1 s a week and two loaves but the doctor ordered her girl to take sago and milk and she was many a time sorely puzzled to get it the neighbours helped her a good deal and often sent her part of their unsold greens even if it was only the outer leaves of the cabbages she was thankful for them her other girla big boned wench with a red shawl crossed over her bosom and her black hair parted on one sidedid all she could and so they lived on as long as they kept out of the big house the workhouse she would not complain the oyster stall penny a lot oysters penny a lot from a daguerreotype by beard i never yet beheld so much destitution borne with so much content verily the acted philosophy of the poor is a thing to make those who write and preach about it hide their heads 51 of the dress of the costermongers from the homes of the costermongers we pass to a consideration of their dress the costermongers ordinary costume partakes of the durability of the warehousemans with the quaintness of that of the stable boy a well to do coster when dressed for the days work usually wears a small cloth cap a little on one side a close fitting worsted tie up skull cap is very fashionable just now among the class and ringlets at the temples are looked up to as the height of elegance hats they never wearexcepting on sundayon account of their baskets being frequently carried on their heads coats are seldom indulged in their waistcoats which are of a broad ribbed corduroy with fustian back and sleeves being made as long as a grooms and buttoned up nearly to the throat if the corduroy be of a light sandy colour then plain brass or sporting buttons with raised foxs or stags heads upon themor else black bone buttons with a flower patternornament the front but if the cord be of a dark rat skin hue then mother of pearl buttons are preferred two large pocketssometimes fourwith huge flaps or lappels like those in a shooting coat are commonly worn if the costermonger be driving a good trade and have his set of regular customers he will sport a blue cloth jacket similar in cut to the cord ones above described but this is looked upon as an extravagance of the highest order for the slime and scales of the fish stick to the sleeves and shoulders of the garment so as to spoil the appearance of it in a short time the fashionable stuff for trousers at the present is a dark coloured cable cord and they are made to fit tightly at the knee and swell gradually until they reach the boot which they nearly cover velveteen is now seldom worn and knee breeches are quite out of date those who deal wholly in fish wear a blue serge apron either hanging down or tucked up round their waist the costermonger however prides himself most of all upon his neckerchief and boots men women boys and girls all have a passion for these articles the man who does not wear his silk neckerchiefhis kings man as it is calledis known to be in desperate circumstances the inference being that it has gone to supply the mornings stock money a yellow flower on a green ground or a red and blue pattern is at present greatly in vogue the women wear their kerchiefs tucked in under their gowns and the men have theirs wrapped loosely round the neck with the ends hanging over their waistcoats even if a costermonger has two or three silk handkerchiefs by him already he seldom hesitates to buy another when tempted with a bright showy pattern hanging from a field lane door post the costermongers love of a good strong boot is a singular prejudice that runs throughout the whole class from the father to the youngest child all will be found well shod so strong is their predilection in this respect that a costermonger may be immediately known by a glance at his feet he will part with everything rather than his boots and to wear a pair of second hand ones or translators as they are called is felt as a bitter degradation by them all among the men this pride has risen to such a pitch that many will have their upper leathers tastily ornamented and it is not uncommon to see the younger men of this class with a heart or a thistle surrounded by a wreath of roses worked below the instep on their boots the general costume of the women or girls is a black velveteen or straw bonnet with a few ribbons or flowers and almost always a net cap fitting closely to the cheek the silk kings man covering their shoulders is sometimes tucked into the neck of the printed cotton gown and sometimes the ends are brought down outside to the apron strings silk dresses are never worn by themthey rather despise such articles the petticoats are worn short ending at the ankles just high enough to show the whole of the much admired boots coloured or illustrated shirts as they are called are especially objected to by the men on the sunday no costermonger will if he can possibly avoid it wheel a barrow if a shilling be an especial object to him he may perhaps take his shallow and head basket as far as chalk farm or some neighbouring resort but even then he objects strongly to the sunday trading they leave this to the jews and irish who are always willing to earn a pennyas they say the prosperous coster will have his holiday on the sunday and if possible his sunday suit as wellwhich usually consists of a rough beaver hat brown petersham with velvet facings of the same colour and cloth trousers with stripes down the side the women generally manage to keep by them a cotton gown of a bright showy pattern and a new shawl as one of the craft said to mecosters likes to see their gals and wives look lady like when they takes them out such of the costers as are not in a flourishing way of business seldom make any alteration in their dress on the sunday there are but five tailors in london who make the garb proper to costermongers one of these is considered somewhat slop or as a coster called him a springer up this springer up is blamed by some of the costermongers who condemn him for employing women at reduced wages a whole court of costermongers i was assured would withdraw their custom from a tradesman if one of their body who had influence among them showed that the tradesman was unjust to his workpeople the tailor in question issues bills after the following fashion i give one verbatim merely withholding the address for obvious reasons once try youll come again slap up tog and out and out kicksies builder mr nabs the chance of putting his customers 52 awake that he has just made his escape from russia not forgetting to clap his mawleys upon some of the right sort of ducks to make single and double backed slops for gentlemen in black when on his return home he was stunned to find one of the top manufacturers of manchester had cut his lucky and stepped off to the swan stream leaving behind him a valuable stock of moleskins cords velveteens plushes swandowns c and i having some ready in my kick grabbed the chance and stepped home with my swag and am now safe landed at my crib i can turn out toggery of every description very slap up at the following low prices for ready gilttick being no go upper benjamins built on a downey plan a monarch to half a finnuff slap up velveteen togs lined with the same 1 pound 1 quarter and a peg moleskin ditto any colour lined with the same 1 couter a pair of kerseymere kicksies any colour built very slap up with the artful dodge a canary pair of stout cord ditto built in the melton mowbray style half a sov pair of very good broad cord ditto made very saucy 9 bob and a kick pair of long sleeve moleskin all colours built hanky spanky with a double fakement down the side and artful buttons at bottom half a monarch pair of stout ditto built very serious 9 times pair of out and out fancy sleeve kicksies cut to drop down on the trotters 2 bulls waist togs cut long with moleskin back and sleeves 10 peg blue cloth ditto cut slap with pearl buttons 14 peg mud pipes knee caps and trotter cases built very low a decent allowance made to seedy swells tea kettle purgers head robbers and flunkeys out of collar n b gentlemen finding their own broady can be accommodated of the diet and drink of costermongers it is less easy to describe the diet of costermongers than it is to describe that of many other of the labouring classes for their diet so to speak is an out door diet they breakfast at a coffee stall and if all their means have been expended in purchasing their stock and none of it be yet sold they expend on the meal only 1 d reserved for the purpose for this sum they can procure a small cup of coffee and two thin that is to say two thin slices of bread and butter for dinnerwhich on a week day is hardly ever eaten at the costermongers abodethey buy block ornaments as they call the small dark coloured pieces of meat exposed on the cheap butchers blocks or counters these they cook in a tap room half a pound costing 2 d if time be an object the coster buys a hot pie or two preferring fruit pies when in season and next to them meat pies we never eat eel pies said one man to me because we know theyre often made of large dead eels we of all people are not to be had that way but the haristocrats eats em and never knows the difference i did not hear that these men had any repugnance to meat pies but the use of the dead eel happens to come within the immediate knowledge of the costermongers who are indeed its purveyors saveloys with a pint of beer or a glass of short neat gin is with them another common week day dinner the costers make all possible purchases of street dealers and pride themselves in thus sticking to their own on sunday the costermonger when not cracked up enjoys a good dinner at his own abode this is always a jointmost frequently a shoulder or half shoulder of muttonand invariably with lots of good taturs baked along with it in the quality of their potatoes these people are generally particular the costermongers usual beverage is beer and many of them drink hard having no other way of spending their leisure but in drinking and gambling it is not unusual in a good time for a costermonger to spend 12 s out of every 20 s in beer and pleasure i ought to add that the single fellows instead of living on block ornaments and the like live when doing well on the best fare at the spiciest cook shops on their rounds or in the neighbourhood of their residence there are some families of costermongers who have persevered in carrying out the principles of teetotalism one man thought there might be 200 individuals including men women and children who practised total abstinence from intoxicating drinks these parties are nearly all somewhat better off than their drinking companions the number of teetotallers amongst the costers however was more numerous three or four years back of the cries rounds and days of costermongers i shall now proceed to treat of the london costermongers mode of doing business in the first place all the goods they sell are cried or hawked and the cries of the costermongers in the present day are as varied as the articles they sell the principal ones uttered in a sort of cadence are now ni ew mackerel 6 a shilling ive got a good jacketing many a sunday morning said one dealer for waking people up with crying mackerel but ive said i must live while you sleep buy a pair of live soles 3 pair for 6 d or with a barrow soles 1 d a pair 1 d a pair plaice alive alive cheap buy a pound crab cheap pine apples d a slice mussels a penny a quart oysters a penny a lot salmon alive 6 d a pound cod alive 2 d a pound real yarmouth bloaters 2 a penny new herrings alive 16 a groat this is the loudest cry of any penny a bunch turnips the same with greens cabbages c all new nuts 1 d half pint oranges 2 a penny all large and alive o new sprats o 1 d a plate 53 wi ild hampshire rabbits 2 a shilling cherry ripe 2 d a pound fine ripe plums 1 d a pint ing uns a penny a quart eels 3lbs a shillinglarge live eels 3lbs a shilling the continual calling in the streets is very distressing to the voice one man told me that it had broken his and that very often while out he lost his voice altogether they seem to have no breath the men say after calling for a little while the repeated shouting brings on a hoarseness which is one of the peculiar characteristics of hawkers in general the costers mostly go out with a boy to cry their goods for them if they have two or three hallooing together it makes more noise than one and the boys can shout better and louder than the men the more noise they can make in a place the better they find their trade street selling has been so bad lately that many have been obliged to have a drum for their bloaters to drum the fish off as they call it in the second place the costermongers as i said before have mostly their little bit of a round that is they go only to certain places and if they dont sell their goods they work back the same way again if they visit a respectable quarter they confine themselves to the mews near the gentlemens houses they generally prefer the poorer neighbourhoods they go down or through almost all the courts and alleysand avoid the better kind of streets unless with lobsters rabbits or onions if they have anything inferior they visit the low irish districtsfor the irish people they say want only quantity and care nothing about quality that they dont study but if they have anything they wish to make a price of they seek out the mews and try to get it off among the gentlemens coachmen for they will have what is good or else they go among the residences of mechanics for their wives they say like good living as well as the coachmen some costers on the other hand go chance rounds concerning the busiest days of the week for the costers trade they say wednesdays and fridays are the best because they are regular fish days these two days are considered to be those on which the poorer classes generally run short of money wednesday night is called draw night among some mechanics and labourersthat is they then get a portion of their wages in advance and on friday they run short as well as on the wednesday and have to make shift for their dinners with the few halfpence they have left they are glad to pick up anything cheap and the street fishmonger never refuses an offer besides he can supply them with a cheaper dinner than any other person in the season the poor generally dine upon herrings the poorer classes live mostly on fish and the dropped and rough fish is bought chiefly for the poor the fish huckster has no respect for persons however one assured me that if prince halbert was to stop him in the street to buy a pair of soles of him hed as soon sell him a rough pair as any other manindeed id take in my own father he added if he wanted to deal with me saturday is the worst day of all for fish for then the poor people have scarcely anything at all to spend saturday night however the street seller takes more money than at any other time in the week of the costermongers on their country rounds some costermongers go what they term country rounds and they speak of their country expeditions as if they were summer excursions of mere pleasure they are generally variations from a life growing monotonous it was computed for me that at present three out of every twenty costermongers take a turn in the country at least once a year before the prevalence of railways twice as many of these men carried their speculations in fish fruit or vegetables to a country mart some did so well that they never returned to london two for instance after a country round settled at salisbury they are now regular shopkeepers and very respectable too was said to me for i believe they are both pretty tidy off for money and are growing rich the railway communication supplies the local dealer with fish vegetables or any perishable article with such rapidity and cheapness that the london itinerants occupation in the towns and villages about the metropolis is now half gone in the following statement by a costermonger the mode of life on a country round is detailed with something of an assumption of metropolitan superiority it was fine times sir ten year back aye and five year back in the country and it aint so bad now if a mans known it depends on that now far more than it did and on a mans knowing how to work a village why i can tell you if it wasnt for such as me theres many a man working on a farm would never taste such a nice thing as a fresh herringnever sir its a feast at a poor country labourers place when he springs six pennorth of fresh herrings some for supper and some in salt for next day ive taken a shillings worth to a farmers door of a darkish night in a cold autumn and theyd a warm and good dish for supper and looked on me as a sort of friend we carry them relishes from london and they like london relishes for we know how to set them off ive fresh herringed a whole village near guildford first thing in the morning ive drummed round guildford too and done well ive waked up kingston with herrings ive been as welcome as anything to the soldiers in the barracks at brentwood and romford and maidstone with my fresh herrings for theyre good customers in two days ive made 2 l out of 10 s worth of fresh herrings bought at billingsgate i always lodge at a public house in the country so do all of us for the publicans are customers we are well received at the public houses some of us go there for the handiness of the lush ive done 54 pretty well with red herrings in the country a barrel holds say 800 we sell the barrels at 6 d a piece and the old women fight after them they pitch and tar them to make water barrels more of us would settle in the country only theres no life there the most frequented round is from lambeth to wandsworth kingston richmond guildford and farnham the costermonger is then sold out as he calls it he has disposed of his stock and returns by the way which is most lightly tolled no matter if the saving of 1 d or 2 d entail some miles extra travelling it cost me 15 d for tolls from guildford for an empty cart and donkey said a costermonger just up from the country another round is to croydon reigate and the neighbourhoods another to edgeware kilburn watford and barnet another to maidstone but the costermonger if he starts trading at a distance as he now does frequently has his barrow and goods sent down by railway to such towns as maidstone so he saves the delay and cost of a donkey cart a mate sees to the transmission of the goods from london the owner walking to maidstone to be in readiness to work them immediately he receives them the railways an ease and a saving i was told ive got a stock sent for 2 s and a donkeys keep would cost that for the time it would be in travelling theres 5 000 of us i think might get a living in the country if we stuck to it entirely if the country enterprise be a failure the men sometimes abandon it in a pet sell their goods at any loss and walk home generally getting drunk as the first step to their return some have been known to pawn their barrow on the road for drink this they call doing queer in summer the costermongers carry plums peas new potatoes cucumbers and quantities of pickling vegetables especially green walnuts to the country in winter their commodities are onions fresh and red herrings and sprats i dont know how it is said one man to me but we sell ing uns and all sorts of fruits and vegetables cheaper than they can buy them where theyre grown and green walnuts too when youd think they had only to be knocked off a tree another costermonger told me that in the country he and his mates attended every dance or other amusement if it wasnt too respectable another said if im idle in the country on a sunday i never go to church i never was in a church i dont know why for my silk handkerchiefs worth more than one of their smock frocks and is quite as respectable some costermongers confine their exertions to the fairs and races and many of them are connected with the gipsies who are said to be the usual receivers of the stolen handkerchiefs at such places of the earnings of costermongers the earnings of the costermongerthe next subject of inquiry that in due order presents itselfvary as much as in more fashionable callings for he is greatly dependent on the season though he may be little affected by london being full or empty concurrent testimony supplied me with the following estimate of their earnings i cite the average earnings apart from any charges or drawbacks of the most staple commodities in january and february the costers generally sell fish in these months the wealthier of the street fishmongers or those who can always command money to go to market enjoy a kind of monopoly the wintry season renders the supply of fish dearer and less regular so that the poorer dealers cannot buy at first hand and sometimes cannot be supplied at all while the others monopolise the fish more or less and will not sell it to any of the other street dealers until a profit has been realised out of their own regular customers and the demand partially satisfied why ive known one man sell 10 l worth of fishmost of it mackarelat his stall in whitecross street said a costermonger to me and all in one snowy day in last january it was very stormy at that time and fish came in unregular and he got a haul ive known him sell 2 l worth in an hour and once 2 l 10 s worth for i then helped at his stall if people has dinner parties they must have fish and gentlemens servants came to buy the average earnings however of those that go rounds in these months are computed not to exceed 8 s a week monday and saturday being days of little trade in fish march is dreadful said an itinerant fish seller to me we dont average im satisfied more nor 4 s a week ive had my barrow idle for a week sometimesat home every day though it had to be paid for all the same at the latter end of march if its fine its 1 s a week better because theres flower roots inall a growing you know sir and that lasts until april and we then make above 6 s a week ive heard people say when ive cried all a growing on a fine ish day aye now summers a coming i wish you may get it says i to myself for ive studied the seasons in may the costermongers profit is greater he vends fresh fishof which there is a greater supply and a greater demand and the fine and often not very hot weather insures its freshnessand he sells dried herrings and roots as they are called such as wall flowers and stocks the average earnings then are from 10 s to 12 s a week in june new potatoes peas and beans tempt the costermongers customers and then his earnings rise to 1 l a week in addition to this 1 l if the season allow a costermonger at the end of the week i was told by an experienced hand will earn an extra 10 s if he has anything of a round why ive cleared thirty shillings myself he added on a saturday night in july cherries are the principal article of traffic and then the profit varies from 4 s to 8 s 55 a day weather permitting or 30 s a week on a low average on my inquiry if they did not sell fish in that month the answer was no sir we pitch fish to the we stick to cherries strawberries raspberries and ripe currants and gooseberries potatoes is getting good and cheap then and so is peas many a rounds worth a crown every day of the week in august the chief trading is in orleans plums green gages apples and pears and in this month the earnings are from 5 s to 6 s a day i may here remark that the costermongers care little to deal in either vegetables or fish when the fruits in but they usually carry a certain supply of vegetables all the year round for those customers who require them in september apples are vended and about 2 s 6 d a day made in october the weather gets cold i was told and the apples gets fewer and the days works over at four we then deals most in fish such as soles theres a good bit done in oysters and we may make 1 s or 1 s 6 d a day but its uncertain in november fish and vegetables are the chief commodities and then from 1 s to 1 s 6 d a day is made but in the latter part of the month an extra 6 d or 1 s a day may be cleared as sprats come in and sell well when newly introduced in december the trade is still principally in fish and 12 d or 18 d a day is the costermongers earnings towards the close of the month he makes rather more as he deals in new oranges and lemons holly ivy c and in christmas week he makes 3 s or 4 s a day these calculations give an average of about 14 s 6 d a week when a man pursues his trade regularly one man calculated it for me at 15 s average the year throughthat is supposing of course that the larger earnings of the summer are carefully put by to eke out the winters income this i need hardly say is never done prudence is a virtue which is comparatively unknown to the london costermongers they have no knowledge of savings banks and to expect that they themselves should keep their money by them untouched for months even if they had the means of so doing is simply to expect impossibilitiesto look for the continued withstanding of temptation among a class who are unused to the least moral or prudential restraint some costers i am told make upwards of 30 s a week all the year round but allowing for cessations in the street trade through bad weather neglect ill health or casualty of any kind and taking the more prosperous costers with the less successfulthe english with the irishthe men with the womenperhaps 10 s a week may be a fair average of the earnings of the entire body the year through these earnings i am assured were five years ago at least 25 per cent higher some said they made half as much again i cant make it out how it is said one man but i remember that i could go out and sell twelve bushel of fruit in a day when sugar was dear and now when sugars cheap i cant sell three bushel on the same round perhaps we want thinning such is the state of the working classes say all the costers they have little or no money to spend why i can assure you declared one of the parties from whom i obtained much important information theres my mississhe sits at the corner of the street with fruit eight years ago she would have taken 8 s out of that street on a saturday and last saturday week she had one bushel of apples which cost 1 s 6 d she was out from ten in the morning till ten at night and all she took that day was 1 s 7 d go to whoever you will you will hear much upon the same thing another told me the costers are often obliged to sell the things for what they gave for them the people havent got money to lay out with themthey tell us so and if they are poor we must be poor too if we cant get a profit upon what goods we buy with our stock money let it be our own or anybodys else we are compelled to live upon it and when thats broken into we must either go to the workhouse or starve if we go to the workhouse theyll give us a piece of dry bread and abuse us worse than dogs indeed the whole course of my narratives shows how the costers generallythough far from universallycomplain of the depressed state of their trade the following statement was given to me by a man who for twelve years had been a stall keeper in a street market it shows to what causes he and i found others express similar opinions attributes the depression i never knew things so bad as at presentnever i had six prime cod fish weighing 15lbs to 20lbs each yesterday and the day before and had to take two home with me last night and lost money on the othersbesides all my time and trouble and expense i had 100 herrings too that cost 3 s prime quality and i only sold ten out of them in a whole day i had two pads of soles sir and lost 4 s that is one padby them i took only 4 s the first day i laid in this stock and only 2 s 6 d the next i then had to sell for anything i could get and throw some away yet people say mines a lazy easy life i think the fall off is owing to meat being so cheap cause people buy that rather than my goods as they think theres more stay in it im afeard things will get worse too he then added by way of sequitur though it is difficult to follow the reasoning if this here is free trade then to h with it i say of the capital and income of the costermongers i shall now pass from the consideration of the individual earnings to the income and capital of the entire body great pains have been taken to ensure exactitude on these points and the following calculations are certainly below the mark in order to be within due bounds i will take the costermongers exclusive of their wives and families at 10 000 whereas it 56 would appear that their numbers are upwards of 11 000 1 000 carts at 3 l 3 s each 3 150 donkeys and occasionally ponies are harnessed to barrows 5 000 barrows at 2 l each 10 000 1 500 donkeys at 1 l 5 s each 1 875 one intelligent man thought there were 2 000 donkeys but i account that in excess 200 ponies at 5 l each 1 000 some of these ponies among the very first class men are worth 20 l one was sold by a coster for 30 l 1 700 sets of harness at 5 s each 425 all calculated as worn and second hand 4 000 baskets or shallows at 1 s each 200 3 500 stalls or standings at 5 s each 875 the stall and barrow men have generally baskets to be used when required 10 000 weights scales and measures at 2 s 6 d each 1 250 it is difficult to estimate this item with exactitude many averaged the value at 3 s 4 d stock money for 10 000 costers at 10 s each 5 000 total capital 23 775 very nearly 24 000 l then at the most moderate computation represents the value of the animals vehicles and stock belonging to the costermongers in the streets of london the keep of the donkeys is not here mixed up with their value and i have elsewhere spoken of it the whole course of my narrative shows that the bulk of the property in the street goods and in the appliances for their sale is in the hands of usurers as well as of the costers the following account shows the sum paid yearly by the london costermongers for the hire rent or interest i have heard each word applied of their barrows weights baskets and stock hire of 3 000 barrows at 1 s 3 d a week 9 750 hire of 600 weights scales c at 1 s 6 d a week for 2 and 6 d a week for 10 months 1 020 hire of 100 baskets c at 6 d a week 130 interest on 2 500 l stock money at 125 l per week 6 500 calculating at 1 s interest weekly for 20 s total paid for hire and interest 17 400 concerning the income of the entire body of costermongers in the metropolis i estimate the earnings of the 10 000 costermongers taking the average of the year at 10 s weekly my own observation the result of my inquiries confirmed by the opinion of some of the most intelligent of the costermongers induce me to adopt this amount it must be remembered that if some costermongers do make 30 s a week through the year others will not earn a fourth of it and hence many of the complaints and sufferings of the class then there is the drawback in the sum paid for hire interest c by numbers of these people so that it appears to me that if we assume the income of the entire bodyincluding irish and englishto be 15 s a week per head in the summer and 5 s a week each in the winter as the two extremes or a mean of 10 s a week all the year through we shall not be far out either way the aggregate earnings of the london costermongers at this rate are 5 000 l per week or 260 000 l yearly reckoning that 30 000 individuals have to be supported out of this sum it gives an average of 3 s 4 d a week per head but it is important to ascertain not only the earnings or aggregate amount of profit made by the london costermongers in the course of the year but likewise their receipts or aggregate amount of takings and thus to arrive at the gross sum of money annually laid out by the poorer classes of the metropolis in the matter of fish fruit and vegetables alone assuming that the average profits of the costermongers are at the rate of 25 per cent and this i am satisfied is a high estimatefor we should remember that though cent per cent may be frequently obtained still their goods being of a perishable nature are as frequently lost or sold off at a tremendous sacrifice assuming then i say that the average profits of the entire 10 000 individuals are 25 per cent on the cost price of their stock and that the aggregate amount of their profits or earnings is upwards of 260 000 l it follows that the gross sum of money laid out with the london costers in the course of the twelvemonth is 1 040 000 l sterlinga sum so enormous as almost to make us believe that the tales of individual want are matters of pure fiction large however as the amount appears in the mass still if distributed among the families of the working men and the poorer class of londoners it will be found that it allows but the merest pittance per head per week for the consumption of those articles which may be fairly said to constitute the staple commodities of the dinners and desserts of the poor of the providence and improvidence of costermongers the costermongers like all wandering tribes have generally no foresight only an exceptional few are providentand these are mostly the more intelligent of the classthough some of the very ignorant do occasionally save the providence of the more intelligent costermonger enables him in some few cases to become a settled man as i have before pointed out he perhaps gets to be the proprietor of a coal shed with a greengrocery and potato business attached to it and with the usual trade in oysters and ginger beer he may too sometimes have a sum of money in the savings bank or he may invest it in the purchase of a lease of the premises he occupies or expend it in furnishing the rooms of his house to let them out to single men lodgers or he may become an usurer and lend out his 57 money to his less provident brethren at 1040 l per cent per annum or he may purchase largely at the markets and engage youths to sell his surplus stock at half profits the provident costermonger who has thus got on in the world is rarely speculative he can hardly be induced to become a member of a building or freehold land society for instance he has been accustomed to an almost immediate return for his outlays and distrusts any remote or contingent profit a regular costermongeror any one who has been a regular costermonger in whatever trade he may be afterwards engagedgenerally dies intestate let his property be what it may but there is seldom any dispute as to the disposition of his effects the widow takes possession of them as a matter of course if there be grown up children they may be estranged from home and not trouble their heads about the matter or if not estranged an amicable arrangement is usually come to the costermongers dread of all courts of law or of anything connected with the law is only second to their hatred of the police the more ignorant costermonger on the other hand if he be of a saving turn and have no great passion for strong drink or gaming is often afraid to resort to the simple modes of investment which i have mentioned he will rather keep money in his pocket for though it does not fructify there at least it is safe but this is only when provided with a donkey or pony what suits when not so provided he will suit himself forthwith if however he have saved a little money and have a craving after gambling or amusements he is sure at last to squander it that way such a man without any craving for drink or gaming will often continue to pay usuriously for the hire of his barrow not suspecting that he is purchasing it over and over and over again in his weekly payments to suggest to him that he might place his money in a bank is to satisfy him that he would be had in some way or other as he believes all banks and public institutions to be connected with government and the taxes and the police were any one to advise a man of this classand it must be remembered that i am speaking of the ignorant costersto invest a spare 50 l supposing he possessed it in the three per cents it would but provoke a snappish remark that he knew nothing about them and would have nothing to do with them for he would be satisfied that there was some cheatery at the bottom if he could be made to understand what is meant by 3 l per centum per annum he would be sure to be indignant at the robbery of giving only 7 d for the use of 1 l for a whole year i may state in conclusion that a costermonger of the class i have been describing mostly objects to give change for a five pound note he will sooner give creditwhen he knows the partythan change even if he have it if however he feels compelled rather than offend a regular customer to take the note he will not rest until he has obtained sovereigns for it at a neighbouring innkeepers or from some tradesman to whom he is known sovereigns said one man and not a very ignorant man to me is something to lay hold on a note aint moreover should one of the more ignorant having tastes for the beer shop c meet with a great haul or save 5 l by some continuous industry which he will most likely set down as luck he will spend it idly or recklessly in dissipation and amusement regardless of the coming winter whatever he may have suffered during the past nor though they know from the bitterest experience that their earnings in the winter are not half those of the rest of the year and that they are incapacitated from pursuing their trade in bad weather do they endeavour to make the extra gains of their best time mitigate the want of the worst of the costermongers in bad weather and during the cholera three wet days i was told by a clergyman who is now engaged in selling stenographic cards in the streets will bring the greater part of 30 000 street people to the brink of starvation this statement terrible as it is is not exaggerated the average number of wet days every year in london is according to the records of the royal society 161that is to say rain falls in the metropolis more than three days in each week and very nearly every other day throughout the year how precarious a means of living then must street selling be when a costermonger cannot pursue his out door labour he leaves it to the women and children to work the public houses while he spends his time in the beer shop here he gambles away his stock money oft enough if the cards or the luck runs again him or else he has to dip into his stock money to support himself and his family he must then borrow fresh capital at any rate of interest to begin again and he begins on a small scale if it be in the cheap and busy seasons he may buy a pad of soles for 2 s 6 d and clear 5 s on them and that sets him a going again and then he gets his silk handkerchief out of pawn and goes as usual to market the sufferings of the costermongers during the prevalence of the cholera in 1849 were intense their customers generally relinquished the consumption of potatoes greens fruit and fish indeed of almost every article on the consumption of which the costermongers depend for his daily bread many were driven to apply to the parish many had relief and many hadnt i was told two young men within the knowledge of one of my informants became professional thieves after enduring much destitution it does not appear that the costermongers manifested any personal dread of the visitation of the cholera or thought that their lives were imperilled we werent a bit afraid said one of them and perhaps that 58 was the reason so few costers died of the cholera i knew them all in lambeth i think and i knew only one die of it and he drank hard poor waxy he was a good fellow enough and was well known in the cut but it was a terrible time for us sir it seems to me now like a shocking dream fish i couldnt sell a bit of the people had a perfect dread of itall but the poor irish and there was no making a crust out of them they had no dread of fish however indeed they reckon it a religious sort of living living on fish but they will have it dirt cheap we were in terrible distress all that time of the costermongers raffles in their relief of the sick if relief it is to be called the costermongers resort to an exciting means something is raffled and the proceeds given to the sufferer this mode is common to other working classes it partakes of the excitement of gambling and is encouraged by the landlords of the houses to which the people resort the landlord displays the terms of the raffle in his bar a few days before the occurrence which is always in the evening the raffle is not confined to the sick but when any one of the class is in distressthat is to say without stock money and unable to borrow it a raffle for some article of his is called at a public house in the neighbourhood cards are printed and distributed among his mates the article let it be whatever it mayperhaps a handkerchiefis put up at 6 d a member and from twenty to forty members are got according as the man is liked by his mates or as he has assisted others similarly situated the paper of every raffle is kept by the party calling it and before he puts his name down to a raffle for another party he refers to the list of subscribers to his raffle in order to see if the person ever assisted him raffles are very critical things the pint pots fly about wonderful sometimesto use the words of one of my informants the party calling the raffle is expected to take the chair if he can write down the subscribers names one who had been chairman at one of these meetings assured me that on a particular occasion having called a general dealer to order the party very nearly split his head open with a quart measure if the hucksters know that the person calling the raffle is down and that it is necessity that has made him call it they will not allow the property put up to be thrown for if you was to go to the raffle to night sir said one of them to me many months ago before i became known to the class theyd say to one another directly you come in whos this here swell whats he want and theyd think you were a cad or else a spy come from the police but theyd treat you civilly im sure some very likely would fancy you was a fast kind of a gentleman come there for a lark but you need have no fear though the pint pots does fly about sometimes of the markets and trade rights of the costermongers and of the laws affecting them the next point of consideration is what are the legal regulations under which the several descriptions of hawkers and pedlars are allowed to pursue their occupations the laws concerning hawkers and pedlars 50 geo iii c 41 and 6 geo iv c 80 treat of them as identical callings the hawker however is strictly speaking one who sells wares by crying them in the streets of towns while the pedlar travels on foot through the country with his wares not publicly proclaiming them but visiting the houses on his way to solicit private custom until the commencement of the present centurybefore the increased facilities for conveyancethe pedlars were a numerous body in the country the majority of them were scotchmen and some amassed considerable wealth railways however have now reduced the numbers to insignificance hawkers and pedlars are required to pay 4 l yearly for a license and an additional 4 l for every horse or ass employed in the conveyance of wares the hawking or exposing for sale of fish fruit or victuals does not require a license and further it is lawful for any one being the maker of any home manufacture to expose it for sale in any fair or market without a warrant neither does anything in either of the two acts in question prohibit any tinker cooper glazier plumber harness mender or other person from going about and carrying the materials proper to their business the right of the costermongers then to hawk their wares through the streets is plainly inferred by the above acts that is to say nothing in them extends to prohibit persons going about unlicensed and at their own discretion and selling fish vegetables fruit or provisions generally the law acknowledges none of the street markets these congregatings are indeed in antagonism to the municipal laws of london which provide that no market or public place where provisions are sold shall be held within seven miles of the city the law though it permits butchers and other provisionmongers to hire stalls and standings in the flesh and other markets recognised by custom or usage gives no such permission as to street trading the right to sell provisions from stands in the streets of the metropolis it appears is merely permissive the regulation observed is this where the costermongers or other street dealers have been in the habit of standing to sell their goods they are not to be disturbed by the police unless on complaint of an adjacent shopkeeper or other inhabitant if such a person shows that the costermonger whose stand is near his premises is by his improper conduct a nuisance or that by his clamour or any peculiarity in his mode of business he causes a crowd to gather 59 and obstruct the thoroughfare the policemans duty is to remove him if the complaint from the inhabitants against the street sellers be at all general the policemen of the beat report it to the authorities taking no steps until they receive instructions it is somewhat anomalous however that the law now recognisesinferentially it is truethe right of costermongers to carry about their goods for sale formerly the stands were sometimes tolerated but not the itinerancy the enactments of the common council from the time of elizabeth are stringent against itinerant traders of all descriptions but stringent to no purpose of prevention in 1607 a common council enactment sets forth that many people of badd and lewde condicon daylie resorte from the most parte of this realme to the said cyttie suburbes and places adjoininge procuringe themselves small habytacons namely one chamber roome for a poore forreynor and his familye in a small cottage with some other as poore as himself in the cyttie suburbes or places adjacente to the great increase and pestringe of this cyttie with poore people many of them proovinge shifters lyvinge by cozeninge stealinge and imbeazellinge of mens gooddes as opportunitye may serve them remoovinge from place to place accordinglye many tymes runninge away forsakinge their wives and children leavinge them to the charge of the said cyttie and the hospitalles of the same it was towards this class of men who by their resort to the capital recruited the numbers of the street sellers and public porters and others that the jealousy of the corporation was directed the city shop keepers three centuries ago complained vehemently and continuously of the injuries inflicted on their trade by itinerant dealers complaints which led to bootless enactments in elizabeths reign the court of common council declared that the streets of the city should be used as in ancient times for the common highway and not for the traffic of hucksters pedlars and hagglers but this traffic increased and in 1632 another enactment was accounted necessary oyster wives herb wives tripe wives and all such unruly people were threatened with the full pains and penalties of the outraged law if they persevered in the prosecution of their callings which are stigmatised as a way whereby to live a more easie life than by labour in 1694 the street sellers were menaced with the punishments then deemed suitable for arrant rogues and sturdy beggarswhipping and that remedy to be applied alike to males and females the tenor of these vagrant laws not being generally known i here transcribe them as another proof of the wisdom and mercy of our ancestors in the good old times in the year 1530 the english parliament enacted that while the impotent poor should receive licenses from the justices of the peace to beg within certain limits all men and women being whole and mighty in body and able to labour if found vagrant and unable to give an account as to how they obtained their living should be apprehended by the constables tied to the tail of a cart naked and beaten with whips through the nearest market town or hamlet till their bodies be bloody by reason of such whipping five years afterwards it was added that if the individual had been once already whipped he or she should not only be whipped again but also shall have the upper part of the gristle of his ear clean cut off so as it may appear for a perpetual token hereafter that he hath been a contemner of the good order of the commonwealth and finally in 1562 it was directed that any beggar convicted of being a vagabond should after being grievously whipped be burnt through the gristle of the right ear with a hot iron of the compass of an inch about unless some person should agree to take him as a servantof course without wagesfor a year then that if he twice ran away from such master he should be adjudged a felon and that if he ran away a third time he should suffer pains of death and loss of land and goods as a felon without benefit of clergy or sanctuary the only acts now in force which regulate the government of the streets so to speak are those best known as michael angelo taylors act and the 2 3 vic best known as the police act of the removals of costermongers from the streets such are the laws concerning street trading let us now see the effect of them within these three months or little more there have been many removals of the costermongers from their customary standings in the streets this as i have stated is never done unless the shopkeepers represent to the police that the costermongers are an injury and a nuisance to them in the prosecution of their respective trades the costermongers for the most part know nothing of the representation of the shopkeepers so that perhaps the first intimation that they must quit comes from the policemen who thus incur the full odium of the measure the majority of the street people esteeming it a mere arbitrary act on the part of the members of the force the first removal recently took place in leather lane holborn between three and four months back it was effected in consequence of representations from the shopkeepers of the neighbourhood but the removal was of a brief continuance leather lane i was told looked like a desert compared to what it was people that had lived there for years hardly knew their own street and those that had complained might twiddle their thumbs in their shops for want of something better to do the reason or one reason why the shopkeepers trade is co existent with that of the street sellers was explained to me in this way 60 by a tradesman perfectly familiar with the subject the poorer women the wives of mechanics or small tradesmen who have to prepare dinners for their husbands like as they call it to make one errand do if the wife buys fish or vegetables in the street as is generally done she will at the same time buy her piece of bacon or cheese at the cheesemongers her small quantity of tea and sugar at the grocers her fire wood at the oilmans or her pound of beef or liver at the butchers in all the street markets there are plenty of such tradesmen supplying necessaries not vended in the streets and so one errand is sufficient to provide for the wants of the family such customersthat is such as have been used to buy in the streetswill not be driven to buy at the shops they cant be persuaded that they can buy as cheap at the shops and besides they are apt to think shopkeepers are rich and street sellers poor and that they may as well encourage the poor so if one street market is abolished theyll go to another or buy of the itinerant costermongers and theyll get their bits of groceries and the like at the shops in the neighbourhood of the other street market even if they have a walk for it and thus everybodys injured by removing markets except a few and they are those at the nearest markets thats not disturbed in leather lane the shopkeepers speedily retrieved what many soon came to consider the false step as regards their interests which they had taken and in a fortnight or so they managed by further representations to the police authorities and by agreement with the street sellers that the street market people should return in little more than a fortnight from that time leather lane holborn resumed its wonted busy aspect in lambeth the case at present is different the men women and children between two and three months back were all driven by the police from their standings these removals were made i am assured in consequence of representations to the police from the parishioners not of lambeth but of the adjoining parish of christchurch blackfriars road who described the market as an injury and a hindrance to their business the costermongers etc were consequently driven from the spot a highly respectable tradesman in the cut told me that he and all his brother shopkeepers had found their receipts diminished a quarter or an eighth at least by the removal and as in all populous neighbourhoods profits were small this falling off was a very serious matter to them in the cut and its immediate neighbourhood are tradesmen who supply street dealers with the articles they trade in such as cheap stationery laces childrens shoes braces and toys they of course have been seriously affected by the removal but the pinch has fallen sorest upon the street sellers themselves these people depend a good deal one upon another as they make mutual purchases now as they have neither stalls nor means such a source of profit is abolished it is hard on such as me said a fruit seller to me to be driven away for nothing that ive done wrong as i knows of and not let me make a living as ive been brought up to i cant get no work at any of the markets ive tried billingsgate and the borough hard but there is so many poor men trying for a crust theyre fit to knock a new comers head off though if they did it wouldnt be much matter i had 9 s 6 d stock money and i sold the apples and a few pears i had for 3 s 9 d and that 13 s 3 d ive been spinning out since i lost my pitch but its done now and i havent had two meals a day for a week and moreand them not to call mealsonly bread and coffee or bread and a drink of beer i tried to get a round of customers but all the rounds was full and im a very bad walker and a weak man too my wifes gone to try the countryi dont know where she is now i suppose i shall lose my lodging this week and then i must see what the great house will say to me perhaps theyll give me nothing but take me in and thats hard on a man as dont want to be a pauper another man told me that he now paid 3 s a week for privilege to stand with two stalls on a space opposite the entrance into the national baths new cut and that he and his wife who had stood for eleven years in the neighbourhood without a complaint against them could hardly get a crust one man with a fruit stall assured me that nine months ago he would not have taken 20 l for his pitch and now he was a regular bankrupt i asked a girl who stood beside the kerb with her load in front strapped round her loins whether her tray was heavy to carry after eight hours at it she answered it swaggers me like drink the person whom i was with brought to me two girls who he informed me had been forced to go upon the streets to gain a living their stall on the saturday night used to have 4 l worth of stock but trade had grown so bad since the new police order that after living on their wares they had taken to prostitution for a living rather than go to the house the ground in front of the shops has been bought up by the costermongers at any price many now give the tradesmen six shillings a week for a stand and one man pays as much as eight for the right of pitching in front the applications for parochial relief in consequence of these removals have been fewer than was anticipated in lambeth parish however about thirty families have been relieved at a cost of 50 l strange to say a quarter or rather more of the very applicants for relief had been furnished by the parish with money to start the trade their expulsion from which had driven them to pauperism it consequently becomes a question for serious consideration whether any particular body of householders should for their own interest convenience or pleasure have it in their power to 61 deprive so many poor people of their only means of livelihood and so either force the rate payers to keep them as paupers or else drive the women who object to the imprisonment of the union to prostitution and the men to theftespecially when the very occupation which they are not allowed to pursue not only does no injury to the neighbourhood but is on the contrary the means of attracting considerable custom to the shops in the locality and has moreover been provided for them by the parish authorities as a means of enabling them to get a living for themselves of the tricks of costermongers i shall now treat of the tricks of trade practised by the london costermongers of these the costers speak with as little reserve and as little shame as a fine gentleman of his peccadilloes ive boiled lots of oranges chuckled one man and sold them to irish hawkers as wasnt wide awake for stunning big uns the boiling swells the oranges and so makes em look finer ones but it spoils them for it takes out the juice people cant find that out though until its too late i boiled the oranges only a few minutes and three or four dozen at a time oranges thus prepared will not keep and any unfortunate irishwoman tricked as were my informants customers is astonished to find her stock of oranges turn dark coloured and worthless in forty eight hours the fruit is cooked in this way for saturday night and sunday saletimes at which the demand is the briskest some prick the oranges and express the juice which they sell to the british wine makers apples cannot be dealt with like oranges but they are mixed a cheap red skinned fruit known to costers as gawfs is rubbed hard to look bright and feel soft and is mixed with apples of a superior description gawfs are sweet and sour at once i was told and fit for nothing but mixing some foreign apples from holland and belgium were bought very cheap last march at no more than 16 d a bushel and on a fine morning as many as fifty boys might be seen rubbing these apples in hooper street lambeth ive made a crown out of a bushel of em on a fine day said one sharp youth the larger apples are rubbed sometimes with a piece of woollen cloth or on the coat skirt if that appendage form part of the dress of the person applying the friction but most frequently they are rolled in the palms of the hand the smaller apples are thrown to and fro in a sack a lad holding each end i wish i knew how the shopkeepers manages their fruit said one youth to me i should like to be up to some of their moves they do manage their things so plummy cherries are capital for mixing i was assured by practical men they purchase three sieves of indifferent dutch and one sieve of good english cherries spread the english fruit over the inferior quality and sell them as the best strawberry pottles are often half cabbage leaves a few tempting strawberries being displayed on the top of the pottle topping up said a fruit dealer to me is the principal thing and we are perfectly justified in it you ask any coster that knows the world and hell tell you that all the salesmen in the markets tops up its only making the best of it filberts they bake to make them look brown and ripe prunes they boil to give them a plumper and finer appearance the latter trick however is not unusual in the shops the more honest costermongers will throw away fish when it is unfit for consumption less scrupulous dealers however only throw away what is utterly unsaleable but none of them fling away the dead eels though their prejudice against such dead fish prevents their indulging in eel pies the dead eels are mixed with the living often in the proportion of 20 lb dead to 5 lb alive equal quantities of each being accounted very fair dealing and after all said a street fish dealer to me i dont know why dead eels should be objected to the aristocrats dont object to them nearly all fish is dead before its cooked and why not eels why not eat them when theyre sweet if theyre ever so dead just as you eat fresh herrings i believe its only among the poor and among our chaps that theres this prejudice eels die quickly if theyre exposed to the sun herrings are made to look fresh and bright by candle light by the lights being so disposed as to give them i was told a good reflection why i can make them look splendid quite a pictur i can do the same with mackerel but not so prime as herrings there are many other tricks of a similar kind detailed in the course of my narrative we should remember however that shopkeepers are not immaculate in this respect of the street sellers of fish of the kind and quantities of fish sold by the london costermongers having now given the reader a general view of the numbers characters habits tastes amusements language opinions earnings and vicissitudes of the london costermongers having described their usual style of dress diet homes conveyances and street markets having explained where their donkeys are bought or the terms on which they borrow them their barrows their stock money and occasionally their stock itself having shown their ordinary mode of dealing either in person or by deputy 62 either at half profits or by means of boys where they go and how they manage on their rounds in town and in the country what are the laws affecting them as well as the operation of those laws upon the rest of the community having done all this by way of giving the reader a general knowledge of the street sellers of fish fruit and vegetables i now proceed to treat more particularly of each of these classes seriatim beginning with the street fishmongers i shall describe in due order the season when the market where and the classes of people by whom the wet fish the dry fish and the shell fish are severally sold and purchased in the london streets together with all other concomitant circumstances the facilities of railway conveyance by means of which fish can be sent from the coast to the capital with much greater rapidity and therefore be received much fresher than was formerly the case have brought large supplies to london from places that before contributed no quantity to the market and so induced as i heard in all quarters at billingsgate an extraordinary lowness of price in this species of diet this cheap food through the agency of the costermongers is conveyed to every poor mans door both in the thickly crowded streets where the poor residea family at least in a roomin the vicinity of drury lane and of whitechapel in westminster bethnal green and st giless and through the long miles of the suburbs for all low priced fish the poor are the costermongers best customers and a fish diet seems becoming almost as common among the ill paid classes of london as is a potato diet among the peasants of ireland indeed now the fish season of the poor never or rarely knows an interruption if fresh herrings are not in the market there are sprats and if not sprats there are soles or whitings or mackarel or plaice the rooms of the very neediest of our needy metropolitan population always smell of fish most frequently of herrings so much so indeed that to those who like myself have been in the habit of visiting their dwellings the smell of herrings even in comfortable homes savours from association so strongly of squalor and wretchedness as to be often most oppressive the volatile oil of the fish seems to hang about the walls and beams of the rooms for ever those who have experienced the smell of fish only in a well ordered kitchen can form no adequate notion of this stench in perhaps a dilapidated and ill drained house and in a rarely cleaned room and i have many a time heard both husband and wifeone couple especially who were sweating for a gorgeous clothes emporiumsay that they had not time to be clean the costermonger supplies the poor with every kind of fish for he deals usually in every kind when it is cheap some confine their dealings to such things as shrimps or periwinkles but the adhering to one particular article is the exception and not the rule while shrimps lobsters c are rarely bought by the very poor of the entire quantity of fish sent to billingsgate market the costermongers stationary and itinerant may be said to sell one third taking one kind with another the fish sent to london is known to billingsgate salesmen as red and white fish the red fish is as regards the metropolitan mart confined to the salmon the other descriptions are known as white the costermongers classify the fish they vend as wet and dry all fresh fish is wet all cured or salted fish dry the fish which is sold pickled is known by that appellation but its street sale is insignificant the principal fish staple so to speak of the street fishmonger is soles which are in supply all or nearly all the year the next are herrings mackarel whitings dutch eels and plaice the trade in plaice and sprats is almost entirely in the hands of the costermongers their sale of shrimps is nearer a half than a third of the entire quantity sent to billingsgate but their purchase of cod or of the best lobsters or crabs is far below a third the costermonger rarely buys turbot or brill or even salmon unless he can retail it at 6 d the pound when it is at that price a street salmon seller told me that the eagerness to buy it was extreme he had known persons who appeared to him to be very poor buy a pound of salmon just for a treat once in a way his best or rather readiest customersfor at 6 d a pound all classes of the community may be said to be his purchaserswere the shopkeepers of the busier parts and the occupants of the smaller private houses of the suburbs during the past year salmon was scarce and dear and the costermongers bought comparatively none of it in a tolerably cheap season they do not sell more than from a fifteenth to a twentieth of the quantity received at billingsgate in order to be able to arrive at the quantity or weight of the several kinds of fish sold by the costermongers in the streets of london it is necessary that we should know the entire amount sent to billingsgate market for it is only by estimating the proportion which the street sale bears to the whole that we can attain even an approximation to the truth the following table gives the results of certain information collected by myself for the first time i believe in this country the facts as well as the estimated proportions of each kind of fish sold by the costermongers have been furnished me by the most eminent of the billingsgate salesmengentlemen to whom i am under many obligations for their kindness consideration and assistance at all times and seasons 63 table showing the quantity weight or measure of the following kinds of fish sold in billingsgate market in the course of the year description of fish number of fish weight or measure of fish proportion sold by costermongers wet fish lbs salmon and salmon trout 29 000 boxes 14 fish per box 406 000 3 480 000 one twentieth live cod averaging 10 lbs each 400 000 4 000 000 one fourth soles averaging lb each 97 520 000 26 880 000 one fifteenth whiting averaging 6 oz each 17 920 000 6 720 000 one fourth haddock averaging 2 lbs each 2 470 000 4 940 000 one tenth plaice averaging 1 lb each 33 600 000 33 600 000 seven eighths mackarel averaging 1 lb each 23 520 000 23 520 000 two thirds fresh herrings 250 000 bars 700 fish per bar 175 000 000 42 000 000 one half in bulk 1 050 000 000 252 000 000 three fourths sprats 4 000 000 three fourths eels from holland 6 fish per 1 lb 9 797 760 1 505 280 one fourth england and ireland 127 680 one fourth flounders 7 200 quarterns 36 fish per quartern 259 200 43 200 all dabs 7 500 quarterns 36 fish per quartern 270 000 48 750 all dry fish barrelled cod 15 000 barrels 50 fish per barrel 750 000 4 200 000 one eighth dried salt cod 5 lbs each 1 600 000 8 000 000 one tenth smoked haddock 65 000 bars 300 fish per bar 19 500 000 10 920 000 one eighth bloaters 265 000 baskets 150 fish per basket 49 750 000 10 600 000 one fourth red herrings 100 000 bars 500 fish per bar 50 000 000 14 000 000 one half dried sprats 9 600 large bundles 30 fish per bundle 288 000 96 000 none shell fish oysters 309 935 bars 1 600 fish per bar 495 896 000 one fourth lobsters averaging 1 lb each fish 1 200 000 1 200 000 one twentieth crabs averaging 1 lb each fish 600 000 600 000 one twelfth shrimps 324 to the pint 498 428 648 192 295 gals one half whelks 224 to the bus 4 943 200 22 067 bus all mussels 1000 to the bus 50 400 000 50 400 two thirds cockles 2 000 to the bus 67 392 000 33 696 three fourths periwinkles 4 000 to the bus 304 000 000 76 000 three fourths of the costermongers fish season the season for the street fishmongers begins about october and ends in may in october or a month or two earlier may be they generally deal in fresh herrings the supply of which lasts up to about the middle or end of november this is about the best season the herrings are sold to the poor upon an average at twelve a groat or from 3 s to 4 s the hundred after or during november the sprat and plaice season begins the regular street fishmonger however seldom deals in sprats he works these only when there is no other fish to be got he generally considers this trade beneath him and more fit for women than men those costers who do sell them dispose of them now by weight at the rate of 1 d to 2 d the pounda bushel averaging from 40 to 50 pounds the plaice season continues to the first or second week in may during may the casualty season is on and there is little fish certain from that time till salmon comes in and this is about the end of the month the salmon season lasts till about the middle of july the selling of salmon is a bad trade in the poor districts but a very good one in the better streets or the suburbs at this work the street fishmonger will sometimes earn on a fine day from 5 s to 12 s the losses however are very great in this article if the weather prove bad if kept at all over it loses its colour and turns to a pale red which is seen immediately the knife goes into the fish while i was obtaining this information some months back a man went past the window of the house in which i was seated with a barrow drawn by a donkey he was crying fresh cod oh 1 d a pound cod alive oh my informant called me to the 64 window saying now here is what we call rough cod he told me it was three days old he thought it was eatable then he said the eyes were dull and heavy and sunken and the limp tails of the fish dangled over the ends of the barrow he said it was a hanging market that daythat is to say things had been dear and the costers couldnt pay the price for them he should fancy he told me the man had paid for the fish from 9 d to 1 s each which was at the rate of 1 d per pound he was calling them at 1 d he would not take less than this until he had got his own money in and then probably if he had one or two of the fish left he would put up with 1 d per pound the weight he was working was 12 oz to the pound my informant assured me he knew this because he had borrowed his 12 oz pound weight that morning this with the draught of 2 oz in the weighing machine and the ounce gained by placing the fish at the end of the pan would bring the actual weight given to 9 oz per pound and probably he said the man had even a lighter pound weight in his barrow ready for a scaly customer after the street fishmonger has done his mornings work he sometimes goes out with his tub of pickled salmon on a barrow or stall and sells it in saucers at 1 d each or by the piece this he calls as fine newcastle salmon there is generally a great sale for this at the races and if country people begin with a pennyworth they end with a shillingswortha pennyworth the costers say makes a fool of the mouth if they have any on hand and a little stale at the end of the week they sell it at the public houses to the lushingtons and to them with plenty of vinegar it goes down sweet it is generally bought for 7 s a kit a little bit pricked but if good the price is from 12 s to 18 s were in no ways particular to that said one candid coster to me we dont have the eating on it ourselves and people ant always got their taste especially when they have been drinking and we sell a great deal to parties in that way we think it no sin to cheat em of 1 d while the publicans takes 1 s towards the middle of june the street fishmonger looks for mackerel and he is generally employed in selling this fish up to the end of july after july the billingsgate season is said to be finished from this time to the middle of october when the herrings return he is mostly engaged selling dried haddocks and red herrings and other casalty fish that may come across him many of the street fishmongers object to deal in periwinkles or stewed mussels or boiled whelks because being accustomed to take their money in sixpences at a time they do not like they say to traffic in halfpennyworths the dealers in these articles are generally looked upon as an inferior class there are during the day two periods for the sale of street fishthe one the morning trade beginning about ten and lasting till one in the dayand the other the night trade lasting from six in the evening up to ten at night what fish is left in the forenoon is generally disposed of cheap at night that sold at the latter time is generally used by the working class for supper or kept by them with a little salt in a cool place for the next days dinner if it will last as long several articles are sold by the street fishmonger chiefly by night these are oysters lobsters pickled salmon stewed mussels and the like the reason why the latter articles sell better by night is my informant says because people are lofty minded and dont like to be seen eating on em in the street in the day time shrimps and winkles are the staple commodities of the afternoon trade which lasts from three to half past five in the evening these articles are generally bought by the working classes for their tea billingsgate to see this market in its busiest costermonger time the visitor should be there about seven oclock on a friday morning the market opens at four but for the first two or three hours it is attended solely by the regular fishmongers and bummarees who have the pick of the best there as soon as these are gone the costers sale begins many of the costers that usually deal in vegetables buy a little fish on the friday it is the fast day of the irish and the mechanics wives run short of money at the end of the week and so make up their dinners with fish for this reason the attendance of costers barrows at billingsgate on a friday morning is always very great as soon as you reach the monument you see a line of them with one or two tall fishmongers carts breaking the uniformity and the din of the cries and commotion of the distant market begins to break on the ear like the buzzing of a hornets nest the whole neighbourhood is covered with the hand barrows some laden with baskets others with sacks yet as you walk along a fresh line of costers barrows are creeping in or being backed into almost impossible openings until at every turning nothing but donkeys and rails are to be seen the morning air is filled with a kind of seaweedy odour reminding one of the sea shore and on entering the market the smell of fish of whelks red herrings sprats and a hundred others is almost overpowering the wooden barn looking square where the fish is sold is soon after six oclock crowded with shiny cord jackets and greasy caps everybody comes to billingsgate in his worst clothes and no one knows the length of time a coat can be worn until they have been to a fish sale through the bright opening at the end are seen the tangled rigging of the oyster boats and the red worsted caps of the sailors over the hum of voices is heard the shouts of the salesmen who with their white aprons peering above the heads of the mob stand on their tables roaring out their prices all are bawling togethersalesmen and hucksters of provisions capes hardware and newspaperstill 65 the place is a perfect babel of competition ha a ansome cod best in the market all alive alive alive o ye o o ye o o heres your fine yarmouth bloaters whos the buyer here you are governor splendid whiting some of the right sort turbot turbot all alive turbot glass of nice peppermint this cold morning a hapenny a glass here you are at your own price fine soles o oy oy oy nows your time fine grizzling sprats all large and no small hullo hullo here beautiful lobsters good and cheap fine cock crabs all alive o five brill and one turbothave that lot for a pound come and look at em governor you wont see a better sample in the market here this way this way for splendid skate skate o skate o hadhadhadhadhaddick all fresh and good currant and meat puddings a hapenny each now you mussel buyers come along come along come along nows your time for fine fat mussels heres food for the belly and clothes for the back but i sell food for the mind shouts the newsvender heres smelt o here ye are fine finney haddick hot soup nice peas soup a all hot hot ahoy ahoy here live plaice all alive o now or never whelk whelk whelk wholl buy brill o brill o capes water proof capes sure to keep the wet out a shilling a piece eels o eels o alive alive o fine flounders a shilling a lot wholl have this prime lot of flounders shrimps shrimps fine shrimps wink wink wink hi hi i here you are just eight eels left only eight o ho o ho this waythis waythis way fish alive alive alive o in the darkness of the shed the white bellies of the turbots strung up bow fashion shine like mother of pearl while the lobsters lying upon them look intensely scarlet from the contrast brown baskets piled up on one another and with the herring scales glittering like spangles all over them block up the narrow paths men in coarse canvas jackets and bending under huge hampers push past shouting move on move on there and women with the long limp tails of cod fish dangling from their aprons elbow their way through the crowd round the auction tables stand groups of men turning over the piles of soles and throwing them down till they slide about in their slime some are smelling them while others are counting the lots there that lot of soles are worth your money cries the salesman to one of the crowd as he moves on leisurely none better in the market you shall have em for a pound and half a crown oh shouts another salesman its no use to bother himhes no go presently a tall porter with a black oyster bag staggers past trembling under the weight of his load his back and shoulders wet with the drippings from the sack shove on one side he mutters from between his clenched teeth as he forces his way through the mob here is a tray of reddish brown shrimps piled up high and the owner busy sifting his little fish into another stand while a doubtful customer stands in front tasting the flavour of the stock and consulting with his companion in speculation little girls carrying matting bags that they have brought from spitalfields come up and ask you in a begging voice to buy their baskets and women with bundles of twigs for stringing herrings cry out half penny a bunch from all sides then there are blue black piles of small live lobsters moving about their bound up claws and long feelers one of them occasionally being taken up by a looker on and dashed down again like a stone everywhere every one is asking whats the price master while shouts of laughter from round the stalls of the salesmen bantering each other burst out occasionally over the murmuring noise of the crowd the transparent smelts on the marble slabs and the bright herrings with the lump of transparent ice magnifying their eyes like a lens are seldom looked at until the market is over though the hampers and piles of huge maids dropping slime from the counter are eagerly examined and bartered for one side of the market is set apart for whelks there they stand in sackfulls with the yellow shells piled up at the mouth and one or two of the fish curling out like corkscrews placed as a sample the coster slips one of these from its shell examines it pushes it back again and then passes away to look well round the market in one part the stones are covered with herring barrels packed closely with dried fish and yellow heaps of stiff haddock rise up on all sides here a man walks up with his knot on his shoulder waiting for a job to carry fish to the trucks boys in ragged clothes who have slept during the night under a railway arch clamour for employment while the heads of those returning from the oyster boats rise slowly up the stone sides of the wharf the costermongers have nicknamed the long row of oyster boats moored close alongside the wharf oyster street on looking down the line of tangled ropes and masts it seems as though the little boats would sink with the crowds of men and women thronged together on their decks it is as busy a scene as one can well behold each boat has its black sign board and salesman in his white apron walking up and down his shop and on each deck is a bright pewter pot and tin covered plate the remains of the salesmans breakfast whos for bakers whos for archers wholl have alstons shout the oyster merchants and the red cap of the man in the hold bobs up and down as he rattles the shells about with his spade these holds are filled with oystersa gray mass of sand and shellon which is a bushel measure well piled up in the centre while some of them have a blue muddy heap of mussels 66 divided off from the natives the sailors in their striped guernseys sit on the boat sides smoking their mornings pipe allowing themselves to be tempted by the jew boys with cloth caps old shoes and silk handkerchiefs lads with bundles of whips skip from one boat to another and seedy looking mechanics with handfuls of tin fancy goods hover about the salesmen who are the principal supporters of this trade the place has somewhat the appearance of a little holywell street for the old clothes trade is entirely in the hands of the jew boys and coats caps hats umbrellas and old shoes are shouted out in a rich nasal twang on all sides passing by a man and his wife who were breakfasting on the stone coping i went to the shore where the watermen ply for passengers to the eel boats here i found a crowd of punts half filled with flounders and small closely packed baskets of them ranged along the seats the lads who act as jacks in the water were busy feeling in the mud for the fish that had fallen over board little caring for the water that dashed over their red swollen feet presently a boat piled up with baskets shot in grazing the bottom and men and women blue with the cold morning air stepped out the dutch built eel boats with their bulging polished oak sides were half hidden in the river mist they were surrounded by skiffs that ply from the surrey and middlesex shores and wait whilst the fares buy their fish the holds of these eel boats are fitted up with long tanks of muddy water and the heads of the eels are seen breathing on the surfacea thick brown bubble rising slowly and floating to the sides wooden sabots and large porcelain pipes are ranged round the ledges and men in tall fur caps with high cheek bones and rings in their ears walk the decks at the stern of one boat was moored a coffin shaped barge pierced with holes and hanging in the water were baskets shaped like olive jarsboth to keep the stock of fish alive and fresh in the centre of the boat stood the scales a tall heavy apparatus one side fitted up with the conical net bag to hold the eels and the other with the weights and pieces of stone to make up for the extra draught of the water hanging about the fish when a skiff load of purchasers arrives the master dutchman takes his hands from his pockets lays down his pipe and seizing a sort of long handled landing net scoops from the tank a lot of eels the purchasers examine them and try to beat down the price you calls them eels do you said a man with his bag ready opened yeas answered the dutchman without any show of indignation certainly there is a few among them continued the customer and after a little more of this kind of chaffering the bargain is struck the visitors to the eel boats were of all grades one was a neatly dressed girl to whom the costers showed the utmost gallantry calling her my dear and helping her up the shining sides of the boat and many of the men had on their blue serge apron but these were only where the prices were high the greatest crowd of customers is in the heavy barge alongside of the dutch craft here a stout sailor in his red woollen shirt and canvass petticoat is surrounded by the most miserable and poorest of fish purchasersthe men with their crushed hats tattered coats and unshorn chins and the women with their pads on their bonnets and brown ragged gowns blowing in the breeze one in an old table cover shawl was beating her palms together before the unmoved dutchman fighting for an abatement and showing her stock of halfpence others were seated round the barge sorting their lots in their shallows and sanding the fish till they were quite yellow others again were crowding round the scales narrowly watching the balance and then begging for a few dead eels to make up any doubtful weight as you walk back from the shore to the market you see small groups of men and women dividing the lot of fish they have bought together at one basket a coster as you pass calls to you and says here master just put these three halfpence on these three cod and obleege a party the coins are placed and each one takes the fish his coin is on and so there is no dispute at length nearly all the busy marketing has finished and the costers hurry to breakfast at one house known as rodways coffee house a man can have a meal for 1 d a mug of hot coffee and two slices of bread and butter while for two pence what is elegantly termed a tightner that is to say a most plentiful repast may be obtained here was a large room with tables all round and so extremely silent that the smacking of lips and sipping of coffee were alone heard upwards of 1 500 men breakfast here in the course of the morning many of them taking as many as three such meals on the counter was a pile of white mugs and the bright tin cans stood beside the blazing fire whilst rodway himself sat at a kind of dresser cutting up and buttering the bread with marvellous rapidity it was a clean orderly and excellent establishment kept by a man i was told who had risen from a saloop stall opposite to the coal exchange were ranged the stalls and barrows with the street eatables and the crowds round each showed the effects of the sharp morning air onea jewshad hot pies with lids that rose as the gravy was poured in from an oil can another carried a stone jar of peppermint water at d a glass and the pea soup stand was hemmed in by boys and men blowing the steam from their cups beside these were jews with cloth caps and knives and square yellow cakes one old man in a corner stood examining a thread bare scarf that a cravatless coster had handed to him coffee stalls were in great plenty and men left their barrows to run up and have an oyster or an ot heel one man here makes his living by selling sheets of old newspapers at d each 67 for the costers to dress their trays with though seemingly rather out of place there was a mosaic jewellery stand old umbrellas too were far from scarce and one had brought a horse hair stool for sale everybody was soon busy laying out their stock the wrinkled dull eyed cod was freshened up the red headed gurnet placed in rows the eels prevented from writhing over the basket sides by cabbage leaves and the soles paired off like gloves then the little trucks began to leave crawling as it were between the legs of the horses in the vans crowding thames street and plunging in between huge waggons but still appearing safely on the other side and the 4 000 costers who visit billingsgate on the friday morning were shortly scattered throughout the metropolis of the forestalling of markets and the billingsgate bummarees forestalling writes adam smith is the buying or contracting for any cattle provisions or merchandize on its way to the market or at market or dissuading persons from buying their goods there or persuading them to raise the price or spreading any false rumour with intent to enhance the value of any article in the remoter periods of our history several statutes were passed prohibiting forestalling under severe penalties but as more enlarged views upon such subjects began to prevail their impolicy became obvious and they were consequently repealed in 1772 but forestalling is still punishable by fine and imprisonment though it be doubtful whether any jury would now convict an individual accused of such practices in billingsgate the forestallers or middlemen are known as bummarees who as regards means are a far superior class to the hagglers the forestallers of the green markets the bummaree is the jobber or speculator on the fish exchange perhaps on every busy morning 100 men buy a quantity of fish which they account likely to be remunerative and retail it or dispose of it in lots to the fishmongers or costermongers few if any of these dealers however are merely bummarees a salesman if he have disposed of the fish consigned to himself will turn bummaree if any bargain tempt him or a fishmonger may purchase twice the quantity he requires for his own trade in order to procure a cheaper stock and bummaree what he does not require these speculations in fish are far more hazardous than those in fruit or vegetables for later in the day a large consignment by railway may reach billingsgate and being thrown upon the market may reduce the price one half in the vegetable and fruit markets there is but one arrival the costermongers are among the best customers of the bummarees i asked several parties as to the origin of the word bummaree and how long it had been in use why bless your soul sir said one billingsgate labourer there always was bummarees and there always will be just as jack there is a rough and im a blessed bobber one man assured me it was a french name another that it was dutch a fishmonger to whom i was indebted for information told me he thought that the bummaree was originally a bum boat man who purchased of the wind bound smacks at gravesend or the nore and sent the fish up rapidly to the market by land i may add as an instance of the probable gains of the forestallers in the olden time that a tradesman whose family had been long connected with billingsgate showed me by his predecessors books and memoranda that in the depth of winter when the thames was perhaps choked with ice and no supply of fish got up to london any that might by management reach billingsgate used to command exorbitant prices to speak only of the present century march 11th 1802 a cod fish 8 lbs was bought by messrs phillips and robertson fishmongers bond street for 1 l 8 s february 1809 a salmon 19 lbs was bought by mr phillips at a guinea a pound 19 l 19 s for the fish march 24th 1824 three lobsters were sold for a guinea each the haggler i may here observe is the bummaree or forestaller or middleman of the green markets as far as the costermongers trade is concerned he deals in fruit and vegetables of these trafficers there are fully 200 in covent garden market from 60 to 70 in farringdon from 40 to 50 in the borough from 50 to 60 in spitalfields and none in portman market such being the only wholesale green markets for the purposes of the costermongers the haggler is a middleman who makes his purchases of the growers when the day is somewhat advanced and the whole produce conveyed to the market has not been disposed of the grower will then rather than be detained in town sell the whole lot remaining in his cart or wagon to a haggler who re sells it to the costers or to any other customer from a stand which he hires by the day the costermongers who are the most provident and either have means or club their resources for a large purchase often buy early in the morning and so have the advantage of anticipating their fellows in the street trade with the day before them those who buy later are the customers of the hagglers and are street sellers whose means do not command an extensive purchase or who do not care to venture upon one unless it be very cheap these men speak very bitterly of the hagglers calling them cracked up shop keepers and scurfs and declaring that but for them the growers must remain and sell off their produce cheap to the costermongers a species of forestalling is now not uncommon and is on the increase among the costermongers themselves there are four men having the command of money who attend the markets and buy either fish or vegetables largely one man especially buys almost daily 68 as much fruit and vegetables as will supply thirty street dealers he adds 3 d a bushel to the wholesale market price of apples 6 d to that of pears 9 d to plums and 1 s to cherries a purchaser can thus get a smaller quantity than he can always buy at market and avails himself of the opportunity moreover a good many of the more intelligent street dealers now club togethersix of them for instancecontributing 15 s each and a quantity of fish is thus bought by one of their body a smaller contribution suffices to buy vegetables perhaps on an equal partition each man thus gets for his 15 s as much as might have cost him 20 s had he bought single handed this mode of purchase is also on the increase of wet fish sellers in the streets concerning the sale of wet or fresh fish i had the following account from a trustworthy man of considerable experience and superior education i have sold wet fish in the streets for more than fourteen years he said before that i was a gentleman and was brought up a gentleman if im a beggar now i bought fish largely in the north of england once and now i must sell it in the streets of london never mind talking about that sir theres some things wont bear talking about theres a wonderful difference in the streets since i knew them first i could make a pound then where i can hardly make a crown now people had more money and less meanness then i consider that the railways have injured me and all wet fish sellers to a great extent fish now you see sir comes in at all hours so that nobody can calculate on the quantity that will be receivednobody thats the mischief of it we are afraid to buy and miss many a chance of turning a penny in my time since railways were in ive seen cod fish sold at a guinea in the morning that were a shilling at noon for either the wind and the tide had served or else the railway fishing places were more than commonly supplied and there was a glut to london theres no trade requires greater judgment than minenone whatever before the railwaysand i never could see the good of themthe fish came in by the tide and we knew how to buy for there would be no more till next tide now we dont know i go to billingsgate to buy my fish and am very well known to mr and mr mentioning the names of some well known salesmen the jews are my ruin there now when i go to billingsgate mr will say or rather i will say to him how much for this pad of soles he will answer fourteen shillings fourteen shillings i say ill give you seven shillings thats the proper amount then the jew boysnone of them twenty that are thereranged about will begin and one says when i bid 7 s ill give 8 s nine says another close on my left ten shouts another on my right and so they go offering on at last mr says to one of them as grave as a judge yours sir at 13 s but its all gammon the 13 s buyer isnt a buyer at all and isnt required to pay a farthing and never touches the goods its all done to keep up the price to poor fishmen and so to poor buyers that are our customers in the streets money makes money and it dont matter how those jew boysi dare say theyre the same sort as once sold oranges about the streetsare paid i know 1 s for spending three or four hours that way in the cold and wet my trade has been injured too by the great increase of irish costermongers for an irishman will starve out an englishman any day besides if a tailor cant live by his trade hell take to fish or fruit and cabbages the month of may is a fine season for plaice which is bought very largely by my customers plaice are sold at d and 1 d a piece it is a difficult fish to manage and in poor neighbourhoods an important one to manage well the old hands make a profit out of it new hands a loss theres not much cod or other wet fish sold to the poor while plaice is in my customers are poor mens wives mechanics i fancy they want fish at most unreasonable prices if i could go and pull them off a line flung off waterloo bridge and no other expense i couldnt supply them as cheap as they expect them very cheap fish sellers lose their customers through the billingsgate bummarees for they have pipes and blow up the cod fish most of all and puff up their bellies till they are twice the size but when it comes to table theres hardly to say any fish at all the billingsgate authorities would soon stop it if they knew all i know they wont allow any roguery or any trick if they only come to hear of it these bummarees have caused many respectable people to avoid street buying and so fair traders like me are injured ive nothing to complain of about the police oft enough if i could be allowed ten minutes longer on a saturday night i could get through all my stock without loss about a quarter to twelve i begin to halloo away as hard as i can and theres plenty of customers that lay out never a farthing till that time and then they cant be served fast enough so they get their fish cheaper than i do if any halloos out that way sooner we must all do the same anything rather than keep fish over a warm sunday i have kept mine in ice i havent opportunity now but itll keep in a cool place this time of year i think theres as many sellers as buyers in the streets and theres scores of them dont give just weight or measure i wish there was good moral rules in force and everybody gave proper weight i often talk to street dealers about it ive given them many a lecture but they say they only do what plenty of shopkeepers do and just get fined and go on again without being a pin the worse thought of they are abusive sometimes too i mean the street sellers are because they are ignorant i have no children thank god and my wife helps me in my business take the year through i clear from 10 s to 12 s every week thats not 69 much to support two people some weeks i earn only 4 s such as in wet march weather in others i earn 18 s or 1 l november december and january are good months for me i wouldnt mind if they lasted all the year round im often very badly off indeedvery badly and the misery of being hard up sir is not when youre making a struggle to get out of your trouble no nor to raise a meal off herrings that youve given away once but when your wife and yous sitting by a grate without a fire and putting the candle out to save it a planning how to raise money can we borrow there can we manage to sell if we can borrow shall we get from very bad to the parish then perhaps theres a day lost and without a bite in our mouths trying to borrow let alone a little drop to give a body courage which perhaps is the only good use of spirit after all thats the pinch sir when the rain you hear outside puts you in mind of drownding subjoined is the amount in round numbers of wet fish annually disposed of in the metropolis by the street sellers no of fish lbs weight salmon 20 000 175 000 live cod 100 000 1 000 000 soles 6 500 000 1 650 000 whiting 4 440 000 1 680 000 haddock 250 000 500 000 plaice 29 400 000 29 400 000 mackarel 15 700 000 15 700 000 herrings 875 000 000 210 000 000 sprats 3 000 000 eels from holland 400 000 65 000 flounders 260 000 43 000 dabs 270 000 48 000 total quantity of wet fish sold in the streets of london 932 340 000 263 261 000 from the above table we perceive that the fish of which the greatest quantity is eaten by the poor is herrings of this compared with plaice there is upwards of thirty times the number consumed after plaice rank mackerel and of these the consumption is about one half less in number than plaice while the number of soles vended in the streets is again half of that of mackerel then come whiting which are about two thirds the number of the soles while the consumption to the poor of haddock cod eels and salmon is comparatively insignificant of sprats which are estimated by weight only one fifth of the number of pounds are consumed compared with the weight of mackerel the pounds weight of herrings sold in the streets in the course of a year is upwards of seven times that of plaice and fourteen times that of mackerel altogether more than 260 000 000 pounds or 116 000 tons weight of wet fish are yearly purchased in the streets of london for the consumption of the humbler classes of this aggregate amount no less than five sixths consists of herrings which indeed constitute the great slop diet of the metropolis of sprat selling in the streets spratsone of the cheapest and most grateful luxuries of the poorare generally introduced about the 9th of november indeed lord mayors day is sometimes called sprat day they continue in about ten weeks they are sold at billingsgate by the toss or chuck which is about half a bushel and weighs from 40lbs to 50lbs the price varies from 1 s to 5 s sprats are this season pronounced remarkably fine look at my lot sir said a street seller to me theyre a heap of new silver and the bright shiny appearance of the glittering little fish made the comparison not inappropriate in very few if in any instances does a costermonger confine himself to the sale of sprats unless his means limit him to that one branch of the business a more prosperous street fishmonger will sometimes detach the sprats from his stall and his wife or one of his children will take charge of them only a few sprat sellers are itinerant the fish being usually sold by stationary street sellers at pitches one who worked his sprats through the streets or sold them from a stall as he thought best gave me the following account he was dressed in a newish fustian jacket buttoned close up his chest but showing a portion of a clean cotton shirt at the neck with a bright coloured coarse handkerchief round it the rest of his dress was covered by a white apron his hair as far as i could see it under his cloth cap was carefully brushed and it appeared as carefully oiled at the first glance i set him down as having been a gentlemans servant he had a somewhat deferential though far from cringing manner with him and seemed to be about twenty five or twenty sixhe thought he was older he said but did not know his age exactly ah sir he began in a tone according with his look sprats is a blessing to the poor fresh herrings is a blessing too and sprats is young herrings and is a blessing in portion for so he pronounced what seemed to be a favourite word with him proportion its only four yearsyes four im sure of thatsince i walked the streets starving in the depth of winter and looked at the sprats and said i wish i could fill my belly off you sir i hope it was no great sin but i could hardly keep my hands from stealing some and eating them raw if they make me sick thought i the policell take care of me and thatll be something while these thoughts was a passing through my mind i met a man who was a gentlemans coachman i knew him a little formerly and so i stopped him and told him who i was and that i hadnt had a meal for two days well by g said the coachman you look like it why i shouldnt have known you heres a shilling and then he went on a little way and then stopped and turned back and thrust 3 d more into my hand and bolted off ive never seen him since but im grateful to him in the 70 same portion proportion as if i had after id had a pennorth of bread and a pennorth of cheese and half a pint of beer i felt a new man and i went to the party as id longed to steal the sprats from and told him what id thought of i cant say what made me tell him but it turned out for good i dont know much about religion though i can read a little but may be that had something to do with it the rest of the mans narrative wasbriefly toldas follows he was the only child of a gentlemans coachman his father had deserted his mother and him and gone abroad he believed with some family his mother however took care of him until her death which happened when he was a little turned thirteen he had heard but could not remember the year after that he was a helper and a jobber in different stables and anybodys boy for a few years until he got a footmans or rather footboys place which he kept above a year after that he was in service in and out of different situations until the time he specified when he had been out of place for nearly five weeks and was starving his master had got in difficulties and had gone abroad so he was left without a character well sir he continued the man as i wanted to steal the sprats from says to me says he poor fellow i know what a hempty belly is myselfcome and have a pint and over that there pint he told me if i could rise 10 s there might be a chance for me in the streets and hed show me how to do he died not very long after that poor man well after a little bit i managed to borrow 10 s of mr i thought of him all of a sudden he was butler in a family that i had lived in and had a charitable character though he was reckoned very proud but i plucked up a spirit and told him how i was off and he said well ill try you and he lent me 10 s which i paid him back little by little in six or eight weeks and so i started in the costermonger line with the advice of my friend and ive made from 5 s to 10 s sometimes more a week at it ever since the police dont trouble me much they is civil to me in portion proportion as i am civil to them i never mixed with the costers but when ive met them at market i stay at a lodging house but its very decent and clean and i have a bed to myself at 1 s a week for im a regular man im on sprats now you see sir and youd wonder sometimes to see how keen people looks to them when theyre new theyre a blessing to the poor in portion proportion of course not twenty minutes before you spoke to me there was two poor women came upthey was sickly looking but i dont know what they wasperhaps shirt makersand they says to me says they show us what a penny plateful is sartnly ladies says i then they whispered together and at last one says says she well have two platefuls i told you they was a blessing to the poor sirspecially to such as them as lives all the year round on bread and tea but its not only the poor as buys others in portion proportion when theyre new theyre a treat to everybody ive sold them to poor working men whove said ill take a treat home to the old oman and the kids they dotes on sprats gentlemens servants is very fond of them and mechanics comes downsuch as shoemakers in their leather aprons and sings out here old sprats give us two pennorth theyre such a relish i sell more to men than to women perhaps but theres little difference theyre best stewed sir i thinkif youre fond of spratswith vinegar and a pick of allspice thats my opinion and only yesterday an old cook said i was right i makes 1 s 6 d to 2 s 6 d a day and sometimes rather more on my sprats and sticks to them as much as i can i sell about my toss a day seldom less of course i can make as many pennorths of it as i please but theres no custom without one gives middling pennorths if a toss costs me 3 s i may make sixty pennorths of it sometimessometimes seventy or moreand sometimes less than sixty theres many turns over as much as me and more than that im thinking that ill work the country with a lot theyll keep to a second day when theyre fresh to start specially if its frosty weather too and then theyre better than everyes and a greater treatscalding hot from the fire theyre the cheapest and best of all suppers in the winter time i hardly know which way ill go if i can get anythink to do among horses in the country ill never come back ive no tie to london to show how small a sum of money will enable the struggling striving poor to obtain a living i may here mention that in the course of my inquiries among the mudlarks i casually gave a poor shoeless urchin who was spoken of by one of the city missionaries as being a well disposed youth 1 s out of the funds that had been entrusted to me to dispense trifling as the amount appears it was the means of keeping his mother sister and himself through the winter it was invested in sprats and turned over and over again i am informed by the best authorities that near upon 1000 tosses of sprats are sold daily in london streets while the season lasts these sold retail in pennyworths at very nearly 5 s the toss give about 150 l a day or say 1 000 l a week spent on sprats by the poorer classes of the metropolis so that calculating the sprat season to last ten weeks about 10 000 l would be taken by the costermongers during that time from the sale of this fish alone another return furnished me by an eminent salesman at billingsgate estimates the gross quantity of sprats sold by the london costers in the course of the season at three millions of pounds weight and this disposed of at the rate of 1 d per pound gives upwards of 12 000 l for the sum of money spent upon this one kind of fish 71 of shell fish sellers in the streets i had the following account from an experienced man he lived with his mother his wife and four children in one of the streets near grays inn lane the street was inhabited altogether by people of his class the women looking sharply out when a stranger visited the place on my first visit to this mans room his wife who is near her confinement was at dinner with her children the time was to 12 the meal was tea and bread with butter very thinly spread over it on the wifes bread was a small piece of pickled pork covering about one eighth of the slice of a quartern loaf cut through in one corner of the room which is on the ground floor was a scantily covered bed a few dingy looking rags were hanging up to dry in the middle of the room which was littered with baskets and boxes mixed up with old furniture so that it was a difficulty to stir the room although the paper covering the broken panes in the window was torn and full of holes was most oppressively close and hot and there was a fetid smell difficult to sustain though it was less noticeable on a subsequent call i have often had occasion to remark that the poor especially those who are much subjected to cold in the open air will sacrifice much for heat the adjoining room which had no door seemed littered like the one where the family were the walls of the room i was in were discoloured and weather stained the only attempt at ornament was over the mantel shelf the wall here being papered with red and other gay coloured papers that once had been upholsterers patterns on my second visit the husband was at dinner with the family on good boiled beef and potatoes he was a small featured man with a head of very curly and long black hair and both in mien manners and dress resembled the mechanic far more than the costermonger he said ive been twenty years and more perhaps twenty four selling shell fish in the streets i was a boot closer when i was young and have made my 20 s and 30 s and sometimes 40 s and then sometimes not 10 s a week but i had an attack of rheumatic fever and lost the use of my hands for my trade the streets hadnt any great name as far as i knew then but as i couldnt work it was just a choice between street selling and starving so i didnt prefer the last it was reckoned degrading to go into the streetsbut i couldnt help that i was astonished at my success when i first began and got into the businessthat is into the understanding of itafter a week or two or three why i made 3 l the first week i knew my trade properly yes i cleared 3 l i made not long after 5 l a weekbut not often i was giddy and extravagant indeed i was a fool and spent my money like a fool i could have brought up a family then like a gentlemani send them to school as it isbut i hadnt a wife and family then or it might have been better its a great check on a man is a family i began with shell fish and sell it still very seldom anything else theres more demand for shells no doubt because its far cheaper but then theres so many more sellers i dont know why exactly i suppose its because poor people go into the streets when they cant live other ways and some do it because they think its an idle life but it aint where i took 35 s in a day at my stalland well on to half of it profiti now take 5 s or 6 s or perhaps 7 s in the day and less profit on that less money i dont clear 3 s a day now take the year through i dont keep accounts but im certain enough that i average about 15 s a week the year through and my wife has to help me to make that shell mind the stall while i take a round sometimes i sell all kinds of shell fish but my great dependence is on winkles i dont do much in lobsters very few speculate in them the price varies very greatly whats 10 s a score one day may be 25 s the next i sometimes get a score for 5 s or 6 s but its a poor trade for 6 d is the top of the tree with me for a price to a seller i never get more i sell them to mechanics and tradesmen i do more in pound crabs theres a great call for haporths and pennorths of lobster or crab by children thats their claws i bile them all myself and buy them alive i can bile twenty in half an hour and do it over a grate in a back yard lobsters dont fight or struggle much in the hot water if theyre properly packed its very few that knows how to bile a lobster as he should be biled i wish i knew any way of killing lobsters before biling them i cant kill them without smashing them to bits and that wont do at all i kill my crabs before i bile them i stick them in the throat with a knife and theyre dead in an instant some sticks them with a skewer but they kick a good while with the skewer in them its a shame to torture anything when it can be helped if i didnt kill the crabs theyd shed every leg in the hot water theyd come out as bare of claws as this plate ive known it oft enough as it is though i kill them uncommon quick a crab will be quicker and shed every legthrow them off in the moment i kill them but that doesnt happen once in fifty times oysters are capital this season i mean as to quality but theyre not a good sale i made 3 l a week in oysters not reckoning anything else eighteen or twenty years back it was easy to make money then like putting down one sovereign and taking two up i sold oysters then oft enough at 1 d a piece now i sell far finer at three a penny and five for 2 d people cant spend money in shell fish when they havent got any they say that fortune knocks once at every mans door i wish id opened my door when he knocked at it this mans wife told me afterwards that last 72 winter after an attack of rheumatism all their stock money was exhausted and her husband sat day by day at home almost out of his mind for nothing could tempt him to apply to the parish and he would never have mentioned his sufferings to me she said he had too much pride the loan of a few shillings from a poor costermonger enabled the man to go to market again or he and his family would now have been in the union as to the quantity of shell fish sold in the streets of london the returns before cited give the following results oysters 124 000 000 lobsters 60 000 crabs 50 000 shrimps 770 000 pts whelks 4 950 000 mussels 1 000 000 qts cockles 750 000 qts periwinkles 3 640 000 pts of shrimp selling in the streets shrimp selling as i have stated is one of the trades to which the street dealer often confines himself throughout the year the sale is about equally divided between the two sexes but the men do the most business walking some of them fifteen to twenty miles a day in a round of ten miles there and ten back the shrimps vended in the streets are the yarmouth prawn shrimps sold at billingsgate at from 6 d to 10 d a gallon while the best shrimps chiefly from lee in essex vary in price from 10 d to 2 s 6 d a gallon 2 s being a common price the shrimps are usually mixed by the street dealers and they are cried from stalls or on rounds a penny half pint fine fresh srimps i heard them called nothing but srimps by the street dealers the half pint however is in reality but half that quantity its the same measure as it was thirty years back i was told in a tone as if its antiquity removed all imputation of unfair dealing some young men do well on srimps sometimes taking 5 s in an hour on a saturday evening when people get their money and wants a relish the females in the shrimp line are the wives widows or daughters of costermongers they are computed to average 1 s 6 d a day profit in fine and from 9 d to 1 s in bad weather and in snowy or very severe weather sometimes nothing at all one shrimp seller a middle aged woman wrapped up in a hybrid sort of cloak that was half a mans and half a womans garment gave me the following account there was little vulgarity in either her language or manner i was in the srimp trade since i was a girl i dont know how long i dont know how old i am i never knew but ive two children ones six and tothers near eight both girls ive kept count of that as well as i can my husband sells fish in the street so did father but hes dead we buried him without the help of the parish as many getsthats something to say ive known the trade every way it never was any good in public houses they want such great haporths there theyll put up with what isnt very fresh to be sure sometimes and good enough for them too i say as spoils their taste with drink this was said very bitterly if it wasnt for my husbands drinking for a day together now and then wed do better hes neither to have nor to hold when hes the worse for liquor and its the worse with him for hes a quiet man when hes his own man perhaps i make 9 d a day perhaps 1 s or more sometimes my husband takes my stand and i go a round sometimes if he gets through his fish he goes my round i give good measure and my pints the regular srimp pint it was the half pint i have described the trades not so good as it was people hasnt the money they tells me so its bread before srimps says they ive heard them say it very cross if ive wanted hard to sell some days i can sell nothing my children stays with my sister when me and my old mans out they dont go to school but jane the sister learns them to sew she makes drawers for the slopsellers but has very little work and gets very little for the little she does she would learn them to read if she knew how shes married to a pavior thats away all day its a hard life mine sir the winters a coming and im now sometimes numbed with sitting at my stall in the cold my feet feels like lumps of ice in the winter and theyre beginning now as if they werent my own standings far harder work than going a round i sell the best srimps my customers is judges if ive any srimps over on a night as i often have one or two nights a week i sells them for half price to an irishwoman and she takes them to the beer shops and the coffee shops she washes them to look fresh i dont mind telling that because people should buy of regular people its very few people know how to pick a srimp properly you should take it by the head and the tail and jam them up and then the shell separates and the srimp comes out beautifully thats the proper way sometimes the sale on the rounds may be the same as that at the stalls or 10 or 20 per cent more or less according to the weather as shrimps can be sold by the itinerant dealers better than by the stall keepers in wet weather when people prefer buying at their doors but in hot weather the stall trade is the best for people often fancy that the srimps is sent out to sell cause theyll not keep no longer its only among customers as knows you you can do any good on a round then the costermongers sell annually it appears about 770 000 pints of shrimps at 2 d a pint a very low calculation the street sale of shrimps amount to upwards of 6 400 l yearly orange mart dukes place from a daguerreotype by beard 75 of oyster selling in the streets the trade in oysters is unquestionably one of the oldest with which the londonor rather the englishmarkets are connected for oysters from britain were a luxury in ancient rome oysters are now sold out of the smacks at billingsgate and a few at hungerford the more expensive kind such as the real milton are never bought by the costermongers but they buy oysters of a good middling quality at the commencement of the season these oysters are 14 s a bushel but the measure contains from a bushel and a half to two bushels as it is more or less heaped up the general price however is 9 s or 10 s but they have been 16 s and 18 s the big trade was unknown until 1848 when the very large shelly oysters the fish inside being very small were introduced from the sussex coast they were sold in thames street and by the borough market their sale was at first enormous the costermongers distinguished them by the name of scuttle mouths one coster informant told me that on the saturdays he not unfrequently with the help of a boy and a girl cleared 10 s by selling these oysters in the streets disposing of four bags he thus sold reckoning twenty one dozen to the bag 2 016 oysters and as the price was two for a penny he took just 4 l 4 s by the sale of oysters in the streets in one night with the scuttle mouths the costermonger takes no trouble he throws them into a yard and dashes a few pails of water over them and then places them on his barrow or conveys them to his stall some of the better class of costermongers however lay down their oysters carefully giving them oatmeal to fatten on in april last some of the street sellers of this article established for the first time oyster rounds these were carried on by costermongers whose business was over at twelve in the day or a little later they bought a bushel of scuttle mouths never the others and in the afternoon went a round with them to poor neighbourhoods until about six when they took a stand in some frequented street going these oyster rounds is hard work i am told and a boy is generally taken to assist monday afternoon is the best time for this trade when 10 s is sometimes taken and 4 s or 5 s profit made on other evenings only from 1 s to 5 s is takenvery rarely the larger sumas the later the day in the week the smaller is the receipt owing to the wages of the working classes getting gradually exhausted the women who sell oysters in the street and whose dealings are limited buy either of the costermongers or at the coal sheds but nearly all the men buy at billingsgate where as small a quantity as a peck can be had an old woman who had seen better days but had been reduced to keep an oyster stall gave me the following account of her customers she showed much shrewdness in her conversation but having known better days she declined to enter upon any conversation concerning her former life as to my customers sir she said why indeed theyre all sorts its not a very few times that gentlemen i call them so because theyre mostly so civil will stopjust as its getting darkish perhaps and look about them and then come to me and say very quick two pennorth for a whet ah some of em will look may be like poor parsons down upon their luck and swallow their oysters as if they was taking poison in a hurry theyll not touch the bread or butter once in twenty times but theyll be free with the pepper and vinegar or mayhap theyll say quick and short a crust off that i many a time think that two pennorth is a poor gentlemans dinner its the same oftenbut only half as often or not halfwith a poor lady with a veil that once was black over a bonnet to match and shivering through her shawl shell have the same about two pennorth is the mark still its mostly two pennorth my son says its because thats the price of a glass of gin and some persons buy oysters insteadbut thats only his joke sir its not the vulgar poor thats our chief customers theres many of them wont touch oysters and ive heard some of them say the sight on em makes me sick its like eating snails the poor girls that walk the streets often buy some are brazen and vulgar and often the finest dressed are the vulgarest at least i think so and of those that come to oyster stalls im sure its the case some are shy to such as me who may perhaps call their own mothers to their minds though it aint many of them that is so one of them always says that she must keep at least a penny for gin after her oysters one young woman ran away from my stall once after swallowing one oyster out of six that shed paid for i dont know why ah theres many things a person like me sees that one may say i dont know why to that there is my heartiest customers that i serve with the most pleasure are working people on a saturday night one couplei think the wife always goes to meet her husband on a saturday nighthas two or three or four pennorth as happens and its pleasant to hear them say wont you have another john or do have one or two more mary anne ive served them that way two or three years theyve no children im pretty sure for if i say take a few home to the little ones the wife tosses her head and says half vexed and half laughing such nonsense i send out a good many oysters opened for peoples suppers and sometimes for supper partiesat least i suppose so for theres five or six dozen often ordered the maid servants come for them then and i give them two or three for themselves and say jokingly like its no use offering you any perhaps because youll have plenty thats left theyve mostly one answer dont we wish we may get em the very poor never buy of me as i told you a penny 76 buys a loaf you see or a haporth of bread and a haporth of cheese or a half pint of beer with a farthing out my customers are mostly working people and tradespeople ah sir i wish the parson of the parish or any parson sat with me a fortnight hed see what life is then its different a learned man used to say to methats long agofrom whats noticed from the pew or the pulpit ive missed the gentleman as used to say that now many yearsi dont know how many i never knew his name he was drunk now and then and used to tell me he was an author i felt for him a dozen oysters wasnt much for him we see a deal of the world siryes a deal some mostly working people take quantities of pepper with their oysters in cold weather and say its to warm them and no doubt it does but frosty weather is very bad oyster weather the oysters gape and die and then they are not so much as manure they are very fine this year i clear 1 s a day i think during the seasonat least 1 s taking the fine with the wet days and the week days with the sundays though im not out then but you see im known about here the number of oysters sold by the costermongers amounts to 124 000 000 a year these at four a penny would realise the large sum of 129 650 l we may therefore safely assume that 125 000 l is spent yearly in oysters in the streets of london of periwinkle selling in the streets there are some street people who nearly all the year through sell nothing but periwinkles and go regular rounds where they are well known the wink men as these periwinkle sellers are called generally live in the lowest parts and many in lodging houses they are forced to live in low localities they say because of the smell of the fish which is objected to the city district is ordinarily the best for winkle sellers for there are not so many cheap shops there as in other parts the summer is the best season and the sellers then make upon the average 12 s a week clear profit in the winter they get upon the average 5 s a week clear by selling mussels and whelksfor as winkles last only from march till october they are then obliged to do what they can in the whelk and mussel way i buy my winks said one at billingsgate at 3 s and 4 s the wash a wash is about a bushel theres some at 2 s and some sometimes as low as 1 s the wash but they wouldnt do for me as i serve very respectable people if we choose we can boil our winkles at billingsgate by paying 4 d a week for boiling and d for salt to salt them after they are boiled tradesmens families buy them for a relish to their tea its reckoned a nice present from a young man to his sweetheart is winks servant girls are pretty good customers and want them cheaper when they say its for themselves but i have only one price one man told me he could make as much as 12 s a weeksometimes more and sometimes less he made no speeches but sungwinketty winketty wink wink winkwink winkwicketty wicketty winkfine fresh winketty winks wink wink he was often so sore in the stomach and hoarse with hallooing that he could hardly speak he had no child only himself and wife to keep out of his earnings his room was 2 s a week rent he managed to get a bit of meat every day he said somehow or nother another more communicative and far more intelligent man said to me concerning the character of his customers theyre people i think that like to daddle dawdle i presume over their teas or such like or when a young womans young man takes tea with her mother and her then theyve winks and then theres joking and helping to pick winks between thomas and betsy while the mothers busy with her tea or is wiping her specs cause she cant see why sir ive known it i was a thomas that way myself when i was a tradesman i was a patten maker once but pattens is no go now and hasnt been for fifteen year or more old people i think that lives by themselves and has perhaps an annuity or the like of that and nothing to do pertickler loves winks for they likes a pleasant way of making time long over a meal theyre the people as reads a newspaper when its a week old all through the other buyers i think are tradespeople or working people what wants a relish but winks is a bad trade now and so is many that depends on relishes one man who works the new cut has the best wink business of all he sells only a little dry fish with his winks never wet fish and has got his name up for the superiority of that shell fisha superiority which he is careful to ensure he pays 8 s a week for a stand by a grocers window on an ordinary afternoon he sells from 7 s to 10 s worth of periwinkles on a monday afternoon he often takes 20 s and on the sunday afternoon 3 l and 4 l he has two coster lads to help him and sometimes on a sunday from twenty to thirty customers about him he wraps each parcel sold in a neat brown paper bag which i am assured is of itself an inducement to buy of him the unfortunate women who live in the streets contiguous to the waterloo blackfriars and borough roads are among his best customers on sundays especially he is rather a public character getting up dances and the like he aint botherednot hewith haporths or pennorths of a sunday said a person who had assisted him its the top of the tree with his customers 3 d or 6 d at a go the receipts are one half profit i heard from several that he was the best man for winks a going the quantity of periwinkles disposed of by the london street sellers is 3 600 000 pints which at 1 d per pint gives the large sum of 15 000 l expended annually in this street luxury it should be remembered that a very large con 77 sumption of periwinkles takes place in public houses and suburban tea gardens of dry fish selling in the streets the dealing in dry or salt fish is never carried on as a totally distinct trade in the streets but some make it a principal part of their business and many wet fish dealers whose wet fish is disposed of by noon sell dry fish in the afternoon the dry fish proper consists of dried mackerel salt coddried or barrelledsmoked or dried haddocks often called finnie haddies dried or pickled salmon but salmon is only salted or pickled for the streets when it can be sold cheap and salt herrings a keen looking tidily dressed man who was at one time a dry fish seller principally gave me the following account for the last two months he has confined himself to another branch of the business and seemed to feel a sort of pleasure in telling of the dodges he once resorted to theres scotch haddies that never knew anything about scotland he said for ive made lots of them myself by tower street just a jump or two from the lambeth station house i used to make them on sundays i was a wet fish seller then and when i couldnt get through my haddocks or my whitings of a saturday night i wasnt a going to give them away to folks that wouldnt take the trouble to lift me out of a gutter if i fell there so i presarved them ive made haddies of whitings and good ones too and joe made them of codlings besides i had a bit of a back yard to two rooms one over the other that i had then and on a sunday i set some wet wood a fire and put it under a great tub my children used to gut and wash the fish and i hung them on hooks all round the sides of the tub and made a bit of a chimney in a corner of the top of the tub and that way i gave them a jolly good smoking my wife had a dry fish stall and sold them and used to sing out real scotch haddies and tell people how they was from aberdeen ive often been fit to laugh she did it so clever i had a way of giving them a yellow colour like the real scotch but thats a secret after they was well smoked they was hung up to dry all round the rooms we lived in and we often had stunning fires that answered as well to boil crabs and lobsters when they was cheap enough for the streets ive boiled a mates crabs and lobsters for 2 d it was two boilings and more and 2 d was reckoned the price of half a quarter of a hundred of coals and the use of the pan theres more ways than one of making 6 d if a man has eyes in his head and keeps them open haddocks that wouldnt fetch 1 d a piece nor any money at all of a saturday night ive soldat least she has indicating his wife by a motion of his thumb at 2 d and 3 d and 4 d ive bought fish of costers that was over on a saturday night to make scotch haddies of them ive tried experience experiments too ivy burnt under them gave them i thought a nice sort of flavour rather peppery for i used always to taste them but i hate living on fish ivy with brown berries on it as it has about this time o year i liked best holly wasnt no good a black currant bush was but its too dear and indeed it couldnt be had i mostly spread wetted fire wood as green as could be got or damp sticks of any kind over shavings and kept feeding the fire sometimes i burnt sawdust somehow the dry fish trade fell off people does get so prying and so knowing theres no doing nothing now for no time so i dropped the dry fish trade theres few up to smoking them proper they smoke em black as if they was hung up in a chimbley another costermonger gave me the following account ive salted herrings but the commonest way of salting is by the jews about whitechapel they make real yarmouth bloaters and all sorts of fish when i salted herrings i bought them out of the boats at billingsgate by the hundred which is 120 fish we give them a bit of a cleanhardly anythingthen chuck them into a tub of salt and keep scattering salt over them and let them lie a few minutes or sometimes half an hour and then hang them up to dry they eat well enough if theyre eaten in time for they wont keep ive known three days old herrings salted just because there was no sale for them one jew sends out six boys crying real yarmouth bloaters people buy them in preference they look so nice and clean and fresh coloured its quite a new trade among the jews they didnt do much that way until two years back i sometimes wish i was a jew because they help one another and start one another with money and so they thrive where christians are ruined i smoked mackerel too by thousands thats a new trade and is done the same way as haddocks mackerel that wont bring 1 d a piece fresh bring 2 d smoked they are very nice indeed i make about 10 s or 11 s a week by dry fish in the winter months and about as much by wet but i have a tidy connection perhaps i make 17 s or 18 s a week all the year round the aggregate quantity of dry fish sold by the london costermongers throughout the year is as followsthe results being deduced from the table before given wet salt cod 93 750 dry do 1 000 000 smoked haddocks 4 875 000 bloaters 36 750 000 red herrings 25 000 000 gross value of the several kinds of fish annually sold in the streets of london it now but remains for me in order to complete this account of the street sellers of fish to form an estimate of the amount of money annually expended by the labourers and the poorer 78 classes of london upon the different kinds of wet dry and shell fish this according to the best authorities is as follows wet fish 175 000 lbs of salmon at 6 d per lb 4 000 1 000 000 lbs of live cod at 1 d per lb 5 000 3 250 000 pairs of soles at 1 d per pair 20 000 4 400 000 whiting at d each 9 000 29 400 000 plaice at d 90 000 15 700 000 mackarel at 6 for 1 s 130 000 875 000 000 herrings at 16 a groat 900 000 3 000 000 lbs of sprats at 1 d per lb 12 000 400 000 lbs of eels at 3 lb for 1 s 6 000 260 000 flounders at 1 d per dozen 100 270 000 dabs at 1 d per dozen 100 sum total expended yearly in wet fish 1 177 000 dry fish 525 000 lbs barrelled cod at 1 d 3 000 500 000 lbs dried salt cod at 2 d 4 000 4 875 000 smoked haddock at 1 d 20 000 36 750 000 bloaters at 2 for 1 d 75 000 25 000 000 red herrings at 4 for 1 d 25 000 sum total expended yearly in dry fish 127 000 shell fish 124 000 000 oysters at 4 a penny 125 000 60 000 lobsters at 3 d 750 50 000 crabs at 2 d 400 770 000 pints of shrimps at 2 d 6 000 1 000 000 quarts of mussels at 1 d 4 000 750 000 quarts of cockles at 1 d 3 000 4 950 000 whelks at 8 for 1 d 2 500 3 600 000 pints of periwinkles at 1 d 15 000 sum total expended yearly in shell fish 156 650 adding together the above totals we have the following result as to the gross money value of the fish purchased yearly in the london streets wet fish 1 177 200 dry fish 127 000 shell fish 156 650 total 1 460 850 hence we find that there is nearly a million and a half of money annually spent by the poorer classes of the metropolis in fish a sum so prodigious as almost to discredit every statement of want even if the amount said to be so expended be believed the returns from which the above account is made out have been obtained however from such unquestionable sourcesnot from one salesman alone but checked and corrected by many gentlemen who can have no conceivable motive for exaggeration either one way or the otherthat sceptical as our utter ignorance of the subject must necessarily make us still if we will but examine for ourselves we shall find there is no gainsaying the facts moreover as to the enormity of the amount dispelling all ideas of privation among the industrious portion of the community we shall also find on examination that assuming the working men of the metropolis to be 500 000 in number the occupation abstract of 1841 gives 773 560 individuals following some employment in london but these include merchants employers shopkeepers government officers and others and that they with their wives and children make up one million individuals it follows that the sum per head expended in fish by the poorer classes every week is a fraction more than 6 d or in other words not quite one penny a day if the diet of a people be a criterion as has been asserted of their character it may be feared that the present extensive fish diet of the working people of london is as indicative of degeneracy of character as cobbett insisted must result from the consumption of tea and the cursed root the potato the flesh of fish says pereira on diet is less satisfying than the flesh of either quadrupeds or birds as it contains a larger proportion of water about 80 per cent it is obviously less nourishing haller tells us he found himself weakened by a fish diet and he states that roman catholics are generally debilitated during lent pechlin also affirms that a mechanic nourished merely by fish has less muscular power than one who lives on the flesh of warm blooded animals jockeys who waste themselves in order to reduce their weight live principally on fish the classes of fish above given are when considered in a dietetical point of view of two distinct kinds viz those which form the staple commodity of the dinners and suppers of the poor and those which are mere relishes or stimuli to failing rather than stays to eager appetites under the former head i include red herrings bloaters and smoked haddocks such things are not merely provocatives to eat among the poor as they are at the breakfast table of many an over fed or intemperate man with the less affluent these salted fish are not a relish but a meal the shell fish however can only be considered as luxuries the 150 000 l thus annually expended in the streets represents the sum laid out in mere relishes or stimuli to sluggish appetites a very large proportion of this amount i am inclined to believe is spent by persons whose stomachs have been disordered by drink a considerable part of the trade in the minor articles as winks shrimps c is carried on in public houses while a favourite pitch for an oyster stall is outside a tavern door if then so large an amount is laid out in an endeavour to restore the appetite after drinking how much money must be squandered in destroying it by the same means 79 of the street sellers of fruit and vegetables of the kinds and quantity of fruit and vegetables sold in the streets there are two kinds of fruit sold in the streetsgreen fruit and dry fruit in commerce all fruit which is edible as it is taken from the tree or the ground is known as green a subdivision of this green fruit is into fresh or tender fruit which includes currants gooseberries strawberries and indeed all fruits that demand immediate consumption in contradistinction to such productions as nuts which may be kept without injury for a season all fruit which is cured is known as dry fruit in summer the costers vend green fruit and in the winter months or in the early spring when the dearness or insufficiency of the supply of green fruit renders it unsuited for their traffic they resort but not extensively to dry fruit it is principally however when an abundant season or the impossibility of keeping the dry fruit much longer has tended to reduce the price of it that the costlier articles are to be found on the costermongers barrow fruit is for the most part displayed on barrows by the street dealers in it some who supply the better sort of housesmore especially those in the suburbscarry such things as apples and plums in clean round wicker baskets holding pecks or half pecks the commoner green fruits of home produce are bought by the costermonger in the markets the foreign green fruit as pine apples melons grapes chestnuts coker nuts brazil nuts hazel nuts and oranges are purchased by them at the public sales of the brokers and of the jews in dukes place the more intelligent and thrifty of the costers buy at the public sales on the principle of association as i have elsewhere described some costermongers expend as much as 20 l at a time in such green fruit or dry fruit as is not immediately perishable at a public sale or at a fruit warehouse and supply the other costers the regular costermongers seldom deal in oranges and chestnuts if they sell walnuts they reserve these they say for their sunday afternoons pastime the people who carry oranges chestnuts or walnuts or spanish nuts about the town are not considered as costermongers but are generally though not always classed by the regular men with the watercress women the sprat women the winkle dealers and such others whom they consider beneath them the orange season is called by the costermonger the irishmans harvest indeed the street trade in oranges and nuts is almost entirely in the hands of the irish and their children and of the children of costermongers the costers themselves would rather starveand do starve now and thenthan condescend to it the trade in coker nuts is carried on greatly by the jews on sundays and by young men and boys who are not on other days employed as street sellers the usual kinds of fruit the regular costers deal in are strawberries raspberries plain and stalked cherries apricots plums green gages currants apples pears damsons green and ripe gooseberries and pine apples they also deal in vegetables such as turnips greens brocoli carrots onions celery rhubarb new potatoes peas beans french and scarlet broad and windsor asparagus vegetable marrow seakale spinach lettuces small salads radishes etc their fruit and vegetables they usually buy at covent garden spitalfields or the borough markets occasionally they buy some at farringdon but this they reckon to be very little better than a hagglers market a haggler being as i before explained the middle man who attends in the fruit and vegetable markets and buys of the salesman to sell again to the retail dealer or costermonger concerning the quantity of fruit and vegetables sold in the streets by the london costermongers this as i said when treating of the street trade in fish can only be arrived at by ascertaining the entire quantity sold wholesale at the london markets and then learning from the best authorities the proportion retailed in the public thoroughfares fully to elucidate this matter both as to the extent of the metropolitan supply of vegetables and fruit foreign as well as home grown and green as well as dry and the relative quantity of each vended through the agency of the costermongers i caused inquiries to be instituted at all the principal markets and brokers for not even the vaguest return on the subject had till then been prepared and received from all the gentlemen connected therewith every assistance and information as i have here great pleasure in acknowledging to carry out my present inquiry i need not give returns of the articles not sold by the costermongers nor is it necessary for me to cite any but those dealt in by them generally their exceptional sales such as of mushrooms cucumbers c are not included here the following table shows the ordinary annual supply of home grown fruit nearly all produced within a radius of twelve miles from the bank to each of the london green markets 80 a table showing the quantity or measure of the undermentioned home grown fruits and vegetables sold throughout the year wholesale in the metropolitan green markets with the proportion sold retail in the streets description of fruits and vegetables covent garden borough spitalfields farringdon portman total costermongers green fruit apples 360 000 bushels 25 000 250 000 35 000 16 000 686 000 one half pears 230 000 10 000 83 000 20 000 10 000 353 000 one half cherries 90 000 doz lbs 45 000 15 000 12 000 11 200 173 200 one half plums 93 000 bushels 15 500 45 000 3 000 20 000 176 500 one fifteenth green gages 2 000 333 1 500 1 000 500 5 333 one fiftieth damsons 19 800 3 150 4 500 9 000 1 200 37 650 one thirtieth bullace 1 800 1 620 400 540 540 4 900 one half gooseberries 140 000 26 200 91 500 12 000 7 000 276 700 three fourths currants red 70 000 sieves 15 000 75 000 6 000 9 000 175 000 one half ditto black 45 000 12 000 45 000 6 000 4 000 112 000 one eighth ditto white 3 800 3 000 15 000 3 000 2 000 26 800 one eighth strawberries 638 000 pottles 330 000 396 000 15 000 148 500 1 527 500 one half raspberries 22 500 3 750 2 500 3 500 3 000 35 250 one twentieth mulberries 17 496 57 600 7 064 17 281 22 500 121 940 one fourth hazel nuts 2 700 bushels 1 000 648 5 400 270 9 018 two thirds filberts 221 400 lbs 72 000 43 200 144 000 37 800 518 400 one thirtieth vegetables potatoes 161 280 000 lbs 48 384 000 64 512 000 24 192 000 12 096 000 310 464 000 one fifteenth cabbages 33 600 000 plants 19 200 000 12 000 000 8 400 000 16 472 000 89 672 000 one third brocoli and cauliflowers 1 800 000 heads 3 780 000 2 880 000 5 320 000 546 000 14 326 000 one twentieth turnips 18 800 000 roots 4 800 000 4 800 000 3 500 000 748 000 32 648 000 one tenth turnip tops 300 000 junks 500 000 600 000 250 000 200 000 1 850 000 one third carrots 12 000 000 roots 1 571 000 2 400 000 1 500 000 546 000 18 017 000 one thirtieth peas 270 000 bushels 50 000 100 000 14 000 4 000 438 000 one half beans 100 000 20 000 10 000 2 400 1 000 133 400 one fifteenth french beans 140 000 9 600 12 000 50 000 9 600 221 200 one tenth vegetab marrows 10 800 dozen 3 240 3 600 432 1 800 19 872 one third asparagus 12 000 dz bun 3 600 1 080 1 440 1 440 19 560 one fortieth celery 15 000 4 800 6 000 3 000 6 000 34 800 one eighth rhubarb 7 200 48 000 28 800 2 400 4 800 91 200 one tenth lettuces 734 400 plants 1 080 000 2 073 600 129 600 475 200 4 492 800 one eighth radishes 6 912 dz hands 43 200 36 000 18 000 28 800 132 912 one tenth onions 500 000 bushels 398 000 400 000 9 600 182 000 1 489 600 one third ditto spring 36 000 dz bun 10 800 21 600 21 600 14 400 104 400 one fourth cucumbers 2 160 bushels 10 800 24 000 12 000 38 400 87 360 one eighth herbs 7 200 dz bun 9 600 9 400 7 800 3 900 37 900 one tenth description of fruits and vegetables covent garden borough spitalfields farringdon green fruit apples 360 000 bushels 25 000 250 000 35 000 pears 230 000 10 000 83 000 20 000 cherries 90 000 doz lbs 45 000 15 000 12 000 plums 93 000 bushels 15 500 45 000 3 000 green gages 2 000 333 1 500 1 000 damsons 19 800 3 150 4 500 9 000 bullace 1 800 1 620 400 540 gooseberries 140 000 26 200 91 500 12 000 currants red 70 000 sieves 15 000 75 000 6 000 ditto black 45 000 12 000 45 000 6 000 ditto white 3 800 3 000 15 000 3 000 strawberries 638 000 pottles 330 000 396 000 15 000 raspberries 22 500 3 750 2 500 3 500 mulberries 17 496 57 600 7 064 17 281 hazel nuts 2 700 bushels 1 000 648 5 400 filberts 221 400 lbs 72 000 43 200 144 000 vegetables potatoes 161 280 000 lbs 48 384 000 64 512 000 24 192 000 cabbages 33 600 000 plants 19 200 000 12 000 000 8 400 000 brocoli and cauliflowers 1 800 000 heads 3 780 000 2 880 000 5 320 000 turnips 18 800 000 roots 4 800 000 4 800 000 3 500 000 turnip tops 300 000 junks 500 000 600 000 250 000 carrots 12 000 000 roots 1 571 000 2 400 000 1 500 000 peas 270 000 bushels 50 000 100 000 14 000 beans 100 000 20 000 10 000 2 400 french beans 140 000 9 600 12 000 50 000 vegetab marrows 10 800 dozen 3 240 3 600 432 asparagus 12 000 dz bun 3 600 1 080 1 440 celery 15 000 4 800 6 000 3 000 rhubarb 7 200 48 000 28 800 2 400 lettuces 734 400 plants 1 080 000 2 073 600 129 600 radishes 6 912 dz hands 43 200 36 000 18 000 onions 500 000 bushels 398 000 400 000 9 600 ditto spring 36 000 dz bun 10 800 21 600 21 600 cucumbers 2 160 bushels 10 800 24 000 12 000 herbs 7 200 dz bun 9 600 9 400 7 800 description of fruits and vegetables portman total costermongers green fruit apples 16 000 686 000 one half pears 10 000 353 000 one half cherries 11 200 173 200 one half plums 20 000 176 500 one fifteenth green gages 500 5 333 one fiftieth damsons 1 200 37 650 one thirtieth bullace 540 4 900 one half gooseberries 7 000 276 700 three fourths currants red 9 000 175 000 one half ditto black 4 000 112 000 one eighth ditto white 2 000 26 800 one eighth strawberries 148 500 1 527 500 one half raspberries 3 000 35 250 one twentieth mulberries 22 500 121 940 one fourth hazel nuts 270 9 018 two thirds filberts 37 800 518 400 one thirtieth vegetables potatoes 12 096 000 310 464 000 one fifteenth cabbages 16 472 000 89 672 000 one third brocoli and cauliflowers 546 000 14 326 000 one twentieth turnips 748 000 32 648 000 one tenth turnip tops 200 000 1 850 000 one third carrots 546 000 18 017 000 one thirtieth peas 4 000 438 000 one half beans 1 000 133 400 one fifteenth french beans 9 600 221 200 one tenth vegetab marrows 1 800 19 872 one third asparagus 1 440 19 560 one fortieth celery 6 000 34 800 one eighth rhubarb 4 800 91 200 one tenth lettuces 475 200 4 492 800 one eighth radishes 28 800 132 912 one tenth onions 182 000 1 489 600 one third ditto spring 14 400 104 400 one fourth cucumbers 38 400 87 360 one eighth herbs 3 900 37 900 one tenth the various proportions of the several kinds of fruit and vegetables sold by the costermongers are here calculated for all the markets from returns which have been obtained from each market separately to avoid unnecessary detail however these several items are lumped together and the aggregate proportion above given the foregoing table however relates chiefly to home grown supplies concerning the quantity of foreign fruit and vegetables imported into this country the proportion consumed in london and the relative amount sold by the costers i have obtained the following returns 81 table showing the quantity or measure of the undermentioned foreign green fruits and vegetables sold wholesale throughout the year in london with the proportion sold retail in the streets description quantity sold wholesale in london proportion sold retail in the streets fruit apples 39 561 bush seven eighths pears 19 742 seven eighths cherries 264 240 lbs two thirds grapes 1 328 190 one fiftieth pine apples 200 000 fruit one tenth oranges 61 635 146 one fourth lemons 15 408 789 one hundredth nuts spanish nuts 72 509 bush one third barcelona brazil 11 700 one fourth chestnuts 26 250 one fourth walnuts 36 088 two thirds coker nuts 1 255 000 nuts one third vegetables potatoes 79 654 400 lbs one half here then we have the entire metropolitan supply of the principal vegetables and green fruit both home grown and foreign as well as the relative quantity distributed throughout london by the costermongers it now but remains for me in order to complete the account to do the same for the dry fruit table showing the quantity of dry fruit sold wholesale in london throughout the year with the proportion sold retail in the streets description quantity sold wholesale in london proportion sold retail in the streets shell almonds 12 500 cwt half per cent raisins 135 000 quarter per cent currants 250 000 none figs 21 700 one per cent prunes 15 000 quarter per cent of the fruit and vegetable season of the costermongers the strawberry season begins about june and continues till about the middle of july from the middle to the end of july the costers work raspberries during july cherries are in as well as raspberries but many costers prefer working raspberries because theyre a quicker sixpence after the cherries they go to work upon plums which they have about the end of august apples and pears come in after the plums in the month of september and the apples last them all through the winter till the month of may the pears last only till christmas currants they work about the latter end of july or beginning of august concerning the costermongers vegetable season it may be said that he works greens during the winter months up to about march from that time they are getting leathery the leaves become foxy i was told and they eat tough when boiled the costers generally do not like dealing either in greens or turnips they are such heavy luggage they say they would sooner work green peas and new potatoes the costermonger however does the best at fruit but this he cannot workwith the exception of applesfor more than four months in the year they lose but little from the fruit spoiling if it doesnt fetch a good price it must fetch a bad one they say but they are never at a great loss by it they find the ladies their hardest or scaliest customers whatever price they ask they declare the ladies will try to save the market or gin penny out of it so that they may have a glass of something short before they go home of covent garden market on a saturdaythe costers business dayit is computed that as many as 2 000 donkey barrows and upwards of 3 000 women with shallows and head baskets visit this market during the forenoon about six oclock in the morning is the best time for viewing the wonderful restlessness of the place for then not only is the garden itself all bustle and activity but the buyers and sellers stream to and from it in all directions filling every street in the vicinity from long acre to the strand on the one side and from bow street to bedford street on the other the ground has been seized upon by the market goers as you glance down any one of the neighbouring streets the long rows of carts and donkey barrows seem interminable in the distance they are of all kinds from the greengrocers taxed cart to the costers barrowfrom the showy excursion van to the rude square donkey cart and bricklayers truck in every street they are ranged down the middle and by the kerb stones along each approach to the market too nothing is to be seen on all sides but vegetables the pavement is covered with heaps of them waiting to be carted the flagstones are stained green with the leaves trodden under foot sieves and sacks full of apples and potatoes and bundles of brocoli and rhubarb are left unwatched upon almost every door step the steps of covent garden theatre are covered with fruit and vegetables the road is blocked up with mountains of cabbages and turnips and men and women push past with their arms bowed out by the cauliflowers under them or the red tips of carrots pointing from their crammed aprons or else their faces are red with the weight of the loaded head basket the donkey barrows from their number and singularity force you to stop and notice them every kind of ingenuity has been exercised to 82 construct harness for the costers steeds where a buckle is wanting tape or string make the fastening secure traces are made of rope and old chain and an old sack or cotton handkerchief is folded up as a saddle pad some few of the barrows make a magnificent exception and are gay with bright brass while one of the donkeys may be seen dressed in a suit of old plated carriage harness decorated with coronets in all directions at some one of the coster conveyances stands the proprietor arranging his goods the dozing animal starting up from its sleep each time a heavy basket is hoisted on the tray others with their green and white and red load neatly arranged are ready for starting but the coster is finishing his breakfast at the coffee stall on one barrow there may occasionally be seen a solitary sieve of apples with the horse of some neighbouring cart helping himself to the pippins while the owner is away the men that take charge of the trucks whilst the costers visit the market walk about with their arms full of whips and sticks at one corner a donkey has slipped down and lies on the stones covered with the cabbages and apples that have fallen from the cart the market itself presents a beautiful scene in the clear morning air of an autumn day the whole of the vast square is distinctly seen from one end to the other the sky is red and golden with the newly risen sun and the rays falling on the fresh and vivid colours of the fruit and vegetables brightens up the picture as with a coat of varnish there is no shouting as at other markets but a low murmuring hum is heard like the sound of the sea at a distance and through each entrance to the market the crowd sweeps by under the dark piazza little bright dots of gas lights are seen burning in the shops and in the paved square the people pass and cross each other in all directions hampers clash together and excepting the carters from the country every one is on the move sometimes a huge column of baskets is seen in the air and walks away in a marvellously steady manner or a monster railway van laden with sieves of fruit and with the driver perched up on his high seat jolts heavily over the stones cabbages are piled up into stacks as it were carts are heaped high with turnips and bunches of carrots like huge red fingers are seen in all directions flower girls with large bundles of violets under their arms run past leaving a trail of perfume behind them wagons with their shafts sticking up in the air are ranged before the salesmens shops the high green load railed in with hurdles and every here and there bunches of turnips are seen flying in the air over the heads of the people groups of apple women with straw pads on their crushed bonnets and coarse shawls crossing their bosoms sit on their porters knots chatting in irish and smoking short pipes every passer by is hailed with the cry of want a baskit yer honor the porter trembling under the piled up hamper trots along the street with his teeth clenched and shirt wet with the weight and staggering at every step he takes inside the market all is bustle and confusion the people walk along with their eyes fixed on the goods and frowning with thought men in all costumes from the coster in his corduroy suit to the greengrocer in his blue apron sweep past a countryman in an old straw hat and dusty boots occasionally draws down the anger of a woman for walking about with his hands in the pockets of his smock frock and is asked if that is the way to behave on a market day even the granite pillars cannot stop the crowd for it separates and rushes past them like the tide by a bridge pier at every turn there is a fresh odour to sniff at either the bitter aromatic perfume of the herbalists shops breaks upon you or the scent of oranges then of apples and then of onions is caught for an instant as you move along the brocoli tied up in square packets the white heads tinged slightly red as it were with the sunshine the sieves of crimson love apples polished like china the bundles of white glossy leeks their roots dangling like fringe the celery with its pinky stalks and bright green tops the dark purple pickling cabbages the scarlet carrots the white knobs of turnips the bright yellow balls of oranges and the rich brown coats of the chesnutsattract the eye on every side then there are the apple merchants with their fruit of all colours from the pale yellow green to the bright crimson and the baskets ranged in rows on the pavement before the little shops round these the customers stand examining the stock then whispering together over their bargain and counting their money give you four shillings for this here lot master says a coster speaking for his three companions four and six is my price answers the salesman say four and its a bargain continues the man i said my price returns the dealer go and look round and see if you can get em cheaper if not come back i only wants whats fair the men taking the salesmans advice move on the walnut merchant with the group of women before his shop peeling the fruit their fingers stained deep brown is busy with the irish purchasers the onion stores too are surrounded by hibernians feeling and pressing the gold coloured roots whose dry skins crackle as they are handled cases of lemons in their white paper jackets and blue grapes just seen above the sawdust are ranged about and in some places the ground is slippery as ice from the refuse leaves and walnut husks scattered over the pavement against the railings of st pauls church are hung baskets and slippers for sale and near the public house is a party of countrymen preparing their bunches of pretty coloured grassbrown and glittering as if it had been bronzed between the spikes of the railing are piled up square cakes of green turf for larks and at the pump boys who probably have passed the previous night in the baskets about the market are 83 washing and the water dripping from their hair that hangs in points over the face the kerb stone is blocked up by a crowd of admiring lads gathered round the bird catchers green stand and gazing at the larks beating their breasts against their cages the owner whose boots are red with the soil of the brick field shouts as he looks carelessly around a cock linnet for tuppence and then hits at the youths who are poking through the bars at the fluttering birds under the piazza the costers purchase their flowers in pots which they exchange in the streets for old clothes here is ranged a small garden of flower pots the musk and mignonette smelling sweetly and the scarlet geraniums with a perfect glow of coloured air about the flowers standing out in rich contrast with the dark green leaves of the evergreens behind them theres myrtles and larels and boxes says one of the men selling them and theres a harbora witus and lauristiners and that bushy shrub with pink spots is heath men and women selling different articles walk about under the cover of the colonnade one has seed cake another small tooth and other combs others old caps or pigs feet and one hawker of knives razors and short hatchets may occasionally be seen driving a bargain with a countryman who stands passing his thumb over the blade to test its keenness between the pillars are the coffee stalls with their large tin cans and piles of bread and butter and protected from the wind by paper screens and sheets thrown over clothes horses inside these little parlours as it were sit the coffee drinkers on chairs and benches some with a bunch of cabbages on their laps blowing the steam from their saucers others with their mouths full munching away at their slices as if not a moment could be lost one or two porters are there besides seated on their baskets breakfasting with their knots on their heads as you walk away from this busy scene you meet in every street barrows and costers hurrying home the pump in the market is now surrounded by a cluster of chattering wenches quarrelling over whose turn it is to water their drooping violets and on the steps of covent garden theatre are seated the shoeless girls tying up the halfpenny and penny bundles of green fruit selling in the streets the fruit selling of the streets of london is of a distinct character from that of vegetable or fish selling inasmuch as fruit is for the most part a luxury and the others are principally necessaries there is no doubt that the consumption of fruit supplies a fair criterion of the condition of the working classes but the costermongers as a body of traders are little observant so that it is not easy to derive from them much information respecting the classes who are their customers or as to how their custom is influenced by the circumstances of the times one man however told me that during the last panic he sold hardly anything beyond mere necessaries other street sellers to whom i spoke could not comprehend what a panic meant the most intelligent costers whom i conversed with agreed that they now sold less fruit than ever to working people but perhaps more than ever to the dwellers in the smaller houses in the suburbs and to shopkeepers who were not in a large way of business one man sold baking apples but not above a peck on an average weekly to women whom he knew to be the wives of working men for he had heard them say dear me i didnt think it had been so late theres hardly time to get the dumplings baked before my husband leaves work for his dinner the course of my inquiries has shown meand many employers whom i have conversed with are of a similar opinionthat the well conducted and skilful artisan who in spite of slop competition continues to enjoy a fair rate of wages usually makes a prudent choice of a wife who perhaps has been a servant in a respectable family such a wife is probably used to cooking and will oft enough make a pie or pudding to eke out the cold meat of the mondays dinner or for a treat for the children with the mass of the working people however it is otherwise the wife perhaps has been reared to incessant toil with her needle and does not know how to make even a dumpling even if she possess as much knowledge she may have to labour as well as her husband and if their joint earnings enable them to have the added pudding there is still the trouble of making it and after a weary weeks work rest is often a greater enjoyment than a gratification of the palate thus something easily prepared and carried off to the oven is preferred the slop workers of all trades never i believe taste either fruit pie or pudding unless a penny one be bought at a shop or in the street and even among mechanics who are used to better diet the pies and puddings when wages are reduced or work grows slack are the first things that are dispensed with when the money doesnt come in sir one working man said to me we mustnt think of puddings but of bread a costermonger more observant than the rest told me that there were some classes to whom he had rarely sold fruit and whom he had seldom seen buy any among these he mentioned sweeps scavengers dustmen nightmen gas pipe layers and sewer men who preferred to any fruit something to bite in the mouth such as a pennorth of gin my informant believed that this abstinence from fruit was common to all persons engaged in such offensive trades as fiddle string making gut dressing for whip makers or sausage makers knackers c he was confident of it as far as his own experience extended it is moreover less common for the women of the town of the poorer sort to expend pence in fruit than in such things 84 as whelks shrimps or winks to say nothing of gin persons whose stomachs may be one week jaded to excess and the next be deprived of a sufficiency of proper food seek for stimulants or as they term it relishes the fruit sellers meaning thereby those who deal principally in fruit in the season are the more intelligent costermongers the calculation as to what a bushel of apples for instance will make in half or quarter pecks puzzles the more ignorant and they buy second hand or of a middle man and consequently dearer the irish street sellers do not meddle much with fruit excepting a few of the very best class of them and they do well in it i was told they have such tongue the improvement in the quality of the fruit and vegetables now in our markets and consequently in the necessaries and luxuries of the poorer classes is very great prizes and medals have been deservedly awarded to the skilled and persevering gardeners who have increased the size and heightened the flavour of the pine apple or the strawberrywho have given a thinner rind to the peach or a fuller gush of juice to the apricot or who have enhanced alike the bloom the weight and the size of the fruit of the vine whether as regards the classic bunch or the individual grape still these are benefits confined mainly to the rich but there is another class of growers who have rendered greater services and whose services have been comparatively unnoticed i allude to those gardeners who have improved or introduced our every day vegetables or fruit such as now form the cheapest and most grateful and healthy enjoyments of the humbler portion of the community i may instance the introduction of rhubarb which was comparatively unknown until mr myatt now of deptford cultivated it thirty years ago he then for the first time carried seven bundles of rhubarb into the borough market of these he could sell only three and he took four back with him mr myatt could not recollect the price he received for the first rhubarb he ever sold in public but he told me that the stalks were only about half the substance of those he now produces people laughed at him for offering physic pies but he persevered and i have shown what the sale of rhubarb now is moreover the importation of foreign pines may be cited as another instance of the increased luxuries of the poor the trade in this commodity was unknown until the year 1842 at that period mr james wood and messrs claypole and son of liverpool imported them from the bahamas a portion being conveyed to messrs keeling and hunt of london since that period the trade has gradually increased until instead of 1000 pines being sent to liverpool and a portion of them conveyed to london as at first 200 000 pines are now imported to london alone the fruit is brought over in trees stowed in numbers from ten to thirty thousand in galleries constructed fore and aft in the vessel which is so extravagantly fragrant that it has to be ventilated to abate the odour but for this importation and but for the trade having become a part of the costermongers avocation hundreds and thousands in london would never have tasted a pine apple the quality of the fruit has i am informed been greatly improved since its first introduction the best description of pines which covent garden can supply having been sent out to graft to increase the size and flavour of the bahaman products and this chiefly for the regalement of the palates of the humbler classes of london the supply from the bahamas is considered inexhaustible pine apples when they were first introduced were a rich harvest to the costermonger they made more money working these than any other article the pines cost them about 4 d each one with the other good and bad together and were sold by the costermonger at from 1 s to 1 s 6 d the public were not aware then that the pines they sold were salt water touched and the people bought them as fast as they could be sold not only by the whole one but at 1 d a slice for those who could not afford to give 1 s for the novelty had a slice as a taste for 1 d the costermongers used then to have flags flying at the head of their barrows and gentlefolk would stop them in the streets indeed the sale for pines was chiefly among the gentry the poorer peoplesweeps dustmen cabmenoccasionally had pennyworths just for the fun of the thing but gentlepeople i was told used to buy a whole one to take home so that all the family might have a taste one costermonger assured me that he had taken 22 s a day during the rage for pines when they first came up i have before stated that when the season is in its height the costermonger prefers the vending of fruit to the traffic in either fish or vegetables those however who have regular rounds and a connection must supply their customers with vegetables if not fish as well as fruit but the costers prefer to devote themselves principally to fruit i am unable therefore to draw a comparison between what a coster realises in fruit and what in fish as the two seasons are not contemporary the fruit sale is however as i have shown in p 54 the costermongers harvest all the costermongers with whom i conversed represented that the greater cheapness and abundance of fruit had been anything but a benefit to them nor did the majority seem to know whether fruit was scarcer or more plentiful one year than another unless in remarkable instances of the way in which the introduction of foreign fruit had influenced their trade they knew nothing if questioned on the subject the usual reply was that things got worse and people didnt buy so much fruit as they did half a dozen years back and so less was sold that these men hold such opinions must be accounted for mainly by the increase in their 85 numbers of which i have before spoken and from their general ignorance the fruit of which there is the readiest sale in the streets is one usually considered among the least usefulcherries probably the greater eagerness on the part of the poorer classes to purchase this fruit arises from its being the first of the fresh green kind which our gardens supply for street sale after the winter and the early spring an intelligent costermonger suggested other reasons poor people he said like a quantity of any fruit and no fruit is cheaper than cherries at 1 d a pound at which i have sold some hundreds of pounds weight im satisfied sir that if a cherry could be grown that weighed a pound and was of a finer flavour than ever was known before poor people would rather have a number of little ones even if they was less weight and inferior quality then boys buy i think more cherries than other fruit because after they have eaten em they can play at cherry stones from all i can learn the halfpenny worth of fruit purchased most eagerly by a poor man or by a child to whom the possession of a halfpenny is a rarity is cherries i asked a man with a good connection according to his own account as to who were his customers for cherries he enumerated ladies and gentlemen working people wagoners and carters who slipped them quietly into their pockets he said parlour livers so he called the occupants of parlours maid servants and soldiers soldiers i was told are very fond of something for a change from their feed which is about as regular as a prisons the currant and the fruit of the same useful genus the gooseberry are sold largely by the costermongers the price of the currants is 1 d or 2 d the half pint 1 d being the more usual charge of red currants there is the greatest supply but the black go off better the humbler classes buy a half pint of the latter for a dumpling and theyre reckoned said my informant capital for a sore throat either in jam or a pudding gooseberries are also retailed by the half pint and are cheaper than currantsperhaps d the half pint is the average street price the working classes do not use ripe gooseberries as they do ripe currants for dumplings but they are sold in greater quantities and may be said to constitute when first introduced as other productions do afterwards the working peoples sunday dessert only you go on board a cheap steamer to greenwich on a fine summer sunday observed a street seller to me and youll see lots of young women with gooseberries in their handkerchiefs in their laps servant maids is very good customers for such things as gooseberries for they always has a penny to spare the costers sell green gooseberries for dumplings and sometimes to the extent of a fourth of the ripe fruit the price of green gooseberries is generally d a pint dearer than the ripe when strawberries descend to such a price as places them at the costermongers command the whole fraternity is busily at work and as the sale can easily be carried on by women and children the costers family take part in the sale offering at the corners of streets the fragrant pottle with the crimson fruit just showing beneath the green leaves at the top of all cries too perhaps that of hoboys is the most agreeable strawberries however according to all accounts are consumed least of all fruits by the poor they like something more solid i was told something to bite at and a penny pottle of strawberries is only like a taste whats more too the really good fruit never finds its way into penny pottles the costers best customers are dwellers in the suburbs who purchase strawberries on a sunday especially for dessert for they think that they get them fresher in that way than by reserving them from the saturday night and many are tempted by seeing or hearing them cried in the streets there is also a good sunday sale about the steam wharfs to people going on the river especially when young women and children are members of a party and likewise in the clerk districts as camden town and camberwell very few pottles comparatively are sold in public houses they dont go well down with the beer at all i was told the city people are good customers for street strawberries conveying them home good strawberries are 2 d a pottle in the streets when the season is at its height inferior are 1 d these are the most frequent prices in raspberries the coster does little selling them only to such customers as use them for the sake of jam or for pastry the price is from 6 d to 1 s 6 d the pottle 9 d being the average the great staple of the street trade in green fruit is apples these are first sold by the travelling costers by the measure for pies c and to the classes i have described as the makers of pies the apples however are soon vended in penny or halfpenny worths and then they are bought by the poor who have a spare penny for the regalement of their children or themselves and they are eaten without any preparation pears are sold to the same classes as are apples the average price of apples as sold by the costermonger is 4 s a bushel and six a penny the sale in halfpenny and pennyworths is very great indeed the costermongers sell about half the apples brought to the markets and i was told that for one pennyworth of apples bought in a shop forty were bought in the street pears are 9 d a bushel generally dearer than apples but numerically they run more to the bushel the costers purchase the french apples at the wharf close to london bridge on the southwark side they give 10 s 12 s 18 s or 20 s for a case containing four bushels they generally get from 9 d to 1 s profit on a bushel of english but on the french apples they make a clear profit of from 1 s 3 d to 2 s a bushel and would make more but the fruit some 86 times turns out damaged this extra profit is owing to the french giving better measure their four bushels being about five market bushels as there is much straw packed up with the english apples and none with the french plums and damsons are less purchased by the humbler classes than apples or than any other larger sized fruit which is supplied abundantly if ive worked plums or damsons said an experienced costermonger and have told any woman pricing them they dont look so ripe but theyre all the better for a pie shes answered o a plum pies too fine for us and whats more it takes too much sugar they are sold principally for desserts and in penny worths at 1 d the half pint for good and d for inferior green gages are 50 per cent higher some costers sell a cheap lot of plums to the eating house keepers and sell them more readily than they sell apples to the same parties west indian pine apples are as regards the street sale disposed of more in the city than elsewhere they are bought by clerks and warehousemen who carry them to their suburban homes the slices at d and 1 d are bought principally by boys the average price of a good street pine is 9 d peaches are an occasional sale with the costermongers and are disposed of to the same classes as purchase strawberries and pines the street sale of peaches is not practicable if the price exceed 1 d a piece of other fruits vended largely in the streets i have spoken under their respective heads the returns before cited as to the quantity of home grown and foreign green fruit sold in london and the proportion disposed of by the costermongers give the following results in round numbers as to the absolute quantity of the several kinds of green fruit oranges and nuts excepted distributed throughout the metropolis by the street sellers 343 000 bushels of apples home grown 34 560 apples foreign 176 500 pears home grown 17 235 pears foreign 1 039 200 lbs of cherries home grown 176 160 cherries foreign 11 766 bushels of plums 100 greengages 548 damsons 2 450 bullaces 207 525 gooseberries 85 500 sieves of red currants 13 500 black currants 3 000 white currants 763 750 pottles of strawberries 1 762 raspberries 30 485 mulberries 6 012 bushels of hazel nuts 17 280 lbs of filberts 26 563 grapes 20 000 pines of the orange and nut market in houndsditch there is a market supported principally by costermongers who there purchase their oranges lemons and nuts this market is entirely in the hands of the jews and although a few tradesmen may attend it to buy grapes still it derives its chief custom from the street dealers who say they can make far better bargains with the israelites as they never refuse an offer than they can with the covent garden salesmen who generally cling to their prices this market is known by the name of dukes place although its proper title is st jamess place the nearest road to it is through dukes street and the two titles have been so confounded that at length the mistake has grown into a custom dukes placeas the costers call itis a large square yard with the iron gates of a synagogue in one corner a dead wall forming one entire side of the court and a gas lamp on a circular pavement in the centre the place looks as if it were devoted to money makingfor it is quiet and dirty not a gilt letter is to be seen over a doorway there is no display of gaudy colour or sheets of plate glass such as we see in a crowded thoroughfare when a customer is to be caught by show as if the merchants knew their trade was certain they are content to let the london smoke do their painters work on looking at the shops in this quarter the idea forces itself upon one that they are in the last stage of dilapidation never did property in chancery look more ruinous each dwelling seems as though a fire had raged in it for not a shop in the market has a window to it and beyond the few sacks of nuts exposed for sale they are empty the walls within being blackened with dirt and the paint without blistered in the sun while the door posts are worn round with the shoulders of the customers and black as if charred a few sickly hens wander about turning over the heaps of dried leaves that the oranges have been sent over in or roost the time away on the shafts and wheels of the nearest truck excepting on certain days there is little or no business stirring so that many of the shops have one or two shutters up as if a death had taken place and the yard is quiet as an inn of court at a little distance the warehouses with their low ceilings open fronts and black sides seem like dark holes or coal stores and but for the mahogany backs of chairs showing at the first floors you would scarcely believe the houses to be inhabited much more to be elegantly furnished as they are one of the drawing rooms that i entered here was warm and red with morocco leather spanish mahogany and curtains and turkey carpets while the ormolu chandelier and the gilt frames of the looking glass and pictures twinkled at every point in the fire light the householders in dukes place are all of the jewish persuasion and among the costers a 87 saying has sprung up about it when a man has been out of work for some time he is said to be cursed like a pig in dukes place almost every shop has a scripture name over it and even the public houses are of the hebrew faith their signs appealing to the followers of those trades which most abound with jews there is the jewellers arms patronised greatly of a sunday morning when the israelite jewellers attend to exchange their trinkets and barter amongst themselves very often the counter before the bar here may be seen covered with golden ornaments and sparkling with precious stones amounting in value to thousands of pounds the landlord of this house of call is licensed to manufacture tobacco and cigars there is also the fishmongers arms the resort of the vendors of fried soles here in the evening a concert takes place the performers and audience being jews the landlord of this house too is licensed to manufacture tobacco and cigars entering one of these houses i found a bill announcing a bible to be raffled for the property of and lastly there is benjamins coffee house open to old clothesmen and here again the proprietor is a licensed tobacco manufacturer these facts are mentioned to show the untiring energy of the jew when anything is to be gained and to give an instance of the curious manner in which this people support each other some of the nut and orange shops in dukes place it would be impossible to describe at one sat an old woman with jet black hair and a wrinkled face nursing an infant and watching over a few matted baskets of nuts ranged on a kind of carpenters bench placed upon the pavement the interior of the house was as empty as if it had been to let excepting a few bits of harness hanging against the wall and an old salt box nailed near the gas lamp in which sat a hen hatching as i was told at another was an excessively stout israelite mother with crisp negros hair and long gold earrings rolling her child on the table used for sorting the nuts here the black walls had been chalked over with scores and every corner was filled up with sacks and orange cases before one warehouse a family of six from the father to the infant were busy washing walnuts in a huge tub with a trap in the side and around them were ranged measures of the wet fruit the jewish women are known to make the fondest parents and in dukes place there certainly was no lack of fondlings inside almost every parlour a child was either being nursed or romped with and some little things were being tossed nearly to the ceiling and caught screaming with enjoyment in the jewelled hands of the delighted mother at other shops might be seen a circle of three or four womensome old as if grandmothers grouped admiringly round a hook nosed infant tickling it and poking their fingers at it in a frenzy of affection the counters of these shops are generally placed in the open streets like stalls and the shop itself is used as a store to keep the stock in on these counters are ranged the large matting baskets some piled up with dark brown polished chestnutsshining like a racers neckothers filled with wedge shaped brazil nuts and rough hairy cocoa nuts there are heaps too of newly washed walnuts a few showing their white crumpled kernels as a sample of their excellence before every doorway are long pot bellied boxes of oranges with the yellow fruit just peeping between the laths on top and lemonsyet greenare ranged about in their paper jackets to ripen in the air in front of one store the paving stones were soft with the sawdust emptied from the grape cases and the floor of the shop itself was whitened with the dry powder here stood a man in a long tasselled smoking cap puffing with his bellows at the blue bunches on a tray and about him were the boxes with the paper lids thrown back and the round sea green berries just rising above the sawdust as if floating in it close by was a group of dark eyed women bending over an orange case picking out the rotten from the good fruit while a sallow complexioned girl was busy with her knife scooping out the damaged parts until what with sawdust and orange peel the air smelt like the pit of a circus nothing could be seen in this strange place that did not in some way or another appertain to jewish customs a woman with a heavy gold chain round her neck went past carrying an old green velvet bonnet covered with feathers and a fur tippet that she had either recently purchased or was about to sell another woman whose features showed her to be a gentile was hurrying toward the slop shop in the minories with a richly quilted satin lined coat done up in her shawl and the market basket by her side as if the money due for the work were to be spent directly for housekeeping at the corner of dukes street was a stall kept by a jew who sold things that are eaten only by the hebrews here in a yellow pie dish were pieces of stewed apples floating in a thick puce coloured sauce one man that i spoke to told me that he considered his sunday mornings work a very bad one if he did not sell his five or six hundred bushels of nuts of different kinds he had taken 150 l that day of the street sellers and usually sold his 100 l worth of goods in a morning many others did the same as himself here i met with every attention and was furnished with some valuable statistical information concerning the street trade of orange and lemon selling in the streets of foreign fruits the oranges and nuts supply by far the greater staple for the street trade and therefore demand a brief but still a fuller notice than other articles oranges were first sold in the streets at the 88 close of elizabeths reign so rapidly had the trade increased that four years after her death or in 1607 ben jonson classes orange wives for noisiness with fish wives these women at first carried the oranges in baskets on their heads barrows were afterwards used and now trays are usually slung to the shoulders oranges are brought to this country in cases or boxes containing from 500 to 900 oranges from official tables it appears that between 250 000 000 and 300 000 000 of oranges and lemons are now yearly shipped to england they are sold wholesale principally at public sales in lots of eight boxes the price at such sales varying greatly according to the supply and the quality the supply continues to arrive from october to august oranges are bought by the retailers in dukes place and in covent garden but the costermongers nearly all resort to dukes place and the shopkeepers to covent garden they are sold in baskets of 200 or 300 they are also disposed of by the hundred a half hundred being the smallest quantity sold in dukes place these hundreds however number 110 containing 10 double hands a single hand being 5 oranges the price in december was 2 s 6 d 3 s 6 d and 4 s the hundred they are rarely lower than 4 s about christmas as there is then a better demand for them the damaged oranges are known as specks and the purchaser runs the risk of specks forming a portion of the contents of a basket as he is not allowed to empty it for the examination of the fruit but some salesmen agree to change the specks a month after christmas oranges are generally cheaper and become dearer again about may when there is a great demand for the supply of the fairs and races oranges are sold by all classes connected with the fruit flower or vegetable trade of the streets the majority of the street sellers are however women and children and the great part of these are irish it has been computed that when oranges are at their best generally about easter there are 4 000 persons including stall keepers selling oranges in the metropolis and its suburbs while there are generally 3 000 out of this number working orangesthat is hawking them from street to street of these 300 attend at the doors of the theatres saloons c many of those working the theatres confine their trade to oranges while the other dealers rarely do so but unite with them the sale of nuts of some kind those who sell only oranges or only nuts are mostly children and of the poorest class the smallness of the sum required to provide a stock of oranges a half hundred being 15 d or 18 d enables the poor who cannot raise stock money sufficient to purchase anything else to trade upon a few oranges the regular costers rarely buy oranges until the spring except perhaps for sunday afternoon salethough this as i said before they mostly object to in the spring however they stock their barrows with oranges one man told me that four or five years back he had sold in a day 2 000 oranges that he picked up as a bargain they did not cost him half a farthing each he said he cleared 2 l by the spec at the same period he could earn 5 s or 6 s on a sunday afternoon by the sale of oranges in the street but now he could not earn 2 s a poor irishwoman neither squalid in appearance nor ragged in dress though looking pinched and wretched gave me the subjoined account when i saw her resting with her basket of oranges near coldbath fields prison she told me she almost wished she was inside of it but for the childer her history was one common to her class i was brought over here sir when i was a girl but my father and mother died two or three years after i was in service then and very good service i continued in as a maid of all work and very kind people i met yes indeed though i was irish and a catholic and they was english protistants i saved a little money there and got married my husbands a labourer and when hes in full worruk he can earn 12 s or 14 s a week for hes a good hand and a harrud worruking man and we do middlin thin hes out of worruk now and im forced to thry and sill a few oranges to keep a bit of life in us and my husband minds the childer bad as i do i can do 1 d or 2 d a day profit betther than him poor man for hes tall and big and people thinks if he goes round with a few oranges its just from idleniss and the lorrud above knows hell always worruk whin he can he goes sometimes whin im harrud tired one of us must stay with the childer for the youngist is not three and the ildest not five we dont live we starruve we git a few taties and sometimes a plaice to day ive not taken 3 d as yit sir and its past three oh no indeed and indeed thin i dont make 9 d a day we live accordingly for theres 1 s 3 d a week for rint i have very little harrut to go into the public houses to sill oranges for they begins flying out about the pope and cardinal wiseman as if i had anything to do with it and thats another reason why i like my husband to stay at home and me to go out because hes a hasty man and might get into throuble i dont know what will become of us if times dont turn on calling upon this poor woman on the following day i found her and her children absent the husband had got employment at some distance and she had gone to see if she could not obtain a room 3 d a week cheaper and lodge near the place of work according to the board of trade returns there are nearly two hundred millions of oranges annually imported into this country about one third of these are sold wholesale in london and one fourth of the latter quantity disposed of retail in the streets the returns i have procured touching the london sale prove that no less than 15 500 000 are sold yearly by the street sellers the retail price of these may be 89 said to be upon an average 5 s per 110 and this would give us about 35 000 l for the gross sum of money laid out every year in the streets in the matter of oranges alone the street lemon trade is now insignificant lemons having become a more important article of commerce since the law required foreign bound ships to be provided with lemon juice the street sale is chiefly in the hands of the jews and the irish it does not however call for special notice here of nut selling in the streets the sellers of foreign hazel nuts are principally women and children but the stall keepers and oftentimes the costermongers sell them with other goods the consumption of them is immense the annual export from tarragona being little short of 8 000 tons they are to be found in every poor shop in london as well as in the large towns they are generally to be seen on every street stall in every country village at every fair and on every race ground the supply is from gijon and tarragona the gijon nuts are the spanish or fresh nuts they are sold at public sales in barrels of three bushels each the price being from 35 s to 40 s the nuts from tarragona whence comes the great supply are known as barcelonas and they are kiln dried before they are shipped hence the barcelonas will keep and the spanish will not the spanish are coloured with the fumes of sulphur by the jews in dukes place it is somewhat remarkable that nuts supply employment to a number of girls in spain and then yield the means of a scanty subsistence to a number of girls with or without parents in england the prattle and the laughter according to inglis of the spanish girls who sort find no parallel however among the london girls who sell the nuts the appearance of the latter is often wretched in the winter months they may be seen as if stupified with cold and with the listlessness not to say apathy of those whose diet is poor in quantity and insufficient in amount very few costermongers buy nuts as hazel nuts are always called at the public salesonly those whose dealings are of a wholesale character and they are anything but regular attendants at the sales the street sellers derive nearly the whole of their supply from dukes place the principal times of business are friday afternoons and sunday mornings those who have capital buy on the friday when they say they can make 10 s go as far as 12 s on the sunday the barcelonas are from 4 d to 6 d a quart to the street sellers the cob nuts which are the large size used by the pastry cooks for mottos c are 2 d and 2 d the quart but they are generally destitute of a kernel a quart contains from 100 to 180 nuts according to the size the costermongers buy somewhat largely when nuts are 3 d the quart they then and not unfrequently stock their barrows with nuts entirely but 2 s a day is reckoned excellent earnings at this trade its the worst living of all sir i was told on nuts the sale in the streets is at the fruit stalls in the public houses on board the steamers and at the theatre doors they are sold by the same class as the oranges and a stock may be procured for a smaller sum even than is required for oranges by the outlay of 1 s many an irishwoman can send out her two or three children with nuts reserving some for herself seven eighths of the nuts imported are sold i am assured in the open air some of the costermongers who are to be found in battersea fields and who attend the fairs and races get through 5 s worth of nuts in a day but only exceptionally these men have a sort of portable shooting gallery the customer fires a kind of rifle loaded with a dart and according to the number marked on the centre or on the encircling rings of a board which forms the head of the stall and which may be struck by the dart is the number of nuts payable by the stall keeper for the halfpenny fire the brazil nuts which are now sold largely in the streets at twelve to sixteen a penny were not known in this country as an article of commerce before 1824 they are sold by the peck2 s being the ordinary pricein dukes place coker nutsas they are now generally called and indeed entered as such at the custom house and so written by mr mc culloch to distinguish them from cocoa or the berries of the caco used for chocolate etc are brought from the west indies both british and spanish and brazil they are used as dunnage in the sugar ships being interposed between the hogsheads to steady them and prevent their being flung about the coker nut was introduced into england in 1690 they are sold at public sales and otherwise and bring from 10 s to 14 s per 100 coker nuts are now used at fairs to top the sticks the costermongers rarely speculate in coker nuts now as the boys will not buy them unless cut and it is almost impossible to tell how the coker nut will open the interior is sold in halfpenny worths and penny worths these nuts are often worked with a drum there may be now forty coker nut men in the street trade but not one in ten confines himself to the article a large proportion of the dry or ripe walnuts sold in the streets is from bordeaux they are sold at public sales in barrels of three bushels each realising 21 s to 25 s a barrel they are retailed at from eight to twenty a penny and are sold by all classes of street traders a little girl who looked stunted and wretched and who did not know her age which might be eleven told me she was sent out by her mother with six halfpenny worth of nuts and she must carry back 6 d or she would be beat she had no father and could neither read nor write 90 her mother was an englishwoman she believed and sold oranges she had heard of god he was our father who art in heaven shed heard that said she did not know the lords prayer had never heard of it did not know who the lord was perhaps the lord mayor but she had never been before him she went into public houses with her nuts but did not know whether she was ever insulted or not she did not know what insulted was but she was never badly used she often went into tap rooms with her nuts just to warm herself a man once gave her some hot beer which made her ill her mother was kind enough to her and never beat her but for not taking home 6 d she had a younger brother that did as she did she had bread and potatoes to eat and sometimes tea and sometimes herrings her mother didnt get tipsy at first she did not know what was meant by tipsy above once a week of roasted chestnuts and apples how long the street trade in roasted chestnuts has been carried on i find no means of ascertaining precisely but it is unquestionably one of the oldest of the public traffics before potato cans were introduced the sale of roasted chestnuts was far greater than it is now it is difficult to compute the number of roasted chestnut sellers at present in the streets it is probable that they outnumber 1 000 for i noticed that on a cold day almost every street fruit seller man or woman had roasted chestnuts for sale sometimes the chestnuts are roasted in the streets in a huge iron apparatus made expressly for the purpose and capable of cooking perhaps a bushel at a timebut these are to be found solely at the street markets the ordinary street apparatus for roasting chestnuts is simple a round pan with a few holes punched in it costing 3 d or 4 d in a marine store shop has burning charcoal within it and is surmounted by a second pan or kind of lid containing chestnuts which are thus kept hot during my inquiry chestnuts were dear people dont care i was told whether chestnuts is three and six as they are now or one and six a peck as i hope they will be afore long they wants the same pennyworths chestnuts are generally bought wholesale in dukes place on the sunday mornings for street sale but some street dealers buy them of those costermongers whose means enable them to lay in a quantity the retail customers are for the most part boys and girls or a few labourers or street people the usual price is sixteen a penny roasted apples used to be vended in the streets and often along with roasted chestnuts but it is a trade which has now almost entirely disappeared and its disappearance is attributed to the prevalence of potato cans i had the following account from a woman apparently between sixty and seventy though she said she was only about fifty what she was in her youth she said she neither knew nor cared at any rate she was unwilling to converse about it i found her statement as to chestnuts corroborated the trades nothing to what it was sir she said why when the hackney coaches was in the streets ive often sold 2 s worth of a night at a time for a relish to the hackneymen that was waiting their turn over their beer six and eight a penny was enough then now people must have sixteen though i pays 3 s a peck and to get them at thats a favour i could make my good 12 s a week on roasted chestnuts and apples and as much on other things in them days but im half starved now therell never be such times again people didnt want to cut one anothers throats in the street business then o i dont know anything about how long ago or what yearyears is nothing to mebut i only know that it was so i got a penny a piece then for my roasted apples and a halfpenny for sugar to them i could live then roasted apples was reckoned good for the tooth ache in them days but people change so they arent now i dont know what i make now in chestnuts and apples which is all i sellsperhaps 5 s a week my rents 1 s 3 d a week i lives on a bit of fish or whatever i can get and thats all about it the absolute quantity of oranges lemons and nuts sold annually in the london streets is as follows oranges 15 400 000 lemons 154 000 spanish and barcelona nuts 24 000 bushels brazil do 3 000 chestnuts 6 500 walnuts 24 000 coker nuts 400 000 nuts of dry fruit selling in the streets the sellers of dry fruit cannot be described as a class for with the exception of one old couple none that i know of confine themselves to its sale but resort to it merely when the season prevents their dealing in green fruit or vegetables i have already specified what in commerce is distinguished as dry fruit but its classification among the costers is somewhat narrowed the dry fruit sellers derive their supplies partly from dukes place partly from pudding lane but perhaps principally from the costers concerning whom i have spoken who buy wholesale at the markets and elsewhere and who will clear out a grocer or buy such figs c as a leading tradesman will not allow to be sent or offered to his regular customers although perhaps some of the articles are tolerably good or else the dry fruit men buy a damaged lot of a broker or grocer and pick out all that is eatable or rather saleable the sale of dry fruit is unpopular among the costermongers despite their utmost pains they cannot give to figs or raisins or currants which may be old and stale anything of the bloom and 91 plumpness of good fruit and the price of good fruit is too high for them moreover if the fruit be a damaged lot it is almost always discoloured and the blemish cannot be removed it is impossible to give the average price of dry fruit to the costermonger the quality and the harvest affect the price materially in the regular trade the rule which i am informed the costermonger who sometimes works a barrow of dried fruit observes is this he will aim at cent per cent and to accomplish it slang weights are not unfrequently used the stale fruit is sold by the grocers and the damaged fruit by the warehouses to the costers at from a half but much more frequently a fourth to a twentieth of its prime cost the principal street purchasers are boys a dry fruit seller gave me the following account by half profits he meant cent per cent or in other words that the money he received for his stock was half of it cost price and half profit i sell dry fruit sir in february and march because i must be doing something and green fruits not my money then its a poor trade ive sold figs at 1 d a pound no sir not slang the time i meanand i could hardly make 1 s a day at it though it was half profits our customers look at them quite particler lets see the other side of them figs the boysll say and then theyll out withi say master dyou see any green about me dates i can hardly get off at all no not if they was as cheap as potatoes or cheaper ive been asked by women if dates was good in dumplings ive sometimes said yes though i knew nothing at all about them theyre foreign i cant say where theyre grown almonds and raisins goes off best with us i dont sell them by weight but makes them up in hapenny or penny lots theres two things you see and one helps off the other raisins is dry grapes ive heard ive sold grapes before they was dried at 1 d and 2 d the pound i didnt do no good in any of em 1 s a day on em was the topper for all the half profits ill not touch em again if i aint forced there are a few costers who sell tolerable dry fruit but not to any extent the old couple i have alluded to stand all the year round at the corner of a street running into a great city thoroughfare they are supplied with their fruit i am told through the friendliness of a grocer who charges no profit and sometimes makes a sacrifice for their benefit as i was told that this old couple would not like inquiries to be made of them i at once desisted there are sometimes twenty costermongers selling nothing but dry fruit but more frequently only ten and sometimes only five while perhaps from 300 to 400 sell a few figs c with other things such as late apples the dry fruit being then used just as a fill up according to the returns before given the gross quantity of dry fruit disposed of yearly in the streets of london may be stated as follows 7 000 lbs of shell almonds 37 800 raisins 24 300 figs 4 200 prunes of the street sale of vegetables the seller of fruit in the streets confines his traffic far more closely to fruit than does the vegetable dealer to vegetables within these three or four years many street traders sell only fruit the year through but the purveyor of vegetables now usually sells fish with his cabbages turnips cauliflowers or other garden stuff the fish that he carries out on his round generally consists of soles mackerel or fresh or salt herrings this combination of the street green grocer and street fishmonger is called a general dealer the general dealers are usually accompanied by boys as i have elsewhere shown and sometimes by their wives if a woman be a general dealer she is mostly to be found at a stall or standing and not going a round the general dealer works everything through the season he generally begins the year with sprats or plaice then he deals in soles until the month of may after this he takes to mackerel haddocks or red herrings next he trades in strawberries or raspberries from these he will turn to green and ripe gooseberries thence he will go to cherries from cherries he will change to red or white currants from them to plums or green gages and from them again to apples and pears and damsons after these he mostly works a few vegetables and continues with them until the fish season begins again some general dealers occasionally trade in sweetmeats but this is not usual and is looked down upon by the trade i am a general dealer said one of the better class my missis is in the same line as myself and sells everything that i do barring green stuff she follows me always in what i sell she has a stall and sits at the corner of the street i have got three children the eldest is ten and goes out with me to call my goods for me i have had inflammation in the lungs and when i call my goods for a little while my voice leaves me my missis is lame she fell down a cellar when a child and injured her hip last october twelvemonth i was laid up with cold which settled on my lungs and laid me in my bed for a month my missis kept me all that time she was working fresh herrings and if it hadnt been for her we must all have gone into the workhouse we are doing very badly now i have no work to do i have no stock money to work with and i object to pay 1 s 6 d a week for the loan of 10 s once i gave a man 1 s 6 d a week for ten months for the loan of 10 s and that nearly did me up i 92 have had 8 s of the same party since and paid 1 s a week for eight weeks for the loan of it i consider it most extortionate to have to pay 2 d a day for the loan of 8 s and wont do it when the season gets a bit better i shall borrow a shilling of one friend and a shilling of another and then muddle on with as much stock money as i can scrape together my missis is at home now doing nothing last week its impossible to say what she took for were obliged to buy victuals and firing with it as we take it she cant go out charing on account of her hip when she is out and i am out the children play about in the streets only last saturday week she was obligated to take the shoes off her feet to get the children some victuals we owe two weeks rent and the landlord though ive lived in the house five years is as sharp as if i was a stranger why sir said another vegetable dealer who was a robust looking young man very clean in his person and dressed in costermonger corduroy i can hardly say what my business is worth to me for im no scholard i was brought up to the business by my mother ive a middling connection and perhaps clear 3 s a day every fine day or 15 s or 16 s a week but out of that theres my donkey to keep which i suppose costs 6 d a day thats seven sixpences off wet or fine she must be fed in coorse so must i but ive only myself to keep at present and i hire a lad when i want one i work my own trap then things is so uncertain why now look here sir last friday i think it wasbut that dont matter for it often happensfresh herrings was 4 s the 500 in the morning and 1 s 6 d at night so many had come in i buy at billingsgate market and sometimes of a large shopkeeper and at covent garden and the borough if i lay out 7 s in a nice lot of cabbages i may sell them for 10 s 6 d or if it isnt a lucky day with me for 8 s or less sometimes people wont buy as if the cholera was in the cabbages then turnips isnt such good sale yet but they may be soon for winters best for them theres more bilings then than theres roastings i think people like broth in cold weather i buy turnips by the tally a tallys five dozen bunches theres no confinement of the number to a bunch its by their size ive known twelve and ive known twice that i sell three parts of the turnips at 1 d a bunch and the other part at 1 d if i get them at 3 s 6 d the tally i do well on turnips i go the same rounds pretty regularly every day or almost every day i dont object to wet weather so much because women dont like to stir out then and so theyll buy of me as i pass carrots i do little in theyre dear but theyll be cheaper in a month or two they always are i dont work on sundays if i did id get a jacketing our chaps would say well you are a scurf you have a round give another man a sunday chance a gentleman once said to me when i was obligated to work on a sunday why dont you leave it off when you know it aint right well sir said i and he spoke very kind to me well sir im working for my dinner and if youll give me 4 s or 3 s 6 d ill tumble to your notion and drop it and ill give you these here cowcumbers i was working cowcumbers at that time to do what you like with and they cost me half a crown in potatoes i dont do a great deal and its no great trade if i did i should buy at the warehouses in tooley street where they are sold in sacks of 1 cwt 150 lbs and 200 lbs at 2 s 9 d and 3 s the cwt i sell mine tidy good at 3 pound 2 d and a halfpenny a pound but as i dont do much not a bushel a day i buy at market by the bushel at from 1 s 6 d to 2 s i never uses slangs i sold three times as many potatoes as i do now four years back i dont know why cept it be that the rot set people again them and their tastes gone another way i sell a few more greens than i did but not many spinach i dont do only a little in it celery im seldom able to get rid on its more womens work ing uns the same i may add that i found the class who confined their business principally to the sale of vegetables the dullest of all the costermongers any man may labour to make 1 s 6 d of cabbages or turnips which cost him 1 s when the calculation as to the relative proportion of measures c is beyond his comprehension pursuing the same mode of calculation as has been heretofore adopted we find that the absolute quantity of vegetables sold in the london streets by the costers is as follows 20 700 000 lbs of potatoes home grown 39 800 000 foreign 23 760 133 cabbages 3 264 800 turnips 616 666 junks of turnip tops 601 000 carrots 567 300 brocoli and cauliflowers 219 000 bushels of peas 8 893 beans 22 110 french beans 25 608 dozens of vegetable marrows 489 dozen bundles of asparagus 9 120 rhubarb 4 350 celery 561 600 lettuces 13 291 dozen hands of radishes 499 533 bushels of onions 23 600 dozen bunches of spring onions 10 920 bushels of cucumbers 3 290 dozen bunches of herbs of the aristocratic vegetable sale in designating these dealers i use a word not uncommon among the costermongers these aristocratic sellers who are not one in twenty or perhaps in twenty five of the whole body of costermongers are generally men of superior manners and better dressed than their brethren the following narrative given to me by one of the body shows the nature of the trade it depends a good deal upon the season and the price as to what i begin with in the haristocratic way my rounds are always in the 93 suburbs i sell neither in the streets nor squares in town i like it best where there are detached villas and best of all where there are kept mistresses they are the best of all customers to men like me we talk our customers over among ourselves and generally know whos who one way by which we know the kept ladies is they never sell cast off clothes as some ladies do for new potatoes or early peas now my worst customers as to price are the ladiesor gentlementheyre both of a kidneywhat keeps fashionable schools they are the people to drive a bargain but then they buy largely some buy entirely of costermongers theres one gent of a school keeper buys so much and knows so well what oclock it is that im satisfied he saves many a pound a year by buying of us stead of the greengrocers perhaps i begin the season in the haristocratic way with early lettuces for salads i carry my goods in handsome baskets and sometimes with a boy or a boy and a girl to help me i buy my lettuces by the score of heads when first in at 1 s 6 d and sell them at 1 d each which is 1 s profit on a score i have sold twenty and i once sold thirty score that way in a day the profit on the thirty was 2 l 5 s but out of that i had to pay three boys for i took three with me and our expenses was 7 s but you must consider sir that this is a precarious trade such goods are delicate and spoil if they dont go off i give credit sometimes if anybody i know says he has no change i never lost nothing then theres grass asparagus and thats often good money i buy all mine at covent garden where its sold in bundles according to the earliness of the season at from 5 s to 1 s containing from six to ten dozen squibs heads these you have to take home untie cut off the scraggy ends trim and scrape and make them level children help me to do this in the court where i live i give them a few hapence though theyre eager enough to do it for nothing but the fun ive had 10 s worth made ready in half an hour well now sir about grass theres not a coster in london im sure ever tasted it and how its eaten puzzles us i explained the manner in which asparagus was brought to table thats the ticket is it sir well i was once at the surrey and there was some macaroni eaten on the stage and i thought grass was eaten in the same way perhaps swallowed like one oclock rather a favourite comparison among the costers i have the grassits always called when cried in the streets spar row gra asstied up in bundles of a dozen twelve to a dozen or one over and for these i never expect less than 6 d for a three or four dozen lot in a neat sieve i ask 2 s 6 d and never take less than 1 s 3 d i once walked thirty five miles with grass and have oft enough been thirty miles i made 7 s or 8 s a day by it and next day or two perhaps nothing or may be had but one customer ive sold half crown lots on a saturday night for a sixpence and it was sold some time back at 2 d a bundle in the new cut to poor people i dare say some as bought it had been maid servants and understood it ive raffled 5 s worth of grass in the parlour of a respectable country inn of an evening the costers generally buy new potatoes at 4 s to 5 s the bushel and cry them at three pound tuppence but ive given 7 s a bushel for choice and early and sold them at 2 d a pound its no great trade for the bushel may weigh only 50 lb and at 2 d a pound thats only 8 s 4 d the schools dont buy at all until theyre 1 d the pound and dont buy in any quantity until theyre 1 s 6 d the 25 lb one day a school stonished me by giving me 2 s 6 d for 25 lb which is the general weight of the half bushel perhaps the master had taken a drop of something short that morning the schools are dreadful screws to be sure green peas early ones i dont buy when they first come in for then theyre very dear but when theyre 4 s or 3 s 6 d a bushel and thats pretty soon i can make five pecks of a bushel schools dont touch peas till theyre 2 s a bushel cowcumbers were an aristocratic sale four or five years ago they were looked upon when first in and with a beautiful bloom upon them as the finest possible relish but the cholera came in 1849 and everybodyspecially the womenthought the cholera was in cowcumbers and ive known cases foreign and english sent from the borough market for manure i sell a good many mushrooms i sometimes can pick up a cheap lot at covent garden i make them up in neat sieves of three dozen to eight dozen according to size and i have sold them at 4 s the sieve and made half that on each sieve i sold they are down to 1 s or 1 s 6 d a sieve very soon green walnuts for pickling i sell a quantity of one day i sold 20 s worthhalf profiti got them so cheap but that was an exception i sold them cheap too one lady has bought a bushel and a half at a time for walnut catsup the refuse of the walnut is used its picked up in the court where ive got children or poor fellows for a few hapence or a pint of beer to help me to peel the walnuts of onion selling in the streets the sale of onions in the streets is immense they are now sold at the markets at an average of 2 s a bushel two years ago they were 1s and they have been 4 s and up to 7 s the bushel they are now twisted into ropes for street sale the ropes are of straw into which the roots are platted and secured firmly enough so that the ropes can be hung up these have superseded the netted onions formerly sold by the jew boys the plaiting or twisting is done rapidly by the women and a straw bonnet maker described it to me as somewhat after the mode of her trade only that the top or projecting portion of the stem of the onion was twisted within the straw 94 instead of its being plaited close and flat together the trade in rope onions is almost entirely in the hands of the irish women and girls there are now it is said from 800 to 1000 persons engaged in it onion selling can be started on a small amount of capital from 6 d to 1 s which is no doubt one inducement for those poor persons to resort to it the sixpenny ropes bunches or strings i heard each word applied contain from three to four dozen the penny bunches from six to twenty roots according to size and the intermediate and higher priced bunches in proportion before christmas a good many shilling lots are sold among the costermongers i heard this useful rootwhich the learned in such matters have pronounced to be along with the mushroom the foundation of every sauce ancient or moderncalled ing guns ing ans injens injyens inions innons almost everything but onions an irishwoman apparently of thirty five but in all probability youngershe did not know her agegave me the following account her face with its strongly marked irish features was almost purpled from constant exposure to the weather she was a teetotaller she was communicative and garrulous even beyond the average of her countrywomen she was decently clad had been in london fifteen years she thought having been brought from ireland vi bristol by her parents both dead she herself was a widow her husband a bricklayer she called him probably a bricklayers labourer having died of the cholera in 1849 i take up her statement from that period yes indeed sir he diedthe heavins be his bed and he was prepared by father m we had our thrials togither but sores been the cross and heavy the burthin since it plased god to call him thin theres the two childer biddy and ned theyll be tin and theyll be eight come their next burreth days plase the lorrud they can hilp me now they can they sells ing uns as well i ropes em for em how is ing uns roped shure thinbut its not mocking me your onnur isshure thin a gintleman like you that can write like a horrus a galloping and perhaps is as larned as a praste glory be to god must know how to rope ing uns poor people can do it some say its a sacrit but thats all a say or there couldnt be so many ropes a silling i buy the sthraw at a sthraw dalers twopinnorth at a time thatll make six or twilve ropes according to what they are sixpinny or what its as sthraight as it can be grown the sthraw that it is indeed och sir weve had manys the black day me and the childer poor things its thim i care about butgods name be praised weve got on somehow another poor womanshes a widdur too hilp her and me has a 2 s room for the two of us weve our siprate furnithur she has only hersilf but is fond of the childer as you or your ladybliss her if youve got onemight be if you was with them i can read a little mysilf at laste i could oncte and i gits them a bit o schoolin now and thin whin i can of an evenin mostly i cant write a letther i wish i could shure thin sir ill tell you the thruthwe does best on ing uns oranges is nixt and nuts isnt near so good the three of us now makes 1 s and sometimes 1 s 6 d a day and thats grand doins we may sill bechuxt us from two to three dozin ropes a day im quick at roping the ing uns i never noted how many ropes an hour i buy them of a thradesman an honist gintleman i know and i see him at mass ivery sunday and he gives me as many as he can for 1 s or what it is we has 1 d plase god on ivery 6 d yis sir perhaps more sometimes ill not tell your onnur a bit of a lie and so we now get a nice bit o fish with a bit of liver on a sunday i sell to the thradesmen and the lodgers of them about here tottenham court road and in many other parruts for we thravels a dale the childer always goes the same round we follows one another ive sould in the sthreets ever since ive been in this counthry the greatest sum of money expended by the poor upon any vegetable after potatoes is spent upon onions99 900 l being annually devoted to the purchase of that article to those who know the habits of the poor this will appear in no way singulara piece of bread and an onion being to the english labourer what bread and an apple or a bunch of grapes is to the french peasantoften his dinner of pot herbs and celery i use the old phrase pot herbs for such productions as sage thyme mint parsley sweet marjoram fennel though the last is rarely sold by the street people c but herbs is the usual term more herbs such as agrimony balm balsam wormwood tansy c used to be sold in the streets these were often used for teas medicinally perhaps except tansy which being a strong aromatic was used to flavour puddings wormwood too was often bought to throw amongst woollen fabrics as a protective against the attack of moths the street herb trade is now almost entirely in the hands of irishwomen and is generally carried on during the autumn and winter at stalls with it is most commonly united the sale of celery the herbs are sold at the several markets usually in shilling lots but a quarter of a shilling lot may be purchased the irishwoman pursues a simple method of business what has cost her 1 s she divides into 24 lots each of 1 d or she will sell half of a lot for a halfpenny an irishwoman said to me thrade isnt good sir it falls and it falls i dont sell so many herrubs or so much ciliry as i did whin mate was higher poor people thin ive often been said it used to buy bones and bile them for broth with ciliry and the beautiful herrubs now they buys a bit of mate and ates it without brothing its good one way and its bad another only last sathurday night my husbandand a good husband hes to me though he is a london man for he knows how to make 95 a bargainhe bought a bit of mutton afore the stroke of twilve in newgit markit at 2 d the pound i dont know what parrut it was i dont understand that but he does and tills me how to cook it he has worruk at the docks but not very rigular i think i sill most parrusley whin frish herrings is chape some biles them with parrusley and some fries them with ing uns no sir i dont make sixpence a day not half a crown a week im shure whin herrubs isnt inand theyre autumn and winther things and so is ciliryi sills anything gooseberries and currints or anything if id had a family i couldnt have had a shoe to my futt gross value of the fruit and vegetables sold annually in the london streets to complete the present account of the costermongers trade we must now estimate the money value of the fruit and vegetables disposed of by them throughout the year the money annually spent in fish by the humbler portion of the metropolitan population comes to as we have seen very nearly one million five hundred thousand pounds sterlingthe sum laid out in fruit and vegetables we shall find is but little more than a third of this amount green fruit 377 500 bushels of apples at six a penny or 4 s per bush 288 to the bushel 75 500 193 700 bushels of pears at 5 s per bushel 48 400 1 215 360 lbs of cherries at 2 d per lb 10 000 11 700 bushels of plums at 1 d per half pint 6 240 100 bushels of greengages at 1 d per half pint 80 548 bushels of damsons at 1 d per half pint 430 2 450 bushels of bullace at 1 d per half pint 1 950 207 500 bushels of gooseberries at 3 d per quart 83 000 85 500 sieves of red currants at 1 d per pint three half sieves to the bushel 15 200 13 500 sieves of black currants at 1 d per pint three half sieves to the bushel 2 400 3 000 sieves of white currants at 1 d per pint three half sieves to the bushel 530 763 750 pottles of strawberries at 2 d per pottle 6 360 1 760 pottles of raspberries at 6 d per pottle 40 30 485 pottles of mulberries at 6 d per pottle 760 6 000 bushels of hazel nuts at d per half pint 2 400 17 280 lbs of filberts at 3 d per lb 200 26 563 lbs of grapes at 4 d per lb 440 20 000 pine apples at 6 d each 500 15 400 000 oranges at two for 1 d 32 000 154 000 lemons at two for 1 d 320 24 000 bushels of spanish and barcelona nuts at 6 d per quart 19 200 3 000 bushels of brazil nuts 1500 to the bushel at fifteen for 1 d 1 250 6 500 bushels of chestnuts 1500 to the bushel at fifteen for 1 d 2 700 24 000 bushels of walnuts 1750 to the bushel at ten for 1 d 17 500 400 000 coker nuts at 3 d each 5 000 total expended yearly in green fruit 332 400 dry fruit 7 000 lbs of shell almonds at 20 a penny 320 to the lb 460 37 800 lbs of raisins at 2 d per lb 300 24 300 lbs of figs at 2 d per lb 200 4 800 lbs of prunes at 2 d per lb 40 total expended yearly on dry fruit 1 000 vegetables 60 500 000 lbs of potatoes at 5lbs for 2 d 100 800 23 760 000 cabbages at d each 49 500 3 264 800 turnips at 1 d per doz 1 700 601 000 carrots at 2 d per doz 520 567 300 brocoli and cauliflowers at 1 d per head 2 360 616 666 junks of turnip tops at 4 d per junk 10 270 219 000 bushels of peas at 1 s 6 d per bushel 16 420 8 890 bushels of beans at 1 s 6 d per bushel 660 22 110 bushels of french beans at 6 d per peck or 2 s per bushel 2 210 25 608 vegetable marrows at d each 50 489 dozen bundles of asparagus at 2 s 6 d per bundle 4 d or 6 d a doz heads 730 9 120 dozen bundles of rhubarb at 2 s 6 d per doz 1 140 4 350 dozen bundles of celery at 3 d per bundle 650 561 602 lettuces at 3 a penny 780 13 291 dozen hands of radishes at 3 bunches for 1 d and 6 bunches to the hand 1 330 499 530 bushels of onions at 4 s per bushel 99 900 10 920 bushels of cucumbers at 1 d each 60 to the bush 2 730 3 290 dozen bundles of herbs at 3 d a bundle 490 total expended yearly in vegetables 292 240 96 putting the above sums together we have the following aggregate result expended yearly in green fruit 332 400 expended yearly in dry fruit 1 000 expended yearly in vegetables 292 240 gross sum taken annually by the london costermongers for fruit and vegetables 625 640 then adding the above to the gross amount received by the street sellers of fish which we have before seen comes to as much as 1 460 850 we have for the annual income of the london costermongers no less a sum than 2 086 490 of the stationary street sellers of fish fruit and vegetables of the number of street stalls thus far we have dealt only with the itinerant dealers in fish fruit or vegetables but there are still a large class of street sellers who obtain a living by the sale of the same articles at some fixed locality in the public thoroughfares and as these differ from the others in certain points they demand a short special notice here first as to the number of stalls in the streets of london i caused personal observations to be made and in a walk of 46 miles 632 stalls were counted which is at the rate of very nearly 14 to the mile this too was in bad weather was not on a saturday night and at a season when the fruit sellers all declare that things is dull the routes taken in this inquiry were no 1 from vauxhall to hatton garden no 2 from baker street to bermondsey no 3 from blackwall to brompton no 4 from the hackney road to the edgeware road i give the results f fr v m t no 1 9 28 5 7 49 2 37 50 4 14 105 3 90 153 30 40 313 4 75 52 23 15 165 211 283 62 76 632 f denotes fish stalls fr fruit stalls v vegetable stalls m miscellaneous and t presents the total the miscellaneous stalls include peas soup pickled whelks sweetmeats toys tin ware elder wine and jewellery stands of these the toy stalls were found to be the most numerous sweetmeats the next tin ware the next while the elder wine stalls were least numerous some of the results indicate curiously enough the character of the locality thus in fleet street there were 3 in the haymarket 5 in regent street 6 and in piccadilly 14 fruit stalls and no fish stallsthese streets not being resorted to by the poor to whom fruit is a luxury but fish a necessity in the strand were 17 fruit and 2 fish stalls and in drury lane were 8 stalls of fish to 6 of fruit on the other hand there were in ratcliffe highway 38 fish and 23 fruit stalls in rosemary lane 13 fish and 8 fruit stalls in shoreditch 28 fish and 13 fruit stalls and in bethnal green road the poorest district of all 14 of the fish and but 3 of the fruit stalls in some places the numbers were equal or nearly so as in the minories for instance the city road the new road goodge street tottenham court road and the camberwell road while in smithfield were 5 and in cow cross 2 fish stalls and no fruit stalls at all in this enumeration the street markets of leather lane the new cut the brill c are not included the result of this survey of the principal london thoroughfares is that in the mid route viz from brompton along piccadilly the strand fleet street and so vi the commercial road to blackwall there are twice as many stalls as in the great northern thoroughfare that is to say from the edgeware road along the new road to the hackney road the latter route however has more than one third as many stalls as route no 2 and that again more than double the number of route no 1 hence it appears that the more frequented the thoroughfare the greater the quantity of street stalls the number of miles of streets contained within the inner police district of the metropolis are estimated by the authorities at 2 000 including the city and assuming that there are on an average only four stalls to the mile throughout london we have thus a grand total of 8 000 fish fruit vegetable and other stalls dispersed throughout the capital the irish street seller sweet chany two a pinny or r rangestwo a pinny from a daguerreotype by beard concerning the character of the stalls at the street markets the following observations have been made at the new cut there were before the removals between the hours of eight and ten on a saturday evening ranged along the kerb stone on the north side of the road beginning at broad wall to marsh gate a distance of nearly half a mile a dense line of pitchesat 77 of which were vegetables for sale at 40 fruit 25 fish 22 boots and shoes 14 eatables consisting of cakes and pies hot eels baked potatoes and boiled whelks 10 dealt in nightcaps lace ladies collars artificial flowers silk and straw bonnets 10 in tinwaresuch as saucepans tea kettles and dutch ovens 9 in crockery and glass 7 in brooms and brushes 5 in poultry and rabbits 6 in paper books songs and almanacs and about 60 in sundries 99 of the character of the street stalls the stalls occupied by costermongers for the sale of fish fruit vegetables c are chiefly constructed of a double cross trestle or moveable frame or else of two trestles each with three legs upon which is laid a long deal board or tray some of the stalls consist merely of a few boards resting upon two baskets or upon two herring barrels the fish stalls are mostly covered with papergenerally old newspapers or periodicalsbut some of the street fishmongers instead of using paper to display their fish upon have introduced a thin marble slab which gives the stall a cleaner and what they consider a high attribute a respectable appearance most of the fruit stalls are in the winter time fitted up with an apparatus for roasting apples and chestnuts this generally consists of an old saucepan with a fire inside and the woman who vends them huddled up in her old faded shawl or cloak often presents a picturesque appearance in the early evening or in a fog with the gleam of the fire lighting up her half somnolent figure within the last two or three years however there has been so large a business carried on in roasted chestnuts that it has become a distinct street trade and the vendors have provided themselves with an iron apparatus large enough to roast nearly half a bushel at a time at the present time however the larger apparatus is less common in the streets and more frequent in the shops than in the previous winter there are moreover peculiar kinds of stallssuch as the hot eels and hot peas soup stalls having tin oval pots with a small chafing dish containing a charcoal fire underneath each to keep the eels or soup hot the early breakfast stall has two capacious tin cans filled with tea or coffee kept hot by the means before described and some are lighted up by two or three large oil lamps the majority of these stalls in the winter time are sheltered from the wind by a screen made out of an old clothes horse covered with tarpaulin the cough drop stand with its distilling apparatus the tin worm curling nearly the whole length of the tray has but lately been introduced the nut stall is fitted up with a target at the back of it the ginger beer stand may be seen in almost every street with its french polished mahogany frame and bright polished taps and its foot bath shaped reservoir of water to cleanse the glasses the hot elder wine stand with its bright brass urns is equally popular the sellers of plum pudding cake a penny a slice sweetmeats cough drops pin cushions jewellery chimney ornaments tea and table spoons make use of a table covered over some with old newspapers or a piece of oil cloth upon which are exposed their articles for sale such is the usual character of the street stalls there are however stands or cans peculiar to certain branches of the street trade the most important of these such as the baked potato can and the meat pie stand i have before described p 27 the other means adopted by the street sellers for the exhibition of their various goods at certain pitches or fixed localities are as follows straw bonnets boys caps womens caps and prints are generally arranged for sale in large umbrellas placed upside down haberdashery with rolls of ribbons edgings and lace some street sellers display on a stall whilst others have a board at the edge of the pavement and expose their wares upon it as tastefully as they can old shoes patched up and well blacked ready for the purchasers feet and tin ware are often ranged upon the ground or where the stock is small a stall or table is used many stationary street sellers use merely baskets or trays either supported in their hand or on their arm or else they are strapped round their loins or suspended round their necks these are mostly fruit women watercress blacking congreves sheeps trotters and ham sandwich sellers many stationary street sellers stand on or near the bridges others near the steam packet wharfs or the railway terminuses a great number of them take their pitch at the entrance to a court or at the corners of streets and stall keepers with oysters stand opposite the doors of public houses it is customary for a street seller who wants to pitch in a new locality to solicit the leave of the housekeeper opposite whose premises he desires to place his stall such leave obtained no other course is necessary of fruit stall keepers i had the following statement from a woman who has kept a stall in marylebone at the corner of a street which she calls my corner for 38 years i was referred to her as a curious type of the class of stall keepers and on my visit found her daughter at the pitch this daughter had all the eloquence which is attractive in a street seller and so i found had her mother when she joined us they are profuse in blessings and on a bystander observing when he heard the name of these street sellers that a jockey of that name had won the derby lately the daughter exclaimed to be sure he did hes my own uncles relation and what a lot of money came into the family bless god for all things and bless every body walnuts sir walnuts a penny a dozen wouldnt give you a bad one for the world which is a great thing for a poor oman for to offer to do the daughter was dressed in a drab great coat which covered her whole person when i saw the mother she carried a similar great coat as she was on her way to the stall and she used it as ladies do their muffs burying her hands in it the mothers dark coloured old clothes seemed to borrow a description from sir walter scott flung on with a pitchfork these two women were at first very suspicious and could not be made to understand my object in questioning 100 them but after a little while the mother became not only communicative but garrulous conversingwith no small impatience at any interruptionof the doings of the people in her neighbourhood i was accompanied by an intelligent costermonger who assured me of his certitude that the old womans statement was perfectly correct and i found moreover from other inquiries that it was so well sir she began what is it that you want of me do i owe you anything theres half pay officers about here for no good what is it you want hold your tongue you young fool to her daughter who was beginning to speak what do you know about it on my satisfying her that i had no desire to injure her she continued to say after spitting a common practice with her class on a piece of money for luck certainly sir thats very proper and good aye ive seen the worldthe town world and the country i dont know where i was born never mind about thatits nothing to nobody i dont know nothing about my father and mother but i know that afore i was eleven i went through the country with my missis she was a smuggler i didnt know then what smuggling wasbless you sir i didnt i knew no more nor i know who made that lamp post i didnt know the taste of the stuff we smuggled for two yearsdidnt know it from small beer ive known it well enough since god knows my missis made a deal of money that time at deptford dockyard the men wasnt paid and let out till twelve of a nighti hardly mind what night it was days was so alike thenand they was our customers till one two or three in the morningsunday morning for anything i know i dont know what my missis gained something jolly theres not a fear of it she was kind enough to me i dont know how long i was with missis after that i was a hopping and made my 15 s regular at it and a haymaking but ive had a pitch at my corner for thirty eight yearaye turned thirty eight its no use asking me what i made at firsti cant tell but im sure i made more than twice as much as my daughter and me makes now the two of us i wish people that thinks were idle now were with me for a day id teach them i dontthats the two of us dontmake 15 s a week now nor the half of it when alls paid dd if i do the dd boys take care of that here i had a statement of the boys tradings similar to what i have given theres canterbury has lots of boys and they bother me i can tell and always could how it is with working men when mechanics is in good work their children has halfpennies to spend with me if theyre hard up theres no halfpennies the pennies go to a loaf or to buy a candle i might have saved money once but had a misfortunate family my husband o never mind about him dn him ive been a widow many years my sonits nothing how many children i haveis married he had the care of an ingine but he lost it from ill health it was in a feather house and the flue got down his throat and coughed him and so he went into the country 108 miles off to his wifes mother but his wifes mother got her living by wooding and other ways and couldnt help him or his wife so he left and hes with me now he has a job sometimes with a greengrocer at 6 d a day and a bit of grub a little bitvery i must shelter him i couldnt turn him out if a turk i knew was in distress and i had only half a loaf id give him half of that if he was ever such a turki would sir out of 6 d a day my sonpoor fellow hes only twenty seven wants a bit of baccy and a pint of beer it ud be unnatural to oppose that wouldnt it sir he frets about his wife thats staying with her mother 108 miles off and about his little girl but i tell him to wait and he may have more little girls god knows they come when theyre not wanted a bit i joke and say all my old sweethearts is dying away old jemmy went off sudden he lent me money sometimes but i always paid him he had a public once and had some money when he died i saw him the day afore he died he was in bed but wasnt his own man quite though he spoke sensible enough to me he said said he wont you have half a quartern of rum as weve often had it certainly jemmy says i i came for that very thing poor fellow his friends are quarrelling now about what he left its 56 l they say and theyll go to law very likely and lose every thing therell be no such quarrelling when i die unless it is for the pawn tickets i get a meal now and got a meal afore but it was a better meal then sir then look at my expenses i was a customer once i used to buy and plenty such did blue cloth aprons opposite drury lane theatre the very shops there still but i dont know what it is now i cant call to mind i gave 2 s 6 d a yard from twenty to thirty years ago for an apron and it took two yards and i paid 4 d for making it and so an apron cost 5 s 4 d that wasnt much thought of in those times i used to be different off then i never go to church i used to go when i was a little child at sevenoaks i suppose i was born somewhere thereabouts ive forgot what the inside of a church is like theres no costermongers ever go to church except the rogues of them that wants to appear good i buy my fruit at covent garden apples is now 4 s 6 d a bushel there i may make twice that in selling them but a bushel may last me two three or four days as i have already under the street sale of fish given an account of the oyster stall keeper as well as the stationary dealers in sprats and the principal varieties of wet fish there is no necessity for me to continue this part of my subject we have now in a measure finished with the metropolitan costermongers we have seen that the street sellers of fish fruit and vegetables 101 constitute a large proportion of the london population the men women and children numbering at the least 30 000 and taking as much as 2 000 000 l per annum we have seen moreover that these are the principal purveyors of food to the poor and that consequently they are as important a body of people as they are numerous of all classes they should be the most honest since the poor least of all can afford to be cheated and yet it has been shown that the consciences of the london costermongers generally speaking are as little developed as their intellects indeed the moral and religious state of these men is a foul disgrace to us laughing to scorn our zeal for the propagation of the gospel in foreign parts and making our many societies for the civilization of savages on the other side of the globe appear like a delusion a mockery and a snare when we have so many people sunk in the lowest depths of barbarism round about our very homes it is well to have bishops of new zealand when we have christianized all our own heathen but with 30 000 individuals in merely one of our cities utterly creedless mindless and principleless surely it would look more like earnestness on our parts if we created bishops of the new cut and sent right reverend fathers to watch over the cure of souls in the broadway and the brill if our sense of duty will not rouse us to do this at least our regard for our own interests should teach us that it is not safe to allow this vast dungheap of ignorance and vice to seethe and fester breeding a social pestilence in the very heart of our land that the costermongers belong essentially to the dangerous classes none can doubt and those who know a costers hatred of a crusher will not hesitate to believe that they are as they themselves confess one and all ready upon the least disturbance to seize and disable their policeman it would be a marvel indeed if it were otherwise denied the right of getting a living by the street authorities after having perhaps been supplied with the means of so doing by the parish authoritiesthe stock which the one had provided seized and confiscated by the otherlaw seems to them a mere farce or at best but the exercise of an arbitrary and despotic power against which they consider themselves justified whenever an opportunity presents itself of using the same physical force as it brings to bear against them that they are ignorant and vicious as they are surely is not their fault if we were all born with learning and virtue then might we with some show of justice blame the costermongers for their want of both but seeing that even the most moral and intelligent of us owe the greater part if not the whole of our wisdom and goodness to the tuition of others we must not in the arrogance of our self conceit condemn these men because they are not like ourselves when it is evident that we should have been as they are had not some one done for us what we refuse to do for them we leave them destitute of all perception of beauty and therefore without any means of pleasure but through their appetites and then we are surprized to find their evenings are passed either in brutalizing themselves with beer or in gloating over the mimic sensuality of the penny gaff without the least intellectual culture is it likely moreover that they should have that perception of antecedents and consequents which enables us to see in the shadows of the past the types of the futureor that power of projecting the mind into the space as it were of time which we in saxon english call fore sight and in anglo latin pro videncea power so godlike that the latter term is often used by us to express the godhead itself is it possible then that men who are as much creatures of the present as the beasts of the fieldinstinctless animalsshould have the least faculty of pre vision or rather is it not natural that following the most precarious of all occupationsone in which the subsistence depends upon the weather of this the most variable climate of anythey should fail to make the affluence of the fine days mitigate the starvation of the rainy ones or that their appetites made doubly eager by the privations suffered in their adversity should be indulged in all kinds of excess in their prosperitytheir lives being thus as it were a series of alternations between starvation and surfeit the fate of children brought up amid the influence of such sceneswith parents starving one week and drunk all the nextturned loose into the streets as soon as they are old enough to run alonesent out to sell in public houses almost before they know how to put two halfpence togethertheir tastes trained to libidinism long before puberty at the penny concert and their passions inflamed with the unrestrained intercourse of the twopenny hopsthe fate of the young i say abandoned to the blight of such associations as these cannot well be otherwise than it is if the child be father to the man assuredly it does not require a great effort of imagination to conceive the manhood that such a childhood must necessarily engender some months back mr mayhew with a view to mitigate what appeared to him to be the chief evils of a street sellers life founded the friendly association of london costermongers the objects of which were as follows 1 to establish a benefit and provident fund for insuring to each member a small weekly allowance in sickness or old age as well as a certain sum to his family at his death so that the costermongers when incapacitated from labour may not be forced to seek parochial relief nor at their decease be left to be buried by the parish 2 to institute a penny savings bank and winter fund where the smallest deposits will be received and bear interest so that the costermongers may be encouraged to lay by even the most trivial sums not only as a provision for future comfort but as the means of assisting their poorer brethren with future loans 102 3 to form a small loan fund for supplying the more needy costermongers with stock money c at a fair and legitimate interest instead of the exorbitant rates that are now charged 4 to promote the use of full weights and measures by every member of the association as well as a rigid inspection of the scales c of all other costermongers so that the honestly disposed street sellers may be protected and the public secured against imposition 5 to protect the costermongers from interference when lawfully pursuing their calling by placing it in their power to employ counsel to defend them if unjustly prosecuted 6 to provide harmless if not rational amusements at the same cheap rate as the pernicious entertainments now resorted to by the street sellers 7 to adopt means for the gratuitous education of the children of the costermongers in the day time and the men and women themselves in the evening this institution remains at present comparatively in abeyance from the want of funds to complete the preliminary arrangements those however who may feel inclined to contribute towards its establishment will please to pay their subscriptions into messrs twinings bank strand to the account of thomas hughes esq of 63 upper berkeley street portman square who has kindly consented to act as treasurer to the association of a public meeting of street sellers the association above described arose out of a meeting of costermongers and other street folk which was held at my instance on the evening of the 12th of june last in the national hall holborn the meeting was announced as one of street sellers street performers and street labourers but the costermongers were the great majority present the admission was by ticket and the tickets which were of course gratuitous were distributed by men familiar with all the classes invited to attend these men found the tickets received by some of the street people with great distrust others could not be made to understand why any one should trouble himself on their behoof others again cheerfully promised their attendance some accused the ticket distributors with having been bribed by the government or the police though for what purpose was not stated some abused them heartily and some offered to treat them at least 1 000 persons were present at the meeting of whom 731 presented their tickets the others were admitted because they were known to the door keepers and had either lost their tickets or had not the opportunity to obtain them the persons to whom cards of admission were given were invited to write their names and callings on the backs and the cards so received gave the following result costermongers 256 fish sellers 28 hucksters 23 lot sellers 18 street labourers 16 paper sellers and workers 13 toy sellers 11 ginger beer sellers 9 hardware sellers 9 general dealers 7 street musicians 5 street performers 5 cakes and pastry sellers fried fish vendors and tinkers each 4 turf vendors street exhibitors strolling players cats meat men water cress sellers stay lace and cotton sellers each 3 board carriers fruit sellers street tradesmen hawkers street greengrocers shell fish vendors poulterers mud larks wire workers ballad singers crock men and booksellers each 2 the cards also gave one each of the following avocations fly cage makers fly paper sellers grinders tripe sellers pattern printers blind paper cutters lace collar sellers bird sellers bird trainers pen sellers lucifer merchants watch sellers decorators and play bill sellers 260 cards were given in without being indorsed with any name or calling my object in calling this meeting was to ascertain from the men themselves what were the grievances to which they considered themselves subjected what were the peculiarities and what the privations of a street life cat calls and every description of discordant sound prevailed before the commencement of the proceedings but there was also perfect good humour although it had been announced that all the speakers were to address the meeting from the platform yet throughout the evening some man or other would occasionally essay to speak from the body of the hall some of those present expressed misgivings that the meeting was got up by the government or by sir r peel and that policemen in disguise were in attendance the majority showed an ignorance of the usual forms observed at public meetings though some manifested a thorough understanding of them nor was there much delicacy observedbut perhaps about as much as in some assemblages of a different characterin clamouring down any prosy speaker many present were without coats for it was a warm evening some were without waistcoats many were in tatters hats and caps were in infinite varieties of shape and shade while a few were well and even genteelly dressed the well dressed street sellers were nearly all young men and one of these wore moustachios after i had explained amidst frequent questions and interruptions the purpose for which i had summoned the meeting and had assured the assembly that to the best of my knowledge no policemen were present i invited free discussion it was arranged that some one person should address the meeting as the representative of each particular occupation an elderly man of small stature and lively intelligent features stood up to speak on behalf of the paper workers flying stationers and standing patterers he said that for twenty four years he had been a penny showman a street seller and a patterer he dwelt upon the difference of a street life when he was young and at the present time the difference being between meals and no meals and complained that though 103 he had been well educated had friends in a respectable way of life and had never been accused of any dishonesty such was the moral brand of having been connected with a street life that it was never got rid of he more than once alluded to this moral brand the question was he concluded in what way were they to obtain an honest livelihood so as to keep their wives and children decently without being buffeted about like wild beasts in the open streets this address was characterised by propriety in the delivery and by the absence of any grammatical inaccuracy or vulgarity of tone or expression a costermonger a quiet looking man tidily clad said he was the son of a country auctioneer now dead and not having been brought up to any trade he came to london to try his luck his means were done before he could obtain employment and he was in a state of starvation at last he was obliged to apply to the parish the guardians took him into the workhouse and offered to pass him home but as he could do no good there he refused to go whereupon giving him a pound of bread he was turned into the streets and had nowhere to lay his head in wandering down the new cut a costermonger questioned him and then took him into his house and fed him this man kept him for a year and a half he showed him how to get a living in the street trade and when he left gave him 20 s to start with with this sum he got a good living directly and he could do so now were it not for the police whose conduct he stated was sometimes very tyrannical he had been dragged to the station house for standing to serve customers though he obstructed nobody the policeman however called it an obstruction and he the speaker was fined 2 s 6 d whereupon because he had not the half crown his barrow and all it contained were taken from him and he had heard nothing of them since this almost broke him down there was no redress for these things and he thought they ought to be looked into this man spoke with considerable energy and when he had concluded many costermongers shouted at the top of their voices that they could substantiate every word of what he had said a young man of superior appearance said he was the son of a gentleman who had held a commission as lieutenant in the 20th foot and as captain in the 34th infantry and afterwards became sub director of the bute docks in which situation he died leaving no property he the speaker was a classical scholar but having no trade he was compelled after his fathers death to come to london in search of employment thinking that his pen and his school acquirements would secure it but in this expectation he was disappointed though for a short period he was earning two guineas a week in copying documents for the house of commons that time was past and he was a street patterer now through sheer necessity he could say from experience that the earnings of that class were no more than from 8 s to 10 s a week he then declaimed at some length against the interference of the police with the patterers considering it harsh and unnecessary after some noisy and not very relevant discussion concerning the true amount of a street patterers earnings a clergyman of the established church now selling stenographic cards in the street addressed the meeting he observed that in every promiscuous assembly there would always be somebody who might be called unfortunate of this number he was one for when upon the 5th september 1831 he preached a funeral sermon before a fashionable congregation upon mr huskissons death by a railway accident he little thought he should ever be bound over in his own recognizances in 10 l for obstructing the metropolitan thoroughfares he was a native of hackney but in early life he went to scotland and upon the 24th june 1832 he obtained the presentation to a small extra parochial chapel in that country upon the presentation of the rev dr bell his people embraced irvingism and he was obliged to leave and in january 1837 he came to the metropolis his history since that period he need not state his occupation was well known and he could confirm what had been stated with regard to the police the police act provided that all persons selling goods in the streets were to keep five feet off the pavement the street not being a market he had always kept with his wares and his cards beyond the prohibited distance of five feet and for six years and a half he had sold his cards without molesting or being molested after some severe observations upon the police he narrated several events in his personal history to account for his present condition which he attributed to misfortune and the injustice of society in the course of these explanations he gave an illustration of his classical acquirements in having detected a grammatical error in a latin inscription upon the plate of a foundation stone for a new church in westminster he wrote to the incumbent pointing out the error and the incumbent asked the beadle who he was oh said the beadle he is a fellow who gets his living in the streets this was enough he got no answer to his letter though he knew the incumbent and his four curates and had attended his church for seven years after dwelling on the sufferings of those whose living was gained in the streets he said that if persons wished really to know anything of the character or habits of life of the very poor of whom he was one the knowledge could only be had from a personal survey of their condition in their own homes he ended by expressing his hope that by better treatment and an earnest attentionmoral social and religiousto their condition the poor of the streets might be gathered to the church and to god a wandering musician in a highland garb worn and dirty complained at some 104 length of the way in which he was treated by the police a hale looking man a costermonger of middle agewho said he had a wife and four children dependent upon himthen spoke it was a positive fact he said notwithstanding their poverty their hardships and even their degradation in the eyes of some that the first markets in london were mainly supported by costermongers what would the duke of bedfords market in covent garden be without them this question elicited loud applause several other persons followed with statements of a similar character which were listened to with interest but from their general sameness it is not necessary to repeat them here after occupying nearly four hours the proceedings were brought to a close by a vote of thanks and the street sellers performers and labourers separated in a most orderly manner of the street irish the irish street sellers are both a numerous and peculiar class of people it therefore behoves me for the due completeness of this work to say a few words upon their numbers earnings condition and mode of life the number of irish street sellers in the metropolis has increased greatly of late years one gentleman who had every means of being well informed considered that it was not too much to conclude that within these five years the numbers of the poor irish people who gain a scanty maintenance or what is rather a substitute for a maintenance by trading or begging or by carrying on the two avocations simultaneously in the streets of london had been doubled in number i found among the english costermongers a general dislike of the irish in fact next to a policeman a genuine london costermonger hates an irishman considering him an intruder whether there be any traditional or hereditary ill feeling between them originating from a clannish feeling i cannot ascertain the costermongers whom i questioned had no knowledge of the feelings or prejudices of their predecessors but i am inclined to believe that the prejudice is modern and has originated in the great influx of irishmen and women intermixing more especially during the last five years with the costermongers business an irish costermonger however is no novelty in the streets of london from the mention of the costardmonger says mr charles knight in the old dramatists he appears to have been frequently an irishman of the irish street sellers at present it is computed that there are including men women and children upwards of 10 000 assuming the street sellers attending the london fish and green markets to be with their families 30 000 in number and 7 in every 20 of these to be irish we shall have rather more than the total above given of this large body three fourths sell only fruit and more especially nuts and oranges indeed the orange season is called the irishmans harvest the others deal in fish fruit and vegetables but these are principally men some of the most wretched of the street irish deal in such trifles as lucifer matches water cresses c i am informed that the great mass of these people have been connected in some capacity or other with the culture of the land in ireland the mechanics who have sought the metropolis from the sister kingdom have become mixed with their respective handicrafts in england some of the irishthough only a fewtaking rank with the english skilled labourers the greater part of the irish artizans who have arrived within the last five years are to be found among the most degraded of the tailors and shoemakers who work at the east end for the slop masters a large class of the irish who were agricultural labourers in their country are to be found among the men working for bricklayers as well as among the dock labourers and excavators c wood chopping is an occupation greatly resorted to by the irish in london many of the irish however who are not regularly employed in their respective callings resort to the streets when they cannot obtain work otherwise the irish women and girls who sell fruit c in the streets depend almost entirely on that mode of traffic for their subsistence they are a class not sufficiently taught to avail themselves of the ordinary resources of women in the humbler walk of life unskilled at their needles working for slop employers even at the commonest shirt making is impossible to them their ignorance of household work moreover for such description of work is unknown in their wretched cabins in many parts of ireland incapacitates them in a great measure for such employments as charing washing and ironing as well as from regular domestic employment thus there seems to remain to them but one thing to doas indeed was said to me by one of themselvesviz to sell for a hapinny the three apples which cost a farruthing very few of these women nor indeed of the men though rather more of them than the women can read and they are mostly all wretchedly poor but the women present two characteristics which distinguish them from the london costerwomen generallythey are chaste and unlike the coster girls very seldom form any con 105 nection without the sanction of the marriage ceremony they are moreover attentive to religious observances the majority of the irish street sellers of both sexes beg and often very eloquently as they carry on their trade and i was further assured that but for this begging some of them might starve outright the greater proportion of the irish street sellers are from leinster and munster and a considerable number come from connaught of the causes which have made the irish turn costermongers notwithstanding the prejudices of the english costers i am of opinion that the irishmen and women who have become costermongers belong to a better class than the irish labourers the irishman may readily adapt himself in a strange place to labour though not to trade but these costers areor the majority at least arepoor persevering traders enough the most intelligent and prosperous of the street irish are those who have risenfor so i heard it expressedinto regular costers the untaught irishmens capabilities as i have before remarked with all his powers of speech and quickness of apprehension are far less fitted for buying in the cheapest market and selling in the dearest than for mere physical employment hence those who take to street trading for a living seldom prosper in it and three fourths of the street irish confine their dealings to such articles as are easy of sale like apples nuts or oranges for they are rarely masters of purchasing to advantage and seem to know little about tale or measure beyond the most familiar quantities compared with an acute costermonger the mere apple seller is but as the labourer to the artizan one of the principal causes why the irish costermongers have increased so extensively of late years is to be found in the fact that the labouring classes and of them chiefly the class employed in the culture of land have been driven over from the sister isle more thickly for the last four or five years than formerly several circumstances have conspired to effect this first they were driven over by the famine when they could not procure or began to fear that soon they could not procure food to eat secondly they were forced to take refuge in this country by the evictions when their landlords had left them no roof to shelter them in their own the shifts the devices the plans to which numbers of these poor creatures had recourse to raise the means of quitting ireland for englandor for anywherewill present a very remarkable chapter at some future period thirdly though the better class of small farmers who have emigrated from ireland in hopes of bettering themselves have mostly sought the shores of north america still some who have reached this country have at last settled into street sellers and fourthly many who have come over here only for the harvest have been either induced or compelled to stay another main cause is that the irish as labourers can seldom obtain work all the year through and thus the ranks of the irish street sellers are recruited every winter by the slackness of certain periodic trades in which they are largely employedsuch as hodmen dock work excavating and the like they are therefore driven by want of employment to the winter sale of oranges and nuts these circumstances have a doubly malefic effect as the increase of costers accrues in the winter months and there are consequently the most sellers when there are the fewest buyers moreover the cessation of work in the construction of railways compared with the abundance of employment which attracted so many to this country during the railway mania has been another fertile cause of there being so many irish in the london streets the prevalence of irish women and children among street sellers is easily accounted forthey are as i said before unable to do anything else to eke out the means of their husbands or parents a needle is as useless in their fingers as a pen bitterly as many of these people suffer in this country grievous and often eloquent as are their statements i met with none who did not manifest repugnance at the suggestion of a return to ireland if asked why they objected to return the response was usually in the form of a question shure thin sir and what good could i do there neither can i say that i heard any of these people express any love for their country though they often spoke with great affection of their friends from an irish costermonger a middle aged man with a physiognomy best known as irish and dressed in corduroy trousers with a loose great coat far too big for him buttoned about him i had the following statement i had a bit o land yer honor in county limerick well it wasnt just a farrum nor what ye would call a garden here but my father lived and died on itglory be to god and brought up me and my sister on it it was about an acre and the taties was well known to be good but the sore times came and the taties was afflicted and the wife and mei have no childerhadnt a bite nor a sup but wather to live on and an igg or two i filt the famine a comin i saw people a feedin on the wild green things and as i had not such a bad take i got mr he was the head masters agent to give me 28 s for possission in quietness and i sould some poulthry i hadtheir iggs was a blessin to keep the life in usi sould them in limerick for 3 s 3 d the poor thingsfour of them the furnithur i sould to the nabors for somehow about 6 s its the thruth im ay tellin of you sir and theres 2 s owin of it still and will be a perpitual loss the wife and me walked to dublin though we had betther have gone by the long say but i didnt under 106 stand it thin and we got to liverpool then sorrows the taste of worruk could i git beyant oncte 3 s for two days harrud porthering that broke my back half in two i was tould id do betther in london and so glory be to god i haveperhaps i have i knew mr he porthers at covent garden and i made him out and hilped him in any long distance of a job as id been used to farrumin i thought it good raison i should be a costermonger as they call it here i can read and write too and some good christianthe heavens light him to glory when hes gone i dont know who he wasadvanced me 10 s or he gave it me so to spake through father a roman catholic priest we earrun what keeps the life in us i dont go to markit but buy of a fair dealin manso i count himthough hes harrud sometimes i cant till how many irishmen is in the thrade theres many has been brought down to it by the famin and the changes i dont go much among the english street dalers they talk like haythens i never miss mass on a sunday and they dont know what the blissed mass manes im almost glad i have no childer to see how theyre raired here indeed sir theyre not raired at allthey run wild they havent the fear of god or the saints theyd hang a prasteglory be to god they would how the street irish displanted the street jews in the orange trade the jews in the streets while acting as costermongers never worked a barrow nor dealt in the more ponderous and least profitable articles of the trade such as turnips and cabbages they however had at one period the chief possession of a portion of the trade which the regular hands do not consider proper costermongering and which is now chiefly confined to the irishviz orange selling the trade was not many years ago confined almost entirely to the jew boys who kept aloof from the vagrant lads of the streets or mixed with them only in the cheap theatres and concert rooms a person who had had great experience at what was till recently one of the greatest coaching inns told me that speaking within his own recollection and from his own observation he thought the sale of oranges was not so much in the hands of the jew lads until about forty years back the orange monopoly so to speak was established by the street jews about 1810 or three or four years previous to that date when recruiting and local soldiering were at their height and when a great number of the vagabond or roving population who in one capacity or other now throng the streets were induced to enlist the young jews never entered the ranks of the army the streets were thus in a measure cleared for them and the itinerant orange trade fell almost entirely into their hands some of the young jews gained i am assured at least 100 l a year in this traffic the numbers of country people who hastened to london on the occasion of the allied sovereigns visit in 1814many wealthy persons then seeing the capital for the first timeafforded an excellent market to these dealers moreover the perseverance of the jew orange boys was not to be overcome they would follow a man who even looked encouragingly at their wares for a mile or two the great resort of these jew dealerswho eschewed night work generally and left the theatre doors to old men and women of all ageswas at the coaching inns for year by year after the peace of 1815 the improvement of the roads and the consequent increase of travellers to london progressed about 1825 as nearly as my informant could recollect these keen young traders began to add the sale of other goods to their oranges pressing them upon the notice of those who were leaving or visiting london by the different coaches so much was this the case that it was a common remark at that time that no one could reach or leave the metropolis even for the shortest journey without being expected to be in urgent want of oranges and lemons black lead pencils sticks of sealing wax many bladed pen knives pocket combs razors strops braces and sponges to pursue the sale of the last mentioned articlesthey being found i presume to be more profitablesome of the street jews began to abandon the sale of oranges and lemons and it was upon this that the trade was taken up by the wives and children of the irish bricklayers labourers and of other irish work people then resident in london the numbers of irish in the metropolis at that time began to increase rapidly for twenty years ago they resorted numerously to england to gather in the harvest and those who had been employed in contiguous counties during the autumn made for london in the winter i cant say they were well off sir said one man to me but they liked bread and herrings or bread and teabetter than potatoes without bread at home from 1836 to 1840 i was informed the irish gradually superseded the jews in the fruit traffic about the coaching houses one reason for this was that they were far more eloquent begging pathetically and with many benedictions on their listeners the jews never begged i was told they were merely traders another reason was that the irish men or lads who had entered into the fruit trade in the coach yards would not only sell and beg but were ready to lend a hand to any over burthened coach porter this the jews never did and in that way the people of the yard came to encourage the irish to the prejudice of the jews at present i understand that with the exception of one or two in the city no jews vend oranges in the streets and that the trade is almost entirely in the hands of the irish another reason why the irish could supersede and even undersell the jews and regular costermongers was this as i am informed on ex 107 cellent authority father mathew a dozen years back made temperance societies popular in ireland many of the itinerant irish especially the younger classes were temperance men thus the irish could live as sparely as the jew but they did not like him squander any money for the evenings amusement at the concert or the theatre i inquired what might be the number of the jews plying so to speak at the coaching inns and was assured that it was less numerous than was generally imagined one man computed it at 300 individuals all under 21 another at only 200 perhaps the mean or 250 might be about the mark the number was naturally considered greater i was told because the same set of street traders were seen over and over again the jews knew when the coaches were to arrive and when they started and they would hurry after availing themselves of a departure from one innthe belle sauvage ludgate hill for instanceto take advantage of an arrival at anothersay the saracens head snow hill thus they appeared everywhere but were the same individuals i inquired to what calling the youthful jews thus driven from their partially monopolized street commerce had devoted themselves and was told that even when the orange and hawking trade was at the best the jews rarely carried it on after they were twenty two or twenty three but that they then resorted to some more wholesale calling such as the purchase of nuts or foreign grapes at public sales at present i am informed they are more thickly than ever engaged in these trades as well as in two new avocations that have been established within these few years the sale of the bahama pine apples and of the spanish and portuguese onions about the royal exchange jew boys still hawk pencils etc but the number engaged in this pursuit throughout london is not as far as i can ascertain above one eighthif an eighthof what it was even twelve years ago of the religion of the street irish having now given a brief sketch as to how the irish people have come to form so large a proportion of the london street sellers i shall proceed as i did with the english costermongers to furnish the reader with a short account of their religious moral intellectual and physical condition so that he may be able to contrast the habits and circumstances of the one class with those of the other first of the religion of the irish street folk almost all the street irish are roman catholics of course i can but speak generally but during my inquiry i met with only two who said they were protestants and when i came to converse with them i found out that they were partly ignorant of and partly indifferent to any religion whatever an irish protestant gentleman said to me you may depend upon it if ever you meet any of my poor countrymen who will not talk to you about religion they either know or care nothing about it for the religious spirit runs high in ireland and protestants and catholics are easily led to converse about their faith i found that some of the irish roman catholicsbut they had been for many years resident in england and that among the poorest or vagrant class of the englishhad become indifferent to their creed and did not attend their chapels unless at the great fasts or festivals and this they did only occasionally one old stall keeper who had been in london nearly thirty years said to me ah god knows sir i ought to attend mass every sunday but i havent for a many years barrin christmas day and such times but ill thry and go more rigular plase god this man seemed to resent as a sort of indignity my question if he ever attended any other place of worship av coorse not was the reply one irishman also a fruit seller with a well stocked barrow and without the complaint of poverty common among his class entered keenly into the subject of his religious faith when i introduced it he was born in ireland but had been in england since he was five or six he was a good looking fresh coloured man of thirty or upwards and could read and write well he spoke without bitterness though zealously enough perhaps sir you are a gintleman connected with the protistant clargy he asked or a missionary on my stating that i had no claim to either character he resumed will sir it dont matther all the worruld may know my riligion and i wish all the worruld was of my riligion and betther min in it than i am i do indeed im a roman catholic sir here he made the sign of the cross god be praised for it o yis i know all about cardinal wiseman its the will of god i feel sure that hes to be stablished here and its no use ribillin against that ive nothing to say against protistints ive heard it said its best to pray for them the street people that call thimselves protistants are no riligion at all at all i serruve protistant gintlemen and ladies too and sometimes they talk to me kindly about religion theyre good custhomers and i have no doubt good people i cant say what their lot may be in another worruld for not being of the true faith no sir ill give no opinionsnone this man gave me a clear account of his belief that the blessed virgin he crossed himself repeatedly as he spoke was the mother of our lord jesus christ and was a mediator with our lord who was god of heaven and earthof the duty of praying to the holy saintsof attending mass but the priest he said wont exact too much of a poor man either about that or about fasting of going to confession at easter and christmas times at the leastof receiving the body of christ the rale prisince in the holy sacramentof keeping all gods commandmentsof purgatory being a purgation of sinsand of heaven and hell 108 i found the majority of those i spoke with at least as earnest in their faith if they were not as well instructed in it as my informant who may be cited as an example of the better class of street sellers another irishman who may be taken as a type of the less informed and who had been between two and three years in england having been disappointed in emigrating to america with his wife and two children gave me the following account but not without considering and hesitating he was a very melancholy looking man tall and spare and decently clad he and his family were living upon 8 d a day which he earned by sweeping a crossing he had been prevented by ill health from earning 2 l which he could have made he told me in harvest time as a store against winter he had been a street seller and so had his wife and she would be so again as soon as he could raise 2 s to buy her a stock of apples he said touching his hat at each holy name sure yis sir im a roman cartholic and go to mass every sunday jesus christ o yis hesitating but proceeding readily after a word of prompting he is the lord our saviour and the son of the holy virgin the blessed saints yis sir yis the praste prays for them ii mane prays to them o yis i pray to them mysilf ivery night for a blissin and to rise me out of my misery no sir i cant say i know what the mass is about i dont know what im prayin for thin only that its right a poor man that can neither read nor writei wish i could and i might do betthercant understand it its all in latin ive heard about cardinal wiseman itll do us no good sir itll only set people more against us but it aint poor mins fault as i was anxious to witness the religious zeal that characterizes these people i obtained permission to follow one of the priests as he made his rounds among his flock everywhere the people ran out to meet him he had just returned to them i found and the news spread round and women crowded to their door steps and came creeping up from the cellars through the trap doors merely to curtsey to him one old crone as he passed cried youre a good father heaven comfort you and the boys playing about stood still to watch him a lad in a mans tail coat and a shirt collar that nearly covered in his headlike the paper round a bouquetwas fortunate enough to be noticed and his eyes sparkled as he touched his hair at each word he spoke in answer at a conversation that took place between the priest and a woman who kept a dry fish stall the dame excused herself for not having been up to take tea with his rivirinces mother lately for thrade had been so bisy and night was the fullest time even as the priest walked along the street boys running at full speed would pull up to touch their hair and the stall women would rise from their baskets while all noiseeven a quarrelceased until he had passed by still there was no look of fear in the people he called them all by their names and asked after their families and once or twice the father was taken aside and held by the button while some point that required his advice was whispered in his ear the religious fervour of the people whom i saw was intense at one house that i entered the woman set me marvelling at the strength of her zeal by showing me how she contrived to have in her sitting room a sanctuary to pray before every night and morning and even in the day when she felt weary and lonesome the room was rudely enough furnished and the only decent table was covered with a new piece of varnished cloth still before a rude print of our saviour there were placed two old plated candlesticks pink with the copper shining through and here it was that she told her beads in her bed room too was a coloured engraving of the blessed lady which she never passed without curtseying to of course i detail these matters as mere facts without desiring to offer any opinion here either as to the benefit or otherwise of the creed in question as i had shown how the english costermonger neither had nor knew any religion whatever it became my duty to give the reader a view of the religion of the irish street sellers in order to be able to do so as truthfully as possible i placed myself in communication with those parties who were in a position to give me the best information on the subject the result is given above in all the simplicity and impartiality of history of the education literature amusements and politics of the street irish these several heads have often required from me lengthened notices but as regards the class i am now describing they may be dismissed briefly enough the majority of the street irish whom i saw were unable to read but i found those who had no knowledge of reading and the same remark applies to the english street sellers as well regret their inability and say i wish i could read sir id be better off now on the other hand those who had a knowledge of reading and writing said frequently enough why yes sir i can read and write but its been no good to me as if they had been disappointed in their expectations as to the benefits attendant upon scholarship i am inclined to think however that a greater anxiety exists among the poor generally to have some schooling provided for their children than was the case a few years back one irishman attributed this to the increased number of roman catholic schools for the more schools there are he said the more people think about schooling their children the literature or reading of the street irish is i believe confined to roman catholic books such as the lives of the saints published in a cheap form one and only one i found with 109 the nation newspaper the very poor have no leisure to read during three days spent in visiting the slop workers at the east end of the town not so much as the fragment of a leaf of a book was seen the amusements of the street irish are not those of the english costermongersthough there are exceptions of course to the remark the irish fathers and mothers do not allow their daughters even when they possess the means to resort to the penny gaffs or the twopenny hops unaccompanied by them some of the men frequent the beer shops and are inveterate drinkers and smokers too i did not hear of any amusements popular among or much resorted to by the irishmen except dancing parties at one anothers houses where they jig and reel furiously they frequent raffles also but the article is often never thrown for and the evening is spent in dancing i may here observein reference to the statement that irish parents will not expose their daughters to the risk of what they consider corrupt influencesthat when a young irishwoman does break through the pale of chastity she often becomes as i was assured one of the most violent and depraved of perhaps the most depraved class of politics i think the street irish understand nothing and my own observations in this respect were confirmed by a remark made to me by an irish gentleman their politics are either a dead letter or the politics of their priests the homes of the street irish in almost all of the poorer districts of london are to be found nests of irishas they are calledor courts inhabited solely by the irish costermongers these people form separate colonies rarely visiting or mingling with the english costers it is curious on walking through one of these settlements to notice the manner in which the irish deal among themselvesstreet seller buying of street seller even in some of the smallest courts there may be seen stalls of vegetables dried herrings or salt cod thriving on the associative principle by mutual support the parts of london that are the most thickly populated with irish lie about brook street ratcliff cross down both sides of the commercial road and in rosemary lane though nearly all the coster districts cited at p 47 have their irish settlementscromer street saffron hill and king street drury lane for instance being thickly peopled with the irish but the places i have mentioned above are peculiarly distinguished by being almost entirely peopled by visitors from the sister isle the same system of immigration is pursued in london as in america as soon as the first settler is thriving in his newly chosen country a certain portion of his or her earnings are carefully hoarded up until they are sufficient to pay for the removal of another member of the family to england then one of the friends left at home is sent for and thus by degrees the entire family is got over and once more united perhaps there is no quarter of london where the habits and habitations of the irish can be better seen and studied than in rosemary lane and the little courts and alleys that spring from it on each side some of these courts have other courts branching off from them so that the locality is a perfect labyrinth of blind alleys and when once in the heart of the maze it is difficult to find the path that leads to the main road as you walk down the lane and peep through the narrow openings between the houses the place seems like a huge peep show with dark holes of gateways to look through while the court within appears bright with the daylight and down it are seen rough headed urchins running with their feet bare through the puddles and bonnetless girls huddled in shawls lolling against the door posts sometimes you see a long narrow alley with the houses so close together that opposite neighbours are talking from their windows while the ropes stretched zig zag from wall to wall afford just room enough to dry a blanket or a couple of shirts that swell out dropsically in the wind i visited one of the paved yards round which the irish live and found that it had been turned into a complete drying ground with shirts gowns and petticoats of every description and colour the buildings at the end were completely hidden by the things and the air felt damp and chilly and smelt of soap suds the gutter was filled with dirty gray water emptied from the wash tubs and on the top were the thick bubbles floating about under the breath of the boys playing at boats with them it is the custom with the inhabitants of these courts and alleys to assemble at the entrance with their baskets and chat and smoke away the morning every court entrance has its little group of girls and women lolling listlessly against the sides with their heads uncovered and their luxuriant hair fuzzy as oakum it is peculiar with the irish women thatafter having been accustomed to their hoodsthey seldom wear bonnets unless on a long journey nearly all of them too have a thick plaid shawl which they keep on all the day through with their hands covered under it at the mouth of the only thoroughfare deserving of the name of streetfor a cart could just go through itwere congregated about thirty men and women who rented rooms in the houses on each side of the road six women with baskets of dried herrings were crouching in a line on the kerb stone with the fish before them their legs were drawn up so closely to their bodies that the shawl covered the entire figure and they looked very like the podgy tombolers sold by the italian boys as all their wares were alike it was puzzling work to imagine how without the strongest opposition they could each obtain a living the 110 men were dressed in long tail coats with one or two brass buttons one old dame with a face wrinkled like a dried plum had her cloak placed over her head like a hood and the grisly hair hung down in matted hanks about her face her black eyes shining between the locks like those of a skye terrier beside her was another old woman smoking a pipe so short that her nose reached over the bowl after looking at the low foreheads and long bulging upper lips of some of the group it was pleasant to gaze upon the pretty faces of the one or two girls that lolled against the wall their black hair smoothed with grease and shining almost as if japanned and their large gray eyes with the thick dark fringe of lash seemed out of place among the hard features of their companions it was only by looking at the short petticoats and large feet you could assure yourself that they belonged to the same class in all the houses that i entered were traces of household care and neatness that i had little expected to have seen the cupboard fastened in the corner of the room and stocked with mugs and cups the mantelpiece with its images and the walls covered with showy coloured prints of saints and martyrs gave an air of comfort that strangely disagreed with the reports of the cabins in ould ireland as the doors to the houses were nearly all of them kept open i could even whilst walking along gain some notion of the furniture of the homes in one house that i visited there was a family of five persons living on the ground floor and occupying two rooms the boards were strewn with red sand and the front apartment had three beds in it with the printed curtains drawn closely round in a dark room at the back lived the family itself it was fitted up as a parlour and crowded to excess with chairs and tables the very staircase having pictures fastened against the wooden partition the fire although it was midday and a warm autumn morning served as much for light as for heat and round it crouched the mother children and visitors bending over the flame as if in the severest winter time in a room above this were a man and woman lately arrived in england the woman sat huddled up in a corner smoking with the husband standing over her in what appeared at first a menacing attitude i was informed however that they were only planning for the future this room was perfectly empty of furniture and the once white washed walls were black excepting the little square patches which showed where the pictures of the former tenants had hung in another room i found a home so small and full of furniture that it was almost a curiosity for domestic management the bed with its chintz curtains looped up filled one end of the apartment but the mattress of it served as a long bench for the visitors to sit on the table was so large that it divided the room in two and if there was one picture there must have been thirtyall of holy men with yellow glories round their heads the window ledge was dressed out with crockery and in a tumbler were placed the beads the old dame herself was as curious as her room her shawl was fastened over her large frilled cap she had a little button of a nose with the nostrils entering her face like bullet holes she wore over her gown an old pilot coat well stained with fish slime and her petticoats being short she had very much the appearance of a dutch fisherman or stage smuggler her story was affectingmade more so perhaps by the emotional manner in which she related it nine years ago the father of the districtthe blissed lady guard him had found her late at night rolling in the gutter and the boys pelting her with orange peel and mud she was drunkthe lorrud pass by herand when she came to she found herself in the chapel lying before the sanctuary under the shadow of the holy cross watching over her was the good father trying to bring back her consciousness he spoke to her of her wickedness and before she left she took the pledge of temperance from that time she prospered and the 1 s 6 d the father gave her had gods blissin in it for she became the best dressed woman in the court and in less than three years had 15 l in the savings bank the fatherheaven chirish himkeeping her book for her as he did for other poor people she also joined the association of the blissed lady and bought herself the dress of the order a beautiful grane vilvit which she had now and which same cost her 30 s and then she was secure against want in old age and sickness but after nine years prudence and comfort a brother of hers returned home from the army with a pension of 1 s a day he was wild and persuaded her to break her pledge and in a short time he got all her savings from her and spent every penny she couldnt shake him off for he was the only kin she had on airth and she must love her own flish and bones then began her misery it plased god to visit her ould limbs with aches and throubles and her hips swole with the cowld so that she was at last forced into a hospital and all that was left of her store was aten up by sufferins this she assured me all came about by the good fathers leaving that parish for another one but now he had returned to them again and with his help and gods blessing she would yet prosper once more whilst i was in the room the father entered and old norah half divided between joy at seeing him and shame at being again a beggar laughed and wept at the same time she stood wiping her eyes with the shawl and groaning out blessings on his rivirinces hid begging of him not to scould her for she was a wake woman the renegade brother was had in to receive a lecture from his rivirince a more sottish idiotic face it would be difficult to imagine he stood with his hands hanging 111 down like the paws of a dog begging and his two small eyes stared in the face of the priest as he censured him without the least expression even of consciousness old norah stood by groaning like a bagpipe and writhing while the father spoke to her own brother as though every reproach were meant for her the one thing that struck me during my visit to this neighbourhood was the apparent listlessness and lazy appearance of the people the boys at play were the only beings who seemed to have any life in their actions the women in their plaid shawls strolled along the pavements stopping each friend for a chat or joining some circle and leaning against the wall as though utterly deficient in energy the men smoked with their hands in their pockets listening to the old crones talking and only now and then grunting out a reply when a question was directly put to them and yet it is curious that these people who here seemed as inactive as negroes will perform the severest bodily labour undertaking tasks that the english are almost unfitted for to complete this account i subjoin a brief description of the lodging houses resorted to by the irish immigrants on their arrival in this country irish lodging houses for immigrants often an irish immigrant whose object is to settle in london arrives by the cork steamer without knowing a single friend to whom he can apply for house room or assistance of any kind sometimes a whole family is landed late at night worn out by sickness and the terrible fatigues of a three days deck passage almost paralysed by exhaustion and scarcely able to speak english enough to inquire for shelter till morning if the immigrants however are bound for america their lot is very different then they are consigned to some agent in london who is always on the wharf at the time the steamer arrives and takes the strangers to the homes he has prepared for them until the new york packet starts during the two or three days necessary stay in london they are provided for at the agents expense and no trouble is experienced by the travellers a large provision merchant in the city told me that he often during the season had as many as 500 irish consigned to him by one vessel so that to lead them to their lodgings was like walking at the head of a regiment of recruits the necessities of the immigrants in london have caused several of their countrymen to open lodging houses in the courts about rosemary lane these men attend the coming in of the cork steamer and seek for customers among the poorest of the poor after the manner of touters to a sea side hotel the immigrants houses are of two kindsclean and dirty the better class of irish lodging houses almost startle one by the comfort and cleanliness of the rooms for after the descriptions you hear of the state in which the deck passengers are landed from the irish boats their clothes stained with the manure of the pigs and drenched with the spray you somehow expect to find all the accommodations disgusting and unwholesome but one in particular that i visited had the floor clean and sprinkled with red sand while the windows were sound bright and transparent the hobs of the large fire place were piled up with bright tin pots and the chimney piece was white and red with the china images ranged upon it in one corner of the principal apartment there stood two or three boxes still corded up and with bundles strung to the sides and against the wall was hung a bunch of blue cloaks such as the irishwomen wear the proprietor of the house who was dressed in a gray tail coat and knee breeches that had somewhat the effect of a footmans livery told me that he had received seven lodgers the day before but six were men and they were all out seeking for work in front of the fire sat a woman bending over it so close that the bright cotton gown she had on smelt of scorching her feet were bare and she held the soles of them near to the bars curling her toes about with the heat she was a short thick set woman with a pair of wonderfully muscular arms crossed over her bosom and her loose rusty hair streaming over her neck it was in vain that i spoke to her about her journey for she wouldnt answer me but kept her round open eyes fixed on my face with a wild nervous look following me about with them everywhere across the room hung a line with the newly washed and well patched clothes of the immigrants hanging to it and on a side table were the six yellow basins that had been used for the mens breakfasts during my visit the neighbours having observed a strange gentleman enter came pouring in each proffering some fresh bit of news about their newly arrived countrymen i was nearly stunned by half a dozen voices speaking together and telling me how the poor people had been four days at say so that they were glad to get near the pigs for warrumth and instructing me as to the best manner of laying out the sum of money that it was supposed i was about to shower down upon the immigrants in one of the worst class of lodging houses i found ten human beings living together in a small room the apartment was entirely devoid of all furniture excepting an old mattrass rolled up against the wall and a dirty piece of cloth hung across one corner to screen the women whilst dressing an old man the father of five out of the ten was seated on a tea chest mending shoes and the other men were looking on with their hands in their pockets two girls and a woman were huddled together on the floor in front of the fire talking in irish all these people seemed to be utterly devoid of energy and the men moved about so lazily 112 that i couldnt help asking some of them if they had tried to obtain work every one turned to a good looking young fellow lolling against the wall as if they expected him to answer for them ah sure and that they have was the reply its the docks they have tried worrus luck the others appeared struck with the truthfulness of the answer for they all shook their heads and said sure an thats thruth anyhow here my irish guide ventured an observation by remarking solemnly its no use tilling a lie to which the whole room assented by exclaiming altogether thrue for you norah the chosen spokesman then told me they paid half a crown a week for the room and that was as much as they could earrun and it was starruve they should if the neighbours didnt hilp them a bit i asked them if they were better off over here than when in ireland but could get no direct answer for my question only gave rise to a political discussion theres plenty of food over here said the spokesman addressing his companions as much as myself plenty of tatiesplenty of mateplenty of porruk but where the use observed my guide if theres no money to buy em wid to which the audience muttered thrue for you again norah and so it went on each one pleading poverty in the most eloquent style after i had left the young fellow who had acted as spokesman followed me into the street and taking me into a corner told me that he was a sailor by thrade but had lost his rigisthration ticket or hed have got a berruth long since and that it was all for 3 s 6 d he wasnt at say concerning the number of irish immigrants i have obtained the following information the great influx of the irish into london was in the year of the famine 1847 8 this cannot be better shown than by citing the returns of the number of persons admitted into the asylum for the houseless poor in playhouse yard cripplegate these returns i obtained for fourteen years and the average number of admissions of the applicants from all parts during that time was 8 794 yearly of these the irish averaged 2 455 yearly or considerably more than a fourth of the whole number received the total number of applicants thus sheltered in the fourteen years was 130 625 of which the irish numbered 34 378 the smallest number of irish men women and children admitted was in 1834 5 about 300 in 1846 7 it was as many as 7 576 while in 1847 8 it was 10 756 and in 1848 9 5 068 but it was into liverpool that the tide of immigration flowed the strongest in the calamitous year of the famine between the 13th jan and the 13th dec both inclusive writes mr rushton the liverpool magistrate to sir g grey on the 21st april last 296 231 persons landed in this port liverpool from ireland of this vast number about 130 000 emigrated to the united states some 50 000 were passengers on business and the remainder 161 231 mere paupers half naked and starving landed for the most part during the winter and became immediately on landing applicants for parochial relief you already know the immediate results of this accumulation of misery in the crowded town of liverpool of the cost of relief at once rendered necessary to prevent the thousands of hungry and naked irish perishing in our streets and also of the cost of the pestilence which generally follows in the train of famine and misery such as we then had to encounter hundreds of patients perished notwithstanding all efforts made to save them and ten roman catholic and one protestant clergyman many parochial officers and many medical men who devoted themselves to the task of alleviating the sufferings of the wretched died in the discharge of these high duties great numbers of these people were at the same time also conveyed from ireland to wales especially to newport they were brought over by coal vessels as a return cargoa living ballast2 s 6 d being the highest fare and were huddled together like pigs the manager of the newport tramp house has stated concerning these people they dont live long diseased as they are they are very remarkable they will eat salt by basons full and drink a great quantity of water after i have frequently known those who could not have been hungry eat cabbage leaves and other refuse from the ash heap it is necessary that i should thus briefly allude to this matter as there is no doubt that some of these people making their way to london soon became street sellers there and many of them took to the business subsequently when there was no employment in harvesting hop picking c of the poor wretches landed at liverpool many mr rushton states became beggars and many thieves many there is no doubt tramped their way to london sleeping at the casual wards of the unions on their way but i believe that of those who had become habituated to the practice of beggary or theft few or none would follow the occupation of street selling as even the half passive industry of such a calling would be irksome to the apathetic and dishonest of the immigration direct by the vessels trading from ireland to london there are no returns such has have been collected by mr rushton for liverpool but the influx is comparatively small on account of the greater length and cost of the voyage during the last year i am informed that 15 000 or 16 000 passengers were brought from ireland to london direct and in addition to these 500 more were brought over from cork in connection with the arrangements for emigration to the united states and consigned to the emigration agent here of the 15 500 taking the mean between the two numbers above given 1 000 emigrated to the united states it appears 113 on the authority of mr rushton that even in the great year of the immigration more than one sixth of the passengers from ireland to dublin came on business it may then be reasonable to calculate that during last year one fourth at least of the passengers to london had the same object in view leaving about 10 000 persons who have either emigrated to british north america australia c or have resorted to some mode of subsistence in the metropolis or the adjacent parts besides these there are the numbers who make their way up to london tramping it from the several provincial portsnamely liverpool bristol newport and glasgow of these i have no means of forming any estimate or of the proportion who adopt street selling on their arrival hereall that can be said is that the influx of irish into the street trade every year must be very considerable i believe however that only those who have friends in the line resort to street selling on their arrival in london though all may make it a resource when other endeavours fail the great immigration into london is from cork the average cost of a deck passage being 5 s the immigrants direct to london from cork are rarely of the poorest class of the diet drink and expense of living of the street irish the diet of the irish men women and children who obtain a livelihood or what is so designated by street sale in london has i am told on good authority experienced a change in the lodging houses that they resorted to their breakfast two or three years ago was a dish of potatoestwo three or four lbs or more in weightfor a family now half an ounce of coffee half chicory costs d and that with the half or quarter of a loaf according to the number in family is almost always their breakfast at the present time when their constant diet was potatoes there were frequent squabbles at the lodging housesto which many of the poor irish on their first arrival resortas to whether the potato pot or the tea kettle should have the preference on the fire a man of superior intelligence who had been driven to sleep and eat occasionally in lodging houses told me of some dialogues he had heard on these occasions its about three years ago he said since i heard a bitter old englishwoman say to with your taty pot theyre only meat for pigs sure thin said a young irishmanhe was a nice cute fellowsure thin maam i should be afther offering you a taste i heard that myself sir you may have noticed that when an irishman doesnt get out of temper he never loses his politeness or rather his blarney the dinner or second meal of the dayassuming that there has been a breakfastordinarily consists of cheap fish and potatoes of the diet of the poor street irish i had an account from a little irishman then keeping an oyster stall though he generally sold fruit in all such details i have found the irish far more communicative than the english many a poor untaught englishman will shrink from speaking of his spare diet and his trouble to procure that a reserve too much more noticeable among the men than the women my irish informant told me he usually had his breakfast at a lodging househe preferred a lodging house he said on account of the warmth and the society here he boiled half an ounce of coffee costing a d he purchased of his landlady the fourth of a quartern loaf 1 d or 1 d for she generally cut a quartern loaf into four for her single men lodgers such as himself clearing sometimes a farthing or two thereby for dinner my informant boiled at the lodging house two or three lbs of potatoes costing usually 1 d or 1 d and fried three or four herrings or as many as cost a penny he sometimes mashed his potatoes and spread over them the herrings the fatty portion of which flavoured the potatoes which were further flavoured by the roes of the herrings being crushed into them he drank water to this meal and the cost of the whole was 2 d or 2 d a neighbouring stall keeper attended to this mans stock in his absence at dinner and my informant did the same for him in his turn for tea he expended 1 d on coffee or 1 d on tea being a cup of tea or half pint of coffee at a coffee shop sometimes he had a halfpenny worth of butter and with his tea he ate the bread he had saved from his breakfast and which he had carried in his pocket he had no butter to his breakfast he said for he could not buy less than a pennyworth about where he lodged and this was too dear for one meal on a sunday morning however he generally had butter sometimes joining with a fellow lodger for a pennyworth for his sunday dinner he had a piece of meat which cost him 2 d on the saturday night supper he dispensed with but if he felt much tired he had a half pint of beer which was three farthings in his own jug before he went to bed about nine or ten as he did little or nothing late at night except on saturday he thus spent 4 d a day for food and reckoning 2 d extra for somewhat better fare on a sunday his board was 2 s 10 d a week his earnings he computed at 5 s and thus he had 2 s 2 d weekly for other expenses of these there was 1 s for lodging 2 d or 3 d for washing but this not every week d for a sunday mornings shave 1 d for his religion as he worded it and 6 d for odds and ends such as thread to mend his clothes a piece of leather to patch his shoes worsted to darn his stockings c he was subject to rheumatism or he might have saved a trifle of money judging by his methodical habits it was probable he had done so he had nothing of the eloquence of his countrymen and seemed indeed of rather a morose turn a family boarding together live even cheaper than this man for more potatoes and less fish fall to the share of the children a meal too is 114 not unfrequently saved in this manner if a man his wife and two children all go out in the streets selling they breakfast before starting and perhaps agree to re assemble at four oclock then the wife prepares the dinner of fish and potatoes and so tea is dispensed with in that case the husbands and wifes board would be 4 d or 4 d a day each the childrens 3 d or 3 d each and giving 1 d extra to each for sunday the weekly cost is 10 s 3 d supposing the husband and wife cleared 5 s a week each and the children each 3 s their earnings would be 16 s the balance is the surplus left to pay rent washing firing and clothing from what i can ascertain the irish street seller can always live at about half the cost of the english costermonger the englishman must have butter for his bread and meat at no long intervals for he hates fish more than once a week it is by this spareness of living as well as by frequently importunate and mendacious begging that the street irish manage to save money the diet i have spoken of is generally but not universally that of the poor street irish those who live differently do not as a rule incur greater expense it is difficult to ascertain in what proportion the irish street sellers consume strong drink when compared with the consumption of the english costers as a poor irishman if questioned on that or any subject will far more frequently shape his reply to what he thinks will please his querist and induce a trifle for himself than answer according to the truth the landlord of a large public house after inquiring of his assistants that his opinions might be checked by theirs told me that in one respect there was a marked difference between the beer drinking of the two people he considered that in the poor streets near his house there were residing quite as many irish street sellers and labourers as english but the instances in which the irish conveyed beer to their own rooms as a portion of their meals was not as 1 in 20 compared with the english i have read your work sir he said and i know that you are quite right in saying that the costermongers go for a good sunday dinner i dont know what my customers are except by their appearance but i do know that many are costermongers and by the best of all proofs for i have bought fish fruit and vegetables of them well now well take a fine sunday in spring or summer when times are pretty good with them and perhaps in the ten minutes after my doors are opened at one on the sunday there are 100 customers for their dinner beer nearly three quarters of these are working men and their wives working either in the streets or at their indoor trades such as tailoring but among the number im satisfied there are not more than two irishmen there may be three or four irishwomen but one of my barmen tells me he knows that two of themvery well behaved and good looking womenare married to englishmen in my opinion the proportion as to sunday dinner beer between english and irish may be two or three in 70 an irish gentleman and his wife who are both well acquainted with the habits and condition of the people in their own country informed me that among the classes who though earning only scant incomes could not well be called impoverished the use of beer or even of small aleknown now or recentlyas thunders thruppeny was very unfrequent even in many independent families only water is drunk at dinner with punch to follow this shows the accuracy of the information i derived from mr the innkeeper for persons unused to the drinking of malt liquor in their own country are not likely to resort to it afterwards when their means are limited i was further informed that reckoning the teetotallers among the english street sellers at 300 there are 600 among the irish teetotallers too who having taken the pledge under the sanction of their priests and looking upon it as a religious obligation keep it rigidly the irish street sellers who frequent the gin palaces or public houses drink a pot of beer in a company of three or four but far more frequently a quartern of gin very seldom whisky oftener than do the english indeed from all i could ascertain the irish street sellers whether from inferior earnings their early training or the restraints of their priests drink less beer by one fourth than their english brethren but a larger proportion of gin and you must bear this in mind sir i was told by an innkeeper i had rather have twenty poor englishmen drunk in my tap room than a couple of poor irishmen theyll quarrel with anybodythe irish willand sometimes clear the room by swearing theyll use their knives by jasus and if theres a scuffle theyll kick like devils and scratch and bite like women or cats instead of using their fists i wish all the drunkards were teetotallers if it were only to be rid of them whiskey i was told would be drunk by the irish in preference to gin were it not that gin was about half the price one old irish fruit sellerwho admitted that he was fond of a glass of gintold me that he had not tasted whiskey for fourteen years becase of the price the irish moreover as i have shown live on stronger and coarser food than the english buying all the rough bad fish for to use the words of one of my informants they look to quantity more than quality this may account for their preferring a stronger and fiercer stimulant by way of drink of the resources of the street irish as regards stock money sickness burials c it is not easy to ascertain from the poor irish themselves how they raise their stock money for their command of money is a subject on 115 which they are not communicative or if communicative not truthful my opinion is said an irish gentleman to me that some of these poor fellows would declare to god that they hadnt the value of a halfpenny even if you heard the silver chink in their pockets it is certain that they never or very rarely borrow of the usurers like their english brethren the more usual custom is that if a poor irish street seller be in want of 5 s it is lent to him by the more prosperous people of his courtbricklayers labourers or other working menwho club 1 s a piece this is always repaid an irish bricklayer when in full work will trust a needy countryman with some article to pledge on the understanding that it is to be redeemed and returned when the borrower is able sometimes if a poor irishwoman need 1 s to buy oranges four othersonly less poor than herself because not utterly pennilesswill readily advance 3 d each money is also advanced to the deserving irish through the agency of the roman catholic priests who are the medium through whom charitable persons of their own faith exercise good offices money too there is no doubt is often advanced out of the priests own pocket on all the kinds of loans with which the poor irish are aided by their countrymen no interest is ever charged i dont like the irish said an english costermonger to me but they do stick to one another far more than we do the irish costers hire barrows and shallows like the english but if they get on at all they will possess themselves of their own vehicles much sooner than an english costermonger a quick witted irishman will begin to ponder on his paying 1 s 6 d a week for the hire of a barrow worth 20 s and he will save and hoard until a pound is at his command to purchase one for himself while an obtuse english coster who will yet buy cheaper than an irishman will probably pride himself on his cleverness in having got the charge for his barrow reduced in the third year of its hire to 1 s a week the twelvemonth round in cases of sickness the mode of relief adopted is similar to that of the english a raffle is got up for the benefit of the irish sufferer and if it be a bad case the subscribers pay their money without caring what trifle they throw for or whether they throw at all if sickness continue and such means as raffles cannot be persevered in there is one resource from which a poor irishman never shrinksthe parish he will apply for and accept parochial relief without the least sense of shame a sense which rarely deserts an englishman who has been reared apart from paupers the english costers appear to have a horror of the union if the irishman be taken into the workhouse his friends do not lose sight of him in case of his death they apply for and generally receive his body from the parochial authorities undertaking the expence of the funeral when the body is duly waked i think theres a family contract among the irish said a costermonger to me thats where it is the irish street folk are generally speaking a far more provident body of people than the english street sellers to save the irish will often sacrifice what many englishmen consider a necessary and undergo many a hardship from all i could ascertain the saving of an irish street seller does not arise from any wish to establish himself more prosperously in his business but for the attainment of some cherished project such as emigration some of the objects however for which these struggling men hoard money are of the most praiseworthy character they will treasure up halfpenny after halfpenny and continue to do so for years in order to send money to enable their wives and children and even their brothers and sisters when in the depth of distress in ireland to take shipping for england they will save to be able to remit money for the relief of their aged parents in ireland they will save to defray the expense of their marriage an expense the english costermonger so frequently dispenses withbut they will not save to preserve either themselves or their children from the degradation of a workhouse indeed they often with the means of independence secreted on their persons apply for parish relief and that principally to save the expenditure of their own money even when detected in such an attempt at extortion an irishman betrays no passion and hardly manifests any emotionhe has speculated and failed not one of them but has a positive genius for beggingboth the taste and the faculty for alms seeking developed to an extraordinary extent of the amount saved by the patience of the poor irishmen i can form no conjecture of the history of some irish street sellers in order that the following statements might be as truthful as possible i obtained permission to use the name of a roman catholic clergyman to whom i am indebted for much valuable information touching this part of my subject a young woman of whose age it was not easy to form a conjecture her features were so embrowned by exposure to the weather and perhaps when i saw her a little swollen from cold gave me the following account as to her living her tone and manner betrayed indifference to the future caused perhaps by ignorance for uneducated persons i find are apt to look on the future as if it must needs be but a repetition of the present while the past in many instances is little more than a blank to them this young woman said her brogue being little perceptible though she spoke thickly i live by keepin this fruit stall its a poor livin when i see how others live yes in thruth sir but its thankful i am for to be able 116 to live at all at all troth is it in these sore times my father and mother are both did god be gracious to their sowls they was evicted the family of us was the thatch of the bit o home was tuk off above our hids and we were lift to the wide worruldyis indeed sir and in the open air too the rint wasnt paid and it couldnt be paid and so we had to face the wither it was a sorrowful time but god was good and so was the neighbours and when we saw the praste he was a frind to us and we came to this counthry though id always heard it called a black counthry sure an theres much in it to indhure theres goins on it sir that the praste god rewarrud him wouldnt like to see theres bad ways i wont talk about thim and im sure you are too much of a gintlemin to ask me for if you know father that shows you are the best of gintlemin sure it was the eviction that brought us here i dont know about where we was just not in what county nor parish i was so young whin we lift the land i belave im now 19 perhaps only 18 she certainly looked much older but i have often noticed that of her class i cant be more i think for sure an its only 5 or 6 years since we left watherford and come to bristol im sure it was watherford and a beautiful place it is and i know it was bristol we come to we walked all the long way to london my parints died of the cholera and i live with mysilf but my aunt lodges me and sees to me she sills in the sthreets too i dont make 7 d a day i may make 6 d theres a good many young payple i know is now sillin in the streets becase they was evicted in their own counthry i suppose they had no where ilse to come to im nivir out of a night i sleep with my aunt and we keep to oursilves sure i very sildom taste mate but perhaps i do oftener than before we was evictedglory be to god one irish street seller i saw informed me that she was a widdy wid three childer her husband died about four years since she had then five children and was near her confinement with another since the death of her husband she had lost three of her children a boy about twelve years died of stoppage on his lungs brought on she said through being in the streets and shouting so loud to get sale of the fruit she has been in clare street clare market seven years with a fruit stall in the summer she sells green fruit which she purchases at covent garden when the nuts oranges c come in season she furnishes her stall with that kind of fruit and continues to sell them until the spring salad comes in during the spring and summer her weekly average income is about 5 s but the remaining portion of the year her income is not more than 3 s 6 d weekly so that taking the year through her average weekly income is about 4 s 3 d out of this she pays 1 s 6 d a week rent leaving only 2 s 9 d a week to find necessary comforts for herself and family for fuel the children go to the market and gather up the waste walnuts bring them home and dry them and these with a pennyworth of coal and coke serve to warm their chilled feet and hands they have no bedstead but in one corner of a room is a flock bed upon the floor with an old sheet blanket and quilt to cover them at this inclement season there is neither chair nor table a stool serves for the chair and two pieces of board upon some baskets do duty for a table and an old penny tea canister for a candlestick she had parted with every article of furniture to get food for her family she received nothing from the parish but depended upon the sale of her fruit for her living the irishmen who are in this trade are also very poor and i learned that both irishmen and irishwomen left the occupation now and then and took to begging as a more profitable calling often going begging this month and fruit selling the next this is one of the causes which prompt the london costermongers dislike of the irish theyll beg themselves into a meal and work us out of one said an english coster to me some of them are however less poverty struck a word in common use among the costermongers but these for the most part are men who have been in the trade for some years and have got regular pitches the woman who gave me the following statement seemed about twenty two or twenty three she was large boned and of heavy figure and deportment her complexion and features were both coarse but her voice had a softness even in its broadest brogue which is not very frequent among poor irishwomen the first sentence she uttered seems to me tersely to embody a deplorable history of the poverty of a day it was between six and seven in the evening when i saw the poor creature sure thin sir its thrippince ive taken to day and tuppince is to pay for my nights lodgin i shall do no more good to night and shall only stay in the cowld if i stay in it for nothing im an orphand sir she three or four times alluded to this circumstance and theres nobody to care for me but god glory be to his name i came to london to join my brother that had come over and did will and he sint for me but whin i got here i couldnt find him in it anyhow i dont know how long thats ago it may be five years it may be tin but she added with the true eloquence of beggary sure thin sir i had no harrut to keep count if i knew how my father and mother wasnt able to keep me nor to keep thimsilves in ireland and so i was sint over here they was counthry payple i dont know about their landlorrud they died not long afther i came here i dont know what they died of but sure it was of the will of god and they hadnt much to make them love this worruld no more have i would i like to go back to my own counthry will thin what would be the use i sleep at a lodging house and its a dacint place 117 its mostly my own counthrywomen thats in it that is in the womens part i pay 1 s a week thats 2 d a night for im not charged for sundays i live on brid and taties and salt and a herrin sometimes i niver taste beer and not often tay but i sit here all day and i feel the hunger this day and that day it goes off though if i have nothin to ate i dont know why but i wont deny the goodness of god to bring such a thing about i have lived for a day on a pinny sir a hapinny for brid and a hapinny for a herrin or two herrins for a hapinny and taties for the place of brid ive changed apples for a herrin with a poor man god rewarrud him sometimes i make on to 6 d a day and sometimes i have made 1 s 6 d but i think that i dont make 5 d a dayarrah no thin sir one day with the other and i dont worruk on sunday not often if ive no mate to ate id rather rist i never miss mass on a sunday a lady gives me a rag sometimes but the bitther times comin if i was sick i dont know what id do but i would sind for the praste and hed counsil me i could read a little oncte but i cant now of the irish refuse sellers there still remains to be described one branch of the irish street trade which is peculiar to the classviz the sale of refuse or such fruit and vegetables as are damaged and suited only to the very poorest purchasers in assorting his goods a fruit salesman in the markets generally throws to one side the shrivelled dwarfish or damaged fruitcalled by the street traders the specks if the supply to the markets be large as in the pride of the season he will put his several kinds of specks in separate baskets at other times all kinds are tossed together and sometimes with an admixture of nuts and walnuts the irish women purchase these at a quarter or within a quarter of the regular price paying from 6 d to 1 s a bushel for apples 9 d to 1 s 6 d for pears 1 s 6 d to 2 s 6 d for plums they are then sorted into halfpenny worths for sale on the stalls among the refuse is always a portion of what is called tidy fruit and this occupies the prominent place in the halfpenny lotsfor they are usually sold at a halfpenny sometimes too a salesman will throw in among the refuse a little good fruit if he happen to have it over either gratuitously or at the refuse price and this of course is always made the most conspicuous on the stalls of other fruits perhaps only a small portion is damaged from over ripeness or by the aggression of wasps and insects the remainder being very fine so that the retail lots are generally cheap the sellers aim at half profits or cent per cent the refuse trade in fruitand the refuse trade is mainly confined to fruitis principally in the hands of the irish the persons carrying it on are nearly all middle aged and elderly women i once or twice saw a delicate and pretty looking girl sitting with the old refuse women but i found that she was not a regular hand and only now and then minded the stall in her mothers absence she worked with her needle i was told of the women who confine themselves to this trade there are never less than twenty and frequently thirty sometimes when the refuse is very cheap and very abundant as many as 100 fruit sellers women and girls will sell it in halfpenny worths along with better articles these women also sell refuse dry fruit purchased in dukes place but only when they cannot obtain green fruit or cannot obtain it sufficiently all is sold at stalls as these dealers seem to think that if it were hawked the police might look too inquisitively at a barrow stocked with refuse the refuse sellers buy at all the markets the poorer street sellers whose more staple trade is in oranges or nuts are occasional dealers in it perhaps the regular refuse buyers are not among the very poorest class as their sale is tolerably quick and certain but with the usual drawbacks of wet weather they make i was told from 4 d to 1 s a day the year round or perhaps 7 d or 8 d a day sunday included they are all roman catholics and resort to the street sale after mass they are mostly widows or women who have reached middle age unmarried some are the wives of street sellers two of their best pitches are on saffron hill and in petticoat lane it is somewhat curious to witness these women sitting in a line of five or six and notwithstanding their natural garrulity hardly exchanging a word one with another some of them derive an evident solace from deliberate puffs at a short black pipe a stout healthy looking woman of this class said sure thin sir ive sat and sould my bit of fruit in this place or near it for twinty year and more as is very well known indeed is it i could make twice the money twinty year ago that i can now for the boys had the hapinnies more thin than they has now mores the pity the childer is my custhomers very few beyantsuch as has only a hapinny now and thin god hilp them theyll come a mile from any parrut to spind it with such as me for they know its chape we sill yis indeed or theyll come with a fardin either for its a hapinny lot well split for them any time the boys buys most but theyre dridful tazes its the patience of the divil must be had to dale wid the likes of thim they was dridful about the pope but theyve tired of it now o no it wasnt the boys of my counthry that demaned themselves that way well i make 4 d some days and 6 d some and 1 s 6 d some and i have made 3 s 6 d and i have made nothing perhaps i make 5 s or 6 s a week rigular but im established and well known you see the quantity of refuse at the metropolitan green markets varies with the different descriptions of fruit of apples it averages one 118 twentieth and of plums and greengages one fifteenth of the entire supply with pears cherries gooseberries and currants however the damaged amounts to one twelfth while of strawberries and mulberries it reaches as high as one tenth of the aggregate quantity sent to market the irish street sellers i am informed buy full two thirds of all the refuse the other third being purchased by the lower class of english costermongersthe illegitimates as they are called we must not consider the sale of the damaged fruit so great an evil as it would at the first blush appear for it constitutes perhaps the sole luxury of poor children as well as of the poor themselves who were it not for the halfpenny and farthing lots of the refuse sellers would doubtlessly never know the taste of such things before leaving this part of the subject it may be as well to say a few words concerning the curious revelations made by the returns from billingsgate covent garden and the other london markets as to the diet of the poor in the first place then it appears that in the matter of fish herrings constitute the chief article of consumptionno less than 210 000 000 lbs weight of this fish in a fresh state and 60 000 000 lbs in a dried state being annually eaten by the humbler classes of the metropolis and the suburbs of sprats there are 3 000 000 lbs weight consumedand these with the addition of plaice are the staple comestibles at the dinners and suppers of the ichthyophagous part of the labouring population of london one of the reasons for this is doubtless the extraordinary cheapness of these kinds of fish the sprats are sold at a penny per pound the herrings at the same rate and the plaice at a fraction less perhaps whereas a pound of butchers meat even pieces or the block ornaments as they are sometimes called cannot be got for less than twopence halfpenny or threepence but the relative cheapness of these two kinds of food can only be tested by the proportionate quantity of nutrition in each according to liebig butchers meat contains 26 per cent of solid matter and 74 per cent of water whereas according to brande fish consists of 20 parts of solid matter and 80 parts water in every 100 hence it would appear that butchers meat is five per cent more nutritive than fishor in other words that if the two were equally cheap the prices according to the quantity of nutrition in each should be for fish one penny per pound and butchers meat not five farthings so that even at twopence halfpenny the pound meat is more than twice as dear an article of diet as fish but it is not only on account of their cheapness that herrings and sprats are consumed in such vast quantities by the labouring people of london salmon eels herrings pilchards and sprats dr pereira tells us abound in oil and oleaginous food according to leibig is an element of respiration consisting of nearly 80 per cent charcoal which burns away in the lungs and so contributes to the warmth of the system fat indeed may be said to act as fuel to the vital fire and we now know from observations made upon the average daily consumption of food by 28 soldiers of the grand duke of hesse darmstadt in barracks for a monthwhich is the same as 840 men for one daythat an adult taking moderate exercise consumes in the act of respiration very nearly a pound of charcoal every day which of course must be supplied in his food but persons who take much exercise or labour hard says dr pereira require more frequent and copious meals than the indolent or sedentary in the active man the number of respirations is greater than in the inactive and therefore a more frequent supply of food is required to furnish the increased quantity of carbon and hydrogen to be consumed in the lungs a bird deprived of food says liebig dies on the third day while a serpent with its sluggish respiration can live without food three months or longer captain parry in his account of one of the polar expeditions 1827 states that both himself and mr beverley the surgeon were of opinion that in order to maintain the strength of the men during their harassing journey across the ice living constantly in the open air and exposed to the wet and cold for twelve hours a day an addition was requisite of at least one third to the quantity of provisions daily issued so in the gaol dietaries the allowance to prisoners sentenced to hard labour for three months is one third more than the scale for those sentenced to hard labour for three daysthe former having 254 ounces and the latter only 168 ounces of solid food served out to them every week but the hard working poor not only require more food than the non working rich but it is mainly because the rich are better fed that they are more lethargic than the poor for the greater the supply of nutriment to the body the more inactive does the system become from experiments made a few years ago at the zoological gardens it was found that by feeding the animals twice instead of once in the twenty four hours their habits as regards exercise were altereda fact which readily explains how the fat and overfed are always the least energetic fat being at once the cause and consequence of inaction it is well to hear an obese citizen tell a hollow cheeked man who begs a penny of him to go and worka lazy scoundrel but physiology assures us that the fat tradesman is naturally the laziest of the two in a word he is fat because he is lazy and lazy because he is fat the industrious poor however not only require more food than the indolent rich but getting less they become more susceptible of cold and therefore more eager for all that tends to 119 promote warmth i have often had occasion to remark the sacrifices that the ill fed will make to have a bit of fire he who is well fed observes sir john ross resists cold better than the man who is stinted while starvation from cold follows but too soon a starvation in food this doubtlessly explains in a great measure the resisting powers of the natives of frozen climates their consumption of food being enormous and often incredible captain cochrane in his journey through russia and siberian tartary tells us that he has repeatedly seen a yakut or tongouse devour forty pounds of meat in a day and one of the yakuti he speaks of as having consumed in twenty four hours the hind quarter of a large ox twenty pounds of fat and a proportionate quantity of melted butter for his drink vol i p 255 much less heat is evolved physiologists tell us where there is a deficiency of food during the whole of our march says sir john franklin we experienced that no quantity of clothing could keep us warm while we fasted but on those occasions on which we were enabled to go to bed with full stomachs we passed the night in a warm and comfortable manner hence it is evident that in summer a smaller quantity of food suffices to keep up the temperature of the body i know of no experiments to show the different proportions of aliment required at different seasons of the year in winter however when a greater supply is certainly needed the labouring man unfortunately has less means of obtaining itnearly all trades slacken as the cold weather comes on and some as brick making market gardening building c then almost entirely ceaseso that were it not for the cheapness of fish and moreover the oleaginous quality of those kinds which are most plentiful in the winter time the metropolitan poor would be very likely to suffer that starvation from cold which in the words of sir john ross follows but too soon a starvation in food hence we can readily understand the remark of the enthusiastic street sellersprats is a blessing to the poor the returns as to the other articles of food sold in the streets are equally curious the 1 500 000 l spent yearly in fish and the comparatively small amount expended on vegetables viz 290 000 l is a circumstance which seems to show that the labouring population of london have a greater relish for animal than vegetable diet it is quite certain says dr carpenter that the most perfect physical development and the greatest intellectual vigour are to be found among those races in which a mixed diet of animal and vegetable food is the prevalent habit and yet in apparent contradiction to the proposition asserted with so much confidence by dr carpenter we have the following curious fact cited by mr jacob bentley it is indeed a fact worthy of remark and one that seems never to have been noticed that throughout the whole animal creation in every country and clime of the earth the most useful animals cost nature the least waste to sustain them with food for instance all animals that work live on vegetable or fruit food and no animal that eats flesh works the all powerful elephant and the patient untiring camel in the torrid zone the horse the ox or the donkey in the temperate and the rein deer in the frigid zone obtain all their muscular power for enduring labour from natures simplest productions the vegetable kingdom but all the flesh eating animals keep the rest of the animated creation in constant dread of them they seldom eat vegetable food till some other animal has eaten it first and made it into flesh their only use seems to be to destroy life their own flesh is unfit for other animals to eat having been itself made out of flesh and is most foul and offensive great strength fleetness of foot usefulness cleanliness and docility are then always characteristic of vegetable eating animals while all the world dreads flesh eaters of vegetables we have seen that the greatest quantity consumed by the poor consists of potatoes of which 60 500 000 lbs are annually sold in the streets but ten pounds of potatoes are only equal in nutritive power to one pound of butchers meat which contains one fifth more solid food than fish so that a pound of fish may be said to equal eight pounds of potatoes and thus the 60 000 000 lbs of vegetable is dietetically equivalent to nearly 7 000 000 lbs of fish diet the cost of the potatoes at five pounds for 2 d is as we have seen 100 000 l whereas the cost of the same amount of nutritive matter in the form of fish at 1 d per pound would have been only 30 000 l or upwards of two thirds less the vegetable of which there is the next greatest street sale is onions upon which 90 000 l are annually expended this has been before accounted for by saying that a piece of bread and an onion are to the english labourer what bread and grapes are to the frenchmanoftentimes a meal the relish for onions by the poorer classes is not difficult to explain onions are strongly stimulating substances and they owe their peculiar odour and flavour as well as their pungent and stimulating qualities to an acrid volatile oil which contains sulphur this oil becomes absorbed quickens the circulation and occasions thirst the same result takes place with the oil of fish it not only proves a stimulant to the general system but we are told that the thirst and uneasy feeling at the stomach frequently experienced after the use of the richer species of fish have led to the employment of spirit to this kind of food hence says dr pereira the vulgar proverb brandy is latin for fish moreover the two classes of food are similar in their comparative indigestibility for the uneducated palates of the poor not only require a more pungent kind of diet but their stronger stomachs need something that will resist the action of the gastric juice for a considerable time hence their love of shell fish the small quantity of fruit too sold to the poor is a further proof of what is here stated the amount of the street sale of this luxury is no criterion as to the quantity purchased by the london labourers for according to all accounts the fruit buyers in the streets consist mostly of clerks shopmen small tradesmen and the chil 120 dren of mechanics or the lower grade of middle class people those who may be said strictly to belong to the poor viz those whose incomes are barely sufficient for their supportseldom purchase fruit in the first place they have no money to spend on such a mere toothsome extravagance and secondly they require a stronger and more stimulating and staying kind of food the delights of the palate we should remember are studied only when the cravings of the stomach are satisfied so that those who have strong stomachs have necessarily dull palates and therefore prefer something that bites in the mouth to use the words of one of my informantslike gin onions sprats or pickled whelks what the poor term relishes are very different things from what the rich style the delicacies of the season i have no means of ascertaining the average number of ounces of solid food consumed by the poorer class of the metropolis the whole of the fish fruit and vegetables sold to the london costermongers is not disposed of in the london streetsmany of the street sellers going as we have seen country excursions with their goods according to the result of the government commissioners of inquiry the labourers in the country are unable to procure for themselves and families an average allowance of more than 122 ounces of solid foodprincipally breadevery week hence it has been justly said we may infer that the man consumes as his share 140 ounces 134 bread and 6 meat the gaol dietaries allow 254 ounces or nearly twice as much to all prisoners who undergo continuous hard labour in the construction of these dietaries sir james grahamthe then secretary of statesays in his letter to the chairman of quarter sessions january 27th 1843 i have consulted not only the prison inspectors but medical men of the greatest eminence possessing the advantage of long experience they are proposed he adds as the minimum amount which can be safely afforded to prisoners without the risk of inflicting a punishment not contemplated by law and which it is unjust and cruel to inflict namely loss of health and strength through the inadequacy of the food supplied hence it appears not that the thief gets too much but the honest working man too littleor in other words that the labourer of this country is able to procure by his industry only half the quantity of food that is considered by medical men of the greatest eminence to be the minimum amount that can be safely afforded for the support of the criminalsa fact which it would be out of place to comment upon here one word concerning the incomes of the london costermongers and i have done it has been before shown that the gross sum of money taken yearly in the streets by the sale of fish fruit and vegetables amounts in round numbers to two million poundsa million and a half being expended in fish and a quarter of a million upon fruit and vegetables respectively in estimating the yearly receipts of the costermongers from their average gains the gross takings of the entire body were concluded to be between a million and a quarter and a million and a half sterlingthat is to say each one of the 10 000 street sellers of fish fruit and vegetables was supposed to clear ten shillings a week all the year through and to take fifty shillings but according to the returns furnished me by the salesmen at the several metropolitan markets the weekly takings of the ten thousand men and their familiesfor often both wife and children sellcannot be less than four pounds per week all the year round out of which it would seem that the clear weekly gains are about fifteen shillings some costers we have seen take pounds in a day othersas the nut and orange women and childrenonly a few shillings a week some again make cent per cent profit whilst others are obliged to sell at a loss this from all i can gather as well as from a comparison of the costers style of living with other classes whose weekly income is nearly the same appears to be very close upon the truth we may then i think safely assert that the gross yearly receipts of the london costermongers are two millions of money that their clear annual gain or income is 425 000 l and that the capital invested in their business in the form of donkey carts barrows baskets weights and stock money is 25 000 l half of this being borrowed for which they pay upwards of 20 000 l interest per annum of the street sellers of game poultry live and dead rabbits butter cheese and eggs the class who sell game and poultry in the public thoroughfares of the metropolis are styled hawkers both in leadenhall and newgate market the number of these dealers in london is computed at between 200 and 300 of course legally to sell game a license which costs 2 l 2 s yearly is required but the street seller laughs at the notion of being subjected to a direct tax which indeed it might be impossible to levy on so slippery a class the sale of game even with a license was not legalised until 1831 and prior to that year the mere killing of game by an unqualified person was an offence entailing heavy penalties the qualification consisted of the possession of a freehold estate of 100 l a year or a leasehold for ninety nine years of 150 l a year by an act passed in the 25th year of george iii it was provided that a certificate costing 3 l 13 s 6 d must be taken out by all qualified persons 121 killing game since 1831 1 2 william iv c 32 a certificate without any qualification is all that is required from the game killer both sexes carry on the trade in game hawking but there are more than thrice as many men as women engaged in the business the weight occasionally carried being beyond a womans strength the most customary dress of the game or poultry hawker is a clean smock frock covering the whole of his other attire except the ends of his trousers and his thick boots or shoes indeed he often but less frequently than was the case five years ago assumes the dress of a country labourer although he may have been for years a resident in london about forty years ago i am informed it was the custom for countrymen residing at no great distance to purchase a stock of chickens or ducks and taking their places in a wagon to bring their birds to london and hawk them from door to door some of these mens smock frocks were a convenient garb for they covered the ample pockets of the coat beneath in which were often a store of partridges or an occasional pheasant or hare this game illegally killedfor it was all poachedwas illegally sold by the hawker and illegally bought by the hotel keepers and the richer tradesmen one informant an old man was of opinion that the game was rarely offered for sale by these countrymen at the west end mansions of the aristocracy in fact he said i knew one country fellowthough he was sharp enough in his trade of game and poultry sellingwho seemed to think that every fine house without a shop and where there were livery servants must needs be inhabited by a magistrate but as the great props of poaching were the richfor of course the poor couldnt buy gamethere was no doubt a west end as well as a city trade in it i have bought game of a country poultry hawker continued my informant when i lived in the city at the beginning of this century and generally gave 3 s 6 d a brace for partridges i have bid it and the man has left refusing to take it and has told me afterwards and i dare say he spoke the truth that he had sold his partridges at 5 s or 6 s or more i believe 5 s a brace was no uncommon price in the city i have given as much as 10 s for a pheasant for a christmas supper the hawker before offering the birds for sale used to peer about him though we were alone in my counting house and then pull his partridges out of his pockets and say sir do you want any very young chickens for so he called them hares he called lions and they cost often enough 5 s each of the hawker the trade had all the charms and recommendations of a mystery and a risk about it just like smuggling the sale of game in london however was not confined to the street hawkers who generally derived their stock in trade immediately from the poacher before the legalisation of the sale the trade was carried on under the rose by the salesmen in leadenhall market and that to an extent of not less than a fifteenth of the sale now accomplished there the purveyors for the london game marketi learned from leading salesmen in leadenhallwere not then as now noble lords and honourable gentlemen but peasant or farmer poachers who carried on the business systematically the guards and coachmen of the stage coaches were the media of communication and had charge of the supply to the london market the purchasers of the game thus supplied to a market which is mostly the property of the municipality of the city of london were not only hotel keepers who required it for public dinners presided over by princes peers and legislators but the purveyors for the civic banquetssuch as the lord mayors ninth of november dinner at which the ministers of state always attended this street hawking of poached game as far as i could ascertain from the best informed quarters hardly survived the first year of the legalised sale the female hawkers of game are almost all the wives of the men so engaged or are women living with them as their wives the trade is better as regards profit than the costermongers ordinary pursuits but only when the season is favourable it is however more uncertain there is very rarely a distinction between the hawkers of game and of poultry a man will carry both or have game one day and poultry the next as suits his means or as the market avails the street sellers of cheese are generally costers while the vendors of butter and eggs are almost extinct game i may mention consists of grouse including black cocks and all the varieties of heath or moor game partridges pheasants bustards and hares snipe woodcocks plovers teal widgeons wild ducks and rabbits are not game but can only be taken or killed by certificated persons who are owners or occupiers of the property on which they are found or who have the necessary permission from such persons as are duly authorised to accord it poultry consists of chickens geese ducks and turkeys while some persons class pigeons as poultry birds are dietetically divided into three classes 1 the white fleshed as the common fowl and the turkey 2 the dark fleshed game as the grouse and the black cock and 3 the aquatic including swimmers and waders as the goose and the duck the flesh of the latter is penetrated with fat and difficult of digestion of the quantity of game rabbits and poultry sold in the streets it appears from inquiries that i instituted and from authentic returns which i procured on the subject that the following is the quantity of game and poultry sold yearly as an average in the markets of the metropolis i give it exclusive of such birds as wild ducks woodcocks c the supply of which depends upon the severity of the winter i include all wild birds or animals whether considered game or not and i use round numbers but as closely as possible 122 during the past christmas however i may observe that the supply of poultry to the markets has been greater than on any previous occasion the immensity of the supply was favourable to the hawkers profit as the glut enabled him to purchase both cheaply and largely one young poultry hawker told me that he had cleared 3 l in the christmas week and had spent it all in four daysexcept 5 s reserved for stock money it was not spent entirely in drunkenness a large portion of it being expended in treats and amusements so great indeed has been the supply of game and poultry this year that a stranger unused to the grand scale on which provisions are displayed in the great metropolitan marts on visiting leadenhall a week before or after christmas might have imagined that the staple food of the london population consisted of turkeys geese and chickens i give however an average yearly supply description leadenhall newgate total proportion sold in the streets game c grouse 45 000 12 000 57 000 one eleventh partridges 85 000 60 000 145 000 one seventh pheasants 44 000 20 000 64 000 one fifth snipes 60 000 47 000 107 000 one twentieth wild birds 40 000 20 000 60 000 none plovers 28 000 18 000 46 000 none larks 213 000 100 000 313 000 none teals 10 000 5 000 15 000 none widgeons 30 000 8 000 38 000 none hares 48 000 55 000 102 000 one fifth rabbits 680 000 180 000 860 000 three fourths 1 283 000 525 000 1 807 000 poultry domestic fowls 1 266 000 490 000 1 756 000 one third alive 45 000 15 000 60 000 one tenth geese 888 000 114 000 1 002 000 one fifth ducks 235 000 148 000 383 000 one fourth alive 20 000 20 000 40 000 one tenth turkeys 69 000 55 000 124 000 one fourth pigeons 285 000 98 000 383 000 none game c 2 808 000 940 000 3 748 000 1 283 000 525 000 1 807 000 4 091 000 1 465 000 5 555 000 in the above return wild ducks and woodcocks are not included because the quantity sent to london is dependent entirely upon the severity of the winter with the costers wild ducks are a favourite article of trade and in what those street tradesmen would pronounce a favourable season for wild ducks which means a very hard winter the number sold in london will i am told equal that of pheasants 64 000 the great stock of wild ducks for the london tables is from holland where the duck decoys are objects of great care less than a fifth of the importation from holland is from lincolnshire these birds and even the finest and largest have been sold during a glut at 1 s each woodcocks under similar circumstances number with plovers 45 000 nearly all of which are golden plovers but of woodcocks the costermongers buy very few theyre only a mouthful and a half said one of them and dont suit our customers in severe weather a few ptarmigan are sent to london from scotland and in 1841 2 great numbers were sent to the london markets from norway one salesman received nearly 10 000 ptarmigan in one day a portion of these were disposed of to the costers but the sale was not such as to encourage further importations the returns i give show that at the two great game and poultry markets 5 500 000 birds and animals wild and tame are yearly sent to london to this must be added all that may be consigned direct to metropolitan game dealers and poulterers besides what may be sent as presents from the country c so that the london supply may be safely estimated i am assured at 6 000 000 it is difficult to arrive at any very precise computation of the quantity of game and poultry sold by the costers or rather at the money 123 value or price of what they sell the most experienced salesmen agree that as to quantity including everything popularly considered game and i have so given it in the return they sell one third as regards value however their purchases fall very short of a third of the best qualities of game and even more especially of poultry a third of the hawkers may buy a fifteenth compared with their purchases in the lower priced kinds the others buy none of the best qualities the more aristocratic of the poultry hawkers will as a rule only buy when they have an order or a sure sale the best quality of english turkey cocks which cannot be wondered at seeing that the average price of the english turkey cock is 12 s one salesman this year sold at leadenhall several turkey cocks at 30 s each and one at 3 l the average price of an english turkey hen is 4 s 6 d and of these the costers buy a few but their chief trade is in foreign turkey hens of which the average price when of good quality and in good condition is 3 s the foreign turkey cocks average half the price of the english or 6 s of dorking fat chickens which average 6 s the couple the hawkers buy none save as in the case of the turkey cocks but of the irish fowls which this season have averaged 2 s 6 d the couple they buy largely on the other hand they buy nearly all the rabbits sent from scotland and half of those sent from ostend while they clear the marketno matter of what the glut may consistwhen there is a glut there is another distinction of which the hawker avails himself the average price of young plump partridges is 2 s 6 d the brace of old partridges 2 s accordingly the coster buys the old it is the same with pheasants the young averaging 7 s the brace the old 6 s and i can sell them best said one man for my customers say theyre more tastier like ive sold game for twelve years or more but i never tasted any of any kind so i cant say whos right and whos wrong the hawkers buy also game and poultry which will not keep another day sometimes they puff out the breast of a chicken with fresh pork fat which melts as the bird roasts it freshens the fowl ive been told and improves it said one man and the shopkeepers now and then does the same its a improvement sir in the present season the costers have bought of wild ducks comparatively none and of teal widgeons wild birds and larks none at all or so sparely as to require no notice of the street purchasers of game and poultry as the purchasers of game and poultry are of a different class to the costermongers ordinary customers i may devote a few words to them from all the information that i could acquire they appear to consist principally of those who reside at a distance from any cheap market and buy a cheap luxury when it is brought to their doors as well as of those who are always on the look out for something toothy such as the shabby genteels as theyre called who never gives nothing but a scaly price theyve bargained with me till i was hard held from pitching into them and over and over again i should only it would have been fourteen days anyhow theyll tell me my birds stinks when theyre as sweet as flowers theyd go to the devil to save three farthings on a partridge other buyers are old gourmands living perhaps on small incomes or if possessed of ample incomes but confining themselves to a small expenditure others again are men who like a cheap dinner and seldom enjoy it at their own cost unless it be cheap and who best of all like such a thing as a moor bird grouse said one hawker which can be eat up to a mans own cheek this was also the opinion of a poulterer and game dealer who sometimes sold goods to the hawkers of this class of patrons many shopkeepers in all branches of business have a perfect horror as they will care nothing for having occupied the tradesmens time to no purpose the game and poultry street sellers i am told soon find out when a customer is bent upon a bargain and shape their prices accordingly although these street sellers may generally take as their motto the announcement so often seen in the shops of competitive tradesmen no reasonable offer refused they are sometimes so worried in bargaining that they do refuse in a conversation i had with a retired game salesman he said it might be curious to trace the history of a brace of birdsof grouse for instancesold in the streets and he did it after this manner they were shot in the highlands of scotland by a member of parliament who had gladly left the senate for the moors they were transferred to a tradesman who lived in or near some scotch town having railway communication and with whom the honourable gentleman or the noble lord had perhaps endeavoured to drive a hard bargain he the senator must have a good price for his birds as he had given a large sum for the moor and the season was a bad one the birds were scarce and wild they would soon be packed be in flocks of twenty or thirty instead of in broods and then there would be no touching a feather of them the canny scot would quietly say that it was early in the season and the birds never packed so early that as to price he could only give what he could get from a london salesman and he was nae just free to enter into any agreement for a fixed price at a the honourable gentleman after much demurring gives way feeling perhaps that he cannot well do anything else in due course the grouse are received in leadenhall and unpacked and flung about with as little ceremony as if they had been slaughtered by a whitechapel 124 journeyman butcher at so much a head it is a thin market perhaps when they come to hand a dealer fashionable in the parish of st george hanover square has declined to give the price demanded they were not his money he had to give such long credit a dealer popular in the ward of cheap has also declined to buy and for the same alleged reason the salesman knowing that some of these dealers must buy quietly says that he will take no less and as he is known to be a man of his word little is said upon the subject as the hour arrives at which fashionable game dealers are compelled to buy or disappoint customers who will not brook such disappointment the market perhaps is glutted owing to a very great consignment by a later railway train the inverness courier or the north of scotland gazette are in due course quoted by the london papers touching the extraordinary sport of a party of lords and gentlemen in the highlands and the heads of game are particularized with a care that would do honour to a price current the salesman then disposes rapidly of divers brace to the hawkers at 1 s or 2 s the brace and the hawker offers them to hotel keepers and shop keepers and housekeepers selling some at 3 s 6 d the brace some at 3 s at 2 s 6 d at 2 s and at less at last said my informant he may sell the finest brace of his basket which he has held back to get a better price for at 6 d a piece rather than keep them over night and that to a woman of the town whom he may have met reeling home with money in her purse thus the products of an honourable gentlemans skilful industry on which he greatly prided himself are eaten by the woman and her fancy man grumblingly enough for they pronounce the birds inferior to tripe the best quarters for the street sale of game and poultry are i am informed from several sources either the business parts of the metropolis or else the houses in the several suburbs which are the furthest from a market or from a business part the squares crescents places and streets that do not partake of one or the other of these characteristics are pronounced no good of the experience of a game hawker the man who gave me the following information was strong and robust and had a weather beaten look he seemed about fifty he wore when i saw him a large velveteen jacket a cloth waistcoat which had been once green and brown corduroy trousers no part of his attire though it seemed old was patched his shirt being clean and white he evidently aimed at the gamekeeper style of dress he affected some humour and was dogged in his opinions i was a gentlemans footman when i was a young man he said and saw life both in town and country so i knows what things belongs a common phrase among persons of his class to denote their being men of the world i never liked the confinement of service and besides the upper servants takes on so the others puts up with it more than they would i suppose because they hopes to be butlers themselves in time the only decent people in the house i lived in last was master and missus i won 20 l and got it too on the colonel when he won the leger master was a bit of a turf gentleman and so we all dabbledlike master like man you know sir i think that was in 1828 but im not certain we came to london not long after doncaster he meant doncaster races something about a lawsuit and that winter i left service and bought the goodwill of a coffee shop for 25 l it didnt answer i wasnt up to the coffee making i think theres a deal of things belongs to all things so i got out of it and after that i was in service again and then i was a boots at an inn but i couldnt settle to nothing long im of a free spirit you see i was hard up at last and i popped my watch for a sovereign because a friend of minewe sometimes drank together of a nightsaid he could put me in the pigeon and chicken line that was what he called it but it meant game this just suited me for id been out with the poachers when i was a lad and indeed when i was in service out of a night on the sly so i knew they got stiffish prices my friend got me the pigeons i believe he cheated me but hes gone to glory the next season game was made legal eating before that i cleared from 25 s to 40 s a week by selling my pigeons i carried real pigeons as well which i said was my own rearing at gravesend i sold my game pigeonsthere was all sorts of names for themin the city and sometimes in the strand or charing cross or covent garden i sold to shopkeepers oft enough ive been offered so much tea for a hare i sometimes had a hare in each pocket but they was very awkward carriage if one was sold the other sagged so i very seldom sold them at that time at less than 3 s 6 d often 4 s 6 d and sometimes 5 s or more i once sold a thumping old jack hare to a draper for 6 s it was christmas time and he thought it was a beauty i went into the country after that among my friends and had a deal of ups and downs in different parts i was a navvy part of the time till five or six year back i came to london again and got into my old trade but its quite a different thing now i hawks grouse and every thing quite open leadenhall and newgate is my markets six of one and half a dozen of tother when theres a great arrival of game after a game battle he would so call a battue and its warm weather thats my time of day for then i can buy cheap a muggy day when its close and warm is best of all i have a tidy bit of connection now in game and dont touch poultry when i can get game grouse is the first thing i get to sell they are legal eating on the 12th of august but as theres hundreds of braces sold in london that day and as theyre shot in scotland and yorkshire and other places where theres moors in course 125 theyre killed before its legal its not often i can get them early in the season not the first week but i have had three brace two days before they were legal and sold them at 5 s a brace they cost me 3 s 3 d but i was told i was favoured i got them of a dealer but thats a secret i sold a few young partridges with grouse this year at 1 s 6 d and 1 s 9 d a piece allowing 2 d or 3 d if a brace was taken they werent legal eating till the 1st of september but they was shot by grouse shooters and when i hawked them i called them quails lord sir gentlefolksand i serve a good many leastways their cooks and now and then themselves they dont make a fuss about game laws theyve too much sense ive bought grouse quite fresh and fine when theres been a lot and bad keeping weather at 1 s and 15 d each ive sold them sometimes at 1 s 6 d and 2 s each and 2 s 6 d the big ones but only twice or thrice if you ask very low at first people wont buy only a few good judges cause they think something must be amiss i once bought a dozen good hares on a saturday afternoon for 10 s 6 d it was jolly hot and i could hardly sell them i got 1 s 6 d a piece for three of them 2 s for the finest one 1 s 3 d for five no for four 1 s 10 d for two and i had a deal of trouble to get a landlord to take the last two for 1 s 6 d to wipe off a bit of a drink score i didnt do so bad as it was but if it hadnt been saturday i should have made a good thing of em its very hard work carrying a dozen hares and every one of that lotexcept two and they was fine leveretswas as cheap as butchers meat at half a crown a piece ive done middling in partridges this year ive bought them but mixed things they was as low as from 10 d to 16 d a brace and have made a profit big or little as happened on every one people thats regular customers i always charge 6 d profit in 2 s 6 d to and thats far cheaper than they can get served other ways its chiefly the game battles that does so much to cheapen partridges or peasants so he always called pheasants and its only then i meddles with peasants theyre sold handier than the other birds at the shops i think theyre legal eating on the 1st of october such nonsense why isnt mutton made legal eating only just at times as well in very hard weather ive done well on wild ducks they come over here when the weathers a clipper for you see cold weather suits some birds and kills others it aint hard weather thats driven them here the frost has drawed them here because its only then theyre cheap ive bought beauties at 1 s a piece and one day i cleared 10 s 6 d out of twelve brace of them ive often cleared 6 s and 7 s at least as often as theres been a chance i knew a man that did uncommon well on them and he once told a parson or a journeyman parson i dont know what he was that if ever he prayed it was for a hard winter and lots of wild ducks ive done a little sometimes in plover and woodcock and snipe but not so much i never plays no tricks with my birds i trims them up to look well certainly if they wont keep and wont sell i sticks them into a landlord i knows as likes them high for a quartern or a pot or anything its often impossible to keep them if theyre hard hit its soon up with them a sportsman if he has a good dogbut youll know that if youve ever been a shooting sirmay get close upon a covey of young partridges before he springs them and then give them his one two with both barrels and theyre riddled to bits i may make 18 s a week all the year round because i have a connection im very much respected i thinks on my round for i deal fair that there sir breeds respect you know when i cant get game birds i can sometimes indeed often get hares and mostly rabbits ive hawked venson but did no goodthough i cried it at 4 d the lb my best weeks is worth 30 s to 35 s my worst is 6 s to 10 s im a good deal in the country working it im forced to sell fish sometimes geese i sometimes join a mate in selling i dont mix much with the costermongers in coorse i knows some i live middling do i ever eat my own game if its high no sir never i couldnt stand such cag magmy stomach couldntthough ive been a gentlemans servant such stuff dont suit nobody but rich people whose stomachs diseased by over feeding and thats been brought up to it like ive only myself to keep now ive had a wife or two but we parted this was said gravely enough there was nothing to hinder us i see them sometimes and treat them the quantity of game annually sold in the london streets is as follows grouse 5 000 partridges 20 000 pheasants 12 000 snipes 5 000 hares 20 000 statement of two poultry hawkers two brothers both good looking and well spoken young menone i might characterise as handsomegave me the following account i found them unwilling to speak of their youth and did not press them i was afterwards informed that their parents died within the same month and that the family was taken into the workhouse but the two boys left it in a little time and before they could benefit by any schooling neither of them could read or write they left i believe with some little sum in hand to start theirselves an intelligent costermonger who was with me when i saw the two brothers told me that a costermonger would rather be thought to have come out of prison than out of a workhouse for his mates would say if they heard he had been locked up o hes only been quodded for pitching into a crusher the two brothers wore clean smock country frocks over their dress and made a liberal display of their clean 126 but coarse shirts it was on a monday that i saw them what one brother said the other confirmed so i use the plural we we sell poultry and game but stick most to poultry which suits our connection best we buy at leadenhall were never cheated in the things we buy indeed perhaps we couldnt be a salesman will saymr h willbuy if you like i cant recommend them use your own judgment theyre cheap he has only one price and thats often a low one we give from 1 s to 1 s 9 d for good chickens and from 2 s 6 d mostly for geese and turkeys pigeons is 1 s 9 d to 3 s a dozen we aim at 6 d profit on chickens and 1 s if we can get it or 6 d if we can do no better on geese and turkeys ducks are the same as chickens all the year through we may make 12 s a week a piece we work together one on one side of the street and the other on the other it answers best that way people find we cant undersell one another we buy the poultry whenever we can undressed and dress them ourselves pull the feathers off and make them ready for cooking we sell cheaper than the shops or we couldnt sell at all but you must be known to do any trade or people will think your poultrys bad we work game as well but mostly poultry weve been on hares to day mostly and have made about 2 s 6 d a piece but thats an extra day our best customers are tradesmen in a big way and people in the houses a little way out of town working people dont buy of us now were going to a penny gaff to night it was then between four and five weve no better way of spending our time when our days work is done from the returns before given the street sale of poultry amounts yearly to 500 000 fowls 80 000 ducks 20 000 geese 30 000 turkeys of the street sale of live poultry the street trade in live poultry is not considerable and has become less considerable every year since the facilities of railway conveyance have induced persons in the suburbs to make their purchases in london rather than of the hawkers geese used to be bought very largely by the hawkers in leadenhall and were driven in flocks to the country 500 being a frequent number of a flock their sale commenced about six miles from town in all directions the purchasers being those who having the necessary convenience liked to fatten their own christmas geese and the birds when bought were small and lean a few flocks with 120 or 150 in each are still disposed of in this way but the trade is not a fifth of what it was as this branch of the business is not in the hands of the hawkers but generally of country poulterers resident in the towns not far from the metropolis i need but allude to it a few flocks of ducks are driven in the same way the street trade in live poultry continues only for three monthsfrom the latter part of june to the latter part of september at this period the hawkers say as they cant get dead they must get live during these three months the hawkers sell 500 chickens and 300 ducks weekly by hawking or 10 400 in the season of 13 weeks occasionally as many as 50 men and womenthe same who hawk dead game and poultryare concerned in the traffic i am treating of at other times there are hardly 30 and in some not 20 so employed for if the weather be temperate dead poultry is preferred to live by the hawkers taking the average of live sellers at 25 every week it gives only a trade of 32 birds each weekly some however will sell 18 in a day but others who occasionally resort to the trade only a dozen in a week the birds are sometimes carried in baskets on the hawkers arm their heads being let through network at the top but more frequently they are hawked in open wicker work coops carried on the head the best live poultry are from surrey and sussex the inferior from ireland and perhaps more than three fourths of that sold by the hawkers is irish the further nature of the trade and the class of customers is shown in the following statement given to me by a middle aged man who had been familiar with the trade from his youth yes sir he said ive had a turn at live poultry forlet me seesomeways between twenty and twenty five years the business is a sweater sir its heavy work but live aint so heavy as dead theres fewer of them to carry in a round thats it ah twenty years ago or better live poultry was worth following i did a good bit in it ive sold 160 fowls and ducks and more in a week and cleared about 4 l but out of that i had to give a man 1 s a day and his peck to help me at that time i sold my ducks and chickensi worked nothing elseat from 2 s to 3 s 6 d a piece according to size and quality now if i get from 14 d to 2 s its not so bad i sell more i think however over 1 s 6 d than under it but im perticler in my live i never sold to any but people out of town that had convenience to keep them and lord knows ive seen ponds i could jump over reckoned prime for ducks them that keeps their gardens nice wont buy live poultry ive seldom sold to the big houses anything like to what ive done to the smaller the big houses you see goes for fancy bantems such as sir john seabrights or spanish hens or a bit of a game cross or real gamejust for ornament and not for fightingor for anything thats got its name up ive known young couples buy fowls to have their breakfast eggs from them one young lady told me to bring herthats fifteen year ago it is sosix couples that i knew would lay i told her shed better have five hens to a cock and she didnt seem pleased but im sure i dont know why for i hope im always civil i told her there would be murder if there was a cock to every hen i supplied her and made 6 s by the job i have sold 129 live fowls to the jews about whitechapel on my way to stratford and bow but only when ive bought a bargain and sold one i dont know nothing how the jews kills their fowls last summer i didnt make 1 s 6 d a day no nor more than three half crowns a week in live but thats only part of my trade i dont complain so its nothing to nobody what i makes from beever de beauvoir town to stamford hill and on to tottenham and edmonton and turning off walthamstow way is as good a round as any for live it is so but nothing to what it was highgate and hampstead is middling the tother side the water isnt good at all the wallflower girl from a daguerreotype by beard fancy chickens i may add are never hawked nor are live pigeons nor geese nor turkeys the hawkers sale of live poultry may be taken at a moderate computation as 6 500 chickens and 3 900 ducks of rabbit selling in the streets rabbit selling cannot be said to be a distinct branch of costermongering but some street sellers devote themselves to it more exclusively than to other goods and for five or six months of the year sell little else it is not often though it is sometimes united with the game or poultry trade as a stock of rabbits of a dozen or a dozen and a half is a sufficient load for one man the best sale for rabbits is in the suburbs they are generally carried slung two and two on a long pole which is supported on the mans shoulders or on a short one which is carried in the hand lately they have been hawked about hung up on a barrow the trade is the briskest in the autumn and winter months but some men carry them though they do not confine themselves to the traffic in them all the year round the following statement shows the nature of the trade i was born and bred a costermonger he said and ive been concerned with everything in the line ive been mostly on rabbits these five or six years but i always sold a few and now sometimes i sell a hare or two and if rabbits is too dear i tumble on to fish i buy at leadenhall mainly ive given from 6 s to 14 s a dozen for my rabbits the usual price is from 5 s to 8 s a dozen i may remark that the costers buy nearly all the scotch rabbits at an average of 6 s the dozen and the ostend rabbits which are a shilling or two dearer theyre hampshire rabbits but i dont know where hampshire is i know theyre from hampshire for theyre called wild hampshire rabbits 1 s a pair but still as you say thats only a call i never sell a rabbit at 6 d in courseit costs more my way in business is to get 2 d profit and the skin on every rabbit if they cost me 8 d i try to get 10 d its the skins is the profit the skins now brings me from 1 s to 1 s 9 d a dozen theyre best in frosty weather the furs thickest then it grows best in frost i suppose if i sell a dozen its a tidy days work if i get 2 d a piece on them and the skins at 1 s 3 d its 3 s 3 d but i dont sell above 5 dozen in a weekthats 16 s 3 d a week sir is it wet and dark weather is against me people wont often buy rabbits by candlelight if theyre ever so sweet some weeks in spring and summer i cant sell above two dozen rabbits i have sold two dozen and ten on a saturday in the country but then i had a young man to help me i sell the skins to a warehouse for hatters my old oman works a little fish at a stall sometimes but she only can in fine weather for weve a kid that can hardly walk and it dont do to let it stand out in the cold perhaps i may make 10 s to 14 s a week all the year round im paying 1 s a week for 1 l borrowed and paid 2 s all last year but ill pay no more after christmas i did better on rabbits four or five year back because i sold more to working people and small shopkeepers than i do now i suppose its because theyre not so well off now as they was then and as you say butchers meat may be cheaper now and tempts them i do best short ways in the country wandsworth way aint bad no more is parts of stoke newington and stamford hill st johns wood and hampstead is middling hackneys bad i goes all ways i dont know what sort of peoples my best customers two of em ive been told is bankers clerks so in course they is rich there are 600 000 rabbits sold every year in the streets of london these at 7 d a piece give 17 500 l thus expended annually in the metropolis of the street sale of butter cheese and eggs all these commodities used to be hawked in the streets and to a considerable extent until as nearly as i can ascertain between twenty and thirty years back butter was brought from epping and other neighbouring parts where good pasture existed and hawked in the streets of london usually along with poultry and eggs this trade is among the more ancient of the street trades steam vessels and railways however have so stocked the markets that no hawking of butter or eggs from any agricultural part even the nearest to london would be remunerative now eggs are brought in immense quantities from france and belgium though thirty or even twenty years ago the notion having of a good french egg at a london breakfast table would have been laughed at as an absurd attempt at an impossible achievement the number of eggs now annually imported into this kingdom is 98 000 000 half of which may be said to be the yearly consumption of london no butter is now hawked but sometimes a few new laid eggs are carried from a rural part to the nearest metropolitan suburb and are sold readily enough if the purveyor be known mr mculloch estimates the average consumption of butter in london at 6 250 000 lbs per annum or 5 oz weekly each individual 130 the hawking of cheese was never a prominent part of the street trade of late its sale in the streets may be described as accidental a considerable quantity of american cheese was hawked or more commonly sold at a standing five or six years ago unto december last and for three months preceding cheese was sold in the streets which had been rejected from government stores as it would not keep for the period required but it was good for immediate consumption for which all street goods are required this and the american cheese were both sold in the streets at 3 d the pound usually at fair weights i am told for it might not be easy to deceive the poor in a thing of such frequent purchase as half a quarter or a quarter of a pound of cheese the total quantity of foreign cheese consumed yearly in the metropolis may be estimated at 25 000 000 lbs weight or half of the gross quantity annually imported the following statement shows the quantity and sum paid for the game and poultry sold in london streets 5 000 grouse at 1 s 9 d each 437 20 000 partridges at 1 s 6 d 1 500 12 000 pheasants at 3 s 6 d 2 100 5 000 snipes at 8 d 166 20 000 hares at 2 s 3 d 2 250 600 000 rabbits at 7 d 17 500 500 000 fowls at 1 s 6 d 37 500 20 000 geese at 2 s 6 d 2 500 80 000 ducks at 1 s 6 d 6 000 30 000 turkeys at 3 s 6 d 5 250 10 000 live fowls and ducks at 1 s 6 d 750 75 953 in this table i do not give the refuse game and poultry bought sometimes for the mere feathers when undressed neither are the wild ducks nor woodcocks nor those things of which the costers buy only exceptionally included adding these it may be said that with the street sale of butter cheese and eggs 80 000 l are annually expended in the streets on this class of articles of the sellers of trees shrubs flowers cut and in pots roots seeds and branches the street sellers of whom i have now to treat comprise those who deal in trees and shrubs in flowers whether in pots or merely with soil attached to the roots or cut from the plant as it grows in the garden and in seeds and branches as of holly mistletoe ivy yew laurel palm lilac and may the root sellers as the dealers in flowers in pots are mostly called rank when in a prosperous business with the highest aristocracy of the street greengrocers the condition of a portion of them may be characterised by a term which is readily understood as comfortable that is to say comparatively comfortable when the circumstances of other street sellers are considered i may here remark that though there are a great number of scotchmen connected with horticultural labour in england but more in the provincial than the metropolitan districts there is not one scotchman concerned in the metropolitan street sale of flowers nor indeed as i have good reason to believe is there a single scotchman earning his bread as a costermonger in london a non commissioned officer in an infantry regiment a scotchman whom i met with a few months back in the course of my inquiries concerning street musicians told me that he thought any of his young countrymen if hard pushed to get a crust would enlist rather than resort even under favourable circumstances to any kind of street sale in london the dealers in trees and shrubs are the same as the root sellers the same may be said but with some few exceptions of the seed sellers the street trade in holly mistletoe and all kinds of evergreens known as christmas is in the hands of the coster boys more than the men while the trade in may c is almost altogether confined to these lads the root sellers do not reside in any particular localities but there are more of them living in the outskirts than in the thickly populated streets the street sellers of cut flowers present characteristics peculiarly their own this trade is mostly in the hands of girls who are of two classes this traffic ranks with the street sale of water cresses and congreves that is to say among the lowest grades of the street trade being pursued only by the very poor or the very young of the quantity of shrubs roots flowers etc sold in the streets and of the buyers the returns which i caused to be procured to show the extent of the business carried on in the metropolitan markets give the following results as to the quantity of trees shrubs flowers roots and branches sold wholesale in london as well as the proportion retailed in the streets 131 table showing the quantity of trees shrubs flowers roots and branches sold annually wholesale at the metropolitan markets and the proportion retailed in the streets covent garden farringdon total proportion sold to costers trees and shrubs firs 400 doz roots 400 800 one third laurels 480 480 960 one third myrtles 1 440 1 120 2 560 one fourth rhododendrons 288 256 544 one ninth lilac 192 192 384 one sixth box 288 192 480 one sixth heaths of all kinds 1 600 1 440 3 040 one fifth broom and furze 544 480 1 024 one fourth laurustinus 400 320 720 one fourth southernwood old man 960 480 1 440 one half flowers in pots roses moss 1 200 doz pots 960 2 160 one half ditto china 1 200 960 2 160 one half fuchsias 1 200 960 2 160 one half flower roots primroses 600 doz roots 400 1 000 one half polyanthus 720 720 1 440 one half cowslips 720 480 1 200 one half daisies 800 600 1 400 one half wallflowers 960 960 1 920 one half candytufts 720 480 1 200 one half daffodils 720 480 1 200 one half violets 1 200 1 200 2 400 one third mignonette 2 000 1 800 3 800 one sixth stocks 1 600 1 280 2 880 one sixth pinks and carnations 480 320 800 one half lilies of the valley 144 144 288 one fourth pansies 600 480 1 080 one fourth lilies and tulips 152 128 280 one ninth balsam 320 320 640 one sixth calceolarii 360 240 600 one ninth musk plants 5 760 4 800 10 560 one half london pride 400 320 720 one third lupins 960 640 1 600 one third china asters 450 400 850 one sixth marigolds 5 760 4 800 10 560 one eighth dahlias 80 80 160 one ninth heliotrope 800 480 1 280 one sixth michaelmas daisies 216 216 432 one third flowers cut violets 1 440 doz bunches 1 280 2 720 one half wallflowers 3 200 1 600 4 800 one half lavender green and dry 1 600 1 200 4 120 one half pinks 720 600 1 320 one third mignonette 2 000 1 600 3 600 one half lilies of the valley 180 160 340 one tenth moss roses 2 000 1 600 3 600 one third china ditto 2 000 1 600 3 600 one third stocks 800 480 1 280 one third branches holly 840 doz bundles 720 1 640 one half mistletoe 800 640 1 560 one half ivy and laurel 360 280 740 one half lilac 96 64 150 one half palm 12 8 28 one half may 30 20 70 one half 132 perhaps the pleasantest of all cries in early spring is that of all a growingall a blowing heard for the first time in the season it is that of the root seller who has stocked his barrow with primroses violets and daisies their beauty and fragrance gladden the senses and the first and perhaps unexpected sight of them may prompt hopes of the coming year such as seem proper to the spring cobbett has insisted and with unquestioned truth that a fondness for bees and flowers is among the very best characteristics of the english peasant i consider it equally unquestionable that a fondness for in door flowers is indicative of the good character and healthful tastes as well as of the domestic and industrious habits of the city artizan among some of the most intelligent and best conducted of these artizans i may occasionally have found on my visits to their homes neither flowers nor birds but then i have found books united with the fondness for the violet the wallflower the roseis the presence of the quality which has been pronounced the handmaiden of all the virtuescleanliness i believe that the bunch of violets on which a poor woman or her husband has expended 1 d rarely ornaments an unswept hearth in my investigations i could not but notice how the presence or absence of flowers together with other indications of the better tastes marked the difference between the well paid and the ill paid workman concerning the tailors for instance i had occasion to remark of the dwellings of these classes in the one you occasionally find small statues of shakspere beneath glass shades in the other all is dirt and ftor the working tailors comfortable first floor at the west end is redolent with the perfume of the small bunch of violets that stands in a tumbler over the mantel piece the sweaters wretched garret is rank with the stench of filth and herrings the presence of the bunch of flowers of itself tells us of a better state of things elevating the workman for amidst the squalid poverty and fustiness of a slopworkers garret the nostril loses its daintiness of sense so that even a freshly fragrant wallflower is only so many yellow petals and green leaves a love of flowers is also observable among men whose avocations are out of doors and those whose habits are necessarily those of order and punctuality among this class are such persons as gentlemens coachmen who delight in the display of a flower or two in the button holes of their coats when out of doors and in small vases in their rooms in their masters mews i have even seen the trellis work opposite the windows of cabmens rooms which were over stables with a projecting roof covering the whole thickly yellow and green with the flowers and leaves of the easily trained nasturtium and herb twopence the omnibus driver occasionally sports a nosegayas he himself might word itin his button hole and the stage coachman of old felt he was improperly dressed if a big bunch of flowers were not attached to his coat sailors ashore are likewise generally fond of flowers a delight in flowers is observable also among the workers whose handicraft requires the exercise of taste and whose eyes are sensible from the nature of their employment to the beauty of colour to this class belong especially the spitalfields silk weavers at one time the spitalfields weavers were almost the only botanists in london and their love of flowers is still strong i have seen fuchsias gladdening the weavers eyes by being placed near his loom their crimson pendants swinging backwards and forwards to the motion of the treadles while his small back garden has been many coloured with dahlias these weavers too were at one time highly successful as growers of tulips those out door workmen whose calling is of coarse character are never known to purchase flowers which to them are mere trumpery perhaps no one of my readers ever saw a flower in the possession of a flusherman nightman slaughterer sweep gaslayer gut and tripe preparer or such like labourer their eyes convey to the mind no appreciation of beauty and the sense of smell is actually dead in them except the odour be rank exceedingly the fondness for flowers in london is strongest in the women and perhaps strongest in those whose callings are in door and sedentary flowers are to them a companionship it remains only for me to state that in the poorest districts and among people where there is no sense of refinement or but a small love for natural objects flowers are little known flowers are not bought by the slop workers the garret and chamber masters of bethnal green nor in the poor irish districts nor by the city people indeed as i have observed there is not a flower stand in the city it should be remembered that in poor districts the first appearance of flowers conveys to the slop workman only one pleasurable associationthat the season of warmth has arrived and that he will not only escape being chilled with cold but that he will be delivered from the heavy burden of providing fire and candle a pleasant looking man with an appearance which the vulgar characterise as jolly and with hearty manners gave me the following account as to the character of his customers he had known the business since he was a boy his friends having been in it previously he said theres one old gentleman a little way out of town he always gives 1 s for the first violet root that any such as me carries there im often there before any others ah he says here you are youve come like buonaparte with your violet i dont know exactly what he means i dont like to ask him you see for though hes civil hes not what you 133 may call a free sort of manthats it i explained to him that the allusion was to buonapartes emblem of the violet with the interpretation he or his admirers gave to iti come in the spring thats it sir is it he resumed well im glad i know because i dont like to be puzzled mines a puzzling trade though violets have a good sale ive sold six dozen roots in a day and only half as many primroses and double daisies if half everybody likes violets ive sold some to poor people in town but they like their roots in pots they havent a bit of a garden for em more shame too i say when they pays such rents people that sits working all day is very fond of a sweet flower a gentleman thats always a writing or a reading in his officehes in the timber tradebuys something of me every time i see him twice or thrice a week sometimes i cant say what he does with them all barmaids though you mightnt think it sir is wery tidy customers so sometimes is young women thats in an improper way of life about lisson grove and in some parts near oxford street they buys all sorts perhaps more stocks than anything for theyre beautiful roots and not dear ive sold real beauties for 2 d real beauties but small 6 d is a fair price one stock will perfume a house i tell my customers not to sleep with them in the room it isnt good for the health a doctor told me that and said you ought to give me a fuchsia for my opinion that was his joke primroses i sell most oftheyre not in potstwo or three or four miles out of town and most if a familys come into a new house or changed their house if theres children the young ones teases the old ones to buy them to set in the garden and when children gets fairly to work that way its a sure sale if they cant get over father theyll get over mother busy men never buy flowers as far as ive seen in no thoroughfare in the city i am assured is there a flower standa circumstance speaking volumes as to the habits and tastes of the people of fruit stalls and chop houses there are in the neighbourhood of the exchange more than in any other part of london perhapsthe faculty of perceiving the beauty of colour form and perfume as combined in flowers is not common to the man of business the pleasures of the palate however they can all understand parsons and doctors are often tidy customers resumed my informant they have a good deal of sitting and reading i believe ive heard a parson say to his wife do my dear go and buy a couple of those wallflowers for my study i dont do much for working men the womens my best customers theres a shoemaker to be sure comes down sometimes with his old woman to lay out 2 d or 3 d on me lets have something that smells strong hell say stronger than cobblers wax for though i cant smell that others can ive sold him musks musk plants as often as anything the poor people buy rather largely at times that is many of them buy one day last summer my old woman and me sold 600 penny pots of mignonette and all about you saw themand it was a pleasure to see themin the poor womens windows the women are far the best customers there was the mignonette behind the bits of bars they have in the shape of gates and such like in the front of their windows in the way of preventing the pots falling into the street mignonettes the best of all for a sure sale where can you possibly have a sweeter or a nicer pennorth pot and all of the street sale of trees and shrubs the street trade in trees and shrubs is an appendage of root selling and not an independent avocation the season of supply at the markets extends over july august september and october with a smaller trade in the winter and spring months at the nursery gardens from the best data i can arrive at there are about twice as many trees and shrubs purchased as in the markets by the costermongers nor is this the only difference it is the more costly descriptions that are bought at the nursery grounds the trees and shrubs are bought at the gardens under precisely the same circumstances as the roots but the trade is by no means popular with the root sellers they regard these heavy cumbrous goods as the smarter costers do such things as turnips and potatoes requiring more room and yielding less profit it breaks a mans heart said one dealer and half kills his beast going round with a lot of heavy things that perhaps you cant sell the street dealers say they must keep them or people will go where they can get roots and trees and everything all together in winter or in early spring the street seller goes a round now and then with evergreens and shrubs alone and the trade is then less distasteful to him the trees and shrubs are displayed when the market space allows on a sort of stand near the flower stand sometimes they are placed on the ground along side the flower stand but only when no better display can be made the trees and shrubs sold by the costers are mezereons rhododendrons savine laurustinus acacias of the smaller genera some being highly aromatic when in flower myrtles guelder roses when small privet genistas broom furze when small the cheaper heaths syringas small lilacs almost always young and for transplanting southernwood when large box large dwarf laurels variegated laurels called a cuber by the street people and young fir trees c the prices of trees vary far more than flower roots because they are dependent upon size for value why said one man ive bought roddies as i calls them rhododendrons at 4 s a dozen but they was scrubby things and ive bought them at 14 s 6 d i once gave 5 s for two trees of them which i had ordered and there was a rare grumbling about the price 134 though i only charged 7 s 6 d for the two which was 1 s 3 d a piece for carriage and hard earned too to carry them near five miles in my cart almost on purpose but i thought i was pleasing a good customer then theres myrtles why i can get them at 5 d a piece and at 5 s and a deal more if wanted you can have myrtles that a hat might be very big for them to grow in and myrtles that will fill a great window in a fine house ive bought common heaths at 1 s 3 d a dozen the coster ordinarily confines himself to the cheaper sorts of plants and rarely meddles with such things as acacias mezereons savines syringas lilacs or even myrtles and with none of these things unless cheap trees real trees i was told are often as cheap as anything them young firs there was 4 s 6 d a dozen and a man at market can buy four or six of them if he dont want a dozen the customers for trees and shrubs are generally those who inhabit the larger sort of houses where there is room in the hall or the windows for display or where there is a garden capacious enough for the implantation of the shrubs three fourths of the trees are sold on a round and when purchased at a stall the costermonger generally undertakes to deliver them at the purchasers residence if not too much out of his way in his regular rounds or he may diverge and make a round on speculation purposely there is as much bartering trees for old clothes as for roots and as many or more complaints of the hard bargainings of ladies id rather sell polyanthuses at a farthing a piece profit to poor women if i could get no more said one man than id work among them screws thats so fine in grand caps and so civil theyd skin a flea for his hide and tallow the number of trees and shrubs sold annually in the streets are as near as i can ascertain as followsi have added to the quantity purchased by the street sellers at the metropolitan markets the amount bought by them at the principal nursery gardens in the environs of london firs 9 576 roots laurels 1 152 myrtles 23 040 rhododendrons 2 160 lilacs 2 304 box 2 880 heaths 21 888 broom 2 880 furze 6 912 laurustinus 6 480 southernwood 25 920 the london flower girls it is not easy to arrive at any accurate estimate of the number of flower sellers in the streets of london the cause of the difficulty lies in the fact that none can be said to devote themselves entirely to the sale of flowers in the street for the flower sellers when oranges are cheap and good find their sale of the fruit more certain and profitable than that of flowers and resort to it accordingly another reason is that a poor costermonger will on a fine summers day send out his children to sell flowers while on other days they may be selling water cresses or perhaps onions sunday is the best day for flower selling and one experienced man computed that in the height and pride of the summer 400 children were selling flowers on the sundays in the streets another man thought that number too low an estimate and contended that it was nearer 800 i found more of the opinion of my last mentioned informant than of the other but i myself am disposed to think the smaller number nearer the truth on week days it is computed there are about half the number of flower sellers that there are on the sundays the trade is almost entirely in the hands of children the girls outnumbering the boys by more than eight to one the ages of the girls vary from six to twenty few of the boys are older than twelve and most of them are under ten of flower girls there are two classes some girls and they are certainly the smaller class of the two avail themselves of the sale of flowers in the streets for immoral purposes or rather they seek to eke out the small gains of their trade by such practises they frequent the great thoroughfares and offer their bouquets to gentlemen whom on an evening they pursue for a hundred yards or two in such places as the strand mixing up a leer with their whine for custom or for charity their ages are from fourteen to nineteen or twenty and sometimes they remain out offering their flowersor dried lavender when no fresh flowers are to be haduntil late at night they do not care to make their appearance in the streets until towards evening and though they solicit the custom of ladies they rarely follow or importune them of this class i shall treat more fully under another head the other class of flower girls is composed of the girls who wholly or partially depend upon the sale of flowers for their own support or as an assistance to their parents some of them are the children of street sellers some are orphans and some are the daughters of mechanics who are out of employment and who prefer any course rather than an application to the parish these girls offer their flowers in the principal streets at the west end and resort greatly to the suburbs there are a few also in the business thoroughfares they walk up and down in front of the houses offering their flowers to any one looking out of the windows or they stand at any likely place they are generally very persevering more especially the younger children who will run along barefooted with their please gentleman do buy my flowers poor little girl please kind lady buy my violets o do please poor little girl do buy a bunch please kind lady the statement i give of two orphan flower 135 sellers furnishes another proof in addition to the many i have already given of the heroic struggles of the poor and of the truth of the saying what would the poor do without the poor the better class of flower girls reside in lisson grove in the streets off drury lane in st giless and in other parts inhabited by the very poor some of them live in lodging houses the stench and squalor of which are in remarkable contrast to the beauty and fragrance of the flowers they sometimes have to carry thither with them unsold of two orphan flower girls of these girls the elder was fifteen and the younger eleven both were clad in old but not torn dark print frocks hanging so closely and yet so loosely about them as to show the deficiency of under clothing they wore old broken black chip bonnets the older sister or rather half sister had a pair of old worn out shoes on her feet the younger was barefoot but trotted along in a gait at once quick and feebleas if the soles of her little feet were impervious like horn to the roughness of the road the elder girl has a modest expression of countenance with no pretensions to prettiness except in having tolerably good eyes her complexion was somewhat muddy and her features somewhat pinched the younger child had a round chubby and even rosy face and quite a healthful look her portrait is here given they lived in one of the streets near drury lane they were inmates of a house not let out as a lodging house in separate beds but in rooms and inhabited by street sellers and street labourers the room they occupied was large and one dim candle lighted it so insufficiently that it seemed to exaggerate the dimensions the walls were bare and discoloured with damp the furniture consisted of a crazy table and a few chairs and in the centre of the room was an old four post bedstead of the larger size this bed was occupied nightly by the two sisters and their brother a lad just turned thirteen in a sort of recess in a corner of the room was the decency of an old curtainor something equivalent for i could hardly see in the dimnessand behind this was i presume the bed of the married couple the three children paid 2 s a week for the room the tenant an irishman out of work paying 2 s 9 d but the furniture was his and his wife aided the children in their trifle of washing mended their clothes where such a thing was possible and such like the husband was absent at the time of my visit but the wife seemed of a better stamp judging by her appearance and by her refraining from any direct or even indirect way of begging as well as from the glory be to gods the heavens be your honours bed or its the thruth im telling of you sir that i so frequently meet with on similar visits the elder girl said in an english accent not at all garrulously but merely in answer to my questions i sell flowers sir we live almost on flowers when they are to be got i sell and so does my sister all kinds but its very little use offering any thats not sweet i think its the sweetness as sells them i sell primroses when theyre in and violets and wall flowers and stocks and roses of different sorts and pinks and carnations and mixed flowers and lilies of the valley and green lavender and mignonette but that i do very seldom and violets again at this time of the year for we get them both in spring and winter they are forced in hot houses for winter sale i may remark the best sale of all is i think moss roses young moss roses we do best of all on them primroses are good for people say well heres spring again to a certainty gentlemen are our best customers ive heard that they buy flowers to give to the ladies ladies have sometimes said a penny my poor girl heres three halfpence for the bunch or theyve given me the price of two bunches for one so have gentlemen i never had a rude word said to me by a gentleman in my life no sir neither lady nor gentleman ever gave me 6 d for a bunch of flowers i never had a sixpence given to me in my lifenever i never go among boys i know nobody but my brother my father was a tradesman in mitchelstown in the county cork i dont know what sort of a tradesman he was i never saw him he was a tradesman ive been told i was born in london mother was a chairwoman and lived very well none of us ever saw a father it was evident that they were illegitimate children but the landlady had never seen the mother and could give me no information we dont know anything about our fathers we were all mothers children mother died seven years ago last guy faux day ive got myself and my brother and sister a bit of bread ever since and never had any help but from the neighbours i never troubled the parish o yes sir the neighbours is all poor people very poor some of them weve lived with her indicating her landlady by a gesture the two years and off and on before that i cant say how long well i dont know exactly said the landlady but ive had them with me almost all the time for four years as near as i can recollect perhaps more ive moved three times and they always followed me in answer to my inquiries the landlady assured me that these two poor girls were never out of doors all the time she had known them after six at night weve always good health we can all read here the three somewhat insisted upon proving to me their proficiency in reading and having produced a roman catholic book the garden of heaven they read very well i put myself continued the girl and i put my brother and sister to 136 a roman catholic schooland to ragged schoolsbut i could read before mother died my brother can write and i pray to god that hell do well with it i buy my flowers at covent garden sometimes but very seldom at farringdon i pay 1 s for a dozen bunches whatever flowers are in out of every two bunches i can make three at 1 d a piece sometimes one or two over in the dozen but not so often as i would like we make the bunches up ourselves we get the rush to tie them with for nothing we put their own leaves round these violets she produced a bunch the paper for a dozen costs a penny sometimes only a halfpenny the two of us doesnt make less than 6 d a day unless its very ill luck but religion teaches us that god will support us and if we make less we say nothing we do better on oranges in march or april i think it is than on flowers oranges keep better than flowers you see sir we make 1 s a day and 9 d a day on oranges the two of us i wish they was in all the year i generally go st johns wood way and hampstead and highgate way with my flowers i can get them nearly all the year but oranges is better liked than flowers i think i always keep 1 s stock money if i can if its bad weather so bad that we cant sell flowers at all and so if weve had to spend our stock money for a bit of bread she the landlady lends us 1 s if she has one or she borrows one of a neighbour if she hasnt or if the neighbours hasnt it she borrows it at a dolly shop the illegal pawn shop theres 2 d a week to pay for 1 s at a dolly and perhaps an old rug left for it if its very hard weather the rug must be taken at night time or we are starved with the cold it sometimes has to be put into the dolly again next morning and then theres 2 d to pay for it for the day weve had a frock in for 6 d and thats a penny a week and the same for a day we never pawned anything we have nothing they would take in at the pawnshop we live on bread and tea and sometimes a fresh herring of a night sometimes we dont eat a bit all day when were out sometimes we take a bit of bread with us or buy a bit my sister cant eat taturs they sicken her i dont know what emigrating means i informed her and she continued no sir i wouldnt like to emigrate and leave brother and sister if they went with me i dont think i should like it not among strangers i think our living costs us 2 s a week for the two of us the rest goes in rent thats all we make the brother earned from 1 s 6 d to 2 s a week with an occasional meal as a costermongers boy neither of them ever missed mass on a sunday of the life of a flower girl some of these girls are as i have stated of an immoral character and some of them are sent out by their parents to make out a livelihood by prostitution one of this class whom i saw had come out of prison a short time previously she was not nineteen and had been sentenced about a twelvemonth before to three months imprisonment with hard labour for heaving her shoe as she said at the lord mayor to get a comfortable lodging for she was tired of being about the streets after this she was locked up for breaking the lamps in the street she alleged that her motive for this was a belief that by committing some such act she might be able to get into an asylum for females she was sent out into the streets by her father and mother at the age of nine to sell flowers her father used to supply her with the money to buy the flowers and she used to take the proceeds of the days work home to her parents she used to be out frequently till past midnight and seldom or never got home before nine she associated only with flower girls of loose character the result may be imagined she could not state positively that her parents were aware of the manner in which she got the money she took home to them she supposes that they must have imagined what her practices were he used to give her no supper if she didnt bring home a good bit of money her father and mother did little or no work all this while they lived on what she brought home at thirteen years old she was sent to prison she stated for selling combs in the street it was winter and there were no flowers to be had she was incarcerated fourteen days and when liberated she returned to her former practices the very night that she came home from gaol her father sent her out into the streets again she continued in this state her father and mother living upon her until about twelve months before i received this account from her when her father turned her out of his house because she didnt bring home money enough she then went into kent hop picking and there fell in with a beggar who accosted her while she was sitting under a tree he said you have got a very bad pair of shoes on come with me and you shall have some better ones she consented and walked with him into the village close by where they stood out in the middle of the streets and the man began addressing the people my kind good christians me and my poor wife here is ashamed to appear before you in the state we are in she remained with this person all the winter and travelled with him through the country begging he was a beggar by trade in the spring she returned to the flower selling but scarcely got any money either by that or other means at last she grew desperate and wanted to get back to prison she broke the lamps outside the mansion house and was sentenced to fourteen days imprisonment she had been out of prison nearly three weeks when i saw her and was in training to go into an asylum she was sick and tired she said of her life 137 of the street sale of lavender the sale of green lavender in the streets is carried on by the same class as the sale of flowers and is as often as flowers used for immoral purposes when an evening or night sale is carried on the lavender is sold at the markets in bundles each containing a dozen branches it is sold principally to ladies in the suburbs who purchase it to deposit in drawers and wardrobes the odour communicated to linen from lavender being perhaps more agreeable and more communicable than that from any other flower nearly a tenth of the market sale may be disposed of in this way some costers sell it cheap to recommend themselves to ladies who are customers that they may have the better chance for a continuance of those ladies custom the number of lavender sellers can hardly be given as distinct from that of flower sellers because any flower girl will sell lavender when it is in season the season continues from the beginning of july to the end of september in the winter months generally after day fall dried lavender is offered for sale it is bought at the herb shops there is however an addition to the number of the flower girls of a few old women perhaps from twenty to thirty who vary their street selling avocations by going from door to door in the suburbs with lavender for sale but do not stand to offer it in the street the street sellers profit on lavender is now somewhat more than cent per cent as the bundle costing 2 d brings when tied up in sprigs at least 6 d the profit i am told was six or seven years ago 200 per cent but people will have better pennorths now i was informed by a person long familiar with the trade in flowers that from twenty to twenty five years ago the sale was the best it was a fashionable amusement for ladies to tie the sprigs of lavender together compressing the stems very tightly with narrow ribbon of any favourite colour the heads being less tightly bound or remaining unbound the largest stems were in demand for this work the lavender bundle when its manufacture was complete was placed in drawers or behind books in the shelves of a glazed book case so that a most pleasant atmosphere was diffused when the book case was opened cut flowers i now give the quantity of cut flowers sold in the streets the returns have been derived from nursery men and market salesmen it will be seen how fully these returns corroborate the statement of the poor flower girl p 135 its very little use offering anything thats not sweet i may remark too that at the present period from the mildness of the season wallflowers primroses violets and polyanthuses are almost as abundant as in spring sunshine violets 65 280 bunches wallflowers 115 200 lavender 296 640 pinks and carnations 63 360 moss roses 172 800 china ditto 172 800 mignonette 86 400 lilies of the valley 1 632 stocks 20 448 cut flowers sold yearly in the streets 994 560 of the street sale of flowers in pots roots etc the flower root sellersfor i heard them so called to distinguish them from the sellers of cut flowersare among the best mannered and the best dressed of all the street sellers i have met with but that only as regards a portion of them their superiority in this respect may perhaps be in some measure attributable to their dealing with a better class of customerswith persons who whether poor or rich exercise healthful tastes i may mention that i found the street sellers of rootsalways meaning thereby flower roots in bloommore attached to their trade than others of their class the roots sold in the streets are bought in the markets and at the nursery gardens but about three fourths of those required by the better class of street dealers are bought at the gardens as are cut flowers occasionally hackney is the suburb most resorted to by the root sellers the best pitches for the sale of roots in the street are situated in the new road the city road the hampstead road the edgeware road and places of similar character where there is a constant stream of passers along who are not too much immersed in business above three fourths of the sale is effected by itinerant costermongers for this there is one manifest reason a flower pot with the delicate petals of its full blown moss rose perhaps suffers even from the trifling concussion in the journey of an omnibus for instance to carry a heavy flower pot even any short distance cannot be expected and to take a cab for its conveyance adds greatly to the expense hence flower roots are generally purchased at the door of the buyer for the flowers of commoner or easier culture the root seller receives from 1 d to 3 d these are primroses polyanthuses cowslips but in small quantities comparatively daisies single and double and single or wild daisies were coming to be more asked for each 1 d small early wallflowers candy tufts southernwood called lads love or old man by some and daffodils but daffodils were sometimes dearer than 3 d the plants that may be said to struggle against frost and snow in a hard season such as the snowdrop the crocus and the mezereon are rarely sold by the costers they come too soon i was told the prim 138 roses and the other plants i have enumerated are sold for the most part not in pots but with soil attached to the roots so that they may be planted in a garden as they most frequently are or in a pot towards the close of may in an early season and in the two following months the root trade is at its height many of the stalls and barrows are then exceedingly beautiful the barrow often resembling a moving garden the stall keepers have sometimes their flowers placed on a series of shelves one above another so as to present a small amphitheatre of beautiful and diversified hues the purest white as in the lily of the valley to the deepest crimson as in the fuschia the bright or rust blotted yellow of the wallflower to the many hues of the stock then there are the pinks and carnations double and single with the rich coloured and heavily scented clove pinks roses mignonette the velvetty pansies or hearts ease the white and orange lilies calceolarias balsams a flower going out of fashion geraniums flowers coming again into fashion musk plants london pride and other saxifrages the species known oddly enough as london pride being a native of wild and mountainous districts such as botanists call alpine habitats and the many coloured lupins later again come the china asters the african marigolds the dahlias the poppies and the common and very aromatic marigold later still there are the michaelmas daisiesthe growth of the all hallown summer to which falstaff was compared there is a class of roots in which the street sellers on account of their general dearness deal so sparingly that i cannot class them as a part of the business among these are anemones hyacinths tulips ranunculuses and the orchidaceous tribe neither do the street people meddle unless very exceptionally with the taller and statelier plants such as foxgloves hollyoaks and sunflowers these are too difficult of carriage for their purpose nor do they sell unless again as an exception such flowers as require supportthe convolvolus and the sweet pea for instance the plants i have specified vary in price geraniums are sold at from 3 d to 5 s pinks at from 3 d for the common pink to 2 s for the best single clove and 4 s for the best double stocks as they are small and single to their being large and double from 3 d and sometimes less to 2 s dahlias from 6 d to 5 s fuschias from 6 d to 4 s rose bushes from 3 d to 1 s 6 d and sometimes but not often much higher musk plants london pride lupins c are 1 d and 2 d pots generally included to carry on his business efficiently the root seller mostly keeps a pony and a cart to convey his purchases from the garden to his stall or his barrow and he must have a sheltered and cool shed in which to deposit the flowers which are to be kept over night for the morrows business its a great bother sir said a root seller a man having to provide a shed for his roots it wouldnt do at all to have them in the same room as we sleep intheyd droop i have a beautiful big shed and a snug stall for a donkey in a corner of it but he wont bear tying uphell fight against tying all night and if he was loose why in course hed eat the flowers i put in the shed the price is nothing to him hed eat the queens camellias if he could get at them if they cost a pound a piece so i have a deal of trouble for i must block him up somehow but hes a first rate ass to carry on a considerable business the services of a man and his wife are generally required as well as those of a boy the purchases wholesale are generally by the dozen roots all ready for sale in pots mignonette however is grown in boxes and sold by the box at from 5 s to 20 s according to the size c the costermonger buys for the large sale to the poor at a rate which brings the mignonette roots into his possession at something less perhaps than a halfpenny each he then purchases a gross of small common pots costing him 1 d a dozen and has to transfer the roots and soil to the pots and then offer them for sale the profit thus is about 4 s per hundred but with the drawback of considerable labour and some cost in the conveyance of the boxes the same method is sometimes pursued with young stocks the cheapness of pots i may mention incidentally and the more frequent sale of roots in them has almost entirely swept away the fragment of a pitcher and the spoutless tea pot which cowper mentions as containing the poor mans flowers that testified an inextinguishable love of rural objects even in the heart of a city there are a few such things however to be seen still of root sellers there are for six months of the year about 500 in london of these one fifth devote themselves principally but none entirely to the sale of roots two fifths sell roots regularly but only as a portion and not a larger portion of their business and the remaining two fifths are casual dealers in roots buying themalmost always in the marketswhenever a bargain offers seven eighths of the root sellers are i am informed regular costers occasionally a gardeners assistant has taken to the street trade in flowers but i fancy sir said an experienced man to me theyve very seldom done any good at it theyre always gardening at their roots trimming them and such like and they overdo it theyre too careful of their plants people like to trim them theirselves i did well on fuschias last season said one of my informants i sold them from 6 d to 1 s 6 d the globes went off well geraniums was very fair the fairy queens of them sold faster than any i think its the ladies out of town a little way and a few in town that buy them and buy the fuschias too they require a good window the jenny lindsthey was geraniums and 139 other plantsdidnt sell so well as the fairy queens though they was cheaper good cloves pinks sell to the better sort of houses so do carnations mignonettes everybodys money dahlias didnt go off so well i had very tidy dahlias at 6 d and 1 s and some 1 s 6 d i do a goodish bit in giving flowers for old clothes i very seldom do it but to ladies i deal mostly with them for their husbands old hats or boots or shoes yes sir and their trowsers and waistcoats sometimesvery seldom their coatsand ladies boots and shoes too theres one pleasant old lady and her two daughters theyll talk me over any day i very seldom indeed trade for ladies clothes i have though mostly for something in the shawl way or wraps of some kind why that lady i was telling you of and her daughters got me to take togs that didnt bring the prime cost of my roots and expenses they called them by such fine names that i was had then they was so polite o my good man says one of the young daughters i must have this geranium in change it was a most big and beautiful fairy queen well worth 4 s the togi didnt know what they called ita sort of cloak fetched short of half a crown and that just with cheaper togs some days if its very hot and the stall business isnt good in very hot weather my wife goes a round with me and does considerable in swopping with ladies they cant do her as they can me the same on wet days if its not very wet when i has my roots covered in the cart ladies is mostly at home such times and perhaps theyre dull and likes to go to work at a bargaining my wife manages them in good weeks i can clear 3 l in my trade the two of us can anyhow but then theres bad weather and theres sometimes roots spoiled if theyre not cheap and dont go offbut ill sell one that cost me 1 s for 2 d to get rid of it and theres always the expenses to meet and the pony to keep and everything that way no sir i dont make 2 l a week for the five monthsits nearer five than sixthe season lasts perhaps something near it the rest of the year i sell fruit or anything and may clear 10 s or 15 s a week but some weeks next to nothing and the expenses all going on why no sir i cant say that times is what they was where i made 4 l on my roots five or six years back i make only 3 l now but its no use complaining theres lots worse off than i amlots ive given pennies and twopences to plenty thats seen better days in the streets it might be their own fault it is so mostly but perhaps only partly i keep a connection together as well as i can i have a stall my wifes there generally and i go a round as well one of the principal root sellers in the streets told me that he not unfrequently sold ten dozen a day over and above those sold not in pots as my informant had a superior trade his business is not to be taken as an average but reckoning that he averages six dozen a day for 20 weekshe said 26it shows that one man alone sells 8 640 flowers in pots in the season the principal sellers carry on about the same extent of business according to similar returns the number of the several kinds of flowers in pots and flower roots sold annually in the london streets are as follows flowers in pots moss roses 38 880 china roses 38 880 fuschias 38 800 geraniums 12 800 total number of flowers in pots sold in the streets 129 360 flower roots primroses 24 000 polyanthuses 34 560 cowslips 28 800 daisies 33 600 wallflowers 46 080 candytufts 28 800 daffodils 28 800 violets 38 400 mignonette 30 384 stocks 23 040 pinks and carnations 19 200 lilies of the valley 3 456 pansies 12 960 lilies 660 tulips 852 balsams 7 704 calceolarias 3 180 musk plants 253 440 london pride 11 520 lupins 25 596 china asters 9 156 marigolds 63 360 dahlias 852 heliotrope 13 356 poppies 1 920 michaelmas daisies 6 912 total number of flower roots sold in the streets 750 588 of the street sale of seeds the street sale of seeds i am informed is smaller than it was thirty or even twenty years back one reason assigned for this falling off is the superior cheapness of flowers in pots at one time i was informed the poorer classes who were fond of flowers liked to grow their own mignonette i told one of my informants that i had been assured by a trustworthy man that in one day he had sold 600 penny pots of mignonette not a bit of doubt of it sir was the answer not a doubt about it ive heard of more than that sold in a day by a man who set on three hands to help him and thats just where it is when a poor woman or poor man eitherbut its mostly the womencan buy a mignonette pot all blooming and smelling for 1 d why she wont bother to buy seeds and set them in a box or a pot and wait for them to come into full blow selling seeds in the streets cant be done so well now sir anyhow 140 it aint done as it was as ive often heard old folk say the reason assigned for this is that cottages in many partssuch places as lisson grove islington hoxton hackney or stepneywhere the inhabitants formerly cultivated flowers in their little gardens are now let out in single apartments and the gardensor yards as they mostly are nowwere used merely to hang clothes in the only green thing which remained in some of these gardens i was told was horse radish a root which it is difficult to extirpate and its just the sort of thing said one man that poor people hasnt no great call for because they you see ant not overdone with joints of roast beef nor rump steaks in the suburbs where the small gardens are planted with flowers the cultivators rarely buy seeds of the street sellers whose stands are mostly at a distance none of the street seed vendors confine themselves to the sale one man whom i saw told me that last spring he was penniless after sickness and a nurseryman whom he knew trusted him 5 s worth of seeds which he continued to sell trading in nothing else for three or four weeks until he was able to buy some flowers in pots though the profit is cent per cent on most kinds 1 s 6 d a day is accounted good earnings on seeds on wet days there is no sale and indeed the seeds cannot be exposed in the streets my informant computed that he cleared 5 s a week his customers were principally poor women who liked to sow mignonette in boxes or in a garden border if it had ever such a little bit of sun and who resided he believed in small quiet streets branching off from the thoroughfares of flower seeds the street sellers dispose most largely of mignonette nasturtium and the various stocks and of herbs the most is done in parsley one of my informants however did best in grass seeds which people bought he said to mend their grass plots with sowing them in any bare place and throwing soil loosely over them lupin larkspur convolvulus and venuss looking glass had a fair sale the street trade in seeds would be less than it is were it not that the dealers sell it in smaller quantities than the better class of shop keepers the street traders buy their seeds by the quarter of a poundor any quantity not considered retailof the nurserymen who often write the names for the costers on the paper in which the seed has to be inclosed seed that costs 4 d the street seller makes into eight penny lots why yes sir said one man in answer to my inquiry people is often afraid that our seeds aint honest if theyre not theyre mixed or theyre bad before they come into our hands i dont think any of our chaps does anything with them fourteen or fifteen years ago although seeds generally were fifteen to twenty per cent dearer than they are now there was twice the demand for them an average price of good mignonette seed he said was now 1 s the quarter of a pound and it was then 1 s 2 d to 1 s 6 d the shillings worth is made by the street seller into twenty or twenty four pennyworths an average price of parsley and of the cheaper seeds is less than half that of mignonette other seeds again are not sold to the street people by the weight but are made up in sixpenny and shilling packages their extreme lightness prevents their being weighed to a customer of this class are the african marigold the senecios groundsel and the china aster but of these compound flowers the street traders sell very few poppy seed used to be in great demand among the street buyers but it has ceased to be so its a fine hardy plant too sir i was told but somehow for all its variety in colours its gone out of fashion for fashion runs strong in flowers one long established street seller who is well known to supply the best seeds makes for the five weeks or so of the season more than twice the weekly average of 5 s perhaps 12 s but as he is a shop as well as a stall keeper he could not speak very precisely as to the proportionate sale in the street or the shop this man laughed at the fondness some of his customers manifested for fine latin names there are some people he said who will buy antirrhinum and artemisia and digitalis and wouldnt hear of snapdragon or wormwood or foxglove though theyre the identical plants the same informant told me that the railways in their approaches to the metropolis had destroyed many small gardens and had he thought injured his trade it was also a common thing now for the greengrocers and corn chandlers to sell garden seeds which until these six or eight years they did much less extensively last spring i was told there were not more than four persons in london selling only seeds the root sellers of whom i have treated generally deal in seeds also but the demand does not extend beyond four or five weeks in the spring though there was a straggling trade that way two or three weeks longer it was computed for me that there were fully one hundred persons selling seeds with other things in the streets and that each might average a profit of 5 s weekly for a month giving 200 l expended in seeds with 100 l profit to the costers seeds are rarely hawked as flowers are it is impossible to give as minutely detailed an account of the street sale of seeds as of flowers as from their diversity in size weight quantity in a pennyworth c no calculation can be prepared by weight or measure only by value thus i find it necessary to depart somewhat from the order hitherto observed one seedsman acquainted with the street trade from his dealings with the vendors was of opinion that the following list and proportions were as nice an approximation as could be arrived at it was found necessary to give it in proportions of twenty fifths but it must be borne in mind that the quantity in 3 25ths of parsley for exam 141 ple is more than double that of 3 25ths of mignonette i give in unison seeds of about equal sale whether of the same botanical family or not many of the most popular flowers such as polyanthuses daisies violets and primroses are not raised from seed except in the nursery gardens seeds twenty fifths value mignonette three 24 stocks of all kinds two 16 marigolds do one 8 convolvulus do 8 wallflower 8 scarlet beans and sweet peas 8 china asters and venus looking glass 8 lupin and larkspur 8 nasturtium 8 parsley two 16 other pot herbs one 8 mustard and cress lettuce and the other vegetables two 16 grass one 8 other seeds seven 56 total expended annually on street seeds 200 of christmasinglaurel ivy holly and mistletoe in london a large trade is carried on in christmasing or in the sale of holly and mistletoe for christmas sports and decorations i have appended a table of the quantity of these branches sold nearly 250 000 and of the money expended upon them in the streets it must be borne in mind to account for this expenditure for a brief season that almost every housekeeper will expend something in christmasing from 2 d to 1 s 6 d and the poor buy a pennyworth or a halfpennyworth each and they are the costers customers in some houses which are let off in rooms floors or suites of apartments and not to the poorest class every room will have the cheery decoration of holly its bright and as if glazed leaves and red berries reflecting the light from fire or candle then look said a gardener to me whats spent on a christmasing the churches why now properly to christmas st pauls i say properly mind would take 50 l worth at least aye more when i think of it nearer 100 l i hope therell be no no popery nonsense against christmasing this year im always sorry when anything of that kinds afloat because its frequently a hindrance to business this was said three weeks before christmas in london there are upwards of 300 000 inhabited houses the whole of the evergreen branches sold number 375 000 even the ordinary sized inns i was informed displayed holly decorations costing from 2 s to 10 s while in the larger inns where perhaps an assembly room a concert room or a club room had to be adorned along with other apartments 20 s worth of holly c was a not uncommon outlay well then consider said another informant the plum puddings why at least theres a hundred thousand of em eaten in london through the christmas and the month following thats nearly one pudding to every twenty of the population is it sir well perhaps thats too much but then theres the great numbers eaten at public dinners and suppers and theres more plum pudding clubs at the small grocers and public houses than there used to be so say full a hundred thousand flinging in any mince pies that may be decorated with evergreens well sir every plum pudding will have a sprig of holly in him if its bought just for the occasion it may cost 1 d to be really prime and nicely berried if its part of a lot why it wont cost a halfpenny so reckon it all at a halfpenny what does that come to above 200 l think of that then just for sprigging puddings mistletoe i am informed is in somewhat less demand than it was though there might be no very perceptible difference in many houses holly is now used instead of the true plant for the ancient ceremonies and privileges observed under the mistletoe bough the holly is not half the price of the mistletoe which is one reason for though there is not any great disparity of price wholesale the holly which costs 6 d retail is more than the quantity of mistletoe retailed for 1 s the holly tree may be grown in any hedge and ivy may be reared against any wall while the mistletoe is parasitical of the apple tree and but not to half the extent of the oak and other trees it does not grow in the northern counties of england the purchasers of the mistletoe are for the most part the wealthier classes or at any rate i was told those who give parties it is bought too by the male servants in large establishments and more would be so bought only so few of the great people of the most fashionable squares and places keep their christmas in town half a crown is a not uncommon price for a handsome mistletoe bough the costermongers buy about a half of the holly c brought to the markets it is also sold either direct to those requiring evergreens or to green grocers and fruiterers who have received orders for it from their customers or who know it will be wanted a shillings worth may be bought in the market the bundles being divided mistletoe the costersthose having regular customers in the suburbsreceive orders for last december said a coster to me i remember a servant girl and she werent such a girl either running after me in a regular flutter to tell me the family had forgot to order 2 s worth of mistletoe of me to be brought next day oh yes sir if its ordered by or delivered to the servant girls they generally have a little giggling about it if ive said what are you laughing at theyll mostly say me im not laughing the costermongers go into the neighbour 142 hood of london to procure the holly for street sale this is chiefly done i was told by those who were cracked up and some of them laboured at it days and days it is however a very uncertain trade as they must generally trespass and if they are caught trespassing by the occupier of the land or any of his servants they are seldom given in charge but their stock of evergreens is not unfrequently taken from them and that sir thats the cuttingest of all they do not so freely venture upon the gathering of mistletoe for to procure it they must trespass in orchards which is somewhat dangerous work and they are in constant apprehension of traps spring guns and bull dogs six or seven hundred men or lads the lads being the most numerous are thus employed for a week or two before christmas and perhaps half that number irregularly at intervals for a week or two after it some of the lads are not known as regular coster lads but they are habitus of the streets in some capacity to procure as much holly one day as will sell for 2 s 6 d the next is accounted pretty good work and 7 s 6 d would be thus realised in six days but 5 s is more frequently the return of six days labour and sale though a very few have cleared 10 s and one man with uncommon luck once cleared 20 s in six days the distance travelled in a short winters day is sometimes twenty miles and perhaps the lad or man has not broken his fast on some days until the evening or even the next morning for had he possessed a few pence he would probably have invested it in oranges or nuts for street sale rather than go a gathering christmas one strong looking lad of 16 or 17 gave me the following account its hard work is christmasing but when you have neither money nor work you must do something and so the holly may come in handy i live with a elder brother he helps the masons and as we had neither of us either work or money he cut off tottenham and edmonton way and me the tother side of the water mortlake way as well as i know wed both been used to costering off and on i was out i think ten days altogether and didnt make 6 s in it id been out two christmases before o yes id forgot i made 6 d over the 6 s for i had half a pork pie and a pint of beer and the landlord took it out in holly i meant to have made a quarter of pork do but i was so hungryand so would you sir if youd been out a christmasingthat i had the tother quarter its 2 d a quarter i did better when i was out afore but i forget what i made its often slow work for you must wait sometimes till no ones looking and then you must work away like anything id nothing but a sharp knife i borrowed and some bits of cord to tie the holly up you must look out sharp because you see sir a man very likely wont like his holly tree to be stripped wherever there is a berry we goes for the berries theyre poison berries ive heard moonlight nights is the thing sir when you knows where you are i never goes for mizzletoe i hardly knows it when i sees it the first time i was out a man got me to go for some in a orchard and told me how to manage but i cut my lucky in a minute something came over me like i felt sickish but what can a poor fellow do i never lost my christmas but a little bit of it once two men took it from me and said i ought to thank them for letting me off without a jolly good jacketing as they was gardeners i believes they was men out a christmasing as i were it was a dreadful cold time that and i was wet and hungry and thirsty too for all i was so wet and id to wait a watching in the wet ive got something better to do now and ill never go a christmasing again if i can help it this lad contrived to get back to his lodging in town every night but some of those out christmasing stay two or three days and nights in the country sleeping in barns out houses carts or under hay stacks inclement as the weather may be when their funds are insufficient to defray the charge of a bed or a part of one at a country dossing crib low lodging house they resorted in considerable numbers to the casual wards of the workhouses in croydon greenwich reigate dartford c when that accommodation was afforded them concealing their holly for the night as in other matters it may be a surprise to some of my readers to learn in what way the evergreens used on festive occasions in their homes may have been procured the costermongers who procure their own christmasing generally hawk it a few sell it by the lot to their more prosperous brethren what the costers purchase in the market they aim to sell at cent per cent supposing that 700 men and lads gathered their own holly c and each worked for three weeks not regarding interruptions and calculating that in the time they cleared even 15 s each it amounts to 525 l some of the costermongers deck their carts and barrows in the general line with holly at christmas some go out with their carts full of holly for sale and may be accompanied by a fiddler or by a person beating a drum the cry is holly green holly one of my informants alluded incidentally to the decoration of the churches and i may observe that they used to be far more profusely decked with christmas evergreens than at present so much so that a lady correspondent in january 1712 complained to mr spectator that her church going was bootless she was constant at church to hear divine service and make conquests but the clerk had so overdone the greens in the church that for three weeks miss jenny simper had not even seen the young baronet whom she dressed at for divine worship although he pursued his devotions only three pews from hers the aisle was a pretty 143 shady walk and each pew was an arbour the pulpit was so clustered with holly and ivy that the congregation like moses heard the word out of a bush sir anthony loves pew in particular concludes the indignant miss simper is so well hedged that all my batteries have no effect i am obliged to shoot at random among the boughs without taking any manner of aim mr spectator unless youll give orders for removing these greens i shall grow a very awkward creature at church and soon have little else to do there but to say my prayers in a subsequent number the clerk glorifies himself that he had checked the ogling of miss simper he had heard how the kentish men evaded the conqueror by displaying green boughs before them and so he bethought him of a like device against the love warfare of this coquettish lady of all the branches in the markets the costers buy one half this season holly has been cheaper than was ever known previously in some years its price was double that cited in some treble when the december was very frosty of the sale of may palm etc the sale of the may the fragrant flower of the hawthorn a tree indigenous to this countrywordsworth mentions one which must have been 800 years oldis carried on by the coster boys principally but only in a desultory way the chief supply is brought to london in the carts or barrows of the costers returning from a country expedition if the costermonger be accompanied by a ladas he always is if the expedition be of any lengththe lad will say to his master bill lets have some may to take back the man will almost always consent and often assist in procuring the thickly green branches with their white or rose tinted and freshly smelling flowers the odour of the hawthorn blossom is peculiar and some eminent botanistdr withering if i remember rightlysays it may be best described as fresh no flower perhaps is blended with more poetical antiquarian and beautiful associations than the ever welcome blossom of the may tree one gardener told me that as the hawthorn was in perfection in june instead of may the name was not proper but it must be remembered that the name of the flower was given during the old style which carried our present month of may twelve days into june and the name would then be more appropriate the may is obtained by the costermongers in the same way as the holly by cutting it from the trees in the hedges it has sometimes to be cut or broken off stealthily for persons may no more like their hawthorns to be stripped than their hollies and an ingenuous ladas will have been observedtold me of peoples objections to the unauthorized stripping of their holly bushes but there is not a quarter of the difficulty in procuring may that there is in procuring holly at christmas the costermonger if he has done tidy in the country will very probably leave the may at the disposal of his boy but a few men though perhaps little more than twenty i was told bring it on their own account the lads then carry the branches about for sale or if a considerable quantity has been brought dispose of it to other boys or girls or entrust them with the sale of it at half profits or any terms agreed upon costermongers have been known to bring home a load of may and this not unfrequently at the request and for the benefit of a cracked up brother trader to whom it has been at once delivered gratuitously a lad whom i met with as he was selling holly told me that he had brought may from the country when he had been there with a coster he had also gone out of town a few miles to gather it on his own account but it aint no good he said you must often go a good wayi never knows anything about how many milesand if its very ripe the word he used its soon shaken theres no sure price you may get 4 d for a big branch or you must take 1 d i may have made 1 s on a round but hardly ever more it cant be got near hand theres some stunning fine trees at the top of the park there the regents park the tother side of the logical gardens but theres always a cove looking after them they say and both night and day palm the flower of any of the numerous species of the willow is sold only on palm sunday and the saturday preceding the trade is about equally in the hands of the english and irish lads but the english lads have a commercial advantage on the morning of palm sunday when so many of the irish lads are at chapel the palm is all gathered by the street vendors one costermonger told me that when he was a lad he had sold palm to a man who had managed to get half drunk on a sunday morning and who told him that he wanted it to show his wife who very seldom stirred out that hed been taking a healthful walk into the country lilac in flower is sold and procured in the same way as may but in small quantities very rarely indeed laburnum which is too fragile or syringa which i am told is hardly saleable in the streets one informant remembered that forty years ago when he was a boy branches of elder berry flowers were sold in the streets but the trade has disappeared it is very difficult to form a calculation as to the extent of this trade the best informed give me reason to believe that the sale of all these branches apart from christmas ranges according to circumstances from 30 l to 50 l the cost being the labour of gathering and the subsistence of the labourer while at the work this is independent of what the costers buy in the markets i now show the quantity of branches forming the street trade 144 holly 59 040 bunches mistletoe 56 160 ivy and laurel 26 640 lilac 5 400 palm 1 008 may 2 520 total number of bunches sold in the streets from market sale 150 768 add to quantity from other sources 75 000 225 768 the quantity of branches from other sources is that gathered by the costers in the way i have described but it is impossible to obtain a return of it with proper precision to state it as half of that purchased in the markets is a low average i now give the amount paid by street buyers who indulge in the healthful and innocent tastes of which i have been treatingthe fondness for the beautiful and the natural cut flowers bunches of per bunch 65 280 violets at d 136 115 200 wallflowers d 240 86 400 mignonette 1 d 360 1 632 lilies of the valley d 3 20 448 stocks d 42 316 800 pinks and carnations d each 660 864 000 moss roses d 1 800 864 000 china ditto d 1 800 296 640 lavender 1 d 1 236 total annually 6 277 flower roots per root 24 000 primroses at d 60 34 560 polyanthuses 1 d 144 28 800 cowslips d 50 33 600 daisies 1 d 140 46 080 wallflowers 1 d 192 28 800 candy tufts 1 d 120 28 800 daffodils d 60 38 400 violets d 80 30 380 mignonette d 63 23 040 stocks 1 d 96 19 200 pinks and carnations 2 d 160 3 456 lilies of the valley 1 d 14 12 960 pansies 1 d 54 660 lilies 2 d 5 850 tulips 2 d 7 7 704 balsams 2 d 64 3 180 calceolarias 2 d 26 253 440 musk plants 1 d 1 056 11 520 london pride 1 d 48 25 595 lupins 1 d 106 9 156 china asters 1 d 38 63 360 marigolds d 132 852 dahlias 6 d 21 13 356 heliotropes 2 d 111 1 920 poppies 2 d 16 6 912 michaelmas daisies d 14 total annually 2 877 branches bunches of per bunch 59 040 holly at 3 d 738 56 160 mistletoe 3 d 702 26 640 ivy and laurel 3 d 333 5 400 lilac 3 d 67 1 008 palm 3 d 12 2 520 may 3 d 31 total annually from markets 1 883 add one half as shown 591 2 474 trees and shrubs each root 9 576 firs roots at 3 d 119 1 152 laurels 3 d 14 23 040 myrtles 4 d 384 2 160 rhododendrons 9 d 81 2 304 lilacs 4 d 38 2 880 box 2 d 24 21 888 heaths 4 d 364 2 880 broom 1 d 12 6 912 furze 1 d 28 6 480 laurustinus 8 d 216 25 920 southernwood 1 d 108 total annually spent 1 388 flowers in pots per pot 38 880 moss roses at 4 d 648 38 880 china ditto 2 d 324 38 800 fuschias 3 d 485 12 850 geraniums and pelargoniums of all kinds 3 d 160 total annually 1 617 the returns give the following aggregate amount of street expenditure trees and shrubs 1 388 cut flowers 6 277 flowers in pots 1 667 flower roots 2 867 branches 2 774 seeds 200 15 173 from the returns we find that of cut flowers the roses retain their old english favouritism no fewer than 1 628 000 being annually sold in the streets but locality affects the sale as some dealers dispose of more violets than roses because violets are accounted less fragile the cheapness and hardihood of the musk plant and marigold to say nothing of their peculiar odour has made them the most popular of the roots while the myrtle is the favourite among the trees and shrubs the heaths moreover command an extensive sale a sale i am told which was unknown until eight or ten years ago another instance of the fashion in flowers of which an informant has spoken 145 street sellers of green stuff under this head i class the street purveyors of water cresses and of the chickweed groundsel plantain and turf required for cage birds these purveyors seem to be on the outskirts as it were of the costermonger class and indeed the regular costers look down upon them as an inferior caste the green stuff trade is carried on by very poor persons and generally by children or old people some of the old people being lame or suffering from some infirmity which however does not prevent their walking about with their commodities to the children and infirm class however the turf cutters supply an exception the costermongers as i have intimated do not resort and do not let their children resort to this traffic if reduced to the last shift they will sell nuts or oranges in preference the old hands have been reduced as a general rule from other avocations their homes are in the localities i have specified as inhabited by the poor i was informed by a seller of birds that he thought fewer birds were kept by poor working people and even by working people who had regular though perhaps diminished earnings than was the case six or eight years ago at one time it was not uncommon for a young man to present his betrothed with a pair of singing birds in a neat cage now such a present as far as my informants knowledge extendedand he was a sharp intelligent manwas but rarely made one reason this man had often heard advanced for poor persons not renewing their birds when lost or dead is pitiful in its plainnessthey eat too much i do not know that in such a gift as i have mentioned there was any intention on the part of the lover to typify the beauty of cheerfulness even in a very close confinement to home i cant tell sir was said to me how it may have been originally but i never heard such a thing said much about though theres been joking about the matter as when would the birds have young ones and such like no sir i think it was just a fashion contrary to the custom in more prosperous establishments i am satisfied that among the labouring classes birds are more frequently the pets of the men than of the women my bird dealing informant cited merely his own experience but there is no doubt that cage birds are more extensively kept than ever in london consequently there is a greater demand for the green stuff the birds require of watercress selling in farringdon market the first coster cry heard of a morning in the london streets is that of fresh wo orter creases those that sell them have to be on their rounds in time for the mechanics breakfast or the days gains are lost as the stock money for this calling need only consist of a few halfpence it is followed by the very poorest of the poor such as young children who have been deserted by their parents and whose strength is not equal to any very great labour or by old men and women crippled by disease or accident who in their dread of a workhouse life linger on with the few pence they earn by street selling as winter draws near the farringdon cress market begins long before daylight on your way to the city to see this strange sight the streets are deserted in the squares the blinds are drawn down before the windows and the shutters closed so that the very houses seem asleep all is so silent that you can hear the rattle of the milkmaids cans in the neighbouring streets or the noisy song of three or four drunken voices breaks suddenly upon you as if the singers had turned a corner and then dies away in the distance on the cab stands but one or two crazy cabs are left the horses dozing with their heads down to their knees and the drawn up windows covered with the breath of the driver sleeping inside at the corners of the streets the bright fires of the coffee stalls sparkle in the darkness and as you walk along the policeman leaning against some gas lamp turns his lantern full upon you as if in suspicion that one who walks abroad so early could mean no good to householders at one house there stands a man with dirty boots and loose hair as if he had just left some saloon giving sharp single knocks and then going into the road and looking up at the bed rooms to see if a light appeared in them as you near the city you meet if it be a monday or friday morning droves of sheep and bullocks tramping quietly along to smithfield and carrying a fog of steam with them while behind with his hands in his pockets and his dog panting at his heels walks the sheep drover at the principal entrance to farringdon market there is an open space running the entire length of the railings in front and extending from the iron gates at the entrance to the sheds down the centre of the large paved court before the shops in this open space the cresses are sold by the salesmen or saleswomen to whom they are consigned in the hampers they are brought in from the country the shops in the market are shut the gaslights over the iron gates burn brightly and every now and then you hear the half smothered crowing of a cock shut up in some shed or bird fanciers shop presently a man comes hurrying along with a can of hot coffee in each hand and his stall on his head and when he has arranged his stand by the gates and placed his white mugs between the railings on the stone wall he blows at his charcoal fire making the bright sparks fly about at every puff he gives by degrees the customers are creeping up dressed 146 in every style of rags they shuffle up and down before the gates stamping to warm their feet and rubbing their hands together till they grate like sandpaper some of the boys have brought large hand baskets and carry them with the handles round their necks covering the head entirely with the wicker work as with a hood others have their shallows fastened to their backs with a strap and one little girl with the bottom of her gown tattered into a fringe like a blacksmiths apron stands shivering in a large pair of worn out vestris boots holding in her blue hands a bent and rusty tea tray a few poor creatures have made friends with the coffee man and are allowed to warm their fingers at the fire under the cans and as the heat strikes into them they grow sleepy and yawn the marketby the time we reach ithas just begun one dealer has taken his seat and sits motionless with coldfor it wants but a month to christmaswith his hands thrust deep into the pockets of his gray driving coat before him is an opened hamper with a candle fixed in the centre of the bright green cresses and as it shines through the wicker sides of the basket it casts curious patterns on the groundas a night shade does two or three customers with their shallows slung over their backs and their hands poked into the bosoms of their gowns are bending over the hamper the light from which tinges their swarthy features and they rattle their halfpence and speak coaxingly to the dealer to hurry him in their bargains just as the church clocks are striking five a stout saleswoman enters the gates and instantly a country looking fellow in a wagoners cap and smock frock arranges the baskets he has brought up to london the other ladies are soon at their posts well wrapped up in warm cloaks over their thick shawls and sit with their hands under their aprons talking to the loungers whom they call by their names now the business commences the customers come in by twos and threes and walk about looking at the cresses and listening to the prices asked every hamper is surrounded by a black crowd bending over till their heads nearly meet their foreheads and cheeks lighted up by the candle in the centre the saleswomens voices are heard above the noise of the mob sharply answering all objections that may be made to the quality of their goods theyre rather spotty mum says an irishman as he examines one of the leaves no more spots than a newborn babe dennis answers the lady tartly and then turns to a new comer at one basket a street seller in an old green cloak has spread out a rusty shawl to receive her bunches and by her stands her daughter in a thin cotton dress patched like a quilt ah mrs dolland cried the saleswoman in a gracious tone can you keep yourself warm it bites the fingers like biling water it do at another basket an old man with long gray hair streaming over a kind of policemans cape is bitterly complaining of the way he has been treated by another saleswoman he bought a lot of her the other morning and by daylight they were quite white for he only made threepence on his best day well joe returns the lady you should come to them as knows you and allers treats you well these saleswomen often call to each other from one end of the market to the other if any quarrel take place at one of the hampers as frequently it does the next neighbour is sure to say something pinch him well sally cried one saleswoman to another pinch him well i do when ive a chance its no use was the answer i might as well try to pinch a elephant one old wrinkled woman carrying a basket with an oilcloth bottom was asked by a buxom rosy dealer now nancy whats for you but the old dame was surly with the cold and sneering at the beauty of the saleswoman answered why dont you go and get a sweetheart sich as you aint fit for sich as we this caused angry words and nancy was solemnly requested to draw it mild like a good soul as the morning twilight came on the paved court was crowded with purchasers the sheds and shops at the end of the market grew every moment more distinct and a railway van laden with carrots came rumbling into the yard the pigeons too began to fly on to the sheds or walk about the paving stones and the gas man came round with his ladder to turn out the lamps then every one was pushing about the children crying as their naked feet were trodden upon and the women hurrying off with their baskets or shawls filled with cresses and the bunch of rushes in their hands in one corner of the market busily tying up their bunches were three or four girls seated on the stones with their legs curled up under them and the ground near them was green with the leaves they had thrown away a saleswoman seeing me looking at the group said to me ah you should come here of a summers morning and then youd see em sitting tying up young and old upwards of a hundred poor things as thick as crows in a ploughed field the groundsel man chick weed and grun sell from a daguerreotype by beard as it grew late and the crowd had thinned none but the very poorest of the cress sellers were left many of these had come without money others had their halfpence tied up carefully in their shawl ends as though they dreaded the loss a sickly looking boy of about five whose head just reached above the hampers now crept forward treading with his blue naked feet over the cold stones as a cat does over wet ground at his elbows and knees his skin showed in gashes through the rents in his clothes and he looked so frozen that the buxom saleswoman called to him asking if his mother had gone home the boy knew her well for without answering her question he went up to her and as he stood shivering on one foot said give us a few old cresses jinney and in a few minutes was running off with a green bundle under his arm all of the saleswomen 149 seemed to be of kindly natures for at another stall an old dame whose rags seemed to be beyond credit was paying for some cresses she had long since been trusted with and excusing herself for the time that had passed since the transaction as i felt curious on the point of the honesty of the poor i asked the saleswoman when she was alone whether they lost much by giving credit it couldnt be much she answered if they all of them decamped but they were generally honest and paid back often reminding her of credit given that she herself had forgotten whenever she lost anything it was by the very very poor ones though it aint their fault poor things she added in a kindly tone for when they keeps away from here its either the workhouse or the churchyard as stops them as you walk homealthough the apprentice is knocking at the masters doorthe little water cress girls are crying their goods in every street some of them are gathered round the pumps washing the leaves and piling up the bunches in their baskets that are tattered and worn as their own clothing in some of the shallows the holes at the bottom have been laced up or darned together with rope and string or twigs and split laths have been fastened across whilst others are lined with oilcloth or old pieces of sheet tin even by the time the cress market is over it is yet so early that the maids are beating the mats in the road and mechanics with their tool baskets swung over their shoulders are still hurrying to their work to visit farringdon market early on a monday morning is the only proper way to judge of the fortitude and courage and perseverance of the poor as douglas jerrold has beautifully said there is goodness like wild honey hived in strange nooks and corners of the earth these poor cress sellers belong to a class so poor that their extreme want alone would almost be an excuse for theft and they can be trusted paying the few pence they owe even though they hunger for it it must require no little energy of conscience on the part of the lads to make them resist the temptations around them and refuse the luring advice of the young thieves they meet at the low lodging house and yet they prefer the early risingthe walk to market with naked feet along the cold stonesthe pinched mealand the days hard labour to earn the few halfpenceto the thiefs comparatively easy life the heroism of the unknown poor is a thing to set even the dullest marvelling and in no place in all london is the virtue of the humblestboth young and oldso conspicuous as among the watercress buyers at farringdon market of the street sellers of water cress the dealers in water cresses are generally very old or very young people and it is a trade greatly in the hands of women the cause of this is that the children are sent out by their parents to get a loaf of bread somehow to use the words of an old man in the trade and the very old take to it because they are unable to do hard labour and they strive to keep away from the workhouse id do anything before id go theresweep the crossings or anything but i should have had to have gone to the house before if it hadnt been for my wife im sixty two said one who had been sixteen years at the trade the old people are both men and women the men have been sometimes one thing and sometimes another ive been a porter myself said one jobbing about in the markets or wherever i could get a job to do then theres one old man goes about selling water cresses whos been a seafaring man hes very old he isolder than what i am sir many a one has been a good mechanic in his younger days only hes got too old for labour the old women have many of them been laundresses only they cant now do the work you see and so theyre glad to pick up a crust anyhow nelly i know has lost her husband and she hasnt nothing else but her few creases to keep her shes as good honest hard working a creature as ever were for what she can dopoor old soul the young people are most of them girls there are some boys but girls are generally put to it by the poor people theres mary macdonald shes about fourteen her father is a bricklayers labourer hes an englishman and he sends little mary out to get a halfpenny or two he gets sometimes a couple of days work in the week he dont get more now im sure and hes got three children to keep out of that so all on em that can work are obligated to do something the other two children are so small they cant do nothing yet then theres louisa shes about twelve and she goes about with creases like i do i dont think shes got neer a father i know shes a mother alive and she sells creases like her daughter the mothers about fifty odd i dare say the sellers generally go about with an arm basket like a greengrocers at their side or a shallow in front of them and plenty of them carry a small tin tray before them slung round their neck ah it would make your heart ache if you was to go to farringdon market early this cold weather and see the poor little things there without shoes and stockings and their feet quite blue with the coldoh that they are and many on em dont know how to set one foot before the tother poor things you would say they wanted something give to em the small tin tray is generally carried by the young children the cresses are mostly bought in farringdon market the usual time to go to the market is between five and six in the morning and from that to seven said one informant myself i am generally down in the market by five i was there this morning at five and bitter cold it was i give you my word we poor old people feel it dreadful years ago i didnt mind cold but i feel it now cruel bad to be sure sometimes when im turning up my 150 things i dont hardly know whether ive got em in my hands or not cant even pick off a dead leaf but thats nothing to the poor little things without shoes why bless you ive seen em stand and cry two and three together with the cold ah my heart has ached for em over and over again ive said to em i wonder why your mother sends you out that i have and they said they was obligated to try and get a penny for breakfast we buy the water cresses by the hand one hand will make about five halfpenny bundles theres more call for em in the spring of the year than what there is in the winter why theyre reckoned good for sweetening the blood in the spring but for my own eating id sooner have the crease in the winter than i would have it in the spring of the year theres an old woman sits in farringdon market of the name of burrows thats sot there twenty four years and shes been selling out creases to us all that time the sellers goes to market with a few pence i myself goes down there and lays out sometimes my 4 d thats what i laid out this morning sometimes i lay out only 2 d and 3 d according as how i has the halfpence in my pocket many a one goes down to the market with only three halfpence and glad to have that to get a halfpenny or anything so as to earn a mouthful of breada bellyful that they cant get no how ah many a time i walked through the streets and picked a piece of bread that the servants chucked out of the doormay be to the birds ive gone and picked it up when ive been right hungry thinks i i can eat that as well as the birds none of the sellers ever goes down to the market with less than a penny they wont make less than a pennorth thats one hand and if the little thing sells that she wont earn more than three halfpence out of it after they have bought the creases they generally take them to the pump to wet them i generally pump upon mine in hatton garden its done to make them look nice and fresh all the morning so that the wind shouldnt make them flag you see theyve been packed all night in the hamper and they get dry some ties them up in haporths as they walks along many of them sit down on the steps of st andrews church and make them up into bunches youll see plenty of them there of a morning between five and six plenty poor little dear souls sitting there said the old man to me there the hand is parcelled out into five halfpenny bunches in the summer the dealers often go to market and lay out as much as 1 s on saturday morning this time of year i buys as many as nine handstheres more call for em on saturday and sunday morning than on any other days and we always has to buy on saturdays what we want for sundaysthere ant no market on that day sir at the market sufficient creases are bought by the sellers for the morning and afternoon as well in the morning some begin crying their creases through the streets at half past six and others about seven they go to different parts but there is scarcely a place but what some goes tothere are so many of us nowtheres twenty to one to what there used to be why theyre so thick down at the market in the summer time that you might bowl balls along their heads and all a fighting for the creases theres a regular scramble i can assure you to get at em so as to make a halfpenny out of them i should think in the spring mornings theres 400 or 500 on em down at farringdon market all at one timebetween four and five in the morningif not more than that and as fast as they keep going out others keep coming in i think there is more than a thousand young and old about the streets in the trade the working classes are the principal of the customers the bricklayers and carpenters and smiths and plumbers leaving work and going home to breakfast at eight oclock purchase the chief part of them a great many are sold down the courts and mews and bye streets and very few are got rid of in the squares and the neighbourhood of the more respectable houses many are sold in the principal thoroughfaresa large number in the city there is a man who stands close to the post office at the top of newgate street winter and summer who sells a great quantity of bunches every morning this man frequently takes between 4 s and 5 s of a winters morning and about 10 s a day in the summer sixteen years ago said the old man who gave me the principal part of this information i could come out and take my 18 s of a saturday morning and 5 s on a sunday morning as well but now i think myself very lucky if i can take my 1 s 3 d and its only on two mornings in the week that i can get that the hucksters of watercresses are generally an honest industrious striving class of persons the young girls are said to be well behaved and to be the daughters of poor struggling people the old men and women are persons striving to save themselves from the workhouse the old and young people generally travel nine and ten miles in the course of the day they start off to market at four and five and are out on their morning rounds from seven till nine and on their afternoon rounds from half past two to five in the evening they travel at the rate of two miles an hour if it wasnt for my wife i must go to the workhouse outright said the old watercress man ah i dont know what i should do without her i can assure you she earns about 1 s 3 d a day she takes in a little washing and keeps a mangle when im at home i turn the mangle for her the mangle is my own when my wifes mother was alive she lent us the money to buy it and as we earnt the money we paid her back so much a week it is that what has kept us together or else we shouldnt have been as we are the mangle we give 50 s for and it brings us in now 1 s 3 d a day with the washing my wife is 151 younger than i am she is about thirty five years old we have got two children one is thirteen and the other fifteen theyve both got learning and are both in situations i always sent em to school though i cant neither read nor write myself i wished to make them some little scholards i paid a penny a week for em at the school lady m has always given me my christmas dinner for the last five years and god bless her for itthat i do say indeed watercress girl the little watercress girl who gave me the following statement although only eight years of age had entirely lost all childish ways and was indeed in thoughts and manner a woman there was something cruelly pathetic in hearing this infant so young that her features had scarcely formed themselves talking of the bitterest struggles of life with the calm earnestness of one who had endured them all i did not know how to talk with her at first i treated her as a child speaking on childish subjects so that i might by being familiar with her remove all shyness and get her to narrate her life freely i asked her about her toys and her games with her companions but the look of amazement that answered me soon put an end to any attempt at fun on my part i then talked to her about the parks and whether she ever went to them the parks she replied in wonder where are they i explained to her telling her that they were large open places with green grass and tall trees where beautiful carriages drove about and people walked for pleasure and children played her eyes brightened up a little as i spoke and she asked half doubtingly would they let such as me go therejust to look all her knowledge seemed to begin and end with water cresses and what they fetched she knew no more of london than that part she had seen on her rounds and believed that no quarter of the town was handsomer or pleasanter than it was at farringdon market or at clerkenwell where she lived her little face pale and thin with privation was wrinkled where the dimples ought to have been and she would sigh frequently when some hot dinner was offered to her she would not touch it because if she eat too much it made her sick she said and she wasnt used to meat only on a sunday the poor child although the weather was severe was dressed in a thin cotton gown with a threadbare shawl wrapped round her shoulders she wore no covering to her head and the long rusty hair stood out in all directions when she walked she shuffled along for fear that the large carpet slippers that served her for shoes should slip off her feet i go about the streets with water creases crying four bunches a penny water creases i am just eight years oldthats all and ive a big sister and a brother and a sister younger than i am on and off ive been very near a twelvemonth in the streets before that i had to take care of a baby for my aunt no it wasnt heavyit was only two months old but i minded it for ever such a timetill it could walk it was a very nice little baby not a very pretty one but if i touched it under the chin it would laugh before i had the baby i used to help mother who was in the fur trade and if there was any slits in the fur id sew them up my mother learned me to needle work and to knit when i was about five i used to go to school too but i wasnt there long ive forgot all about it now its such a time ago and mother took me away because the master whacked me though the missus usent to never touch me i didnt like him at all what do you think he hit me three times ever so hard across the face with his cane and made me go dancing down stairs and when mother saw the marks on my cheek she went to blow him up but she couldnt see himhe was afraid thats why i left school the creases is so bad now that i havent been out with em for three days theyre so cold people wont buy em for when i goes up to them they say theyll freeze our bellies besides in the market they wont sell a hapenny handful nowtheyre ris to a penny and tuppence in summer theres lots and most as cheap as dirt but i have to be down at farringdon market between four and five or else i cant get any creases because everyone almostespecially the irishis selling them and theyre picked up so quick some of the saleswomenwe never calls em ladiesis very kind to us children and some of them altogether spiteful the good one will give you a bunch for nothing when theyre cheap but the others cruel ones if you try to bate them a farden less than they ask you will say go along with you youre no good i used to go down to market along with another girl as must be about fourteen cos she does her back hair up when weve bought a lot we sits down on a door step and ties up the bunches we never goes home to breakfast till weve sold out but if its very late then i buys a pennorth of pudden which is very nice with gravy i dont know hardly one of the people as goes to farringdon to talk to they never speaks to me so i dont speak to them we children never play down there cos were thinking of our living no people never pities me in the streetexcepting one gentleman and he says says he what do you do out so soon in the morning but he gave me nothinkhe only walked away its very cold before winter comes on reglarspecially getting up of a morning i gets up in the dark by the light of the lamp in the court when the snow is on the ground theres no creases i bears the coldyou must so i puts my hands under my shawl though it hurts em to take hold of the creases especially when we takes em to the pump to wash em no i never see any children cryingits no use sometimes i make a great deal of money 152 one day i took 1 s 6 d and the creases cost 6 d but it isnt often i get such luck as that i oftener makes 3 d or 4 d than 1 s and then im at work crying creases four bunches a penny creases from six in the morning to about ten what do you mean by mechanics i dont know what they are the shops buys most of me some of em says oh i aint a goin to give a penny for these and they want em at the same price as i buys em at i always give mother my money shes so very good to me she dont often beat me but when she do she dont play with me shes very poor and goes out cleaning rooms sometimes now she dont work at the fur i aint got no father hes a father in law no mother aint married againhes a father in law he grinds scissors and hes very good to me no i dont mean by that that he says kind things to me for he never hardly speaks when i gets home after selling creases i stops at home i puts the room to rights mother dont make me do it i does it myself i cleans the chairs though theres only two to clean i takes a tub and scrubbing brush and flannel and scrubs the floorthats what i do three or four times a week i dont have no dinner mother gives me two slices of bread and butter and a cup of tea for breakfast and then i go till tea and has the same we has meat of a sunday and of course i should like to have it every day mother has just the same to eat as we has but she takes more teathree cups sometimes no i never has no sweet stuff i never buy nonei dont like it sometimes we has a game of honey pots with the girls in the court but not often me and carry h carries the little uns we plays too at kiss in the ring i knows a good many games but i dont play at em cos going out with creases tires me on a friday night too i goes to a jews house till eleven oclock on saturday night all i has to do is to snuff the candles and poke the fire you see they keep their sabbath then and they wont touch anything so they gives me my wittals and 1 d and i does it for em i have a reglar good lot to eat supper of friday night and tea after that and fried fish of a saturday morning and meat for dinner and tea and supper and i like it very well oh yes ive got some toys at home ive a fire place and a box of toys and a knife and fork and two little chairs the jews gave em to me where i go to on a friday and thats why i said they was very kind to me i never had no doll but i misses little sistershes only two years old we dont sleep in the same room for father and mother sleeps with little sister in the one pair and me and brother and other sister sleeps in the top room i always goes to bed at seven cos i has to be up so early i am a capital hand at bargainingbut only at buying watercreases they cant take me in if the woman tries to give me a small handful of creases i says i aint a goin to have that for a haporth and i go to the next basket and so on all round i know the quantities very well for a penny i ought to have a full market hand or as much as i could carry in my arms at one time without spilling for 3 d i has a lap full enough to earn about a shilling and for 6 d i gets as many as crams my basket i cant read or write but i knows how many pennies goes to a shilling why twelve of course but i dont know how many hapence there is though theres two to a penny when ive bought 3 d of creases i ties em up into as many little bundles as i can they must look biggish or the people wont buy them some puffs them out as much as theyll go all my money i earns i puts in a club and draws it out to buy clothes with its better than spending it in sweet stuff for them as has a living to earn besides its like a child to care for sugar sticks and not like one whos got a living and vittals to earn i aint a child and i shant be a woman till im twenty but im past eight i am i dont know nothing about what i earns during the year i only know how many pennies goes to a shilling and two hapence goes to a penny and four fardens goes to a penny i knows too how many fardens goes to tuppenceeight thats as much as i wants to know for the markets the market returns i have obtained show the following result of the quantity vended in the streets and of the receipts by the cress sellers a table showing the quantity of watercresses sold wholesale throughout the year in london with the proportion retailed in the streets market quantity sold wholesale proportion retailed in the streets covent garden 1 578 000 bunches one eighth farringdon 12 960 000 one half borough 180 000 one half spitalfields 180 000 one half portman 60 000 one third total 14 958 000 from this sale the street cress sellers receive bunches receipts farringdon 6 480 000 d per bunch 13 500 covent garden 16 450 34 borough 90 000 187 spitalfields 90 000 187 portman 20 000 41 13 949 the discrepancy in the quantity sold in the respective markets is to be accounted for by the fact that farringdon is the water cress market to which are conveyed the qualities large 153 leaved and big stalked that suit the street folk of this description of cress they purchase one half of all that is sold in farringdon of the finer and smaller and brown leaved cress sold there they purchase hardly any at covent garden only the finer sorts of cress are in demand and consequently the itinerants buy only an eighth in that market and they are not encouraged there they purchase half the quantity in the borough and the same in spitalfields and a third at portman i have before mentioned that 500 might be taken as the number supported by the sale of creases that is 500 families or at least 1 000 individuals the total amount received is nearly 14 000 l and this apportioned among 1 000 street sellers gives a weekly receipt of 5 s 5 d with a profit of 3 s 3 d per individual the discrepancy is further accounted for because the other market salesmen buy cresses at farringdon but i have given under the head of farringdon all that is sold to those other markets to be disposed to the street sellers and the returns from the other markets are of the cresses carried direct there apart from any purchases at farringdon of groundsel and chickweed sellers on a former occasion in the morning chronicle i mentioned that i received a letter informing me that a woman residing in one of the courts about saffron hill was making braces and receiving only 1 s for four dozen of them i was assured she was a most deserving character strictly sober and not receiving parochial relief her husband my informant added was paralysed and endeavoured to assist his family by gathering green food for birds they are in deep distress but their character is irreproachable i found the couple located up a court the entrance to which was about as narrow as the opening to a sentry box and on each side lolled groups of labourers and costermongers with short black pipes in their mouths as i dived into the court a crowd followed me to see whither i was going the brace maker lived on the first floor of a crazy ftid house i ascended the stairs and the banisters from which the rails had all been purloined gave way in my hands i found the woman man and their family busy at their tea dinner in a large broken chair beside the fire place was the old paralysed man dressed in a ragged greasy fustian coat his beard unshorn and his hair in the wildest disorder on the edge of the bed sat a cleanly looking woman his wife with a black apron on standing by the table was a blue eyed laughing and shoeless boy with an old camlet cape pinned over his shoulders next him was a girl in a long grey pinafore with her hair cut close to her head with the exception of a few locks in front which hung down over her forehead like a dirty fringe on a chair near the window stood a basket half full of chickweed and groundsel and two large cabbages there was a stuffed linnet on the mantel piece and an empty cage hanging outside the window in front of the window sill was the small imitation of a gate and palings so popular among the workpeople on the table were a loaf a few mugs of milkless tea and a small piece of butter in a saucer i had scarcely entered when the mother began to remove the camlet cape from the boys shoulders and to slip a coarse clean pinafore over his head instead at present i have only to deal with the trade of the husband who made the following statement i sell chickweed and grunsell and turfs for larks thats all i sell unless its a few nettles thats ordered i believe theyre for tea sir i gets the chickweed at chalk farm i pay nothing for it i gets it out of the public fields every morning about seven i goes for it the grunsell a gentleman gives me leave to get out of his garden thats down battle bridge way in the chalk road leading to holloway i gets there every morning about nine i goes there straight after i have got my chickweed i generally gathers enough of each to make up a dozen halfpenny bunches the turfs i buys a young man calls here with them i pay 2 d a dozen for em to him he gets them himself sometimes he cuts em at kilburn wells and notting hill he goes to sometimes i believe he hires a spring barrow weekly to take them about he pays 4 d a day i believe for the barrow he sells the turfs to the bird shops and to such as me he sells a few to some private places i gets the nettles at highgate i dont do much in the nettle linethere aint much call for it after ive gathered my things i puts them in my basket and slings em at my back and starts round london low marrabun i goes to always of a saturday and wednesday i goes to st pancras on a tuesday i visit clerkenwell and russell square and round about there on a monday i goes down about covent garden and the strand on a thursday i does high marrabun on a friday because i aint able to do so much on that day for i gathers my stuff on the friday for saturday i find low marrabun the best of my beats i cry chickweed and grunsell as i goes along i dont say for young singing birds it is usual i know but i never did ive been at the business about eighteen year im out in usual till about five in the evening i never stop to eat im walking all the time i has my breakfast afore i starts and my tea when i comes home here the woman shivered i turned round and found the fire was quite out i asked them whether they usually sat without one the answer was we most generally raise a pennyworth some how just to boil the kettle with i inquired whether she was cold and she assured me she wasnt it was the blood she said that ran through her like ice sometimes i am a walking ten hours every daywet or dry the man continued i dont stand nice much about that i cant go much above one mile 154 and a half an hour owing to my right side being paralysed my leg and foot and all is quite dead i goes with a stick the wife brought the stick out from a corner of the room to show me it was an old peculiarly carved one with a bird rudely cut out of wood for the handle and a snake twisting itself up the stick i walk fifteen miles every day of my life that i doquite thatexcepting sunday in course i generally sell the chickweed and grunsell and turfs all to the houses not to the shops the young man as cut the turf gathers grunsell as well for the shops theyre tradespeople and gentlefolks houses together that i sells tosuch as keeps canaries or goldfinches or linnets i charge d a bunch for chickweed and grunsell together its the regular charge the nettles is ordered in certain quantities i dont get them unless theyre ordered i sells these in three pennnorths at a time why saturday is my best day and thats the reason why i cant spare time to gather on that day on saturday i dare say i gets rid on two dozen bunches of chickweed and grunsell on the other days sometimes i goes out and dont sell above five or six bunches at other times i get rid on a dozen that i call a tidy days work for any other day but a saturday and some days i dont sell as much as a couple of bunches in the whole day wednesday is my next best day after saturday on a wednesday sometimes i sell a dozen and a half in the summer i does much better than in winter they gives it more to the birds then and changes it oftener ive seed a matter of eight or nine people that sell chickweed and grunsell like myself in the fields where i goes to gather it they mostly all goes to where i do to get mine they are a great many that sells grunsell about the streets in london like i do i dare say there is a hundred and far more nor that taking one place with another i takes my nettles to ladies houses they considers the nettles good for the blood and drinks em at tea mostly in the spring and autumn in the spring i generally sells three threepennorths of em a week and in the autumn about two threepennorths the ladies i sell the nettles to are mostly sickly but sometimes they aint and has only a breaking out in the skin or in their face the nettles are mostly taken in low marrabun i gathers more than all for great titchfield street the turfs i sell mostly in london street in marrabun and john street and carburton street and portland street and berners and all about there i sells about three dozen of turfs a week i sells them at three and four a penny i charges them at three a penny to gentlefolks and four a penny to tradespeople i pays 2 d a dozen for em and so makes from 1 d to 2 d a dozen out of em i does trifling with these in the winterabout two dozen a week but always three dozen in the summer of the chickweed and grunsell i sells from six to seven dozen bunches a week in the summer and about four or five dozen bunches in the winter i sells mostly to regular customers and a very few to chance ones that meet me in the street the chance customers come mostly in the summer times altogether i should say with my regular and chance customers i make from 4 s to 5 s a week in the summer and from 3 s to 4 s in the winter thats as near as i can tell last monday i was out all day and took 1 d tuesday i took about 5 d wednesday i got 9 d thursday i cant hardly recollect not to tell the truth about it but oh dear me yes i wasnt allowed to go out on that day we was given to understand nothing was allowed to be sold on that day they told us it were the thanksgiving day i was obliged to fast on that day we did have a little in the morning a trifle but not near enough friday i came home with nigh upon 6 d and saturday i got 1 s and 3 d after when i went out at night i goes into leather lane every saturday night and stands with my basket there so that altogether last week i made 3 s 1 d but that was a slack week with me owing to my having lost thursday if it hadnt been for that i should have made near upon 4 s we felt the loss very severely prices have come down dreadful with us the same bunches as i sell now for d i used to get 1 d for nine or ten years ago i dare say i could earn then take one day with another such a thing as 7 s a week summer and winter through theres so many at it now to what there was afore that its difficult to get a living and the ladies are very hard with a body they tries to beat me down and particular in the matter of turfs they tell me they can buy half a dozen for 1 d so im obligated to let em have three or four theres a many women at the business i hardly know which is the most men or women theres pretty nigh as much of one as the other i think i am a bed sacking weaver by trade when i worked at it i used to get 15 s a week regularly but i was struck with paralysis nearly nineteen years ago and lost the use of all one side so i was obleeged to turn to summut else another grunseller told me on the business and what he got and i thought i couldnt do no better thats a favourite linnet we had that one stuffed there a young man that i knew stuffed it for me i was very sorry when the poor thing died ive got another little linnet up there im particular fond of little birds said the wife i never was worse off than i am now i pays 2 s a week rent and we has take one time with another about 3 s for the four of us to subsist upon for the whole seven days yes that take one time with another is generally what i do have we very seldom has any meat this day week we got a pound of pieces i gave 4 d for em everything that will pledge ive got in pawn ive been obliged to let them go i cant exactly say how much ive got in pledge but you can see the tickets the wife brought out a tin box full of duplicates they were for the usual articlescoats shawls shirts sheets 155 handkerchiefs indeed almost every article of wearing apparel and bedding the sums lent were mostly 6 d and 9 d while some ran as high as 2 s the dates of many were last year and these had been backed for three months ive been paying interest for many of the things there for seven years i pay for the backing 2 d that is 1 d for the backing and 1 d for the three months interest i pay 6 d a year interest on every one of the tickets if its only 3 d i have to pay d a month interest just the same but nothing for the ticket when we put it in the number of duplicates was 26 and the gross sum amounted to 1 l 4 s 8 d one of the duplicates was for 4 d nine were for 6 d two for 9 d nine were for 1 s two for 1 s 6 d one for 1 s 3 d one for 1 s 7 d and two for 2 s the greatest comfort i should like to have would be something more on our beds we lay dreadful cold of a night on account of being thin clad i have no petticoats at all we have no blanketsof late years i havent had any the warm clothing would be the greatest blessing i could ask im not at all discontented at my lot that wouldnt mend it we strive and do the best we can and may as well be contented over it i think its gods will we should be as we are providence is kind to me even badly off as we are i know its all for the best there are no pitches or stands for the sale of groundsel in the streets but from the best information i could acquire there are now 1 000 itinerants selling groundsel each person selling as an average 18 bunches a day we thus have 5 616 000 bunches a year which at d each realise 11 700 l about 4 s 2 d per week per head of sellers of groundsel the oldest hand in the trade is the man whose statement and likeness i give the sale continues through the year but the groundsel season extends from april to september in those months 24 bunches per individual seller is the extent of the traffic in the other months half that quantity giving the average of 18 bunches the capital required for groundsel selling is 4 d for a brown wicker basket leather strap to sling it from the shoulder 6 d in all 10 d no knife is necessary they pluck the groundsel chickweed is only sold in the summer and is most generally mixed with groundsel and plantain the chickweed and plantain together are but half the sale of groundsel and that only for five months adding to the total amount 2 335 l but this adds little to the profits of the regular itinerants for when there is the best demand there are the greatest number of sellers who in winter seek some other business the total amount of green stuff expended upon birds as supplied by the street sellers i give at the close of my account of the trade of those purveyors many of the groundsel and chickweed sellersfor the callings are carried on togetherwho are aged men were formerly brimstone match sellers who didnt like to take to the lucifers on the publication of this account in the morning chronicle several sums were forwarded to the office of that journal for the benefit of this family these were the means of removing them to a more comfortable home of redeeming their clothing and in a measure realizing the wishes of the poor woman of turf cutting and selling a man long familiar with this trade and who knew almost every member of it individually counted for me 36 turf cutters to his own knowledge and was confident that there were 40 turf cutters and 60 sellers in london the addition of the sellers however is but that of 10 women who assist their husbands or fathers in the street sales but no women cut turf and of 10 men who sell but buy of the cutters the turf is simply a sod but it is considered indispensable that it should contain the leaves of the small dutch clover the shamrock of the irish the most common of all the trefoils the turf is used almost entirely for the food and roosting place of the caged sky larks indeed one turf cutter said to me its only people that dont understand it that gives turf to other birds but of course if were asked about it we say its good for every bird pigeons and chickens and all and very likely it is if they choose to have it the principal places for the cutting of turf are at present shepherds bush notting hill the caledonian road hampstead highgate hornsey peckham and battersea chalk farm was an excellent place but it is now exhausted fairly flayed of the shamrocks parts of camden town were also fertile in turf but they have been built over hackney was a district to which the turf cutters resorted but they are now forbidden to cut sods there hampstead heath used to be another harvest field for these turf purveyors but they are now prohibited from so much as sticking a knife into the heath but turf cutting is carried on surreptitiously on all the outskirts of the heath for there used to be a sort of feeling i was told among some real londoners that hampstead heath yielded the best turf of any place all the commons and greens paddington camberwell kennington clapham putney c are also forbidden ground to the turf cutter o as to the parks and primrose hill itselfround about its another thingnobody it was answered to my inquiry ever thought of cutting their turf there the people about if they was only visitors wouldnt stand it and right too i wouldnt if i wasnt in the turf cutting myself the places where the turf is principally cut are the fields or plots in the suburbs in which may be seen a half illegible board inviting the attention of the class of speculating builders to an eligible site for villas some of these places are open and have long been open to the road others are protected by a few crazy rails and the turf cutters consider that outside the rails or between them and the road they 156 have a right to cut turf unless forbidden by the police the fact is that they cut it on sufferance but the policeman never interferes unless required to do so by the proprietor of the land or his agent one gentleman who has the control over a considerable quantity of land eligible for building is very inimical to the pursuits of the turf cutters who of course return his hostility one man told me that he was required late on a saturday night some weeks ago to supply six dozen of turfs to a very respectable shopkeeper by ten or eleven on the sunday morning the shopkeeper had an aristocratic connection and durst not disappoint his customers in their demands for fresh turf on the sunday so that the cutter must supply it in doing so he encountered mr the gentleman in question who was exceedingly angry with him you dd poaching thief said the gentleman if this is the way you pass your sunday ill give you in charge one turf cutter i was informed had within these eight years paid 3 l 15 s fines for trespassing besides losing his barrow c on every conviction but hes a most outdacious fellor i was told by one of his mates and wont mind spoiling anybodys ground to save hisself a bit of trouble theres too many that way which gives us a bad name some of the managers of the land to be built upon give the turf cutters free leave to labour in their vocation others sell the sods for garden plots or use them to set out the gardens to any small houses they may be connected with and with them the turf cutters have no chance of turning a sod or a penny i accompanied a turf cutter to observe the manner of his work we went to the neighbourhood of highgate which we reached a little before nine in the morning there was nothing very remarkable to be observed but the scene was not without its interest although it was nearly the middle of january the grass was very green and the weather very mild there happened to be no one on the ground but my companion and myself and in some parts of our progress nothing was visible but green fields with their fringe of dark coloured leafless trees while in other parts which were somewhat more elevated glimpses of the crowded roof of an omnibus or of a line of fleecy white smoke showing the existence of a railway testified to the neighbourhood of a city but no sound was heard except now and then a distant railway whistle the turf cutter after looking carefully about himthe result of habit for i was told afterwards by the policeman that there was no trespassset rapidly to work his apparatus was a sharp pointed table knife of the ordinary size which he inserted in the ground and made it rapidly describe a half circle he then as rapidly ran his implement in the opposite half circle flung up the sod and after slapping it with his knife cut off the lower part so as to leave it flatworking precisely as does a butcher cutting out a joint or a chop and reducing the fat small holes are thus left in the groundof such shape and size as if deep saucers were to be fitted into themand in the event of a thunder shower in droughty weather they become filled with water and have caused a puzzlement i am told to persons taking their quiet walk when the storm had ceased to comprehend why the rain should be found to gather in little circular pools in some parts and not in others the man i accompanied cut and shaped six of these turfs in about a minute but he worked without intermission and rather to show me with what rapidity and precision he could cut than troubling himself to select what was saleable after that we diverged in the direction of hampstead and in a spot not far from a temporary church found three turf cutters at work but they worked asunder and without communication one with another the turfs as soon as they are cut and shaped are thrown into a circular basket and when the basket is full it is emptied on to the barrow a costermongers barrow which is generally left untended at the nearest point we can trust one another as far as i know said one turf man to me and nobody else would find it worth while to steal turfs the largest number of men that my most intelligent informant had ever seen at work in one locality was fourteen and that was in a field just about to be built over and where they had leave among the turf purveyors there is no understanding as to where they are to cut wet weather does not interfere with turf procuring it merely adds to the weight and consequently to the toil of drawing the barrow snow is rather an advantage to the street seller as purchasers are apt to fancy that if the storm continues turfs will not be obtainable and so they buy more freely the turf man clears the snow from the ground in any known localitythe cold pinching his ungloved handsand cuts out the turf as green i was told as an april sod the weather most dreaded is that when hoar frost lies long and heavy on the ground for the turf cut with the rime upon it soon turns black and is unsaleable foggy dark weather is also prejudicial for then one man said the days clips it uncommon short and people wont buy by candlelight no more will the shops birds has gone to sleep then and them thats fondest on them says we can get fresher turf to morrow the gatherers cannot work by moonlight for the clover leaves then shuts up i was told by one who said he was a bit of a botanist like the lid of a box and you cant tell them one of my informants told me that he cut 25 dozen turfs every friday the great working turf day of the year on an average he sometimes cut on that day upwards of 30 dozen 17 dozen on a tuesday and 6 dozen on the other days of the week more or less as the demand justifiedbut 6 dozen was an average he had also cut a few turfs on a sunday morning but only at long intervals sometimes only thrice a year thus one man will cut 2 496 dozen or 29 952 turfs in a year not reckoning 157 the product of any sunday from the best information i could acquire there seems no doubt but that one half of the turf cutters 20 exert a similar degree of industry to that detailed and the other 20 procure a moiety of the quantity cut and disposed of by their stronger and more fortunate brethren this gives an aggregate for an average year of 598 560 turfs or including sunday turf cutting of 600 000 each turf is about 6 inches diameter at the least so that the whole extent of turf cut for london birds yearly if placed side by side would extend fifty six miles or from london to canterbury in wet weather 6 dozen turfs weigh on an average 1 cwt in dry weather 8 dozen weigh no more if therefore we take 7 dozen as the usual hundred weight a turf cutter of the best class carries in basket loads to his barrow and when his stock is completed drags into town from the localities i have specified upwards of 3 cwt every friday nearly 2 every tuesday and about 7 cwt in the course of a week the smaller traders drag half the quantity and the total weight of turf disposed of for the cage birds of london every year is 546 tons of the supply of turf obtained as i have described at least three fourths is sold to the bird shops who retail it to their customers the price paid by these shopkeepers to the labourers for their turf trade is 2 d and 2 d a dozen but rarely 2 d they retail it at from 3 d to 6 d a dozen according to connection and locality the remainder is sold by the cutters on their rounds from house to house at two and three a penny none of the turf cutters confine themselves to it they sell in addition groundsel chickweed plaintain very generally and a few supply nettles dandelion ground ivy snails worms frogs and toads the sellers of groundsel and chickweed are far more numerous as i have shown than the turf cuttersindeed many of them are incapable of cutting turf or of dragging the weight of the turfs of the experience and customers of a turf cutter a short but strongly built man of about thirty with a very english face and dressed in a smock frock wearing also very strong unblacked boots gave me the following account my father he said was in the earl of s service and i was brought up to stable work i was employed in a large coaching inn in lancashire when i was last employed in that way but about ten years ago a railway line was opened and the coaching was no go any longer it hadnt a chance to pay so the horses and all was sold and i was discharged with a lot of others i walked from manchester to londonfor i think most men when they dont know what in the world to do come to londonand i lived a few months on what little money i had and what i could pick up in an odd job about horses i had some expectations when i came up that i might get something to do through my lord or some of his peoplethey all knew me but my lord was abroad and his establishment wasnt in town and i had to depend entirely on myself i was beat out three or four times and didnt know what to do but somehow or other i got over it at lastits between eight and nine years agoi was fairly beat out i was taking a walki cant say just now in what way i went for it was all one which waybut i remember i saw a man cutting turf and i remembered then that a man that lived near me lived pretty middling by turf cutting so i watched how it was done and then i inquired how i could get into it and as id paid my way i could give reference to show i might be trusted so i got a barrow on hire and a basket and bought a knife for 3 d at a marine shop and set to work at first i only supplied shops but in a little time i fell into a private round and that pays better ive been at it almost every day i may say ever since my best customers are working people thats fond of birds theyre far the best its the ready penny with them and no grumbling ive lost money by trusting noblemen of course i blame their servants youd be surprised sir to hear how often at rich folks houses when theyve taken their turf or what they want theyll take credit and say o ive got no change or i cant be bothered with hapence or you must call again theres one great house in cavendish square always takes a months credit and pays one month within another pays the first month as the second is falling due and not always that very regular they cant know how poor men has to fight for a bit of bread some people are very particular about their turfs and look very sharp for the small clover leaves we never have turfs left on hand in summer we water them to keep them fresh in wet weather they dont require it theyll keep without i think i make on turf 9 s a week all the year round the summers half as good again as the winter supposing i make 3 s a week on groundsel and chickweed and snails and other things thats 12 s but look you here sir i pay 3 s 6 d a week for my rentits a furnished roomand 1 s 6 d a week for my barrow thats 5 s off the 12 s and ive a wife and one little boy my wife may get a day at least every week at charring she has 1 s for it and her board she helps me when shes not out and if she is out i sometimes have to hire a lad so its no great advantage the shilling a day ive paid 1 s 6 d a week for my barrowits a very good and big onefor four years before that i paid 2 s a week o yes sir i know very well that at 1 s 6 d a week ive paid nearly 14 l for a barrow worth only 2 l 2 s but i cant help it i really cant ive tried my hardest to get money to have one of my own and to get a few sticks furniture of my own too its no use trying any more if i have ever got a few shillings a head theres a pair of shoes wanted or theres 158 something else or my wife has a fit of sickness or my little boy has or somethings sure to happen that way and it all goes last winter was a very hard time for people in my way from hoar frost and fogs i ran near 3 l into debt greater part of it for house rent and my barrow the rest was small sums borrowed of shopkeepers that i served i paid all up in the summer but im now 14 s in debt for my barrow it always keeps me back the man that owns it calls every sunday morning but he dont press me if i havent money i would get out of the life if i could but will anybody take a groom out of the streets and im not master of anything but grooming i can read and write i was brought up a roman catholic and was christened one i never go to mass now one gets out of the way of such things having to fight for a living as i have it seems like mocking going to chapel when youre grumbling in your soul of plantain sellers plantain is sold extensively and is given to canaries but water cress is given to those birds more than any other green thing it is the ripe seed in a spike of the great and the ribbed plantain the green leaves of the last mentioned plant used to be in demand as a styptick shenstone speaks of plantain ribbed that heals the reapers wound i believe that it was never sold in the streets of london the most of the plantain is gathered in the brick fields wherever they are found as the greater plantain which gives three fourths of the supply loves an arid situation it is sold in hands to the shops about 60 heads going to a hand at a price according to size c from 1 d to 4 d on a private round five or six are given for a halfpenny it is however generally gathered and sold with chickweed and along with chickweed i have shown the quantity used the money value of the several kinds and quantities of green stuff annually purchased in the streets of london is as follows 6 696 450 bunches of water cresses at d per bunch 13 950 5 616 000 groundsel at d 11 700 1 120 800 chickweed and plantain 2 335 660 000 turfs at 2 d per doz 572 28 557 of the above amount it may be said that upwards of 14 000 l are spent yearly on what may be called the bird food of london of the street sellers of eatables and drinkables these dealers were more numerous even when the metropolitan population was but half its present extent i heard several causes assigned for this such as the higher rate of earnings of the labouring people at that time as well as the smaller number of shopkeepers who deal in such cheap luxuries as penny pies and the fewer places of cheap amusement such as the penny gaffs these places i was told run away with the young peoples pennies which were at one period expended in the streets the class engaged in the manufacture or in the sale of these articles are a more intelligent people than the generality of street sellers they have nearly all been mechanics who from inability to procure employment at their several craftsfrom dislike to an irksome and perhaps sedentary confinementor from an overpowering desire to be their own masters have sought a livelihood in the streets the purchase and sale of fish fruit or vegetables require no great training or deftness but to make the dainties in which street people are critical and to sell them at the lowest possible price certainly requires some previous discipline to produce the skill to combine and the taste to please i may here observe that i found it common enough among these street sellers to describe themselves and their fraternity not by their names or callings but by the article in which they deal this is sometimes ludicrous enough is the man youre asking about a pickled whelk sir was said to me in answer to another inquiry i was told oh yes i know himhes a sweet stuff such ellipses or abbreviations are common in all mechanical or commercial callings men and women and most especially boys purchase their meals day after day in the streets the coffee stall supplies a warm breakfast shell fish of many kinds tempt to a luncheon hot eels or pea soup flanked by a potato all hot serve for a dinner and cakes and tarts or nuts and oranges with many varieties of pastry confectionary and fruit woo to indulgence in a dessert while for supper there is a sandwich a meat pudding or a trotter the street provisions consist of cooked or prepared victuals which may be divided into solids pastry confectionary and drinkables the solids however of these three divisions are such as only regular street buyers consider to be sufficing for a substantial meal for it will be seen that the comestibles accounted good for dinner are all of a dainty rather than a solid character men whose lives as i have before stated are alternations of starvation 159 and surfeit love some easily swallowed and comfortable food better than the most approved substantiality of a dinner table i was told by a man who was once foodless for thirty eight hours that in looking into the window of a cook shophe longed far more for a basin of soup than for a cut from the boiled round or the roasted ribs of beef he felt a gnawing rather than a ravenous desire and some tasty semi liquid was the incessant object of his desires the solids then according to street estimation consist of hot eels pickled whelks oysters sheeps trotters pea soup fried fish ham sandwiches hot green peas kidney puddings boiled meat puddings beef mutton kidney and eel pies and baked potatos in each of these provisions the street poor find a mid day or mid night meal the pastry and confectionary which tempt the street eaters are tarts of rhubarb currant gooseberry cherry apple damson cranberry and so called mince pies plum dough and plum cake lard currant almond and many other varieties of cakes as well as of tarts gingerbread nuts and heart cakes chelsea buns muffins and crumpets sweet stuff includes the several kinds of rocks sticks lozenges candies and hard bakes the medicinal confectionary of cough drops and horehound and lastly the more novel and aristocratic luxury of street ices and strawberry cream at 1 d a glass in greenwich park the drinkables are tea coffee and cocoa ginger beer lemonade persian sherbet and some highly coloured beverages which have no specific name but are introduced to the public as cooling drinks hot elder cordial or wine peppermint water curds and whey water as at hampstead rice milk and milk in the parks at different periods there have been attempts to introduce more substantial viands into the street provision trade but all within these twenty years have been exceptional and unsuccessful one man a few years back established a portable cook shop in leather lane cutting out portions of the joints to be carried away or eaten on the spot at the buyers option but the speculation was a failure black puddings used to be sold until a few years back smoking from cans not unlike potato cans in such places as the new cut but the trade in these rather suspicious articles gradually disappeared mr albert smith who is an acute observer in all such matters says in a lively article on the street boys of london the kerb is his club offering all the advantages of one of those institutions without any subscription or ballot had he a few pence he might dine equally well as at blackwall and with the same variety of delicacies without going twenty yards from the pillars of st clements churchyard he might begin with a water souche of eels varying his first course with pickled whelks cold fried flounders or periwinkles whitebait to be sure he would find a difficulty in procuring but as the more cunning gourmands do not believe these delicacies to be fish at all but merely little bits of light pie crust fried in grease and as moreover the brown bread and butter is after all the grand attraction the boy might soon find a substitute then would come the potatos apparently giving out so much steam that the can which contains them seems in momentary danger of blowing up large hot mealy fellows that prove how unfounded were the alarms of the bad crop ites and he might next have a course of boiled feet of some animal or other which he would be certain to find in front of the gin shop cyder cups perhaps he would not get but there would be ginger beer from the fountain at 1 d per glass and instead of mulled claret he could indulge in hot elder cordial whilst for dessert he could calculate upon all the delicacies of the season from the salads at the corner of wych street to the baked apples at temple bar none of these things would cost more than a penny a piece some of them would be under that sum and since as at vereys and some other foreign restaurateurs there is no objection to your dividing the portions the boy might if he felt inclined to give a dinner to a friend get off under 6 d there would be the digestive advantage too of moving leisurely about from one course to another and above all there would be no fee to waiters after alluding to the former glories of some of the street stands more especially of the kidney pudding establishments which displayed rude transparencies one representing the courier of st petersburg riding six horses at once for a kidney pudding mr smith continues but of all these eating stands the chief favourite with the boy is the potato can they collect around it as they would do on change and there talk over local matters or discuss the affairs of the adjacent cab stand in which they are at times joined by the waterman whom they respect more so perhaps than the policeman certainly more than they do the street keeper for him they especially delight to annoy and they watch any of their fellows eating a potato with a curiosity and an attention most remarkable as if no two persons fed in the same manner and they expected something strange or diverting to happen at every mouthful a gentleman who has taken an artists interest in all connected with the streets and has been familiar with their daily and nightly aspect from the commencement of the present century considers that the great change is not so much in what has ceased to be sold but in the introduction of fresh articles into street trafficsuch as pine apples and brazil nuts rhubarb and cucumbers ham sandwiches ginger beer c the coffee stall he represents has but superseded the saloop stall of which i have previously spoken while the class of street customers who supported the saloop dealer now support the purveyor of coffee the appearance of the 160 two stalls however seen before daybreak with their respective customers on a bleak winters morning was very different round the saloop stall was a grouphardly discernible at a little distance in the dimly lighted streetsthe prominent figures being of two callings now extinctthe climbing boy and the old hackney coachman the little sweep would have his saloop smoking hotand there was the common appliance of a charcoal grateregaling himself with the savoury steam until the mess was cool enough for him to swallow whilst he sought to relieve his naked feet from the numbing effects of the cold by standing now on the right foot and now on the left and swinging the other to and fro until a change of posture was necessitated his white teeth the while gleamed from his sooty visage as he gleefully licked his lips at the warm and oily breakfast the old hackney coachman was wrapped up in a many caped great coat drabwhen it left the tailors hands some years beforebut then worn and discoloured and perhaps patched or tattered its weight alone however communicated a sort of warmth to the wearer his legs were closely and artistically wisped with hay bands and as he kept smiting his chest with his arms to keep the cold out while his saloop was cooling he would in no very gentle terms express his desire to add to its comforting influence the stimulant of a flash of lightning a go of rum or a glass of max for so a dram of neat spirit was then called the old watchman of that day too almost as heavily coated as the hackneyman would sometimes partake of the street saloop loop loop sa loop the woman of the town in looped and windowed raggedness the outcast of the very lowest class was at the saloop as she is now and then at the coffee stall waiting until daylight drove her to her filthy lodging house but the climbing boy has happily left no successor the hackneyman has been succeeded by the jauntier cabman and the taciturn old watchman by the lounging and trim policeman another class of street sellers no longer to be seen were the barrow women they sold fruit of all kinds little else in very clean white barrows and their fruit was excellent and purchased by the wealthier classes they were for the most part irish women and some were remarkable for beauty their dress was usually a good chintz gown the skirt being tidily tucked or pinned up behind in a way said one informant now sometimes seen on the stage when correctness of costume is cared for these women were prosperous in their calling nor was there any imputation on their chastity as the mothers were almost always wives concerning the bygone street cries i had also the following account from the personal observation of an able correspondent first among the old musical cries may be cited the tiddy doll immortalised by hogarththen comes the last person who with a fine bass voice coaxed his customers to buy sweets with quack quack quack quack browns browns browns have you got any mouldy browns there was a man too who sold tripe c in this way and to some purpose he was as fine a man as ever stepped and his deep rich voice would ring through a whole street dogs meat cats meat nice tripe neats feet come buy my trotters the last part would not have disgraced lablache he discovered a new way of pickling tripegot onmade contracts for supplying the navy during the war and acquired a large property one of our most successful artists is his grandson then there was that delight of our childhoodthe eight oclock hot spiced gingerbread hot spiced gingerbread buy my spiced gingerbread sm o o king hot another informant remembered a very popular character among the boys whose daily cry was hot spiced gingerbread nuts nuts nuts if one ll warm you wha at ll a pound do wha a a at ll a pound do gingerbread was formerly in much greater demand than it is now of the street sellers of pea soup and hot eels two of the condiments greatly relished by the chilled labourers and others who regale themselves on street luxuries are pea soup and hot eels of these tradesmen there may be 500 now in the streets on a saturday as the two trades are frequently carried on by the same party i shall treat of them together the greatest number of these stands is in old street st lukes about twenty in warm weather these street cooks deal only in hot eels and whelks as the whelk trade is sometimes an accompaniment of the others for then the soup will not sell these dealers are stationary having stalls or stands in the street and the savoury odour from them attracts more hungry looking gazers and longers than does a cook shop window they seldom move about but generally frequent the same place a celebrated dealer of this class has a stand in clare street clare market opposite a cats meat shop he has been heard to boast that he wouldnt soil his hands at the business if he didnt get his 30 s a day and his 2 l 10 s on a saturday half this amount is considered to be about the truth this person has mostly all the trade for hot eels in the clare market district there is another hot eel purveyor at the end of windmill street tottenham court road that does a very good trade it is thought that he makes about 5 s a day at the business and about 10 s on saturday there was before the removals a man who came out about five every afternoon standing in the new cut nearly opposite the victoria theatre his girl always attending to the stall he had two or three lamps with hot eels painted upon them and a handsome stall he was considered to make about 7 s a day by the sale of eels alone but he dealt in fried fish and pickled whelks as well and often had a pile of fried fish a foot high near the 161 bricklayers arms at the junction of the old and new kent roads a hot eel man dispenses what a juvenile customer assured me was as spicy as any in london as if there was gin in it but the dealer in clare market does the largest trade of all in the hot eel line he is the head man on one saturday he was known to sell 100lbs of eels and on most saturdays he will get rid of his four draughts of eels a draught being 20lbs he and his son are dressed in jenny lind hats bound with blue velvet and both dispense the provisions while the daughter attends to wash the cups on a sunday anybody said my informant would think him the first nobleman or squire in the land to see him dressed in his white hat with black crape round it and his drab paletot and mother o pearl buttons and black kid gloves with the fingers too long for him i may add that even the very poorest who have only a halfpenny to spend as well as those with better means resort to the stylish stalls in preference to the others the eels are all purchased at billingsgate early in the morning the parties themselves or their sons or daughters go to billingsgate and the watermen row them to the dutch eel vessels moored off the market the fare paid to the watermen is 1 d for every 10lbs purchased and brought back in the boat the passenger being gratis these dealers generally trade on their own capital but when some have been having a flare up and have broke down for stock to use the words of my informant they borrow 1 l and pay it back in a week or a fortnight at the outside and give 2 s for the loan of it the money is usually borrowed of the barrow truck and basket lenders the amount of capital required for carrying on the business of course depends on the trade done but even in a small way the utensils cost 1 l they consist of one fish kettle and one soup kettle holding upon an average three gallons each besides these five basins and five cups and ten spoons are required also a washhand basin to wash the cups basins and spoons in and a board and tressel on which the whole stand in a large way it requires from 3 l to 4 l to fit up a handsome stall for this the party would have two fine kettles holding about four gallons each and two patent cast iron fireplaces the 1 l outfit only admits of the bottoms of two tin saucepans being used as fireplaces in which charcoal is always burning to keep the eels and soup hot the whelks are always eaten cold the crockery and spoons would be in no way superior a small dealer requires over and above this sum 10 s to go to market with and purchase stock and the large dealer about 30 s the class of persons belonging to the business have either been bred to it or taken to it through being out of work some have been disabled during their work and have resorted to it to save themselves from the workhouse the price of the hot eels is a halfpenny for five or seven pieces of fish and three parts of a cupfull of liquor the charge for a half pint of pea soup is a halfpenny and the whelks are sold according to the size from a halfpenny each to three or four for the same sum these are put out in saucers the eels are dutch and are cleaned and washed and cut in small pieces of from a half to an inch each the daughter of one of my informants was busily engaged as i derived this information in the cutting of the fish she worked at a blood stained board with a pile of pieces on one side and a heap of entrails on the other the portions so cut are then boiled and the liquor is thickened with flour and flavoured with chopped parsley and mixed spices it is kept hot in the streets and served out as i have stated in halfpenny cupfulls with a small quantity of vinegar and pepper the best purveyors add a little butter the street boys are extravagant in their use of vinegar to dress a draught of eels takes three hoursto clean cut them up and cook them sufficiently and the cost is now 5 s 2 d much lower in the summer for the draught the 2 d being the expense of shoring 8 d for 4 lb of flour to thicken the liquor 2 d for the parsley to flavour it and 1 s 6 d for the vinegar spices and pepper about three quarts of vinegar and two ounces of pepper this quantity when dressed and seasoned will fetch in halfpennyworths from 15 s to 18 s the profit upon this would be from 7 s to 9 s 6 d but the cost of the charcoal has to be deducted as well as the salt used while cooking these two items amount to about 5 d the pea soup consists of split peas celery and beef bones five pints at 3 d a quart are used to every three gallons the bones cost 2 d carrots 1 d and celery d these cost 1 s 0 d and the pepper salt and mint to season it about 2 d this when served in halfpenny basinfulls will fetch from 2 s 3 d to 2 s 4 d leaving 1 s 1 d profit but from this the expenses of cooking must be taken so that the clear gain upon three gallons comes to about 11 d in a large trade three kettles or twelve gallons of pea soup will be disposed of in the day and about four draughts or 80 lbs of hot eels on every day but saturday when the quantity of eels disposed of would be about five draughts or 100 lbs weight and about 15 gallons of pea soup hence the profits of a good business in the hot eel and pea soup line united will be from 7 l to 7 l 10 s per week or more but there is only one man in london does this amount of business or rather makes this amount of money a small business will do about 15 lbs of eels in the week including saturday and about 12 gallons of soup sometimes credit is given for a halfpennyworth or a pennyworth at the outside but very little is lost from bad debts boys who are partaking of the articles will occasionally say to the proprietor of the stall well master they are nice trust us another haporth and ill pay you when i comes again but they are seldom credited for the stall keepers know well they would never see them again very often the stock cooked is not disposed of 162 and then it is brought home and eaten by the family the pea soup will seldom keep a night but what is left the family generally use for supper the dealers go out about half past ten in the morning and remain out till about ten at night monday is the next best day to saturday the generality of the customers are boys from 12 to 16 years of age newsboys are very partial to hot eelswomen prefer the pea soup some of the boys will have as many as six halfpenny cupfulls consecutively on a saturday night and some women will have three halfpenny basinsfull of soup many persons in the cold weather prefer the hot soup to beer on wet raw chilly days the soup goes off better than usual and in fine weather there is a greater demand for the hot eels one dealer assured me that he once did serve two gentlemens servants with twenty eight halfpenny cupfulls of hot eels one after another one servant had sixteen and the other twelve cupfulls which they ate all at one standing and one of these customers was so partial to hot eels that he used to come twice a day every day for six months after that and have eight cupfulls each day four at noon and four in the evening these two persons were the best customers my informant ever had servants however are not generally partial to the commodity hot eels are not usually taken for dinner nor is pea soup but throughout the whole day and just at the fancy of the passers by there are no shops for the sale of these articles the dealers keep no accounts of what their receipts and expenditure are the best time of the year for the hot eels is from the middle of june to the end of august on some days during that time a person in a small way of business will clear upon an average 1 s 6 d a day on other days 1 s on some days during the month of august as much as 2 s 6 d a day some cry out nice hot eelsnice hot eels or warm your hands and fill your bellies for a halfpenny one man used to give his surplus eels when he considered his sale completed on a night to the poor creatures refused admission into a workhouse lending them his charcoal fire for warmth which was always returned to him the poor creatures begged cinders and carried the fire under a railway arch the general rule however is for the dealer to be silent and merely expose the articles for sale i likes better said one man to me to touch up peoples noses than their heyes or their hears there are now in the trade almost more than can get a living at it and their earnings are less than they were formerly one party attributed this to the opening of a couple of penny pie shops in his neighbourhood before then he could get 2 s 6 d a day clear take one day with another but since the establishment of the business in the penny pie line he cannot take above 1 s 6 d a day clear on the day the first of these pie shops opened it made as much as 10 lbs or half a draught of eels difference to him there was a band of music and an illumination at the pie shop and it was impossible to stand against that the fashionable dress of the trade is the jenny lind or wide awake hat with a broad black ribbon tied round it and a white apron and sleeves the dealers usually go to hampton court or greenwich on a fine sunday they are partial to the pit of astleys one of them told his waterman at billingsgate the other morning that he and his good lady had been werry amused with the osses at hashleys last night of the experience of a hot eel and pea soup man i was a coalheaver said one of the class to me as i sat in his attic up a close court watching his wife thicken the liquor i was a going along the plank from one barge to another when the swell of some steamers throwed the plank off the horse and chucked me down and broke my knee agin the side of the barge before that i was yarning upon an average my 20 s to 30 s a week i was seven months and four days in kings college hospital after this i found they was a doing me no good there so i come out and went over to bartholemys hospital i was in there nineteen months altogether and after that i was a month in middlesex hospital and all on em turned me out oncurable you see the bones decayedfour bits of bone have been taken from it the doctor turned me out three times cause i wouldnt have it off he asked my wife if she would give consent but neither she nor my daughter would listen to it so i was turned out on em all how my family lived all this time its hard to tell my eldest boy did a littlegot 3 s 6 d a week as an errand boy and my daughter was in service and did a little for me but that was all we had to live upon there was six children on my hands and however they did manage i cant say after i came out of the hospital i applied to the parish and was allowed 2 s 6 d a week and four loaves but i was anxious to do something so a master butcher as i knowed said he would get me a pitch the right to fix a stall if i thought i could sit at a stall and sell a few things i told him i thought i could and would be very thankful for it well i had heard how the man up in the market was making a fortune at the hot eel and pea soup line a paviour as left his barrow and two shovels with me told me to day said the man by way of parenthesisthat he knowed for a fact he was clearing 6 l a week regular so i thought id have a touch at the same thing but you see i never could rise money enough to get sufficient stock to make a do of it and never shall i expectit dont seem like it however i ought to have 5 s to go to market with to morrow and i aint got above 1 s 6 d and whats that for stock money id like to know well as i was saying the master butcher lent me 10 s to 163 start in the line he was the best friend i ever had but ive never been able to do anything at itnot to say to get a living he cant carry anything now sir said his wife as the old man strove to get the bellows to warm up the large kettle of pea soup that was on the fire aye i cant go without my crutch my daughter goes to billingsgate for me ive got nobody else and she cuts up the eels if it warnt for her i must give it up altogether and go into the workhouse outright i couldnt fetch em i ought to have been out to night by rights till ten if id had anything to have sold my wife cant do much shes troubled with the rheumatics in her head and limbs yes said the old body with a sigh im never well and never shall be again i know would you accept on a drop of soup sir asked the man youre very welcome i can assure you youll find it very good sir i told him i had just dined and the poor old fellow proceeded with his tale last week i earned clear about 8 s and thats to keep six on us i didnt pay no rent last week nor yet this and i dont know when i shall again if things goes on in this way the week before there was a fast day and i didnt earn above 6 s that week if i did that my boy cant go to school hes got no shoes nor nothing to go in the girls go to the ragged school but we cant send them of a sunday nowhere other people can go said one of the young girls nestling round the fire and with a piece of sacking over her shoulders for a shawlthem as has got things to go in but mother dont like to let us go as we are she slips her mothers shoes on when she goes out it would take 1 l to start me well with that i could go to market and buy my draught of eels a shilling cheaper and i could afford to cut my pieces a little bigger and people where they gets used well comes againdont you see i could have sold more eels if id had em to day and soup too why theres four hours of about the best time to night that im losing now cause ive nothing to sell the man in the market can give more than we can he gives what is called the lumping haporththat is seven or eight pieces ah that i daresay he does indeed some of the boys has told me he gives as many as eight pieces and then the more eels you biles up you see the richer the liquor is and in our little tin pot way its like biling up a great jint of meat in a hocean of water in course we cant compete agin the man in the market and so were being ruined entirely the boys very often comes and asks me if ive got a fardens worth of heads the woman at broadway they tells me sells em at four a farden and a drop of liquor but we chucks em away theres nothing to eat on them the boys though will eat anything in the hot eel trade are now 140 vendors each selling 6 lb of eels daily at their stands 60 sell 40 lb daily and 100 are itinerant selling 5 lb nightly at the public houses the first mentioned take 2 s daily the second 16 s and the third 1 s 8 d this gives a street expenditure in the trade in hot eels of 21 910 l for the year to start in this business a capital is required after this rate stall 6 s basket 1 s eel kettle 3 s 6 d jar 6 d ladle 4 d 12 cups 1 s 12 spoons 1 s stew pan 2 s chafing dish 6 d strainer 1 s 8 cloths 2 s 8 d a pair sleeves 4 d apron 4 d charcoal 2 s 4 d being an average daily consumption cwt coal 3 d lb butter the weekly average 4 d 1 quartern flour 5 d 4 oz pepper 4 d 1 quart vinegar 10 d 1 lb salt d 1 lb candles for stall 6 d parsley 3 d stock money 10 s in all 1 l 15 s in the course of a year the property which may be described as fixed as in the stall c and the expenditure daily occurring as for stock butter coal according to the foregoing statement amounts to 15 750 l the eels purchased for this trade at billingsgate are 1 166 880 lb costing at 3 d per lb 14 586 l in the pea soup trade there are now one half of the whole number of the hot eel vendors of whom 100 will sell each 4 gallons daily and of the remaining 50 vendors each will sell upon an average 10 gallons daily the first mentioned take 3 s daily and the last 7 s 6 d this gives a street expenditure of 4 050 l during the winter season of five months to commence business in the street sale of pea soup a capital is required after this rate soup kettle 4 s peas 2 s soup ladle 6 d pepper box 1 d mint box 3 d chafing dish 6 d 12 basons 1 s 12 spoons 1 s bones celery mint carrots and onions 1 s 6 d in all 10 s 10 d the hot eel trade being in conjunction with the pea soup the same stall candles towels sleeves and aprons does for both and the quantity of extra coal and charcoal pepper and salt given in the summary of hot eels serves in cooking c both eels and pea soup of the street sellers of pickled whelks the trade in whelks is one of which the costermongers have the undisputed monopoly the wholesale business is all transacted in billingsgate where this shell fish is bought by the measure a double peck or gallon half measure or wash a wash is four measures and is the most advantageous mode of purchase its so much cheaper by taking that quantity i was told its as good as having a half measure in an average price for the year may be 4 s the wash but ive given 21 s for three wash said one costermonger and he waxed indignant as he spoke one saturday when there was a great stock in too just because there was a fair coming on on monday and the whelkmen who are the biggest rogues in billingsgate always have the price up then and hinder a poor man 164 doing goodtheyve a great knack of that a wash weighs about 60 lbs on rare occasions it has been as low as 2 s 6 d and even 1 s 6 d about one half of the whelks are sold alive wholesale and the other half cooked boiled some of the salesmen having convenience for cooking near the market but they are all brought to london alive or what should be alive when bought alive which ensures a better quality i was toldfor whelksll boil after theyre dead and gone you see sir as if they was alive and hungrythe costermonger boils them in the largest saucepan at his command for about ten minutes and then leaves them until they cool they never kicks as they boils like lobsters or crabs said one whelk dealer they takes it quiet a missionary cove said to me why dont you kill them first its murder they doesnt suffer ive suffered more with a toothach than the whole of a measure of whelks has in a boiling that im clear upon the boiling is generally the work of the women the next process is to place them in a tub throw boiling water over them and stir them up for ten or fifteen minutes with a broom handle if the quantity be a wash two broom handles usually wielded by the man and his wife are employed this is both to clean them and to make them come out easier to be wormed the worming is equivalent to the removing of the beard of an oyster or mussel the whelks are wormed one by one the operator cuts into the fish rapidly draws out the worm and pushes the severed parts together which closes the small whelks are not wormed because its not reckoned necessary and theyre sold to poor lads and such like thats not particular but nearly all the women and a good many of the boys are very particular they think the worms poison the whelks are next shaken in a tub in cold water and are then ready for sale the same process after the mere boiling is observed when the whelks are bought cooked some whelk sellers who wish to display a superior article engage children for a few halfpence to rub the shell of every whelk so that it looks clean and even bright i find a difficulty common in the course of this inquiry of ascertaining precisely the number of whelk sellers because the sale is often carried on simultaneously with that of other things stewed eels for instance and because it is common for costermongers to sell whelks on a saturday night only both at stalls and round to the public houses but only when they are cheap at billingsgate on a saturday night there may be 300 whelk sellers in the streets nearly half at stalls and half or more working the public houses but of this number it must be understood that perhaps the wife is at the stall while the husband is on a round and some whelks are sent out by a man having an extra stock this therefore reduces the number of independent dealers but not the actual number of sellers on all other nights there may be half the number engaged in this traffic in the streets regularly all the year and more than half on a monday as regards the public house business in which little is done between monday and saturday nights but a man will in some instances work the public houses every night the wife tending the stall and the more assiduously if the weather be bad or foggy when a public house custom is the best a fair weeks earnings in whelks when a mans known is 1 l a bad week is from 5 s to 8 s i am assured that bad weeks are as plenty as good at least the year round and thus the average to the street whelk sellers in whelks alone is about 13 s when the trade is carried on daily and regularly and 5 s a week by those who occasionally resort to it and as the occasional hands are the more numerous the average may be struck at 7 s the whelks are sold at the stalls at two three four six and eight a penny according to size four is an average pennyworth for good whelks the six a penny are small and the eight a penny very small the principal place for their sale is in old street city road the other principal places are the street markets which i have before particularised the whelks are sold in saucers generally small and white and of common ware and are contained in jars ready to be shelled into any saucer that may have been emptied sometimes a small pyramid of shells surmounted by a candle protected by a shade attracts the regard of the passer by the man doing the best business in london was to be found before the removals of which i have spoken in lambeth walk but he has now no fixed locality his profits i am informed were regularly 3 l a week but out of this he had to pay for the assistance of two or sometimes three persons in washing his whelks boiling them c besides that his wife was as busy as himself to the quality and cleanliness of his whelks he was very attentive and would sell no mediocre article if better could be bought he deserved all he earned sir said another street dealer to me why in old street now theyll have the old original saucers miserable things such as they had fifty years back but the man were talking of about two years ago brought in very pretty plates quite enterprising things and they answered well his examples spreading but its slowly the whelks are eaten with vinegar and pepper for sale in the public houses the whelks are most frequently carried in jars and transferred in a saucer to the consumer theres often a good sale said a man familiar with the business when a public rooms filled people drinking there always want to eat they buy whelks not to fill themselves but for a relish a man thats used to the trade will often get off inferior sorts to the lushingtons hell have them to rights whelks is all the same good bad or middling when a mans drinking if theyre well seasoned with pepper and vinegar 165 oh yes any whelk man will take in a drunken fellow and he will do it all the same if hes made up his mind to get drunk hisself that very night the trade is carried on by the regular costers but of the present number of whelk sellers about twenty have been mechanics or servants the whelk trade is an evening trade commencing generally about six summer and winter or an hour earlier in winter the capital required to start in the whelk business is stall 2 s 6 d saucers vinegar bottle jar pepper castor and small watering pan used only in dusty weather 2 s 6 d a pair of stilts supports for the stall 1 s 6 d stock money 5 s pepper and vinegar 6 d or 12 s in all if the trade be commenced in a round basket for public house sale 7 s or 8 s only is required but it is a hazardous experiment for a person unpractised in street business of the customers etc of pickled whelk sellers an intelligent man gave me the following account he had been connected with street trading from his youth up and is now about thirty the chief customers for whelks sir are working people and poor people and they prefer them to oysters i do myself and i think theyre not so much eaten because theyre not fashionable like oysters but ive sold them to first rate public houses and to doctors shopsmore than other shops i dont know whyand to private houses masters have sent out their servant maids to me for three or four pennorths for supper ive offered the maids a whelk but they wont eat them in the street i dare say theyre afraid their young men may be about and might think they wasnt ladies if they eat whelks in the street boys are the best customers for small but if you dont look sharp youll be done out of three haporth of vinegar to a haporth of whelks i cant make out why they like it so theyre particular enough in their way if the whelks are thin as they will be sometimes the lads will say what a lot of snails youve gathered to night if theyre plump and fine then theyll say fat uns to nightstunners some people eat whelks for an appetite they give me one and more in summer than winter the women of the town are good customers at least they are in the cut and shoreditch for i know both if they have five pennorth when theyre treated perhaps theres always sixpence they come on the sly sometimes by themselves and make whats a meal im satisfied on whelks and theyll want credit sometimes ive given trust to a woman of that sort as far as 2 s 6 d ive lost very little by them i dont know how much altogether i keep no account but carry any credit in my head those womens good pay take it altogether for they know how hard it is to get a crust and have a feeling for a poor man if they havent for a rich onethats my opinion sir costermongers in a good time are capital customers theyll buy five or six pennorths at a time the dusts a great injury to the trade in summer time it dries the whelks up and they look old i wish whelks were cheaper at billingsgate and i could do more business and i could do more if i could sell a few minutes after twelve on a saturday night when people must leave the public house i have sold three wash of a saturday night and cleared 15 s on them i one week made 3 l but i had a few stewed eels to help that is i cleared 2 l and had a pounds worth over on the saturday night and sent them to be soldand they were soldat battersea on the sunday i never went there myself ive had twenty people round my stall at one time on a saturday perhaps my earnings on that and other odd things may come to 1 l a week or hardly so much the year round i cant say exactly the shells are no use boys have asked me for them to make sea shells of they sayto hold them to their ears when theyre big and theres a sound like the sea rolling gentlemen have sometimes told me to keep a dozen dozen or twenty dozen for borders to a garden i make no charge for themjust what a gentleman may please to give the information given shows an outlay of 5 250 l yearly for street whelks and as the return i have cited shows the money spent in whelks at billingsgate to be 2 500 l the number of whelks being 4 950 000 the account is correct as the costers usual half profits make up the sum expended of the street sellers and of the preparation of fried fish among the cooked food which has for many years formed a portion of the street trade is fried fish the sellers are about 350 as a maximum and 250 as a minimum 300 being an average number the reason of the variation in number is that on a saturday night and occasionally on other nights especially on mondays stall keepers sell fried fish and not as an ordinary article of their trade some men too resort to the trade for a time when they cannot be employed in any way more profitable or suitable to them the dealers in this article are for the most part old men and boys though there may be 30 or 40 women who sell it but only 3 or 4 girls and they are the daughters of the men in the business as the women are the wives among the fried fish sellers there are not half a dozen irish people although fish is so especial a part of the diet of the poor irish the men in the calling have been as regards the great majority mechanics or servants none i was told had been fishmongers or their assistants the fish fried by street dealers is known as plaice dabs and sole dabs which are merely plaice and soles dab being a com 166 mon word for any flat fish the fish which supplies upwards of one half the quantity fried for the streets is plaice the other fishes used are soles haddocks whitings flounders and herrings but very sparingly indeed as regards herrings soles are used in as large a quantity as the other kinds mentioned altogether on my inquiry as to the precise quantity of each description fried the answer from the traders was uniform i cant say sir i buy whatevers cheapest the fish is bought at billingsgate but some of the street dealers obtain another and even a cheaper commodity than at that great mart this supply is known in the trade as friers and consists of the overplus of a fishmongers stock of what he has not sold overnight and does not care to offer for sale on the following morning and therefore vends it to the costermongers whose customers are chiefly among the poor the friers are sometimes half and sometimes more than half of the wholesale price in billingsgate many of the friers are good but some i was told in any thing like muggy or close weather were very queer fish very queer indeed and they are consequently fried with a most liberal allowance of oil which will conceal anything the fish to be fried is first washed and gutted the fins head and tail are then cut off and the trunk is dipped in flour and water so that in frying oil being always used the skin will not be scorched by the perhaps too violent action of the fire but merely browned pale rape oil is generally used the sellers however are often twitted with using lamp oil even when it is dearer than that devoted to the purpose the fish is cooked in ordinary frying pans one tradesman in cripplegate formerly a costermonger has on his premises a commodious oven which he had built for the frying or rather baking of fish he supplies the small shopkeepers who deal in the article although some prepare it themselves and sells his fish retail also but the street sellers buy little of him as they are nearly all their own cooks some of the illegitimates however lay in their stock by purchase of the tradesman in question the fish is cut into portions before it is fried and the frying occupies about ten minutes the quantity prepared together is from six to twenty portions according to the size of the pans four dozen portions or pieces as the street people call them require a quart of oil the fried fish sellers live in some out of the way alley and not unfrequently in garrets for among even the poorest class there are great objections to their being fellow lodgers on account of the odour from the frying even when the fish is fresh as it most frequently is and the oil pure the odour is rank in one place i visited which was moreover admirable for cleanliness it was very rank the cooks however whether husbands or wivesfor the women often attend to the panwhen they hear of this disagreeable rankness answer that it may be so many people say so but for their parts they cannot smell it at all the garments of the fried fish sellers are more strongly impregnated with the smell of fish than were those of any wet or other fish sellers whom i met with their residences are in some of the labyrinths of courts and alleys that run from grays inn lane to leather lane and similar places between fetter and chancery lanes they are to be found too in the courts running from cow cross smithfield and from turnmill street and ray street clerkenwell also in the alleys about bishopsgate street and the kingsland road and some in the half ruinous buildings near the southwark and borough roads none or very few of those who are their own cooks reside at a greater distance than three miles from billingsgate a gin drinking neighbourhood one coster said suits best for people hasnt their smell so correct there the sale is both on rounds and at stalls the itinerants being twice as numerous as the stationary the round is usually from public house to public house in populous neighbourhoods the itinerants generally confine themselves to the trade in fried fish but the stall keepers always sell other articles generally fish of some kind along with it the sale in the public houses is the greatest at the neighbouring races and fairs there is a great sale of fried fish at last epsom races i was told there were at least fifty purveyors of that dainty from london half of them perhaps being costermongers who speculated in it merely for the occasion preparing it themselves three men joined in one speculation expending 8 l in fish and did well selling at the usual profit of cent per cent but with the drawback of considerable expenses their customers at the races and fairs are the boys who hold horses or brush clothes or who sell oranges or nuts or push at roundabouts and the costers who are there on business at epsom races there was plenty of bread i was informed to be picked up on the ground it had been flung from the carriages after luncheon and this with a piece of fish supplied a meal or a relish to hundreds in the public houses a slice of bread 16 or 32 being cut from a quartern loafas they are whole or half slicesis sold or offered with the fish for a penny the cry of the seller is fish and bread a penny sometimes for an extra sized piece with bread 2 d is obtained but very seldom and sometimes two pieces are given for 1 d at the stalls bread is rarely sold with the edible in question the baked potato man baked taturs all ot all ot from a daguerreotype by beard for the itinerant trade a neatly painted wooden tray slung by a leathern strap from the neck is used the tray is papered over generally with clean newspapers and on the paper is spread the shapeless brown lumps of fish parsley is often strewn over them and a salt box is placed at the discretion of the customer the trays contain from two to five dozen pieces 169 i understand that no one has a trade greatly in advance of his fellows the whole body complain of their earnings being far less than was the case four or five years back the itinerant fried fish sellers when pursuing their avocation wear generally a jacket of cloth or fustian buttoned round them but the rest of their attire is hidden by the white sleeves and apron some wear or by the black calico sleeves and dark woollen aprons worn by others the capital required to start properly in the business is frying pan 2 s second hand 9 d tray 2 s 6 d second hand 8 d salt box 6 d second hand 1 d and stock money 5 s in all 10 s a man has gone into the trade however with 1 s which he expended in fish and oil borrowed a frying pan borrowed an old tea board and so started on his venture of the experience of a fried fish seller and of the class of customers the man who gave me the following information was well looking and might be about 45 or 50 he was poorly dressed but his old brown surtout fitted him close and well was jauntily buttoned up to his black satin stock worn but of good quality and altogether he had what is understood among a class as a betterly appearance about him his statement as well as those of the other vendors of provisions is curious in its details of public house vagaries ive been in the trade he said seventeen years before that i was a gentlemans servant and i married a servant maid and we had a family and on that account couldnt either of us get a situation though wed good characters i was out of employ for seven or eight months and things was beginning to go to the pawn for a living but at last when i gave up any hope of getting into a gentlemans service i raised 10 s and determined to try something else i was persuaded by a friend who kept a beer shop to sell oysters at his door i took his advice and went to billingsgate for the first time in my life and bought a peck of oysters for 2 s 6 d i was dressed respectable thennothing like the mess and dirt im in now i may observe that there was no dirt about him and so the salesman laid it on but i gave him all he asked i know a deal better now id never been used to open oysters and i couldnt do it i cut my fingers with the knife slipping all over them and had to hire a man to open for me or the blood from my cut fingers would have run upon the oysters for all that i cleared 2 s 6 d on that peck and i soon got up to the trade and did well till in two or three months the season got over and i was advised by the same friend to try fried fish that suited me ive lived in good families where there was first rate men cooks and i know what good cooking means i bought a dozen plaice i forget what i gave for them but they were dearer then than now for all that i took between 11 s and 12 s the first nightit was saturdaythat i started and i stuck to it and took from 7 s to 10 s every night with more of course on saturday and it was half of it profit then i cleared a good mechanics earnings at that time30 s a week and more soon after i was told that if agreeable my wife could have a stall with fried fish opposite a wine vaults just opened and she made nearly half as much as i did on my rounds i served the public houses and soon got known with some landlords i had the privilege of the parlour and tap room and bar when other tradesmen have been kept out the landlords will say to me still you can go in fishy somehow i got the name of fishy then and ive kept it ever since there was hospitality in those days ive gone into a room in a public house used by mechanics and one of them has said ill stand fish round gentlemen and ive supplied fifteen pennorths perhaps he was a stranger such a sort of customer that wanted to be agreeable now its more likely i hear jack lend us a penny to buy a bit of fried and then jack says you be dd here lass lets have another pint the insults and difficulties ive had in the public house trade is dreadful i once sold 16 d worth to three rough looking fellows id never seen before and they seemed hearty and asked me to drink with them so i took a pull but they wouldnt pay me when i asked and i waited a goodish bit before i did ask i thought at first it was their fun but i waited from four to seven and i found it was no fun i felt upset and ran out and told the policeman but he said it was only a debt and he couldnt interfere so i ran to the station but the head man there said the same and told me i should hand over the fish with one hand and hold out the other hand for my money so i went back to the public house and asked for my moneyand there was some mechanics that knew me there thenbut i got nothing but yous and one of em used most dreadful language at last one of the mechanics said muzzle him fishy if he wont pay he was far bigger than me him that was one in debt but my spirit was up and i let go at him and gave him a bloody nose and the next hit i knocked him backwards im sure i dont know how on to a table but i fell on him and he clutched me by the coat collari was respectable dressed thenand half smothered me he tore the back of my coat too and i went home like jim crow the pot man and the others parted us and they made the man give me 1 s and the waiter paid me the other 4 d and said hed take his chance to get itbut he never got it another time i went into a bar and there was a ball in the house and one of the ball gents came down and gave my basket a kick without ever a word and started the fish and in a scufflehe was a little fellow but my masteri had this finger put out of jointyou can see that sir stilland was in the hospital a week from an injury to my leg the tiblin bone was hurt the doctors said the tibia ive had my tray kicked over for a lark in a public house and a scramble for my 170 fish and all gone and no help and no money for me the landlords always prevent such things when they can and interfere for a poor man but then its done sudden and over in an instant that sort of thing wasnt the worst i once had some powdery stuff flung sudden over me at a parlour door my fish fell off for i jumped because i felt blinded and what became of them i dont know but i aimed at once for homeit was very lateand had to feel my way almost like a blind man i cant tell what i suffered i found it was something black for i kept rubbing my face with my apron and could just tell it came away black i let myself in with my latch and my wife was in bed and i told her to get up and look at my face and get some water and she thought i was joking as she was half asleep but when she got up and got a light and a glass she screamed and said i looked such a shiny image and so i did as well as i could see for it was black leadsuch as they use for gratesthat was flung on me i washed it off but it wasnt easy and my face was sore days after i had a respectable coat on then too which was greatly spoiled and no remedy at all i dont know who did it to me i heard some one say youre served out beautiful its men that calls themselves gentlemen that does such things i know the style of them thenit was eight or ten years ago theyd heard of lord and his goings on that way its better now but worse far in the way of getting a living i dare say if i had dressed in rough corderoys i shouldnt have been larked at so much because they might have thought i was a regular coster and a fighter but i dont like that sort of thingi like to be decent and respectable if i can ive been in the fried trade ever since except about three months that i tried the sandwiches i didnt do so well in them but it was a far easier trade no carrying heavy weights all the way from billingsgate but i went back to the fried why now sir a good week with meand ive only myself in the trade now he was a widower is to earn 12 s a poor week is 9 s and theres as many of one as of the other im known to sell the best of fish and to cook it in the best style i think half of us take it round and round for a year may earn as much as i do and the other half about half as much i think so i might have saved money but for a family ive only one at home with me now and he really is a good lad my customers are public house people that want a relish or a sort of supper with their beer not so much to drinkers i sell to tradesmen too 4 d worth for tea or supper some of them send to my place for im known the great exhibition cant be any difference to me ive a regular round i used to sell a good deal to women of the town but i dont now they havent the money i believe where i took 10 s of them eight or ten years ago i now take only 6 d they may go for other sorts of relishes now i cant say the worst of my trade is that people must have as big pennorths when fish is dear as when its cheap i never sold a piece of fish to an italian boy in my life though theyre catholics indeed i never saw an italian boy spend a halfpenny in the streets on anything a working man told me that he often bought fried fish and accounted it a good to men like himself he was fond of fried fish to his supper he couldnt buy half so cheap as the street sellers perhaps not a quarter and if he could it would cost him 1 d for dripping to fry the fish in and he got it ready and well fried and generally good for 1 d subsequent inquiries satisfied me that my informant was correct as to his calculations of his fellows earnings judging from his own the price of plaice at billingsgate is from d to 2 d each according to size the fried fish purveyors never calculate by the weight d being a fair average a plaice costing 1 d will now be fried into four pieces each 1 d but the addition of bread cost of oil c reduces the fried peoples profits to rather less than cent per cent soles and the other fish are moreover 30 per cent dearer than plaice as 150 sellers make as much weekly as my informant and the other 150 half that amount we have an average yearly earning of 27 l 6 s in one case and of 13 l 13 s in the other taking only 20 l a year as a medium earning and adding 90 per cent for profit the outlay on the fried fish supplied by london street sellers is 11 400 l of the preparation and quantity of sheeps trotters and of the street sellers the sale of sheeps trotters as a regular street trade is confined to london liverpool newcastle on tyne and a few more of our greater towns the trotter as it is commonly called is the boiled foot of the sheep none of my readers can have formed any commensurate notion of the extent of the sale in london and to some readers the very existence of such a comestible may be unknown the great supply now required is readily attained the wholesale trade is now in the hands of one fellmongering firm though until within these twenty months or so there were two and the feet are cut off the sheep skins by the salesmen in the skin market in bermondsey and conveyed to the fellmongers premises in carts and in trucks sheeps trotters one of my informants could remember were sold in the streets fifty years ago but in such small quantities that it could hardly be called a trade instead of being prepared wholesale as at present and then sold out to the retailers the trotters were then prepared by the individual retailers or by small traders in tripe and cow heel twenty five years ago nearly all the sheeps trotters were lined and prepared when the skin came into the hands of the fellmonger for the glue and size makers twenty years ago only about one 171 twentieth of the trotters now prepared for eating were devoted to the same purpose and it was not until about fifteen years back that the trade began to reach its present magnitude and for the last twelve years it has been about stationary but there were never more sold than last year from fifteen to twenty years ago glue and size owing principally to improved modes of manufacture became cheaper so that it paid the fellmonger better to dispose of the trotters as an article cooked for the poor than to the glue boiler the process of cookery is carried on rapidly at the fellmongers in question the feet are first scalded for about half an hour after that from ten to fifteen boys are employed in scooping out the hoofs which are sold for manure or to manufacturers of prussian blue which is extensively used by painters women are then employed forty being an average number to scrape the hair off for hair it is calledquickly but softly so that the skin should not be injured and after that the trotters are boiled for about four hours and they are then ready for market the proprietor of this establishment after he had obligingly given me the information i required invited me to walk round his premises unaccompanied and observe how the business was conducted the premises are extensive and are situated as are nearly all branches of the great trade connected with hides and skins in bermondsey the trotter business is kept distinct from the general fellmongering within a long shed are five coppers each containing on an average 250 sets a set being the complement of the sheeps feet four two of these coppers on my visit were devoted to the scalding and three to the boiling of the trotters they looked like what one might imagine to be witches big caldrons seething hissing boiling and throwing forth a steam not peculiarly grateful to the nostrils of the uninitiated thus there are weekly cooking in one form or other the feet of 20 000 sheep for the consumption of the poorer classes or as a relish for those whose stomachs crave after edibles of this description at one extremity of this shed are the boys who work in a place open at the side but the flues and fires make all parts sufficiently warm the women have a place to themselves on the opposite side of the yard the room where they work has forms running along its sides and each woman has a sort of bench in front of her seat on which she scrapes the trotters one of the best of these workwomen can scrape 150 sets or 600 feet in a day but the average of the work is 500 sets a week including women and girls i saw no girls but what seemed above seventeen or eighteen and none of the women were old they were exceedingly merry laughing and chatting and appearing to consider that a listener was not of primary consequence as they talked pretty much altogether i saw none but what were decently dressed some were good looking and none seemed sickly in this establishment are prepared weekly 20 000 sets or 80 000 feet a yearly average of 4 160 000 trotters or the feet of 1 040 000 sheep of this quantity the street folk buy seven eighths 3 640 000 trotters yearly or 70 000 weekly the number of sheep trotter sellers may be taken at 300 which gives an average of nearly sixty sets a week per individual the wholesale price at the trotter yard is five a penny which gives an outlay by the street sellers of 3 033 l 6 s 8 d yearly but this is not the whole of the trade lambs trotters are also prepared but only to one twentieth of the quantity of sheeps trotters and that for only three months of the year these are all sold to the street sellers the lambs foot is usually left appended to the leg and shoulder of lamb it is weighed with the joint but the butchers man or boy will say to the purchaser do you want the foot as the answer is usually in the negative it is at once cut off and forms a perquisite there are some half dozen men journeymen butchers not fully employed who collect these feet prepare and sell them to the street people but as the lambs feet are very seldom as fresh as those of the sheep carried direct from the skin market toso to speakthe great trotter kitchen the demand for lambs falls off yearly last year the sale may be taken at about 14 000 sets selling wholesale at about 46 l the same price as the sheep the sellers of trotters who are stationary at publichouse and theatre doors and at street corners and itinerant but itinerant chiefly from one public house to another are a wretchedly poor class three fourths of them are elderly women and children the great majority being irish people and there are more boys than girls in the trade the capital required to start in the business is very small a hand basket of the larger size costs 1 s 9 d but smaller or second hand only 1 s and the white cotton cloth on which the trotters are displayed costs 4 d or 6 d stock money need not exceed 1 s so that 3 s is all that is required this is one reason i heard from several trotter sellers why the business is over peopled statements of sheeps trotter women from one woman who i am assured may be taken as a fair type of the better class of trotter sellerssome of the women being sottish and addicted to pennorths of gin beyond their meansi had the following statement i found her in the top room of a lofty house in clerkenwell she was washing when i called and her son a crippled boy of 16 with his crutch by his side was cleaning knives which he had done for many months for a family in the neighbourhood who paid for his labour in what the mother pronounced better than moneybroken victuals because they were of such good wholesome quality the room which 172 is of a good size had its red brown plaster walls stained in parts with damp but a great portion was covered with the cheap engravings given away with no 6 or any other number of some periodical of thrilling interest while the narrow mantel shelf was almost covered with pot figures of dumpy men red breeched and blue coated and similar ornaments i have often noted such attempts to subdue as it were the grimness of poverty by the poor who had seen better days the mother was tall and spare and the boy had that look of premature sedateness his face being of a sickly hue common to those of quiet dispositions who have been afflicted from their childhood im the widow of a sawyer sir said mrs with a very slight brogue for she was an irishwoman and ive been a widow 18 long years im 54 i believe but that 18 years seems longer than all the rest of my life together my husband earned hardly ever less than 30 s a week sometimes 3 l and i didnt know what pinching was but i was left destitute with four young children and had to bring them up as well as i could by what i could make by washing and charing and a hard fight it was one of my children went for a soldier ones dead anothers married and thats the youngest there ah poor fellow what hes gone through hes had 18 abscesses one after another and he has been four times in bartholomews theres only god above to help him when im gone my health broke six years ago and i couldnt do hard work in washing and i took to trotter selling because one of my neighbours was in that way and told me how to go about it my son sells trotters too he always sits at the corner of this street i go from one public house to another and sometimes stand at the door or sit inside because im known and have leave but i cant either sit or stand or walk long at a time im so rheumatic no sir i cant say i was ever badly insulted in a public house but i only go to those i know others may be different we depend mostly on trotters but i have a shilling and my meat for charing a day in every week ive tried winks and whelks too cause i thought they might be more in my pocket than trotters but they dont suit a poor woman thats begun a street trade when shes not very young and the trotters can be carried on with so little money its not so long ago that ive sold three pennorth of trottersthat is him and me haspretty early in the evening id bought them at mr s in bermondsey in the afternoon for we can buy three pennorth and i walked there againperhaps its four miles there and backand bought another 3 d worth the first three pence was all i could rise its a long weary way for me to walk but some walk from poplar and limehouse if i lay out 2 s on the saturdaytheres 15 sets for 1 s thats 60 trotterstheyll carry us on to monday night and sometimes if theyll keep to tuesday night sometimes i could sell half a crowns worth in less time i have to go to bermondsey three or four times a week the trade was far better six years ago though trotters were dearer then only 13 sets 1 s then 14 now 15 for some very few thats very fine and very big i get a penny a piece for some i get 1 d for two the mosts d each somes four for 1 d and some i have to throw into the dust hole the two of us earns 5 s a week on trotters not more im sure i sell to people in the public houses some of them may be rather the worse for drink but not so many regular drunkards buys nothing but drink ive sold them too to steady respectable gentlemen thats been passing in the street who put them in their pockets for supper my rents 1 s a week i then had some conversation with the poor lad hed had many a bitter night he told me from half past five to twelve for he knew there was no breakfast for his mother and him if he couldnt sell some trotters he had a cry sometimes he didnt know any good it did him but he couldnt help it the boys gathered round him sometimes and teased him and snatched at his crutch and the policeman said that he must make him move on as he encouraged the boys about him he didnt like the boys any more than they were fond of the policemen he had often sad thoughts as he sat with his trotters before him when he didnt cry he wondered if ever he would be better off but what could he do he could read but not write he liked to read very well when he had anything to read his mother and he never missed mass another old woman very poorly but rather tidily dressed gave me the following account which shows a little of public house custom ive seen better days sir i have indeed i dont like to talk about that but now im only a poor sheeps trotter seller and ive been one a good many years i dont know how long and i dont like to think about it its a shocking bad trade and such insults as we have to put up with i serve some public houses and i stand sometimes at a playhouse door i make 3 s or 3 s 6 d a week and in a very good week 4 s but then i sometimes make only 2 s im infirm now god help me and i can do nothing else another old woman and me has a room between us at 1 s 4 d a week mothers the best name im called in a public house and it aint a respectable name here mother give us one of your b trotters is often said to me one customer sometimes says the stuffll choke me but thats as good as the union he aint a bad man though he sometimes treats me hell bait my trotters but thats his larking way and then hell say a pennorth o gin ll make your old body spin its his own poetry he says i dont know what he is but hes often drunk poor fellow womens far worse to please than men ive known a woman buy a trotter put her teeth into it and then say it wasnt good and return it it wasnt paid for when she did so and be 173 cause i grumbled i was abused by her as if id been a turk the landlord interfered and he said said he ill not have this poor woman insulted shes here for the convenience of them as requires trotters and shes a well conducted woman and ill not have her insulted he says says he lofty and like a gentleman sir why whos insulting the old bh says the woman says she why you are says the landlord says he and you ought to pay her for her trotter or how is she to live what the b hll do i care how she lives says the woman its nothing to me and i wont pay her then i will says the landlord says he heres 6 d and he wouldnt take the change after that i soon sold all my trotters and some gave me double price when the landlord showed himself such a gentleman and i went out and bought nine trotters more another womans stock that she was dreading she couldnt sell and i got through them in no time it was the best trotter night i ever had she wasnt a woman of the town as used me so i have had worse sauce from modest women as they called themselves than from the women of the town for plenty of them knows what poverty is and is civiler poor thingsyes im sure of that though its a shocking lifeo shocking i never go to the playhouse door but on a fine night young men treats their sweethearts to a trotter for a relish with a drop of beer between the acts wet nights is the best for public houses theyre not salt enough has been said to me oft enough they dont make a man thirsty itll come to the workhouse with me before long and perhaps all the better its warm in the public house and that draws me to sell my trotters there sometimes i live on fish and bread a good deal the returns i collected show that there is expended yearly in london streets on trotters calculating their sale retail at d each 6 500 l but though the regular price is d some trotters are sold at four for 1 d very few higher than d and some are kept until they are unsaleable so that the amount may be estimated at 6 000 l a receipt of 7 s 6 d weekly per individual seller rather more than one half of which sum is profit of the street trade in baked potatoes the baked potato trade in the way it is at present carried on has not been known more than fifteen years in the streets before that potatoes were sometimes roasted as chestnuts are now but only on a small scale the trade is more profitable than that in fruit but continues for but six months of the year the potatoes for street consumption are bought of the greengrocers at the rate of 5 s 6 d the cwt they are usually a large sized fruit running about two or three to the pound the kind generally bought is what are called the french regents french potatoes are greatly used now as they are cheaper than the english the potatoes are picked and those of a large size and with a rough skin selected from the others because they are the mealiest a waxy potato shrivels in the baking there are usually from 280 to 300 potatoes in the cwt these are cleaned by the huckster and when dried taken in baskets about a quarter cwt at a time to the bakers to be cooked they are baked in large tins and require an hour and a half to do them well the charge for baking is 9 d the cwt the baker usually finding the tins they are taken home from the bakehouse in a basket with a yard and a half of green baize in which they are covered up and so protected from the cold the huckster then places them in his can which consists of a tin with a half lid it stands on four legs and has a large handle to it while an iron fire pot is suspended immediately beneath the vessel which is used for holding the potatoes directly over the fire pot is a boiler for hot water this is concealed within the vessel and serves to keep the potatoes always hot outside the vessel where the potatoes are kept is at one end a small compartment for butter and salt and at the other end another compartment for fresh charcoal above the boiler and beside the lid is a small pipe for carrying off the steam these potato cans are sometimes brightly polished sometimes painted red and occasionally brass mounted some of the handsomest are all brass and some are highly ornamented with brass mountings great pride is taken in the cans the baked potato man usually devotes half an hour to polishing them up and they are mostly kept as bright as silver the handsomest potato can is now in shoreditch it cost ten guineas and is of brass mounted with german silver there are three lamps attached to it with coloured glass and of a style to accord with that of the machine each lamp cost 5 s the expense of an ordinary can tin and brass mounted is about 50 s they are mostly made by a tinman in the ratcliffe highway the usual places for these cans to stand are the principal thoroughfares and street markets it is considered by one who has been many years at the business that there are taking those who have regular stands and those who are travelling with their cans on their arm at least two hundred individuals engaged in the trade in london there are three at the bottom of farringdon street two in smithfield and three in tottenham court road the two places last named are said to be the best pitches in all london two in leather lane one on holborn hill one at kings cross three at the brill somers town three in the new cut three in covent garden this is considered to be on market days the second best pitch two at the elephant and castle one at westminster bridge two at the top of edgeware road one in st martins lane one in newport market two at the upper end of oxford street one in clare market two in regent street one 174 in newgate market two at the angel islington three at shoreditch church four about rosemary lane two at whitechapel two near spitalfields market and more than double the above number wandering about london some of the cans have namesas the royal union jack engraved in a brass plate the royal george the prince of wales the original baked potatoes and the old original baked potatoes the business begins about the middle of august and continues to the latter end of april or as soon as the potatoes get to any size until they are pronounced bad the season upon an average lasts about half the year and depends much upon the weather if it is cold and frosty the trade is brisker than in wet weather indeed then little is doing the best hours for business are from half past ten in the morning till two in the afternoon and from five in the evening till eleven or twelve at night the night trade is considered the best in cold weather the potatoes are frequently bought to warm the hands indeed an eminent divine classed them in a public speech among the best of modern improvements it being a cheap luxury to the poor wayfarer who was benumbed in the night by cold and an excellent medium for diffusing warmth into the system by being held in the gloved hand some buy them in the morning for lunch and some for dinner a newsvender who had to take a hasty meal in his shop told me he was always glad to hear the baked potato cry as it made a dinner of what was only a snack without it the best time at night is about nine when the potatoes are purchased for supper the customers consist of all classes many gentlefolks buy them in the street and take them home for supper in their pockets but the working classes are the greatest purchasers many boys and girls lay out a halfpenny in a baked potato irishmen are particularly fond of them but they are the worst customers i am told as they want the largest potatoes in the can women buy a great number of those sold some take them home and some eat them in the street three baked potatoes are as much as will satisfy the stoutest appetite one potato dealer in smithfield is said to sell about 2 cwt of potatoes on a market day or in other words from 900 to 1 000 potatoes and to take upwards of 2 l one informant told me that he himself had often sold 1 cwt of a day and taken 1 l in halfpence i am informed that upon an average taking the good stands with the bad ones throughout london there are about 1 cwt of potatoes sold by each baked potato manand there are 200 of these throughout the metropolismaking the total quantity of baked potatoes consumed every day 10 tons the money spent upon these comes to within a few shillings of 125 l calculating 300 potatoes to the cwt and each of those potatoes to be sold at a halfpenny hence there are 60 tons of baked potatoes eaten in london streets and 750 l spent upon them every week during the season saturdays and mondays are the best days for the sale of baked potatoes in those parts of london that are not near the markets but in those in the vicinity of clare newport covent garden newgate smithfield and other markets the trade is briskest on the market days the baked potato men are many of them broken down tradesmen many are labourers who find a difficulty of obtaining employment in the winter time some are costermongers some have been artisans indeed there are some of all classes among them after the baked potato season is over the generality of the hucksters take to selling strawberries raspberries or anything in season some go to labouring work one of my informants who had been a bricklayers labourer said that after the season he always looked out for work among the bricklayers and this kept him employed until the baked potato season came round again when i first took to it he said i was very badly off my master had no employment for me and my brother was ill and so was my wifes sister and i had no way of keeping em or myself either the labouring men are mostly out of work in the winter time so i spoke to a friend of mine and he told me how he managed every winter and advised me to do the same i took to it and have stuck to it ever since the trade was much better then i could buy a hundred weight of potatoes for 1 s 9 d to 2 s 3 d and there were fewer to sell them we generally use to a cwt of potatoes three quarters of a pound of buttertenpenny salt butter is what we buya pennyworth of salt a pennyworth of pepper and five pennyworth of charcoal this with the baking 9 d brings the expenses to just upon 7 s 6 d per cwt and for this our receipts will be 12 s 6 d thus leaving about 5 s per cwt profit hence the average profits of the trade are about 30 s a weekand more to some said my informant a man in smithfield market i am credibly informed clears at the least 3 l a week on the friday he has a fresh basket of hot potatoes brought to him from the bakers every quarter of an hour such is his custom that he has not even time to take money and his wife stands by his side to do so another potato vender who shifted his can he said from a public house where the tap dined at twelve to another half a mile off where it dined at one and so did the parlour and afterwards to any place he deemed best gave me the following account of his customers such a day as this sir jan 24 when the fogs like a cloud come down people looks very shy at my taties very theyve been more suspicious ever since the taty rot i thought i should never have rekivered it never not the rot i sell most to mechanicsi was a grocers porter myself before i was a baked tatyfor their dinners and theyre on for good shops 175 where i serves the taps and parlours and pays me without grumbling like gentlemen gentlemen does grumble though for ive sold to them at private houses when theyve held the door half open as theyve called meaye and ladies tooand theyve said is that all for 2 d if itd been a peck theyd have said the same i know some customers is very pleasant with me and says im a blessing one always says hell give me a ton of taties when his ship comes home cause he can always have a hot murphy to his cold saveloy when tins short hes a harness maker and the railways has injured him theres union street and theres pearl row and theres market street now theyre all off the borough roadif i go there at ten at night or so i can sell 3 s worth perhaps cause they know me and i have another baked taty to help there sometimes theyre women thats not reckoned the best in the world that buys there but they pay me i know why i got my name up i had luck to have good fruit when the rot was about and they got to know me i only go twice or thrice a week for its two miles from my regular places ive trusted them sometimes theyve said to me as modest as could be do give me credit and pon my word you shall be paid theres a dear i am paid mostly little shopkeepers is fair customers but i do best for the taps and the parlours perhaps i make 12 s or 15 s a weeki hardly know for ive only myself and keep no countfor the season money goes one cant tell how and specially if you drinks a drop as i do sometimes foggy weather drives me to it im so worritted that is now and then youll mind sir there are at present 300 vendors of hot baked potatoes getting their living in the streets of london each of whom sell upon an average cwt of potatoes daily the average takings of each vendor is 6 s a day and the receipts of the whole number throughout the season which lasts from the latter end of september till march inclusive a period of 6 months is 14 000 l a capital is required to start in this trade as follows can 2 l knife 3 d stock money 8 s charge for baking 100 potatoes 1 s charcoal 4 d butter 2 d salt 1 d and pepper 1 d altogether 2 l 9 s 11 d the can and knife is the only property described as fixed stock money c being daily occurring amounts to 75 l during the season of trotting or hawking butchers these two appellations are or have been used somewhat confusedly in the meat trade thirty or forty or fifty years agofor each term was mentioned to methe butcher in question was a man who went trotting on his small horse to the more distant suburbs to sell meat this was when the suburbs in any direction were not built up to as they are now and the appearance of the trotting butcher might be hailed as saving a walk of a mile or a mile and a half to a butchers shop for only tradesmen of a smaller capital then opened butchers shops in the remoter suburbs for a suburban butcher to send round for orders at that period would have occupied too much time for a distance must be traversed and to have gone or sent on horseback would have entailed the keeping or hiring of a horse which was in those days an expensive matter one butcher who told me that he had known the trade man and boy for nearly fifty years said as to trotting a small man couldnt so well do it for if 20 l was offered for a tidy horse in the war time it would most likely be said ill get more for it in the cavaldryfor it was often called cavaldry thentheres better plunder there plunder i may explain is a common word in the horse trade to express profit so it wasnt so easy to get a horse the trotting butchers were then men sent or going out from the more frequented parts to supply the suburbs but in many cases only when a tradesman was hung up with meat they carried from 20 to 100 lb of meat generally in one basket resting on the pommel of the saddle and attached by a long leathern strap to the person of the trotter the trade however was irregular and considering the expenses little remunerative neither was it extensive but what might be the extent i could not ascertain there then sprung up the class of butchersor rather the class became greatly multipliedwho sent their boys or men on fast trotting horses to take orders from the dwellers in the suburbs and even in the streets not suburbs which were away from the shop thoroughfares and afterwards to deliver the ordersstill travelling on horsebackat the customers door this system still continues but to nothing like its former extent and as it does not pertain especially to the street trade i need not dwell upon it at present nor on the competition that sprung up as to trotting butchers ponies in the matching of which against time sporting men have taken great interest of trotting butchers keeping their own horses there are now none but there are still i am told about six of the class who contrive by hiring or more frequently borrowing horses of some friendly butcher to live by trotting these men are all known and all call upon known customersoften those whom they have served in their prosperity for the trotting butcher is a reduced manand are not likely to be succeeded by any in the same line oras i heard it calledride of business these traders not subsisting exactly upon street traffic or on any adventure depending upon door by door or street by street commerce but upon a connection remaining from their having been in business on their own accounts need no further mention the present class of street traders in raw meat are known to the trade as hawking 176 butchers and they are as thoroughly street sellers as are the game and poultry hawkers their number i am assured is never less than 150 and sometimes 200 or even 250 they have all been butchers or journeymen butchers and are broken down in the one case or unable to obtain work in the other they then watch the turn of the markets as small meat jobbers andas on the stock exchangeinvest when they account the market at the lowest the meat so purchased is hawked in a large basket carried on the shoulders if of a weight too great to be sustained in a basket on the arm the sale is confined almost entirely to public houses and those at no great distance from the great meat marts of newgate leadenhall and whitechapel the hawkers do not go to the suburbs their principal trade is in pork and veal for those joints weigh lighter and present a larger surface in comparison with the weight than do beef or mutton the same may be said of lamb but of that they do not buy one quarter so much as of pork or veal the hawking butcher bought his meat last year at from 2 d to 5 d the pound according to kind and quality he seldom gave 6 d even years ago when meat was dearer for it is difficulti was told by one of these hawkersto get more than 6 d per lb from chance customers no matter what the market price if i ask 7 d or 7 d he said im sure of one answernonsense i never goes no higher nor 6 d sometimesand especially if he can command credit for two or three daysthe hawking butcher will buy the whole carcass of a sheep if he reside near the market he may cut it up in his own room but he can generally find the necessary accommodation at some friendly butchers block if the weather be bad for keeping he will dispose of a portion of the carcass to his brother hawkers if cold he will persevere in hawking the whole himself he usually however buys only a hind or fore quarter of mutton or other meat except beef which he buys by the joint and more sparingly than he buys any other animal food the hawker generally has his joints weighed before he starts and can remember the exact pounds and ounces of each but the purchasers generally weigh them before payment or as one hawker expressed it they goes to the scales before they come to the tin many of these hawkers drink hard and being often men of robust constitution until the approach of age can live hard as regards lodging especially one hawker i heard of slept in a slaughter house on the bare but clean floor for nearly two years but that was seven years ago and no butcher would allow it now of the experience of a hawking butcher a middle aged man the front of his head being nearly bald and the few hairs there were to be seen shining strongly and lying flat as if rubbed with suet or dripping gave me the following account he was dressed in the usual blue garb of the butcher ive hawked sirwell perhaps for fifteen years my father was a journeyman butcher and i helped him and so grew up to it i never had to call regular work and made it out with hawking perhaps ive hawked take it altogether nearly three quarters of every year the other times ive had a turn at slaughtering but i havent slaughtered for these three or four years ive had turns as a butchers porter and wish i had more as its sure browns if its only 1 s 6 d a day but theres often a bit of cuttings i sell most pork of anything in autumn and winter and most mutton in summer but the summer isnt much more than half as good as the winter for my trade when i slaughtered i had 3 s for an ox 4 d for a sheep and 1 s for a pig calves is slaughtered by the masters people generally well i dare say it is cruel the way they slaughter calves you would think it so no doubt i believe they slaughter cheaper now if i buy cheapand on a very hot day and a slow market i have bought a fore aye and a hind quarter of mutton about two and a half stone each 8 lbs to the stone at 2 d a pound but thats only very very seldomwhen i buy cheap sir i aim at 2 d a pound over what i give if not so cheap at 1 d and then its low to my customers but i cut up the meat you see myself and i carry it i sell eight times as much to public houses and eating houses as anywhere else most to the publics if theyve ordinaries and a deal for the publics families eating cause a landlord knows i wouldnt deceive him and theres a part of it taken out in drink of course and landlords is good judges trade was far better years back ive heard my father and his pals talk about a hawking butcher that twenty years ago was imprisoned falsely and got a honest lawyer to bring his haction and had 150 l damages for false imprisonment it was in the lord mayors court of equity ive heard it was a wrong arrest i dont understand the particulars of it but its true and the damages was for loss of time and trade im no lawyer myself not a bit i have sold the like of a loin of mutton when it was small in a tap room to make chops for the people there theyll cook chops and steaks for a pint of beer at a public that is you must order a pintbut ive sold it very seldom when mutton was dearer it was easier to sell it that way for i sold cheap and at one public the mechanicsi hardly know just what they was something about buildingused to gather there at one oclock and wait for giblets so they called me there i live a good bit on the cuttings of the meat i hawk or i chop a meal off if i can manage or afford it or my wife ive only a wife and she earns never less than 2 s a week in washing for a master butcheri wish i was a master butcher and that covers the rent my 177 wife makes it into broth take it all the year round i spose i sell three stun a day 24 lb and at 1 d a pound profit not a farthing more go round and round i dont think the others altogether do as much for im known to a many landlords but some make 3 s and 4 s a day oft enough ive made as much myself sometimes we all aim at 1 d a pound profit but have to take less in hot weather sometimes last year 4 d the pound has been a haverage price to me for all sorts dead salesmen as they are calledthat is the market salesmen of the meat sent so largely from scotland and elsewhere ready slaughteredexpressed to me their conviction that my informants calculation was correct and might be taken as an average so did butchers thus then we find that the hawking butchers taking their number at 150 sell 747 000 lbs of meat producing 12 450 l annually one fourth being profit this gives an annual receipt of 83 l each and an annual earning of 20 l 15 s the capital required to start in this trade is about 20 s which is usually laid out as follows a basket for the shoulders which costs 4 s 6 d a leathern strap 1 s a basket for the arm 2 s 6 d a butchers knife 1 s a steel 1 s 6 d a leather belt for the waist to which the knife is slung 6 d a chopper 1 s 6 d and a saw 2 s 6 s stock money though credit is sometimes given of the street sellers of ham sandwiches the ham sandwich seller carries his sandwiches on a tray or flat basket covered with a clean white cloth he also wears a white apron and white sleeves his usual stand is at the doors of the theatres the trade was unknown until eleven years ago when a man who had been unsuccessful in keeping a coffee shop in westminster found it necessary to look out for some mode of living and he hit upon the plan of vending sandwiches precisely in the present style at the theatre doors the attempt was successful the man soon took 10 s a night half of which was profit he attended both the great theatres and was doing well but at five or six weeks end competitors appeared in the field and increased rapidly and so his sale was affected people being regardless of his urging that he was the original ham sandwich the capital required to start in the trade was small a few pounds of ham a proportion of loaves and a little mustard was all that was required and for this 10 s was ample that sum however could not be commanded by many who were anxious to deal in sandwiches and the man who commenced the trade supplied them at 6 d a dozen the charge to the public being 1 d a piece some of the men however murmured because they thought that what they thus bought were not equal to those the wholesale sandwich man offered for sale himself and his wholesale trade fell off until now i am told he has only two customers among street sellers ham sandwiches are made from any part of the bacon which may be sufficiently lean such as the gammon which now costs 4 d and 5 d the pound it is sometimes but very rarely picked up at 3 d when the trade was first started 7 d a pound was paid for the ham but the sandwiches are now much larger to make three dozen a pound of meat is required and four quartern loaves the ham may cost 5 d the bread 1 s 8 d or 1 s 10 d and the mustard 1 d the proceeds for this would be 3 s but the trade is very precarious little can be done in wet weather if unsold the sandwiches spoil for the bread gets dry and the ham loses its fresh colour so that those who depend upon this trade are wretchedly poor a first rate week is to clear 10 s a good week is put at 7 s and a bad week at 3 s 6 d on some nights they do not sell a dozen sandwiches there are halfpenny sandwiches but these are only half the size of those at a penny the persons carrying on this trade have been for the most part in some kind of serviceerrand boys pot boys foot boys or pages or lads engaged about inns some few have been mechanics their average weekly earnings hardly exceed 5 s but some get odd jobs at other things there are now sir at the theatres this the strand side the water and at ashleys the surrey and the vic two dozen and nine sandwiches so said one of the trade who counted up his brethren for me this man calculated also that at the standard the saloons the concert rooms and at limehouse mile end bethnal green road and elsewhere there might be more than as many again as those working the theatresor 70 in all they are nearly all men and no boys or girls are now in the trade the number of these people when the large theatres were open with the others was about double what it is now the information collected shows that the expenditure in ham sandwiches supplied by street sellers is 1 820 l yearly and a consumption of 436 800 sandwiches to start in the ham sandwich street trade requires 2 s for a basket 2 s for kettle to boil ham in 6 d for knife and fork 2 d for mustard pot and spoon 7 d for cwt of coals 5 s for ham 1 s 3 d for bread 4 d for mustard 9 d for basket cloth and apron 4 d for over sleevesor a capital of 12 s 11 d of the experience of a ham sandwich seller a young man gave me the following account his look and manners were subdued and though his dress was old and worn it was clean and unpatched i hardly remember my father sir he said but i believe if hed lived i should have been better off my mother couldnt keep my brother and mehes older than mewhen we grew to be twelve or thirteen and we had to shift for ourselves she works at the stays and now 178 makes only 3 s a week and we cant help her i was first in place as a sort of errand boy then i was a stationers boy and then a news agents boy i wasnt wanted any longer but left with a good character my brother had gone into the sandwich tradei hardly know what made himand he advised me to be a ham sandwich man and so i started as one at first i made 10 s and 7 s and 8 s a weekthats seven years or sobut things are worse now and i make 3 s 6 d some weeks and 5 s others and 6 s is an out and outer my rents 2 s a week but i havent my own things i am so sick of this life id do anything to get out of it but i dont see a way perhaps i might have been more careful when i was first in it but really if you do make 10 s a week you want shoes or a shirtso what is 10 s after all i wish i had it now though i used to buy my sandwiches at 6 d a dozen but i found that wouldnt do and now i buy and boil the stuff and make them myself what did cost 6 d now only costs me 4 d or 4 d i work the theatres this side of the water chiefly the lympic and the delphi the best theatre i ever had was the garding when it had two galleries and was dramaticthe operas there wasnt the least good to me the lyceum was good when it was mr keeleys i hardly know what sort my customers are but theyre those that go to theaytres shopkeepers and clerks i think gentlemen dont often buy of me they have bought though oh no they never give a farthing over theyre more likely to want seven for 6 d the women of the town buy of me when it gets late for themselves and their fancy men theyre liberal enough when theyve money they sometimes treat a poor fellow in a public house in summer im often out till four in the morning and then must lie in bed half next day the delphi was better than it is ive taken 3 s at the first turn out the leaving the theatre for a short time after the first piece but the turn outs at the garding was better than that a penny pie shop has spoiled us at the delphi and at ashleys i go out between eight and nine in the evening people often want more in my sandwiches though im starving on them oh theyll say youve been prenticed to vauxhall you have theyre 1 s there says i and no bigger i havent vauxhall prices i stand by the night houses when its latenot the fashionables their customers wouldnt look at me but ive known women that carried their heads very high glad to get a sandwich afterwards six times ive been upset by drunken fellows on purpose ive no doubt and lost all my stock once a gent kicked my basket into the dirt and he was going offfor it was latebut some people by began to make remarks about using a poor fellow that way so he paid for all after he had them counted i am so sick of this life sir i do dread the winter so ive stood up to the ankles in snow till after midnight and till ive wished i was snow myself and could melt like it and have an end id do anything to get away from this but i cant passion weeks another dreadful time it drives us to starve just when we want to get up a little stock money for easter ive been bilked by cabmen whove taken a sandwich but instead of paying for it have offered to fight me theres no help were knocked about sadly by the police times very heavy on my hands sometimes and thats where you feel it i read a bit if i can get anything to read for i was at st clements school or i walk out to look for a job on summer days i sell a trotter or two but mines a wretched life and so is most ham sandwich men ive no enjoyment of my youth and no comfort ah sir i live very poorly a haporth or a pennorth of cheap fish which i cook myself is one of my treatseither herrings or plaicewith a tatur perhaps then theres a sort of meal now and then off the odds and ends of the ham such as isnt quite viewy enough for the public along with the odds and ends of the loaves i cant boil a bit of greens with my ham cause im afraid it might rather spoil the colour i dont slice the ham till its coldit cuts easier and is a better colour then i think i wash my aprons and sleeves and cloths myself and iron them too a man that sometimes makes only 3 s 6 d a week and sometimes less and must pay 2 s rent out of that must look after every farthing ive often walked eight miles to see if i could find ham a halfpenny a pound cheaper anywhere if it was tainted i know it would be flung in my face if i was sick theres only the parish for me of the street sellers of bread the street trade in bread is not so extensive as might be expected from the universality of the consumption it is confined to petticoat lane and the poorer districts in that neighbourhood a person who has known the east end of town for nearly fifty years told me that as long as he could recollect bread was sold in the streets but not to the present extent in 1812 and 1813 when bread was the dearest there was very little sold in the streets at that time and until 1815 the assize acts regulating the bread trade were in force and had been in force in london since 1266 previously to 1815 bakers were restricted by these acts to the baking of three kinds of breadwheaten standard wheaten and household the wheaten was made of the best flour the standard wheaten of the different kinds of flour mixed together and the household of the coarser and commoner flour in 1823 however it was enacted that within the city of london and ten miles round it shall be lawful for the bakers to make and sell bread made of wheat barley rye oats buck wheat indian corn peas beans rice or potatoes or any of them along with common salt pure water eggs milk barm leaven potato or other yeast and mixed in such proportions as they shall think fit i mention this because my informant as well as an old master baker with whom i conversed on the 179 subject remembered that every now and then after 1823 but only for two or three years some speculative trader both in shops and in the streets would endeavour to introduce an inferior but still a wholesome bread to his customers such as an admixture of barley with wheat flour but no oneas far as i could learnpersevered in the speculation for more than a week or so their attempts were not only unsuccessful but they met with abuse from street buyers especially for endeavouring to palm off brown bread as good enough for poor people one of my elder informants remembered his father telling him that in 1800 and 1801 george iii had set the example of eating brown bread at his one oclock dinner but he was sometimes assailed as he passed in his carriage with the reproachful epithet of brown george this feeling continues for the poor people and even the more intelligent working men if cockneys have still a notion that only white bread is fit for consumption into the question of the relative nutrition of breads i shall enter when i treat of the bakers during a period of about four months in the summer there are from twenty to thirty men daily selling stale bread of these only twelve sell it regularly every day of the year and they trade chiefly on their own account of the others some are sent out by their masters receiving from 1 s to 2 s for their labour those who sell on their own account go round to the bakers shops about stepney mile end and whitechapel and purchase the stale bread on hand it is sold to them at d 1 d and 1 d per quartern less than the retail shop price but when the weather is very hot and the bakers have a large quantity of stale bread on hand the street sellers sometimes get the bread at 2 d a quartern less than the retail price all the street sellers of bread have been brought up as bakers some have resorted to the street trade i am told when unable to procure work others because it is a less toilsome and sometimes a more profitable means of subsistence than the labour of an operative baker it is very rarely that any of the street traders leave their calling to resume working as journeymen some of these traders have baskets containing the bread offered for street sale others have barrows and one has a barrow resembling a costermongers with a long basket made to fit upon it the dress of these vendors is a light coat of cloth or fustian corduroy fustian or cloth trousers and a cloth cap or a hat the whole attire being what is best understood as dusty ingrained as it is with flour from one bread seller a middle aged man with the pale look and habitual stoop of a journeyman baker i had the following account ive known the street trade a few years i cant say exactly how many i was a journeyman baker before that and cant say but what i had pretty regular employment but then sir what an employment it is so much night work and the heat of the oven with the close air and sleeping on sacks at nights for you cant leave the place so that altogether its a slaves life a journeyman baker hasnt what can be called a home for hes so much away at the oven hed better not be a married man for if his wife isnt very careful theres talk and theres unhappiness about nothing perhaps i cant be thought to speak feelingly that way though for ive been fortunate in a wife but a journeyman bakers life drives him to drink almost whether he will or not a street lifes not quite so bad i was out of work two or three weeks and i certainly lushed too much and cant say as i tried very hard to get work but i had a pound or two in hand and then i began to think id try and sell stale bread in the streets for its a healthfuller trade than the other so i started and have been at it ever since excepting when i work a few days or weeks for a master baker but hes a relation and i assist him when hes ill my customers are all poor persons some in rags and some as decent as their bad earningsll let them no doubt about it sir theres poor women buy of me thats wives of mechanics working slop and thats forced to live on stale bread where theres a family of children stale bread goes so very much further i think i sell to few but what has families for a quarterns too much at a time for a single woman i often hear my customers talk about their children and say they must make haste as the poor things are hungry and they couldnt get them any bread sooner o its a hard fight to live all spitalfields and bethnal green way for i know it all there are first the journeyman bakers over worked and fretted into drinking a making the bread and there are the poor fellows in all sorts of trade over worked to get money to buy it ive had women that looked as if they was reduced come to me of an evening as soon as it was dusk and buy stale bread as if they was ashamed to be seen yes i give credit some has a weeks credit regular and pays every saturday night i lose very little in trusting i sometimes have bread over and sell itrather than hold it over to next dayfor half what it cost me i have given it away to begging people sooner than keep it to be too stale and they would get something for it at a lodging house the lodging house keepers never buy of me that i know of they can buy far cheaper than i canyou understand sir perhaps altogether i make about a guinea every week wet weather and short days are against me i dont sell more i think on a saturday than on other nights the nights are much of a muchness that way the average quantity sold by each vendor during the summer months is 150 quarterns daily usually at 4 d but occasionally at 3 d the quartern one man informed me that he had sold in one day 350 quarterns receiving 5 l 16 s 8 d for them the number of men for if there be women they are the mens wives engaged daily throughout the year in the street sale of bread is 12 180 these sell upon an average 100 quarterns each per day taking every day in the year 1 l 12 s each a few being sold at 3 d calculating then the four months trade in summer at 150 quarterns per day per man and reckoning 15 men so selling and each receiving 45 s thus allowing for the threepenny sale and taking the receipts of the 12 regular traders at 1 l 12 s per day we find nearly 9 000 l annually expended in the street purchase of 700 000 quartern loaves of bread the profits of the sellers vary from 1 l to 2 l a week according to the extent of their business to start in this branch of the street trade a capital is required according to the following rate stock money for bread average 1 l largest amount required 5 l smallest 10 s a basket 4 s 6 d of those who are employed in the summer one half have baskets and the other half bakers barrows while of those who attend the year through 8 have baskets at 4 s 6 d each 3 have barrows at 40 s each and one a barrow and the long basket before mentioned the barrow costs 30 s and the basket 2 l of the street sellers of hot green peas the sale of hot green peas in the streets is of great antiquity that is to say if the cry of hot peas cod recorded by lydgate and formerly alluded to may be taken as having intimated the sale of the same article in many parts of the country it is or was customary to have scaldings of peas often held as a sort of rustic feast the peas were not shelled but boiled in the pod and eaten by the pod being dipped in melted butter with a little pepper salt and vinegar and then drawn through the teeth to extract the peas the pod being thrown away the mention of peas cod or pea shell by lydgate renders it probable that the scalding method was that then in use in the streets none of the street sellers however whom i saw remembered the peas being vended in any other form than shelled and boiled as at present the sellers of green peas have no stands but carry a round or oval tin pot or pan with a swing handle the pan being wrapped round with a thick cloth to retain the heat the peas are served out with a ladle and eaten by the customers if eaten in the street out of basins provided with spoons by the pea man salt vinegar and pepper are applied from the vendors store at the customers discretion there are now four men carrying on this trade they wear no particular dress just what clothes we can get said one of them one who has been in the trade twenty five years was formerly an inn porter the other three are ladies shoemakers in the day time and pea sellers in the evening or at early morning in any market their average sale is three gallons daily with a receipt of 7 s per man seven gallons a day is accounted a large sale but the largest of all is at greenwich fair when each pea man will take 35 s in a day each vendor has his district one takes billingsgate rosemary lane and its vicinity another the old clothes exchange bishopsgate shoreditch and bethnal green a third mile end and stepney and a fourth ratcliffe highway limehouse and poplar each man resides in his round for the convenience of boiling his peas and introducing them to his customers hot and hot the peas used in this traffic are all the dried field pea but dried green and whole and not split or prepared as are the yellow peas for soup or puddings they are purchased at the corn chandlers or the seed shops the price being 2 s the peck or two gallons the peas are soaked before they are boiled and swell considerably so that one gallon of the dried peas makes rather more than two gallons of the boiled the hot green peas are sold in halfpennyworths a halfpennyworth being about a quarter of a pint the cry of the sellers is hot green peas all hot all hot heres your peas hot hot hot of the experience of a hot green pea seller the most experienced man in the trade gave me the following account come the 25th of march sir and i shall have been 26 years in the business for i started it on the 25th of marchits a day easy for to remember cause everybody knows its quarter dayin 1825 i was a porter in coaching inns before but there was a mishap and i had to drop it i didnt leave cause i thought the pea line might be better but because i must do something and knew a man in the trade and all about it it was a capital trade then and for a good many years after i was in it many a day ive taken a guinea and sometimes 35 s and i have taken two guineas at greenwich fair but then i worked till one or two in the morning from eleven the day before money wasnt so scarce then oh sir as to what my profit was or is i never tell i wouldnt to my own wife neither her thats living nor her thats dead a person present intimated that the secret might be safely confided to the dead wife but the pea seller shook his head now one day with another except sundays when i dont work i may take 7 s i always use the dried peas they pay better than fresh garden peas would at a groat a peck people has asked for young green peas but ive said that i didnt have them billingsgates my best ground i sell to the costers and the roughs and all the parties that has their dinners in the tap roomsthey has a bit of steak or a bit of cold meat theyve brought with them theres very little fish eat in billingsgate except perhaps at the ordnries ordinaries im looked for as regular as dinner time the landlords tell me to give my customers plenty of pepper and salt to make them thirsty i go on board the billingsgate ships too and sometimes sell 6 d worth to captain and crew its a treat after a rough voyage oh no sir i never go on 181 board the dutch eel vessels theres nothing to be got out of scaly furners foreigners i sell to the herring and mackarel and oyster boats when theyre up my great sale is in public houses but i sometimes sell 2 d or 3 d worth to private houses i go out morning noon and night and at night i go my round when peoples having a bite of supper perhaps in the public houses i sell to the women of the town then yes i give them credit to night now saturday i expect to receive 2 s 3 d or near on to it that ive trusted them this week they mostly pay me on a saturday night i lose very little by them im knocked about in public houses by the billingsgate roughs and ive been bilked by the prigs ive known at least six people try my trade and fail in it and i was glad to see them broke i sell twice as much in cold weather as in warm i ascertained that my informant sold three times as much as the other dealers who confine their trade principally to an evening round reckoning that the chief man of business sells 3 gallons a day which at 1 d the quarter pint would be 8 s my informant said 7 s and that the other three together sell the same quantity we find a street expenditure on hot green peas of 250 l and a street consumption of 1870 gallons the peas costing 2 s the two gallons are vended for 4 s or 5 s at the least as they boil into more than double the quantity and a gallon retail is 2 s 8 d but the addition of vinegar pepper c may reduce the profit to cent per cent while there is the heaping up of every measure retail to reduce the profit thus independent of any consideration as to the labour in boiling c generally done by the women the principal mans profit is 21 s a week that of the others 7 s each weekly the capital required to start in the business iscan 2 s 6 d vinegar bottle and pepper box 4 d saucers and spoons 6 d stock money about 2 s cloth to wrap over the peas 4 d a vendor wearing out a cloth in three months or an average of 9 s or 10 s of cats and dogs meat dealers the supply of food for cats and dogs is far greater than may be generally thought vy sir said one of the dealers to me can you tell me ow many peoples in london on my replying upwards of two millions i dont know nothing vatever said my informant about millions but i think theres a cat to every ten people aye and more than that and so sir you can reckon i told him this gave a total of 200 000 cats in london but the number of inhabited houses in the metropolis was 100 000 more than this and though there was not a cat to every house still as many lodgers as well as householders kept cats i added that i thought the total number of cats in london might be taken at the same number as the inhabited houses or 300 000 in all theres not near half so many dogs as cats i must know for they all knows me and i sarves about 200 cats and 70 dogs mines a middling trade but some does far better some cats has a haporth a day some every other day werry few can afford a pennorth but times is inferior dogs is better pay when youve a connection among em the cat and dogs meat dealers or carriers as they call themselves generally purchase the meat at the knackers horse slaughterers yards there are upwards of twenty of such yards in london three or four are in whitechapel one in wandsworth two in cow crossone of the two last mentioned is the largest establishment in londonand there are two about bermondsey the proprietors of these yards purchase live and dead horses they contract for them with large firms such as brewers coal merchants and large cab and bus yards giving so much per head for their old live and dead horses through the year the price varies from 2 l to 50 s the carcass the knackers also have contractors in the country harness makers and others who bring or send up to town for them the live and dead stock of those parts the dead horses are brought to the yardtwo or three upon one cart and sometimes five the live ones are tied to the tail of these carts and behind the tail of each other occasionally a string of fourteen or fifteen are brought up head to tail at one time the live horses are purchased merely for slaughtering if among the lot bought there should chance to be one that is young but in bad condition it is placed in the stable fed up and then put into the knackers carts or sold by them or let on hire occasionally a fine horse has been rescued from death in this manner one person is known to have bought an animal for 15 s for which he afterwards got 150 l frequently young horses that will not work in cabssuch as jibsare sold to the horse slaughterers as useless they are kept in the yard and after being well fed often turn out good horses the live horses are slaughtered by the persons called knackers these men get upon an average 4 s a day they begin work at twelve at night because some of the flesh is required to be boiled before six in the morning indeed a great part of the meat is delivered to the carriers before that hour the horse to be slaughtered has his mane clipped as short as possible on account of the hair which is valuable it is then blinded with a piece of old apron smothered in blood so that it may not see the slaughterman when about to strike a pole axe is used and a cane to put an immediate end to the animals sufferings after the animal is slaughtered the hide is taken off and the flesh cut from the bones in large pieces these pieces are termed according to the part from which they are cut hind quarters fore quarters cram bones throats necks briskets backs ribs kidney pieces hearts tongues liver and lights the bones called racks by the knackers are chopped up and boiled in order to extract the fat which is used for greasing common harness and the wheels of carts and drags c the bones themselves are sold for 182 manure the pieces of flesh are thrown into large coppers or pans about nine feet in diameter and four feet deep each of these pans will hold about three good sized horses sometimes two large brewers horses will fill them and sometimes as many as four poor cab horses may be put into them the flesh is boiled about an hour and 20 minutes for a killed horse and from two hours to two hours and 20 minutes for a dead horse a horse dying from age or disease the flesh when boiled is taken from the coppers laid on the stones and sprinkled with water to cool it it is then weighed out in pieces of 112 56 28 21 14 7 and 3 lbs weight these are either taken round in a cart to the carriers or at about five the carriers call at the yard to purchase and continue doing so till twelve in the day the price is 14 s per cwt in winter and 16 s in summer the tripe is served out at 12 lb for 6 d all this is for cats and dogs the carriers then take the meat round town wherever their walk may lie they sell it to the public at the rate of 2 d per lb and in small pieces on skewers at a farthing a halfpenny and a penny each some carriers will sell as much as a hundred weight in a day and about half a hundred weight is the average quantity disposed of by the carriers in london some sell much cheaper than others these dealers will frequently knock at the doors of persons whom they have seen served by another on the previous day and show them that they can let them have a larger quantity of meat for the same money the class of persons belonging to the business are mostly those who have been unable to obtain employment at their trade occasionally a person is bred to it having been engaged as a lad by some carrier to go round with the barrow and assist him in his business these boys will after a time find a walk for themselves beginning first with a basket and ultimately rising to a barrow many of the carriers give light weight to the extent of 2 oz and 4 oz in the pound at one yard alone near upon 100 carriers purchase meat and there are upon an average 150 horses slaughtered there every week each slaughter house may be said to do one with another 60 horses per week throughout the year which reckoning the london slaughter houses at 12 gives a total of 720 horses killed every week in the metropolis or in round numbers 37 500 in the course of the year the london cat and dogs meat carriers or sellersnearly all mennumber at the least 1 000 the slaughtermen are said to reap large fortunes very rapidlyindeed the carriers say they coin the money many of them retire after a few years and take large farms one after 12 years business retired with several thousand pounds and has now three large farms the carriers are men women and boys very few women do as well as the men at it the carriers are generally sad drunkards out of five hundred it is said three hundred at least spend 1 l a head a week in drink one party in the trade told me that he knew a carrier who would often spend 10 s in liquor at one sitting the profit the carriers make upon the meat is at present only a penny per pound in the summer time the profit per pound is reduced to a halfpenny owing to the meat being dearer on account of its scarcity the carriers give a great deal of creditindeed they take but little ready money on some days they do not come home with more than 2 s one with a middling walk pays for his meat 7 s 6 d per day for this he has half a hundred weight this produces him as much as 11 s 6 d so that his profit is 4 s which i am assured is about a fair average of the earnings of the trade one carrier is said to have amassed 1 000 l at the business he usually sold from 1 to 2 cwt every morning so that his profits were generally from 16 s to 1 l per day but the trade is much worse now there are so many at it they say that there is barely a living for any a carrier assured me that he seldom went less than 30 and frequently 40 miles through the streets every day the best districts are among the houses of tradesmen mechanics and labourers the coachmen in the mews at the back of the squares are very good customers the work lays thicker there said my informant old maids are bad though very plentiful customers they cheapen the carriers down so that they can scarcely live at the business they will pay one halfpenny and owe another and forget that after a day or two the cats meat dealers generally complain of their losses from bad debts their customers require credit frequently to the extent of 1 l one party owes me 15 s now said a carrier to me and many 10 s in fact very few people pay ready money for the meat the carriers frequently serve as much as ten pennyworths to one person in a day one gentleman has as much as 4 lbs of meat each morning for two newfoundland dogs and there was one womana blackwho used to have as much as 16 pennyworth every day this person used to get out on the roof of the house and throw it to the cats on the tiles by this she brought so many stray cats round about the neighbourhood that the parties in the vicinity complained it was quite a nuisance she would have the meat always brought to her before ten in the morning or else she would send to a shop for it and between ten and eleven in the morning the noise and cries of the hundreds of stray cats attracted to the spot was terrible to hear when the meat was thrown to the cats on the roof the riot and confusion and fighting was beyond description a beer shop man i was told was obliged to keep five or six dogs to drive the cats from his walls there was also a mad woman in islington who used to have 14 lbs of meat a day the party who supplied her had his money often at 2 l and 3 l at a time she had as many as thirty cats at times in her house every stray one that came she would take in and support the stench was so great 183 that she was obliged to be ejected the best days for the cats meat business are mondays tuesdays and saturdays a double quantity of meat is sold on the saturday and on that day and monday and tuesday the weekly customers generally pay my father was a baker by trade said a carrier to me but through an enlargement of the heart he was obliged to give up working at his trade leaning over the trough increased his complaint so severely that he used to fall down and be obliged to be brought home this made him take to the cats and dogs meat trade and he brought me up to it i do pretty comfortably i have a very good business having been all my life at it if it wasnt for the bad debts i should do much better but some of the people i trust leave the houses and actually take in a double quantity of meat the day before i suppose there is at the present moment as much as 20 l owing to me that i never expect to see a farthing of the generality of the dealers wear a shiny hat black plush waistcoat and sleeves a blue apron corduroy trousers and a blue and white spotted handkerchief round their necks some indeed will wear two and three handkerchiefs round their necks this being fashionable among them a great many meet every friday afternoon in the donkey market smithfield and retire to a public house adjoining to spend the evening a cats meat carrier who supplied me with information was more comfortably situated than any of the poorer classes that i have yet seen he lived in the front room of a second floor in an open and respectable quarter of the town and his lodgings were the perfection of comfort and cleanliness in an humble sphere it was late in the evening when i reached the house i found the carrier and his family preparing for supper in a large morocco leather easy chair sat the cats meat carrier himself his blue apron and black shiny hat had disappeared and he wore a dress coat and a black satin waistcoat instead his wife who was a remarkably pretty woman and of very attractive manners wore a dolly varden cap placed jauntily at the back of her head and a drab merino dress the room was cosily carpeted and in one corner stood a mahogany crib with cane work sides in which one of the children was asleep on the table was a clean white table cloth and the room was savoury with the steaks and mashed potatoes that were cooking on the fire indeed i have never yet seen greater comfort in the abodes of the poor the cleanliness and wholesomeness of the apartment were the more striking from the unpleasant associations connected with the calling it is believed by one who has been engaged at the business for 25 years that there are from 900 to 1 000 horses averaging 2 cwt of meat eachlittle and bigboiled down every week so that the quantity of cats and dogs meat used throughout london is about 200 000 lbs per week and this sold at the rate of 2 d per lb gives 2 000 l a week for the money spent in cats and dogs meat or upwards of 100 000 l a year which is at the rate of 100 l worth sold annually by each carrier the profits of the carriers may be estimated at about 50 l each per annum the capital required to start in this business varies from 1 l to 2 l the stock money needed is between 5 s and 10 s the barrow and basket weights and scales knife and steel or black stone cost about 2 l when new and from 15 s to 4 s second hand of the street sale of drinkables the street sellers of the drinkables who have now to be considered belong to the same class as i have described in treating of the sale of street provisions generally the buyers are not precisely of the same class for the street eatables often supply a meal but with the exception of the coffee stalls and occasionally of the rice milk the drinkables are more of a luxury than a meal thus the buyers are chiefly those who have a penny to spare rather than those who have a penny to dine upon i have described the different classes of purchasers of each potable and perhaps the accountsas a picture of street lifeare even more curious than those i have given of the purchasers of the eatablesof literally the diners out of coffee stall keepers the vending of tea and coffee in the streets was little if at all known twenty years ago saloop being then the beverage supplied from stalls to the late and early wayfarers nor was it until after 1842 that the stalls approached to anything like their present number which is said to be upwards of 300the majority of the proprietors being women prior to 1824 coffee was in little demand even among the smaller tradesmen or farmers but in that year the duty having been reduced from 1 s to 6 d per lb the consumption throughout the kingdom in the next seven years was nearly trebled the increase being from 7 933 041 lbs in 1824 to 22 745 627 lbs in 1831 in 1842 the duty on coffee was fixed at 4 d from british possessions and from foreign countries at 6 d but it was not owing solely to the reduced price of coffee that the street vendors of it increased in the year or two subsequent to 1842 at least 100 per cent the great facilities then offered for a cheap adulteration by mixing ground chicory with the ground coffee was an enhancement of the profits and a greater temptation to embark in the business as a smaller amount of capital would suffice within these two or three years this cheapness has been still further promoted by the medium of adulteration the chicory itself being in its turn adulterated by the admixture of baked carrots and the like saccharine roots which of course are not subjected to any duty while 184 foreign chicory is charged 6 d per lb english chicory is not chargeable with duty and is now cultivated i am assured to the yield of between 4 000 and 5 000 tons yearly and this nearly all used in the adulteration of coffee nor is there greater culpability in this trade among street venders than among respectable shopkeepers for i was assured by a leading grocer that he could not mention twenty shops in the city of which he could say you can go and buy a pound of ground coffee there and it will not be adulterated the revelations recently made on this subject by the lancet are a still more convincing proof of the general dishonesty of grocers the coffee stall keepers generally stand at the corner of a street in the fruit and meat markets there are usually two or three coffee stalls and one or two in the streets leading to them in covent garden there are no less than four coffee stalls indeed the stalls abound in all the great thoroughfares and the most in those not accounted fashionable and great business routes but such as are frequented by working people on their way to their days labour the best pitch in london is supposed to be at the corner of duke street oxford street the proprietor of that stall is said to take full 30 s of a morning in halfpence one stall keeper i was informed when upon the drink thinks nothing of spending his 10 l or 15 l in a week a party assured me that once when the stall keeper above mentioned was away on the spree he took up his stand there and got from 4 s to 5 s in the course of ten minutes at the busy time of the morning the coffee stall usually consists of a spring barrow with two and occasionally four wheels some are made up of tables and some have a tressel and board on the top of this are placed two or three and sometimes four large tin cans holding upon an average five gallons each beneath each of these cans is a small iron fire pot perforated like a rushlight shade and here charcoal is continually burning so as to keep the coffee or tea with which the cans are filled hot throughout the early part of the morning the board of the stall has mostly a compartment for bread and butter cake and ham sandwiches and another for the coffee mugs there is generally a small tub under each of the stalls in which the mugs and saucers are washed the grandest stall in this line is the one before mentioned as standing at the corner of duke street oxford street of which an engraving is here given it is a large truck on four wheels and painted a bright green the cans are four in number and of bright polished tin mounted with brass plates there are compartments for bread and butter sandwiches and cake it is lighted by three large oil lamps with bright brass mountings and covered in with an oil cloth roof the coffee stalls generally are lighted by candle lamps some coffee stalls are covered over with tarpaulin like a tent and others screened from the sharp night or morning air by a clothes horse covered with blankets and drawn half round the stall some of the stall keepers make their appearance at twelve at night and some not till three or four in the morning those that come out at midnight are for the accommodation of the night walkersfast gentlemen and loose girls and those that come out in the morning are for the accommodation of the working men it is i may add piteous enough to see a few young and good looking girls some without the indelible mark of habitual depravity on their countenances clustering together for warmth round a coffee stall to which a penny expenditure or the charity of the proprietor has admitted them the thieves do not resort to the coffee stalls which are so immediately under the eye of the policeman the coffee stall keepers usually sell coffee and tea and some of them cocoa they keep hot milk in one of the large cans and coffee tea or cocoa in the others they supply bread and butter or currant cake in slicesham sandwiches water cresses and boiled eggs the price is 1 d per mug or d per half mug for coffee tea or cocoa and d a slice the bread and butter or cake the ham sandwiches are 2 d or 1 d each the boiled eggs 1 d and the water cresses a halfpenny a bunch the coffee tea cocoa and sugar they generally purchase by the single pound at a grocers those who do an extensive trade purchase in larger quantities the coffee is usually bought in the berry and ground by themselves all purchase chicory to mix with it for the coffee they pay about 1 s for the tea about 3 s for the cocoa 6 d per lb and for the sugar 3 d to 4 d for the chicory the price is 6 d which is the amount of the duty alone on foreign chicory and it is mixed with the coffee at the rate of 6 ozs to the pound many use as much as 9 and 12 ozs the coffee is made of a dark colour by means of what are called finings which consist of burnt sugarsuch as is used for browning soups coffee is the article mostly sold at the stalls indeed there is scarcely one stall in a hundred that is supplied with tea and not more than a dozen in all london that furnish cocoa the stall keepers usually make the cake themselves a 4 lb cake generally consists of half a pound of currants half a pound of sugar six ounces of beef dripping and a quartern of flour the ham for sandwiches costs 5 d or 6 d per lb and when boiled produces in sandwiches about 2 s per lb it is usually cut up in slices little thicker than paper the bread is usually second bread the butter salt at about 8 d the pound some borrow their barrows and pay 1 s a week for the hire of them many borrow the capital upon which they trade frequently of their landlord some get credit for their grocerysome for their bread if they borrow they pay about 20 per cent per week for the loan i was told of one man that makes a practice of lending 185 money to the coffee stall keepers and other hucksters at the rate of at least 20 per cent a week if the party wishing to borrow a pound or two is unknown to the money lender he requires security and the interest to be paid him weekly this money lender i am informed has been transported once for receiving stolen property and would now purchase any amount of plate that might be taken to him the london coffee stall from a daguerreotype by beard the class of persons usually belonging to the business have been either cab men policemen labourers or artisans many have been bred to dealing in the streets and brought up to no other employment but many have taken to the business owing to the difficulty of obtaining work at their own trade the generality of them are opposed to one another i asked one in a small way of business what was the average amount of his profits and his answer was i usually buy 10 ounces of coffee a night that costs when good 1 s 0 d with this i should make five gallons of coffee such as i sell in the street which would require 3 quarts of milk at 3 d per quart and 1 lb of sugar at 3 d per lb there is some at 3 d this would come to 2 s 2 d and allowing 1 d for a quarter of a peck of charcoal to keep the coffee hot it would give 2 s 4 d for the cost of five gallons of coffee this i should sell out at about 1 d per pint so that the five gallons would produce me 5 s or 2 s 8 d clear i generally get rid of one quartern loaf and 6 oz of butter with this quantity of coffee and for this i pay 5 d the loaf and 3 d the butter making 8 d and these i make into twenty eight slices at d per slice so the whole brings me in 1 s 2 d or about 6 d clear added to this i sell a 4 lb cake which costs me 3 d per lb 1 s 2 d the entire cake and this in twenty eight slices at 1 d per slice would yield 2 s 4 d or 1 s 2 d clear so that altogether my clear gains would be 4 s 4 d upon an expenditure of 2 s 2 d say 200 per cent this is said to be about the usual profit of the trade sometimes they give credit one person assured me he trusted as much as 9 d that morning and out of that he was satisfied there was 4 d at least he should never see most of the stalls are stationary but some are locomotive some cans are carried about with yokes like milk cans the mugs being kept in a basket the best district for the night trade is the city and the approaches to the bridges there are more men and women i was told walking along cheapside aldersgate street bishopsgate street and fleet street in the latter place a good trade is frequently done between twelve at night and two in the morning for the morning trade the best districts are the strand oxford street city road new road from one end to the other the markets especially covent garden billingsgate newgate and the borough there are no coffee stalls in smithfield the reason is that the drovers on arriving at the market are generally tired and cold and prefer sitting down to their coffee in a warm shop rather than drink it in the open street the best days for coffee stalls are market mornings viz tuesday thursday and saturday on these days the receipts are generally half as much again as those of the other mornings the best time of the year for the business is the summer this is i am told because the workpeople and costermongers have more money to spend some stall keepers save sufficient to take a shop but these are only such as have a pitch in the best thoroughfares one who did a little business informed me that he usually cleared including sunday 14 s last week his gains were 15 s the week before that he could not remember he is very frequently out all night and does not earn sixpence this is on wet and cold nights when there are few people about his is generally the night trade the average weekly earnings of the trade throughout the year are said to be 1 l the trade i am assured by all is overstocked they are half too many they say two of us to use their own words are eating one mans bread when coffee in the streets first came up a man could go and earn i am told his 8 s a night at the very lowest but now the same class of men cannot earn more than 3 s some men may earn comparatively a large sum as much as 38 s or 2 l but the generality of the trade cannot make more than 1 l per week if so much the following is the statement of one of the class i was a masons labourer a smiths labourer a plasterers labourer or a bricklayers labourer i was indeed a labouring man i could not get employment i was for six months without any employment i did not know which way to support my wife and child i have only one child being so long out of employment i saw no other means of getting a living but out of the streets i was almost starving before i took to itthat i certainly was im not ashamed of telling anybody that because its true and i sought for a livelihood wherever i could many said they wouldnt do such a thing as keep a coffee stall but i said id do anything to get a bit of bread honestly years ago when i was a boy i used to go out selling water cresses and apples oranges and radishes with a barrow for my landlord so i thought when i was thrown out of employment i would take to selling coffee in the streets i went to a tinman and paid him 10 s 6 d the last of my savings after id been four or five months out of work for a can i didnt care how i got my living so long as i could turn an honest penny well i went on and knocked about and couldnt get a pitch anywhere but at last i heard that an old man who had been in the habit of standing for many years at the entrance of one of the markets had fell ill so what did i do but i goes and pops into his pitch and there ive done better than ever i did afore i get 20 s now where i got 10 s one time and 186 if i only had such a thing as 5 l or 10 l i might get a good living for life i cannot do half as much as the man that was there before me he used to make his coffee down there and had a can for hot water as well but i have but one can to keep coffee and all in and i have to borrow my barrow and pay 1 s a week for it if i sell my can out i cant do any more the struggle to get a living is so great that what with one and another in the coffee trade its only those as can get good pitches that can get a crust at it as it appears that each coffee stall keeper on an average clears 1 l a week and his takings may be said to be at least double that sum the yearly street expenditure for tea coffee c amounts to 31 200 l the quantity of coffee sold annually in the streets appears to be about 550 000 gallons to commence as a coffee stall keeper in a moderate manner requires about 5 l capital the truck costs 2 l and the other utensils and materials 3 l the expense of the cans is near upon 16 s each the stock money is a few shillings of the street sale of ginger beer sherbet lemonade c the street trade in ginger beernow a very considerable trafficwas not known to any extent until about thirty years ago about that time 1822 a man during a most sultry drought sold extraordinary quantities of cool ginger beer and of soda powders near the royal exchange clearing for the three or four weeks the heat continued 30 s a day or 9 l weekly soda water he sold in powders the acid and the alkali being mixed in the water of the glass held by the customer and drunk whilst effervescing his prices were 2 d and 3 d a glass for ginger beer and 3 d and 4 d for soda water according to the quality though there was in reality no difference whatever in the qualityonly in the price from that time the numbers pursuing this street avocation increased gradually they have however fallen off of late years the street sellers who brew their own beer generally prepare half a gross six dozen at a time for a good quality or the penny bottle trade the following are the ingredients and the mode of preparation 3 gallons of water 1 lb of ginger 6 d lemon acid 2 d essence of cloves 2 d yeast 2 d and 1 lb of raw sugar 7 d this admixture the yeast being the last ingredient introduced stands 24 hours and is then ready for bottling if the beverage be required in 12 hours double the quantity of yeast is used the bottles are filled only to the ridge but the liquid and the froth more than fill a full sized half pint glass only half froth i was told is reckoned very fair and its just the same in the shops thus 72 bottles each to be sold at 1 d costapart from any outlay in utensils or any consideration of the value of labouronly 1 s 7 d and yield at 1 d per bottle 6 s for the cheaper beveragecalled playhouse ginger beer in the tradeinstead of sugar molasses from the private distilleries is made available the private distilleries are the illicit ones jiggers we call them said one man and i could pass 100 in 10 minutes walk from where were talking molasses costing 3 d at a jiggers is sufficient for a half gross of bottles of ginger beer and of the other ingredients only half the quantity is used the cloves being altogether dispensed with but the same amount of yeast is generally applied this quality of beer is sold at d the glass about five years ago fountains for the production of ginger beer became common in the streets the ginger beer trade in the open air is only for a summer season extending from four to seven months according to the weather the season last year having been over in about four months there were then 200 fountains in the streets all of which excepting 20 or 30 of the best were hired of the ginger beer manufacturers who drive a profitable trade in them the average value of a street fountain with a handsome frame or stand which is usually fixed on a wheeled and movable truck so as one mans strength may be sufficient to propel it is 7 l and for the rent of such a fountain 6 s a week is paid when the season is brisk and 4 s when it is slack but last summer i am told 4 s 6 d was an average the largest and handsomest ginger beer fountain in london wasi speak of last summerin use at the east end usually standing in petticoat lane and is the property of a dancing master it is made of mahogany and presents somewhat the form of an upright piano on wheels it has two pumps and the brass of the pump handles and the glass receivers is always kept bright and clean so that the whole glitters handsomely to the light two persons serve at this fountain and on a fine sunday morning from six to one that being the best trading time they take 7 l or 8 l in halfpenniesfor the beer is d a glassand 2 l each other day of the week this machine as it may be called is drawn by two ponies said to be worth 10 l a piece and the whole cost is pronouncedperhaps with a sufficient exaggerationto have been 150 l there were in the same neighbourhood two more fountains on a similar scale but commoner each drawn by only one pony instead of the aristocratic pair the ingredients required to feed the ginger beer fountains are of a very cheap description to supply 10 gallons 2 quarts of lime juice as it is called but it is in reality lemon juice costing 3 s 6 d are placed in the recess sometimes with the addition of a pound of sugar 4 d while some i am assured put in a smaller quantity of juice and add two pennyworth of oil of vitriol which brings out the sharpness of the lime juice the rest is water no process of brewing or fermentation is necessary for the fixed air pumped into 187 the liquid as it is drawn from the fountain communicates a sufficient briskness or effervescence the harder you pumps said one man who had worked a fountain the frothier it comes and though it seems to fill a big glassand the glass ant so big for holding as it lookslet it settle and theres only a quarter of a pint the hirer of a fountain is required to give security this is not as in some slop trades a deposit of money but a householder must by written agreement make himself responsible for any damage the fountain may sustain as well as for its return or make good the loss the street ginger beer seller is alone responsible for the rent of the machine it is however only men that are known who are trusted in this way of the fountains thus hired 50 are usually to be found at the neighbouring fairs and races as the ginger beer men carry lime juice c with them only water is required to complete the brewing of the beer and so conveyance is not difficult there is another kind of ginger beer or rather of small acid tiff which is sold out of barrels at street stalls at d the glass to make 2 gallons of this there is used 1 2lb tartaric or other acid 1 s lb alkali soda 10 d lb lump sugar bruised fine 4 d and yeast 1 d of these barrel men there are now about one hundred another class of street sellers obtain their stock of ginger beer from the manufacturers one of the largest manufacturers for the street trade resides near ratcliffe highway and another in the commercial road the charge by the wholesale traders is 8 d the doz while to a known man or for ready money 13 are given to the dozen the beer however is often let out on creditor in some cases security is given in the same way as for the fountainsand the empty bottles must be duly returned it is not uncommon for two gross of beer to be let out in this way at a time for the itinerant trade these are placed on a truck or barrow fitted up with four shelves on which are ranged the bottles these barrows are hired in the same way as the costers barrows some sell their beer at stalls fitted up exclusively for the trade a kind of tank being let into the centre of the board and filled with water in which the glasses are rinsed or washed underneath the stall there is usually a reserve of the beer and a keg containing water some of the best frequented stalls were in whitechapel old street road city road tottenham court road the new cut elephant and castle the commercial road tower hill the strand and near westminster bridge the stationary beer business is for the most part carried on in the more public streets such as holborn and oxford street and in the markets of covent garden smithfield and billingsgate while the peripatetic trade which is briskest on the sundayswhen indeed some of the stationary hands become itinerantis more for the suburbs victoria park battersea fields hampstead heath primrose hill kennington common and camberwell green being approved sunday haunts the london street sellers of ginger beer say the more experienced may be computed at 3 000of whom about one third are women i heard them frequently estimated at 5 000 and some urged that the number was at least as near 5 000 as 3 000 for my own part i am inclined to believe that half the smaller number would be nearer the truth judging by the number of miles of streets throughout the metropolis and comparing the street sellers of ginger beer with the fruit stall keepers i am satisfied that in estimating the ginger beer sellers at 1 500 we are rather over than under the truth this body of street sellers were more numerous five years back by 15 or 20 per cent but the introduction of the street fountains and the trade being resorted to by the keepers of coal sheds and the small shopkeeperswho have frequently a stand with ginger beer in front of their shopshave reduced the amount of the street sellers in 1842 there were 1 200 ginger beer sellers in the streets who had attached to their stalls or trucks labels showing that they were membersor assumed to be membersof the society of odd fellows this was done in hopes of a greater amount of custom from the other members of the society but the expectation was not realisedand so the odd fellowship of the ginger beer people disappeared of the street traders 200 work fountains and of the remaining portion the stationary and the itinerant are about equally divided of the whole number however not above an eighth confine themselves to the trade but usually sell with their pop some other article of open air trafficfruit sweet stuff or shell fish there are of the entire number about 350 who whenever the weather permits stay out all night with their stands or barrows and are to be found especially in all the approaches to covent garden and the other markets to which there is a resort during the night or at day break these men i was told by one of their body worked from eight in the evening to eight or ten next morning then went to bed rose at three and plenty of em then goes to the skittles or to get drunk the character of the ginger beer sellers does not differ from what i have described as pertaining to the costermonger class and to street traders generally there is the same admixture of the reduced mechanic the broken down gentlemans servant the man of any class in life who cannot brook the confinement and restraint of ordinary in door labour and of the man brought up to the streets one experienced and trustworthy man told me that from his own knowledge he could count up twenty classical men as he styled them who were in the street ginger beer trade and of these four had been or were said to have been parsons two being of the same name mr s but my informant did not know if they stood in any degree of consanguinity one 188 to another the women are the wives daughters or other connections of the men some of the stalls at which ginger beer is soldand it is the same at the coal sheds and the chandlers shopsare adorned pictorially erected at the end of a stall is often a painting papered on a board in which a gentleman with the bluest of coats the whitest of trousers the yellowest of waistcoats and the largest of guard chains or eye glasses is handing a glass of ginger beer frothed up like a pot of stout and containing apparently a pint and a half to some lady in flowing white robes or gorgeous in purple or orange to commence in this branch of the street business requires in all 18 s 3 d six glasses 2 s 9 d board 5 s tank 1 s keg 1 s gross of beer 8 s this is where the seller is not also the maker and for towels c 6 d if however the street seller brew his own beer he will require half a gross of bottles 5 s 6 d and the ingredients i have enumerated 1 s 7 d in addition to the street sale of ginger beer is that of other summer drinks of these the principal is lemonade the consumption of which is as much as that of all the others together indeed the high sounding names given to some of these beveragessuch as nectar and persian sherbetare but other names for lemonade in a slightly different colour or fashion lemonade is made by those vendors who deal in the best articles after the following method 1 lb of carbonate of soda 6 d 1 lb of tartaric acid 1 s 4 d at least said an informant i pay 1 s 4 d at pothecaries hall but it can be had at 1 s 1 lb of loaf sugar 5 d essence of lemon 3 d this admixture is kept in the form of a powder in a jar and water is drawn from what the street sellers call a stone barrelwhich is a stone jar something like the common shaped filters with a tapand a larger or smaller spoonful of the admixture in a glass of water supplies an effervescing draught for 1 d or d theres sometimes shocking roguishness in the trade said one man and there is in a many tradessome uses vitriol lemonade made after the recipe i have given is sometimes bottled by the street sellers and sold in the same way as ginger beer it is bought also for street sale of the ginger beer manufacturersthe profit being the samebut so bought to less than a twentieth of the whole sale the water in the stone barrel is spring water obtained from the nearest pump and in hot weather obtained frequently so as to be served in as cool a state as possible sometimes lemonade powders are used they are bought at a chemists at 1 s 6 d the pound sherbet is the same admixture with cream of tartar instead of tartaric acid raspberry has sometimes the addition of a few crusted raspberries and a colouring of cochineal with generally a greater degree of sweetening than lemonade if cochineal is used for colouring said one man it sometimes turns brown in the sun and the rasberry dont sell a little lakes better lemon juice is again lemonade with a slight infusion of saffron to give it a yellow or pale orange colour nectar in imitation of soyers has more sugar and less acid than the lemonade spices such as cinnamon is used to flavour it and the colouring is from lake and saffron these cooling drinks are sold from the powder or the jar as i have described from fountains and from bottles the fountain sale is not above a tenth of the whole all is sold in d and 1 d glasses except the nectar which is never less than 1 d the customers are the same as those who buy ginger beer but one lemonader with whom i conversed seemed inclined to insist that they were a more respectabler class boys are good customersbetter perhaps than for the beer as the colour and the fine names attracts them the cooling drink season like that of the ginger beer is determined by the weather and last summer it was only four months it was computed for me that there were 200 persons chiefly men selling solely lemonade c and an additional 300 uniting the sale with that of ginger beer one man whose statement was confirmed by others told me that on fine days he took 3 s 6 d out of which he cleared 2 s to 2 s 6 d and he concluded that his brother tradesmen cleared as much every fine day and so allowing for wet weather and diminished receipts made 10 s a week the receipts then for this street luxurya receipt of 17 s 6 d affording a profit of 10 s show a street expenditure in such a summer as the last of 2 800 l by those who do not unite ginger beer with the trade calculating that those who do unite ginger beer with it sell only one half as much as the others we find a total outlay of 4 900 l one of the best trades is in the hands of a man who works smithfield and on the market days clears generally from 6 s to 9 s the stalls c are of the same character as those of the ginger beer sellers the capital required to start is stone barrel with brass tap 5 s 6 d stand and trestle 6 s 6 tumbler glasses 2 s 3 d 2 towels 6 d stock money 2 s 6 d jar 2 s 12 bottles when used 3 s 6 d in all about a guinea in showing the money expended in the ginger beer trade it must be borne in mind that a large portion of the profits accrues to persons who cannot be properly classed with the regular street traders such is the proprietor of the great fountain of which i have spoken who is to be classed as a speculative man ready to embark capital in any waywhether connected with street traffic or notlikely to be remunerative the other and large participants in the profits are the wholesale ginger beer manufacturers who are also the letters out of fountains one of them having generally nine let out at a time for a street trader to sell three gross of ginger beer in bottle is now accounted a good week and for that the receipts 189 will be 36 s with a profit in the penny bottle trade to the seller if he buy of a manufacturer of 12 s if he be his own brewerreckoning a fair compensation for labour and for money invested in utensils and in bottles c of 20 s an ordinary weeks sale is two gross costing the public 24 s with the same proportion of profit in the same trade to the seller in a bad week or in a small way to help out other things not more than one gross is sold the fountain trade is the most profitable to the proprietors whether they send out their machines on their own account or let them out on hire but perhaps there are only an eighth of the number not let out on hire calculating that a fountain be let out for three successive seasons of twenty weeks each at only 4 s the week the gross receipts are 12 l for what on the first day of hire was worth only 7 l so that the returns from 200 machines let out for the same term would be 2 400 l or a profit of 1 000 l over and above the worth of the fountain which having been thus paid for is of course in a succeeding year the means of a clear profit of 4 l i am assured that the weekly average of a fountains takings when in the hands of the regular street dealers is 18 s the barrel traders may be taken as in the average receipt of 6 s a week the duration of the season was last year only sixteen weeks calculating from the best data i could acquire it appears that for this period 200 street sellers of ginger beer in the bottle trade of the penny class take 30 s a week each thus allowing for the inferior receipts in bad weather 300 take 20 s each selling for the most part at d the bottle and that the remaining 400 in a small way take 6 s each hence we find 11 480 l expended in the bottled ginger beer of the streets adding the receipts from the fountains and the barrels the barrel season continuing only ten weeks the total sum expended annually in street ginger beer is altogether 14 660 l the bottles of ginger beer sold yearly in the streets will number about 4 798 000 and the total street consumption of the same beverage may be said to be about 250 000 gallons per annum of the experience and customers of a ginger beer seller a slim well spoken man with a half military appearance as he had a well trimmed moustache and was very cleanlily dressed gave me the following account i have known the ginger beer trade for eight years and every branch of it indeed i think ive tried all sorts of street business ive been a costermonger a lot seller a nut seller a secret paper seller with straws you know sir a cap seller a street printer a cakeman a clown an umbrella maker a toasting fork maker a sovereign seller and a ginger beer seller i hardly know what i havent been i made my own when last i worked beer sunday was my best day or rather sunday mornings when theres no public houses open drinking saturday nights make dry sunday mornings many a time men have said to me lets have a bottle to quench a spark in my throat or my mouths like an oven ive had to help people to lift the glass to their lips their hands trembled so they couldnt have written their names plain if there was a sovereign for it but these was only chance customers one or two in a morning and five or six on a sunday morning ive been a teetotaller myself for fifteen years no sir i didnt turn onebut i never was a drinkernot from any great respect for the ginger beer trade but because i thought it gave one a better chance of getting on i once had saved money but it went in a long sickness i used to be off early on sunday mornings sometimes to hackney marsh and sell my beer there to gentlemenoldish gentlemen some of themgoing a fishing others were going there to swim one week i took 35 s at 1 d a bottle by going out early in a morning perhaps 20 s of it was profit but my earnings in the trade in a good season wasnt more than 12 s one week with another all the trades in the streets are bad now i think eight years back i could make half as much more in ginger beer as could be made last summer working people and boys were my other customers i stuck to ginger beer in the season and then went into something else for i can turn my hand to anything i began a street life at eight years old by selling memorandum books in the bull ring at birmingham my parents were ill and hadnt a farthing in the house i began with 1 d stock money and i bought three memorandum books for it at cheap jacks thatched house ive been in london seventeen or eighteen years im a roulette maker now i mean the roulette boxes that gentlemen take with them to play with when travelling on a railway or such times i make loaded dice too and supply gaming houses i think i know more gaming houses than any man in london ive sold them to gentlemen and to parsons that is ministers of religion i can prove that i dont sell those sort of things in the streets i could do very well in the trade but its so uncertain and so littles wanted compared to what would keep a man going and i have a mother thats sixty to support altogether my present business is inferior to the ginger beer but the fountains will destroy all the fair ginger beer trade of the street sellers of hot elder wine the sale of hot elder wine in the streets is one of the trades which have been long established but it is only within these eight or ten years that it has been carried on in its present form it continues for about four months in the winter elder wine is made from the berries of the elder tree elder syrupalso made from the 190 berrieswas formerly famous in the north of england as a curative for colds and was frequently taken with a small admixture of rum at bedtime some of the street sellers make the wine themselves the majority however buy it of the british wine makers the berries must be gathered when fully ripe and on a dry day they are picked measured and put into a copper two gallons of water being added to every gallon of berries they are then boiled till the berries are quite soft when the liquor is strained and pressed from them through a strong hair sieve the liquor thus expressed is again put into the copper boiled an hour skimmed and placed in a tub along with a bread toast on which yeast is spread thickly it then stands two days and is afterwards put into a cask a few cloves and crusted ginger being hung in a muslin bag from the bung hole so as to flavour the liquor sometimes this spicing is added afterwards when the liquor is warmed the berries are sold in the markets principally in covent garden the price varying according to the season from 1 s 6 d to 3 s a gallon of all elder wine makers the jews are the best as regards the street commodity the costermongers say they have a secret a thing said frequently enough when superior skill is shown and especially when as in the case of the jews elder wine better pennyworths are given the jews i am told add a small quantity of raspberry vinegar to their elder so as to give it a sharp pleasant twang the heat and pungency of the elder wine sold in the streets is increased by some street sellers by means of whole black pepper and capsicums the apparatus in which the wine is now kept for sale in the streets is of copper or brass and is sometimes handsome it is generally an urn of an oblong form erected on a sort of pedestal with the lid or top ornamented with brass mouldings c three plated taps give vent to the beverage orifices are contrived and are generally hidden or partially hidden with some ornament which act as safety valves or as one man would have it chimneys the interior of these urns holds three or four quarts of elder wine which is surrounded with boiling water and the water and wine are kept up to the boiling pitch by means of a charcoal fire at the foot of the vessel fruit of some kind is generally sold by the elder wine men at their stand the elder wine urn is placed on a stand covered with an oil cloth six or eight glasses being ranged about it it is sold at a halfpenny and a penny a glass but there is little difference in some elder wines i was told between the pennorths and the haporths a wine glass of the regular size is a half quartern or the eighth of a pint along with each glass of hot elder wine is given a small piece of toasted bread some buyers steep this bread in the wine and so imbibe the flavour it aint no good as i know on said an elder wine seller but its the fashion and so people must have it the purchasers of elder wine are the working classesbut not the better order of themand the boys of the street some of these lads i was told were very choice and critical in their elder wines some will say it aint such bad wine but not the real spicy the helder i thinks said another is middlin but somehow theres nothing but hotness for to taste of these traders there are now perhaps fifty in london one man counted up thirty of his brethren whom he knew personally or knew to be then working elder and he thought that there might be as many more but i am assured that fifty is about the mark the sellers of elder wine have been for the most part mechanics who have adopted the calling for the reasons i have often given none of them in the course of my inquiry depended entirely upon the sale of the wine but sold fruit in addition to it all complained of the bad state of trade one man said that four or five years back he had replenished the wine in a three quart urn twelve times a day a jar of the wine being kept at the stall in readiness for that purpose this amounted to 576 glasses sold in the course of the day and a receiptreckoning each glass at a pennyof 48 s but probably not more than 40 s would be taken as some would have halfpenny glasses now the same man rarely sells three quarts in a day except perhaps on a saturday and on wet days he sells none at all the elder wine can be bought at almost any price at the wine makers from 4 d to 1 s 6 d the quart the charge in the public houses is twice as high as in the streets but the inn wine i was told by a person familiar with the trade contains spirit and is more highly spiced a decent looking middle aged man who had been in a gentlemans service but was disabled by an accident which crushed his hand and who thereupon resorted to street selling and had since continued in it in different branches from fifteen to twenty years gave me an account of his customers he had not been acquainted with the elder wine trade above four or five years when he bought an elder can for about 15 s among a cheap miscellaneous lot in smithfield one friday afternoon and so he commenced its a poor trade sir he said i dont suppose any of us make 10 s a week at it alone but its a good help to other things and i do middling i should say less than a 1 s a day was above the average profits of the trade say 5 s a week for on wet days we cant sell at all no one will stop to drink elder wine in the wet theyll rather have a pennorth of gin or half a pint of beer with the chill off under shelter i sell sometimes to people that say theyre teetotallers and ask if theres any spirit in my wine i assure them theres not just the juice of the berry i start when i think the weathers 191 cold enough and keep at it as long as theres any demand my customers are boys and poor people and i sell more haporths than pennorths ive heard poor women thats bought of me say it was the only wine they ever tasted the boys are hard to please but i wont put up with their nonsense its not once in fifty times that a girl of the town buys my wine its not strong enough for her i fancy a sharp frosty dry day suits me best i may then sell three or four quarts i dont make it but buy it its a poor trade and i think it gets worse every year though i believe theres far fewer of us one elder wine stand in tottenham court road cost when new 7 l but that was six or seven years ago calculating that 50 persons clear 5 s a week for 16 weeks their profit being at least cent per cent the street outlay in this very british wine will be only 200 l and the street consumption of it in the course of the year 1 500 gallons of the street sale of peppermint water perhaps the only thing which can be called a cordial or a liqueur sold in the streets if we except elder wine is peppermint water and of this the sale is very limited for the first 15 or 20 years of the present century i was told by one who spoke from a personal knowledge a pepperminter had two little taps to his keg which had a division in the interior from one tap was extracted peppermint water from the other strong peppermint water the one was at that time 1 d a glass the other from 2 d to 4 d according to the size of the glass with the strong beverage was mixed smuggled spirit but so strongly impregnated with the odour of the mint that a passer by could not detect the presence of the illicit compound there are six persons selling peppermint water in the winter and only half that number in the summer the trade is irregular as some pursue it only of a night and generally in the street markets others sell at billingsgate and places of great traffic when the traffic is being carried on they are stationary for awhile but keep shifting their ground the vendors generally distilled their own mint when the sale was greater but within these six or eight years they have purchased it at a distilling chemists and have only prepared it for sale water is added to the distilled liquid bought of the chemist to increase the quantity but to enhance the heat of the draughtwhich is a draw to some buyersblack pepper unground or ginger or but rarely capsicums are steeped in the beverage the peppermint water is lauded by the vendors when questioned concerning it as an excellent stomachic but nothing is said publicly of its virtues the cry being merely pep permint water a halfpenny a glass the sellers will generally say that they distil the peppermint water themselves but this is not now commonly the case the process however is simple enough the peppermint used is gathered just as it is bursting into flower and the leaves and buds are placed in a tub with just water enough to cover them this steeping continues 24 hours and then a still is filled three parts full and the water is over drawn very slowly the price at the chemists is 1 s a quart for the common mint water the street price is d a glass containing something short of the eighth of a pint what costs 1 s the street seller disposes of for 2 s so realising the usual cent per cent to take 2 s is now accounted a tidy days work and calculating that four pepperminters take that amount the year round sundays excepted we find that nearly 125 l is spent annually in peppermint water and 900 gallons of it consumed every year in the streets of london the capital required is keg 3 s 6 d or jar 2 s for they are used indifferently four glasses 1 s towel 4 d and stock money 4 s or in all about 8 s the water keg or jar is carried by the vendor but sometimes it is rested on a large stool carried for the purpose a distilling apparatus such as the street sellers used was worth about 10 s the vendors are of the same class of street sellers as the ginger beer people of milk selling in st jamess park the principal sale of milk from the cow is in st jamess park the once fashionable drink known as syllabubsthe milk being drawn warm from the cows udder upon a portion of wine sugar spice c is now unknown as the sellers of milk in the park are merely the servants of cow keepers and attend to the sale as a part of their business no lengthened notice is required the milk sellers obtain leave from the home secretary to ply their trade in the park there are eight stands in the summer and as many cows but in the winter there are only four cows the milk vendors sell upon an average in the summer from eighteen to twenty quarts per day in the winter not more than a third of that quantity the interrupted milking of the cows as practised in the park often causes them to give less milk than they would in the ordinary way the chief customers are infants and adults and others of a delicate constitution who have been recommended to take new milk on a wet day scarcely any milk can be disposed of soldiers are occasional customers a somewhat sour tempered old woman speaking as if she had been crossed in love but experienced in this trade gave me the following account its not at all a lively sort of life selling milk from the cows though some thinks its a gay time in the park ive often been dull enough and could see nothing to interest one sitting alongside a cow people drink new milk for their health and ive served a good many such theyre mostly young women i think thats de 192 licate and makes the most of it theres twenty women and more to one man what drinks new milk if they was set to some good hard work it would do them more good than new milk or asss milk either i think let them go on a milk walk to cure themthats what i say some children come pretty regularly with their nurses to drink new milk some bring their own china mugs to drink it out of nothing less was good enough for them ive seen the nurse girls frightened to death about the mugs ive heard one young child say to another i shall tell mama that caroline spoke to a mechanic who came and shook hands with her the girl was as red as fire and said it was her brother oh yes theres a deal of brothers comes to look for their sisters in the park the greatest fools ive sold milk to is servant gals out for the day some must have a day or half a day in the month their mistresses ought to keep them at home i say and not let them out to spend their money and get into nobody knows what company for a holiday mistresses is too easy that way its such gals as makes fools of themselves in liking a soldier to run after them ive seen one of themyes some would call her pretty and the prettiest is the silliest and easiest tricked out of money thats my opinion anyhowive seen one of them and more than one walk with a soldier and theyve stopped a minute and shes taken something out of her glove and given it to him then theyve come up to me and hes said to her maynt i treat you with a little new milk my dear and hes changed a shilling why of course the silly fool of a gal had given him that there shilling i thought when annette myers shot the soldier it would be a warning but nothings a warning to some gals she was one of those fools it was a good deal talked about at the stand but i think none of us knowd her indeed we dont know our customers but by sight yes theres now and then some oldish gentlemeni suppose theyre gentlemen anyhow theyre idle menlounging about the stand but theres no nonsense there they tell me too that theres not so much lounging about as there was those thats known the trade longer than me thinks so them childrens a great check on the nusses and they cant be such fools as the servant maids i dont know how many of them ive served with milk along with soldiers i never counted them theyre nothing to me very few elderly people drink new milk its mostly the young ive been asked by strangers when the duke of wellington would pass to the horse guards or to the house of lords hes pretty regular ive had 6 d given mebut not above once or twice a yearto tell strangers where was the best place to see him from as he passed i dont understand about this great exhibition but no doubt more new milk will be sold when its opened and thats all i cares about of the street sale of milk during the summer months milk is sold in smithfield billingsgate and the other markets and on sundays in battersea fields clapham common camberwell green hampstead heath and similar places about twenty men are engaged in this sale they usually wear a smock frock and have the cans and yoke used by the regular milk sellers they are not itinerant the skim milkfor they sell none elseis purchased at the dairies at 1 d a quart and even the skim milk is also further watered by the street sellers their cry is half penny half pint milk the tin measure however in which the milk and water is served is generally a slang and contains but half of the quantity proclaimed the purchasers are chiefly boys and children rarely men and never costermongers i was told for they reckon milk sickly these street sellerswho have most of them been employed in the more regular milk tradeclear about 1 s 6 d a day each for three months and as the profit is rather more than cent per cent it appears that about 4 000 gallons of milk are thus sold and upwards of 260 l laid out upon these persons yearly in its purchase a pair of cans with the yoke cost 15 s and 1 l is amply sufficient as capital to start in this trade as the two measures used may be bought for 2 s and 3 s can be devoted to the purchase of the liquid of the street sale of curds and whey the preparations of milk which comprise the street trade are curds and whey and rice milk the oldest street sellers stating that these were a portion of the trade in their childhood the one is a summer and the other a winter traffic and both are exclusively in the hands of the same middle aged and elderly women the vendors prepare the curds and whey in all cases themselves skim milk purchased at the dairies is used by the street purveyors a gallon being the quantity usually prepared at a time this milk gallon is double the usual quantity or eight quarts the milk is first scalded the pan containing it being closely watched in order that the contents may not boil the scalding occupies 10 or 15 minutes and it is then cooled until it attains the lukewarmness of new milk half a pound of sugar is then dissolved in the milk and a tea spoonful of rennet is introduced which is sufficient to turn a gallon in an hour or in some cases two the milk is curded and is ready for use the street sale is confined to stalls the stall which is the ordinary stand being covered with a white cloth or in some cases an oil cloth and on this the curds in a bright tin kettle or pan are deposited there are six mugs on the board and a spoon in each but those who affect a more modern style have glasses one of the neatest stalls as regards the display of glass and the bright cleanliness 193 of the vessel containing the curds is in holborn but the curd seller there has only an average business the mugs or glasses hold about the third of a pint and the full of one is a penny worth for a halfpenny worth the vessel is half filled the season is during the height of summer and continues three or four months or as one woman tersely and commercially expressed it from easter to fruit the number of street saleswomen is about 100 along with the curds they generally sell oranges or such early fruit as cherries a woman who had sold crudsas the street people usually call itfor eighteen years gave me the following account boys and girls is my best customers for cruds sir perhaps i sell to them almost half of all i get rid of very little fellows will treat girls often bigger than themselves at my stall and they have as much chaffing and nonsense about its being stunning good for the teeth and such like as if they was grown up some dont much like it at first but they gets to like it one boy whose young woman made faces at itand it was a little sour to be sure that morninggot quite vexed and said wot a image youre a making on yourself i dont know what sort the boys are only that theyre the street boys mostly quiet working people are my other customers perhaps rather more women than men some has told me they was teetotallers then theres the women of the town of the poorer sort theyre good customers as indeed i think they are for most cooling drinks at times for they seem to me to be always thirsty i never sell to dustmen or that sort of people saturday is my best day if its fine and warm i sell a gallon then which makes about 40 pennorths sometimes it brings me 3 s sometimes 3 s 6 d its rather more than half profits take it altogether i sell five gallons in fine dry weeks and half that in wet and perhaps theres what i call a set down wet week for every two dry nobody has a better right to pray against wet weather than poor women like me ten years ago i sold almost twice as much as i can now theres so many more of us at present i think and let alone that theres more shops keeps it too another old woman told me that she used when days was longest to be up all night and sell her cruds near drury lane theatre and often received in a few hours 5 s or 6 s from ladies and gentlemen out at night but the men were so rackety she said and shed had her stall so often kicked over by drunken people and no help for it that she gave up the night trade and she believed it was hardly ever followed now to start in the curds and whey line requires the following capital saucepan for the scalding and boiling 2 s stall 5 s 6 mugs 6 d or 6 glasses 2 s 6 d 6 spoons 3 d tin kettle on stall 3 s 6 d pail for water to rinse glasses 1 s then for stock money 1 gallon skimmed milk 1 s 6 d or 1 s 8 d and lb sugar 2 d in all 14 s 1 d reckoning the materials to be of the better sort of the whole number of street curd sellers 50 dispose of as much as my informant or 12 gallons in 3 weeks the other 50 sell only half as much taking the season at 3 months we find the consumption of curds and whey in the street to be 2 812 double gallons as regards the ingredient of milk at a cost to the purchasers of 421 l half of which is the profit accruing to the street seller the receipts of those having the better description of business being 9 s 4 d weekly those of the smaller traders being 4 s 8 d there is a slight and occasional loss by the cruds being kept until unsaleable in which case they are fit for nothing but the hog wash man of the street sellers of rice milk to make rice milk the street seller usually boils four quarts of the regular measure of skim with one pound of rice which has been previously boiled in water an hour suffices for the boiling of the milk and the addition of the rice swollen by the boiling water increases the quantity to six quarts no other process is observed except that some sweeten their rice milk before they offer it for sale the majority however sweeten it to the customers liking when he is served unlessto use the words of one informanthe have a werry werry sweet tooth indeed sir and that cant be stood for the sweetening of six quarts half a pound of sugar is used for the spicing half an ounce of allspice dashed over the milk freely enough from a pepper castor rice milk is always sold at stalls arranged for the purpose and is kept in a tin pan fitted upon a charcoal brazier so that the drinkable is always hot this apparatus generally stands on the ground alongside the stall and is elevated only by the feet of the brazier the rice milk woman for the street sellers are generally females dips a large breakfast cup holding half a pint into the pan puts a tea spoonful of sugar into it browns the whole with allspice and receives 1 d a halfpennyworth is of course half the quantity the rice milk women are also sellers of oranges chestnuts apples or some other fruit as well as the rice milk but sometimes when the weather is very cold and frosty they sell rice milk alone there are fifty street sellers of rice milk in london saturday night is the best time of sale when it is not uncommon for a rice milk woman to sell six quarts but in a good trade four quarts a day for six days of the week is an average the purchasers are poor people and a fourth of the milk is sold to boys and girls to whom it is often a meal ah sir said one woman you should have seen how a poor man last winter swallowed a pennorth hed been a wandering all night he said and he looked it and a gentleman gave him 2 d for he took pity on his hungry look and he spent 1 d with me and i gave him another 194 cup for charity god bless the gentleman and you says he its saved my life if id bought a penny loaf id have choked on it he wasnt a beggar for i never saw him before and ive never seen him again from that day to this the same informant told me that she believed no rice milk was bought by the women of the town it didnt suit the likes of them neither is it bought by those who are engaged in noisome trades if there be any of the rice milk left at night and the saleswoman have doubts of its keeping it is re boiled with fresh rice and milk the profit is considerable for the ingredients which cost less than 1 s 6 d are made into 96 pennyworths and so to realize 8 s in some of the poorer localities however such as rosemary lane only d the half pint can be obtained and 4 s is then the amount received for six quarts instead of 8 s to start in rice milk requires 13 s capital which includes a pan for boiling the milk 2 s a kettle with brazier for stall 4 s stall or stand 5 s six cups 9 d for stock money 15 d with which is bought 4 quarts of skim milk 9 d 1 lb of rice 3 d lb of sugar 2 d allspice 1 d the season continues for four months and calculatinga calculation within the markthat one half of the 50 sellers have as good a trade as my informant24 quarts weeklyand that of the remaining 25 one half sell 12 quarts each weekly at 1 d the half pint and the other half vend 24 quarts at d the half pint we find that 320 l is annually spent in rice milk and about 3 000 gallons of it yearly consumed in the streets of london of water carriers it may surprise many to learn that there are still existing water carriers in london and some of them depending upon the trade for a livelihood while others the odd men of the neighbourhood carry pails of spring water to the publicans or eating house keepers who may not have servants to send to the nearest pump for it and who require it fresh and cool for those who drink it at their meals of these men there are as near as i can ascertain from 100 to 150 their charge is 1 d per pail their earnings per day 6 d to 1 s perhaps none of them depend solely upon this labour for their support it is otherwise at highgate and hampstead for in those places both men and women depend entirely for their daily bread on water carrying at hampstead the supply is derived from what may be called a double well known as the conduit the ground is flagged and the water is seen at each corner of a wall built to the surface of the ground about eight feet and surmounted by an iron rail the water is covered over in one corner and not in the other and the carrier descends a step or two dips in his pails and walks away with them when filled the water is carried by means of a yoke in the same way as we see the milk pails carried in every street in london the well and the field in which the hampstead water is situated are the property of the church and the water is free to any one in any quantity either for sale or any other purpose without leave in droughts or frosts the supply fails and the carriers have sometimes to wait hours for their turn and then to bale the water into their pails with a basin the nearest street to which the water is carried is half a mile distant some is carried three quarters of a mile and some occasionally a mile the two pails full which contain seven gallons are sold at 1 d the weight is about 70 lbs seventeen years ago the price was 3 d after which it fell to 2 d then to 2 d and has been 1 d these five or six years while now there are three or four carriers who even carry at two pails a penny to the nearer places the supply of the well apart from drought or frost is fifty six gallons an hour the principal customers are the laundresses but in wet weather their cisterns and water tubs are filled and the carriers or the major part of them are idle the average earnings of the carriers are 5 s a week the year through two of them are men of seventy there is a bench about midway to hampstead at which these labourers rest and here on almost every fine day sits with them a palsied old soldier a pensioner of about eighty who regales them almost daily with long tales of vinegar hill and jemmy obrien the informer and all the terrors of the terrible times of the irish rebellion of 1798 for the old man himself an irishman had served through the whole of it this appears to be a somewhat curious theme for constant expatiation to a band of london water carriers there are now twenty individuals fourteen men and six women carrying at hampstead and twice that number at highgate some leave the carrying when they get better work but three fourths of the number live by it entirely the women are the wives and widows of carriers the men have been either mechanics or labourers except six or eight youths my informant was not certain which who had been brought up to the water but would willingly get away from it if they could a well spoken and intelligent looking man dressed in thick fustian old and greasy but good enough for the carrying gave me the following account i was a copper plate printer he said and twenty years ago could earn my 25 s a week but employment fell off the lithographic injured it and at last i could get very little work and then none at all so i have been carrying now between three and four years my father in law was in the trade and that made me think of it my best days work and its the same with all is 2 s which is sixteen turns its not possible to do more if that could be done every day it would be very well but in wet weather when the laundresses who are my 195 customers dont want water i cant make 1 s a week then in a drought or a frost one has to wait such a long time for his turn that its not 6 d a day a dry springs the worst last march i had many days to wait six turns and it takes well on to an hour for a turn then we sit by the well and talk when were waiting o yes sir the pope has had his turn of talk theres water companies both at hampstead and highgate but our well water hampstead is asked for for all that its so with highgate it is beautiful water either for washing or drinking perhaps its better with a little drop of spirit for drinking but i seldom taste it that way the fatigues so great that we must take a little drop of spirit on a long day no sir we dont mix it that spoils two good things ive been at the well first light in the morning and in summer ive been at work at it all night theres no rule among us but its understood that every one has his turn theres a little chaff sometimes and some get angry at having to wait but i never knew a fight i have a wife and three children she works for a laundress and has 2 s 6 d a day she has two days regular every week and sometimes odd turns as well i think that the women earn more than the men in hampstead my rent is 1 s 6 d a week for an unfurnished room there is no trade on sundays but on fine summer sundays old attends at the well and sells glasses of cool water he gets 2 s 6 d some days he makes no charge just what any one pleases to give any body might do it but the old gentleman would grumble that they were taking his post computing the number of water carriers at the two places at sixty and their average earnings through the year at 5 s a week it appears that these men receive 780 l yearly the capital required to start in the business is 9 s the cost of a pair of pails and a yoke the old man who sells water on the summer sunday mornings generally leaving off his sale at church time told me that his best customers were ladies and gentlemen who loved an early walk and bought of him as it looked like a bit of country life he supposed more than from being thirsty when such customers were not inhabitants of the neighbourhood they came to him to ask their way or to make inquiries concerning the localities sometimes he dispensed water to men who looked as if they had been on the loose all night one gentleman he said looks sharp about him and puts a dark coloured stuffvery likely its brandyinto the two or three glasses of water which he drinks every sunday or which he used to drink rather for i missed him all last summer i think his hand trembled like a aspen he mostly gave me 6 d the water seller spoke with some indignation of boys and sometimes men going to the well on a sunday morning and drinking out of their own tins that theyd taken with em of the street sellers of pastry and confectionary the cooked provisions sold in the streets it has been before stated consist of three kindssolids liquids and pastry and confectionary the two first have now been fully described but the last still remains to be set forth the street pastry may be best characterised as of a strong flavour this is for the most part attributable to the use of old or rancid butter possessing the all important recommendation of cheapness or to the substitution of lard dripping or some congenial substance the strong taste however appears to possess its value in the estimation of street pastry buyers especially among the boys this may arise from the palates of the consumers having been unaccustomed to more delicate flavours and having become habituated to the relish of that which is somewhat rank just in the same way as the fumet of game or venison becomes dear to the palate of the more aristocratic gourmand to some descriptions of street pastry the epithet strong flavoured may seem inappropriate but it is appropriate to the generality of these comestibles especially to the tarts which constitute a luxury if not to the meat pies or puddings that may supply a meal the articles of pastry sold in the london streets are meat and fruit pies boiled meat and kidney puddings plum duff or pudding and an almost infinite variety of tarts cakes buns and biscuits while the confectionary consists of all the several preparations included under the wide denomination of sweet stuff as well as the more medicinal kind known as cough drops in addition to these there are the more aristocratic delicacies recently introduced into street traffic viz penny raspberry creams and ices of street piemen the itinerant trade in pies is one of the most ancient of the street callings of london the meat pies are made of beef or mutton the fish pies of eels the fruit of apples currants gooseberries plums damsons cherries raspberries or rhubarb according to the seasonand occasionally of mince meat a few years ago the street pie trade was very profitable but it has been almost destroyed by the pie shops and further the few remaining street dealers say the people now havent the pennies to spare summer fairs and races are the best places for the piemen in london the best times are during any grand sight or holiday making such as a review in hyde park the lord mayors show the opening of parliament greenwich fair c nearly all the men of this class whom i saw were fond of speculating as to whether the great exposition would be any good to them or not the london piemen who may number about forty in winter and twice that number in summer are seldom stationary they go along with 196 their pie cans on their arms crying pies all ot eel beef or mutton pies penny pies all otall ot the can has been before described the pies are kept hot by means of a charcoal fire beneath and there is a partition in the body of the can to separate the hot and cold pies the can has two tin drawers one at the bottom where the hot pies are kept and above these are the cold pies as fast as the hot dainties are sold their place is supplied by the cold from the upper drawer a teetotal pieman in billingsgate has a pony and shay cart his business is the most extensive in london it is believed that he sells 20 s worth or 240 pies a day but his brother tradesmen sell no such amount i was out last night said one man to me from four in the afternoon till half past twelve i went from somers town to the horse guards and looked in at all the public houses on my way and i didnt take above 1 s 6 d i have been out sometimes from the beginning of the evening till long past midnight and havent taken more than 4 d and out of that i have to pay 1 d for charcoal the pie dealers usually make the pies themselves the meat is bought in pieces of the same part as the sausage makers purchasethe stickingsat about 3 d the pound people when i go into houses said one man often begin crying mee yow or bow wow wow at me but theres nothing of that kind now meat you see is so cheap about five dozen pies are generally made at a time these require a quartern of flour at 5 d or 6 d 2 lbs of suet at 6 d 1 lb meat at 3 d amounting in all to about 2 s to this must be added 3 d for baking 1 d for the cost of keeping hot and 2 d for pepper salt and eggs with which to season and wash them over hence the cost of the five dozen would be about 2 s 6 d and the profit the same the usual quantity of meat in each pie is about half an ounce there are not more than 20 hot piemen now in london there are some who carry pies about on a tray slung before them these are mostly boys and including them the number amounts to about sixty all the year round as i have stated the penny pie shops the street men say have done their trade a great deal of harm these shops have now got mostly all the custom as they make the pies much larger for the money than those sold in the streets the pies in tottenham court road are very highly seasoned i bought one there the other day and it nearly took the skin off my mouth it was full of pepper said a street pieman with considerable bitterness to me the reason why so large a quantity of pepper is put in is because persons cant exactly tell the flavour of the meat with it piemen generally are not very particular about the flavour of the meat they buy as they can season it up into anything in the summer a street pieman thinks he is doing a good business if he takes 5 s per day and in the winter if he gets half that on a saturday night however he generally takes 5 s in the winter and about 8 s in the summer at greenwich fair he will take about 14 s at a review in hyde park if it is a good one he will sell about 10 s worth the generality of the customers are the boys of london the women seldom if ever buy pies in the streets at the public houses a few pies are sold and the pieman makes a practice of looking in at all the taverns on his way here his customers are found principally in the tap room heres all ot the pieman cries as he walks in toss or buy up and win em this is the only way that the pies can be got rid of if it wasnt for tossing we shouldnt sell one to toss the pieman is a favourite pastime with costermongers boys and all that class some of whom aspire to the repute of being gourmands and are critical on the quality of the comestible if the pieman win the toss he receives 1 d without giving a pie if he lose he hands it over for nothing the pieman himself never tosses but always calls head or tail to his customer at the weeks end it comes to the same thing they say whether they toss or not or rather whether they win or lose the toss ive taken as much as 2 s 6 d at tossing which i shouldnt have had if i hadnt done so very few people buy without tossing and the boys in particular gentlemen out on the spree at the late public houses will frequently toss when they dont want the pies and when they win they will amuse themselves by throwing the pies at one another or at me sometimes i have taken as much as half a crown and the people of whom i had the money has never eaten a pie the boys has the greatest love of gambling and they seldom if ever buys without tossing one of the reasons why the street boys delight in tossing is that they can often obtain a pie by such means when they have only a halfpenny wherewith to gamble if the lad wins he gets a penny pie for his halfpenny for street mince meat pies the pieman usually makes 5lb of mince meat at a time and for this he will put in 2 doz of apples 1lb of sugar 1lb of currants 2lb of critlings critlings being the refuse left after boiling down the lard a good bit of spice to give the critlings a flavour and plenty of treacle to make the mince meat look rich the coster boy and girl tossing the pieman from a daguerreotype by beard the gravy which used to be given with the meat pies was poured out of an oil can and consisted of a little salt and water browned a hole was made with the little finger in the top of the meat pie and the gravy poured in until the crust rose with this gravy a person in the line assured me that he has known pies four days old to go off very freely and be pronounced excellent the street piemen are mostly bakers who are unable to obtain employment at their trade i myself said one was a bread and biscuit baker i have been at the pie business now about two years and a 197 half and i cant get a living at it last week my earnings were not more than 7 s all the week through and i was out till three in the morning to get that the piemen seldom begin business till six oclock and some remain out all night the best time for the sale of pies is generally from ten at night to one in the morning calculating that there are only fifty street piemen plying their trade in london the year through and that their average earnings are 8 s a week we find a street expenditure exceeding 1 040 l and a street consumption of pies amounting nearly to three quarters of a million yearly to start in the penny pie business of the streets requires 1 l for a can 2 s 6 d for a turn halfpenny board to gamble with 12 s for a gross of tin pie dishes 8 d for an apron and about 6 s 6 d for stock moneyallowing 1 s for flour 1 s 3 d for meat 2 d for apples 4 d for eels 2 s for pork flare or fat 2 d for sugar d for cloves 1 d for pepper and salt 1 d for an egg to wash the pies over with 6 d for baking and 1 d for charcoal to keep the pies hot in the streets hence the capital required would be about 2 l in all of the street sellers of boiled puddings the sale of boiled puddings meat and currantwhich might perhaps be with greater correctness called dumplingshas not been known in london i was informed by one in the trade more than twelve or fourteen years the ingredients for the meat puddings are not dissimilar to those i have described as required for the meat pies but the puddings are boiled in cotton bags in coppers or large pans and present the form of a round ball the charge is a halfpenny each five or six years back a man embarked his meanssaid to be about 15 l in the meat pudding line and prepared a superior article which was kept warm in the street by means of steam in a manner similar to that employed by the pieman a mechanic out of work was engaged by this projector to aid him in the sale of his street luxuries and the mechanic and his two boys made a living by this sale for two or three years the original pudding projector relinquished the street trade to go into business as a small shop keeper and the man who sold for him on a sort of commission earning from 12 s to 18 s a week made the puddings on his own account his earnings however on his own account were not above from 1 s to 2 s 6 d a week beyond what he earned by commission and a little while back he obtained work again at his own business but his two boys still sell puddings in the street the sale of boiled meat puddings is carried on only in the autumn and winter months and only in the evenings except on saturdays when the business commences in the afternoon the sale i was informed by one of the parties has been as many as forty five dozen puddings on a saturday evening the tins in which the puddings are carried about hold from four to six dozen and are replenished from the pansthe makers always living contiguous to the street where the vend takes placeas fast as the demand requires such replenishment an average sale on a fine dry winter saturday evening is thirty dozen but then as in most street callings the weathera remark often made to mehas considerable to do with it a frost i was told helped off the puddings and a rain kept them back next to saturday the best business night is monday but the average sale on the monday is barely half that on the saturday and on the other evenings of the week about a third this gives a weekly sale by each street seller of 85 dozen or 1 020 puddings and as i am informed there are now but six street sellers regularly of this comestible the weekly aggregate would beallowing for bad weather5 400 or 129 600 in a season of 24 weeks an expenditure on the part of the street boys and girls who are the principal purchasers and of the poor persons who patronise the street trade of about 270 l per annum the wandering street musicians of the poorer classsuch as old sarey and the italian boysoften make their dinner off a meat pudding purchased on their rounds for it is the rule with such people never to return home after starting in the morning till their days work is done the boys who ply their callings in the street or are much in the open air are very fond of these puddings and to witness the way in which they throw the pudding when very hot from hand to hand eyeing it with an expression that shows an eagerness to eat with a fear of burning the mouth is sometimes laughable and sometimes painful because not unfrequently there is a look of keen hunger about theprobably outcastlad the currant puddings are i believe sold only at billingsgate and petticoat lane of the street sellers of plum duff or dough plum dough is one of the street eatablesthough perhaps it is rather a violence to class it with the street pastrywhich is usually made by the vendors it is simply a boiled plum or currant pudding of the plainest description it is sometimes made in the rounded form of the plum pudding but more frequently in the roly poly style hot pudding used to be of much more extensive sale in the streets one informant told me that twenty or thirty years ago batter or yorkshire pudding with plums in it was a popular street business the plums as in the orthodox plum puddings are raisins the street vendors of plum duff are now very few only six as an average and generally women or if a man be the salesman he is the womans husband the sale is for the most part an evening sale and some vend the plum dough only on a saturday 198 night a woman in leather lane whose trade is a saturday night trade is accounted one of the best plum duffs in london as regards the quality of the comestible but her trade is not considerable the vendors of plum dough are the street sellers who live by vending other articles and resort to plum dough as well as to other things as a help this dough is sold out of baskets in which it is kept hot by being covered with cloths sometimes two and even three thick and the smoke issuing out of the basket and the cry of the street seller hot plum duff hot plum invite custom a quartern of flour 5 d lb valentia raisins 2 d dripping and suet in equal proportions 2 d treacle d and allspice d in all 10 d supply a roly poly of twenty pennyworths the treacle however is only introduced to make the dough look rich and spicy and must be used sparingly the plum dough is sold in slices at d or 1 d each and the purchasers are almost exclusively boys and girlsboys being at least three fourths of the revellers in this street luxury i have ascertainedas far as the information of the street sellers enables me to ascertainthat take the year through six plum duffers take 1 s a day each for four winter months including sundays when the trade is likewise prosecuted some will take from 4 s to 10 s but rarely 10 s on a saturday night and nothing on other nights and some do a little in the summer the vendors who are all stationary stand chiefly in the street markets and reside near their stands so that they can get relays of hot dough if we calculate then 42 s a week as the takings of six persons for five months so including the summer trade we find that upwards of 200 l is expended in the street purchase of plum dough nearly half of which is profit the trade however is reckoned among those which will disappear altogether from the streets the capital required to start is basket 1 s 9 d cloths 6 d pan for boiling 2 s knife 2 d stock money 2 s in all about 7 s 6 d of the street sellers of cakes tarts c these men and boysfor there are very few women or girls in the tradeconstitute a somewhat numerous class they are computed including jews at 150 at the least all regular hands with an addition perhaps of 15 or 20 who seek to earn a few pence on a sunday but have some other though poorly remunerative employment on the week days the cake and tart sellers in the streets have been for the most part mechanics or servants a fifth of the body however have been brought up to this or to some other street calling the cake men carry their goods on a tray slung round their shoulders when they are offering their delicacies for sale and on their heads when not engaged in the effort to do business they are to be found in the vicinity of all public places their goods are generally arranged in pairs on the trays in bad weather they are covered with a green cloth none of the street vendors make the articles they sell indeed the diversity of those articles renders that impossible among the regular articles of this street sale are coventrys or three cornered puffs with jam inside raspberry biscuits cinnamon biscuits chonkeys or a kind of mince meat baked in crust dutch butter cakes jews butter cakes bowlas or round tarts made of sugar apple and bread jumbles or thin crisp cakes made of treacle butter and flour and jams or open tarts with a little preserve in the centre all these things are made for the street sellers by about a dozen jew pastry cooks the most of whom reside about whitechapel they confine themselves to the trade and make every description on a fine holiday morning their shops or rather bake houses are filled with customers as they supply the small shops as well as the street sellers of london each article is made to be sold at a halfpenny and the allowance by the wholesale pastry cook is such as to enable his customers to realise a profit of 4 d in 1 s thus he charges 4 d a dozen for the several articles within the last seven years there has been i am assured a great improvement in the composition of these cakes c this is attributable to the jews having introduced superior dainties and of course rendered it necessary for the others to vie with them the articles vended by these jews of whom there are from 20 to 40 in the streets are still pronounced by many connoisseurs in street pastry as the best some sell penny dainties also but not to a twentieth part of the halfpenny trade one of the wholesale pastry cooks takes 40 l a week these wholesale men who sometimes credit the street people buy ten fifteen or twenty sacks of flour at a time whenever a cheap bargain offers they purchase as largely in irish butter which they have bought at 3 d or 2 d the pound they buy also scrapings or what remains in the butter firkins when emptied by the butter sellers in the shops good scrapings are used for the best cakes the jam they make themselves to commence the wholesale business requires a capital of 600 l to commence the street selling requires a capital of only 10 s and this includes the cost of a tray about 1 s 9 d a cloth 1 s and a leathern strap with buckle to go round the neck 6 d while the rest is for stock with a shilling or two as a reserve all the street sellers insist upon the impossibility of any general baker making cakes as cheap as those they vend its impossible sir said one man to me its a trade by itself nobody else can touch it they was miserable little things seven years ago an acute looking man decently dressed gave me the following account he resided with his wifewho went out charingin a decent little back room at the east end for which he paid 1 s a week he had no children im a translator a species of cobbler by 199 trade he said but ive been a cake and a tart seller in the streets for seven or eight years i couldnt make 1 s 3 d a day of twelve hours work and sometimes nothing by translating besides my health was failing and as i used to go out on a sunday with cakes to sell for a cousin of mine i went into the trade myself because id got up to it i did middling the first three or four years and id do middling still if it wasnt for the bad weather and the police ive been up three times for obstructing why sir i never obstructed a quarter as much as the print shops and newspaper shops down there pointing to a narrow street in the city but the keepers of them shops can take a sight at the lord mayor from behind their tills the first time i was up before the lord mayorits a few years backi thought he talked like an old wife you mustnt stand that way he says and you mustnt do this and you mustnt do that well my lord says i then i mustnt live honestly but if youll give me 9 s a week ill promise not to stand here and not to stand there and neither to do this nor that nor anything at all if that pleases you better they was shocked they said at my impudenceso young a fellow too i got off each time but a deal of my things was spoiled i work the city on week days and victoria park on sundays in the city my best customers is not children but young gents real gents some of them with gold watches they buys twopennorth mostlythats four of any sort or different sorts theyre clerks in banks and counting houses i suppose that must look respectable like on a little and so feeds cheap poor chaps for they dine or lunch off it never doubt or they may be keeping their money for other things to sell eleven dozen is a first rate days work thats 1 s 9 d or 1 s 10 d profit but then comes the wet days and i cant trade at all in the rain and so the things get stale and i have to sell them in petticoat lane for two a halfpenny victoria parkim not let inside with my trayis good and bad as happens its chiefly a tossing trade there oh i dare say i toss 100 times some sundays i dont like tossing the coster lads theyre the wide awakes that way the thieves use grays theyre hapennies either both sides heads or both tails grays sell at from 2 d to 6 d im not often had that way though working people buy very few of me on sundays its mostly boys and next to the gents why perhaps the boys is my best customers in the city only on monday a lad that had been lucky fiddling holding horses or picking up money anyhow spent a whole shilling on me i clear i thinkand im among the cakes thats the top of the treeabout 10 s a week in summer and hardly 7 s a week in winter my old woman and me makes both ends meet and thats all reckoning 150 cake sellers each clearing 6 s a week a sufficiently low average the street outlay will be 2 340 l representing a street consumption of 1 123 200 cakes tarts c of other cake sellers in the streets the street cake selling of london is not altogether confined to the class i have described but the others engaged in it are not regular pursuers of the business and do not exceed thirty in number some stock their trays with flare cakes which are round cakes made of flour and unrendered unmelted lard and stuck over freely with currants they are sold at a farthing and a halfpenny each others again carry only sponge cakes made of flour and eggs packed closely and regularly together so as to present an uniform and inviting surface others carry only gingerbread made of flour and treacle these small trades are sometimes resorted to for a temporary purpose rather than a street sellers remaining in compulsory idleness i learned also that cake sellers in the regular line when unable to command sufficient capital to carry on their trade in the way they have been accustomed to sell flayers so called from being made with pigs or sheeps flay or any other cheap cakes and so endeavour to retrieve themselves the profits on these plainer sorts is 1 d in 1 s more than that on the others but the sale rarely exceeds half as much i heard however of one man who deposited in pence in eight days 1 s 10 d with a wholesale pastry cook he had saved this sum by almost starving himself on the sale of the inferior cakes and the dealer trusted him the 10 d to make up eight dozen in the regular cake business to commence the street sale of cheap cakes requires a capital of less than 5 s for tray 1 s 6 d cloth 6 d strap 6 d and stock money 1 s 6 d three or four men are occupied in selling plum cakes these are generally sold in half penny and penny lots the plum cake is made by the same class of pastrycooks whom i have described as supplying the tarts puffs c and sold on the same terms the profits are fifty per cent what cost 4 s bringing in 6 s one man who travels to all the fairs and races and is more in the country than town in the summer and autumn sells large quantities of plum cake in smithfield when in town sometimes having 2 l worth and more on his stall he sells cakes of a pound ostensibly at 4 d 6 d and 8 d according to quality he sometimes supplies the street sellers on the same terms as the pastrycooks for he was once a baker from the best data at my command it appears that the sale of these inferior cakes does not realise above a fifth of that taken by the other sellers of whom i have treated amounting to about 450 l in all of the street sellers of gingerbread nuts c the sale of gingerbread as i have previously observed was much more extensive in the 200 streets than it is at present indeed what was formerly known in the trade as toy gingerbread is now unseen in the streets except occasionally and that only when the whole has not been sold at the neighbouring fairs at which it is still offered but even at these fairs the principal and sometimes the only toy gingerbread that is vended is the cock in breeches a formidable looking bird with his nether garments of gold twenty or thirty years ago king george on horseback was popular in gingerbread his majesty wearing a gilt crown gilt spurs and a gilt sword bestrode the gilt saddle of his steed and was eaten with great relish by his juvenile subjects there were also sheep and dogs and other animals all adorned in a similar manner and looking as if they had been formed in close and faithful imitation of childrens first attempts at cattle drawing these edible toys were then sold in white as well as in brown gingerbread the white being the same in all other respects as the brown except that a portion of sugar was used in its composition instead of treacle there are now only two men in london who make their own gingerbread nuts for sale in the streets this preparation of gingerbread is called by the street sellers after a common elliptical fashion merely nuts from the most experienced man in the street trade i had the following account he was an intelligent well mannered and well spoken man and when he laughed or smiled had what may be best described as a pleasant look after he had initiated me into the art and mystery of gingerbread makingwhich i shall detail separatelyhe said ive been in the nut trade 25 years or thereabouts and have made my own nuts for 20 years of that time i bought of a gingerbread baker at firstthere was plenty of them in them daysand the profit a living profit too certainly it was for what i bought for 5 s i could sell for 16 s i was brought up a baker but the moment i was out of my time i started in the street nut trade for myself i knew the profits of it and thought it better than the slavery of a journeyman bakers life youve mentioned sir in your work a musical sort of a street crier of gingerbread see p 160 and i think and indeed im pretty certain that its the same man as was my partner 20 years back aye more than 20 but i cant tell about years the reader will have remarked how frequently this oblivion as to dates and periods characterises the statements of street sellers perhaps no men take less note of time at that time he was my partner in the pig trade dairy fed dyou say sir not in the slightest the outsides of the hanimals was paste and the insides on em was all mince meat their eyes was currants we two was the original pigs and i believe the only two pigs in the streets we often made 15 s between us in a day in pigs alone the musical man as you call himpoor fellow he dropped down dead in the street one day as he was crying he was regular worn outcried himself into his grave you may saypoor fellow he used to sing out heres a long tailed pig and a short tailed pig and a pig with a curly tail heres a yorkshire pig and a hampshire pig and a pig without eer a tail when i was first in the trade i sold twice as many nuts as i do now though my nuts was only 12 a penny then and theyre now 40 a little larger the 12 were but not very much i have taken 20 s and 24 s many and many a saturday i then made from 2 l to 2 l 10 s a week by sticking to it and money might have been saved ive taken between 7 l and 8 l at a greenwich fair in the three days in them times by myself indeed last easter my wife and mefor she works as well as i do and sells almost as muchtook 5 l but gingerbread was money in the old times and i sold lumps as well as nuts but now lumps wont go offnot in a fair no how ive been in the trade ever since i started in it but ive had turns at other things i was in the service of a custom house agency firm but they got into bother about contrabands and the revenue and cut off to americai believe they took money with them a good bit of itand i was indicted or whatever they call it in the court of exchequeri never was in the court in my lifeand was called upon one fine day to pay to the crown 1 580 l and some odd pounds and shillings besides i never understood the rights of it but it was about smuggling i was indicted by myself i believe when mr candy and other great houses in the city were found out that way they made it all right paid something as ive heard and sacked the profits well when i was called on it wasnt i assure you sirha ha ha at all convenient for a servantand i was only thatto pay the fifteen hundred and odd so i served 12 months and 2 days in prison for it id saved a little money and wasnt so uncomfortable in prison i could get a dinner and give a dinner when i came out i took to the nuts it was lucky for me that i had a trade to turn to for even if i could have shown i wasnt at all to blame about the exchequer i could never have got another situationnever so the streets saved me my nuts was my bread at this present time sir if i make the year through 9 s a week and my wife 1 s or 2 s less thats the extent when the queen opened parliament the two on us took 10 s the queens good for that anyhow in person if the opening was by proclamation so he called it three or four times it wouldnt have been worth while going tonot at all if theres not a crowd the police interfere and move on is the order the queens popular with me for her opening parliament herself i count it her duty the police are a great trouble i cant say they disturb me in the place never mind mentioning it sir where youve seen me but they do in 201 other places they say theres no rest for the wicked but in the streets theres no rest for a man trying to make an honest living as im sure i do i could pitch anywhere one time my chief dependence is on working men who buys my nuts to take home to their young uns i never sell for parties or desserts that i know of i take very little from boysvery little the women of the town buy hardly any of me i used to sell a good many pigs to them in some of the streets about brunswick square kept misses and such likeand very pleasant customers they was and good pay but thats all over now they never bated menever to make about 56 lbs of the gingerbread nuts sold by my informant takes 28 lbs of treacle 7 s 48 lbs of flour 14 s lb of ginger 4 d and lb of allspice 4 d from 18 to 20 dozen of small nuts go to the pound this quantity at 40 a penny reckoning 18 dozen to a pound realises about 5 d per pound or about 25 s for an outlay of 11 s 8 d the expense of baking however and of appurtenances reduces the profit to little more than cent per cent the other nut sellers in the streets vend the almond nuts of these vendors there are not less than 150 of them 100 buy their goods of the bakers what they sell for 1 s costing them 4 d and the other 50 make their own the materials are the same as those of the gingerbread with the addition of 4 lbs of butter 8 d per lb 1 lb of almonds 1 s 4 d and 2 lbs of volatile salts 8 d out of this material 60 lbs of almond nuts may be made a split almond is placed in the centre of each of these nuts and as they are three times as large as the gingerbread nuts 12 a penny is the price to sell 36 dozen a dayand so clearing 2 s is accounted a very tidy days work with the drawback of wet weather the average weekly earnings of the almond nut sellers are perhaps the same as the gingerbread nut mans9 s weekly these almond nut sellers are for the most part itinerant their localities of sale being the same as in the cake and tart line they carry their goods neatly done up in paper on trays slung from the shoulder the gingerbread nuts are carried in a large basket and are ready packed in paper bags some of the almond men call at the public houses but the sale in such places is very small most of those who make their own nuts have been brought up as bakersa class of workmen who seem to resort and adapt themselves to a street trade more readily than others the nuts are baked in the usual way spread on tin trays to erect a proper oven for the purpose costs about 5 l but most of the men hire the use of one i have already specified the materials required to make 56 lb of gingerbread nuts the cost being 11 s 8 d to that the capital required to start in the business must be added and this consists of basket 6 s baize cloth 1 s pan for dough 1 s rolling pin 3 d and baking tins 1 s in all about 21 s to begin in a small way in the almond line buying the nuts ready made requires as capital tray 2 s leather strap 6 d baize 1 s stock money 1 s 6 d in all 5 s the sale is prosecuted through the year but hot weather is unfavourable to it as the nuts then turn soft calculating that 150 of these street dealers take 17 s each weekly clearing 9 s we find 6 630 l spent yearly in spice nuts in the streets of london of the street sellers of hot cross buns and of chelsea buns perhaps no crythough it is only for one morningis more familiar to the ears of a londoner than that of one a penny two a penny hot cross buns on good friday the sale is unknown in the irish capital for among roman catholics good friday i need hardly say is a strict fast and the eggs in the buns prevent their being used one london gentleman who spoke of fifty years ago told me that the street bun sellers used to have a not unpleasing distich on reflection however my informant could not be certain whether he had heard this distich cried or had remembered hearing the elders of his family speak of it as having been cried or how it was impressed upon his memory it seems hardly in accordance with the usual style of street poetry one a penny two a penny hot cross buns if your daughters will not eat them give them to your sons but if you havnt any of those pretty little elves you cannot then do better than eat them all yourselves a tradesman who had resided more than fifty years in the borough had in his boyhood heard but not often this ridiculous cry one a penny poker two a penny tongs one a penny two a penny hot cross buns the sellers of the good friday buns are principally boys and they are of mixed classescosters boys boys habitually and boys occasionally street sellers and boys street sellers for that occasion only one great inducement to embark in the trade is the hope of raising a little money for the greenwich fair of the following monday i am informed that 500 persons are employed on good friday in the streets of london in the sale of hot cross buns each itinerant selling upon the days average six dozen halfpenny and seven dozen penny buns for which he will take 12 s 6 d his profits being 3 d in the shilling or 3 s 1 d one person informed me that last good friday he had sold during the day forty dozen penny buns for which he received 50 s the bun selling itinerants derive their supplies principally from the wholesale pastry cooks and in a less degree from the small bakers and pastrycooks who work more for the trade than themselves the street hot cross bun trade is less than it was seven or eight 202 years ago as the bakers have entered into it more freely and send round for orders so that the itinerants complain that they have lost many a good customer one informant a master pastry cook who had been in the business nearly fifty years said to me times are sadly altered to what they were when i was a boy why i have known my master to bake five sacks of flour in nothing but hot cross buns and that is sufficient for 20 000 buns one sack of flour being used for 4 000 buns or 500 lbs of raw material to the same quantity of buns the itinerants carry their baskets slung on their arm or borne upon the head a flannel or green baize is placed at the bottom of the basket and brought over the buns after which a white cloth is spread over the top of the baize to give it a clean appearance a vendor of hot cross buns has to provide himself with a basket a flannel to keep the buns warm and a cloth to give a clean appearance to his commodities these articles if bought for the purpose costbasket 2 s 6 d flannel and cloth 2 s stock money average 5 s largest amount 15 s smallest 2 s 6 d or about 10 s in all there is expended in one day in hot cross buns purchased in the london streets 300 l and nearly 100 000 buns thus bought the chelsea buns are now altogether superseded by the bath and alexanders buns people the street sellers say want so much for their money there are now but two chelsea bun houses the one at pimlico and the other at chelsea the principal times chelsea buns were sold in the streets was good friday easter and whitsuntide and with the exception of good friday the great sales were at greenwich fair and then they were sold with other cakes and sweetmeats i am informed that twenty years ago there was one man with a rich musical voice who sold these buns about westminster principally all the year round his crywhich was one of the musical oneswas one a penny two a penny hot chelsea buns burning hot smoking hot r r r reeking hot hot chelsea buns of muffin and crumpet selling in the streets the street sellers of muffins and crumpets rank among the old street tradesmen it is difficult to estimate their numbers but they were computed for me at 500 during the winter months they are for the most part boys young men or old men and some of them infirm there are a few girls in the trade but very few women the ringing of the muffin mans bellattached to which the pleasant associations are not a fewwas prohibited by a recent act of parliament but the prohibition has been as inoperative as that which forbad the use of a drum to the costermonger for the muffin bell still tinkles along the streets and is rung vigorously in the suburbs the sellers of muffins and crumpets are a mixed class but i am told that more of them are the children of bakers or worn out bakers than can be said of any other calling the best sale is in the suburbs as far as i know sir said a muffin seller its the best hackney way and stoke newington and dalston and balls pond and islington where the gents thats in banksthe steady coves of themgoes home to their teas and the missuses has muffins to welcome them thats my opinion i did not hear of any street seller who made the muffins or crumpets he vended indeed he could not make the small quantity required so as to be remunerative the muffins are bought of the bakers and at prices to leave a profit of 4 d in 1 s some bakers give thirteen to the dozen to the street sellers whom they know the muffin man carries his delicacies in a basket wherein they are well swathed in flannel to retain the heat people likes them warm sir an old man told me to satisfy them theyre fresh and they almost always are fresh but it cant matter so much about their being warm as they have to be toasted again i only wish good butter was a sight cheaper and that would make the muffins go butters half the battle the basket and flannels cost the muffin man 2 s 6 d or 3 s 6 d his bell stands him in from 4 d to 2 s according as the metal is the regular price of good sized muffins from the street sellers is a halfpenny each the crumpets are four a penny some are sold cheaper but these are generally smaller or made of inferior flour most of the street sellers give thirteen and some even fourteen to the dozen especially if the purchase be made early in the day as the muffin man can then if he deem it prudent obtain a further supply a sharp london lad of fourteen whose father had been a journeyman baker and whose mother a widow kept a small chandlers shop gave me the following account i turns out with muffins and crumpets sir in october and continues until it gets well into the spring according to the weather i carries a fust rate article werry much so if you was to taste em sir youd say the same if i sells three dozen muffins at d each and twice that in crumpets its a werry fair day werry fair all beyond that is a good day the profit on the three dozen and the others is 1 s but thats a great help really a wonderful help to mother for i should be only mindin the shop at home perhaps i clears 4 s a week perhaps more perhaps less but thats about it sir some does far better than that and some cant hold a candle to it if i has a hextra days sale motherll give me 3 d to go to the play and that hencourages a young man you know sir if theres any unsold a coffee shop gets them cheap and puts em off cheap again next morning my best customers is genteel houses cause i sells a genteel thing i likes wet days best cause theres werry respectable ladies what dont 203 keep a servant and they buys to save themselves going out were a great conwenience to the ladies sira great conwenience to them as likes a slap up tea i have made 1 s 8 d in a day that was my best i once took only 2 d i dont know whythat was my worst the shops dont love mei puts their noses out sunday is no better day than others or werry little i can read but wish i could read easier calculating 500 muffin sellers each clearing 4 s a week we find 100 l a week expended on the metropolitan street sale of muffins or in the course of twenty weeks 2 000 l five shillings with the price of a basket c which is about 3 s 6 d more is the capital required for a start of the street sale of sweet stuff in this sale there are now engaged as one of the most intelligent of the class calculated 200 individuals exclusive of twenty or thirty jew boys the majority of the sellers are also the manufacturers of the articles they vend they have all been brought up to the calling their parents having been in it or having been artizans more especially bakers who have adopted it for some of the general reasons i have before assigned the non makers buy of the cheap confectioners the articles now vended do not differ materially i am informed by men who have known the street trade for forty years from those which were in demand when they began selling in the streets a very intelligent man who had succeeded his father and mother in the sweet stuff businesshis fathers drunkenness having kept them in continual povertyshowed me his apparatus and explained his mode of work his room which was on the second floor of a house in a busy thoroughfare had what i have frequently noticed in the abodes of the working classesthe decency of a turn up bedstead it was a large apartment the rent being 3 s 6 d a week unfurnished the room was cheerful with birds of which there were ten or twelve a remarkably fine thrush was hopping in a large wicker cage while linnets and bullfinches showed their quick bright eyes from smaller cages on all sides these were not kept for sale but for amusement their owner being seldom able to leave his room the father and mother of this man cleared twenty years ago although at that time sugar was 6 d or 7 d the pound from 2 l to 3 l a week by the sale of sweet stuff half by keeping a stall and half by supplying small shops or other stall keepers my present informant however who hasnot the bestbut one of the best businesses in london makes 24 s or 25 s a week from october to may and scarcely 12 s a week during the summer months when people love to buy any cool fresh fruit instead of sweet stuff the average profits of the generality of the trade do not perhaps exceed 10 s 6 d or 12 s a week take the year round they reside in all parts treacle and sugar are the ground work of the manufacture of all kinds of sweet stuff hardbake almond toffy halfpenny lollipops black balls the cheaper bulls eyes and squibs are all made of treacle one informant sold more of treacle rock than of anything else as it was dispensed in larger halfpennyworths and no one else made it in the same way of peppermint rock and sticks he made a good quantity half a crowns worth as retailed in the streets requires 4 lbs of rough raw sugar at 4 d per lb 1 d for scent essence of peppermint 1 d for firing and d for paperin all 1 s 8 d calculating nothing for the labour and time expended in boiling and making it the profit on the other things was proportionate except on almond rock which does not leave 2 d in a shillingalmonds being dear brandy balls are made of sugar water peppermint and a little cinnamon rose acid which is a transparent sweet is composed of loaf sugar at 6 d per lb coloured with cochineal the articles sold in sticks are pulled into form along a hook until they present the whitish or speckled colour desired a quarter of a stone of materials will for instance be boiled for forty minutes and then pulled a quarter of an hour until it is sufficiently crisp and will set without waste the flavouringor scent as i heard it called in the tradenow most in demand is peppermint gibraltar rock and wellington pillars used to be flavoured with ginger but these sweeties are exploded dr pereria in his treatise on diet enumerates as many as ten different varieties and preparations of sugar used for dietetical purposes these are 1 purified or refined sugar 2 brown or raw sugar 3 molasses or treacleor fluid sugar 4 aqueous solutions of sugaror syrups 5 boiled sugars or the softer kinds of confectionary 6 sugar candy or crystallized cane sugar 7 burnt sugar or caramel 8 hard confectionary 9 liquorice 10 preserves the fifth and eighth varieties alone concern us here of the several preparations of boiled sugar the doctor thus speaks if a small quantity of water be added to sugar the mixture heated until the sugar dissolves and the solution boiled to drive off part of the water the tendency of the sugar to crystallise is diminished or in some cases totally destroyed to promote this effect confectioners sometimes add a small portion of cream of tartar to the solution while boiling sugar thus altered by heat and sometimes variously flavoured constitutes several preparations sold by the confectioner barley sugar and acidulated drops are prepared in this way from white sugar powdered tartaric acid being added to the sugar while soft hardbake and toffee are made by a similar process from brown sugar toffee differs from hardbake from containing butter 204 the ornamented sugar pieces or caramel tops with which pastrycooks decorate their tarts c are prepared in the same way if the boiled and yet soft sugar be rapidly and repeatedly extended and pulled over a hook it becomes opaque and white and then constitutes pulled sugar or penides pulled sugar variously flavoured and coloured is sold in several forms by the preparers of hard confectionary concerning this hard confectionary dr pereira says sugar constitutes the base of an almost innumerable variety of hard confectionary sold under the names of lozenges brilliants pipe rock comfits nonpareils c besides sugar these preparations contain some flavouring ingredient as well as flour or gum to give them cohesiveness and frequently colouring matter carraway fruits almonds and pine seeds constitute the nuclei of some of these preparations one of the appliances of the street sweet stuff trade which i saw in the room of the seller before mentioned wasacts of parliament a pile of these a foot or more deep lay on a shelf they are used to wrap up the rock c sold the sweet stuff maker i never heard them called confectioners bought his paper of the stationers or at the old book shops sometimes he said he got works in this way in sheets which had never been cut some he feared were stolen and which he retained to read at his short intervals of leisure and then used to wrap his goods in in this way he had read through two histories of england he maintained a wife two young children and a young sister who could attend to the stall his wife assisted him in his manufactures he used 1 cwt of sugar a week on the years average cwt of treacle and 5 oz of scents each 8 d an oz the man who has the best trade in london streets is one who about two years ago introducedafter much study i was toldshort sentences into his sticks he boasts of his secret when snapped asunder in any part the stick presents a sort of coloured inscription the four i saw were do you love me the next was of less touching character do you love sprats the others were lord mayors day and sir robert peel this mans profits are twice those of my respectable informants of the customers of the sweet stuff street sellers another sweet stuff man originally a baker but who for a fortnight before i saw him had been attending upon an old gentleman disabled from an accident gave me the following account of his customers what i heard from the other street sellers satisfies me of the correctness of the statement it will be seen that he was possessed of some humour and observation boys and girls are my best customers sir and mostly the smallest of them but then again some of thems fifty aye turned fifty lor love you an old fellow that hasnt a stump of a tooth in front why hell stop and buy a haporth of hard bake and hell say ive a deal of the boy left about me still he doesnt show it anyhow in his look im sometimes a thinking ill introduce a softer sort of toffyboiled treacle such as they call tom trot in some parts but its out of fashion now just for old people thats boys still it was rolled in a hapenny stick sir and sold stunnin the old ones wants something to suck and not to chew why when i was a lad at school there was jews used to go about with boxes on their backs offering rings and pencil cases and lots of things thats no real use to nobody and they told everybody they asked to buy that they sold everything and us boys used to saythen gives a haporth of boiled treacle it was a regular joke i wish id stuck more to my book then but what cant be cured must be endured you know now those poor things that walks down there intimating by a motion of the head a thoroughfare frequented by girls of the town theyre often customers but not near so good as they was ten year ago no indeed nor six or eight year they like something that bites in the mouth such as peppermint rock or ginger drops they used to buy a pennorth or two and offer it to people but they dont now i think ive trusted them hapennies and pennies sometimes they always paid me some that held their heads high like might say i really have no change ill pay you to morrow she hadnt no change poor lass sure enough and she hadnt nothing to change either ill go bail ive known women that seemed working mens or little shopkeepers wives buy of me and ask which of my stuffs took greatest hold of the breath i always knew what they was up to theyd been having a drop and didnt want it to be detected why it was only last saturday week two niceish looking and niceish dressed women comes up to me and one was going to buy peppermint rock and the other says to her dont you fool hell only think youve been drinking gin and peppermint coffee takes it off best so i lost my customers they hadnt had a single drain that night ill go bail but still they didnt look like regular lushingtons at all i make farthings worths of sweet stuff for children but i dont like it its an injury to trade i was afraid that when half farthings was coined theyd come among children and theyd want half a farthing of brandy balls now talking of brandy balls theres a gentleman that sometimes has a minutes chat with me as he buys a pennorth to take home to his children every reasonable man ought to marry and have children for the sake of the sweet trade but it aint the womens fault that manys single still when one gentleman i knows buys brandy balls he says quite grave what kind o brandy do you put in them not a drop of british says i i 205 can assure you not a single drop hes not finely dressed indeed hes a leetle seedy but i know hes a gentleman or whats the same thing if he aint rich for a common fellowll never have his boots polished that way every day of his life his blacking bills must come heavy at christmas i can tell a gentleman too by his way of talk cause hes never bumptious its the working peoples children thats my great support and they was a better support by 2 s in every 10 s and more when times was better and next to them among my patrons is poor people perhaps this last year ive cleared 11 s a week not more all through i make my own stuffs except the drops and they require machinery i would get out of the streets if i could another of these traders told me that he took more in farthings than in halfpennies or pennies calculating 200 sweet stuff sellers each clearing 10 s weekly the outlay in rocks candies hard bakes c in the streets is 5 200 l yearly or nearly two and a half millions of halfpenny worths to start in the sweet stuff business requires a capital of 35 s including a saucepan in which to boil sugar 2 s weights and scales 4 s stock money average 4 s and barrow 25 s if the seller be not his own manufacturer then a tray 1 s 9 d and stock money 1 s 6 d or 3 s 3 d in all will be sufficient of the street sellers of cough drops and of medical confectionary mr strutt in his sports and pastimes of the people of england 1800 says of the mountebank it is uncertain at what period this vagrant dealer in physic made his appearance in england it is clear however that he figured away with much success in this country during the last two centuries the mountebanks usually preface the vending of their medicines with pompous orations in which they pay as little regard to truth as to propriety i am informed by a gentleman observant of the matter that within his knowledge which extends to the commencement of the present century no mountebank proper had appeared in the streets of london proclaiming the virtues of his medicines neither with nor without his fool the last seen by my informant perhaps the latest mountebank in england was about twenty years ago in the vicinity of yarmouth he was selling cough drops and infallible cures for asthma and was dressed in a periwig and an embroidered coat with ruffles at his wrist a sword to his side and was a representation in shabby genteel of the fine gentleman of the reign of queen anne the mountebanks most legitimate successor in the street cajolery of london as regards his orations is the patterer as i shall show in my account of the street trade in stationery literature his successor in the vending of curative confectionaries and in a small degree of nostrums salves ointments c are the sellers of cough drops and horehound candy and of the corn salves and cures for bruises sprains burns c c c the street traders in cough drops and their accompaniments however do not now exceed six and of them only twowho are near relativesmanufacture their own stock in trade i here treat of the street trade in cough drops as a branch of the itinerant sweet stuff trade the mountebank part of the businessthat is to say the prefacing the vending of the medicines with pompous orations i shall reserve till its proper placeviz the pattering part of the street trade of which an account will be given in the next chapter the two principal vendors of cough drops wheel their stalls which are fixed upon barrows to different parts of town but one principal stand is in holborn on their boards are displayed the cough cures both in the form of sticks and drops and a model of a small distillery the portion inclosing the still is painted to resemble brick work and a tin tube or worm appears to carry the distillation to a receiver horehound colts foot and some other herbs lie in a dried state on the stall but principally horehound to which popular street opinion seems to attach the most and the greatest virtues there are also on the stalls a few bottles tied up in the way they are dispensed from a regular practitioner while the cough drops are in the form of sticks d each also neatly wrapped in paper the cry is both expressive and simply descriptivelong life candy candy from herbs from the most experienced person in this curious trade i had the following statement he entertained a full assurance as far as i could perceive of the excellence of his remedies and of the high art and mystery of his calling in persons of his class professing to heal no matter in what capacity or what may be the disease this is an important element of success my informant whether answering my questions or speaking of his own accord always took time to consider and sometimes as will be seen declined replying to my inquiries from him i received the following account the cough drop and herb trade is nothing now to what it was long ago thirty or forty years ago it was as good as 3 l or 4 l a week to a person and was carried on by respectable men i know nothing of any humbugs in the respectable part of the trade whats done by those who are ignorant and not respectable is nothing to me i dont know how many there were in the trade thirty or forty years ago but i know that ten or eleven years since i supplied seven persons who sold cough drops and such like in the streets and now i supply only myself and another i sell only four or five months in the yearthe cold months in course for in the summer people are not so subject to coughs and colds i am the original maker of my goods i will cure any child of the hooping cough 206 and very speedily i defy any medical man to dispute it and ill do itno cure no pay i never profess to cure asthma nobody but a gravedigger can put an end to that there but i can relieve it its the same with consumption it may be relieved but the gravedigger is the only man as can put a stop to it many have tried to do it but theyve all failed i sell to very respectable people and to educated people too and whats more a good deal of cough drops to medical men in course they can analyse it if they please they can taste the bitter and judge for themselves just as they can taste wine in the docks perhaps the wives of mechanics are among my best customers they are the most numerous but they buy only haporths and pennorths very likely they would think more of the remedy if they had to pay 13 d for it instead of the 1 d the government stamp makes many a stuff sell oh i know nothing about quackery you must inquire at the stamp office if you want to know about them kind of medicines theyre the people that help to sell them respectable people will pay me 1 s or 2 s at a time and those who buy once buy again im sent to from as far off as woolwich ill undertake to cure or afford relief in coughs colds or wind in the chest or forfeit 1 s i can dispel wind in two minutes i sell bottles too for those cures as well as the candy from herbs i manufacture them myself theyre decoctions of herbs and the way to prepare them is my secret i sell them at from 2 d to 1 s why i use one article that costs 24 s a pound foreign and twice that english ive sold hundred weights the decoctions are my secret i will instruct any personand have instructed a good manywhen im paid for it in course it would never do to publish it in your work for thousands would then learn it for 2 d my secret was never given to any persononly with what you may call a feeexcept one and only to him when he got married and started in the line hes a connection of mine all we sell is genuine i sell herbs too but its not a street sale i supply them to orders from my connection its not a large trade i sell horehound for tea or decoctions coltsfoot for smoking as herb tobacco i gather the coltsfoot myself but buy the horehound of a shopkeeper as its cultivated ground ivy is sold only for the blood but little of it hyssop for wind and irish moss for consumption im never asked for anything improper they wont ask me for or and im never asked for washes or cosmetics but a few nettles are ordered of me for complexions well sir id rather not state the quantities i sell or my profits or prices i make what keeps myself my wife and seven children and thats all i need say about it id rather say no more on that part of the business and so im sure you wont press me i dont know what others in the trade make they buy of confectioners and are only imitators of me they buy coltsfoot candy and such like how its made so cheap i dont know in the summer i give up cough drop selling and take to gold fish i am told that the cough drop makers who are also street sellers prepare their sticks c much in the same method as the manufacturers of the ordinary sweet stuff which i have described using the decoction generally of horehound or coltsfoot as the scents are used in the old times it would appear that the preparation of a medicinal confection was a much more elaborate matter if we may judge by the following extract from an obsolete medical work treating of the matter the author styles such preparations lohochs which is an arabic word he says and signifies a thing to be licked it would appear that the lohoch was not so hard as the present cough drop the following is one of the receipts used generally against diseases in the breast and lungs lohoch de farfara the lohoch of coltsfoot take of coltsfoot roots cleansed 8 ozs marsh mallow roots 4 ozs boil them in a sufficient quantity of water and press the pulp through a sieve dissolve it again in the decoction and let it boil once or twice then take it from the fire and add 2 lbs of white sugar honey of raisins 14 ozs juice of liquorice 2 drams stir them well with a wooden pestle sprinkling in of saffron and cloves in powder of each 1 scruple cinnamon and mace of each 2 scruples make them into a lohoch according to art it is good for a cough and roughness of the windpipe without wishing to infringe upon professional secrets i may mention that the earnings of the principal man in the trade may be taken at 30 s a week for 20 weeks that of another at 15 s for the same period and those of the remaining four at 5 s each weekly but the latter sell acid drops and other things bought of the chemists allowing the usual cent per cent we then find 130 l expended by street buyers on cough drops the best cough drop stall seen in the streets is a kind of barrow which can be shut up like a piano it cost 3 l 10 s complete with the distilling apparatus before described scales and weights cost 5 s and the stock money for the supply of such a stall need not exceed 10 s or in all about 4 l 10 s for an ordinary tradeready made articles forming the stockthe capital would be stall and trestle 7 s scales and weights which are not always used 3 s 6 d and stock money 2 s 6 d in all 13 s of the street sellers of ices and of ice creams i have already treated of the street luxury of pine apples and have now to deal with the greater street rarity of ice creams doctor bokanky the street herbalist from a daguerreotype by beard now then for the kalibonca root that was brought from madras in the east indies itll cure the toothache head ache giddiness in the head dimness of sight rheumatics in the head and is highly recommended for the ague never known to fail and ive sold it for this six and twenty year from one penny to sixpence the packet the best article in england a quick witted street sellerbut not in the provision lineconversing with me upon this subject said ices in the streets aye and therell be jellies next and then mock turtle and then the real ticket sir i dont know nothing of the difference between the real thing and the mock but i once had some cheap mock in an eating house and it tasted like stewed tripe with a little glue youll keep 207 your eyes open sir at the great exhibition and youll see a new move or two in the streets take my word for it penny glasses of champagne i shouldnt wonder notwithstanding the sanguine anticipations of my street friend the sale of ices in the streets has not been such as to offer any great encouragement to a perseverance in the traffic the sale of ice creams was unknown in the streets until last summer and was first introduced as a matter of speculation by a man who was acquainted with the confectionary business and who purchased his ices of a confectioner in holborn he resold these luxuries daily to street sellers sometimes to twenty of them but more frequently to twelve the sale however was not remunerative and had it not been generally united with other things such as ginger beer could not have been carried on as a means of subsistence the supplier of the street traders sometimes went himself and sometimes sent another to sell ice cream in greenwich park on fine summer days but the sale was sometimes insufficient to pay his railway expenses after three or four weeks trial this man abandoned the trade and soon afterwards emigrated to america not many weeks subsequent to the first start i was informed the trade was entered into by a street seller in petticoat lane who had become possessed it was said of masterss freezing apparatus he did not vend the ices himself for more than two or three weeks and moreover confined his sale to sunday mornings after a while he employed himself for a short time in making ices for four or five street sellers some of whom looked upon the preparation as a wonderful discovery of his own and he then discontinued the trade there were many difficulties attending the introduction of ices into street traffic the buyers had but a confused notion how the ice was to be swallowed the trade therefore spread only very gradually but some of the more enterprising sellers purchased stale ices from the confectioners so little however were the street people skilled in the trade that a confectioner told me they sometimes offered ice to their customers in the streets and could supply only water ices were sold by the street vendors generally at 1 d each and the trade left them a profit of 4 d in 1 s when they served them without waste and some of the sellers contrived by giving smaller modicums to enhance the 4 d into 5 d the profit however was sometimes what is expressively called nil cent per cent the favourite and simple rate known in the streets as half profits was rarely attained from a street dealer i received the following account yes sir i mind very well the first time as i ever sold ices i dont think theyll ever take greatly in the streets but theres no saying lord how ive seen the people splutter when theyve tasted them for the first time i did as much myself they get among the teeth and make you feel as if you tooth ached all over i sold mostly strawberry ices i havent an idee how theyre made but its a most wonderful thing in summerfreezing fruits in that way one young irish fellowi think from his look and cap he was a printers or stationers boyhe bought an ice of me and when he had scraped it all together with the spoon he made a pull at it as if he was a drinking beer in course it was all among his teeth in less than no time and he stood like a stattey for a instant and then he roared out jasus im kilt the could shivers is on to me but i said o youre all right you are and he says what dyou mane you horrid horn by selling such stuff as that an you must have the money first bad scran to the likes o you the persons what enjoyed their ices most the man went on was i think servant maids that gulped them on the sly praps theyd been used some on em to get a taste of ices on the sly before in their services we sees a many dodges in the streets sira many i knew one smart servant maid treated to an ice by her young manthey seemed as if they was keeping companyand he soon was stamping with the ice among his teeth but she knew how to take hern put the spoon right into the middle of her mouth and when shed had a clean swallow she says o joseph why didnt you ask me to tell you how to eat your ice the conceit of sarvant gals is ridiculous dont you think so sir but it goes out of them when they gets married and has to think of how to get broth before how to eat ices one hot day about eleven a thin tall gentleman not very young threw down 1 d to me and says says he as much ice as you can make for that he knew how to take it when hed done he says says he by g my good feller youve saved my life ive been keeping it up all night and i was dying of a burnt up throat after a snooze and had only 1 d so sick and hot was my stomach i could have knelt down and taken a pull at the thameswe was near it at the timeyouve saved my life and ill see you again but ive never seed him since he was a gentleman i think he was in black and wore a big black and gold ringonly one the rest of my customers for ices was people that bought out of curiosity and there was gentlemens servants among em very little fellows some of em and doctors boys and mechanics as was young and seemed of a smartish sort and boys that seemed like schoolboys and a few women of the town but mines not much of a pitch for them from the information i obtained i may state 208 that if the sale of street ices be calculated at twenty persons taking not earning 1 s 6 d daily for four weeks it is as near the mark as possible this gives an expenditure of 42 l in street ices with a profit to the vendors of from 10 to 25 per cent i am told that an unsuccessful start has characterised other street tradesrhubarb for instance both in the streets and marketswhich have been afterwards successful and remunerative for capital in the ice trade a small sum was necessary as the vendors had all stalls and sold other commodities except the original street ice man who was not a regular street trader but a speculator a jarin which the ices were neither sufficiently covered nor kept cooled though it was often placed in a vessel or cooler containing cold watercost 1 s three cups 3 d or three glasses 1 s and three spoons 3 d with 2 s stock money the total is presuming glasses were used 4 s or with a vessel for water 5 s of the capital and income of the street sellers of eatables and drinkables i now give a summary of the capital and income of the street sellers of eatables and drinkables but first i will endeavour to arrive at an estimate of the total number of people belonging to the class the street sellers engaged in the sale of eatables and drinkables are summing the several items before given altogether 6 347 of whom 300 sell pea soup and hot eels 150 pickled whelks 300 fried fish 300 sheeps trotters 60 ham sandwiches 200 baked tatoes 4 hot green peas 150 meat 25 bread 1 000 cat and dogs meat 300 coffee and tea 1 700 ginger beer lemonade sherbet c 50 elder wine 4 peppermint water 28 milk 100 curds and whey and rice milk 60 water 50 pies 6 boiled pudding 6 plum duff 150 cakes and tarts 4 plum cakes 30 other cheaper cakes 150 gingerbread nuts 500 cross buns 500 muffins and crumpets 200 sweet stuff 6 cough drops 20 ice creams but many of the above are only temporary trades the street sale of hot cross buns for instance lasts only for a day that of muffins and crumpets baked potatoes plum duff cough drops elder wine and rice milk are all purely winter trades while the sale of ginger beer lemonade ice creams and curds and whey is carried on solely in the summer by this means the number of the street sellers of eatables and drinkables never at any one time reaches the amount before stated in summer there are in addition to the 10 000 costers before mentioned about 3 000 people and in winter between 4 000 and 5 000 engaged in the eatable and drinkable branch of the street traffic as regards the capital and income many minute accounts have been prepared to show the care as well as the fulness with which these returns have been made i give one of the tables in its integrity merely remarking that similar tables relative to all the other articles have been made but i condense the details lest a repetition however curious in its statistics should prove wearisome capital or stock in trade of the street sellers of eatables and drinkables street sellers of hot eels s d 200 stalls at 6 s 60 0 0 100 baskets at 1 s 5 0 0 200 eel kettles at 3 s 6 d 35 0 0 100 jars for itinerants at 6 d 2 10 0 300 stew pans at 2 s 30 0 0 300 strainers at 1 s 15 0 0 300 ladles at 4 d 5 0 0 2 400 cups at 1 d 10 0 0 2 400 spoons at 1 d 10 0 0 200 chafing dishes at 6 d 5 0 0 200 glasses for candles at 3 d 2 10 0 240 vendors stock money at 5 s each 60 0 0 60 ditto at 25 s each 75 0 0 100 itinerants ditto at 2 s each 10 0 0 300 cloths at 4 d each 5 0 0 300 pairs of sleeves at 4 d per pair 5 0 0 300 aprons at 4 d each 5 0 0 339 10 0 street sellers of pea soup 150 soup kettles 4 s each 150 ladles 6 d each 150 pepper boxes 1 d each 150 mint boxes 3 d each 150 chafing dishes 6 d each 1 800 basons 1 d each 1 800 spoons 1 d each stock money 3 s 6 d each 81 5 0 street sellers of pickled whelks 100 stalls 4 s each 150 baskets 2 s 6 d each 150 tin boilers 2 s 6 d each 75 pans 9 d each 150 jars 6 d each 150 flour dredgers 4 d each 1 800 saucers d each 150 table spoons 2 d each 150 knives 2 d each 150 vinegar bottles 1 d each 150 serge aprons 2 s each stock money for 150 vendors 5 s each 125 18 9 street sellers of fried fish 300 trays 1 s 6 d each 300 frying pans 1 s 6 d each 300 salt dredgers 3 d each 300 knives 2 d each 300 earthenware pans 1 s each 300 shallows 1 s each stock money for 150 vendors 5 s each 156 5 0 209 street sellers of sheeps trotters 300 baskets 1 s 4 d each 300 cotton cloths 4 d each 300 forks 2 d each 300 knives 3 d each 300 pepper boxes 1 d each 300 salt cellars 1 d each stock money for 300 sellers 1 s each 48 15 0 street sellers of ham sandwiches 60 baskets 2 s each 60 tin boilers 2 s each 60 knives and forks 6 d per pair 60 mustard pots 1 d each 60 spoons 1 d each 60 cloths 5 d each 60 aprons 4 d each 60 pairs of sleeves 4 d per pair stock money for 60 vendors 7 s 2 d weekly 38 15 0 street sellers of baked tatoes 300 cans 2 l each 300 knives 3 d each 300 pepper boxes 1 d each stock money for 300 vendors 10 s each 755 0 0 street sellers of hot green peas 4 cans 2 s 6 d each 4 vinegar bottles 1 d each 4 pepper boxes 3 d each 12 saucers 1 d each 12 spoons 1 d each 4 cloths 4 d each stock money for 4 vendors 2 s each 1 2 8 street sellers of meat hawking butchers 150 baskets 4 s 6 d each 150 saws 2 s each 150 cleavers 1 s 6 d each 150 steels 1 s 6 d each 150 belts for baskets 1 s each 150 do for waist 6 d each 150 cloths 6 d each 150 aprons 6 d each 150 pairs of sleeves 4 d per pair 150 vendors stock money 6 s each per day 138 5 0 street sellers of bread 12 baskets 4 s 6 d each 12 barrows 40 s each 1 long bread basket 40 s 1 barrow 30 s 13 sacks 1 s each stock money for 25 vendors at 1 l each 55 17 0 street sellers of cats and dogs meat 500 barrows 18 s each 1 000 baskets 1 s 6 d each 500 sets of weights and scales 4 s each 1 000 knives 8 d each 1 000 steels 1 s each stock money of 1 500 vendors 7 s 6 d per head 1 083 6 8 street sellers of coffee and tea 150 tables 2 s 6 d each 75 stalls 6 s each 75 coffee barrows 1 l each 400 coffee cans 100 vendors having two cans and 200 only one 8 s each 1 200 half pint cups and saucers 3 d each and 900 pints 6 d each 2 100 spoons 1 d each 900 plates 1 d each 300 knives 2 d each 300 pans 9 d each 600 canisters 5 d each 50 screens 2 s 6 d each stock money of 300 vendors 5 s each 435 12 0 street sellers of ginger beer 300 barrows 1 l each 1 000 stalls 5 s each 175 fountains 7 l each 20 ditto 20 l each 3 ditto 100 l each 9 000 glasses 5 d each 1 500 tanks 1 s each 3 000 towels 6 d each 500 sets of brewing utensils corks c 5 s each 500 gross of bottles 10 s per gross and stock money for 1 500 vendors 5 s each 3 562 10 0 street sellers of lemonade nectar sherbet c 10 200 stalls 6 s each 500 stone barrels 5 s 6 d each 1 200 glasses 4 d each 400 towels 6 d each 200 jars 2 s each 2 400 glass bottles 3 d each stock money for 200 vendors 2 s 6 d each 305 0 0 street sellers of elder wine 3 elder wine carriages and apparatus 7 l each 47 ditto ditto 3 l 10 s each 300 small wine glasses 2 d each stock money 3 s per head 195 10 0 street sellers of peppermint water 2 kegs 3 s 6 d each 2 jars 2 s each 16 glasses 3 d each 4 cloths 4 d each stock money for four vendors 1 s each 1 0 4 milk sellers in the park 16 cows 20 l each 8 lockers 3 l each 32 fixed seats 3 s each 48 forms 3 s each 48 glasses 4 d each 96 cups 1 d each 8 halters for cows 6 d each 8 pans 1 s each 16 towels 6 d each 358 6 0 milk sellers in markets c 20 yokes and pairs of cans 15 s each 20 sets of measures 2 s per set stock money for 20 vendors 3 s each 20 0 0 street sellers of curds and whey 100 stalls 5 s each 100 saucepans to scald the milk in 2 s each 300 cups 1 d each 300 glasses 5 d each 600 spoons d each 100 tin kettles for stalls at 3 s 6 d each 100 small tubs 1 s each 100 cloths 3 d each stock money for 100 vendors at 2 s each 77 10 0 street sellers of rice milk 11 50 kettles and braziers for stall 4 s the two 300 spice or peppermint boxes 1 d each stock money for fifty vendors 1 s 3 d each 14 7 6 water carriers 120 pails 2 s each 60 yokes 5 s each 27 0 0 210 street piemen 50 pie cans 1 l each 25 turn halfpenny boards to gamble with 2 s 6 d each 50 gross of tin pie dishes 12 s per gross 50 aprons 8 d each 100 tins 1 s each for baking pies upon stock money for 50 vendors 6 s 6 d each 106 0 10 street sellers of boiled puddings 6 stands 6 s each 6 cans 2 s 6 d each 6 pots tin 2 s each 6 chafing dishes and stands 5 d each 6 forks 2 d each 6 cloths 6 d each stock money for 6 vendors 2 s 6 d each 4 4 6 street sellers of plum duff 6 baskets 1 s 9 d each 6 saucepans 2 s each 6 cloths 6 d each 6 knives 2 d each stock money for 6 vendors 2 s each 1 18 6 street sellers of cakes tarts c 150 trays 1 s 9 d each 150 cloths 1 s 3 d each 150 straps 6 d each stock money 16 s 6 d each 150 0 0 other and inferior cake sellers 30 trays 1 s 9 d each 30 straps 6 d each stock money 2 s 6 d each 7 2 6 street sellers of plum cake 4 trays 1 s 9 d each 4 baskets 1 s 6 d each 4 cloths oil cloth covers for baskets 1 s each 4 knives 2 d each stock money for 4 sellers 4 s each 1 18 8 gingerbread nut makers and sellers 50 ovens 5 l each 50 peels and rakes 3 s the two 750 tins 1 s each 50 lamps for fairs 6 s each 50 stalls 6 s each 50 sets of scales and 100 sets of weights half of them false 7 s 6 d each 100 canisters 2 s each 50 barrows 30 s each 50 baskets 6 s each 50 baizes 1 s each 50 cloths to cover stall 1 s each stock money for 50 makers and sellers 14 s each 483 15 0 gingerbread nut sellers not makers 150 trays 1 s 9 d each 150 straps 6 d each stock money for 150 sellers 1 s 6 d each 28 5 6 street sellers of hot cross buns 500 baskets 2 s 6 d each 500 flannels and cloths 2 s the two stock money for 500 sellers 2 s 6 d each 175 0 0 street sellers of muffins and crumpets 500 baskets 2 s 6 d each 500 cloths 1 s each stock money for 500 sellers 5 s each 212 10 0 street sellers of sweet stuff 6 barrows 1 l 10 s each 150 trays 1 s 9 d each 50 saucepans 2 s each 18 canisters long tin 2 s each 44 stalls at 4 s each 50 sets of weights and scales at 4 s each stock money for 150 vendors 3 s each 70 4 6 street sellers of cough drops 2 stills and barrows 3 l 10 s each 4 stalls 7 s each 6 weights and scales 3 s 6 d each stock money for 6 sellers 2 s 6 d each 10 4 0 street sellers of ices 20 jars 1 s each 20 coolers 2 s each 30 cups 1 d each and 30 glasses 4 d each 60 spoons 1 d each stock money for 20 vendors 2 s per head 5 17 6 total capital invested in the street sale of eatables and drinkables 9 077 12 5 income or takings of street sellers of eatables and drinkables street sellers of hot eels there are upwards of 1 000 000 lbs weight of hot eels sold yearly in the streets of london 140 vendors each sell 6 lbs of eels daily at their stands 60 sell 40 lbs daily and 100 itinerant sell 5 lbs nightly at the public houses the first mentioned take on an average 2 s daily the second 16 s and the third 1 s 8 d this gives a yearly street expenditure in the trade in hot eels amounting to 19 448 street sellers of pea soup the annual street consumption of pea soup amounts to 1 680 gallons 100 vendors sell each 4 gallons daily and 50 vendors each sell upon an average 10 gallons daily the first mentioned take 3 s a day and the last 7 s 6 d this gives a street expenditure during the winter season of five months of 4 050 street sellers of pickled whelks according to the billingsgate returns there are nearly 5 000 000 of whelks sold yearly in the streets of london these are retailed in a boiled state and flavoured with vinegar at four a penny 150 vendors take on an average 13 s weekly this gives an annual street expenditure of 5 000 street sellers of fried fish 150 sellers make 10 s 6 d weekly or yearly 27 l 6 s and 150 sellers make half that amount 13 l 13 s per annum reckoning 20 l a year as a medium earning and adding 90 per cent for 211 profit the annual consumption of fried fish supplied by london street sellers amounts to 684 000 lbs and the sum expended thereupon to 11 400 street sellers of sheeps trotters in the wholesale trotter establishment there are prepared weekly 20 000 sets or 80 000 feet giving a yearly average of 4 160 000 trotters or the feet of 1 040 000 sheep of this quantity the street folk buy seven eighths or 3 640 000 trotters yearly the number of sheep trotter sellers may be taken at 300 which gives an average of nearly 60 sets a week per individual there is then expended yearly in london streets on trotters calculating their sale retail at d each 6 500 l but though the regular price is d some trotters are sold at four for 1 d very few higher than d and some are kept until they are unsaleable so that the amount thus expended may be estimated at 6 000 street sellers of ham sandwiches 60 vendors take 8 s a week and sell annually 486 800 sandwiches at a cost of 1 800 street sellers of baked tatoes 300 vendors sell upon an average cwt of baked potatoes daily or 1 755 tons in the season the average takings of each vendor amount to 6 s a day and the receipts of the whole number throughout the season which lasts from the latter end of september till march inclusive a period of 6 months are 14 000 the street sellers of hot green peas the chief man of business sells 3 gallons a day which at 1 d the quarter pint would be 8 s my informant said 7 s the other three together sell the same quantity hence there is an annual street consumption of 1 870 gallons and a street expenditure on hot green peas of 250 street sellers of meat the hawking butchers taking their number at 150 sell 747 000 lbs of meat and take annually 12 450 street sellers of bread 25 men take 45 s a day for five months in the summer and 12 regular traders take 1 l 12 s per day this gives an annual street consumption of 700 000 quartern loaves of bread and a street expenditure of 9 000 street sellers of cats and dogs meat there are 300 000 cats in the metropolis and from 900 to 1 000 horses averaging 2 cwt of meat each boiled down every week the quantity of cats and dogs meat used throughout london is about 200 000 lbs per week and this sold at the rate of 2 d per lb gives 2 000 l a week for the money spent in cats and dogs meat or per year upwards of 100 000 street sellers of coffee tea c each coffee stall keeper on an average clears 1 l a week and his takings may be said to be at least double that sum hence the quantity of coffee sold annually in the streets is about 550 000 gallons while the yearly street expenditure for tea coffee c amounts to 31 200 street sellers of ginger beer the bottles of ginger beer sold yearly in the streets number about 4 798 000 and the total street consumption of the same beverage may be said to be about 250 000 gallons per annum 200 street sellers of ginger beer in the bottle trade of the penny class take 30 s a week each thus allowing for inferior receipts in bad weather 300 take 20 s each selling their beer for the most part at d the bottle while the remaining 400 in a small way take 6 s each hence there is expended in the bottled ginger beer of the streets 11 480 l adding the receipts from the fountains and the barrels the barrel season continuing only ten weeks the total sum expended annually in street ginger beer amounts altogether to 14 660 street sellers of lemonade sherbet nectar c there are 200 persons chiefly men selling solely lemonade c and an additional 300 uniting the sale with that of ginger beer their average receipts on fine days are 3 s 6 d a day or allowing for wet weather and diminished receipts 10 s a week the receipts then for this street luxury show a street expenditure in such a summer as the last of 2 800 l among those who do not unite ginger beer with the trade calculating that those who do unite ginger beer with it sell only one half as much as the others we find a total outlay of 4 900 street sellers of elder wine 50 vendors clear 5 s a week for 16 weeks by the sale of elder wine in the streets their profit being at least cent per cent hence the street consumption of this beverage in the course of the year is 1 500 gallons and the outlay 200 street sellers of peppermint water calculating that 4 pepperminters take 2 s a day the year round sundays excepted we find that 900 gallons of peppermint water are consumed every year in the streets of london while the sum expended in it amounts annually to 125 212 street sellers of milk in the markets parks c the vendors in the markets clear about 1 s 6 d a day each for three months and as the profit is rather more than cent per cent there are about 4 000 gallons of milk thus sold yearly the quantity sold in the park averages 20 quarts a day for a period of nine months or 1 170 gallons in the year this is retailed at 4 d per quart hence the annual expenditure is 344 street sellers of curds and whey 50 sellers dispose of 12 gallons in 3 weeks the other 50 sell only half as much taking the season at 3 months the annual consumption of curds and whey in the streets is 2 812 double gallons as regards the ingredients of milk which is retailed at a cost to the purchasers of 412 street sellers of rice milk calculating that 50 sellers dispose of 24 quarts weekly while one half of the remaining 25 sell 12 quarts each per week at 1 d the half pint and the other half vend 24 quarts at d the half pint there are about 3 000 gallons of rice milk yearly consumed in the streets of london while the expenditure amounts to 320 water carriers the number of water carriers are sixty and their average earnings through the year 5 s a week hence the sum annually expended in water thus obtained amounts to 780 street piemen there are fifty street piemen plying their trade in london the year through their average takings are one guinea a week hence there is an annual street consumption of pies of nearly to three quarters of a million and a street expenditure amounting to 3 000 street sellers of meat and currant puddings each street seller gets rid of on an average 85 dozen or 1 020 puddings there are now but six street sellers regularly of these comestibles hence the weekly aggregate would beallowing for bad weather5 400 and the total 129 600 meat and currant puddings sold in the streets in a season of 24 weeks this gives an annual expenditure on the part of the street boys and girls who are the principal purchasers and of the poor persons who patronise the street trade of about 270 street sellers of plum duff calculating 42 s a week as the takings of six persons for five months we find there is yearly expended in the street purchase of plum dough upwards of 250 street sellers of cakes tarts c reckoning 150 cake sellers each taking 6 s a weeka sufficiently low averagethe street consumption of cakes tarts c will be 1 123 200 every year and the street outlay about 2 350 street sellers of other and inferior cakes the sale of the inferior street cakes realises about a fifth of that taken by the other cake sellers hence it may be estimated yearly at 450 street sellers of gingerbread nuts 150 gingerbread nut sellers take 17 s each weekly clearing 9 s at this rate the sum spent yearly in spice nuts in the streets of london amounts to 6 630 street sellers of hot cross buns there are nearly 100 000 hot cross buns sold every good friday in the streets of london hence there is expended in one day upon the buns thus bought about 300 street sellers of muffins and crumpets there are 500 muffin sellers each clearing 4 s and taking 12 s a week on an average hence the metropolitan street sale of muffins and crumpets will be in 20 weeks about 120 000 dozen and the sum expended thereon 6 000 street sellers of sweet stuff the number of sweet stuff sellers in london amounts to 200 each of whom on an average clears 10 s and takes 20 s weekly the yearly consumption therefore of rocks candies hard bakes c purchased in the streets is nearly two and a half millions of halfpenny worths or at the rate of d an ounce about 70 tons weight per annum costing the consumers about 10 000 street sellers of cough drops the earnings of the principal man in the cough drop street trade may be taken at 30 s a week for twenty weeks that of another at 15 s for the same period and those of the remaining four street sellers of the same compound at 5 s each weekly allowing the usual cent per cent we find there is annually expended by street buyers on cough drops 130 street sellers of ice creams the sale of street ices may be calculated at twenty persons taking 1 s 6 d daily for four weeks this gives a street consumption of 10 000 penny ices and an annual expenditure thereon of 42 total sum expended yearly on street eatables and drinkables 203 115 213 of the street sellers of stationery literature and the fine arts we now come to a class of street folk wholly distinct from any before treated of as yet we have been dealing principally with the uneducated portion of the street peoplemen whom for the most part are allowed to remain in nearly the same primitive and brutish state as the savagecreatures with nothing but their appetites instincts and passions to move them and made up of the same crude combination of virtue and vicethe same generosity combined with the same predatory tendencies as the bedouins of the desertthe same love of revenge and disregard of pain and often the same gratitude and susceptibility to kindness as the red indianand furthermore the same insensibility to female honour and abuse of female weakness and the same utter ignorance of the divine nature of the godhead as marks either bosjesman carib or thug the costers and many other of the street sellers before described however are badnot so much from their own perversity as from our selfishness that they partake of the natural evil of human nature is not their fault but ours who would be like them if we had not been taught by others better than ourselves to controul the bad and cherish the good principles of our hearts the street sellers of stationery literature and the fine arts however differ from all before treated of in the general though far from universal education of the sect they constitute principally the class of street orators known in these days as patterers and formerly termed mountebanks people who in the words of strutt strive to help off their wares by pompous speeches in which little regard is paid either to truth or propriety to patter is a slang term meaning to speak to indulge in this kind of oral puffery of course requires a certain exercise of the intellect and it is the consciousness of their mental superiority which makes the patterers look down upon the costermongers as an inferior body with whom they object either to be classed or to associate the scorn of some of the patterers for the mere costers is as profound as the contempt of the pickpocket for the pure beggar those who have not witnessed this pride of class among even the most degraded can form no adequate idea of the arrogance with which the skilled man no matter how base the art looks upon the unskilled we are the haristocracy of the streets was said to me by one of the street folks who told penny fortunes with a bottle people dont pay us for what we gives em but only to hear us talk we live like yourself sir by the hexercise of our hintellectswe by talking and you by writing but notwithstanding the self esteem of the patterers i am inclined to think that they are less impressionable and less susceptible of kindness than the costers whom they despise dr conolly has told us that even among the insane the educated classes are the most difficult to move and govern through their affections they are invariably suspicious attributing unworthy motives to every benefit conferred and consequently incapable of being touched by any sympathy on the part of those who may be affected by their distress so far as my experience goes it is the same with the street patterers any attempt to befriend them is almost sure to be met with distrust nor does their mode of life serve in any way to lessen their misgivings conscious how much their own livelihood depends upon assumption and trickery they naturally consider that others have some dodge as they call it or some latent object in view when any good is sought to be done them the impulsive costermonger however approximating more closely to the primitive man moved solely by his feelings is as easily humanized by any kindness as he is brutified by any injury the patterers again though certainly more intellectual are scarcely less immoral than the costers their superior cleverness gives them the power of justifying and speciously glossing their evil practices but serves in no way to restrain them thus affording the social philosopher another melancholy instance of the evil of developing the intellect without the conscienceof teaching people to know what is morally beautiful and ugly without teaching them at the same time to feel and delight in the one and abhor the otheror in other words of quickening the cunning and checking the emotions of the individual among the patterers marriage is as little frequent as among the costermongers with the exception of the older class who were perhaps married before they took to the streets hardly one of the patterers however has been bred to a street life and this constitutes another line of demarcation between them and the costermongers the costers we have seen are mostly hereditary wanderershaving been as it were born to frequent the public thoroughfares some few of the itinerant dealers in fish fruit and vegetables have it is true been driven by want of employment to adopt street selling as a means of living but these are so to speak the aliens rather than the natives of the streets the patterers on the other hand have for the most part neither been born and bred nor driven to a street lifebut have rather taken to it from a natural love of what they call roving this propensity to lapse from a civilized into a nomad stateto pass from a settler into a wandereris a peculiar charac 214 teristic of the pattering tribe the tendency however is by no means extraordinary for ethnology teaches us that whereas many abandon the habits of civilized life to adopt those of a nomadic state of existence but few of the wandering tribes give up vagabondising and betake themselves to settled occupations the innate love of a roving life which many of the street people themselves speak of as the cause of their originally taking to the streets appears to be accompanied by several peculiar characteristics among the most marked of these are an indomitable self will or hatred of the least restraint or controulan innate aversion to every species of law or government whether political moral or domestica stubborn contradictory naturean incapability of continuous labour or remaining long in the same place occupied with the same object or attending to the same subjectan unusual predilection for amusements and especially for what partakes of the ludicroustogether with a great relish of all that is ingenious and so finding extreme delight in tricks and frauds of every kind there are two patterers now in the streets brothers well educated and respectably connectedwho candidly confess they prefer that kind of life to any other and would not leave it if they could nor are the patterers less remarkable than the costermongers for their utter absence of all religious feeling there is however this distinction between the two classesthat whereas the creedlessness of the one is but the consequence of brutish ignorance that of the other is the result of natural perversity and educated scepticismas the street patterers include many men of respectable connections and even classical attainments among them may be found the son of a military officer a clergyman a man brought up to the profession of medicine two grecians of the blue coat school clerks shopmen and a class who have been educated to no especial callingsome of the latter being the natural sons of gentlemen and noblemenand who when deprived of the support of their parents or friends have taken to the streets for bread many of the younger and smarter men i am assured reside with women of the town though they may not be dependent for their livelihood on the wages got by the infamy of these women not a few of the patterers too in their dress and appearance present but little difference to that of the gent some wear a moustache while others indulge in a henri quatre beard the patterers are moreover as a body not distinguished by that good and friendly feeling one to another which is remarkable among costermongers if an absence of heartiness and good fellowship be characteristic of an aristocracyas some political philosophers contendthen the patterers may indeed be said to be the aristocrats of the streets the patterers or oratorical street sellers include among their class many itinerant traders other than the wandering paper workersas those vending the several varieties of street literature are generally denominated the cheap jacks or oratorical hucksters of hardware at fairs and other places are among the most celebrated and humorous of this class the commercial arts and jests of some of these people display considerable cleverness many of their jokes it is true are traditionaland as purely a matter of parrotry as the witticisms of the funny gentlemen on the stage but their ready adaptation of accidental circumstances to the purposes of their business betrays a modicum of wit far beyond that which falls to the share of ordinary low comedians the street vendors of cough dropsinfallible cures for the toothache and other ailmentsalso belong to the pattering class these are as was before stated the remains of the obsolete mountebanks of england and the saltinbanque of francea class of al fresco orators who derived their names from the bench the street pulpit rostrum or platformthat they ascended in order the better to deliver their harangues the street jugglers actors and showmen as well as the street sellers of grease removing compositions corn salve razor paste plating balls waterproof blacking rat poisons sovereigns sold for wagers and a multiplicity of similar street trickeriessuch as oratorical beggingare other ingenious and wordy members of the same chattering jabbering or pattering fraternity these will all be spoken of under the head of the different things they respectively sell or do for the present we have only to deal with that portion of the pattering body who are engaged in the street sale of literatureor the paper workers as they call themselves the latter include the running patterers or death hunters being men no women engaged in vending last dying speeches and confessionsin hawking se cond edi tions of newspapersor else in working that is to say in getting rid of what are technically termed cocks which in polite language means accounts of fabulous duels between ladies of fashionof apocryphal elopements or fictitious love letters of sporting noblemen and certain young milliners not a hundred miles from the spotcooked assassinations and sudden deaths of eminent individualspretended jealous affrays between her majesty and the prince consort but these papers are now never worked or awful tragedies including mendacious murders impossible robberies and delusive suicides the sellers of these choice articles however belong more particularly to that order or species of the pattering genus known as running patterers or flying stationers from the fact of their being continually on the move while describing the attractions of the papers they have to sell contradistinguished from them however are the standing patterers or those for whose less startling announcements a crowd is necessary in order that the audience may have time to swallow the many marvels worked by 215 their wares the standing patterers require therefore what they term a pitch that is to say a fixed locality where they can hold forth to a gaping multitude for at least some few minutes continuously they are mainly such street sellers as deal in nostrums and the different kinds of street wonders occasionally however the running patterer who is especially literary transmigrates into a standing one betaking himself to board work as it is termed in street technology and stopping at the corners of thoroughfares with a large pictorial placard raised upon a pole and glowing with a highly coloured exaggeration of the interesting terrors of the pamphlet he has for sale this is either the life of calcraft the hangman the diabolical practices of dr on his patients when in a state of mesmerism or the secret doings at the white house soho and other similar attractively repulsive details akin to this board work is the practice of what is called strawing or selling straws in the street and giving away with them something that is either really or fictionally forbidden to be sold as indecent papers political songs and the like this practice however is now seldom resorted to while the sale of secret papers is rarely carried on in public it is true there are three or four patterers who live chiefly by professing to dispose of sealed packets of obscene drawings and cards for gentlemen but this is generally a trick adopted to extort money from old debauchees young libertines and people of degraded or diseased tastes for the packets on being opened seldom contain anything but an odd number of some defunct periodical there is however a large traffic in such secret papers carried on in what is called the public house trade that is to say by itinerant paper workers mostly women who never make their appearance in the streets but obtain a livelihood by busking as it is technically termed or in other words by offering their goods for sale only at the bars and in the tap rooms and parlours of taverns the excessive indulgence of one appetite is often accompanied by the disease of a second the drunkard of course is supereminently a sensualist and is therefore easily taken by anything that tends to stimulate his exhausted desires so sure is it that one form of bestiality is a necessary concomitant of another there is another species of patterer who though usually included among the standing patterers belongs rather to an intermediate class viz those who neither stand nor run as they descant upon what they sell but those walk at so slow a rate that though never stationary they can hardly be said to move these are the reciters of dialogues litanies and the various street squibs upon passing events they also include the public propounders of conundrums and the hundred and fifty popular song enumeratorssuch as are represented in the engraving here given closely connected with them are the chaunters or those who do not cry but if one may so far stretch the english language sing the contents of the papers they vend these traffickers constitute the principal street sellers of literature or paper workers of the pattering class in addition to them there are many others vending papers in the public thoroughfares who are mere traders resorting to no other acts for the disposal of their goods than a simple cry or exposition of them and many of these are but poor humble struggling and inoffensive dealers they do not puff or represent what they have to sell as what it is not allowing them a fair commercial latitude they are not of the enterprising class of street tradesmen among these are the street sellers of stationerysuch as note paper envelopes pens ink pencils sealing wax and wafers belonging to the same class too are the street vendors of almanacs pocket books memorandum and account books then there are the sellers of odd numbers of periodicals and broadsheets and those who vend either playing cards conversation cards stenographic cards and at epsom ascot c racing cards besides these again there are the vendors of illustrated cards such as those embellished with engravings of the crystal palace views of the houses of parliament as well as the gelatine poetry cardsall of whom with the exception of the racing card sellers who belong generally to the pattering tribe partake of the usual characteristics of the street selling class after these may be enumerated the vendors of old engravings out of inverted umbrellas and the hawkers of coloured pictures in frames then there are the old book stalls and barrows and the pinners up as they are termed or sellers of old songs pinned against the wall as well as the vendors of manuscript music moreover appertaining to the same class there are the vendors of playbills and books of the performance outside the theatre and lastly the pretended sellers of tractssuch as the lascars and others who use this kind of street traffic as a cloak for the more profitable trade of begging the street sellers of images although strictly comprised within those who vend fine art productions in the public thoroughfares will be treated of under the head of the street italians to which class they mostly belong of the former and present street patterers of the street patterers the running or flying trader announces the contents of the paper he is offering for sale as he proceeds on his mission it is usually the detail of some barbarious and horrible murder or of some extraordinary occurrencesuch as the attack on marshal haynauwhich has roused public attention or the paper announced as descriptive of a murder or of some exciting event may in reality be some odd number of a defunct periodical its astonishing said one patterer to me how few people ever complain of having been took in it hurts their feelings to lose a halfpenny but it 216 hurts their pride too much when theyre had to grumble in public about it on this head then i need give no further general explanation in times of excitement the running patterer or stationer as he was and is sometimes called has reaped the best harvest when the popish plot agitated england in the reign of charles ii the narratives of the design of a handful of men to assassinate a whole nation were eagerly purchased in the streets and taverns and this has been the case during the progress of any absorbing event subsequently i was told by a very old gentleman who had heard it from his grandfather that in some of the quiet towns of the north of england in durham and yorkshire there was the greatest eagerness to purchase from the street sellers any paper relative to the progress of the forces under charles edward stuart in 1745 this was especially the case when it became known that the rebels had gained possession of carlisle and it was uncertain what might be their route southward about the period of the affair of the 45 and in the autumn following the decisive battle of culloden in april 1746 the northern lights were more than usually brilliant or more than usually remarked and a meteor or two had been seen the street sellers were then to be found in fairs and markets vending wonderful accounts of these wonderful phenomena i have already alluded to the character of the old mountebank and to his pompous orations having as little regard to truth as to propriety there certainly is little pompousness in the announcements of the patterers though in their general disregard of truth they resemble those of the mountebank the mountebank however addressed his audience from a stage and made his address attractive by mixing up with it music dancing and tumbling sometimes also equestrianism on the green of a village and by having always the services of a merry andrew or clown the nostrums of these quacks were all as unequalled for cheapness as for infallibility and their impudence and coolness ensured success their practices are as well exposed in some of the spectators of 1711 12 as the puppet playing of powel was good humouredly ridiculed one especial instance is cited where a mountebank announcing himself a native of hammersmith where he was holding forth offered to make a present of 5 s to every brother native of hammersmith among his audience the mountebank then drew from a long bag a handful of little packets each of which he informed the spectators was constantly sold for 5 s 6 d but that out of love to his native hamlet he would bate the odd 5 s to every inhabitant of the place the whole assembly immediately closed with his generous offer there is a scene in moncrieffs popular farce of rochester where the hero personates a mountebank which may be here cited as affording a good idea of the pompous orations indulged in by the street orators in days of yore silence there and hear me for my words are more precious than gold i am the renowned and far famed doctor paracelsus bombastes esculapus galen dam humbug von quack member of all the colleges under the moon m d l m d f r s l l d a s s and all the rest of the letters in the alphabet i am the seventh son of a seventh sonkill or cure is my mottoand i always do it i cured the great emperor of nova scotia of a polypus after he had been given over by all the facultyhe lay to all appearance dead the first pill he took he opened his eyes the second he raised his head and the third he jumped up and danced a hornpipe i dont want to sound my own praiseblow the trumpet balaam balaam blows trumpet but i tapped the great cham of tartary at a sitting of a terrible dropsy so that i didnt leave a drop in him i cure the palsy the dropsy the lunacy and all the sighs without costing anybody a sigh vertigo pertigo lumbago and all the other gos are sure to go whenever i come in his unscrupulousness and boldness in street announcements and sometimes in his humour and satire we find the patterer of the present day to be the mountebank of old descended from his platform into the streetsbut without his music his clown or his dress there was formerly also another class differing little from the habits of that variety of patterers of the present day who busk it or work the public houses the jestours says mr strutt in his sports and pastimes of the people of england or as the word is often written in the old english dialect gesters were the relaters of the gestes that is the actions of famous persons whether fabulous or real and these stories were of two kinds the one to excite pity and the other to move laughter as we learn from chaucer and jestours that tellen tales both of wepying and of game the tales of game as the poet expresses himself were short jocular stories calculated to promote merriment in which the reciters paid little respect to the claims of propriety or even of common decency the tales of game however were much more popular than those of weeping and probably for the very reason that ought to have operated the most powerfully for their suppression the gestours whose powers were chiefly employed in the hours of conviviality finding by experience that lessons of instruction were much less seasonable at such times than idle tales productive of mirth and laughter accommodated their narrations to the general taste of the times regardless of the mischiefs they occasioned by vitiating the morals of their hearers hence it is that the author of the vision of pierce the ploughman calls them contemptibly japers and juglers and janglers of gests he describes them as haunters of taverns and common ale houses amusing the lower classes of the people with myrth of minstrelsy and losels tales loose vulgar tales and calls them tale tellers and tutelers in ydell tutors of idleness occasioning their auditory for love of tales in tavernes to drink where they learned from them to jangle and to jape instead of attending to their more serious duties the japers i apprehend were the same as the bourdours or rybauders an inferior class of minstrels and properly called jesters in the modern acceptation of the word whose wit like that of the merry andrews of the present day 1800 consisted in low obscenity accompanied with ludicrous gesticulation they sometimes however found admission into the houses of the opulent knighton indeed mentions one of these japers who was a favourite in the english court and could obtain any grant from the king a burdando that is by jesting they are well described by the poet as japers and janglers judas chyldren fayneth them fantasies and fooles them maketh 217 it was a very common and a very favourite amusement so late as the 16th century to hear the recital of verses and moral speeches learned for that purpose by a set of men who obtained their livelihood thereby and who without ceremony intruded themselves not only into taverns and other places of public resort but also into the houses of the nobility the resemblance of the modern patterer to the classes above mentioned will be seen when i describe the public house actor and reciter of the present day as well as the standing patterer who does not differ so much from the running patterer in the quality of his announcements as in his requiring more time to make an impression and being indeed a sort of lecturer needing an audience also of the present reciters of verses and moral speeches but of these curious classes i shall proceed to treat separately of the habits opinions morals and religion of patterers generally in order that i might omit nothing which will give the student of that curious phase of london life in london streetsthe condition of the patterersa clear understanding of the subject i procured the following account from an educated gentleman who has been before alluded to in this work and as he had been driven to live among the class he describes and to support himself by street selling his remarks have of course all the weight due to personal experience as well as to close observation if there is any truth in phrenology writes the gentleman in question the patterersto a manare very large in the organ of self esteem from which suggestion an enquiry arises viz whether they possess that of which they may justly pique themselves to arrive at truth about the patterers is very difficult and indeed the persons with whom they live are often quite in the dark about the history or in some cases the pursuits of their lodgers i think that the patterers may be divided into three classes first those who were well born and brought up secondly those whose parents have been dissipated and gave them little education thirdly those whowhatever their early historywill not be or do anything but what is of an itinerant character i shall take a glance at the first of these classes presupposing that they were cradled in the lap of indulgence and trained to science and virtue if these people take to the streets they become with here and there an exception the most reprobate and the least reclaimable i was once the inmate of a lodging house in which there were at one time five university men three surgeons and several sorts of broken down clerks or of other professional men their general habits were demoralised to the last degreetheir oaths more horrid extravagant and far fetched than anything i ever heard they were stupid in logic but very original in obscenity most of them scoffed at the bible or perverted its passages to extenuate fraud to justify violence or construct for themselves excuses for incontinence and imposition it will appear strange that these educated persons when they turn out upon the street generally sell articles which have no connection with literature and very little with art the two brothers who sell that wonder working paste which removes grease from the outside of your collar by driving it further in were both scholars of christs hospital they were second grecians and might have gone to college but several visits to suburban fairs and their accompanying scenes of debauch gave them a penchant for a vagabond life and they will probably never relinquish it the very tall manthere are several otherswho sells razors and paste on a red pagoda looking stall was apprenticed to a surgeon in colchester with a premium of 300 guineas and the little dark visaged man who sells childrens money boxes and traps to catch vermin is the son of a late upholsterer in bath who was also a magistrate of that city the poor man alluded to was a law student and kept two terms in trinity hall cambridge many similar cases might be mentionedcases founded on real observation and experience some light may be thrown upon this subject by pointing out the modus operandi by which a friend of mine got initiated into the art and mystery of patterism i had lived he said more than a year among the tradesmen and tramps who herd promiscuously together in low lodging houses one afternoon i was taking tea at the same table with a brace of patterers they eyed me with suspicion but determined to know their proceedings i launched out the only cant word i had then learned they spoke of going to chatham of course i knew the place and asked them where do you stall to in the huey which fairly translated means where do you lodge in the town convinced that i was fly one of them said we drop the main toper go off the main road and slink into the crib house in the back drum street after some altercation with the mot of the ken mistress of the lodging house about the cleanliness of a knife or fork my new acquaintance began to arrange ground c for the nights work i got into their confidence by degrees and i give below a vocabulary of their talk to each other word meaning crabshells shoes kite paper nests varieties sticky wax toff gentleman burerk lady camister minister crocus doctor bluff an excuse balmy insane mill tag a shirt smeesh a shift hay bag a woman doxy a wife flam a lie 218 teviss a shilling bull a crown flag an apron the cant or slang of the patterer is not the cant of the costermonger but a system of their own as in the case of the costers it is so interlarded with their general remarks while their ordinary language is so smothered and subdued that unless when they are professionally engaged and talking of their wares they might almost pass for foreigners there can be no doubt continues my informant that the second class of street patterers to whom nature or parents or circumstances have been unpropitious are the most moral and have a greater sense of right and wrong with a quicksightedness about humane and generous things to which the aristocratic patterer is a stranger of the dealers in useful or harmless waresalthough of course they use allowable exaggeration as to the goodness of the articlemany are devout communicants at church or members of dissenting bodies while others are as careless about religion and are still to be found once or twice a week in the lecture rooms of the mechanics institute nearest to their residence orchard street westminster is a great locality for this sort of patterers three well known characters bristol george corporal casey and jemmy the rake with a very respectable and highly informed man called grocer from his having been apprenticed to that business have maintained a character for great integrity among the neighbours for many years i come now to the third class of patterers those who whatever their early pursuits and pleasures have manifested a predilection for vagrancy and neither can nor will settle to any ordinary calling there is now on the streets a man scarcely thirty years old conspicuous by the misfortune of a sabre wound on the cheek he is a native of the isle of man his father was a captain in the buffs and himself a commissioned officer at seventeen he left the army designing to marry and open a boarding school the young lady to whom he was betrothed died and that event might affect his mind at any rate he has had 38 situations in a dozen years and will not keep one a week he has a mortal antipathy to good clothes and will not keep them one hour he sells anythingchiefly needle cases he patters very little in a main drag public street but in the little private streets he preaches an outline of his life and makes no secret of his wandering propensity his aged mother who still lives pays his lodgings in old pye street from the hasty glance i have taken at the patterers any well constructed mind may deduce the following inference although a great amount of intelligence sometimes consists with a great want of principle that an utter want of education or mis education leaves man like a reed floating on the stream of time to follow every direction which the current of affairs may give him there is yet another and a larger class who are wanderers from choice who would rather be street orators and quacks and performers than anything else in the world in nine cases out of ten the street patterers are persons of intemperate habits no veracity and destitute of any desire to improve their condition even where they have the chance one of this crew was lately engaged at a bazaar he had 18 s a week and his only work was to walk up and down and extol the articles exhibited this was too monotonous a life i happened to pass him by as he was taking his wages for the week and heard him say i shall cut this by work i can earn more on the streets and be my own master it would be a mistake to suppose that the patterers although a vagrant are a disorganized class there is a telegraphic dispatch between them through the length and breadth of the land if two patterers previously unacquainted meet in the provinces the following or something like it will be their conversation can you voker romeny can you speak cant what is your monekeer name perhaps it turns out that one is white headed bob and the other plymouth ned they have a shant of gatter pot of beer at the nearest boozing ken ale house and swear eternal friendship to each other the old saying that when the liquor is in the wit is out is remarkably fulfilled on these occasions for they betray to the flatties natives all their profits and proceedings it is to be supposed that in country districts where there are no streets the patterer is obliged to call at the houses as they are mostly without the hawkers licence and sometimes find wet linen before it is lost the rural districts are not fond of their visits and there are generally two or three persons in a village reported to be gammy that is unfavourable if a patterer has been crabbed that is offended at any of the cribbs houses he mostly chalks a signal on or near the door i give one or two instances bone meaning good cooperd spoiled by the imprudence of some other patterer gammy likely to have you taken up flummuxed sure of a month in quod in most lodging houses there is an old man who is the guide to every walk in the vicinity and who can tell every house on every round that is good for a cold tater in many cases there is over the kitchen mantle piece a map of the district dotted here and there with memorandums of failure or success patterers are fond of carving their names and avocations about the houses they visit the old jail at dartford has been some years a padding ken in one of the rooms appears the following autographs jemmy the rake bound to bristol bad beds but no bugs thank god for all things razor george and his moll slept here the 219 day afore christmas just out of stir jail for muzzling a peeler scotch mary with driz lace bound to dover and back please god sometimes these inscriptions are coarse and obscene sometimes very well written and orderly nor do they want illustrations at the old factory lincoln is a portrait of the town beadle formerly a soldier it is drawn with different coloured chalks and ends with the following couplet you are a b for false swearing in hell theyll roast you like a herring concubinage is very common among patterers especially on their travels they have their regular rounds and call the peregrination going on circuit for the most part they are early risers this gives them a facility for meeting poor girls who have had a nights shelter in the union workhouses they offer such girls some refreshment swear they are single men and promise comforts certainly superior to the immediate position of their victims consent is generally obtained perhaps a girl of 14 or 15 previously virtuous is induced to believe in a promise of constant protection but finds herself the next morning ruined and deserted nor is it unlikely that within a month or two she will see her seducer in the company of a dozen incidental wives a gray headed miscreant called cutler tom boasts of 500 such exploits and there is too great reason to believe that the picture of his own drawing is not greatly overcharged some of the patterers are married men but of this class very few are faithful to the solemn obligation i have heard of a renowned patterer of this class who was married to four women and had lived in criminal intercourse with his own sister and his own daughter by one of the wives this sad rule has however i am happy to state some splendid exceptions there is a man called andywell known as the companion of hopping ned this andy has a wife of great personal attractions a splendid figure and teeth without a parallel she is a strictly virtuous woman a most devoted wife and tender mother very charitable to any one in want of a meal and very constant she is a catholic in her religious duties another man of the same school whose name has escaped me is with his wife an exception to the stigma on almost the whole class the couple in question have no children the wife whose name is maria has been in every hospital for some complaint in her knees probably white swelling her beauty is the theme of applause and whenever she opens her mouth silence pervades the paddin ken her common conversation is music and mathematics combined her reading has been masculine and extensive and the whisper of calumny has never yet attacked her own demeanour or her husbands of patterers who have children many are very exemplary sending them to day and sunday schools causing them to say grace before and after meals to attend public worship and always to speak the truth these instances however stand in fearful contrast with the conduct of other parents i have seen proceeds my reverend informant fathers and mothers place their boys and girls in positions of incipient enormity and command them to use language and gestures to each other which would make an harlot blush and almost a heathen tremble i have hitherto viewed the patterer as a salesman having something in his hand on whose merits real or pretended he talks people out of their money by slow degrees prosperity rises but rapid is the advance of evil the patterer sometimes gets out of stock and is obliged at no great sacrifice of conscience to patter in another strain in every large town sham official documents with crests seals and signatures can be got for half a crown armed with these the patterer becomes a lurker that is an impostor his papers certify any and every ill that flesh is heir to shipwreck is called a shake lurk loss by fire is a glim sometimes the petitioner has had a horse which has dropped dead with the mad staggers or has a wife ill or dying and six or seven children at once sickening of the small pox children are borrowed to support the appearance the case is certified by the minister and churchwardens of a parish which exists only in imagination and as many people dislike the trouble of investigation the patterer gets enough to raise a stock in trade and divides the spoil between the swag shop and the gin palace sometimes they are detected and get a drag three months in prison they have many narrow escapes one occurs to me of a somewhat ludicrous character a patterer and lurker now dead known by the name of captain moody unable to get a fakement written or printed was standing almost naked in the streets of a neighbouring town a gentleman stood still and heard his piteous tale but having been done more than once he resolved to examine the affair and begged the petitioner to conduct him to his wife and children who were in a garret on a bed of languishing with neither clothes food nor fire but it appeared with faith enough to expect a supply from him who feedeth the ravens and in whose sacred name even a cold tater was implored the patterer or half patterer and half beggar took the gentleman who promised a sovereign if every thing was square through innumerable and intricate windings till he came to an outhouse or sort of stable he saw the key outside the door and begged the gentleman to enter and wait till he borrowed a light of a neighbour to show him up stairs the illumination never arrived and the poor charitable man found that the miscreant had locked him into the stable the patterer went to the padding ken told the story with great glee and left that locality within an hour of the occurrence concerning the mendicancy and vagrancy of 220 patterers i shall have more to say when i speak of vagrancy in general and when i describe the general state and characteristics of the low lodging houses in london and those in the country which are in intimate connection with the metropolitan abodes of the vagrant my present theme is the london patterer who is also a street seller of the publishers and authors of street literature the best known and the most successful printer and publisher of all who have directed their industry to supply the paper in demand for street sale and in every department of street literature was the late jemmy catnach who is said to have amassed upwards of 10 000 l in the business he is reported to have made the greater part of this sum during the trial of queen caroline by the sale of whole sheet papers descriptive of the trial and embellished with splendid illustrations the next to catnach stood the late tommy pitt of the noted toy and marble warehouse these two parties were the colburn and bentley of the paper trade catnach retired from business some years ago and resided in a country house at barnet but he did not long survive his retirement he was an out and out sort said one old paper worker to me and if he knew youand he could judge according to the school you belonged to if he hadnt known you longhe was friendly for a bob or two and sometimes for a glass he knew the men that was stickers though and there was no glass for them why some of his customers sir would have stuck to him long enough if thered been a chance of another glasssupposing theyd managed to get one and then would have asked him for a coach home when i called on him he used to say in his north country wayhe wasnt scotch but somewhere north of englandand he was pleasant with it well d you how are you he got the cream of the pail sir the present street literature printers and publishers are mrs ryle catnachs niece and successor mr birt and mr paul formerly with catnach all of the seven dials mr powell formerly of lloyds brick lane whitechapel and mr good aylesbury street clerkenwell mr phairs of westminster mr taylor of the waterloo road and mr sharp of kent street borough have discontinued street printing one man greatly regretted mr taylors discontinuing the business he was so handy for the new cut when it was the new cut some classes of patterers i may here observe work in schools or mobs of two three or four as i shall afterwards show the authors and poets who give its peculiar literature alike in prose or rhyme to the streets are now six in number they are all in some capacity or other connected with street patter or song and the way in which a narrative or a copy of werses is prepared for press is usually this the leading members of the schools some of whom refer regularly to the evening papers when they hear of any out of the way occurrence resort to the printer and desire its publication in a style proper for the streets this is usually done very speedily the school or the majority of them and the printer agreeing upon the author sometimes an author will voluntarily prepare a piece of street literature and submit it to a publisher who as in the case of other publishers accepts or declines as he believes the production will or will not prove remunerative sometimes the school carry the manuscript with them to the printer and undertake to buy a certain quantity to insure publication the payment to the author is the same in all casesa shilling concerning the history and character of our street and public house literature i shall treat hereafter when i can comprise the whole and after the descriptions of the several classes engaged in the trade will have paved the way for the readers better appreciation of the curious and important theme i say important because the street ballad and the street narrative like all popular things have their influence on masses of the people specimens will be found adduced as i describe the several classes or in the statements of the patterers it must be borne in mind that the street author is closely restricted in the quality of his effusion it must be such as the patterers approve as the chaunters can chaunt the ballad singers sing andabove allsuch as street buyers will buy one chaunter who was a great admirer of the song of the shirt told me that if hood himself had written the pitiful case of georgy sloan and his wife it would not have sold so well as a ballad he handed to me from which i extract a verse jane willbred we did starve and beat her very hard i confess we used her very cruel but now in a jail two long years we must bewail we dont fancy mustard in the gruel what i have said of the necessity which controls street authorship may also be said of the art which is sometimes called in to illustrate it the paper now published for the streets is classed as quarter sheets which cost wholesale 1 s a gross half sheets which cost 2 s and whole or broad sheets such as for executions which cost 3 s 6 d a gross the first day and 3 s the next day or two and afterwards but only if a ream be taken 5 s 6 d a ream contains forty dozen when illustrated the charge is from 3 d to 1 s per ream extra the books for such cases as the sloanes or the murder of jael denny are given in bookswhich are best adapted for the suburban and country trade when london is worked sufficientlyare the whole sheet printed so as to fold into eight pages each side of the paper being then of course printed upon a book is charged from 6 d to 1 s extra to a whole sheet per gross and afterwards the same extra per ream 221 of long song sellers i have this week given a daguerreotype of a well known long song seller and have preferred to give it as the trade especially as regards london has all but disappeared and it was curious enough long songs first appeared between nine and ten years ago the long song sellers did not depend upon patterthough some of them pattered a littleto attract customers but on the veritable cheapness and novel form in which they vended popular songs printed on paper rather wider than this page three songs abreast and the paper was about a yard long which constituted the three yards of song sometimes three slips were pasted together the vendors paraded the streets with their three yards of new and popular songs for a penny the songs are or were generally fixed to the top of a long pole and the vendor cried the different titles as he went along this branch of the profession is confined solely to the summer the hands in winter usually taking to the sale of song books it being impossible to exhibit the three yards in wet or foggy weather the paper songs as they fluttered from a pole looked at a little distance like huge much soiled white ribbons used as streamers to celebrate some auspicious news the cry of one man in a sort of recitative or as i heard it called by street patterers sing song was three yards a penny three yards a penny beautiful songs newest songs popular songs three yards a penny song song songs others however were generally content to announce merely three yards a penny one cried two under fifty a fardy as if two hundred and fifty songs were to be sold for a farthing the whole number of songs was about 45 they were afterwards sold at a halfpenny but were shorter and fewer it is probable that at the best had the songs been subjected to the admeasurement of a jury the result might have been as little satisfactory as to some tradesmen who however after having been detected in attempts to cheat the poor in weights and scales and to cheat them hourly are still good men and true enough to be jurymen and parliamentary electors the songs i am informed were often about 2 yards not as to paper but as to admeasurement of type 3 yards occasionally at first and not often less than 2 yards the crying of the titles was not done with any other design than that of expressing the great number of songs purchasable for the small charge of one penny some of the patterers i conversed with would have made it sufficiently droll one man told me that he had cried the following songs in his three yards and he believed in something like the following order but he had cried penny song books among other things lately and might confound his more ancient and recent cries i sometimes began he said with singing or trying to sing for im no vocalist the first few words of any song and them quite loud id begin the pope he leads a happy life he knows no care buffalo gals come out to night death of nelson the gay cavalier jim along josey theres a good time coming drink to me only kate kearney chuckaroo choo choo choo choot lah chockala roony ninkaping nang paga daway dusty kanty key hottypie gunnypo china coo thats a chinese song sir i dreamed that i dwelt in marble halls the standard bearer just like love whistle oer the lave ot widow mackree ive been roaming oh that kiss the old english gentleman c c c i dares say they was all in the three yards or was once and if they wasnt there was others as good the chief purchasers of the long songs were boys and girls but mostly boys who expended 1 d or d for the curiosity and novelty of the thing as the songs were not in the most readable form a few working people bought them for their children and some women of the town who often buy anything fantastic were also customers when the three yards was at their best the number selling them was about 170 the wholesale charge is from 3 d to 5 d a dozen according to size the profit of the vendors in the first instance was about 8 d a dozen when the trade had all the attractions of novelty some men sold ten dozen on fine days and for three or four of the summer months so clearing between 6 s and 7 s a day this however was not an average but an average might be at first 21 s a week profit i am assured that if twenty persons were selling long songs in the street last summer it was the outside as long songs are now for fairs and races and country work calculating that each cleared 9 s in a week and to clear that took 15 s the profit being smaller than it used to be as many must be sold at d eachwe find 120 l expended in long songs in the streets the character of the vendor is that of a patterer of inferior genius the stock money required is 1 s to 2 s which with 2 d for a pole and d for paste is all the capital needed very few were sold in the public houses as the vendors scrupled to expose them there for drunken fellows would snatch them and make belts of them for a lark of running patterers few of the residents in londonbut chiefly those in the quieter streetshave not been aroused and most frequently in the evening by a hurly burly on each side of the street an attentive listening will not lead any one to an accurate knowledge of what the clamour is about it is from a mob or school of the running patterers for both those words are 222 used and consists of two three or four men all these men state that the greater the noise they make the better is the chance of sale and better still when the noise is on each side of a street for it appears as if the vendors were proclaiming such interesting or important intelligence that they were vieing with one another who should supply the demand which must ensue it is not possible to ascertain with any certitude what the patterers are so anxious to sell for only a few leading words are audible one of the cleverest of running patterers repeated to me in a subdued tone his announcements of murders the words murder horrible barbarous love mysterious former crimes and the like could only be caught by the ear but there was no announcement of anything like particulars if however the paper relate to any well known criminal such as rush the name is given distinctly enough and so is any new or pretended fact the running patterers describe or profess to describe the contents of their papers as they go rapidly along and they seldom or ever stand still they usually deal in murders seductions crim cons explosions alarming accidents assassinations deaths of public characters duels and love letters but popular or notorious murders are the great goes the running patterer cares less than other street sellers for bad weather for if he work on a wet and gloomy evening and if the work be a cock which is a fictitious statement or even a pretended fictitious statement there is the less chance of any one detecting the ruse but of late years no new cocks have been printed excepting for temporary purposes such as i have specified as under its appropriate head in my account of death and fire hunters among the old stereotyped cocks are love letters one is well known as the husband caught in a trap and being in an epistolary form subserves any purpose whether it be the patterers aim to sell the love letters of any well known person such as lola montes or to fit them for a local pretended scandal as the letters from a lady in this neighbourhood to a gentleman not 100 miles off of running patterers there are now in london from 80 to 100 they residesome in their own rooms but the majority in lodging housesin or near westminster st giless whitechapel stratford deptford wandsworth and the seven dials the dials however is their chief locality being the residence of the longest established printers and is the head meet of the fraternity it is not easy to specify with exactitude the number of running or flying patterers at any one time in london some of these men become occasionally standing patterers chaunters or ballad singersclasses i shall subsequently describeand all of them resort at intervals to country rounds i heard also many complaints of boys having of late taken to the running patter when anything attractive was before the public and of ignorant fellowsthat wouldnt have thought of it at one timetrying their hands at it waiving these exceptional augmentations of the number i will take the body of running patterers generally employed in their peculiar craft in london at 90 to ascertain their earnings presents about the same difficulties as to ascertain their number for as all they earn is spentno patterer ever saving moneythey themselves are hardly able to tell their incomes if any new and exciting fact be before the public these men may each clear 20 s a week when there is no such fact they may not earn 5 s the profit is contingent moreover upon their being able to obtain 1 d or only d for their paper some represented their average weekly earnings at 12 s 6 d the year through some at 10 s 6 d and others at less than half of 12 s 6 d reckoning however that only 9 s weekly is an average profit per individual and that 14 s be taken to realise that profit we find 3 276 l expended yearly on running patterers in london but in that sum the takings of the chaunters must be included as they are members of the same fraternity and work with the patterers the capital required to commence as a running patterer is but the price of a few papersfrom 2 d to 1 s the men have no distinctive dress our togs said one of them is in the latest fashion of petticoat lane unless on the very rare occasions when some character has to be personated and then coloured papers and glazed calicoes are made available but this is only a venture of the old hands long song seller two under fifty for a fardy from a daguerreotype by beard experience of a running patterer from a running patterer who has been familiar with the trade for many years i received upwards of a twelvemonth ago the following statement he is well known for his humour and is a leading man in his fraternity after some conversation about cocks the most popular of which my informant said was the murder at chigwell row he continued thats a trump to the present day why id go out now sir with a dozen of chigwell rows and earn my supper in half an hour off of em the murder of sarah holmes at lincoln is good toothat there has been worked for the last five year successively every winter poor sarah holmes bless her she has saved me from walking the streets all night many a time some of the best of these have been in work twenty yearsthe scarborough murder has full twenty years its called the scarborough tragedy ive worked it myself its about a noble and rich young naval officer seducing a poor clergymans daughter she is confined in a ditch and destroys the child she is taken up for it tried and executed this has had a great run it sells all round the country places and would sell now if they had it out mostly all our customers is females they are the chief 223 dependence we have the scarborough tragedy is very attractive it draws tears to the womens eyes to think that a poor clergymans daughter who is remarkably beautiful should murder her own child its very touching to every feeling heart theres a copy of verses with it too then theres the liverpool tragedythats very attractive its a mother murdering her own son through gold he had come from the east indies and married a rich planters daughter he came back to england to see his parents after an absence of thirty years they kept a lodging house in liverpool for sailors the son went there to lodge and meant to tell his parents who he was in the morning his mother saw the gold he had got in his boxes and cut his throatsevered his head from his body the old man upwards of seventy years of age holding the candle they had put a washing tub under the bed to catch his blood the morning after the murder the old mans daughter calls and inquires for a young man the old man denies that they have had any such person in the house she says he had a mole on his arm in the shape of a strawberry the old couple go up stairs to examine the corpse and find they have murdered their own son and then they both put an end to their existence this is a deeper tragedy than the scarborough murder that suits young people better they like to hear about the young woman being seduced by the naval officer but the mothers take more to the liverpool tragedyit suits them better some of the cocks were in existence long before ever i was born or thought of the great and important battle between the two young ladies of fortune is what we calls a ripper i should like to have that there put down correct he added cause ive taken a tidy lot of money out of it my informant who had been upwards of 20 years in the running patter line told me that he commenced his career with the last dying speech and full confession of william corder he was sixteen years of age and had run away from his parents i worked that there he said down in the very town at bury where he was executed i got a whole hatful of halfpence at that why i wouldnt even give em seven for sixpenceno that i wouldnt a gentlemans servant come out and wanted half a dozen for his master and one for himself in and i wouldnt let him have no such thing we often sells more than that at once why i sold six at one go to the railway clerks at norwich about the manning affair only a fortnight back but steinburghs little jobyou know he murdered his wife and family and committed suicide afterthat sold as well as any die pegsworth was an out and out lot i did tremendous with him because it happened in london down ratcliff highwaythats a splendid quarter for workingtheres plenty of feelingsbut bless you some places you go to you cant move no how theyve hearts like paving stones they wouldnt have the papers if youd give them to emespecially when they knows you greenacre didnt sell so well as might have been expected for such a diabolical out and out crime as he committed but you see he came close after pegsworth and that took the beauty off him two murderers together is never no good to nobody why there was wilson gleeson as great a villain as ever livedwent and murdered a whole family at noon daybut rush coopered himand likewise that girl at bristolmade it no draw to any one daniel good though was a first rater and would have been much better if it hadnt been for that there madam toosow you see she went down to roehampton and guv 2 l for the werry clogs as he used to wash his masters carriage in so in course when the harristocracy could go and see the real thingsthe werry identical clogsin the chamber of orrors why the people wouldnt look at our authentic portraits of the fiend in human form hocker wasnt any particular great shakes there was a deal expected from him but he didnt turn out well courvoisier was much better he sold wery well but nothing to blakesley why i worked him for six weeks the wife of the murdered man kept the kings head that he was landlord on open on the morning of the execution and the place was like a fair i even went and sold papers outside the door myself i thought if she warnt ashamed why should i be after that we had a fine fakethat was the fire of the tower of londonit sold rattling why we had about forty apprehended for thatfirst we said two soldiers was taken up that couldnt obtain their discharge and then we declared it was a well known sporting nobleman who did it for a spree the boy jones in the palace wasnt much of an affair for the running patterers the ballad singersor street screamers as we calls emhad the pull out of that the patter wouldnt take they had read it all in the newspapers before oxford and francis and bean were a little better but nothing to crack about the people doesnt care about such things as them theres nothing beats a stunning good murder after all why there was rushi lived on him for a month or more when i commenced with rush i was 14 s in debt for rent and in less than fourteen days i astonished the wise men in the east by paying my landlord all i owed him since danel good there had been little or nothing doing in the murder lineno one could cap himtill rush turned up a regular trump for us why i went down to norwich expressly to work the execution i worked my way down there with a sorrowful lamentation of his own composing which id got written by the blind man expressly for the occasion on the morning of the execution we beat all the regular newspapers out of the field for we had the full true and particular account down you see by our own express and that can beat anything that ever they can publish for we gets it printed several days afore it comes off 224 and goes and stands with it right under the drop and manys the penny ive turned away when ive been asked for an account of the whole business before it happened so you see for herly and correct hinformation we can beat the sun aye or the moon either for the matter of that irish jem the ambassador never goes to bed but he blesses rush the farmer and manys the time hes told me we should never have such another windfall as that but i told him not to despair theres a good time coming boys says i and sure enough up comes the bermondsey tragedy we might have done very well indeed out of the mannings but there was too many examinations for it to be any great account to us ive been away with the mannings in the country ever since ive been through hertfordshire cambridgeshire and suffolk along with george frederick manning and his wifetravelled from 800 to 1 000 miles with em but i could have done much better if i had stopped in london every day i was anxiously looking for a confession from mrs manning all i wanted was for her to clear her conscience afore she left this here whale of tears thats what i always calls it in the patter and when i read in the papers mind they was none of my own that her last words on the brink of heternity was ive nothing to say to you mr rowe but to thank you for your kindness i guv her up entirelyhad completely done with her in course the public looks to us for the last words of all monsters in human form and as for mrs mannings they were not worth the printing of the recent experience of a running patterer from the same man i had the following account of his vocation up to the present time well sir he said i think take them altogether things hasnt been so good this last year as the year before but the pope god bless him hes been the best friend ive had since rush but rush licked his holiness you see the pope and cardinal wiseman is a one sided affair of course the catholics wont buy anything against the pope but all religions could go for rush our mob once thought of starting a cardinals dress and i thought of wearing a red hat myself i did wear a shovel hat when the bishop of london was our racket but i thought the hat began to feel too hot so i shovelled it off there was plenty of paper that would have suited to work with a cardinals hat there was one cardinal wisemans lament and it was giving his own words like and a red hat would have capped it it used to make the people roar when it came to snivelling and grumbling at little jack russellby wiseman in course and when it comes to this partwhich alludes to that ere thundering letter to the bishop of durhamthe people was stunned he called me a buffalo bull and a monkey and then with a soldier called old arthur conkey declared they would buy me a ninepenny donkey and send me to rome to the pope they shod me sir whos they why the pope and cardinal wiseman i call my clothes after them i earn money by to buy them with my shoes i call pope pius my trowsers and braces calcraft my waistcoat and shirt jael denny and my coat love letters a man must show a sense of gratitude in the best way he can but i didnt start the cardinals hat i thought it might prove disagreeable to sir robert peels dress lodgers what my informant said further of the pope i give under the head of the chaunter there was very little doing he continued for some time after i gave you an account before hardly a slum worth a crust and a pipe of tobacco to us a slums a paper fake make a foot note of that sir i think adelaide was the first thing i worked after i told you of my tomfooleries yes it was her helegy she werent of no account whatsomever and cambridge was no better nor adelaide but there was poor sir robert peel he was some good indeed i think he was as good as 5 s a day to me for the four or five days when he was freshest browns were thrown out of the windows to us and one copper cartridge was sent flying at us with 13 d in it all copper as if it had been collected i worked sir robert at the west end and in the quiet streets and squares certainly we had a most beautiful helegy well poor gentleman what we earned on him was some set off to us for his starting his new regiment of the bluesthe cooks own not that theyve troubled me much i was once before alderman kelly when he was lord mayor charged with obstructing or some humbug of that sort what are you my man says he quietly and like a gentleman in the same line as yourself my lord says i hows that says he im a paper worker for my living my lord says i i was soon discharged and there was such fun and laughing that if id had a few slums in my pocket i believe i could have sold them all in the justice room haynau was a stunner and the drayman came their caper just in the critical time for us as things was growing very taper but i did best with him in chaunting and so as you want to hear about chaunting ill tell you after were forced to change our patterfirst running then chaunting and then standingoftener than we used to illustrations of street artno i horrible and bar bari ous murder of poor jael denny the ill fated victim of thomas drory then calcraft was pretty tidy browns he was up for starving his mother and what better can you expect of a hangman me and my mate worked him down at hatfield in essex where his mother lives its his native i believe we sold her one shes a limping old body i saw the people look at her and they told me arterards who she was how much says she a penny marm say i sarve him right says she we worked it too in the street in hoxton where he lives and he sent out for two which shows hes a sensible sort of character in some points after all then we had a woice from the gaol or the horrors 225 of the condemned cell being the life of william calcraft the present hangman its written in the high style and parts of it will have astonished the hangmans nerves before this heres a bit of the patter now let us look at william calcraft says the eminent author in his earliest days he was born about the year 1801 of humble but industrious parents at a little village in essex his infant ears often listened to the children belonging to the sunday schools of his native place singing the well known words of watts beautiful hymn when eer i take my walks abroad how many poor i see c but alas for the poor farmers boy he never had the opportunity of going to that school to be taught how to shun the broad way leading to destruction to seek a chance fortune he travelled up to london where his ignorance and folorn condition shortly enabled that fell demon which ever haunts the footsteps of the wretched to mark him for her own isnt that stunning sir here it is in print for you mark him for her own then poor dear hes so sorry to hang anybody heres another bit but in vain he repents he has no real friend in the world but his wife to whom he can communicate his private thoughts and in return receive consolation can any lot be harder than this hence his nervous system is fast breaking down every day rendering him less able to endure the excruciating and agonizing torments he is hourly suffering he is haunted by remorse heaped upon remorse every fresh victim he is required to strangle being so much additional fuel thrown upon that mental flame which is scorching him you may believe me sir and i can prove the factthe author of that beautiful writing aint in parliament think of the mental flame sir o dear sirrell was no good either not salt to a herring though we worked him in his own neighbourhood and pattered about gold and silver all in a row ah says one old woman he was a spectable man werry marm says i hollest werent no good either cause the wictim was a parson if it had happened a little later wed have had it to rights the newspapers didnt make much of it wed have shown it was the commencement of a most horrid and barbarious plot got up by the pope and cardinal wiseman for r the mas ser cree ing of all good protestant ministers that would have been the dodge sir a beautiful idear now isnt it but the murder came off badly and you cant expect fellows like them murderers to have any regard for the interest of art and literature then theres so long to wait between the murder and the trial that unless the fiend in human form keeps writing beautiful love letters the excitement cant be kept up we can write the love letters for the fiend in human thats quite true and we once had a great pull that way over the newspapers but lord love you theres plenty of em gets more and more into our line they treads in our footsteps sir they follows our bright example o isnt there a nice rubbing and polishing up this here copy wont do this must be left out and that put in cause it suits the walk of the paper why you must know sir i know dont tell me you cant have been on the morning chronicle for nothing then there was the horrid and inhuman murder committed by t drory on the body of jael denny at donninghurst a village in essex we worked it in every way drory had every chance given to him we had half sheets and copies of werses and books a very tidy book it was setting off with showing how the secluded village of donninghurst has been the scene of a most determined and diabolical murder the discovery of which early on sunday the 12th in the morning has thrown the whole of this part of the country into a painful state of excitement well sir wellvery well that bit was taken from a newspaper oh were not above acknowledging when we condescends to borrow from any of em if you remember when i saw you about the time i told you i thought jael denny would turn out as good as maria martin and without any joke or nonsense sir it really is a most shocking thing but she didnt the weather coopered her poor lass there was money in sight and we couldnt touch it it seemed washed away from us for you may remember how wet it was i made a little by her though for all that i havent done with master drory yet if god spares my life he shall make it up to me why now sir is it reasonable that a poor man like me should take so much pains to make drorys name known all over the country and walk miles and miles in the rain to do it and get only a few bob for my labour it cant be thought on when the wile and inhuman seducer takes his trial he must pay up my just claims im not going to take all that trouble on his account and let him off so easy my informant then gave me an account of his sale of papers relating to the pope and cardinal wiseman but as he was then a chaunter rather than a patterer the distinction is shown under another head i give his characteristic account as the statement of a chaunter he proceeded after having finished his recital of the street business relating to the pope c my last paying caper was the sloanes they beat haynau i declare to you sir the knowingest among us couldnt have invented a cock to equal the conduct of them sloanes why its disgusting to come near the plain truth about them i think take it altogether sloane was as good as the pope but he had a stopper like pius the ninth for that was a one sided affair and the catholics wouldnt buy and sloane was too disgusting for the gentry or better sort to buy him but ive been in little streets where some of the windows was without sashes and some that had sashes had stockings thrust between the frames and ive taken half a bob in hapennies oh you should have heard what poor women said about 226 him for it was women that bought him most they was more savage against him than against her why they had fifty deaths for him rolling in a barrel with lots of sharp nails inside down primrose hill and turned out to the women on kennington common and boiled alive in oil or stuff that cant be mentioned or hung over a slow fire o the poor dear girl says they what shes suffered we had accounts of mistress sloanes apprehension before the papers we had it at jersey and they had it at boulogne but we were first then we discovered because we must be in advance of the papers that miss devaux was sloanes daughter by a former wife and jane wilbred was mrs sloanes daughter by a former husband and was entitled to 1 000 l by rights haynau was a fool to sloane i dont know of anything fresh thats in hand sir one of our authors is coming out with something spicy against lord john for doing nothing about wiseman cause he says as no one thing that hes written for lord john ever sold well something against him may of the chaunters as the minstrels art writes mr strutt in his sports and pastimes consisted of several branches the professors were distinguished by different denominations as rimours chanterres conteours jougleours or jongleurs jestours lecours and troubadours or trouvers in modern language rhymers singers story tellers jugglers relaters of heroic actions buffoons and poets but all of them were included under the general name of minstrel an eminent french antiquary says of the minstrels that some of them themselves composed the subjects they sang or related as the trouvers and the conteurs and some of them used the compositions of others as the jougleours and the chanteurs he further remarks that the trouvers may be said to have embellished their productions with rhyme while the conteurs related their histories in prose the jougleours who in the middle ages were famous for playing upon the vielle a kind of hurdy gurdy accompanied the songs of the trouvers these jougleours were also assisted by the chanteurs and this union of talents rendered the compositions more harmonious and more pleasing to the auditory and increased their rewards so that they readily joined each other and travelled together in large parties it is however very certain that the poet the songster and the musician were frequently united in the same person my account of the authors c of street literature shows that the analogy still holds the french antiquary quoted was fauchet in his origine de la langue et posie franoise 1581 and though he wrote concerning his own country his descriptions apply equally to the english minstrels who were principally normans for many reigns after the conquest and were of the same race and habits and manners as on the french side of the channel of the minstrels i shall have more to say when i treat of the ballad singers and the bands of street and public house musicians of to day between whom and the minstrels of old there is in many respects a somewhat close resemblance minstrelsy fell gradually from its high estate and fell so low that in the 39th year of elizabeths reigna period when the noblest poetry of any language was beginning to command the ear of the educated in englandthe minstrels were classed in a penal statute with rogues vagabonds and sturdy beggars putenham in his arte of english poesie 1589 speaks of taverne minstrels that give a fit of mirth for a groat one of the statutes enacted in cromwells protectorate was directed against all persons commonly called fidlers or minstrells in the old times then the jougeleurs and jestours were assisted by the chanteurs in the present day the running pattererwho as i have shown is the sufficiently legitimate descendant of the jestour and in some respects of the mountebankis accompanied generally by a chaunter so presenting a further point of resemblance between ancient and modern street folk the chaunter now not only sings but fiddles for within these few years the running patterers to render their performances more attractive are sometimes accompanied by musicians the running performer then instead of hurrying along with the members of his mob making sufficient noise to arouse a whole street takes his stand with the chaunter in any promising place and as the songs which are the most popular areas is the case at many of the concert roomssometimes spoken as well as sung the performers are in their proper capacity for the patterer not only speaks but speaks more than is set down for him while the chaunter fiddles and sings sometimes the one patters while the other sings and their themes are the same i am told however that there are only fifty running patterers who are regularly their own chaunters fiddling to their songs while the mob work as usual or one man sings or speaks and sings with the chaunter two of these men are known as brummagem jack and the country paganini from twenty to thirty patterers however are chaunters also when they think the occasion requires it further to elucidate chaunting and to show the quality of the canticles and the way of proceeding i cite a statement of his experience as a chaunter from the running patterer whose details of his more especial business i have already given but who also occasionally chaunts of the experience of a chaunter the pope sir he began was as one sided to chaunt as to patter in course we had the greeks the lately arrived irish down upon us more than once in liverpool street on the night of the meeting at guildhall about 227 the papal aggression we had a regular skrimmage one gentleman said really you shouldnt sing such improper songs my men then up comes another and he was a little crusted with port wine and he says what against that cove the pope here give me half a dozen of the papers the city was tidy for the patter sir or the chaunt there was sixpences but there was shillings at the west end and for the first time in their innocent lives the parsons came out as stunning patrons of the patter one of em as we was at work in the street give a bit of a signal and was attended to without any parade to the next street and was good for half a crown other two stopped that wery same day and sent a boy to us with a joey then me and my mate went to the rev w s him as came it so strong for the fire works on the fifth of november and we pattered and we pattered and we chaunted and we chaunted but no go for a goodish bit his servant said he werent at home in course that wouldnt do for us so down he came his self at last and says werry soft come to morrow morning my men and therell be two gentlemen to hear you we stuck to him for something in hand but he said the business had cost him so much already he really couldnt well we bounced a bob out of him and didnt go near him again after all we did for his party a shilling was black ingratitude of course we has no feeling either for or agin the pope we goes to it as at an election and let me tell you sir we got very poorly paid it couldnt be called paid for working for lord john at the city election and i was the original of the live rats which took well but theres a good time coming to pay lord johnny off some of the tunestheres no act of parliament about tunes you know sirwas stunners on the fiddle as if a thousand bricks was falling out of a cart at once i think the pope and cardinal wiseman one of the first of the songs did as well as any this werse was greatly admired now lord john russell did so bright to the bishop of durham a letter write saying while ive a hand ill fight the pope and cardinal wiseman lord johns ancestor as i tell lord william russell then known well his true religion would not sell a martyr he in glory fell and now lord john so bold and free has got a rope as we may see to hang up on each side of a tree the pope and cardinal wiseman this finishing werse too was effective and out came a few browns now we dont care a fig for rome why cant they let the girls alone and mind their business at home the pope and cardinal wiseman with their monsical red cardinals hat and lots of wafers in a sack if they come here with all their clack well wound them fil fal la ra whack in england they shall not be loose their hum bugging is all no use if they come here well cook their goose the pope and cardinal wiseman chorus monks and nuns and fools afloat well have no bulls shoved down our throat cheer up and shout down with the pope and his bishop cardinal wiseman then there was another sir the pope he is coming oh crikey oh dear to the tune of the camels are coming there was one bit that used to tickle them i maynt exactly remember it for i didnt do anything beyond a spurt in it and havent a copy for you but it tickled em with others this was the bit ive heard my old grandmothers grandmother say they burnt us in smithfield full ten every day o what shall i do for i feel very queer the pope hes a coming oh crikey oh dear bless you sir if i see a smart dressed servant girl looking shyly out of the street door at us or through the area railings and i can get a respectful word in and say my good young lady do buy of a poor fellow we havent said a word to your servants we hasnt seen any on em then shes had sir for 1 d at least and twice out of thrice that good young lady chloroforms her then this one now is stunning its part of what the queen was a going to sing at the opening of the parliament but she changed her mind and mores the pity for it would have had a grand effect its called the queen the pope and the parliament and these is the best of the stanzas i calls them werses in common but stanzas for wick my lords and my gentlemen all the bishops and great house of commons on you for protection i call for you know i am only a woman i am really quite happy indeed to meet you like birds of a feather so i hope you will all struggle with me and pull away boys altogether my name is victoria the queen our bishops and deans did relent and say they for ever was undone bishop philpott a long challenge sent to his lordship the bishop of london to fight him on hounslow heath but the bishop of london was coosey he gave him one slap in the mouth and then sent a letter to pusey no humbuggery stories for vick i heard my old grandfather say his great grandmother easily loved reckon when they made a fool run away whose name was king jemmy the second billy gave him a ticket for soup though bill married old jemmys daughter he knocked him from old palace yard to ireland across the boyne water long life to victoria the queen come here my old friend joey hume i know you in silence wont mope now go up and get inside the moon and make fast a great torry rope now and then give a spring and a jump and you to a peerage shall rise then for well swing up old pius the pope and his eminence cardinal wiseman old england and down with the pope 228 then there wasnt no risk with haynaui told you of the pope first cause he was most chauntedno fear of a ferricadouzer for the butcher how is it spelled sir well if you cant find it in the dictionary you must use your own judgment what does it mean it means a dewskitch a good thrashing ive been threatened with dark nights about the pope after the greeks has said fat have you to say agin the holy gintleman to the divil wid all the likes o ye haynau was a fair stage and no favour this werse was best liked the other day as you must know in barclays brewhouse he did go and signed his bloody name haynau the fellow that flogged the women baron rothchild did him shend and in the letter which he pennd he shaid the sheneral wash his friend and so good a man he could not mend chorus rumpsey bumsybang him well make his back and sides to swell till he roars aloud with dreadful yell the fellow that flogged the women the women bought very free poor women mostly we only worked him to any extent in the back drags one old body at stepney was so pleased that she said o the bloody minded willain whenever you come this way again sir theres always 1 d for you she didnt pay in advance though then it ended sir with a beautiful moral as appeals to every female bosom that man who would a female harm is never fit to live we always likes something for the ladies bless em theyre our best customers then there was poor jael denny but she was humped sir and ive told you the reason her copy of werses began since corder died on buystree no mortal man did read or see of such a dreadful tragedy as i will now unfold a maid in bloomto her silent tomb is hurried in the prime of life how could a villain cause such strife she worthy was a famous wife the like was seldom told chorus she was young and gay like the flowers of may in youth and vigour health and bloom she is hurried to the silent tomb through essex such a dreadfull gloom jael dennys murder caused my last chaunt was jane wilbred and her wersesand they did tidy well began a case like this you seldom read or one so sad and true and we sincerely hope the perper trators both will rue to serve a friendless servant girl two years they did engage her name it is jane willbred and eighteen years of age what do you think of the great exhibition sir i shall be there me and my mates we are going to send in a copy of werses in letters of gold for a prize well let the foreigners know what the real native melodies of england is and no mistake of the death and fire hunters i have described the particular business of the running patterer who is known by another and a very expressive cognomenas a death hunter this title refers not only to his vending accounts of all the murders that become topics of public conversation but to his being a murderer on his own account as in the sale of cocks mentioned incidentally in this narrative if the truth be saleable a running patterer prefers selling the truth for thenas one man told mehe can go the same round comfortably another day if there be no truths for saleno stories of criminals lives and loves to be condensed from the diffusive biographies in the newspapersno helegy for a great man goneno prophecy and no crim con the death hunter invents or rather announces them he puts some one to death for the occasion which is called a cock the paper he sells may give the dreadful details or it may be a religious tract brought out in mistake should the vendor be questioned on the subject or else the poor fellow puts on a bewildered look and murmurs o its shocking to be done this waybut i cant read the patterers pass along so rapidly that this detection rarely happens one man told me that in the last eight or ten years he either singly or with his mob had twice put the duke of wellington to death once by a fall from his horse and the other time by a sudden and myst e rious death without any condescension to particulars he had twice performed the same mortal office for louis phillipe before that potentates departure from france each death was by the hands of an assassin one was stabbing and the other a shot from a distance he once thought of poisoning the pope but was afraid of the street irish he broke prince alberts leg or arm he was not sure which when his royal highness was out with his harriers he never had much to say about the queen it wouldnt go down he thought and perhaps nothing had lately been said stop there sir said another patterer of whom i inquired as to the correctness of those statements after my constant custom in sifting each subject thoroughly stop stop sir i have had to say about the queen lately in coorse nothing can be said against her and nothing ought to thats true enough but the last time she was confined i cried her accouchement the word was pronounced as spelt to a merely english reader or rather more broadly of three lord love you sir it would have been no use crying one peoples so used to that but a bobby came up and he stops me and said it was some impudence about the queens coachman why look at it says i fat headi knew i was safeand see if theres 229 anything in it about the queen or her coachman and he looked and in coorse there was nothing i forget just now what the paper was about my first mentioned informant had apprehended feargus oconnor on a charge of high treason he assassinated louis napoleon from a fourth edition of the times which did well he caused marshal haynau to die of the assault by the draymen he made rush hang himself in prison he killed jane wilbred and put mrs sloane to death and he announced the discovery that jane wilbred was mrs sloanes daughter this informant did not represent that he had originated these little pieces of intelligence only that he had been a party to their sale and a party to originating one or two another pattererand of a higher order of geniustold me that all which was stated was undoubtedly correct but me and my mates sir he said did haynau in another style a splendid slum sir capital we assassinated him mys terious then about rush his hanging hisself in prison was a fake i know but weve had him lately his ghost appearedas is shown in the australian papersto emily sandford and threatened her and took her by the neck and theres the red marks of his fingers to be seen on her neck to this day the same informant was so loud in his praise of the ass sass sination of haynau that i give the account i have little doubt it was his own writing it is confused in passages and has a blending of the i and the we we have just received upon undisputed authority that that savage and unmanly tyrant that enemy to civil and religious liberty the inhuman haynau has at last finished his career of guilt by the hand of an assassin the term assassin i have no doubt will greet harshly upon the ears of some of our readers yet never the less i am compelled to use it although i would gladly say the average of outraged innocence which would be a name more suitable to one who has been the means of ridden the world of such a despicable monster my informant complained bitterly and not without reason of the printer average for instance which i have italicised should be avenger the average of outraged innocence it appears by the columns of the corour le constituonal of brussels runs the paper that the evening before last three men one of which is supposed to be the miscreant haynau entered a cafe in the neighbourhood of brussels kept by a man in the name of priduex and after partaking of some refreshments which were ordered by his two companions they desired to be shown to their chambers during their stay in the public or travellers room they spoke but little and seemed to be very cautious as to joining in the conversations which was passing briskly round the festive board which to use the landlords own words was rather strange as his cafe was mostly frequented by a set of jovial fellows m priduex goes on to state that after the three strangers had retired to rest some time a tall and rather noble looking man enveloped in a large cloak entered and asked for a bed and after calling for some wine he took up a paper and appeared to be reading it very attentively in due time he was shown to bed and all passed on without any appearance of anything wrong until about 6 oclock in the morning when the landlord and his family were roused by a noise over head and cries of murder and upon going up stairs to ascertain the cause he discovered the person who was known to be marshal haynau lying on his bed with his throat cut in a frightful manner and his two companions standing by his bed side bewailing his loss on the table was discovered a card on which was written these words monster i am avenged at last suspicion went upon the tall stranger who was not anywhere to be found the garde arms instantly were on the alert and are now in active persuit of him but up to the time of our going to press nothing further has transpired it is very easy to stigmatise the death hunter when he sets off all the attractions of a real or pretended murder when he displays on a board as does the standing patterer illustrations of the dentical pick axe of manning or the stable of good or when he invents or embellishes atrocities which excite the public mind he does however but follow in the path of those who are looked up to as the press as the fourth estate the conductors of the ladys newspaper sent an artist to paris to give drawings of the scene of the murder by the duc de praslin to illustrate the blood stains in the duchesss bed chamber the illustrated london news is prompt in depicting the locality of any atrocity over which the curious in crime may gloat the observer in costly advertisements boasts of its 20 columns sometimes with a supplement of details of some vulgar and mercenary bloodshed the details being written in a most honest deprecation of the morbid and savage tastes to which the writer is pandering other weekly papers have engravingsand only concerning murderof any wretch whom vice has made notorious many weekly papers had expensive telegraphic despatches of rushs having been hung at norwich which event happily for the interest of sunday newspapers took place in norwich at noon on a saturday i may here remark that the patterers laugh at telegraphs and express trains for rapidity of communication boasting that the press strives in vain to rival them as at a hanging match for instance the patterer has the full particulars dying speech and confession includedif a confession be feasibleready for his customers the moment the drop falls and while the criminal may still be struggling at the very scene of the hanging at a distance he sells it before the hanging if the times was cross examined about it observed one patterer he must confess hes outdone though hes a rich times and we is poor fellows but to resume a penny a liner is reported and without contradiction to have made a large sum by having hurried to jersey in mannings business and by being allowed to accompany the officers when they conducted that paltry tool of a vindictive woman from jersey to southampton by steamer and from southampton to london by special engine as beseemed the popularity of so distinguished a rascal and homicide and next morning the daily papers in all the typographical honour of leads and a good place gave details of this fellowsthis manningsconversation looks and demeanour 230 until the respectable press become a more healthful public instructor we have no right to blame the death hunter who is but an imitatora followerand that for a meal so strong has this morbid feeling about criminals become that an earls daughter who had an order to see bedlam would not leave the place until she had obtained oxfords autograph for her album the rich vulgar are but the poor vulgarwithout an excuse for their vulgarity next to murders fires are tidy browns i was told by a patterer experienced both in murders and fires the burning of the old houses of parliament was very popular among street sellers and for the reason which ensures popularity to a commercial people it was a source of profit and was certainly made the most of it was the work of incendiaries of ministers to get rid of perplexing papers of government officers with troublesome accounts to balance of a sporting lord for a heavy wager of a conspiracy of builders and of a unsuspected party the older hands with whom i conversed on the subject all agreed in stating that they did well on the fire one man said no sir it wasnt only the working people that bought of me but merchants and their clerks i spose they took the papers home with em for their wives and families which is a cheap way of doing as a newspaper costs 3 d at least but stop sir stop there wasnt no threepennies then nothing under 6 d if they wasnt more i cant just say but it was better for us when newspapers was high i never heard no sorrow expressed not in the least some said it was a good job and they wished the ministers was in it the burning of the royal exchange was not quite so beneficial to the street sellers but was uncommon tidy the fire at the tower however was almost as great a source of profit as that of the houses of parliament and the following statement shows the profit reaped my informant had been a gentlemans servant his last place being with a gentleman in russell square who went to the east indies and his servant was out of a situation so long that he parted with everything when he was at the height of his distress he went to see the fire at the tower as he had nothing better to do he remained out some hours and before he reached his lodging men passed him crying the full and true particulars of the fire i bought one said the man and changed my last shilling it was a sudden impulse for i saw people buy keenly i never read it but only looked at the printers name i went to him at the dials and bought some and so i went into the paper trade i made 6 s or 7 s some days while the tower lasted and 3 s and 4 s other days when the first polish was off i sold them mostly at 1 d a piece at first it was good money then the tower was good or middling good for from 14 to 20 days there was at least 100 men working nothing but the tower theres no great chance of any more great buildings being burnt worse luck people dont care much about private fires a man in this street dont heed so much whos burnt to death in the next but the foundation stone of the new royal exchangefire led to thatwas pretty fair and portraits of halbert went off so that it was for two or three days as good as the tower fires is our best friends next to murders if theyre good fires the hopening of the coal exchange was rather tidy ive been in the streets ever since and dont see how i could possibly get out of them at first i felt a great degradation at being driven to the life i shunned grooms and coachmen as i might be known to them i didnt care for others that sort of feeling wears out though im a widower now and my family feels as i did at first that what im doing is low they wont assistthough they may give me 1 s now and thenbut they wont assist me to leave the streets theyll rather blame me for going into them though there was only that or robbing or starving the fire at ben caunts where the poor children was burnt to hashes was the best of the private house fires that ive worked i think i made 4 s on it one day he was the champion once and was away at a fight at the time and it was a shocking thing and so people bought after the burning of york minster by jonathan martin i was told by an old hand the street destruction of the best known public buildings in the country was tried such as canterbury cathedral dover castle the brighton pavilion edinburgh castle or holyrood houseall known to travelling patterersbut the success was not sufficiently encouraging it was no use i was told firing such places as hampton court or windsor castle for unless people saw the reflection of a great fire they wouldnt buy of the sellers of second editions these second editions are and almost universally second or later editions of the newspapers morning and evening but three fourths of the sale may be of the evening papers and more especially of the globe and standard i believe that there is not now in existenceunless it be in a workhouse and unknown to his fellows or engaged in some other avocation and lost sight of by themany one who sold second editions the courier evening paper being then in the greatest demand at the time of the duke of yorks walcheren expedition at the period of the battle of the nile during the continuance of the peninsular war or even at the battle of waterloo there were a few old mensome of whom had been soldiers or sailors and others who have simulated itsurviving within these 5 or 6 years and some later who worked waterloo but they were swept off i was told by the cholera i was assured by a gentlemen who had a perfect remembrance of the second editions 231 as they were generally called sold in the streets and who had often bought them upwards of forty years ago that a sketch in the monthly review in a notice of scotts lord of the isles published in 1815 gave the best notion he had met with of what the second edition sale really was at the commencement of the sixth canto of his poem sir walter somewhat too grandiloquently in the judgment of his reviewer asks o who that shared them ever shall forget the emotions of the spirit rousing time when breathless in the mart the couriers met early and late at evening and at prime who in his turn asks the reviewer can avoid conjuring up the idea of men with broad sheets of foolscap scored with victories rolled round their hats and horns blowing loud defiance in each others mouth from the top to the bottom of pall mall or the haymarket when he reads such a passage we actually hear the park and tower guns and the clattering of ten thousand bells as we read and stop our ears from the close and sudden intrusion of some hot and horn fisted patriot blowing ourselves as well as bonaparte to the devil the horn carried by these horn fisted men was a common tin tube from two to three feet long and hardly capable of being made to produce any sound beyond a sudden and discordant trump trump the men worked with papers round their hats in a way not very dissimilar to that of the running patterers of to day the editions cried by these men during the war time often contained spurious intelligence but for that the editors of the journals were responsibleor the stock jobbers who had imposed upon them any one who has consulted a file of newspapers of the period to which i have referred will remember how frequent and how false were the announcements or the rumours of the deaths of bonaparte his brothers or his marshals in battle or by assassination as there was no man who was personally conversant with this traffic in what is emphatically enough called the war time i sought out an old street patterer who had been acquainted with the older hands in the trade whose experience stretched to the commencement of the present century and from him i received the following account oh yes he began ive worked seconds we used to call the editions generally seconds and cry them sometimes as the latest editions whatever it was there was jack griffiths sir now wasnt he a hand at a second edition i believe you i do any kind of patter now myself but ive done tidy on second editions when seconds was to be had why jack griffiths sirhed been a sailor and was fond of talking about the seajack griffithsyou would have liked to have heard himjack told me that he once took 10 s 6 d it was hyde park wayfor a second edition of a paper when queen carolines trial was over besides jack there was tom cole called the wooden leg hed been a soldier i believe and whitechapel and old brummagem and hell fire jack hell fire jack was said to be something to a man that was a trainer and a great favourite of the old duke of queensberry and was called hell fire dick but i cant say how it was i began to work second editions for the first time when george iv died they went off pretty well at 1 s a piece and for three or four i got 2 s 6 d if its anything good i get 1 s still but very seldom any more i always show anybody that asks that the paper is just what ive cried it theres no regular cry we cries whats up heres the second edition of the globe with the full perticlers of the death of his majesty king george iv we work much in the same way as the running patter three of us shouts in the same spot i was one of three who one night sold five quires mostly globe and standard it was at the reform bill time and something about the reform bill i never much heeded what the paper was about i only wanted the patter and soon got it a mate or any of us looks out for anything good in the evening papers to be ready why that night i speak of i was kept running backards and forards to the newspaper officesand how they does keep you waiting at times mostly the globe and standard we worked them all at the west end theres twenty seven papers to a quire and we gave 4 d a piece for em and sold none as well as i mind for under 1 s i carried them mostly under my arm or in my hat taking care they wasnt spoiled belgrave square way and st georges hanover square way and hyde park way are the best the citys no good theres only sixpences there the coffee shops has spoiled the city as im afeard they will other parts murders in second editions dont sell now and arent tried much beyond a few if theres a late verdict curviseer courvoisier was tidy the trial werent over til evening and i sold six papers and got 7 s for them to gentlemen going away by the mail ive heard that greenacre was good in the same way but i wasnt in town at the time the french revolutionthe last onewas certainly a fairish go lewis fillup was good many ways when he used to be shot atif the news werent too early in the dayand when he got to england and when he was said to have got back or to have been taken why of course he wernt to compare with rush in the regular patter but he was very fair i have nothing to say against him and wish he was alive and could do it all over again lord broughams death wernt worth much to us you remember the time i dare say sir when they said he killed hisself in the papers to see what folks would say on him the resignation of a prime minister is mostly pretty good lord melbourne was and so was sir robert peel theres always somebody to say 232 hurra thats right and to buy a paper because hes pleased i had a red paper in my hat when i worked the french revolution french news is generally liked in a fashionable drag irish news is no good for people dont seem to believe it smith obriens battle though did sell a little its not possible to tell you exactly what ive made on seconds how can i one week i may have cleared 1 l in them and for six months before not a blessed brown perhapsas near as i can recollect and calculateive cleared 3 l if that each year one with another in second editions in my time and perhaps twenty others has done the same another man who also knew the old hands said to me lord bless us how times is changed you should have heard jack griffiths tell how he cried his gazettes he eres the london gazette ex terornary containing the hof ficial account of the bloody and decisive wictory of sally manker something that way patter wernt required then the things sold theirselves why the other day i was talking to a young chap that conceits hisself to be a hout and houter in patter and i mentions jacks crying gazettes and getting 5 s apiece for many a one on em and this young chap says says he gazettes what did they cry gazettes bankrupts and all that bankrupts be blowed said i wictories i heerd waterloo cried when i was a little un the speeches on the opening of parliament which the newspapers has ready has no sale in the crowd to what they had i only sold two papers at 6 d each this last go i ventured on no more or should have been a loser if the queen isnt there nones sold but we always has a speech ready as close as can be got from what the morning papers says one gent said to me but that aint the real speech its a far better says i and so it is why now sir theres some reading and spirit in this bit the queen says it is my determination by the assistance of divine providence to uphold and protect the protestant church of the british empire which has been enjoyed three hundred years without interuption the religion which our ancestors struggled to obtain and as long as it shall please god to spare me i will endeavour to maintain the rights and perogatives of our holy protestant church and now my lords i leave you to your duties to the helm of the state to the harbour of peace and happiness this man showed me the street speech which was on a broad sheet set off with the royal arms the topics and arrangement were the same as those in the speech delivered by her majesty on monday morning last feb 24 i asked the man who told me that prime ministers resignations were pretty good for the street traffic if he had been well remunerated by the sale of the evening papers of saturday with the account of lord john russells resignation it wernt tried sir he answered there was nothing new in the evenings and we thought nobody seemed to care about it the newspaper offices and their boarders as he called the men going about with announcements on boards didnt make very much of it so we got up a song instead but it was no good not salt to a fresh herringfor there was some fresh herrings in it was put strong though this was the last verse from the house to the palace it has caused a bother old women are tumbling one over another the queen says it is with her one thing or tother they must not discharge little john her majesty vows that she is not contented and many ere long will have cause to repent it had she been in the house she would nobly resent it and fought like a brick for lord john adopting the calculation of my first informant and giving a profit of 150 per cent we find 150 l yearly expended in the streets in second editions or probably it might be more correct to say 200 l in a year of great events and 50 l in a year when such events are few of the standing patterers the standing patterer i have already described in his resemblance to the mountebank of old and how like his predecessor he required a pitch and an audience i need but iterate that these standing patterers are men who remain in one place until they think they have exhausted the custom likely to accrue there or until they are removed by the police and who endeavour to attract attention to their papers or more commonly pamphlets either by means of a board with coloured pictures upon it illustrative of the contents of what they sell or else by gathering a crowd round about them in giving a lively or horrible description of the papers or books they are working the former is what is usually denominated in street technology board work a few of the standing patterers give street recitations or dialogues some of the illustrations most in vogue of late for the boards of the standing patterers were the flogging of the nuns of minsk the blood streaming from their naked shoulders anything against the emperor of russia i was told was a good street subject for a painting the young girl sarah thomas who murdered her mistress in bristol dragged to the gallows by the turnkeys and calcraft the hangman calcraft himself when charged with starving his mother haynau in the hands of the draymen the mannings and afterwards the sloanes the two last mentioned were among the most elaborate each having a series of compartments representing the different stages of the events in which those heroes and heroines flourished i shall speak afterwards of street artists who are the painters of these boards and then describe the pictures more fully there are also as before alluded to what may be called cocks in street paintings as well as street literature two of the most favourite themes of the standing patterers were however the annals of the white house in soho square and the 233 mysteries of mesmerism both supplied subjects to the boards the white house was a notorious place of ill fame some of the apartments it is said were furnished in a style of costly luxury while others were fitted up with springs traps and other contrivances so as to present no appearance other than that of an ordinary room until the machinery was set in motion in one room into which some wretched girl might be introduced on her drawing a curtain as she would be desired a skeleton grinning horribly was precipitated forward and caught the terrified creature in his to all appearance bony arms in another chamber the lights grew dim and then seemed gradually to go out in a little time some candles apparently self ignited revealed to a horror stricken woman a black coffin on the lid of which might be seen in brass letters anne or whatever name it had been ascertained the poor wretch was known by a sofa in another part of the mansion was made to descend into some place of utter darkness or it was alleged into a room in which was a store of soot or ashes into the truth or exaggeration of these and similar statements it is not my business to inquire but the standing patterer made the most of them although the house in question has been either rebuilt or alteredi was told that each was the caseand its abominable character has ceased to apply to it for some years the patterer did not scruple to represent it as still in existence though he might change the venue as to the square at discretion and that all the atrocities perpetratedto which i have not ventured even to alludewere still the ordinary procedures of high life neither did the standing patterer scruple as one man assured me to name names to attribute vile deeds to any nobleman or gentleman whose name was before the public and to embellish his story by an allusion to a recent event he not unfrequently ended with a moral exhortation to all ladies present to avoid this abode of iniquity for the rich the board was illustrated with skeletons coffins and other horrors but neither on it nor in a hardly intelligible narrative which the patterer sold was there anything indecent the mysteries of mesmerism was an account of the marvels of that newly discovered and most wonderful power in natur and art with it dr elliotsons or some well known name was usually associated and any marvel was pattered according to the patterers taste and judgment the illustrations were of persons generally women in a state of coma but in this also there was no indecency nor was there in the narrative sold of these two popular exhibitions there are i am informed none now in town and both i was told was more the speculations of a printer who sent out men than in the hands of the regular patterers it may tend somewhat to elucidate the character of the patterers if i here state that in my conversation with the whole of them i heard from their lips strong expressions of disgust at sloane far stronger than were uttered in abhorrence of any murderer rush indeed was and is a popular man among them one of them told me that not long before madame tussauds death he thought of calling upon that wenerable lady and asking her he said to treat me to something to drink the immortal memory of mr rush my friend and hern it is admitted by all concerned in the exercise of street elocution that the stander must have the best of patter he usually works alone there are very rarely two at standing patter and beyond his board he has no adventitious aids as in the running patter so that he must be all the more effective but the board is pronounced as good as a man when the standing patterer visits the country he is accompanied by a mate and the copy of werses is then announced as being written by an under paid curate within a days walk it tells mostly sir said one man for its a blessing to us that there always is a journeyman parson what the people knows and what the patter fits sometimes the poetry is attributed to a sister of mercy or to a popular poetess very frequently by the patterers who best understand the labouring classes to miss eliza cook sometimes the verses are written by a sympathising gent in that parish but his name wasnt to be mentioned another intelligent patterer whom i questioned on the subject told me that my information was correct its just the same in the newspapers he continued why the sympathising gent is the same with us as what in the newspapers is called other intelligence about any crime to publish which might defeat the ends of justice that means they know nothing at all about it and cant so much as venture on a guess ive known a little about it for the papers sir it doesnt matter in what line some standing patterers are brought up to the business from childhood some take to it through loss of character or through their inability to obtain a situation from intemperate habits and some because a free life suits me best in a former inquiry into a portion of this subject i sought a standing patterer whom i found in a threepenny lodging house in mint street southwark on my inquiring what induced him to adopt or pursue that line of life he said it was distress that first drove me to it i had learnt to make willow bonnets but that branch of trade went entirely out so having a wife and children i was drove to write out a paper that i called the peoples address to the king on the present state of the nation i got it printed and took it into the streets and sold it i did very well with it and made 5 s a day while it lasted i never was brought up to any mechanical trade my father was a cler 234 gyman here he cried bitterly it breaks my heart when i think of it i have as good a wife as ever lived and i would give the world to get out of my present life it would be heaven to get away from the place where i am i am obliged to cheer up my spirits if i was to give way to it i shouldnt live long its like a little hell to be in the place where we live crying associated with the ruffians that we are my distress of mind is awful but it wont do to show it at my lodgingstheyd only laugh to see me down hearted so i keep my trouble all to myself oh i am heartily sick of this street workthe insults i have to put up withthe drunken men swearing at me yes indeed i am heartily sick of it this poor man had some assistance forwarded to him by benevolent persons after his case had appeared in my letter in the morning chronicle this was the means of his leaving the streets and starting in the cloth cap trade he seemed a deserving man experience of a standing patterer from one of this body i received at the period just alluded to the following information i have taken my 5 s a day said my informant but paper selling now isnt half so good as it used to be people havent got the money to lay out for it all depends with the working man the least we take in a day is upon an average sixpence but taking the good and bad together i should say we take about 10 s a week i know theres some get more than that but then theres many take less lately i know i havent taken 9 s a week myself and people reckon me one of the best patterers in the trade im reckoned to have the giftthat is the gift of the gab i never works a last dying speech on any other than the day of executionall the edge is taken off of it after that the last dying speeches and executions are all printed the day before theyre always done on the sunday if the murderers are to be hung on the monday ive been and got them myself on the sunday night over and over again the flying stationers goes with the papers in their pockets and stand under the drop and as soon as ever it falls and long before the breath is out of the body they begin bawling out here my informant gave a further account of the flying stationers under the gallows similar to what i have given he averred that they invented every lie likely to go down here you have also an exact likeness they say of the murderer taken at the bar of the old bailey when all the time it is an old wood cut thats been used for every criminal for the last forty years i know the likeness that was given of hocker was the one that was given for fauntleroy and the wood cut of tawell was one that was given for the quaker that had been hanged for forgery twenty years before thurtells likeness was done expressly for the papers and so was the mannings and rushs likenesses too the murders are bought by men women and children many of the tradespeople bought a great many of the affair of the mannings i went down to deptford with mine and did uncommonly well i sold all off gentlefolks wont have anything to do with murders sold in the street theyve got other ways of seeing all about it we lay on the horrors and picture them in the highest colours we can we dont care whats in the papers in our hands all we want to do is to sell em and the more horrible we makes the affairs the more sale we have we do very well with love letters they are cocks that is they are all fictitious we give it out that they are from a tradesman in the neighbourhood not a hundred yards from where we are a standing sometimes we say its a well known sporting butcher sometimes its a highly respectable publicanjust as it will suit the tastes of the neighbourhood i got my living round cornwall for one twelvemonth with nothing else than a love letter it was headed a curious and laughable love letter and puzzle sent by a sporting gentleman to miss hsm in this neighbourhood that suits any place that i may chance to be in but i always patter the name of the street or village where i may be this letter i say is so worded that had it fallen into the hands of her mamma or papa they could not have told what it meant but the young lady having so much wit found out its true meaning and sent him an answer in the same manner you have here we say the number of the house the name of the place where she lives there is nothing of the kind of course and the initials of all the parties concerned we dare not give the real names in full we tell them indeed we do all we can to get up the peoples curiosity i did very well with the burning of the house of commons i happened by accident to put my pipe into my pocket amongst some of my papers and burnt them then not knowing how to get rid of them i got a few straws i told the people that my burnt papers were parliamentary documents that had been rescued from the flames and that as i dare not sell them i would let them have a straw for a penny and give them one of the papers by this trick i got rid of my stock twice as fast and got double the price that i should have done the papers had nothing at all to do with the house of commons some was death and the lady and death and the gentleman and others were the political catechism and 365 lies scotch english and irish and each lie as big round as st pauls i remember a party named jack straw who laid a wager half a gallon of beer that hed bring home the money for two dozen blank papers in one hours time he went out into the old street road and began a patter about the political affairs of the nation and sir robert peel and the duke of wellington telling the public that he dared not sell his papers they were treasonable so he gave them with a strawthat he sold for one penny in less than the hour he was sold clean out and returned and drank the beer the 235 chief things that i work are quarter sheets of recitations and dialogues one is good advice to young men on choosing their wives i have done exceedingly well with thatits a good moral thing another is the drunkards catechism another is the rent day or the landlord gathering his rents this is a dialogue between the landlord and his tenant beginning with good morning mrs longface have you got my rent ready maam the next one is the adventures of larry oflinn its a comic story and a very good got up thing another is a hint to husbands and wives and a pack of cards turned into a bible a prayer book and an almanack these cards belonged to richard middleton of the 60th regiment of foot who was taken a prisoner for playing at cards in church during divine service but the best i do is the remarkable dream of a young man of loose character who had made an agreement to break into a gentlemans house at twelve at night on whitsun monday but owing to a little drink that he took he had a remarkable dream and dreamed he was in hell the dream had such influence on his mind that he refused to meet his comrade his comrade was taken up for the burglary found guilty and executed for it this made such an impression on the young mans mind that he became a reformed character there is a very beautiful description of hell in this paper said my informant that makes it sell very well among the old women and the apprentice lads for the young man was an apprentice himself its all in very pretty poetry and a regular cock the papers that i work chiefly are what are called the standing patters theyre all of em stereotype and some of them a hundred years old we consider the death hunters are the lowest grade in the trade we can make most money of the murders while they last but they dont last and they merely want a good pair of lungs to get them off but its not every one sir that can work the standing patters many persons ive seen try at it and fail one old man i knew tried the drunkards catechism and the soldiers prayer book and bible he could manage to patter these because theyll almost work themselves but old mother clifton he broke down in i heard him do it in sun street and in the blackfriars road but it was such a dreadful failurehe couldnt humour it a bitthat thinks i to myself youll soon have to give up and sure enough hes never been to the printers since hed a very poor audience chiefly boys and girls and they were laughing at him because he made so many blunders in it a man thats never been to school an hour can go and patter a dying speech or a battle between two ladies of fortune they require no scholarship all you want is to stick a picture on your hat to attract attention and to make all the noise you can its all the same when they does an assassination of louis philippe or a diabolical attempt on the life of the queena good stout pair of lungs and plenty of impudence is all that is required but to patter bounce the workhouse beadle and the examination of the paupers before the poor law commissioners takes a good head piece and great gift of the gab let me tell you its just the same as a play actor i can assure you i often feel very nervous i begin it and walk miles before i can get confidence in myself to make the attempt i got rid of two quire last night i was up among the gentlemens servants in crawford street baker street and i had a very good haul out of the grown up people i cleared 1 s 8 d altogether i did that from seven till nine in the evening its all chance work if its fine and i can get a crowd of grown up people round me i can do very well but i cant do anything amongst the boys theres very little to be done in the day time i begin at ten in the day and stop out till one after that i starts off again at five and leaves off about ten at night marylebone paddington and westminster i find the best places the west end is very good the early part of the week for any thing thats genteel such as the rich man and his wife quarrelling because they have no family our customers there are principally the footmen the grooms and the maid servants the east end of the town is the best on friday and saturday evenings i very often go to limehouse on friday evening most part of the dock men are paid then and anything comic goes off well among them on saturdays i go to the new cut ratcliff highway the brill and such places i make mostly 2 s clear on a saturday night after nineteen years experience of the patter and paper line in the streets i find that a foolish nonsensical thing will sell twice as fast as a good moral sentimental one and while it lasts a good murder will cut out the whole of them its the best selling thing of any i used at one time to patter religious tracts in the street but i found no encouragement i did the infidel blacksmiththat would not sell what is happiness a dialogue between ellen and marythat was no go no more was the sorrows of seduction so i was driven into the comic standing patters the more recent experiences of standing patterers as they were detailed to me differ so little in subject or anything else from what i have given concerning running patterers that to cite them would be a repetition from the best information to be obtained i have no doubt that there are always at least 20 standing pattererssometimes they are called boardmenat work in london some of them run occasionally but an equal number or more of the regular runners resort now and then to the standing patter so the sum is generally kept up notwithstanding the drawbacks of bad weather which affects the standing and does not affect the running patterer and notwithstanding the more frequent interruptions of the police i am of opinion that the standing patterer earns 236 on an average 1 s a week more than his running brother his earnings too are often all his own whereas the runners are a school and their gains divided more running patterers become on favourable occasions stationary with boards perhaps in the proportion of five to four than the stationary become itinerant one standing patterer told me that during the excitement about the sloanes he cleared full 3 s a day for more than a week but at other times he had cleared only 1 s 6 d in a whole week and he had taken nothing when the weather was too wet for the standing work and there was nothing up to run with if then 20 standing patterers clear 10 s weekly each the year throughtaking 15 s weeklywe find that 780 l is yearly expended in the standing patter of london streets the capital required for the start of the standing is greater than that needed by the running patterer the painting for a board costs 3 s 6 d the board and pole with feet to which it is attached 5 s 6 d and stock money 2 s in all 11 s of political litanies dialogues etc to work a litany in the streets is considered one of the higher exercises of professional skill on the part of the patterer in working this a clever pattererwho will not scruple to introduce anything out of his head which may strike him as suitable to his audienceis very particular in his choice of a mate frequently changing his ordinary partner who may be good at a noise or a ballad but not have sufficient acuteness or intelligence to patter politics as if he understood what he was speaking about i am told that there are not twelve patterers in london whom a critical professor of street elocution will admit to be capable of working a catechism or a litany why sir said one patterer ive gone out with a mate to work a litany and hes humped it in no time to hump in street parlance is equivalent to botch in more genteel colloquialism and when a things humped my informant continued you can only call a go to call a go signifies to remove to another spot or adopt some other patter or in short to resort to some change or other in consequence of a failure an elderly man not now in the street trade but who had pattered off a few papers some years ago told me that he had heard three or four old handsnow all dead for theyre a short lived peopletalk of the profits gained and the risk ran by giving hones parodies on the catechism litany st athanasius creed c in the streets after the three consecutive trials and the three acquittals of hone had made the parodies famous and hone popular to work them in the streets was difficult for though said my informant there was no new police in them days there was plenty of officers and constables ready to pull the fellows up and though hone was acquitted a beak that wanted to please the high dons would find some way of stopping them that sold hones things in the street and so next to nothing could be done that way but a little was done the greatest source of profit i learned from the reminiscences of the same man was in the parlours and tap rooms of public houses where the patterers or reciters were well paid for going through their catechisms and sometimes that there might be no interruption the door was locked and even the landlord and his servants excluded the charge was usually 2 d a copy but 1 d was not refused during queen carolines trial there were the like interruptions and hindrances to similar performances and the interruptions continued during the passing of the catholic emancipation bill until about the era of the reform bill and then the hindrance was but occasional and perhaps it was our own fault sir said one patterer that we was then molested at all in the dialogues and catechisms and things but we was uncommon bold and what plenty called sarcy at that time we was so thus this branch of a street profession continued to be followed half surreptitiously until after the subsidence of the political ferment consequent on the establishment of a new franchise and the partial abolition of an old one the calling however has never been popular among street purchasers and i believe that it is sometimes followed by a street patterer as much from the promptings of the pride of art as from the hope of gain the street papers in the dialogue form have not been copied nor derived from popular productionsbut even in the case of political litanies and anti corn law catechisms and dialogues are the work of street authors one intelligent man told me that properly to work a political litany which referred to ecclesiastical matters he made himself up as well as limited means would permit as a bishop and did stunning until he was afraid of being stunned on skilly of the late papers on the subject of the pope i cite the one which was certainly the best of all that appeared and concerning which indignant remonstrances were addressed to some of the newspapers the good child in the patter was a tall bulky man the examiner also the author was rather diminutive the old english bull john v the popes bull of rome my good child as it is necessary at this very important crisis when that good pious and very reasonable old gentleman pope pi ass the nineth has promised to favor us with his presence and the pleasures of poperyand trampled on the rights and privilages which we as englishmen and protestants have engaged for these last three hundred yearssince bluff king hal began to take a dislike to the broad brimmed hat of the venerable cardinal wolsey and proclaimed himself an heretic it is necessary i say for you and all of you to be perfect in your lessons so as you may be able to verbly chastize this saucy prelate his newly made cardinal foolishman and the whole host of puseites and protect our beloved queen our church and our constitution q now my boy can you tell me what is your name a b protestant 237 q how came you by that name a at the time of harry the stout when popery was in a galloping consumption the people protested against the surpremacy and instalence of the pope and his colleges had struck deep at the hallow tree of superstition i gained the name of protestant and proud am i and ever shall be to stick to it till the day of my death let us say from all cardinals whether wise or foolish oh queen spare us spare us oh queen from the pleasure of the rack and the friendship of the kind hearted officers of the inquisition oh johnny hear us oh russell hear us from the comforts of being frisled like a devild kindney oh nosey save us hear us oh arthur from such saucy prelates as pope pi ass oh cummings save us save us good cumming and let us have no more burnings in smithfield no more warm drinks in the shape of boiled oil or molten lead and send the whole host of pusyites along with the pope cardinals to the top of mount vesuvius there to dine off of hot lava so that we may live in peace shout long live our queen and no popery for some pitches the foregoing was sufficient for a street auditory hates too long a patter but where a favourable opportunity offered easily tested by the pecuniary beginnings the lesson of the day was given in addition and was inserted after the second answer in the foregoing parody so preceding the let us say the lesson of the day you seem an intelligent lad so i think you are quite capable of reading with me the lessons for this days service now the lesson for the day is taken from all parts of the book of martyrs beginning at just where you like it was about the year 1835 that a certain renagade of the name of pussyi beg his pardon i mean pusey like a snake who stung his master commenced crawling step by step from the master he was bound to serve to worship a puppet arrayed in a spangle and tincel of a romish showman and the pestelance that he shed around spread rapidly through the minds of many unworthy members of our established church even up to the present year 1850 inasmuch that st barnabus of pimlico unable to see the truth by the aid of his occulars mounted four pounds of long sixes in the mid day that he might see through the fog of his own folly by which he was surrounded and pope pi ass the nineth taking advantage of the hubub did create unto himself a cardinal in the person of one wiseman of westminster and cardinal broadbrim claimed four counties in england as his dioces and his master the pope claimed as many more as his sees but the people of england could not see that so they declared aloud they would see them blowed first so when jack russell heard of his most impudent intentions he sent him a letter saying it was the intention of the people of england never again to submit to their infamous mumerys for the burnings in smithfield was still fresh in their memory and behold great meetings were held in different parts of england where the pope was burnt in effigy like unto a yarmouth bloater as a token of respect for him and his followers and the citizens of london were stanch to a man and assembled together in the guildhall of our mighty city and shouted with stentarian lungs long live the queen and down with the pope the sound of which might have been heard even unto the vatican of rome and when his holyness the pope heard that his power was set at naught his nose became blue even as a bilberry with rage and declared russell and cummings or any who joined in the no popery cry should ever name the felisity of kissing his pious great toe thus endeth the lesson in the course of my inquiries touching this subject i had more than once occasion to observe that an acute patterer had always a reason or an excuse for anything one quick witted irishman whom i knew to be a roman catholic was working a patter against the pope not the one i have given and on my speaking to him on the subject and saying that i supposed he did it for a living he replied thats it then sir youre right sir yes i work it just as a catholic lawyer would plead against a catholic paper for a libel on protestantsthough in his heart he knew the paper was rightand a protestant lawyer would defend the libel hammer and tongs bless you sir youll not find much more honour that way among us laughing than among them lawyers not much the readiness with which the sharpest of those men plead the doings not only of tradesmen but of the learned and sacred professions to justify themselves is remarkable sometimes a dialogue is of a satirical nature one man told me that the conversation between achilles and the wellington statue of which i give the concluding moiety was among the best he meant for profit but no great thing my informant was achillesor as he pronounced it atchileesand his mate was the statue or man on the horse the two lines in the couplet form which precede every two paragraphs of dialogue seem as if they represent the speakers wrongfully the answer should be attributed in each case to achilles the hoarse voice it came from the statue of achilles and twas answerd thus by the man on the horse little man of little mind havnt i now got iron blinds and bomb proof rails when danger assails a cunning devised job to keep out an unruly mob with high and ambitious views and remarkable queer shoes i say old nakedness i say come and see my frontage over the way but i believe you cant get out after ten no youre as near where you are as at quatre bras i hear a great deal what the public think and feel plain as the nose on your face were deemed a national disgrace they grumble at your high ness and at my want of shyness and say many unpleasant things of ligny and marchienne the hoarse voice it came from the statue of achilles and twas answerd thus by the man on the horse ah its a few days since the nive where soult found me all alive and the grand toralloo i made at bordeaux wasnt i in a nice mess when boney left elba and left no address besides 150 other jobs with the chill off i could bring to view but then people will say poor unfortunate ney and that you were dancing at a ball and not near hogumont at all and that the job of st helena might have been done rather cleaner and it was a shameful go to send sir hudson lowe and that you took particular care of no 1 at waterloo the hoarse voice it came from the statue of achilles and twas answerd thus by the man on the horse why flog em and od rot em who said up guards and at em and you know that nice treat i received in downing street when hooted by a thousand or near defended by an old grenadier so no whopping i got 238 good luck to his old tin pot oh theres a deal of brass in me ill allow its prophecied youll break down theyre crying it about town and many jokes are past that youre brought to the scaffold at last and they say i look black because ive no shirt to my back and its getting broad daylight i vow the hoarse voice it came from the statue of achilles but twas answerd thus by the man on the horse h v hooker of parodies other than the sort of compound of the litany and other portions of the church service which i have given there are none in the streetsneither are there political duets such productions as parodies on popular songs cab cab cab or trip trip trip are now almost always derived for street service from the concert rooms but they relate more immediately to ballads or street song and not to patter of cocks etc these literary forgeries if so they may be called have already been alluded to under the head of the death and fire hunters but it is necessary to give a short account of a few of the best and longest known of those stereotyped no new cocks except for an occasion have been printed for some years one of the stereotyped cocks is the married man caught in a trap one man had known it sold for years and years and it served he said when there was any police report in the papers about sweethearts in coal cellars c the illustration embraces two compartments in one a severe looking female is assaulting a man whose hat has been knocked off by the contents of a water jug which a very stout woman is pouring on his head from a window in the other compartment as if from an adjoining room two women look on encouragingly the subject matter however is in no accordance with the title or the embellishment it is a love letter from john sn to his most adorable mary he expresses the ardour of his passion and then twits his adored with something beyond a flirtation with robert e a decoyer of female innocence placably overlooking this however john sn continues my dearest angel consent to my request and keep me no longer in suspensenothing on my part shall ever be wanting to make you happy and comfortable my apprenticeship will expire in four months from hence when i intend to open a shop in the small ware line and your abilities in dress making and self adjusting stay maker and the assistance of a few female mechanics we shall be able to realize an independency many a turn in seductions talked about in the papers and not talked about nowhere said one man has that slum served for besides other things such as love letters and confessions of a certain lady in this neighbourhood another old cock is headed extraordinary and funny doings in this neighbourhood the illustration is a young lady in an evening dress sitting with an open letter in her hand on a sort of garden seat in what appears to be a churchyard after a smart song enforcing the ever neglected advice that people should look at home and mind their own business are two letters the first from r g the answer from s h m the gentlemans epistle commences madam the love and tenderness i have hitherto expressed for you is false and i now feel that my indifference towards you increases every day and the more i see you the more you appear ridiculous in my eyes and contemptible i feel inclined in every respect disposed determined to hate you believe me i never had any inclination to offer you my hand the lady responds in a similar strain and the twain appear very angry until a foot note offers an explanation by reading every other line of the above letters the true meaning will be found of this class of cocks i need cite no other specimens but pass on to one of another speciesthe cruel and inhuman murder committed on the body of capt lawson the illustration is a lady wearing a coronet stabbing a gentleman in full dress through the top button of his waistcoat the narrative commences with surprise we have learned that this neighbourhood for a length of time was amazingly alarmed this day by a crowd of people carrying the body of mr james lawless to a doctor while streams of blood besmeared the way in such a manner that the cries of murder re echoed the sound of numerous voices it appears that the cause of alarm originated through a court ship attended with a solemn promise of marriage between him and miss lucy guard a handsome young lady of refined feelings with the intercourse of a superior enlightened mind she lived with her aunt who spared neither pain nor cost to improve the talents of miss g those seven years past since the death of her mother in ludgate hill london and bore a most excellent character until she got entangled by the delumps alcurement of mr l the writer then deplores miss guards fall from virtue and her desertion by her betrayer on account of her fortune being small capt lawson or mr james lawless next woos a wealthy city maiden and the banns are published what follows seems to me to be a rather intricate detail we find that the intended bride learned that m iss guard held certain promissory letters of his and that she was determined to enter an action against him for a breach of promise which moved clouded eclipse over the extacy of the variable miss lawless who knew that miss g had letters of his sufficient to substantiate her claims in a court lawson visits miss guard to wheedle her out of his letters but she drew a large carving knife and stabbed him under the left breast at the latest account the man was left without hope of recovery while the valiant victress was ordered to submit to judicial decorum in the nineteenth year of her age the murders and other atrocities for which this cock has been sponsor arei was informed emphaticallya thundering lot illustrations of street artno ii murder of captain lawson a cock i conclude with another cock which may be called a narrative on a subject as we have ballads on a subject afterwards to be described but with this difference that the narrative is fictitious and the ballad must be founded 239 on a real event however embellished the highest newspaper style i was told was aimed at part of the production reads as if it had done service during the revolution of february 1848 express from paris supposed death of louis napoleon we stop the press to announce t hat luis napoleon has been assasinated by some it is said he is shot dead by others that he is only wounded in the right arm we have most important intelligence from paris that capital is in a state of insurrection the vivacious people who have herefore defeated the goverment by paving stones have again taken up those missiles on tuesday the ministers forbade the reform banquet and the prefect of police published a proclamation warning the people to respect the laws which he declared were violated and he meant to enforce them but the people dispised the proclamation and rejected his authority they assembled in great multitudes round the chambers of deputies and forced their way over the walls they were attacked by the troops and dispersed but re assembled in various quarters they showed their hatred of m guizot by demolishing his windows and attempting to force an entrance into his hotel but were again repulced by the troops all the military in paris and all the national guard have been summoned to arms and every preparation made on the part of the government to put down the people the latter have raised barricades in various places and have unpaved the streets overturned omnibusses and made preparations for a vigorous assault or a protracted resistance five ocloskat this moment the rue st honore is blockaded by a detachment dragoons who fill the market place near the rue des petits champs and are charging the people sword in hand carriages full of deople are being taken to the hospitals in fact the maddest excitement reigns throughout the capital half past six during the above we have instituted enquiries at the foreign office they have not received any inteligence of the above report if it has come it must have been by pigeon express we have not given the above in our columns with a view of its authenticity any further information as soon as obtained shall be immediately announced to the public of strawing i have already alluded to strawing which can hardly be described as quackery it is rather a piece of mountebankery many a quackconfining the term to its most common signification that of a quack doctorhas faith in the excellence of his own nostrums and so proffers that which he believes to be curative the strawer however sells what he knows is not what he represents it the strawer offers to sell any passer by in the streets a straw and to give the purchaser a paper which he dares not sell accordingly as he judges of the character of his audience so he intimates that the paper is political libellous irreligious or indecent i am told that as far back as twenty five or twenty six years straws were sold but only in the country with leaves from the republican a periodical published by carlile then of fleet street which had been prosecuted by the government but it seems that the trade died away and was little or hardly known again until the time of the trial of queen caroline and then but sparingly the straw sale reached its highest commercial pitch at the era of the reform bill the most successful trader in the article is remembered among the patterers as jack straw who was oft enough represented to me as the original strawer if i inquired further the answer was he was the first in my time this jack straw was i am told a fine looking man a natural son of henry hunt the blacking manufacturer he was described to me as an inveterate drunkard and a very reckless fellow one old hand was certain that this man was hunts son as he himself had worked with him and was sometimes sent by him when he was in trouble or in any strait to 32 broadwall blackfriars for assistance which was usually rendered this was the place where hunts matchless blacking and roasted corn were vended jack straws principal pitch was at hyde park corner where said the man whom i have mentioned as working with him he used to come it very strong against old nosey the hyde park bully as he called him to my knowledge hes made 10 s and hes made 15 s on a night o it didnt matter to him what he sold with his straws religion or anything there was no three pennies threepenny newspapers then and he had had a gentlemans education and knew what to say and so the straws went off like smoke the articles which this man durst not sell were done up in paper so that no one could very well peruse them on the spot as a sort of stealth was implied on my asking jack straws co worker if he had ever drank with him drank with him he answered yes many a time ive gone out and pattered or chaunted or anything to get money to buy him two glasses of brandyand good brandy was very dear thenbefore he could start for he was all of a tremble until he had his medicine if i couldnt get brandy it was the best rum cause he had all the tastes of a gentleman ah hes been dead some years sir but where he died i dont know i only heard of his death he was a nice kindly fellow the ruse in respect of strawing is not remarkable for its originality it was an old smugglers trick to sell a sack and give the keg of contraband spirit placed within it and padded out with straw so as to resemble a sack of corn the hawkers prior to 1826 when mr huskisson introduced changes into the silk laws gave real ingy handkerchiefs sham to a customer and sold him a knot of tape for about 4 s the price of a true bandana then prohibited and sold openly in the drapers shops was about 8 s the east india company imported about a million of bandanas yearly they were sold by auction for exportation to hamburgh c at about 4 s each and were nearly all smuggled back again to england and disposed of as i have stated it is not possible to give anything like statistics as to the money realised by strawing a well informed man calculated that when the 240 trade was at its best or from 1832 to 1836 there might be generally fifty working it in the country and twenty in london they did not confine themselves however to strawing but resorted to it only on favourable opportunities now there are none in londontheir numbers diminished graduallyand very rarely any in the country of the sham indecent street trade this is one of those callings which are at once repulsive and ludicrous repulsive when it is considered under what pretences the papers are sold and ludicrous when the disappointment of the gulled purchaser is contemplated i have mentioned that one of the allurements held out by the strawer was that his paperthe words used by jack strawcould not be admitted into families those following the sham indecent trade for a time followed his example and professed to sell straws and give away papers but the london police became very observant of the sale of strawsmore especially under the pretences alluded toand it has for the last ten years been rarely pursued in the streets the plan now adopted is to sell the sealed packet itself which the patter of the street seller leads his auditors to believe to be some improper or scandalous publication the packet is some coloured paper in which is placed a portion of an old newspaper a christmas carol a religious tract or a slop tailors puff given away in the streets for the behoof of another class of gulls the enclosed paper is however never indecent from a man who had not long ago been in this trade i had the following account he was very anxious that nothing should be said which would lead to a knowledge that he was my informant after having expressed his sorrow that he had ever been driven to this trade from distress he proceeded to justify himself he arguedand he was not an ignorant manthat there was neither common sense nor common justice in interfering with a man like him who to earn a crust pretended to sell what shop keepers that must pay church and all sorts of rates sold without being molested the word shopkeepers was uttered with a bitter emphasis there are or were he continued shopsfor he seemed to know them alland some of them had been carried on for years in which shameless publications were not only sold but exposed in the windows and why should he be considered a greater offender than a shopkeeper and be knocked about by the police there are or lately were he said such shops in the strand fleet street a court off ludgate hill holborn drury lane wych street the courts near drury lane theatre haymarket high street bloomsbury st martins court mays buildings and elsewhere to say nothing of holywell street yet he must be interfered with i may here remark that i met with no street sellers who did not disbelieve or affect to disbelieve that they were really meddled with by the police for obstructing the thoroughfare they either hint or plainly state that they are removed solely to please the shop keepers such was the reiterated opinion real or pretended of my present informant i took a statement from this man but do not care to dwell upon the subject the trade in the form i have described had been carried on he thought for the last six years at one time 20 men followed it at present he believed there were only 6 and they worked only at intervals and as opportunities offered some going out for instance to sell almanacs or memorandum books and when they met with a favourable chance offering their sealed packets my informants customers were principally boys young men and old gentlemen but old gentlemen chiefly when the trade was new this street sellers great gun as he called it was to make up packets as closely resembling as he could accomplish it those which were displayed in the windows of any of the shops i have alluded to he would then station himself at some little distance from one of those shops and if possible so as to encounter those who had stopped to study the contents of the window and would representbroadly enough he admitted when he daredthat he could sell for 6 d what was charged 5 s or 2 s 6 d or whatever price he had seen announced in that very neighbourhood he sometimes ventured also to mutter something unintelligibly about the public being imposed upon on one occasion he took 6 s in the street in about two hours on another evening he took 4 s 8 d in the street and was called aside by two old gentlemen each of whom told him to come to an address given at the west end and ask for such and such initials to one he sold two packets for 2 s to the other five packets each 1 s or 11 s 8 d in one evening the packets were in different coloured papers and had the impressions of a large seal on red wax at the back and he assured the old gents as he called them one of whom he thought was silly that they were all different and very likely he said chucklingly they were different for they were made out of a lot of missionary tracts and old newspapers that i got dirt cheap at a waste shop i should like to have seen the old gent s face as he opened his 5 s worth one after another this trade however among old gentlemen was prosperous for barely a month it got blown then sir and they wouldnt buy any more except a very odd one this manand he believed it was the same with all the others in the tradenever visited the public houses for a packet would soon have been opened and torn there which he said people was ashamed to do in the public streets as well as he could recollect he had never sold a single packet to a girl or a woman drunken women of the town had occasionally made loud comments on his calling and offered 241 to purchase but on such occasions fearful of a disturbance he always hurried away i have said that the straw trade is now confined to the country and i give a specimen of the article vended there by the patterer in the sham indecent trade it was purchased of a man who sold it folded in the form of a letter and is addressed on royal service by express private to her royal highness victoria princess royal kensington palace london entered at stationers hall the man who sold it had a wisp of straw round his neck and introduced his wares with the following patter i am well aware that many persons here present will say what an absurd ideathe idea of selling straws for a halfpenny each when there are so many lying about the street but the reason is simply this i am not allowed by the authorities to sell these papers so i give them away and sell my straws there are a variety of figures in these papers for gentlemen some in the bed some on the bed some under the bed the following is a copy of the document thus sold bachelors or maidens husbands and wives will love each other and lead happy lives if both these letters to read are inclined secrets worth knowing therein they will find dated from the duchy of coburg my dearest victoria never did i enjoy greater bliss than when i sat down to the delightful task of writing a love letter to thy royal highnessmy sweetest angel oh how i do adore thy lovely form and long for the happy hour when i shall clasp thee in my armsmy bosom heaves my heart pants my senses wander my hair stands on end my head is on fire my feet stumblesyea my arms and my legs refuse to do their office every one of my members are tantalised with varied and conflicting emotions and my whole body is being consumed in the furnase of everlasting love then hasten my glorious cherubthou heavenly samaritan pass not away from thy adoring albert but come and pour thy healing balsam into my smarting woundsthen will i pleasantly repose myself on my now sleepless couch and resining my soul to the enjoyment of that balmy sleep i have been long wanting i shall be enchanted with the most beautiful visions of futurity and continue to dream of love and thee my amiable victoria the most pure and spotless of virgins come to my longing aramsit is only thy dear albert who like a bird of paradise is calling thee to listen to his charming notes and with fluttering wings wishes to bury himself within thy own downy plumage most amiable of englands princessesand the most virtuous of all heirs to a british diademi implore thee on ny bended knees to favour my suit above any other prince in christendom and when thou hast deigned to exhalt me to that envied station of being thy husband rest assured on my princely honour that i will award to my royal bride and future sovereign very many and living pledges of affectionanxiously awaiting your royal highnesses answer i beg leave to subscribe myself your adored lover albert prince of coburg on the back of this page is the following cool initiation of the purchaser into the mysteries of the epistle directions for the purchasers to understand the royal love letters and showing them how to practise the art of secret letter writing proceed to lay open alberts letter by the side of victorias and having done so then look carefully down them until you have come to a word at the left hand corner near the end of each letter having two marks thus when you must commence with that word and read from left to right after you have turned them bottom upwards before a looking glass so that you may peruse the copy reflected therein but you must notice throughout all the words every other letter is upside down also every other word single but the next two words being purposely joined together therefore they are double and in addition to those letters placed upside down makes it more mysterious in the reading the reader is recommended to copy each word in writing when he will be able to read the letters forward and after a little practice he can soon learn to form all his words in the same curious manner when he wants to write a secret letter be sure when holding it up side down before a looking glass that the light of a candle is placed between then by the reflection it will show much plainer and be sooner discovered if you intend to practise a joke and make it answer the purpose of a valentine write what you think necessary on the adjoining blank page then post it with the superscription filled up in this manner after the word to write the name and address of the party also place the word from before victorias name then the address on the outside of this letter will read somewhat after the following fashion to mr or mrs so and so with the number if any in such and such a street at the same time your letter will appear as if it came from royalty n b you must first buy both the letters as the other letter is an answer to this one and because without the reader has got both letters he will not have the secrets perfect notwithstanding the injunction to buy both letters and the seeming necessity of having both to understand the directions the patterer was selling only the one i have given that the trade in sham indecent publications was at one time very considerable and was not unobserved by those who watch as it is called the signs of the times is shown by the circumstance that the anti corn law league paper called the bread basket could only be got off by being done up in a sealed packet and sold by patterers as a pretended improper work the really indecent trade will be described hereafter for a month my informant thought he had cleared 35 s a week for another month 20 s and as an average since that time from 5 s to 7 s 6 d weekly until he discontinued the trade it is very seldom practised unless in the evening and perhaps only one street seller depends entirely upon it supposing that 6 men last year each cleared 6 s weekly we find upwards of 93 l expended yearly in the streets on this rubbish the capital required to start in the business is 6 d or 1 s to be expended in paper paste and sometimes sealing wax of religious tract sellers the sellers of religious tracts are now i am informed at the least about 50 but they were at one time far more numerous when penny books were few and very small religious tracts were by far the cheapest things in print it is common moreover for a religious society or an individual to give a poor person children especially tracts for sale a great many tract sellers from 25 to 35 years ago were or pre 242 tended to be maimed old soldiers or sailors the traffic is now in the hands of what may be called an anomalous body of men more than one half of the tract sellers are foreigners such as malays hindoos and negros of them some cannot speak english and somewho earn a spare subsistence by selling christian tractsare mahometans or worshippers of bramah the man whose portrait supplies the daguerreotyped illustration of this number is unable to speak a word of english and the absence of an interpreter through some accident prevented his statement being taken at the time appointed i shall give it however with the necessary details on the subject under another head with some men and boys i am informed tract selling is but a pretext for begging of a benefit society of patterers in the course of my inquiries i received an account of an effort made by a body of these people to provide against sickness a step so clearly in the right direction and perhaps so little to be expected from the habits of the class that i feel bound to notice it it was called the street sellers society but as nearly all the bon fide members or those who sought benefit from its funds were patterers in paper or ballad singers i can most appropriately notice their proceedings here the society sprung up accidental as it was expressed to me a few paper workers were conversing of the desirableness of such an institution and one of the body suggested a benefit club which it was at once determined to establish it was accordingly established between six and seven years ago and was carried on for about four years the members varied in number from 40 to 50 but of a proportion of 40 as many as 18 might be tradesmen who were interested in the street trade either in supplying the articles in demand for it or from keeping public houses resorted to by the fraternity or any such motive or who were merely curious to mix in such society mr c was conductor mr j h a poet and the writer of black bess the demon of the sea and other things which took in the streets secretary and a well known patterer was under conductor with which office was mixed up the rather onerous duties of a kind of master of the ceremonies on meeting nights none of the officers were paid the subscription was 2 d a week and meetings of the members were held once a week each member not an officer paid d for admission to the fund and could introduce a visitor who also paid d no charge was made for the use of the club room in a public house which was entirely in the control of the members every one using bad language or behaving improperly was fined d and on a second offence was ejected and sometimes if the misbehaviour was gross on the first any one called upon to sing and refusing or being unable was fined d and was liable to be called upon again and pay another fine a visitor sometimes instead of d offered 6 d when fined but this was not accepted only d could be received the members wives could and did often accompany their husbands to the meetings but women of the town whether introduced by members or not were not permitted to remain they found their way in a few times said the man who was under conductor to me but i managed to work them out without any bother and without insulting themgod forbid the assistance given was 5 s weekly to sick members who were not in arrear in their subscriptions if the man had a family to support a gathering was made for him in addition to his weekly allowance for the members were averse to distress the box fund there was no allowance for the burial of a member but a gathering took place and perhaps a raffle to raise funds for a wake sometimes and an interment and during the existence of the society three members i was told were buried that way comfortably the subscriptions were paid up regularly enough indeed said a member to me if a man earned anything his mates knew of it we all know how the cat jumps that way so he must either pay or be scratched the members not unfrequently lent each other money to pay up their subscriptions fashionable young swells i was told often visited the house and stayed till 3 or 4 in the morning but were very seldom in the club room which was closed regularly at 12 after that hour the swells who were bent upon seeing life and they are a class whom the patterers on all such occasions not so very unreasonably consider fair game for bamboozling could enjoy the society congenial to their tastes or gratifying to their curiosity on one occasion two policemen were among the visitors and were on friendly terms enough with the members some of whom they had seen before from the beginning there seems to have been a distrust of one another among the members but a distrust not invincible or the club would never have been formed instead of the box or fund the money being deposited in a box being allowed to accumulate so that an investment might be realised available for any emergency the fund was divided among the members quarterly and then the subscription went on anew the payments however fell off the calling of the members was precarious their absence in the country was frequent and so the society ceased to exist but the members were satisfied that every thing was done honourably hindoo tract seller from a daguerreotype by beard the purpose to which the funds on a quarterly division were devoted was one not confined to such men as the patterersto a supper none of your light suppers sir said a member not by no means and we were too fly to send anybody to market but ourselves we used to go to leadenhall and buy a cut off a 243 sirloin which was roasted prime and smelt like a angel but not so often for its a dear jint the bones is heavy one of the favouritest jints was a boiled leg of mutton with caper trimmings that is a good supper i believe you my hero of the abodes tricks marriage character and characteristics of the different grades of patterers having now giving an account of those who may be called the literary patterers proper or at any rate of those who do not deem it vain so to account themselves because they work paper i proceed to adduce an account of the different grades of patterers generally for patter has almost as many divisions as literature there is patter pathetic as from beggars bouncing to puff off anything of little or no value comic as by the clowns descriptive as in the cases where the vendor describes however ornately what he really sells religious as occasionally by the vendors of tracts real patter as it is understood by the profession to make a thing believed to be what it is not classical as in the case of the sale of stenographic cards c and sporting as in race cards the pattering tribe is by no means confined to the traffic in paper though it may be the principal calling as regards the acuteness of its professors among these street folk are the running and standing patterers or stationers as they are sometimes but rarely styled and in these are included the death and fire hunters of whom i have spoken chaunters second edition sellers reciters conundrum sellers board workers strawers sellers of sham indecent publications street auctioneers cheap jacks mountebanks quacks clowns the various classes of showmen jugglers conjurors ring sellers for wagers sovereign sellers corn curers grease removers french polishers blacking sellers nostrum vendors fortune tellers oratorical beggars turnpike sailors the classes of lurkers stenographic card sellers and the vendors of race cards or lists the following accounts have been written for me by the same gentleman who has already described the religion morals c of patterers he has for some years resided among the class and has pursued a street calling for his existence what i have already said of his opportunities of personal observation and of dispassionate judgment i need not iterate i wish says the writer in question in the disclosures i am now about to make concerning the patterers generally to do more than merely put the public on their guard i take no cruel delight in dragging forth the follies of my fellow men before i have done with my subject i hope to draw forth and exhibit some of the latent virtues of the class under notice many of whom i know to sigh in secret over that one imprudent step whatever its description which has furnished the censorious with a weapon they have been but too ready to wield the first thing for me to do is to give a glance at the habitations of these outcasts and to set forth their usual conduct opinions conversation and amusements as london including the ten mile circle is the head quarters of lodging house life and least known because most crowded i shall lift the veil which shrouds the vagrant hovel where the patterer usually resides as there are many individuals in lodging houses who are not regular patterers or professional vagrants being rather as they term themselves travellers or tramps so there are multitudes who do not inhabit such houses who really belong to the fraternity pattering or vagrant of these some take up their abode in what they call flatty kens that is houses the landlord of which is not awake or fly to the moves and dodges of the trade others resort to the regular padding kens or houses of call for vagabonds while othersand especially those who have familieslive constantly in furnished rooms and have little intercourse with the regular travellers tramps or wanderers the medium houses the london vagrant haunts for i have no wish to go to extremes either way are probably in westminster and perhaps the fairest model of the monkry is the house in orchard streetonce the residence of royaltywhich has been kept and conducted for half a century by the veteran who some fifty years ago was the only man who amused the population with that well known ditty if id as much money as i could tell i would not cry young lambs to sell mister for that is the old mans title still manufactures lambs but seldom goes out himself his sons obedient and exemplary young men take the toys into the country and dispose of them at fairs and markets the wife of this man is a woman of some beauty and good sound sense but far too credulous for the position of which she is the mistress so much for the establishment i have now to deal with the inmates no one could be long an inmate of mr s without discerning in the motley group persons who had seen better days and seated on the same bench persons who are seeing the best days they ever saw when i took up my abode in the house under consideration i was struck by the appearance of a middle aged lady like woman a native of worcester bred to the glove trade and brought up in the lap of plenty and under the high sanction of religious principle she had evidently some source of mental anguish i believe it was the conduct of her husband by whom she had been deserted and who was living with a woman to whom it is said the wife had shown much kindness by her sat a giant in size and candour demands 244 that i should say a giant in sin when navy jem as he is called used to work for his living it was a long while ago he drove a barrow at the formation of the great western railway at present the man lies in bed till mid day and when he makes his appearance in the kitchen the very kittens on the hearth they dare not even play his breakfast embraces all the good things of the season he divides his delicacies with a silver forkwhere did he get it the mode in which this man obtains a livelihood is at once a mixture and a mystery his prevailing plan is to waylay gentlemen in the decline of life and to extort money by threats of accusation and exposure to which i can do no more than allude his wife a notorious shoplifter is now for the third time expiating her offences in coldbath fields next to navy jem may be perceived a little stunted woman of pretended scotch but really irish extraction whose husband has died in the hospital for consumption at least as many times as the hero of waterloo has seen engagements at last the man did die and his widow has been collecting money to bury him for eight years past but has not yet secured the required sum this woman whose name i never knew has a boy and a girl to the former she is very kind the latter she beats without mercy always before breakfast and with such almost unvaried punctuality that her brother will sometimes whisper after saying grace mother has our poll had her licks yet among the records of mortality lately before the public is the account of a notorious woman who was found suffocated in a stagnant pool whether from suicide or accident it was impossible to determine she had been in every hospital in town and country suffering from a disease entirely self procured she applied strong acids to wounds previously punctured with a pin and so caused her body to present one mass of sores she was deemed incurable by the hospital doctors and liberal collections were made for her among the benevolent in various places the trick however was ultimately discovered and the failure of her plan added to the bad state of health to which her bodily injuries had gradually led preyed upon her mind and hastened her death this woman had been the paramour of peter the crossing sweeper a man who for years went about showing similar wounds which he pretended had been inflicted while fighting in the spanish legionthough truth to say he had never been nearer spain than liverpool is to new york he had followed the monkry from a child and chiefly since manhood as a broken down weaver from leicester and after singing through every one of the provinces weve got no work to do he scraped acquaintance with a school of shallow coves that is men who go about half naked telling frightful tales about shipwrecks hair breadth escapes from houses on fire and such like aqueous and igneous calamities by these peter was initiated into the scaldrum dodge or the art of burning the body with a mixture of acids and gunpowder so as to suit the hues and complexions of the accident to be deplored such persons hold every morning a committee of ways and means according to whose decision the movements of the day are carried out sometimes when on their country rounds they go singly up to the houses of the gentry and wealthy farmers begging shirts which they hide in hedges while they go to another house and beg a similar article sometimes they go in crowds to the number of from twelve to twenty they are most successful when the swell is not at home if they can meet with the burerk mistress or the young ladies they put it on them for dunnage beg a stock of general clothing flattering their victims first and frightening them afterwards a friend of mine was present in a lodging house in plymouth when a school of the shallow coves returned from their days work with six suits of clothes and twenty seven shirts besides childrens apparel and shoes all of which were sold to a broker in the same street and besides these the donations in money received amounted to 4 s 4 d a man at this enterprise peter continued several years butto use his own wordseverything has but a time the country got dead to him and people got fly to the shallow brigade so peter came up to london to try his hand at something else housed in the domicile of sayer the barber who has enriched himself by beer shops and lodging house keeping to the tune it is said of 20 000 l peter amused the travellers of wentworth street whitechapel with recitals of what he had seen and done here a profligate but rather intelligent man who had really been in the service of the queen of spain gave him an old red jacket and with it such instructions as equipped him for the imposition one sleeve of this jacket usually hung loosely by his side while the arm it should have covered was exposed naked and to all appearance withered his rule was to keep silence till a crowd assembled around him when he began to patter to them to the following effect ladies and gentlemen it is with feelings of no common reluctance that i stand before you at this time but although i am not without feelings i am totally without friends and frequently without food this wound showing his disfigured arm i received in the service of the queen of spain and i have many more on different parts of my person i received a little praise for my brave conduct but not a penny of pension and here i am theres no deception you see ill in healthpoor in pocket and exposed without proper nourishment to wind and weatherthe cold is blowing through me till i am almost perished his doxy stood by and received 245 the voluntary contributions of the audience in a soldiers cap which our hero emptied into his pocket and after snivelling out his thanks departed to renew the exhibition in the nearest available thoroughfare peter boasted that he could make on an average fifteen of these pitches a day and as the proceeds were estimated at something considerable in each pitch he has been known to take as much as half a crown in pence at one standing he was able to sport his figure at astleys in the eveningto eat spring lamb and when reeling home under the influence of whiskey to entertain the peaceful inhabitants with the music ofwe wont go home till morning whether the game got stale or peter became honest is beyond the purport of my communication to settle if any reader however should make his purchases at the puffing fishmongers in lombard street they may find peter now pursuing the more honest occupation of sweeping the crossing by the church of st gabriel fenchurch street among the most famous of the lurking patterers was captain moody the son of poor but honest parents in the county of cornwall who died during his boyhood leaving him to the custody of a maiden aunt this lady soon and not without reason got tired of her incorrigible charge young moody was apprenticed successively to three trades and wanted not ability to become expert in any of them but having occasional interviews with some of the gipsey tribe and hearing from themselves of their wonderful achievements he left the sober walks of life and joined this vagrant fraternity his new position however was attractive only while it was novel moody who had received a fair education soon became disgusted with the coarseness and vulgarity of his associates at the solicitation of a neighbouring clergyman he was restored to the friendship of his aunt who had soon sad reason to regret that her compassion had got the better of her prudence for one sunday afternoon while she was absent at church young moody who had pleaded indisposition and so obtained permission to stay at home decamped after dispatching the servant to the town a mile distant to fetch the doctor in the meantime emptying his aunts safety cupboard of a couple of gold watches and 72 in cash and country notes his roving disposition then induced him to try the sea and the knowledge he obtained during several voyages fitted him for those maritime frauds which got him the name of captain moody the lurker the frauds of this person are well known and often recounted with great admiration among the pattering fraternity on one occasion the principal butcher in gosport was summoned to meet a gentlemen at an hotel the louisa a brig had just arrived at portsmouth the captains name was young and this gentleman moody personated for the time being i have occasion said he to the butcher for an additional supply of beef for the louisa i have heard you spoken of by captain harrison whom moody knew to be an old friend of the butchers and i have thus given you the preference i want a bullock cut up in 12lb pieces it must be on board by three to morrow the price was agreed upon and the captain threw down a few sovereigns in payment but of course discovered that he had not gold enough to cover the whole amount so he proposed to give him a cheque he had just received from captain harrison for 100 and the butcher could give him the difference the tradesman was nothing loth for a cheque upon vallance mills and west with captain harrisons signature was reckoned equal to money any day and so the butcher considered the one he had received until the next morning when the draft and the order proved to be forgeries the culprit was of course nowhere to be found nor indeed heard of till two years after when he had removed the scene of his depredations to liverpool in that port he had a colleague a man whose manners and appearance were equally prepossessing moody sent his pal into a jewellers shop near the corner of lord street who there purchased a small gold seal paid for it and took his leave immediately afterwards moody entered the shop under evident excitement declaring that he had seen the person who had just left the shop secrete two if not three seals up his coat sleeve adding that the fellow had just gone through the exchange and that if the jeweller were quick he would be sure to catch him the jeweller ran out without his hat leaving his kind friend in charge of the shop and soon returned with the supposed criminal in his custody the captain however in the mean time had decamped taking with him a tray from the window containing precious materials to the value of 300 l at another time the captain prepared a document setting forth losses in the baltic trade and a dismal variety of disasters and concluding with a melancholy shipwreck which had really taken place just about that time in the german ocean with this he travelled over great part of scotland and with almost unprecedented success journeying near the frith of forth he paid a visit to lord dalmenya nobleman of great benevolencewho had read the account of the shipwreck in the local journals and wondered that the petition was not signed by influential persons on the spot and somewhat suspicious of the reality of the captains identity placed a terrestrial globe before him and begged to be shown in what latitude he was cast away the awkwardness with which moody handled the globe showed that he was out of his latitude altogether his lordship thereupon committed the document to the flames but generously gave the captain a sovereign and some good advice the former he appropriated at the nearest public house of the latter he never made the least use 246 old and worn out by excesses and imprisonment he subsists now by sitting pad about the suburban pavements and when on a recent evening he was recognised in a low public house in deptford he was heard to say with a sigh ah once i could screeve a fakement write a petition or cooper a monekur forge a signature with any man alive and my hearts game now but im old and asthmatic and got the rheumatis so that i aint worth a dn the lady lurker of this person very little is known and that little it is said makes her an object of pity her father was a dissenting minister in bedfordshire she has been twice married her first husband was a schoolmaster at hackney and nephew of a famous divine who wrote a commentary on the bible and was chaplain to george iii she afterwards married a physician in cambridgeshire a dr s who is alleged to have treated her ill and even to have attempted to poison her she has no children and since the death of her husband has passed through various grades till she is now a cadger she dresses becomingly in black and sends in her card mrs dr s to the houses whose occupants are known or supposed to be charitable she talks with them for a certain time and then draws forth a few boxes of lucifers which she says she is compelled to sell for her living these lucifers are merely excuses of course for begging still nothing is known to have ever transpired in her behaviour wholly unworthy of a distressed gentlewoman she lives in private lodgings i continue the account of these habitations and of their wretched occupants from the pen of the same gentleman whose vicissitudes partly self procured led him to several years acquaintance with the subject padding kens lodging houses in the country are certainly preferable abodes to those of st giless westminster or whitechapel but in country as in town their condition is extremely filthy and disgusting many of them are scarcely ever washed and as to sweeping once a week is miraculous in most cases they swarm with vermin and except where their position is very airy the ventilation is imperfect and frequent sickness the necessary result it is a matter of surprise that the nobility clergy and gentry of the realm should permit the existence of such horrid dwellings i think continues my informant that the majority of these poor wretches are without even the idea of respectability or home comforts many of them must be ranked among the worst of our population some who could live elsewhere prefer these wretched abodes because they answer various evil purposes with beggars patterers hawkers tramps and vendors of their own manufacture are mingled thieves women of easy virtue and men of no virtue at all a few and by far the smallest portion are persons who once filled posts of credit and affluence but whom bankruptcy want of employment or sickness has driven to these dismal retreats the vast majority of london vagrants take their summer vacation in the country and the dodges of both are interchanged and every new move circulates in almost no time i will endeavour to sketch a few of the most renowned performers on this theatre of action by far the most illustrious is nicholas a an ame known to the whole cadging fraternity as a real descendant from bamfylde moore carew and the prince of lurkers and patterers for thirty years past this man owes much of his success to his confessedly imposing appearance and many of his escapes to the known respectability of his connections his fatheryet aliveis a retired captain in the royal navy a gentleman of good private property and one of her majestys justices of peace for the county of devonthe southern extremity of which was the birth place of nicholas but little is known of his early days he went to school at tavistock where he received a good education and began life by cheating his schoolfellows the foolish fondness of an indulgent mother and some want of firmness in paternal discipline accelerated the growth of every weed of infamy in nicholas and baffled every experiment by sea and land to set him up in life scarcely was he out of his teens when he honoured the sister country with his visits and his depredations about the centre of sackville street dublin there lived a wealthy silversmith of the name of wise into his shop accompanied by one of his pals in livery went nicholas whose gentlemanly exterior as i have already hinted would disarm suspicion in a stranger good morning sir is your name wise yes sir well that is my name indeed of the english family i suppose yes sir east kent oh indeed related to the ladies of leeds castle i presume i have the honour to be their brother james is your name james or john neither sir it is jacob oh indeed a very ancient name well i have occasion to give a party at the corn exchange tavern and i want a little plate on hire can you supply me a very polite affirmative settled this part of the business plate to the amount of 150 l was selected and arranged when nicholas discovered that his pocket book was at home to complete the deception his right arm was in a sling will you mr wise you see my infirmity write me a few lines with the greatest pleasure was the silversmiths reply well let me see my dear do not be surprised at this i want 150l or all the money you can send per bearer i will explain at dinner time j wise now john take this to your mistress and be quick as john was not very hasty in his return nicholas went to look for him leaving a strict injunction that the plate should be sent to the corn exchange tavern as soon as the deposit was received this happened at eleven 247 in the forenoonthe clock struck five and no return of either the master or the man the jeweller left a message with his apprentice and went home to his dinner he was met at the door of his suburban villa by his better half who wondered what made him so late and wished to know the nature of the exigency which had caused him to send home for so much money the good mans perplexity was at an end when he saw his own handwriting on the note and every means within the range of constabulary vigilance was taken to capture the offender but nicholas and his servant got clear off this mans ingenuity was then taxed as to the next move so he thought it expedient to tax somebody else he went with his pal to a miscellaneous repository where they bought a couple of old ledgersuseful only as waste paper a bag to hold money two ink bottles c thus equipped they waited on the farmers of the district and exhibited a fakement setting forth parliamentary authority for imposing a tax upon the geese they succeeded to admiration and weeks elapsed before the hoax was discovered the coolness of thus assuming legislatorial functions and being at the same time the executive power has rarely been equalled there is an old proverb that it is an ill wind that blows nobody good the gallant captain was domiciled at a lodging house in gainsborough lincolnshire where he found all the lodgers complaining of the badness of the timesmost of them were makers of nets he sallied forth to all the general shops and left his fictitious captain card at each with an order for an unusual number of nets this dodge gave a weeks work to at least twenty poor people but whether the shopkeepers were caught in a net or the articles were paid for and removed by the captain or whether it was a piece of pastime on his part i did not stay long enough to ascertain nicholas a is now in his sixty second year a perfect hypochondriac on his own authorityand it is no doubt too truehe has been lurking on every conceivable system from forging a bill of exchange down to maundering on the fly for the greater part of his life and excepting the hundred and thirteen times he has been in provincial jails society has endured the scourge of his deceptions for a quarter of a century at least he now lives with a young prostitute in portsmouth and contributes to her wretched earnings an allowance of 5 s a week paid to him by the attorney of a distant and disgusted relative the writer of this account was himself two whole years on the monkry before he saw a lodging house for tramps and the first he ever saw was one well known to every patterer in christendom and whose fame he says is gone out into all lands for its wayfaring inmates are very proud of its popularity it may be as well writes the informant in question before submitting the following account to state that there are other and more elaborate marksthe hieroglyphics of trampingthan those already given i will accordingly explain them two hawkers pals go together but separate when they enter a village one taking each side of the road and selling different things and so as to inform each other as to the character of the people at whose houses they call they chalk certain marks on their door posts means go on i have called here dont you callits no go means stopyou may call here they want for instance what you sell though not what i sell or else they had no change when i was there but may have it now or if they dont buy at least theyll treat you civilly on a corner house or a sign post means i went this way or go on in this direction on a corner house or sign post means stopdont go any further in this direction as before explained means danger like many other young men i had lived above my income and too proud to crave parental forgiveness had thrown off the bonds of authority for a life of adventure i was now homeless upon the world with a body capable of either exertion or fatigue and a heart not easily terrified by danger i endured rather than enjoyed my itinerant position i sold small articles of tunbridge ware perfumery c c and by munging begging over themsometimes in latingot a better living than i expected or probably deserved i was always of temperate and rather abstemious habits but ignorant of the haunts of other wanderers whom i saw in dozens every day upon every road and every conceivable pursuit i took up my nightly quarters at a sort of third rate public houses and supposed that my contemporaries did the same how long my ignorance might have continued if left to myself i can hardly determine an adventure at a road side inn however removed the veil from my eyes and i became gradually and speedily awake to every move on the board it was a lovely evening in july the air was serene and the scenery romantic my own feelings were in unison with both and enhanced perhaps by the fact that i had beguiled the last two miles of my deliberate walk with a page out of my pocket companion burke on the sublime and beautiful i was now smoking my pipe and quaffing a pint of real yorkshire stingo in the keeping room a term which combines parlour and kitchen in one word of a real yorkshire village dranfield near sheffield a young person of the other sex was my only and accidental companion she had been driven into the house by the over officiousness of a vigilant village constable who finding that she sold lace without a license andinfinitely worserefused to listen to his advances had warned her to make herself scarce at her earliest possible convenience 248 having elicited what i did for a living she popped the startling question to me where do you hang out in sheffield i told her that i had never been in sheffield and did not hang out my little wares but used my persuasive art to induce the purchase of them the lady said well you are green i mean where do you dos this was no better it seemed something like greek delta omicron sigma i retain the patterers own words to show the education of the class but the etymology was no relief to the perplexity where do you mean to sleep she inquired i referred to my usual practice of adjourning to an humble public house my companion at once threw off all manner of disguise and said well sir you are a young man that i have taken a liking to and if you think you should like my company i will take you to a lodging where there is plenty of travellers and you will see all sorts of life i liked the girls company and our mutual acquiescence made us companions on the road we had not got far before we met the aforesaid constable in company with an unmistakeable member of the rural police they made some inquiries of me which i thought exceeded their commission i replied to them with a mutilated ode of horace when they both determined that i was a frenchman and allowed us to go on our way rejoicing the smoky though well built town of sheffield was now near at hand the daylight was past and the shades of the evening were stretching out we were therefore enabled to journey through the thoroughfares without impertinent remarks or perhaps any observation except from a toothless old woman of john wesleys school who was sorry to see two such nice young people going about the country and wondered if we ever thought of eternity after a somewhat tedious ramble we arrived at water lane at the bug trap which from time immemorial has been the name of the most renowned lodging house in that or perhaps any locality water lane is a dark narrow street crowded with human beings of the most degraded sortthe chosen atmosphere of cholera and the stronghold of theft and prostitution in less than half an hour my fair companion and myself were sipping our tea and eating yorkshire cake in this same lodging house god bless every happy couple was echoed from a rude stentorian voice while a still ruder hand bumped down upon our tea table a red earthen dish of no small dimensions into which was poured from the mouth of a capacious bag fragments of fish flesh and fowl viands and vegetables of every sort intermingled with bits of cheese and dollops of yorkshire pudding the man to whom this heterogeneous mass belonged appeared anything but satisfied with his lot well said he i dont know what this ere monkry will come to after a bit three bob and a tanner and that there dish o scran enough to feed two families for a fortnight is all i got this blessed day since seven oclock in the morning and now its nine at night i ventured to say something but a remark too base for repetition put the stunners on me and i held my peace i was here surprised on conversing with my young female companion to find that she went to church said her prayers night and morning and knew many of the collects some of which she repeated besides a pleasing variety of dr wattss hymns at the death of her mother her father had given up housekeeping and being too fond of a wandering life had led his only child into habits like his own as the night advanced the party at the bug trap more than doubled high flyers shallow coves turnpike sailors and swells out of luck made up an assembly of fourscore human beings more than half of whom were doomed to sleep on a make shiftin other words on a platform raised just ten inches above the floor of the garret which it nearly equalled in dimensions here were to be huddled together with very little covering old men and women young men and children with no regard to age sex or propensities the mot of the ken nickname for matron of the establishment had discovered that i was a more bettermost sort of person and hinted that if i would come down with twopence more threepence was the regular nightly charge i and the young gal as i was with might have a little crib to ourselves in a little room along with another woman wot was married and had a kid and whose husband had got a month for griddling in the main drag singing in the high street and being cheekish saucy to the beadle next morning i bade adieu to the bug trap and i hope for ever the same informant further stated that he was some time upon tramp before he even knew of the existence of a common lodging house after i had matriculated at sheffield he says i continued some time going to public houses to sleep until my apparel having got shabby and my acquintance with misfortune more general i submitted to be the associate of persons whom i never spoke to out of doors and whose even slight acquaintance i have long renounced my first introduction to a london paddin ken was in whitechapel the place was then called cat and wheel alley now commercial street on the spot where st judes church now stands was a double lodging house kept by a man named shirleyone side of it was for single men and women the other married couples as these couples made frequent exchanges it is scarcely probable that mr shirley ever asked to see their marriage lines these changes were indeed as common as they were disgusting i knew two brothers birmingham nailers who each brought a young woman out of service from the country after a while each became dissatisfied 249 with his partner the mistress of the house an old procuress from portsmouth proposed that they should change their wives they did so to the amusement of nine other couples sleeping on the same floor and some of whom followed the example and more than once during the night when cat and wheel alley was pulled down the crew removed to george yard the proprietor died and his wife sold the concern to a wooden legged welshman named hughes commonly called taff i was there some time taff was a notorious receiver of stolen goods i knew two little boys who brought home six pairs of new wellington boots which this miscreant bought at 1 s per pair and when they had no luck he would take the strap off his wooden leg and beat them through the nakedness of their rags he boarded and lodged about a dozen chelsea and greenwich pensioners these he used to follow and watch closely till they got paid then after they had settled with him he would make them drunk and rob them of the few shillings they had left one of these dens of infamy may be taken as a specimen of the whole class they have generally a spacious though often ill ventilated kitchen the dirty dilapidated walls of which are hung with prints while a shelf or two are generally though barely furnished with crockery and kitchen utensils in some places knives and forks are not provided unless a penny is left with the deputy or manager till they are returned a brush of any kind is a stranger and a looking glass would be a miracle the average number of nightly lodgers is in winter 70 and in summer when many visit the provinces from 40 to 45 the general charge is if two sleep together 3 d per night or 4 d for a single bed in either case it is by no means unusual to find 18 or 20 in one small room the heat and horrid smell from which are insufferable and where there are young children the staircases are the lodgment of every kind of filth and abomination in some houses there are rooms for families where on a rickety machine which they dignify by the name of a bedstead may be found the man his wife and a son or daughter perhaps 18 years of age while the younger children aged from 7 to 14 sleep on the floor if they have linen they take it off to escape vermin and rise naked one by one or sometimes brother and sister together this is no ideal picture the subject is too capable of being authenticated to need that meaningless or dishonest assistance called allowable exaggeration the amiable and deservedly popular minister of a district church built among lodging houses has stated that he has found 29 human beings in one apartment and that having with difficulty knelt down between two beds to pray with a dying woman his legs became so jammed that he could hardly get up again out of some fourscore such habitations continues my informant i have only found two which had any sort of garden and i am happy to add that in neither of these two was there a single case of cholera in the others however the pestilence raged with terrible fury of all the houses of this sort the best i know is the one previously referred to in orchard street westminister and another in seven dials kept by a mr mann formerly a wealthy butcher cleanliness is inscribed on every wall of the house utensils of every kind are in abundance with a plentiful supply of water and gas the beds do not exceed five in a room and they are changed every week there is not one disorderly lodger and although the master has sustained heavy losses ill health and much domestic affliction himself and his house may be regarded as patterns of what is wanted for the london poor as there is a sad similarity between these abodes so there is a sort of caste belonging in general to the inmates of them it may be averred that whatever their pursuits they are more or less alike in their views of men and manners they hate the aristocracy whenever there is a rumour or an announcement of an addition to the royal family and the news reaches the padding ken the kitchen for half an hour becomes the scene of uproaranother expense coming on the by country the patterers are very fond of the earl of carlisle whom in their attachment they still call lord morpeth they have read many of his lordships speeches at soires c and they think he wishes well to a poor man sir james graham had better not show face among them they have an idea whence derived we know not that this nobleman invented fourpenny pieces and now they say the swells give a joey where they used to give a tanner the hero of waterloo is not much amiss if he lets politics alone the name of a bishop is but another name for a beelzebub but they are very fond of the inferior clergy lay agents and tract distributors they cannot bear they think they are spies come to see how much scran food they have got and then go and pyson the minds of the public against poor people i was once says our informant in a house of this kind in george street st giless the missionary who visited them on that occasion sunday afternoon had the misfortune to be suspected as the author of some recent exposure in the newspapers they accused him and he rebutted the accusation they replied and he rejoined at last one of the men said what do you want poking your nose in here for the city mission was the answer had authorised authorised be dd are you ordained no not yet friend the women then tore the poor gentlemans nether garments in a way i must not describe the men carried him into the yard filled his mouth with flour of mustard and then put him in a water butt it is i am satisfied quite a mistake to 250 suppose that there is much real infidelity among these outcast beings they almost all believe in a hereafter most of them think that the wicked will be punished for a few years and then the whole universe of people be embraced in the arms of one great forgiving father some of them think that the wicked will not rise at all the punishment of losing heaven being as they say hell enough for anybody points of doctrine they seldom meddle with there are comparatively few dissenters to be found in padding kens though many whose parents were dissenters my own opinion writes my informant is that dissent seldom lasts long in one family in eight years experience i have found two hundred apparently pious men and women and at least two thousand who call themselves protestants but never go to any church or chapel the politics of these classes are perhaps for the most part liberal tory in most lodging houses they take one or two papers the weekly dispatch and bells weekly messenger are the two usually taken i know of no exception to this rule the beggars hate a whig ministry and i know that many a tear was shed in the hovels and cellars of london when sir robert peel died i know a publican in westminster whose daily receipts are enormous and whose only customers are soldiers thieves and prostitutes who closed his house the day of the funeral and put himself his family and even his beer machines and gas pipes into mourning for the departed statesman the pattering fraternity that i write of are generally much given to intemperance their amusements are the theatre the free and easy the skittle ground and sometimes cards and dominoes they read some light works and some of them subscribe to libraries and a few very few attend lectures eliza cook is a favourite writer with them and capt marryatt the top sawyer as a novelist ainsworth is the idol of another class when they can read mr dickens was a favourite but he has gone down sadly in the scale since his household words came it so strong against the begging letter department these poor creatures seldom rise in society they make no effort to extricate themselves while by others they are unpitied because unknown to this rule however there are some happy and honourable exceptions taken as a body patterers lurkers c are by no means quick sighted as to the sanctions of moral obligation they would join the hue and cry against the persecutors of jane wilbred but a promiscuous robbery even accompanied by murderif it was got up clever and done clean so long as the parties escaped detectionmight call forth a remark that there was no great harm done and perhaps some would applaud the perpetrators before quitting this part of my subject viz the character habits and opinions of all classes of patterers i will give an account of the pretended missionary proceedings of a man well known to the vagrant fraternity as chelsea george i received the following narrative from the gentleman whose statements i have given previously the scheme was concocted in a low lodging house after a career of incessant lurking and deceit chelsea george left england and remained abroad writes my informant four or five years exposure to the sun and allowing his beard to grow a prodigious length gave him the appearance of a foreigner he had picked up enough french and italian with a little dutch and german and a smattering of spanish to enable him to hail for any part of the globe and from the designed inarticulateness with which he spoke sometimes four languages in one sentence added to his sun burnt and grotesque appearance it was difficult to pall him upon any racket detect him in any pretence so that the most incredulous though often previously imposed upongave credence to his story relief to his supposed necessities and sometimes letters of introduction to their friends and neighbours some time after his return to england and while pursuing the course of a high flyer genteel beggar he met with an interruption to his pursuits which induced him to alter his plan without altering his behaviour the newspapers of the district where he was then located had raised before the eye and mind of the public what the patterers of his class proverbially call a stink that is had opened the eyes of the unwary to the movements of chelsea george and although he ceased to renew his appeals from the moment he heard of the notice of him his appearance was so accurately described that he was captured and committed to winchester jail as a rogue and vagabond the term of his imprisonment has escaped my recollection as there was no definite charge against him probably he was treated as an ordinary vagrant and suffered a calendar month in durance the silent system was not then in vogue consequently there existed no barrier to mutual intercourse between prisoners with all its train of conscience hardening tendencies i do not say this to intimate unqualified approval of the solitary system i merely state a fact which has an influence on my subject george had by this time scraped acquaintance with two fellow prisonersjew jem and russia bob the former in quod for pattering as a converted jew the latter for obtaining money under equally false though less theological pretences the kitchen fox court grays inn lane liberated about one time this trio laid their heads together and the result was a plan to evangelize or rather victimize the inhabitants of the collier villages in staffordshire and the adjoining counties to accomplish this purpose some novel and imposing representation must be made both to lull suspicion and give the air of piety to the plan and disinterestedness to the agents by whom it was carried out 251 george and his two fellow labourers were square riggedthat is well dressed something however must be done to colour up the scene and make the appeal for money touching unsuspected and successful just before the time to which i allude a missionary from sierra leone had visited the larger towns of the district in question while the inhabitants of the surrounding hamlets had been left in ignorance of the progress of missions in africa and the east george and his comrades thought it would be no great harm at once to enlighten and fleece this scattered and anxious population the plan was laid in a town of some size and facility they raised the wind to an extent adequate to some alteration of their appearances and got bills printed to set forth the merits of the cause the principal actor was jew jim a converted israelite with reverend before his name and half the letters of the alphabet behind it he had been in all the islands of the south sea on the coast of africa all over hindostan and half over the universe and after assuring the villagers of torryburn that he had carried the gospel to various dark and uninhabited parts of the earth he introduced russia bob an irishman who had however been in russia as his worthy and self denying colleague and chelsea george as the first fruits of their ministryas one who had left houses and land wife and children and taken a long and hazardous voyage to show christians in england that their sable brethren children of one common parent were beginning to cast their idols to the moles and to the bats earnest was the gaze and breathless the expectation with which the poor deluded colliers of torry burn listened to this harangue and as argument always gains by illustration the orator pulled out a tremendous black doll bought for a flag fourpence of a retired rag merchant and dressed up in oriental style this jew jim assured the audience was an idol brought from murat in hindostan he presented it to chelsea george for his worship and embraces the convert indignantly repelled the insinuation pushed the idol from him spat in its face and cut as many capers as a dancing bear the trio at this stage of the performances began puckering talking privately to each other in murdered french dashed with a little irish after which the missionaries said that their convert who had only a few words of english would now profess his faith all was attention as chelsea george came forward he stroked his beard put his hand in his breast to keep down his dickey and turning his eyes upwards said i believe in desus tistdlory to is oly name this elicited some loud amens from an assemblage of nearly 1 000 persons and catching the favourable opportunity a school of pals appointed for the purpose went round and made the collection out of the abundance of their credulity and piety the populace contributed sixteen pounds the whole scene was enacted out of doors and presented to a stranger very pleasing impressions i was present on the occasion but was not then aware of the dodge one verse of a hymn and the blessing pronounced was the signal for separation a little shaking of hands concluded the exhibition and every man went into his own house the missionary party and their pals took the train to manchester and as none of them were teetotallers the proceeds of their imposition did not last long they were just putting on their considering caps for the contrivance of another dodge when a gentleman in blue clothes came into the tap room and informed jew jem that he was wanted it appears that jem had come out of prison a day or two before his comrades and being hard up had ill used a lady taken her purse and appropriated its contents inquiries at first useless had now proved successfulthe missionary stood his trial and got an appointment on norfolk island russia bob took the cholera and died and george the convert was once more left alone to try his hand at something else of the low lodging houses of london the patterers as a class usually frequent the low lodging houses i shall therefore now proceed to give some further information touching the abodes of these peoplereminding the reader that i am treating of patterers in general and not of any particular order as the paper workers in applying the epithet low to these places i do but adopt the word commonly applied either in consequence of the small charge for lodging or from the character of their frequenters to some of these domiciles however as will be shown the epithet in an opprobrious sense is unsuited an intelligent man familiar for some years with some low lodging house life specified the quarters where those abodes are to be found and divided them into the following districts the correctness of which i caused to be ascertained drury lane district here the low lodging houses are to be found principally in the coal yard charles street king street parker street shorts gardens great and little wyld streets wyld court lincoln court newton street star court grays inn lane fox court charlotte buildings spread eagle court portpool lane bell court baldwins gardens pheasant court union buildings laystall street cromer street fulwoods rents high holborn chancery lane church passage and the liberty of the rolls bloomsbury george street church lane queen street seven dials puckeridge street commonly called the holy land saffron hill and clerkenwell peter street cow cross turnmill street upper and lower white cross street st helens place playhouse yard chequer alley field lane great saffron hill westminster old and new pye streets ann 252 street orchard street perkinss rents rochester row lambeth lambeth walk new cut marylebone york court east street st pancras brooke street paddington chapel street union court shoreditch bakers rents coopers gardens islington angel yard whitechapel spitalfields c george yard thrawl street flower and dean street wentworth street keate street rosemary lane glasshouse yard st georges street lambeth street whitechapel high street borough mint street old kent street long lane bermondsey stratford high street limehouse hold commonly called hole deptford mill lane church street gifford street there are other localities as in mile end ratcliffe highway shadwell wapping and lisson grove where low lodging houses are to be found but the places i have specified may be considered the districts of these hotels for the poor the worst places both as regards filth and immorality are in st giless and wentworth street whitechapel the best are in orchard street westminster the thieves having left it in consequence of the recent alterations and gone to new pye street and in the mint borough in the last mentioned district indeed some of the proprietors of the lodging houses have provided considerable libraries for the use of the inmates in the white horse mint street for instance there is a collection of 500 volumes on all subjects bought recently and having been the contents of a circulating library advertised for sale in the weekly dispatch of lodging houses for travellers the largest is known as the farm house in the mint it stands away from any thoroughfare and lying low is not seen until the visitor stands in the yard tradition rumour states that the house was at one time queen annes and was previously cardinal wolseys it was probably some official residence in this lodging house are forty rooms 200 beds single and double and accommodation for 200 persons it contains three kitchens of which the largest at once kitchen and sitting room holds 400 people for whose uses in cooking there are two large fire places the other two kitchens are used only on sundays when one is a preaching room in which missionaries from surrey chapel the rev james shermans or some minister or gentleman of the neighbourhood officiates the other is a reading room supplied with a few newspapers and other periodicals and thus i was told the religious and irreligious need not clash for the supply of these papers each person pays 1 d every sunday morning and as the sum so collected is more than is required for the expenses of the reading room the surplus is devoted to the help of the members in sickness under the management of the proprietor of the lodging house who appears to possess the full confidence of his inmates the larger kitchen is detached from the sleeping apartments so that the lodgers are not annoyed with the odour of the cooking of fish and other food consumed by the poor for in lodging houses every sojourner is his own cook the meal in most demand is tea usually with a herring or a piece of bacon the yard attached to the farm house in mint street covers an acre and a half in it is a washing house built recently the yard itself being devoted to the drying of the clotheswashed by the customers of the establishment at the entrance to this yard is a kind of porters lodge in which reside the porter and his wife who act as the deputies of the lodging house this place has been commended in sanitary reports for its cleanliness good order and care for decency and for a proper division of the sexes on sundays there is no charge for lodging to known customers but this is a general practice among the low lodging houses of london in contrast to this house i could cite many instances but i need do no more in this place than refer to the statements which i shall proceed to give some of these were collected in the course of a former inquiry and are here given because the same state of things prevails now i was told by a trustworthy man that not long ago he was compelled to sleep in one of the lowest as regards cheapness of the lodging houses all was dilapidation filth and noisomeness in the morning he drew for purposes of ablution a basinfull of water from a pailfull kept in the room in the water were floating alive or apparently alive bugs and lice which my informant was convinced had fallen from the ceiling shaken off by the tread of some one walking in the rickety apartments above ah sir said another man with whom i conversed on the subject if you had lived in the lodging houses you would say what a vast difference a penny made its often all in all its 4 d in the mint house youve been asking me about youve sleep and comfort there and ive seen people kneel down and say their prayers afore they went to bed not so many though two or three in a week at nights perhaps and its wholesome and sweet enough there and large separate beds but in other places theres nothing to smell or feel but bugs when daylight comes in the summerand its often either as hot as hell or as cold as icicles in those places but in summer as soon as its light if you turn down the coverlet youll see them a going it like cheapside when its throngest the poor man seemed to shudder at the recollection one informant counted for me 180 of these low lodging houses and it is reasonable to say that there are in london at least 200 of them the average number of beds in each was computed for me by persons cognizant of such 253 matters from long and often woful experience at 52 single or 24 double beds where the house might be confined to single men or single women lodgers or to married or pretendedly married couples or to both classes in either case we may calculate the number that can be and generally are accommodated at 50 per house for children usually sleep with their parents and 50 may be the lowest computation we have thus no fewer than 10 000 persons domiciled more or less permanently in the low lodging houses of londona number more than doubling the population of many a parliamentary borough the proprietors of these lodging houses mostly have been i am assured vagrants or to use the civiller and commoner word travellers themselves and therefore sojourners on all necessary occasions in such places in four cases out of five i believe this to be the case the proprietors have raised capital sufficient to start with sometimes by gambling at races sometimes by what i have often and very vaguely heard described as a run of luck and sometimes i am assured by the proceeds of direct robbery a few of the proprietors may be classed as capitalists one of them who has a country house in hampstead has six lodging houses in or about thrawl street whitechapel he looks in at each house every saturday and calls his deputiesfor he has a deputy in each houseto account he often institutes a stringent check he gives a poor fellow money to go and lodge in one of his houses and report the number present sometimes the person so sent meets with the laconic repulsefull and woe to the deputy if his return do not evince this fulness perhaps one in every fifteen of the low lodging houses in town is also a beer shop very commonly so in the country to start a low lodging house is not a very costly matter furniture which will not be saleable in the ordinary course of auction or of any traffic is bought by a lodging house starter a man possessed of some money who took an interest in a bricklayer purchased for 20 l when the small pox hospital by kings cross was pulled down a sufficiency of furniture for four lodging houses in which he started the man in question none others would buy this furniture from a dread of infection it was the same at marlborough house peckham after the cholera had broken out there the furniture was sold to a lodging house keeper at 9 d each article big and little sir i was told a penny pot and a bedsteadall the same each 9 d nobody else would buy to about three fourths of the low lodging houses of london are deputies these are the conductors or managers of the establishment and are men or women and not unfrequently a married or proclaimed a married couple and about in equal proportion these deputies are paid from 7 s to 15 s a week each according to the extent of their supervision their lodging always and sometimes their board being at the cost of the master according to the character of the lodging house the deputies are civil and decent or roguish and insolent their duty is not only that of general superintendence but in some of the houses of a nocturnal inspection of the sleeping rooms the deputys business generally keeping him up all night at the better conducted houses strangers are not admitted after twelve at night in others there is no limitation as to hours the rent of the low lodging houses varies i am informed from 8 s to 20 s a week the payment being for the most part weekly the taxes and rates being of course additional it is rarely that the landlord or his agent can be induced to expend any money in repairs the wear and tear of the floors c from the congregating together of so many human beings being excessive this expenditure in consequence falls upon the tenant some of the lodging houses present no appearance differing from that of ordinary houses except perhaps that their exterior is dirtier some of the older houses have long flat windows on the ground floor in which there is rather more paper or other substitutes than glass the windows there sir remarked one man are not to let the light in but to keep the cold out in the abodes in question there seems to have become tacitly established an arrangement as to what character of lodgers shall resort thither the thieves the prostitutes and the better class of street sellers or traders usually resorting to the houses where they will meet the same class of persons the patterers reside chiefly in westminster and whitechapel some of the lodging houses are of the worst class of low brothels and some may even be described as brothels for children on many of the houses is a rude sign lodgings for travellers 3 d a night boiling water always ready or the same intimation may be painted on a window shutter where a shutter is in existence a few of the better order of these housekeepers post up small bills inviting the attention of travellers by laudations of the cleanliness good beds abundant water and gas all night to be met with the same parties also give address cards to travellers who can recommend one another the beds are of flock and as regards the mere washing of the rug sheet and blanket which constitute the bed furniture are in better order than they were a few years back for the visitations of the cholera alarmed even the reckless class of vagrants and those whose avocations relate to vagrants in perhaps a tenth of the low lodging houses of london a family may have a room to themselves with the use of the kitchen at so much a weekgenerally 2 s 6 d for a couple without family and 3 s 6 d where there are children to let out beds by the night is however the general rule 254 the illustration presented this week is of a place in fox court grays inn lane long notorious as a thieves house but now far less frequented on the visit a few months back of an informant who declined staying there a number of boys were lying on the floor gambling with marbles and halfpennies and indulging in savage or unmeaning blasphemy one of the lads jumped up and murmuring something that it wouldnt do to be idle any longer induced a woman to let him have a halfpenny for a stall that is as a pretext with which to enter a shop for the purpose of stealing the display of the coin forming an excuse for his entrance on the same occasion a man walked into the kitchen and coolly pulled from underneath the back of his smock frock a large flat piece of bacon for which he wanted a customer it would be sold at a fourth of its value i am assured that the average takings of lodging house keepers may be estimated at 17 s 6 d a night not to say 20 s but i adopt the lower calculation this gives a weekly payment by the struggling poor the knavish and the outcast of 1 000 guineas weekly or 52 000 guineas in the year besides the rent and taxes the principal expenditure of the lodging house proprietors is for coals and gas in some of the better houses blacking brushes and razors are supplied without charge to the lodgers also pen and ink soap and almost always a newspaper for the meals of the frequenters salt is supplied gratuitously and sometimes but far less frequently pepper also never vinegar or mustard sometimes a halfpenny is charged for the use of a razor and the necessary shaving apparatus in one house in kent street the following distich adorns the mantel piece to save a journey up the town a razor lent here for a brown but if you think the price too high i beg you wont the razor try in some places a charge of a halfpenny is made for hot water but that is very rarely the case strong drink is admitted at almost any hour in the majority of the houses and the deputy is generally ready to bring it but little is consumed in the houses those addicted to the use or abuse of intoxicating liquors preferring the tap room or the beer shop of the filth dishonesty and immorality of low lodging houses in my former and my present inquiries i received many statements on this subject some details given by coarse men and boys in the grossest language are too gross to be more than alluded to but the full truth must be manifested if not detailed it was remarked when my prior account appeared that the records of gross profligacy on the part of some of the most licentious of the rich such as the late marquis of hertford and other worthies of the same depraved habits were equalled or nearly equalled by the account of the orgies of the lowest lodging houses sin in any rank of life shows the same features and first as to the want of cleanliness comfort and decency why sir said one man who had filled a commercial situation of no little importance but had through intemperance been reduced to utter want i myself have slept in the top room of a house not far from drury lane and you could study the stars if you were so minded through the holes left by the slates having been blown off the roof it was a fine summers night and the openings in the roof were then rather an advantage for they admitted air and the room wasnt so foul as it might have been without them i never went there again but you may judge what thoughts went through a mans minda man who had seen prosperous daysas he lay in a place like that without being able to sleep watching the sky the same man told me and i received abundant corroboration of his statement besides that incidental mention of the subject occurs elsewhere that he had scraped together a handful of bugs from the bed clothes and crushed them under a candlestick and had done that many a time when he could only resort to the lowest places he had slept in rooms so crammed with sleepershe believed there were 30 where 12 would have been a proper numberthat their breaths in the dead of night and in the unventilated chamber rose i use his own words in one foul choking steam of stench this was the case most frequently a day or two prior to greenwich fair or epsom races when the congregation of the wandering classes who are the supporters of the low lodging houses was the thickest it was not only that two or even three persons jammed themselves into a bed not too large for one full sized man but between the bedsand their partition one from another admitted little more than the passage of a lodgerwere placed shakes down or temporary accommodation for nightly slumber in the better lodging houses the shake downs are small palliasses or mattresses in the worst they are bundles of rags of any kind but loose straw is used only in the country for shake downs one informant saw a traveller who had arrived late eye his shake down in one of the worst houses with anything but a pleased expression of countenance and a surly deputy observing this told the customer he had his choice which the deputy added its not all men as has or i shouldnt have been waiting here on you but you has your choice i tell you sleep there on that shake down or turn out and be d thats fair at some of the busiest periods numbers sleep on the kitchen floor all huddled together men and women when indecencies are common enough and without bedding or anything but their scanty clothes to soften the hardness of the stone or brick floor a penny is saved to the lodger by this means more than 200 have been accommodated in this way in a large 255 house the irish at harvest time very often resort to this mode of passing the night i heard from several parties of the surprise and even fear or horror with which a decent mechanicmore especially if he were accompanied by his wiferegarded one of these foul dens when destitution had driven him there for the first time in his life sometimes such a man was seen to leave the place abruptly though perhaps he had pre paid his last halfpenny for the refreshment of a nights repose sometimes he was seized with sickness i heard also from some educated persons who had seen better days of the disgust with themselves and with the world which they felt on first entering such places and i have some reason to believe said one man that a person once well off who has sunk into the very depths of poverty often makes his first appearance in one of the worst of those places perhaps it is because he keeps away from them as long as he can and then in a sort of desperation fit goes into the cheapest he meets with or if he knows its a vile place he very likely says to himselfi didi may as well know the worst at once another man who had moved in good society said when asked about his resorting to a low lodging house when a mans lost caste in society he may as well go the whole hog bristles and all and a low lodging house is the entire pig notwithstanding many abominations i am assured that the lodgers in even the worst of these habitations for the most part sleep soundly but they have in all probability been out in the open air the whole of the day and all of them may go to their couches after having walked perhaps many miles exceedingly fatigued and some of them half drunk why in course sir said a traveller whom i spoke to on this subject if you is in a country town or village where theres only one lodging house perhaps and that a bad onean old hand can always suit his self in londonyou must get half drunk or your money for your bed is wasted theres so much rest owing to you after a hard day and bugs and bad airll prevent its being paid if you dont lay in some stock of beer or liquor of some sort to sleep on its a duty you owes yourself but if you havent the browns why then in course you cant pay it i have before remarked and indeed have given instances of the odd and sometimes original manner in which an intelligent patterer for example will express himself the information i obtained in the course of this inquiry into the condition of low lodging houses afforded a most ample corroboration of the truth of a remark i have more than once found it necessary to make beforethat persons of the vagrant class will sacrifice almost anything for warmth not to say heat otherwise to sleep or even sit in some of the apartments of these establishments would be intolerable from the frequent state of weariness to which i have alluded there is generally less conversation among the frequenters of the low lodging houses than might be expected some are busy cooking some in the better houses are reading many are drowsy and nodding and many are smoking in perhaps a dozen places of the worst and filthiest class indeed smoking is permitted even in the sleeping rooms but it is far less common than it was even half a dozen years back and becomes still less common yearly notwithstanding so dangerous a practice fires are and have been very unfrequent in these places there is always some one awake which is one reason the lack of conversation i ought to add and the weariness and drowsiness are less observable in the lodging houses patronised by thieves and women of abandoned character whose lives are comparatively idle and whose labour a mere nothing in their houses if the conversation be at all general it is often of the most unclean character at other times it is carried on in groups with abundance of whispers shrugs and slang by the members of the respective schools of thieves or lurkers i have now to speak of the habitual violation of all the injunctions of law of all the obligations of morality and of all the restraints of decency seen continually in the vilest of the lodging houses i need but cite a few facts for to detail minutely might be to disgust in some of these lodging houses the proprietoror i am told it might be more correct to say the proprietress as there are more women than men engaged in the nefarious traffic carried on in these housesare fences or receivers of stolen goods in a small way their fencing unless as the very exception does not extend to any plate or jewellery or articles of value but is chiefly confined to provisions and most of all to those which are of ready sale to the lodgers of very ready sale are fish got from the gate stolen from billingsgate sawney thieved bacon and flesh found in leadenhall butchers meat stolen from that market i was told by one of the most respectable tradesmen in leadenhall market that it was infestedbut not now to so great an extent as it waswith lads and young men known there as finders they carry bags round their necks and pick up bones or offal or pieces of string or bits of papers or anything sir please that a poor lad that has neither father nor mother and is werry hungry can make a hapenny by to get him a bit of bread please sir this is often but a cover for stealing pieces of meat and the finders with their proximate market for disposal of their meat in the lowest lodging houses in whitechapel go boldly about their work for the butchers if the finder be detected wont i was told by a sharp youth who then was at a low lodging house in keate street go bothering theirselves to a beak but gives you a scruff of the neck and a kick and lets you go but some of them kicks 256 werry hard the tone and manner of this boyand it is a common case enough with the prigsshowed that he regarded hard kicking merely as one of the inconveniences to which his business pursuits were unavoidably subjected just as a struggling housekeeper might complain of the unwelcome calls of the tax gatherers these depredations are more frequent in leadenhall market than in any of the others on account of its vicinity to whitechapel even the whitechapel meat market is less the scene of prey for it is a series of shops while leadenhall presents many stalls and the finders seem loath to enter shops without some plausible pretext groceries tea especially stolen from the docks warehouses or shops are things in excellent demand among the customers of a lodging house fence tea known or believed to have been stolen genuine from any dock is bought and sold very readily 1 s 6 d however is a not unfrequent price for what is known as 5 s tea sugar spices and other descriptions of stolen grocery are in much smaller request wearing apparel is rarely bought by the fences i am treating of but the stealers of it can and do offer their wares to the lodgers who will often before buying depreciate the garment and say its never been nothing better nor a moses hens and chickens are a favourite theft and go at once to the pot but in no culinary sense the hens and chickens of the roguish low lodging houses are the publicans pewter measures the bigger vessels are hens the smaller are chickens facilities are provided for the melting of these stolen vessels and the metal is sold by the thiefvery rarely if ever by the lodging house keeper who prefers dealing with the known customers of the establishmentto marine store buyers a man who at one time was a frequenter of a thieves lodging house related to me a conversation which he chanced to overhearhe himself being then in what his class would consider a much superior line of businessbetween a sharp lad apparently of twelve or thirteen years of age and a lodging house female fence but it occurred some three or four years back the lad had found a piece of christmas beef which he offered for sale to his landlady averring that it weighed 6 lbs the fence said and swore that it wouldnt weigh 3 lbs but she would give him 5 d for it it probably weighed above 4 lbs fip pence exclaimed the lad indignantly you havent no fairness vy its sixpun and christmas time fip pence a tanner and a flag a sixpence and a four penny piece is the werry lowest terms there was then a rapid and interrupted colloquy in which the most frequent words were go to blazes with retorts of you go to blazes and after strong and oathful imputations of dishonest endeavours on the part of each contracting party to over reach the other the meat was sold to the woman for 6 d some of the fences board lodge and clothe two or three boys or girls and send them out regularly to thieve the fence usually taking all the proceeds and if it be the young thief has been successful he is rewarded with a trifle of pocket money and is allowed plenty of beer and tobacco one man who keeps three low lodging houses one of which is a beer shop not long ago received from a lodger a valuable great coat which the man said he had taken from a gig the fence who was in a larger way of business than others of his class and is reputed rich gave 10 s for the garment asking at the same time who was minding the gig a charity kid was the answer give him a deuce 2 d and stall him off send him an errand said the fence and bring the horse and gig and ill buy it it was done and the property was traced in two hours but only as regarded the gig which had already had a new pair of wheels attached to it and was so metamorphosed that the owner a medical gentleman though he had no moral doubt on the subject could not swear to his own vehicle the thief received only 4 l for gig and horse the horse was never traced the licentiousness of the frequenters and more especially of the juvenile frequenters of the low lodging houses must be even more briefly alluded to in some of these establishments men and women boys and girls but perhaps in no case or in very rare cases unless they are themselves consenting parties herd together promiscuously the information which i have given from a reverend informant indicates the nature of the proceedings when the sexes are herded indiscriminately and it is impossible to present to the reader in full particularity the records of the vice practised boys have boastfully carried on loud conversations and from distant parts of the room of their triumphs over the virtue of girls and girls have laughed at and encouraged the recital three four five six and even more boys and girls have been packed head and feet into one small bed some of them perhaps never met before on such occasions any clothing seems often enough to be regarded as merely an incumbrance sometimes there are loud quarrels and revilings from the jealousy of boys and girls and more especially of girls whose chaps have deserted or been inveigled from them at others there is an amicable interchange of partners and next day a resumption of their former companionship one girl then fifteen or sixteen who had been leading this vicious kind of life for nearly three years and had been repeatedly in prison and twice in hospitalsand who expressed a strong desire to get out of the life by emigrationsaid whatever thats bad and wicked that any one can fancy could be 257 done in such places among boys and girls thats never been taught or wont be taught better is done and night after night in these haunts of low iniquity or rather in the room into which the children are put there are seldom persons above twenty the younger lodgers in such places live by thieving and pocket picking or by prostitution the charge for a nights lodging is generally 2 d but smaller children have often been admitted for 1 d if a boy or girl resort to one of these dens at night without the means of defraying the charge for accommodation the mot of the ken mistress of the house will pack them off telling them plainly that it will be no use their returning until they have stolen something worth 2 d if a boy or girl do not return in the evening and have not been heard to express their intention of going elsewhere the first conclusion arrived at by their mates is that they have got into trouble prison the indiscriminate admixture of the sexes among adults in many of these places is another evil even in some houses considered of the better sort men and women husbands and wives old and young strangers and acquaintances sleep in the same apartment and if they choose in the same bed any remonstrance at some act of gross depravity or impropriety on the part of a woman not so utterly hardened as the others is met with abuse and derision one man who described these scenes to me and had long witnessed them said that almost the only women who ever hid their faces or manifested dislike of the proceedings they could not but notice as far as he saw were poor irishwomen generally those who live by begging but for all that the man added an irishman or irishwoman of that sort will sleep anywhere in any mess to save a halfpenny though they may have often a few shillings or a good many hidden about them there is no provision for purposes of decency in some of the places i have been describing into which the sexes are herded indiscriminately but to this matter i can only allude a policeman whose duty sometimes called him to enter one of those houses at night told me that he never entered it without feeling sick there are now fewer of such filthy receptacles than there were some have been pulled downespecially for the building of commercial street in whitechapel and of new oxford streetand some have fallen into fresh and improved management of those of the worst class however there may now be at least thirty in london while the low lodgings of all descriptions good or bad are more frequented than they were a few years back a few new lodging houses perhaps half a dozen have been recently opened in expectation of a great influx of travellers and vagrants at the opening of the great exhibition of the children in low lodging houses the informant whose account of patterers and of vagrant life in its other manifestations i have already given has written from personal knowledge and observation the following account of the children in low lodging houses of the mass of the indigent and outcast he says of whom the busy world know nothing except from an occasional paragraph in the newspaper the rising generation though most important is perhaps least considered every londoner must have seen numbers of ragged sickly and ill fed children squatting at the entrances of miserable courts streets and alleys engaged in no occupation that is either creditable to themselves or useful to the community these are in many cases those whose sole homes are in the low lodging houses and i will now exhibit a few features of the juvenile performers among the london poor in many cases these poor children have lost one of their parents in some they are without either father or mother but even when both parents are alive the case is little mended for if the parents be of the vagrant or dishonest class their children are often neglected and left to provide for the cost of their food and lodging as they best may the following extract from the chaplains report of one of our provincial jails gives a melancholy insight into the training of many of the families it is not i know without exception but much as we could wish it to be otherwise it is so general an occurrence varied into its different forms that it may be safely accounted as the rule of action j g was born of poor parents at five years old his father succeeded to a legacy of 500 l he was quiet indolent fond of drink a good scholar and had twelve children he never sent any of them to school telling lies said the child i learned from my mother she did things unknown to father and gave me a penny not to tell him the father on leaving home left by request of the mother some money to pay a man she slipped up stairs and told the children to say she was out from ten to twelve years of age i used to go to the ale house i stole the money from my father and got very drunk my father never punished me for all this as he ought to have done in course of time i was apprenticed to a tanner he ordered me to chapel instead of which i used to play in the fields when out of my time i got married and still carried on the same way starving my wife and children i used to take my little boy when only five years old to the public house and make him drunk with whatever i drank myself a younger one could act well a drunken man on the floor my wife was a sober steady women but through coming to fetch me home she learned to drink 258 too one of our children used to say mam you are drunk like daddy it may be argued that this awful family portrait is not the average character but i have witnessed too many similar scenes to doubt the general application of the sad rule of those children of the poor as has been before observed the most have either no parents or have been deserted by them and have no regular means of living nor moral superintendance on the part of relatives or neighbours consequently they grow up in habits of idleness ignorance vagrancy or crime in some cases they are countenanced and employed here and there may be seen a little urchin holding a few onions in a saucer or a diminutive sickly girl standing with a few laces or a box or two of lucifers but even these go with the persons who have set them up daily to the public house and to the lodging house at night and after they have satisfied the cravings of hunger frequently expend their remaining halfpence if any in gingerbread and as frequently in gin i have overheard a proposal for half a quartern and a two out glass between a couple of shoeless boys under nine years old one little fellow of eleven on being remonstrated with said that it was the only pleasure in life that he had and he werent a going to give that up both sexes of this juvenile class frequent when they can raise the means the very cheap and flash places of amusement where the precocious delinquent acquires the most abandoned tastes and are often allured by elder accomplices to commit petty frauds and thefts efforts have been made to redeem these young recruits in crime from their sad career with its inevitable results in some cases i rejoice to believe that success has crowned the endeavour there is that however in the cunning hardihood of the majority of these immature delinquents which presents almost insuperable barriers to benevolence and of this i will adduce an instance a gentleman living at islington who attends one of the city churches is in the habit of crossing the piece of waste ground close to saffron hill here he often saw close to the ragged school a herd of boys and as nearly as he could judge always the same boys one of them always bowed to him as he passed he thoughtand thought rightthat they were gambling and after on one occasion talking to them very seriously he gave each of them twopence and pursued his way however he found himself followed by the boy before alluded to accompanied by a younger lad who turned out to be his brother both in one breath begged to know if his honour could please to give them any sort of a job the gentleman gave them his card inquired their place of residence a low lodging house and the next morning at nine oclock both youths were at his door he gave them a substantial breakfast and then took them into an outhouse where was a truss of straw and having himself taken off the band he desired them to convey the whole one straw at a time across the garden and deposit it in another out house the work was easy and the terms liberal as each boy was to get dinner and tea and one shilling per day as long as his services should be required their employer had to go to town and left orders with one of his domestics to see that the youths wanted nothing and to watch their proceedings their occupation was certainly not laborious but then it was work and although that was the first of their requests it was also the last of their wishes taking advantage of an adjoining closet the servant perceived that the weight even of a straw had been too much for these hopeful boys they were both seated on the truss and glibly recounting some exploits of their own and how they had been imposed upon by others the eldestabout fourteenwas vowing vengeance upon taylor tom for attempting to walk the barber seduce his gal while the youngerwho had scarcely seen eleven summersaverred that it was wery good of the swell to give them summut to eat but precious bad to be shut up in that crib all day without a bit o backer before the return of their patron they had transported all the straw to its appointed designation as it was very discernible however that this had been effected by a wholesale process the boys were admonished paid and dismissed they are now performing more ponderous work in one of the penal settlements whether the test adopted by the gentleman in question was the best that might have been resorted to i need not now inquire it would be grateful to my feelings if in these disclosures i could omit the misdemeanors of the other sex of juveniles but i am obliged to own on the evidence of personal observation that there are girls of ages varying from eleven to fifteen who pass the day with a fakement before them pity a poor orphan and as soon as evening sets in loiter at shop windows and ogle gentlemen in public walks making requests which might be expected only from long hardened prostitution their nights are generally passed in a low lodging house they frequently introduce themselves with please sir can you tell me what time it is if they get a kindly answer some other casual observations prepare the way for hints which are as unmistakeable as they are unprincipled of the low lodging houses throughout the country further to elucidate this subject full of importance as i have shown i give an account of low lodging houses or padding kens at the stages so to speak observed by a patterer travelling from london to birmingham i give the several towns which are the usual sleeping places of the travellers with the character and extent of the accommodation provided for 259 them and with a mention of such incidental matters as seemed to me in the account i received to be curious or characteristic circuitous as is the route it is the one generally followed time is not an object with a travelling patterer if i could do better in the way of tin said one of the fraternity to me in a country village than in london why id stick to the villageif the better tin lastedfor six months aye sir for six years whats places to a man like me between grub and no grub it is probable that on a trial such a man would soon be weary of the monotony of a village life but into that question i need not now enter i give each stage without the repetition of stating that from here to there is so many miles and the charge for a lodging is at such and such a rate the distance most frequently travelled in a day varies from ten to twenty miles according to the proximity of the towns and the character and capabilities for the patterers purposes of the locality the average charge for a lodging in the better sort of country lodging houses is 4 d a night at others 3 d in a slack time a traveller for 4 d has a bed to himself in a busy timeas at fairs or raceshe will account himself fortunate if he obtain any share of a bed for 4 d at some of the places characterised by my informant as rackety queer or life in london the charge is as often 3 d as 4 d the first stage then most commonly attained on tramp i s romford its a good circuit sir said my principal informant and if you want to see life between from london to birmingham why you can stretch it and see it for 200 miles the romford house of call most frequented by the class of whom i treat is the kings arms a public house there is a back kitchen for the use of travellers who pay something extra if they choose to resort and are decent enough to be admitted into the tap room very respectable sir said an informant and a proper division of married and single of men and women of course they dont ask any couple to show their marriage lines no more than they do any lord and lady or one that aint a lady if shes with a lord at any fashnable hotel at brighton ive done tidy well on slums about ladies in a brighton hotel just by the steyne werry tidy in this house they make up forty beds some of them with curtains chelmsford the three queens a beer shop a rackety place sir said the man one of the showfuls a dicky one a free and easy you can get a pint of beer and a punch of the head all for 2 d as for sleeping on a saturday night there o no we never mention it it maynt be so bad indeed it aint as some london lodging houses because there aint the chance and theres more known about it fourteen beds braintree the castle a beer shop takes in all sorts and all sizes all colours and all nations similar to whats expected of the crystal palace i was a muck snipe when i was therewhy a muck snipe sir is a man regularly done up coopered and humped altogetherand it was a busyish time and when the deputy paired off the single men i didnt much like my bed mate he was a shabby genteel buttoned up to the chin and in the tract line i thought of old scratch when i looked at him though he werent a scotchman i think i tipped the wink to an acquaintance there and told him i thought my old complaint was coming on that was to kick and bite like a horse in my sleep acause my mother was terrified by a wicious horse not werry long afore i was born so i dozed on the bed side and began to whinny and my bed mate jumped up frightened and slept on the floor twenty two beds thaxton a poor place but i stay two days its so comfortable and so country at the rose and crown its a sort of rest its decent and comfortable too and its about 6 d a night to me for singing and patter in the tap room thats my cokum advantage ten beds saffron walden the castle better nowwas very queer slovenly as could be and you had to pay for fire though it was a house of call for curriers and other tradesmen but they never mix with us the landlord dont care much whose admitted or how they go on twenty four beds cambridge the grand town of all london in miniature it would be better but for the police i dont mean the college bull dogs they dont interfere with us only with women the last time i was at cambridge sir i hung the mannings it was the day or two days im not sure which after their trial we pattered at night too late for the collegians to come out we worked about where we knew they lodgedi had a mate with meand some of the windows of their rooms in the colleges themselves looks into the street we pattered about later news of mr and mrs manning up went the windows and cords was let down to tie the papers to but we always had the money first we werent a going to trust such out and out going young coves as them one young gent said im a sucking parson wont you trust me no says i well not trust father peter so he threw down 6 d and let down his cord and he says send six up we saw it was victorias head all right so we sends up three wheres the others says he o says i theyre 1 d a piece and 1 d a piece extra for hanging mr and mrs manning as we have to a cord so its all right some laughed and some said dn you wait till i see you in the town but they hadnt that pleasure yorkshire bettys is the head quarters at cambridge or in barnwell of course theres no such places in cambridge its known as w and muck fort its the real college touchthe seat of learning if youre seeing life the college lads used to look in there oftener than they do now theyre get 260 ting shyer men wont put up with black eyes for nothing old yorkshire bettys a motherly body but shes no ways particular in her management higgledy piggledy men and women altogether thirty beds newmarket the woolpack a lively place middling other ways theres generally money to be had at newmarket i dont stay there so long as some for i dont care about racing and the poorest snob theres a sporting character six beds bury st edmunds old jack somethings he was a publican for forty years but he broke and ive heard him say that if he hadnt been a player on the fiddle he should have destroyed his self but his fiddle diverted him in his troubles he has a real cremona and cant he play it hes played at dances at the duke of norfolks ive heard him give the tune he played on his wedding night years and years back before i was born hes a noble looking fellow the fac simile of louis philippe its a clean and comfortable hard and honest place twelve beds mildenhall a private house i forget the landlords name the magistrates is queer there and so very little work can be done in my way ive been there when i was the only lodger seven beds ely the tom and jerry very queer no back kitchen or convenience a regular rough place often quarrelling there all night long any caper allowed among men and women the landlords easy frightened five beds st ives plume of feathers passable eleven beds st neots bell and dicky and very dicky too queer doings in the dos sleeping and everything its an out of the way place or the towns people might see to it but they wont take any notice unless some traveller complains and they wont complain theyre a body of men sir that dont like to run gaping to a beak the landlord seems to care for nothing but money he takes in all that offer three in a bed often men women and children mixed together its anything but a tidy place thirteen beds bedford the cock life in london sir i cant describe it better life in keate street whitechapel fifteen beds irchester i dont mind the name a most particular place you must go to bed by nine or be locked out its hard and honest clean and rough six beds wellingborough a private house smith or jones i know or some common name ducker the soldier that was shot in the park by annette meyers lived there i worked him there myself and everybody bought i did the gun trick sir had great success its an inferior lodging place theyre in no ways particular not they who they admit or how they dos at a fair time the goings on is anything but fair ten beds northampton mrs bulls comfortable and decent she takes in the dispatch to oblige her travellers its a nice quiet sunday house twelve beds market harborough theres a good lady there gives away tracts and half a crown a private house is the travellers house and some new name middling accommodation nine beds lutterworth a private house and ill go there no more very queer not the least comfort or decency theyre above their business i think and take in too many and care nothing what the travellers do higgledy piggledy together ten beds leicester the rookery rosemary lane over again sir especially at black jacks he shakes up the beds with a pitchfork and brings in straw if theres more than can possibly be crammed into the beds hes a fighting man and if you say a word he wants to fight you twelve beds hinckley the tea board comfortable eight beds nuneaton the same style as hinckley a private house eight beds coventry deserves to be sent further bill coopers a dilapidated place and no sleep for theres armies of bugs great black fellows i call it the sikh war there and theyre called sikhs there or sicks there is the vermin but im sick of all such places theyre not particular there certainly not twenty beds birmingham mrs leachs comfortable and decent and a good creature i know theres plenty of houses in birmingham bad enough london reduced sir but i cant tell you about them from my own observation cause i always go to mrs leachs thirty beds here then in the route most frequented by the pedestrian travellers we find taking merely the accommodation of one house in each place and in some of the smaller towns there is but one a supply of beds which may nightly accommodate on an average 489 inmates reckoning at the rate of 12 sleepers to every 8 beds at busy times double the number will be admitted and to these places resort the beggar the robber and the pickpocket the street patterer and the street trader the musician the ballad singer and the street performer the diseased the blind the lame and the half idiot the outcast girl and the hardened prostitute young and old and of all complexions and all countries nor does the enumeration end here to these places must often resort the wearied mechanic travelling in search of employment and even the broken down gentleman or scholar whose means do not exceed 4 d a curious history might be written of the frequenters of low lodging houses dr johnson relates that when dean swift was a young man he paid a yearly visit from sir william temples seat moor park to his mother at leicester 261 he travelled on foot unless some violence of weather drove him into a waggon and at night he would go to a penny lodging where he purchased clean sheets for sixpence this practice lord orrery imputes to his swifts innate love of grossness and vulgarity some may ascribe it to his desire of surveying human life through all its varieties perhaps it might not be very difficult to trace in swifts works the influence upon his mind of his lodging house experience the same author shows that his friend richard savage in the bitterness of his poverty was also a lodger in these squalid dens he passed the night sometimes in mean houses which are set open at night to any casual wanderer sometimes in cellars among the riot and filth of the meanest and most profligate of the rabble a richard savage of to day might under similar circumstances have the same thing said of him except that cellars might now be described as ground floors the great and sometimes the only luxury of the frequenters of these country lodging houses is tobacco a man or women who cannot smoke i was told or was not hardened to tobacco smoke in a low lodging house was half killed with coughing sometimes a couple of men may be seen through the thick vapour of the tobacco smoke peering eagerly over soiled cards as they play at all fours sometimes there is an utter dulness and drowsiness in the common sitting room and hardly a word exchanged for many minutes i was told by one man of experience in these domiciles that he had not very unfrequently heard two men who were conversing together in a low tone and probably agreeing upon some nefarious course stop suddenly when there was a pause in the general conversation and look uneasily about them as if apprehensive and jealous that they had been listened to a stranger in the lodging house is regarded with a minute and often a rude scrutiny and often enough would not be admitted were not the lodging house keeper the party concerned and he of course admits all what pays one patterer told me of two inscriptions as he called them which he had noticed in country lodgings he had lately visited the first was he who smokes thinks like a philosopher and feels like a philanthropist bulwers night and morning the second was an intimation from the proprietor of the house which in spite of its halting explanation is easily understood no sickness allowed unles by order of the mare of the street stationers and the street card sellers i have before mentioned that the street stationersthe sellers of writing paper envelopes pens and of the other articles which constitute the stationery in the most general demandwere not to be confounded with the pattering paper workers they are indeed a different class altogether the majority of them have been mechanics or in the employ of tradesmen whose callings were not mechanical as regards handicraft labour but what is best described perhaps as commercial or as selling but not producing as in the instances of the large body of warehousemen in the different departments of trade one street stationer thought that of his entire body not more than six had been gentlemens servants he himself knew four who had been in such employment and one only as a boybut there might be six the card sellers are in the instances i shall show more akin to the class of patterers and i shall therefore give them first the more especially as i can so preserve the consecutiveness of the accounts in the present number by presenting the reader with a sketch of the life of an informant in whose revelations i find that many have taken a strong interest of the seller of the penny short hand cards all ladies and gentlemen who take their walks abroad must have seen and of course heard a little man in humble attire engaged in selling at one penny each a small card containing a few sentences of letter press and fifteen stenographic characters with an example by which it is asserted anybody and everybody may learn to write short hand in a few hours with the merits of the production self considered this is not the place to meddle suffice it that it is one of the many ways of getting a crust common to the great metropolis and perhaps the most innocent of all the street performances a kind of a street lecture is given by the vendor in which the article is sufficiently puffed off of course this lecture is so to speak stereotyped embracing the same ideas in nearly the same words over and over and over again the exhibitor however pleads that the constant exchange and interchange of passengers and his desire to give each and all a fair amount of information makes the repetition admissible and even necessary it is here given as a specimen of the style of the educated patterer the lecture here is an opportunity which has seldom if ever been offered to the public before whereby any person of common intellect may learn to write short hand in a few hours without any aid from a teacher the system is entirely my own it contains no vowels no arbitrary characters no double consonants and no terminations it may therefore properly be called stenography an expression which conveys its own meaning it is derived from two greek words stenos short and grapho i write or graphi the verb to write and embraces all that is necessary in fifteen characters i know that a prejudice obtains to a great extent against anything and everything said or done in the street but i have nothing to 262 do with either the majority or minority of street pretenders i am an educated man and not a mere pretender and if the justice or genuineness of a mans pretensions would always lead him to success i had not been here to day but against the tide of human disappointment the worthy and the undeserving are so equally compelled to struggle and so equally liable to be overturned by competition that till you can prove that wealth is the gauge of character it may be difficult to determine the ability or morality of a man from his position i was lately reading an account of the closing life of that leviathan in literature dr johnson and an anecdote occurred which i relate conceiving that it applies to one of the points at issuei mean the ridicule with which my little publication has sometimes been treated by passers by who have found it easier to speculate on the texture of my coat than on the character of my language the doctor had a niece who had embraced the peculiarities of quakerism after he had scolded her some time and in rather unmeasured terms her mother interfered and said doctor dont scold the girlyoull meet her in heaven i hope i hope not said the doctor for i hate to meet fools anywhere i apply the same observation to persons who bandy about the expressions gift of the gab catch penny c c which in my case it is somewhat easier to circulate than to support at any rate they ought to be addressed to me and not to the atmosphere the man who meets a foe to the face gives him an equal chance of defence and the sword openly suspended from the belt is a less dangerous because a less cowardly weapon than the one which like that of harmodius is concealed under the wreaths of a myrtle if you imagine that professional disappointment is confined to people out of doors you are very much mistaken look into some of the middle class streets around where we are standing you will find here and there painted or engraved on a door the words mr so and so surgeon the man i am pre supposing shall be qualified qualified in the technical sense of the expression a member of the college of surgeons a licentiate of apothecaries hall and a graduate of some university he may possess the talent of galen or hippocrates or to come to more recent date of sir astley cooper himself but he never becomes popular and dies unrewarded because unknown before he dies he may crawl out of his concealed starvation into such a thoroughfare as this and see professor morrison or professor holloway or the proprietor of parrs life pills or some other quack ride by in their carriage wealth being brought them by the same waves that have wafted misfortune to himself though that wealth has been procured by one undeviating system of hypocrisy and humbug of jesuitism and pantomime such as affords no parallel since the disgusting period of oliverian ascendancy believe me my friends a man may form his plans for success with profound sagacity and guard with caution against every approach to extravagance but neither the boldness of enterprise nor the dexterity of stratagem will always secure the distinction they deserve else that policeman would have been an inspector i have sometimes been told that if i possessed the facilities i professedly exhibit i might turn them to greater personal advantage in coarse unfettered saxon english thats a lie for on the authority of a distinguished writer there are 2 000 educated men in london and its suburbs who rise every morning totally ignorant where to find a breakfast now i am not quite so bad as that so that it appears i am an exception to the rule and not the rule open to exception however it is beyond all controversy that the best way to keep the fleas from biting you in bed is to get out of bed and by a parity of reasoning the best way for you to sympathize with me for being on the street is to take me off as an evidence of your sympathy i remember that some twenty years ago a poor man of foreign name but a native of this metropolis made his appearance in edinburgh and advertised that he would lecture on mnemonics or the art of memory as he was poor he had recourse to an humble lecture room situated up a dirty court its eligibility may be determined by the fact that sweeps concerts were held in it at d per head and the handbill mostly ended with the memorable words n b no gentleman admitted without shoes and stockings at the close of his first lecture the admission to which was 2 d he was addressed by a scientific man who gave him 5 s it will relieve the monotony of the present address if some of you follow his example and advised him to print and issue some cards about his design which he did i saw one of themthe ink on it scarcely dryas he had got it back at the house of a physician and on it was inscribed old birds are not caught with chaff from dr m an old bird the suspicious doctor however was advised to hear the poor mans twopenny lecture and was able at the end of it to display a great feat of memory himself what was the result the poor man no longer lectured for 2 d but it is tedious to follow him through a series of years he was gradually patronised throughout the kingdom and a few months ago he was lecturing in the hanover square rooms with the earl of harrowby in the chair was he not as clever a man when he lectured in the sweeps concert room yes but he had not been brought under the shadow of a great name sometimes that great name comes too late you are familiar with the case of chatterton he had existed rather than lived three days on a penny loaf then he committed suicide and was charitably buried by strangers fifty years or more had elapsed when people found out how clever he had been and collected money for the erection of that monument which 263 now stands to his memory by st mary redcliff church in bristol now if you have any idea of doing that for me please to collect some of it while i am alive on occasions when the audience is not very liberal the lecturer treats them to the following hint when in my golden daysor at the least they were silver ones compared to thesei was in the habit of lecturing on scientific subjects i always gave the introductory lecture free i suppose this is an introductory lecture for it yields very little money at present i have often thought that if everybody a little richer than myself was half as conscientious i should either make a rapid fortune or have nobody to listen to me at all for i never sanction long with my company anything i dont believe now if what i say is untrue or grossly improbable it does not deserve the sanction of an audience if otherwise it must be meritorious and deserve more efficient sanction as to any insults i receive christianity has taught me to forgive and philosophy to despise them these very curious and perhaps unique specimens of street elocution are of course interrupted by the occasional sale of a card and perhaps some conversation with the purchaser the stenographic card seller states that he has sometimes been advised to use more commonplace language his reply is germane to the matter he says that a street audience like some other audiences is best pleased with what they least understand and that the way to appear sublime is to be incomprehensible he can occasionally be a little sarcastic a gentleman informed me that he passed him at bagnigge wells on one occasion when he was interrupted by a gent fearfully disfigured by the small pox who exclaimed its a complete humbug no sir retorted mr shorthand but if any of the ladies present were to call you handsome that would be a humbug on another occasion a man half drunk had been annoying him some time and getting tired of the joke said welli see you are a learned man you must pity my ignorance no was the reply but i pity your father pity my father why was the response because solomon says he that begetteth a fool shall have sorrow of him this little jeu dsprit i was told brought forth loud acclamations from the crowd and a crown piece from a lady who had been some minutes a listener these statements are among the most curious revelations of the history of the streets the short hand card seller as has partly appeared in a report i gave of a meeting of street folk makes no secret of having been fined for obstructing a thoroughfare having been bound down to keep the peace and several times imprisoned as a defaulter he tells me that he once got a month in one of the metropolitan jails it was the custom of the chaplain of the prison in which he was confined to question the prisoners every wednesday from box to box as they were arranged before him on some portion of holy writ and they were expected if able to answer on one occasion the subject being the excellence of prayer the chaplain remarked that even among the heathen every author without exception had commended prayer to a real or supposed deity the card seller i am told cried out question who is that said the chaplain the turnkey pointed out the questioner yes said the card seller you know what seneca says quid opus votis fac teipsum felicem vel bonum what need of prayer make thou thyself happy and virtuous does that recommend prayer the prisoners laughed and to prevent a mutiny the classical querist was locked up and the chaplain closed the proceedings it is but justice however to the worthy minister to state his querist came out of durance vile better clothed than he went in the stenographic trade of which the informant in question is the sole pursuer was commenced eleven years ago at that time 300 cards were sold in a day but the average is now 24 and about 50 on a saturday night the card seller tells me that he is more frequently than ever interrupted by the police and his health being delicate wet days are nuisances to him he makes an annual visit to the country he tells me to see his children who have been provided for by some kind friends about two years ago he was returning to london and passed through oxford he was hard up he says having left his coat for his previous nights lodging he attended prayers without a coat at st marys church and when he came out seated himself on the pavement beside the church and wrote with chalk inside an oval border lucam xv 17 i perish with hunger he was not long unnoticed he tells me by the scholars some of whom rigged him out and he left oxford with 6 l 10 s in his pocket let us indulge the hope writes one who knows this man well that whatever indiscretions may have brought a scholar whom few behold without pity or converse with without respect for his acquirements to be a street seller nevertheless his last days will be his best days and that as his talents are beyond dispute and his habits strictly temperate he may yet arise out of his degradation of this gentlemans history i give an account derived from the only authentic source it is indeed given in the words of the writer from whom it was received the reverend mr shorthand his real name is of no consequenceindeed it would be contrary to the rule of this work to print it was born at hackney in the county of middlesex on good friday the 15th of april 1808 he is therefore now in his 43rd year of his parents very little is known he was brought up 264 by guardians who were well to do and who gave him every indulgence and every good instruction and example from the earliest dawn of reason he manifested a strong predilection for the church and before he was seven years old he had preached to an infant audience read prayers over a dead animal and performed certain mimic ceremonies of the church among his schoolfellows the directors of his youthful mind were strong dissenters of antinomian sentiments with half a dozen of the same denomination he went before he was thirteen to the anniversary meeting of the countess of huntingdons college at cheshunt here with a congregation of about forty persons composed of the students and a few strangers he adjourned while the parsons were dining at the green dragon to the college chapel where with closed doors the future proprietor of the penny short hand delivered his first public sermon before he was quite fourteen the stenographic card seller was apprenticed to a draper in or near smithfield in this position he remained only a few months when the indentures were cancelled by mutual consent and he resumed his studies first at his native place and afterwards as a day scholar at the charterhouse he was now sixteen and it was deemed high time for him to settle to some useful calling he became a junior clerk in the office of a stock broker and afterwards amanuensis to an m d who encouraged his thirst for learning and gave him much leisure and many opportunities for improvement while in this position he obtained two small prizes in the state lottery gave up his situation and went to cambridge with a private tutor as economy was never any part of his character he there overrun the constable and to prevent he says any constable running after him he decamped in the middle of the night and came to london by a waggonall his property consisting of a greek prayer book dodds beauties of shakspere two shirts and two half crowns at this crisis a famous and worthy clergyman forty years resident in hackney the rev h h n lately deceased had issued from the press certain strictures against the society for promoting christianity among the jews the short hand seller wrote an appendix to this work under the title of the church in danger he took it to mr n who praised the performance and submitted to the publication the impression cast off was limited and the result unprofitable it had however one favourable issue it led to the engagement of its author as private and travelling tutor to the children of the celebrated lady s who though for adultery separated from her husband retained the exclusive custody of her offspring while in this employment my informant resided chiefly at clifton sometimes in bath and sometimes on her ladyships family property in derbyshire while here he took deacons orders and became a popular preacher in whatever virtues he might be deficient his charities at least were unbounded this profusion ill suited a limited income and a forgery was the first step to suspension disgrace and poverty in 1832 he married the union was not felicitous about this date my informant relates that under disguise and change of name he supplied the pulpits of several episcopal chapels in scotland with that which was most acceptable to them unable to maintain a locus standi in connexion with the protestant church he made a virtue of necessity and avowed himself a seceder in this new disguise he travelled and lectured proving to a demonstration always pecuniary that the church of england was the hospital of incurables always in delicate health he found continued journeys inconvenient the oversight of a home missionary station comprising five or six villages was advertised the card seller was the successful candidate and for several years performed divine service four times every sunday and opened and taught gratuitously a school for the children of the poor here report says he was much beloved and here he ought to have remained but with that restlessness of spirit which is so marked a characteristic of the class to which he now belongs he thought otherwise and removed to a similar sphere of labour near edinburgh the town containing a population of 14 000 was visited to a dreadful extent with the pestilence of cholera the future street seller to his honour be it spoken was the only one among eight or ten ministers who was not afraid of the contagion he visited many hundreds of cases and it is credibly asserted added medicine food and nursing to his spiritual consolations the people of his charge here embraced the irving heresy and unable as he says to determine the sense of the unknown tongues he resigned his charge and returned to london in 1837 after living some time upon his money books and clothes till all was expended he tried his hand at the begging letter trade about this time the card seller declares that a man also from scotland and of similar history and personal appearance lodged with him at a house in the mint and stole his coat and with it his official and other papers this person had been either a city missionary or scripture reader having been dismissed for intemperance the street card seller states that he has suffered much persecution from the officers of the mendicity society and in the opinion of the public by the blending of his own history with that of the man who robbed him be the truth as it may or let his past faults have been ever so glaring still it furnishes no present reason why he should be maltreated in the streets where he is now striving for an honest living since the card sellers return to london he has been five times elected and re elected to a temporary engagement in the hebrew school goodmans fields so that at the worst his habits of life cannot be very outrageous 265 the pomps and vanities of this wicked world have according to his own account had very little share in the experience of the short hand parson he states and there is no reason for doubting him that he never witnessed any sort of public amusement in his life that he was a hard student when he was young and now keeps no company living much in retirement he attends the ministry he says of the rev robert montgomery reads the daily lessons at home and receives the communion twice every month at the early service in westminster abbey of course these are matters that appear utterly inconsistent with his present mode of life one well known peculiarity of this extraordinary character is his almost idolatrous love of children to whom if he makes a good saturday night he is very liberal on his way home this is perhaps his ruling passion an acquaintance of his without knowing why i inquired fully confirmed this account and it displays itself sometimes in strong emotion of which the following anecdote may be cited as an instance one of his favourite spots for stenographic demonstration is the corner of playhouse yard close to the times office directly opposite lives a tobacconist who has a young family one of his little girls used to stand and listen to him to her he was so strongly attached that when he heard of her death he had missed her several weeks he went home much affected and did not return to the spot for many months at the death of the notorious dr dillon the card seller offered himself to the congregation as a successor they however declined the overture of the sellers of race cards and lists this trade is not carried on in town but at the neighbouring races of epsom and ascot heath and though less numerously at goodwood it is pursued by persons concerned in the street paper trade of london at epsom i may state that the race card sale is in the hands of two classes the paper or sheet lists sale being carried on by the same parties viz those who confine themselves to working the races and those who only resort to such work occasionally the first mentioned sellers usually live in the country and the second in town between these two classes there is rather a strong distinction the country race card sellers are not unfrequently sporting characters the town professor of the same calling feels little interest in the intrigues or great events of the turf of the country traders in this line some act also as touters or touts they are for the most part men who having been in some capacity or other connected with racing or with race horses and having fallen from their position or lost their employment resort to the selling of race cards as one means of a livelihood and to touting or watching race horses and reporting anything concerning them to those interested as another means these men i am assured usually make a book a record and calculation of their bets with grooms or such gentlemens servants as will bet with them and sometimes one with another the most notorious of the race card selling fraternity is known as captain carrot he is the successor i am told of gentleman jerry who was killed some time back at goodwood raceshaving been run over gentleman jerrys attire twenty five to thirty five years ago was an exaggeration of what was then accounted a gentlemans style he wore a light snuff coloured coat a washing waistcoat of any colour cloth trowsers usually the same colour as his coat and a white or yellow white and ample cravat of many folds his successor wears a military uniform always with a scarlet coat hessian boots an old umbrella and a tin eye glass upon the card sellers however who confine their traffic to races i need not dwell but proceed to the metropolitan dealers who are often patterers when in town it is common for the smarter traders in these cards to be liberal of titles especially to those whom they address on the race ground this is the sort of style sir said one race card seller to me and it tells best with cockneys from their shops ah my lord i hope your lordships well ive backed your horse my lord hell win hell win card my lord correct card only 6 d ill drink your lordships health after the race perhaps this here my lord may be a barber you see sir and never had so much as a donkey in his life and he forks out a bob but before he can get his change there always is somebody or other to call for a man like me from a little distance so im forced to run off and cry coming sir coming coming your honour coming the mass of these sellers however content themselves with the customary cry heres dorlings correct card of the races names weights and colours of the riders length of bridle and weight of saddle one intelligent man computed that there were 500 men women and children of all descriptions of street callings who on a derby day left london for epsom another considered that there could not be fewer than 600 at the very lowest calculation of these i am informed the female sellers may number something short of a twentieth part from london while a twelfth of the whole number of regular street sellers attending the races vend at the races cards but card selling is often a cloak for the femalesand especially those connected with men who depend solely on the racesvend improper publications usually at 6 d making the sale of cards or lists a pretext for the more profitable traffic if a man sell from ten to twelve dozen cards on the derby day it is accounted a good day and so is the sale of three fourths of 266 that quantity on the oaks day on the other or off days 2 s is an average earning the cards are all bought of mr dorling the printer at 2 s 6 d a dozen the price asked is always 6 d each but those fourpenny bits said one card seller is the ruination of every thing and now that they say that the threepenny bits is coming in more things will be wuss and wuss the lists vary from 1 s 6 d to 2 s 6 d the dozen according to size to clear 10 s and 8 s on the two great days is accounted tidy doings but that is earned only by those who devote themselves to the sale of the race cards which all the sellers do not some for instance are ballad singers who sell cards immediately before a race comes off as at that time they could obtain no auditory for their melodies ascot heath races i am told are rather better for the card seller than epsom as theres more of the nobs there and fewer of the london vendors of cards the sale of the lists is less than one eighth that of the sale of cards they are chiefly return lists lists with a specification of the winning horses c returned as they acquitted themselves in each race and are sold in the evening or immediately after the conclusion of the sport for the purpose of being posted or kept of the street sellers of gelatine of engraved and of playing cards c there are yet other cards the sale of which is carried on in the streets of these the principal traffic has lately been in gelatines gelatine cards those in the greatest demand contain representations of the crystal palace the outlines of the structure being given in gold delineation on the deep purple or mulberry of the smooth and shining gelatine these cards are sold in blank envelopes for the convenience of posting them as a present to a country friend or of keeping them unsoiled if they are retained as a memento of a visit to so memorable a building the principal sale was on sunday mornings in hyde park and to the visitors who employed that day to enjoy the sight of the palace but on the second sunday in februaryas well as my informant could recollect for almost all street traders will tell you if not in the same words as one patterer used that their recollections are not worth an old button without a neckthe police put down the sale of these exhibition cards in the park as well as that of cakes tarts gingerbread and such like dainties this was a bitter disappointment to a host of street sellers who looked forward very sanguinely to the profits they might realise when the great exhibition was in full operation and augured ill to their prospects from this interference i am inclined to think that on this occasion the feelings of animosity entertained by the card sellers towards the police and the authorities were even bitterer than i have described as affecting the costermongers why said one man when i couldnt be let sell my cards i thrust my hands into my empty pockets and went among the crowd near the great exhibition place to look about me there was plenty of ladies and gentlemensay about 12 oclock at sunday noon and as many as could be plenty of em had nice paper bags of biscuits or cakes that of course theyd bought that morning at a pastrycooks and they handed em to their party some had newspapers they was readingabout the exhibition i dare saypapers which was bought and perhaps was printed that very blessed morning but for us to offer to earn a crust thenoh its agen the law in course it is some of the gelatine cards contain pieces of poetry in letters of gold alwaysat least i could hear of no exceptionsof a religious or sentimental character a hymn the childs prayer the christians hope to eliza to a daisy forget me not and affections tribute were among the titles some contained love verses and might be used for valentines and some a sentimental song in the open air sale nearly all the traffic was in exhibition gelatines and the great bulk were sold in and near hyde park for two or three months from as soon as the glass palace had been sufficiently elevated to command public attention there were daily i am told 20 persons selling those cards in the park and its vicinity and more than twice that number on sundays one man told me that on one fine bright sunday the sale being principally in the morning he had sold 10 dozen with a profit of about 5 s on week days three dozen was a good sale but on wet cold or foggy days none at all could be disposed of if therefore we take as an average the sale of two dozen daily per each individual and three dozen on a sunday we find that 180 l was expended on street sold gelatines the price to the retailer is 5 d a dozen with 1 d or 1 d for a dozen of the larger sized envelopes so leaving the usual profitcent per cent the sellers were not a distinct class but in the hands of the less enterprising of the paper workers or patterers the poetry gelatines were hardly offered at all in the streets except by a few women and children with whom it was a pretext for begging of engraved exhibition cards sold under similar circumstances there might be one third as many sold as of the gelatines or an expenditure of 60 l the sale of playing cards is only for a brief interval it is most brisk for a couple of weeks before christmas and is hardly ever attempted in any season but the winter the price varies from 1 d to 6 d but very rarely 6 d and seldom more than 3 d the pack the sellers for the most part announce their wares as new cards new playing cards two pence a pack this subjects the sellers the cards being unstamped to a penalty of 10 l a matter of which the street traders know and care nothing but there is no penalty on the sale of second hand cards the best of the cards are 267 generally sold by the street sellers to the landlords of the public houses and beer shops where the customers are fond of a hand at cribbage a cut in at whist or a game at all fours or all fives a man whose business led him to public houses told me that for some years he had not observed any other games to be played there but he had heard an old tailor say that in his youth fifty years ago put was a common public house game the cheaper cards are frequently imperfect packs if there be the full number of fifty two some perhaps are duplicates and others are consequently wanting if there be an ace of spades it is unaccompanied by those flourishes which in the duly stamped cards set off the announcement duty one shilling and sometimes a blank card supplies its place the smaller shop keepers usually prefer to sell playing cards with a piece cut off each corner so as to give them the character of being second hand but the street sellers prefer vending them without this precaution the cardswhich are made up from the waste and spoiled cards of the makersare bought chiefly by the retailers at the swag shops playing cards are more frequently sold with other articlessuch as almanacksthan otherwise from the information i obtained it appears that if twenty dozen packs of cards are sold daily for fourteen days it is about the quantity but rather within it the calculation was formed on the supposition that there might be twenty street playing card sellers each disposing allowing for the hinderances of bad weather c of one dozen packs daily taking the average price at 3 d a pack we find an outlay of 42 l the sale used to be far more considerable and at higher prices and was often a good spec on a country round there is still another description of cards sold in the streets of london viz conversation cards but the quantity disposed of is so trifling as to require no special comment of the street sellers of stationery of this body of street traders there are two descriptions the itinerant and the pitching there are some also who unite the two qualities so far as that they move a short distance perhaps 200 yards along a thoroughfare but preserve the same locality of the itinerant again there are some who on an evening and more especially a saturday evening take a stand in a street market and pursue their regular rounds the other portions of the day the itinerant trader carries a tray and in no few cases as respects the display of his wares emulates the tradesmans zeal in dressing a window temptingly the tray most in use is painted or mahogany with ledges front and sides or as one man described it an upright four inch bordering to keep things in their places the back of the tray which rests against the bearers breast is about twelve inches high narrow pink tapes are generally attached to the ledges and back within which are slipped the articles for sale at the bottom of the tray are often divisions in which are deposited steel pens wafers wax pencils pen holders and as one stationer expressed it packable things that you cant get much show out of one manwho rather plumed himself on being a thorough master of his tradesaid to me its a grand point to display sir now just take it in this way suppose you yourself sir lived in my round werry good you hear me cry as im a approaching your door and suppose you was a customer you says to yourself heres penny a quire as im called oft enough and ill soon be with you and i gives a extra emphasis at a customers door werry good you buys the note as you buys the note you gives a look over my tray and then you says o i want some steel pens and is your ink good and you buys some but for the display youd have sent to the shopkeepers and i should have lost custom cause it wouldnt have struck you 12 the articles more regularly sold by the street sellers of stationery are note paper letter paper envelopes steel pens pen holders sealing wax wafers black lead pencils ink in stonebottles memorandum books almanacks and valentines occasionally they sell india rubber slate pencil slates copy books story books and arithmetical tables the stationery is purchased for the most part in budge row and drury lane the half quires sold at 1 d contain generally 10 sheets if the paper however be of superior quality only 8 sheets in the paper warehouses it is known as outsides with no more than 10 sheets to the half quire the price varying from 4 s to 6 s the ream 20 quires or if bought by weight from 7 d to 9 d the pound the envelopes are sold wholesale at from 6 d to 15 d the dozen the higher priced being adhesive and with impressionsnow generally the crystal palaceon the place of the seal the commoner are retailed in the streets at 12 and the better at 6 a penny sometimes a job lot soiled is picked up by the street stationer at 4 d a pound the sealing a pound retailed at d each the flat wax however is 1 s 4 d per lb containing from 30 to 36 sticks retailed at 1 d each wafers at the same swag shops are 3 d or 4 d the lb in small boxes 9 d the gross ink 4 d or 5 d the dozen bottles pencils 7 d to 8 s a gross and steel pens from 4 d waste to 3 s a gross but the street stationers do not go beyond 2 s the gross which is for magnum bonums of the experience of a street stationer a middle aged man gave me the following 268 account he had pursued the trade for upwards of twelve years he was a stout cosey looking man wearing a loose great coat the back of his tray rested against his double breasted waistcoat the pattern of which had become rather indistinct but which was buttoned tightly up to his chin as if to atone for the looseness of his coat the corner of his mouth toward his left ear was slightly drawn down for he seemed in crying to pitch his voice so that it could be heard a street off out of the corner of his only partially opened mouth middlin sir he said times is middlin with me they might be better but then they might be worse i can manage to live the times is changed since i was first in the business there wasnt no velops envelopes then and no note paperleast i had none but i made as good or a better living than i do now a better indeed when the penny postage came ini dont mind the year but i hadnt been long in the trade it was in 1840 i cried some of the postage velops they was big figured things at first with elephants and such like on them and i called them at prime cost if anything was bought with em the very first time a pliceman says you mustnt sell them covers what authority have you to do it why the authority to earn a dinner says i but it was no go another peeler came up and said i wasnt to cry them again or hed have me up and so that spec came to nothing i sell to ladies and gentlemen and to servant maids and mechanics and their wives and indeed all sorts of people some fine ladies that call me to the door on the sly do behave very shabby why there was one who wanted five half quire of note for 4 d and i told her i couldnt afford it and so she said that she knew the world and never gave nobody the price they first asked if thats it maam says i people that knows your plan can commodate you that knowing card of a lady sir as she reckons herself had as much velvet to her bodysuch a gown as would pay my tailors bills for twenty year but i dont employ a fashionable tailor and can patch a bit myself as i was two years with a saddler and was set to work to make girths and horse clothes my master died and all went wrong and i had to turn out without nobody to help me for i had no parents living but i was a strong young fellow of sixteen i first tried to sell a few pairs of girths and a roller or two to livery stable keepers and horse dealers and job masters but i was next to starving they wouldnt look at anything but what was good and the stuff was too high and the profit too littlefor i couldnt get regular prices in courseand so i dropped it theres no men in the world so particular about good things as them as is about vallyable horses ive often thought if rich people cared half as much about poor mens togs that was working for them for next to nothing as they cared for their horse clothes it would be a better world i was dead beat at last but i went down to epsom and sold a few race cards id borrowed 1 s of a groom to start with and he wouldnt take it back when i offered it and that wax is bought at general warehouses known as swag shops of which i may speak hereafter at 8 d the pound there being 48 round sticks in was my beginning in the paper trade i felt queer at first and queerer when i wasnt among horses as at the races likebut one gets reconciled to anything cept to a man like me a low lodging house a stables a palace to it i got into stationery at last and its respectable ive heard people say how well they could read and write and it was no good to them it has been and is still a few pence to me though i can only read and write middlin i write notes and letters for some as buys paper of me never anything in the beggin waynever it wouldnt do to have my name mixed up that way ive often got extra pennies for directing and doing up valentines in nice velops why i spoke to a servant girl the other day she was at the door and says i any nice paper to day to answer your young mans last love letter or to write home and ask your mothers consent to your being wed next monday week thats the way to get them to listen sir well i finds that she cant write and so i offers to do it for a pint of beer and she to pay for paper of course and then there was so many orders what to say her love to no end of aunts and all sorts of messages and inquiries about all sorts of things and when id heard enough to fill a long letter sheet she calls me back and says im afraid ive forgot uncle thomas i makes it all short enough in the letter sir my kind love to all inquiring friends takes in all uncle thomases i writes them when i gets a bite of dinner sometimes i posts them if im paid beforehand at other times i leaves them next time i pass the door theres no mystery made about it if a missus says whats that ive heard a girl answer its a letter ive got written home maam i havent time myself or im no scholar maam but thats only where im known i dont write one a week the year roundperhaps forty in a year i charge 1 d or 2 d or if its a very poor body and no gammon about it nothing well then i think i never wrote a love letter women does that one for another i think when the young housemaid cant write as well as she can talk i jokes some as i knows and says i writes all sorts of letters but love letters and for them you see says i theres wanted the best gilt edge and a fancy velop and a dictionary i take more for note and velops than anything else but far the most for note some has a sheet folded and fitted into a velop when they buys as they cant fit it so well theirselves they say perhaps i make 2 s a day take it all round some days i may make as much as 3 s 6 d at others specially wet days not 1 s but i call mine a tidy round and better than an average ive only myself and pays 1 s 9 d a week for a tidy room with a few of my own sticks in it i 269 buy sometimes in budge row and sometimes in drury lane very seldom at a swag shop birmingham house for i dont like them well now ive heard sir that poor men like me aint to be allowed to sell anything in the park at the great exhibition hows that sir i told him i could give no information on the subject its likely enough to be true he resumed the nobsll want to keep it all to theirselves i read lloyds weekly newspaper on a sunday and what murders and robberies there is now what will there be when the great exhibition opens for rogues is worst in a crowd and they say theyll be plenty come to london from all arts and parts never mind if i can see anything better to do in a fair way at the exhibition ill cut the streets perhaps my earnings is half from working people and half from private houses thats about it but working peoples easiest satisfied i have given this mans statement more fully than i should have thought necessary that i might include his account of letter writing the letter writer was at one period a regular street labourer in london as he is now in some continental citiesnaples for instance the vocation in london seems in some respects to have fallen into the hands of the street stationer but the majority of letters written for the uneducatedand their letter receiving or answering is seldom arduousis done i believe by those who are rather vaguely but emphatically described asfriends i am told that there are 120 street stationers in london a small majority of whom may be itinerant but chiefly on regular rounds on a sunday morning in such places as the brill are two or three men but not regularly who sell stationery only on sunday mornings taking the number however at 120 i am assured that their average profits may be taken at 8 s weekly each stationer on note paper of the best sort the profit is sometimes only 50 per cent but take the trade altogether we may calculate it at cent per cent on some things it is higher and we find 4 992 l yearly expended in street stationery of a reduced gentlewoman and a reduced tradesman as street sellers of stationery i now give two statements which show the correctness of my conclusion that among the street stationers were persons of education who had known prosperity and that as a body those engaged in this traffic were a better class than the mass of the paper workers they are also here cited as illustrations of the causes which lead or rather force many to a street life the first statement is that of a lady my father she said was an officer in the army and related to the pitt family after his death i supported myself by teaching music i was considered very talented by my profession both as teacher and composer i may here interrupt the course of the narrative by saying that i myself have had printed proofs of the ladys talents in this branch of art a few years ago a painful and protracted illness totally incapacitated me from following my profession consequently i became reduced to a state of great destitution for many weeks i remained ill in my own room i often during that time went without nourishment the day through i might have gone into an hospital but i seemed to dread it so much that it was not until i was obliged to give up my room that i could make up my mind to enter one from that time until within a few weeks ago i have been an inmate of several hospitals the last i was in was the convalescent establishment at carshalton on my coming to london i found i had to begin the world again as it were in a very different manner from what i have been accustomed to i had no head to teachi felt that and what to do i hardly knew i had no home to go to and not a halfpenny in the world i had heard of the house of charity in soho square and as a last resource i went there but before i could have courage to ask admittance i got a woman to go in and see what kind of a place it wasi seemed to fear it so much i met with great kindness there however and by the time i left the care they had bestowed upon me had restored my health in a measure but not my head the doctors advised me to get some out door occupation i am always better in the open air but what to do i could not tell at last i thought of a man i had known who made fancy envelopes i went to him and asked him to allow me to go round to a few houses with some of them for a small per centage this he did and i am thereby enabled by going along the streets and calling to offer my envelopes at any likely house just to live none but those who have suffered misfortunes as i have done can tell what my feelings were on first going to a house i could not go where i was known i had not the courage nor would my pride allow me my pupils had been very kind to me during my illnesses but i could not bear the idea of going to them and offering articles for sale my fear of strangers is so great that i tremble when i knock at a doorlest i should meet with an angry word how few have any idea of the privations and suffering that have been endured before a woman brought up as i have been can make up her mind to do as i am obliged to do i am now endeavouring to raise a little money to take a room and carry on the envelope business myself i might do pretty well i think and should my head get better in time i might get pupils again at present i could not teach the distressed state of my mind would not allow me the tradesmans statement he forwarded to me in writing supplying me with every facility to test the full accuracy of his assertions which it is right i should add i have done and found all as he has stated i give the narrative in the 270 writers words and his narrative will be found at once diffuse and minute as a faithful representation of a reduced tradesmans struggles thoughts and endurances before being forced into the streets i was brought up he writes as a linen draper after filling every situation as an assistant both in the wholesale and retail trade i was for a considerable time in business endeavouring to save another from ruin i advanced what little money i had at my bankers and became security for more as i thought i saw my way clear but a bond of judgment was hanging over the concern kept back from me of course and the result was i lost my money to the amount of some hundreds of which i have not recovered one pound since that time i have endeavoured to gain a livelihood as a town traveller in 1845 i became very much afflicted and the affliction continued the greater part of the following year at one time i had fifteen wounds on my body and lost the use of one side i was reduced by bodily disease as well as in circumstances my wife went to reside among her friends and i after my being an out patient of bartholomews hospital went through necessity to clerkenwell workhouse when recovered i made another effort to do something among my own trade and thought after about two years struggle i should recover in a measure my position in august 1849 i sent for a few shillings worth of light articles from london being then at dunstable i received them and sold one small part i went the following day to the next village nearer london there i had a violent attack of cholera which once more defeated my plans leaving me in a weak condition i was obliged to seek the refuge of my parish and consider that very harshly was i treated there they refused me admittance and suffered me to walk the street two days and two nights i had no use of my arm was ill and disabled about half past seven on the third night a gentleman hearing of my sufferings knocked at the door of the union took me inside and dared them to turn me thence this was in october 1849 i lay on my bed there for seven weeks nearly and a few days before christmas day the parish authorities brought me before the board and turned me out with one shilling and a loaf one of the overseers telling me to go to hll and lodge anywhere i came to lodge at the model lodging house king street drury lane but being winter time they were full although i remained there in the day time i was obliged to sleep at another house at this domicile i saw how many ways there were of getting what the very poor call a living and various suggestions were offered i was promised a gift of 2 s 6 d by an individual on a certain day but i had to live till that day and many were the feelings of my mind how to dispose of what might remain when i received the 2 s 6 d as i was getting a little into debt my debt when paid left me but 9 d out of the 2 s 6 d to trade with i had never hawked an article before that time to stand the streets was terrible to my mind and how to invest this small sum sadly perplexed me my mind was racked by painful anxiety one moment almost desponding the next finding so much sterling value in a shilling that i saw in it the means of rescuing me from my degradation wanting many of the necessaries of life but without suitable attire for my own business and still weak from illness i made up my mind on the afternoon of 2nd jan 1850 i purchased 1 doz memorandum books of a stationer in clerkenwell telling him my capital i obtained the name of ninepence halfpenny man the amount of my funds at that shop the next step was how to dispose of my books i thought i would go round to some coffee and public houses as i could not endure the streets i went into one where i was formerly known and sold 6 d worth and meeting a person who was once in my own line at another house i sold 4 d worth more the first night therefore i got over well the next day i did a little but not so well and i found out that what i had bought was not the most ready sale my returns that week were only 6 s 2 d i found i must have something different one thing would not do alone so i bought a few childrens books and almanackssometimes going to market with as little as seven farthings i could not rise to anything better in the way of provisions during this time than dry toast and coffee as the rent must be looked to i struggled on hoping against hope at one period i had a cold and lost my voice two or three wet days in a week made me a bankrupt if i denied myself food to increase my stock and went out for a day or two to some near town i found that with small stock and small returns i could not stem the tide i always avoided associating with any but those a step higher in the grades of societya circumstance that caused me not to know as much of the market for my cheap articles as i might have done i am perhaps looked on as rather an aristocrat as i am not often seen by the street sellers at a stand my difficulties have been of no ordinary kind with a desire for more domestic comfort on one hand and painful reflections from want of means on the other i have had to call to my aid all the philosophy i possess to keep up a proper equilibrium lest i should be tempted to anything derogatory or dishonest i am desirous of a rescue at the only time likely for it to take place with advantage as i am persuaded when persons continue long in a course that endangers their principles and self respect a rescue becomes hopeless should i have one small start with health the privations i have undergone show not what comforts i have had or may hope ever to have but what i can absolutely do without i found the first six months not quite so good as the latter march and may being the worst the entire amount taken from january 2nd to december 31st 1850 was 28 l 10 s 6 d an 271 average of about 11 s 4 d a week say for cost of goods 6 s per week and rent 1 s 9 d leaving me but 3 s 7 d clear for living this statement sir is strictly correct as i do not get cent per cent on all the articles and yet with so small a return i am not behind one single crown at the present time on new years day last i had but the cost price of stock 5 d up to the evening of february 10th i have taken 2 l 19 s 8 d having paid for goods 1 l 10 s 5 d and for rent 8 s 10 d leaving me 1 l 5 d to exist on during nearly six weeks these facts and figures show that without a little assistance it is impossible to rise and remember this circumstancei have had to walk on some occasions as much as twenty or twenty two miles in a day if those whom providence has blessed with a little more than their daily wants would only enter into the conflicts of the really reduced person they would not be half so niggardly in spending a few coppers for useful articles at least nor overbearing in their requirements as to bulk when purchasing of the itinerant vendor did they but reflect that they themselves might be in the same condition or some of their families i am sure they would not act as they do for i would venture to say that the common street beggar does not get more rebuffs or insults than the educated and unfortunate reduced tradesmen in the streets the past year has been one of the most trying and painful yet i hope instructive periods of my existence and one of which i trust i never shall see the like again i subjoin one of the testimonies that have been furnished me as to this mans character and which i thought it right to procure before giving publicity to the above statement it is from a minister of the gospelthe street sellers father in law dear sir i received a letter last tuesday from mr knight intimating that he was requested by you to inquire into the character of mr j n it is quite correct as he states that his wife is my daughter they lived together several years in london but eventually notwithstanding her efforts in the millinery and straw work they became so reduced that their circumstances obliged my daughter to take her two little girls with herself to us this was in the summer 1845 his wife and children have been of no expense to mr n since that time the sole cause of their separation was poverty i consider him to have acted imprudently in giving up his situation to depend on an income arising from a small capital whereas if he had kept in a place whilst she attended to her own business they might have gone on comfortably and should they through the interposition of a kind providence gain that position again it is to be hoped that they will improve the circumstance to the honour and glory of the author of all our mercies and with gratitude to the instrument who may be raised up for their good i am dear sir respectfully yours j d other vouchers have been received and all equally satisfactory of the street sale of memorandum books and almanacks the memorandum books in demand in street sale are used for weekly rent books the payment of the rent is entered by the landlord and the production of one of these books showing a punctuality of payment perhaps for years is one of the best references that can be given by any one in search of a new lodging they are bought also for the entrance of orders and then of prices in the trade at chandlers shops c where weekly or monthly accounts are run all or nearly all the street stationers sell memorandum books and in addition to them there may be i am told sometimes as many as fifty poor persons including women and children who sell memorandum books with other trifling articles not necessarily stationery but such things as stay laces or tapes if a man sell memorandum books alone it is because his means limit him to that stock he being at the time what i heard a patterer describe as a dry bread cove the price is 6 d the dozen or 9 d with almanacks pasted inside the cover and thirteen to the dozen no more than 1 d is obtained in the streets for any kind of memorandum books the almanack street trade i heard on all hands had become a mere nothing what else can you expect sir said one street seller when so many publicans sends almanacks round or gives them away to their customers and when the slop tailors shilling a day men thrust one into peoples hands at every corner it was a capital trade once before the duty was taken offcapital the duty wasnt in our way so much as in the shop keepers though they did a good deal on the sly in unstamped almanacks why of a night in october ive many a time cleared 5 s and more by selling in the public houses almanacks at 2 d and 3 d a piece they cost me 1 s and 1 s 2 d a dozen at that time anything that way when governments done has a ready sale people enjoys it and i suppose no man as ever was thinks it much harm to do a tax gatherer i dont pay the income tax myself laughing one evening i sold just by blackfriars bridge fourteen dozen of diamond almanacks to fit into hat crowns i was liable in course and ran a risk i sold them mostly at 1 d a piece but sometimes got 6 d for three i cleared between 6 s and 7 s the diamonds cost me 8 d a dozen the street almanack trade is now carried on by the same parties as i have specified in my account of memorandum books those sold are of any cheap kind costing wholesale 6 d a dozen but they are almost always announced as moores of the street sale of pocket books and diaries the sale of pocket books in the streets is not i was told by several persons a living for a man now a days ten years ago it was common to find men in the streets offering half crown pocket books for 1 s and holding them open so as to display the engravings if there 272 were any the street sale usually takes place in march when the demand for the regular trade has ceased and the publishers dispose of their unsold stock the trade is now i am assured only about a tenth of its former extent the reason assigned for the decline is that almanacks diaries c are so cheap that people look upon 1 s as an enormous price even for a beautiful morocco bound pocket book as the street seller proclaims it the binding is roan a dressed sheep skin morocco being a goat skin an imitation of morocco but the pocket books are really those which in the october preceding have been published in the regular way of trade some few of them may however have been damaged and these are bought by the street people as a job lot and at a lower price than that paid in the regular way which is 4 s 6 d to 5 s 6 d the dozen thirteen to the dozen the job lot is sometimes bought for 2 s 6 d a dozen and sold at 6 d each or as low as 4 d for street sellers generally bewail their having often to come down to fourpenny bits as theyre going so much now one man told me that he was four days last march in selling a dozen pocket books though the weather was not unfavourable and that his profit was 5 s engravings of the fashions the same man told me were no go now even poorly dressed women but they might he thought be dress makers had said to him the last time he displayed a pocket book with fashionstheyre out now the principal supplier of pocket books c to the street trade is in bride lane fleet street commercial diaries are bought and sold at the same rate as pocket books but the sale becomes smaller and smaller i am informed that last season there were twenty men all street traders in paper or anything that was up at other times selling pocket books and diaries for this trade leicester square is a favourite place calculating from the best data i can command that each of those men took 15 s weekly for a month half of it their profit we find 60 l expended in the streets in this purchase ledgers are sometimes sold in the streets but as the sale is more a hawkers than a regular street sellers an account of the traffic is not required by my present subject of the street sellers of songs these street traffickers with the exception in a great degree of the pinners up are of the same class but their callings are diversified there are long song sellers ballad sellers who are generally singers of the ballads they vend unless they are old and infirm and offer ballads instead of begging chaunters pinners up and song book sellers the three first mentioned classes i have already described in their connection with the patterers and i now proceed to deal with the two last mentioned the pinners up whom i have mentioned as an exceptional body are the men and womenthe women being nearly a third of the number of the menwho sell songs which they have pinned to a sort of screen or large board or have attached them in any convenient way to a blank wall and they differ from the other song sellers inasmuch as that they are not at all connected with patter and have generally been mechanics porters or servants and reduced to struggle for a living as pinners up of the street pinners up or wall song sellers these street traders when i gave an account of them in the winter of 1849 were not 50 in number they are now i learn about 30 one informant counted 28 and thought that was nearly all i have in my account of street song sellers described the character of the class of pinners up among the best accustomed stands are those in tottenham court road the new road the city road near the vinegar works the westminster road and in shoreditch near the eastern counties station one of the best known of the pinners up was a stout old man wearing a great coat in all weathers who pinned up in an alley leading from whitefriars street to the temple but now thrown into an open street he had old books for sale on a stall in addition to his ballads and every morning was seen reading the newspaper borrowed from a neighbouring public house which he used for he was a keen politician he would quarrel with any one said a person who then resided in the neighbourhoodan account confirmed to me at the public house in questionmostly about politics or about the books and songs he sold why sir ive talked to him many a time and have stood looking through his books and if a person came up and said oh burns works 1 s i cant understand him then the old boy would abuse him for a fool suppose another came and saidfor ive noticed it myselfah burnshe was a poet that didnt pass for the jolly old pinner up would say well now i dont know about that in my opinion he cared nothing about this side or thatthis notion or the oppositebut he liked to shine the old man was carried off in the prevalence of the cholera in 1849 at the period i have specified i received the following statement from a man who at that time pinned up by harewood place oxford street im forty nine he said ive no children thank god but a daughter who is eighteen and no incumbrance to me as she is in a house of business and as she has been there nine years her character cant be so very bad this was said proudly i worked twenty two years with a great sculptor as a marble polisher and besides that i used to run errands for him and was a sort of porter like to him i couldnt get any work because he hadnt no more marble work to do so nine or ten years back i went into this line i knew a man what done well in itbut times 273 was better thenand that put it into my head it cost me 2 l 10 s to stock my stall and get all together comfortable for i started with old books as well as songs i got leave to stand here from the landlord i sell ballads and manuscript music beautifully done these music sheets were which is transposed so he worded it from the nigger songs theres two does them for me theyre transposed for the violin one that does them is a musicianer who plays outside public houses but i think his daughter does most of it i sell my songs at a halfpenny and when i can get it a penny a piece do i yarn a pound a week lor bless you no nor 15 s nor 12 s i dont yarn one week with another not 10 s sometimes not 5 s my wife dont yarn nothing she used to go out charing but she cant now i am at my stall at nine in the morning and sometimes i have walked five or six miles to buy my pubs before that i stop till ten at night oft enough the wet days is the ruin of us and i think wet days increases this was said on a rainy day such a day as yesterday now i didnt take not make but i didnt take what would pay for a pint of beer and a bit of bread and cheese my rents 2 s 3 d a week for one room and ive got my own bits of sticks there ive always kept them thank god generally these dealers know little of the songs they sell taking the printers word when they purchase as to what was going the most popular comic songs among this class i heard the word song used far more frequently than ballad are not sold so abundantly as others because i was told boys soon picked them up by heart hearing them so often and so did not buy them neither was there a great demand for nigger songs nor for flash ditties but for such productions as a life on the ocean wave im afloat theres a good time coming farewell to the mountain c c three fourths of the customers of these traders one man assured me were boys indecent songs are not sold by the pinners up one man of whom i made inquiries was quite indignant that i should even think it necessary to ask such questions the songs cost the pinners up generally 2 d a dozen sometimes 2 d and sometimes less than 2 d according to the quality of the paper and the demand on fine summer days the wall song sellers take 2 s on an average on short wintry days they may not take half so much and on very foggy or rainy days they take nothing at all their ballads are of the same sort as those i proceed to describe under especial heads and i have shown what are of readiest sale reckoning that each pinner up thirty in number now takes 10 s 6 d weekly 7 s being the profit we find that 780 guineas are yearly expended in london streets in the ballads of the pinners up of ancient and modern street ballad minstrelsy mr strutt in his sports and pastimes of the people of england shows as do other authorities that in the reigns subsequent to the norman conquest the minstrels were permitted to perform in the rich monasteries and in the mansions of the nobility which they frequently visited in large parties and especially upon occasions of festivity they entered the castles without the least ceremony rarely waiting for any previous invitation and there exhibited their performances for the entertainment of the lord of the mansion and his guests they were it seems admitted without any difficulty and handsomely rewarded for the exertion of their talents of the truth of this statement all contemporary history is a corroboration the minstrels then indeed constituted the theatre the opera and the concert of the powerful and wealthy they were decried by some of the clergy of that day as are popular performers and opera singers occasionally by some zealous divine in our own era john of salisbury stigmatizes minstrels as ministers of the devil the large gratuities collected by these artists the same antiquarian writer further says not only occasioned great numbers to join their fraternity but also induced many idle and dissipated persons to assume the characters of minstrels to the disgrace of the profession these evils became at last so notorious that in the reign of king edward ii it was thought necessary to restrain them by a public edict which sufficiently explains the nature of the grievance it states that many indolent persons under the colour of minstrelsy intruded themselves into the residences of the wealthy where they had both meat and drink but were not contented without the addition of large gifts from the householder to restrain this abuse the mandate ordains that no person should resort to the houses of prelates earls or barons to eat or to drink who was not a professed minstrel nor more than three or four minstrels of honour at most in one day meaning i presume the kings minstrels of honour and those retained by the nobility except they came by invitation from the lord of the house the themes of the minstrels were the triumphs victories pageants and great events of the day commingled with the praise or the satire of individuals as the humour of the patron or of the audience might be gratified it is stated that longchamp the favourite and justiciary of richard cur de lion not only engaged poets to make songs and poems in his bishop longchamps praise but the best singers and minstrels to sing them in the public streets in the ninth year of the reign of edward iv another royal edict was issued as little favourable to the minstrels as the one i have given an account of and those functionaries seem to 274 have gradually fallen in the estimation of the public and to have been contemned by the law down to the statute of elizabeth already alluded to subjecting them to the same treatment as rogues vagabonds and sturdy beggars a writer of the period 1589 represents the still styled minstrels singing ballads and small popular musickes for the amusement of boys and others that passe by them in the streete it is related also that their matters were for the most part stories of old time as the tale of sir topas bevis of southampton guy of warwick adam bell and clymme of the clough and such other old romances or historical rhymes made purposely for the recreation of the common people at christmas dinners and bride ales and in tavernes and alehouses and such other places of base resort these stories of old time are now valuable as affording illustrations of ancient manners and have been not unfertile as subjects of antiquarian annotation under the head of the norman minstrels mr strutt says it is very certain that the poet the songster and the musician were frequently united in the same person from this historical sketch it appears evident that the ballad singer and seller of to day is the sole descendant or remains of the minstrel of old as regards the business of the streets he is indeed the minstrel having lost caste and being driven to play cheap the themes of the minstrels were wars and victories and revolutions so of the modern man of street ballads if the minstrel celebrated with harp and voice the unhorsings the broken bones the deaths the dust the blood and all the glory and circumstance of a tournament so does the ballad seller with voice and fiddle glorify the feelings the broken bones the blood the deaths and all the glory and circumstance of a prize fight the minstrel did not scoff at the madness which prevailed in the lists nor does the ballad singer at the brutality which rules in the ring the minstrels had their dirges for departed greatness the ballad singer like old allan bane also pours his wailing oer the deadfor are there not the street helegies on all departed greatness in the bestowal of flattery or even of praise the modern minstrel is far less liberal than was his prototype but the laudation was in the good old times very often paid for by the person whom it was sung to honour were the same measure applied to the ballad singer and writer of to day there can be no reason to doubt that it would be attended with the same result in his satire the modern has somewhat of an advantage over his predecessor the minstrel not rarely received a largesse to satirize some one obnoxious to a rival or to a disappointed man the ballad singer or chaunter for these remarks apply with equal force to both of these street professionals is seldom hired to abuse i was told indeed by a clever chaunter that he had been sent lately by a strange gentleman to sing a songwhich he and his mate a patterer happened at the time to be workingin front of a neighbouring house the song was on the rogueries of the turf and the move had a doubly advantageous effect one gentleman you see sir gave us 1 s to go and sing and afore wed well finished the chorus somebody sent us from the house another 1 s to go away agin i believe this to be the only way in which the satire of a ballad singer is rewarded otherwise than by sale to his usual class of customers in the streets or the public houses the ancient professors of street minstrelsy unquestionably played and sung satirical lays depending for their remuneration on the liberality of their out of door audience so is it precisely with the modern the minstrel played both singly and with his fellows the ballad singer works both alone but not frequently and with his mates or his school in the persons of some of these modern street professionals as i have shown and shall further show are united the functions of the poet the songster and the musician so in the days of yore there are now female ballad singers there were female minstrels or glee women the lays which were poured forth in our streets and taverns some centuries back either for the regalement of a miscellaneous assemblage or of a select few were sometimes of an immoral tendency such it cannot be denied is the case in our more enlightened days at our cyder cellars coal holes penny gaffs and such like places rarely however are such things sung in the streets of london but sometimes at country fairs and races in one respect the analogy between the two ages of these promoters of street enjoyment does not hold the minstrels garb was distinctive it was not always the short laced tunic tight trousers and russet boots with a well plumed cap which seems to be the modern notion of this tuneful itinerant the kings and queens minstrels wore the royal livery but so altered as to have removed from its appearance what might seem menial the minstrels of the great barons also assumed their patrons liveries with the like qualification a minstrel of the highest class might wear a fayre gowne of cloth of gold or a military dress or a tawnie coat or a foreign costume or even an ecclesiastical garb and some of them went so far as to shave their crowns the better to resemble monks of course they were imitated by their inferiors the minstrel then wore a particular dress the ballad singer of the present day wears no particular dress during the terrors of the reign of henry viii and after the reformation a large body of the minstrels fell into meanness of attire and in that respect the modern ballad singer is analogous it must be borne in mind that i have all along spokenexcept when the description is necessarily generalof the street or itinerant minstrel of old the highest professors of the 275 art were poets and composers men often of genius learning and gravity and were no more to be ranked with the mass of those i have been describing than is alfred tennyson with any smithfield scribbler and bawler of some newgate copy of verses how long sir topas and the other old stories continued to be sung in the streets there are no means of ascertaining but there are old songs as i ascertained from an intelligent and experienced street singer still occasionally heard in the open air but more in the country than the metropolis among those still heard however rarely are the earl of dorsets song written on the night before a naval engagement with the dutch in 1665 to all you ladies now on land we men at sea indite i give the titles of the others not chronologically but as they occurred to my informants recollectiona cobbler there was and he livd in a stallparnells song of my days have been so wondrous free now sung in the streets to the tune of gramachree a song of which i could not procure a copy but my informant had lately heard it in the street about the cock lane ghost now ponder well you parents dear the words which i shall write a doleful story you shall hear in time brought forth to light the children in the wood and chevy chase concerning this old ditty one man said to me yes sir ive sung it at odd times and not long ago in the north of england and ive been asked whereabouts chevy chase lay but i never learned in scarlet towne where i was borne there was a faire maid dwellin made every youth crye well awaye her name was barbara allen barbara allens selling yet i was told gilderoy was a bonnie boy is another song yet sung occasionally in the streets the ballad says a writer on the subject may be considered as the native species of poetry of this country it very exactly answers the idea formerly given of original poetry being the rude uncultivated verse in which the popular tale of the time was recorded as our ancestors partook of the fierce warlike character of the northern nations the subjects of their poetry would chiefly consist of the martial exploits of their heroes and the military events of national history deeply tinctured with that passion for the marvellous and that superstitious credulity which always attend a state of ignorance and barbarism many of the ancient ballads have been transmitted to the present times and in them the character of the nation displays itself in striking colours the ballads on a subject of which i shall proceed to treat are certainly the rude uncultivated verse in which the popular tale of the times is recorded and what may be the character of the nation as displayed in them i leave to the readers judgment of street ballads on a subject there is a class of ballads which may with perfect propriety be called street ballads as they are written by street authors for street singing or chaunting and street sale these effusions however are known in the trade by a title appropriate enoughballads on a subject the most successful workers in this branch of the profession are the men i have already described among the patterers and chaunters the ballads on a subject are always on a political criminal or exciting public event or one that has interested the public and the celerity with which one of them is written and then sung in the streets is in the spirit of these railroad times after any great event a ballad on the subject is often enough written printed and sung in the street in little more than an hour such was the case with a song in honour it was announced of lord john russells resignation of course there is no time for either the correction of the rhymes or of the press but this is regarded as of little consequencewhile an early start with a new topic is of great consequence i am assured yes indeed both for the sake of meals and rents if however the songs were ever so carefully revised their sale would not be greater i need not treat this branch of our street literature at any great length as specimens of the ballad on a subject will be found in many of the preceding statements of paper workers it will have struck the reader that all the street lays quoted as popular have a sort of burthen or jingle at the end of each verse i was corrected however by a street chaunter for speaking of this burthen as a jingle its a chorus sir he said in a proper ballad on a subject theres often twelve verses none of them under eight lines and theres a four line chorus to every verse and if its the right sort itll sell the ballad i was told on all hands that it was not the words that ever made a ballad but the subject and more than the subject the chorus and far more than either the tune indeed many of the street singers of ballads on a subject have as supreme a contempt for words as can be felt by any modern composer to select a tune for a ballad however is a matter of deep deliberation to adapt the ballad to a tune too common or popular is injudicious for then i was told any one can sing itboys and all to select a more elaborate and less known air however appropriate may not be pleasing to some of the members of the school of ballad singers who may feel it to be beyond their vocal powers neither may it be relished by the critical in street song whose approving criticism induces them to purchase as well as to admire 276 the license enjoyed by the court jesters and in some respects by the minstrels of old is certainly enjoyed undiminished by the street writers and singers of ballads on a subject they are unsparing satirists who with a rare impartiality lash all classes and all creeds as well as any individual one man upon whose information i can rely told me that eleven years ago he himself had worked in town and country 23 different songs at the same period and on the same subjectthe marriage of the queen they all sold but the most profitable was one as sung by prince albert in character it was to the air of the dusty miller and it was good said the ballad man because we could easily dress up to the character given to albert i quote a verse here i am in rags from the land of all dirt to marry englands queen and my name it is prince albert and whats more sir continued my informant not very long after the honeymoon the duchess of l drove up in her carriage to the printers and bought all the songs in honour of victorias wedding and gave a sovereign for them and wouldnt take the change it was a duchess why im sure about itthough i cant say whether it were the duchess of l or s for didnt the printer like an honest man when hed stopped the price of the papers hand over to us chaps the balance to drink and didnt we drink it there cant be a mistake about that of street ballads on political subjects or upon themes which have interested the whole general public i need not cite additional instances there are however other subjects which though not regarded as of great interest by the whole body of the people are still eventful among certain classes and for them the street author and ballad singer cater i first give a specimen of a ballad on a theatrical subject the best i find in a large collection of these street effusions is entitled jenny lind and poet b after describing how mr bunn flew to sweden and engaged miss lind the poet proceeds the tune being lucy long after jenny signd the paper she repented what shed done and said she must have been a cake to be tempted by a bunn the english tongue she must decline it was such awkward stuff and we find mongst our darling dames that one tongues quite enough chorus so take your time miss jenny oh take your time miss lind youre only to raise your voice john bull will raise the wind says alfred in the public eye my name you shant degrade so birds that can and wont sing why in course they must be made this put miss jennys pipe out says bunn your tricks i see altho you are a nightingale you shant play larks with me the poet said hed seek the law no chance away hed throw says jenny if you think ill come youll find it is no go when a bird catcher named lummy with independence big pounced down upon the nightingale and with her hoppd the twig i am inclined to thinkthough i know it to be an unusual casethat in this theatrical ballad the street poet was what is tenderly called a plagiarist i was assured by a chaunter that it was written by a street author but probably the chaunter was himself in error or forgetfulness next there is the ballad on a civic subject in the old times the lord mayor had his laureate this writer known as poet to the city of london eulogised all lord mayors and glorified all civic pageants that of the 9th november especially lived in settles numbers one day more but elkanah settle was the last of such scribes after his death the city eschewed a poet the office has now descended to the street bard who annually celebrates the great ceremony i cite two stanzas and the chorus from the latest of these civic odes now farncombes out and musgroves in and grand is his position because he will be made a king at the hyde park exhibition a feast hell order at guildhall for hypocrites and sinners and he has sent jack forester to rome to invite the pope to dinner a day like this we never saw the truth i am confessing battys astonishing menagerie is in the great procession theres lions tigers bears and wolves to please each smiling feature and elephants in harness drawing drury lane theatre chorus it is not as it used to be cut on so gay and thrifty the funny lord mayors show to see in eighteen hundred and fifty there is beside the descriptions of ballads above cited the ballad local one of these is headed the queer doings in leather lane and is on a subject concerning which street sellers generally express themselves stronglysunday trading the endeavour to stop street trading generally in leather lane with its injurious results to the shopkeepers has been already mentioned the ballad on this local subject presents a personality now happily almost confined to the street writers a rummy saintly lot is there a domineering crew a butcher and a baker and an undertaker too besides a cove who deals in wood and makes his bundles small and looks as black on sunday as the undertakers pall 277 chorus you must not buy you must not sell oh is it not a shame it is a shocking place to dwell about sweet leather lane the butcher does not like to hear his neighbours holloa buy although he on the sunday sells a little on the sly and the coffin maker struts along just like the great lord mayor to bury folks on sundays instead of going to prayers there are yet three themes of these street songs of which though they have been alluded to no specimens have been given i now supply them the first is the election ballad i quote two stanzas from middlesex and victory or grosvenor and osborne for ever now osborne is the man to struggle for your rights he will vote against the bishops you know both day and night he will strive to crush the poor law bill and that with all his might and he will never give his vote to part a man from his wife chorus then cheer osborne and lord grosvenor cheer them with three times three for they beat the soldier tommy wood and gained the victory i have not forgot lord grosvenor who nobly stood the test for the electors of great middlesex i know hell do his best he will pull old nosey oer the coals and lay him on his back and he swears that little bobs head he will shove into a rat trap then come the elegies of three of these i cite the opening stanza that on the death of queen adelaide has for an illustration a figure of britannia leaning on her shield with the muse of history as i presume from her attributes at britannias feet in the distance is the setting sun old england may weep her bright hopes are fled the friend of the poor is no more for adelaide now is numbered with the dead and her loss we shall sadly deplore for though noble her birth and high was her station the poor of this nation will miss her for their wants she relieved without ostentation but now she is gone god bless her god bless her god bless her but now she is gone god bless her the elegy on the death of the right honourable sir robert peel bart m p is set off with a very fair portrait of that statesman britannia britannia what makes thee complain o why so in sorrow relenting old england is lost we are borne down in pain and the nation in grief is lamenting that excellent manthe pride of the land whom every virtue possessed him is gone to that home from whence no one returns our dear friend sir robert god rest him the verses which bewail the death of h r h the duke of cambridge and which are adorned with the same illustration as those upon queen adelaide begin oh death thou art severe and never seems contented prince adolphus frederick is summoned away the death of royal cambridge in sorrow lamented like the good sir robert peel he no longer could stay his virtues were good and noble was his actions his presence at all places caused much attraction britannia for her loss is driven to distraction royal cambridge well behold thee no more the third class of street ballads relates to fires the one i quote on the awful fire at b caunts in st martins lane is preceded by an engraving of a lady and a cavalier the lady pointing to a column surmounted by an urn i again give the first stanza i will unfold a tale of sorrow list you tender parents dear it will thrill each breast with horror when the dreadful tale you hear early on last wednesday morning a raging fire as we may see did occur most sad and awful between the hours of two and three in a subsequent stanza are four lines not without some rough pathos and adapted to move the feelings of a street audience the writer is alluding to the grief of the parents who had lost two children by a terrible death no more their smiles theyll be beholding no more their pretty faces see no more to their bosoms will they fold them oh what must their feelings be i find no difference in style between the ballads on a subject of to day and the oldest which i could obtain a sight of which were sung in the present generationexcept that these poems now begin far less frequently with what at one time was as common as an invocation to the musethe invitation to good christians to attend to the singer one on the sloanes however opens in the old fashion come all good christians and give attention unto these lines i will unfold with heartfelt feelings to you ill mention im sure twill make your blood run cold i now conclude this account of street ballads on a subject with two verses from one on the subject of the glorious fight for the championship of england the celebration of these once popular encounters is as i have already stated one of the points in which the modern ballad man emulates his ancient brother minstrel on the ninth day of september eighteen hundred and forty five from london down to nottingham the roads were all alive oh such a sight was never seen believe me it is so tens of thousands went to see the fight with caunt and bendigo and near to newport pagnell those men did strip so fine ben caunt stood six feet two and a half and bendigo five foot nine ben caunt a giant did appear and made the claret flow and he seemed fully determined soon to conquer bendigo chorus with their hit away and slash away so manfully you see ben caunt has lost and bendigo has gained the victory 278 of the street poets and authors authorship for street sale is chiefly confined to the production of verse which whatever be its nature is known through the trade as ballads two distinctions indeed are recognisedballads and ballads on a subject the last mentioned is as i have said and shown the publication which relates to any specific event national or local criminal or merely extraordinary true or false under the head ballads the street sellers class all that does not come under the description of ballads on a subject the same street authorsnow six in numbercompose indiscriminately any description of ballad including the copy of verses i have shown to be required as a necessary part of all histories or trials of criminals when the printer has determined upon a sorrowful lamentation he sends to a poet for a copy of verses which is promptly supplied the payment i have already mentioned1 s but sometimes if the printer and publisher like the verses he throws a penny or two over and sometimes also in case of a great sale there is the same over sum fewer ballads i was assured than was the case ten or twelve years ago are now written expressly for street sale or street minstrelsy they come to the printer for nothing from the concert room he has only to buy a ross or a sharp song books for 1 d and theres a lot of em so in course a publisher aint a going to give a bob if he can be served for a farthing just by buying a song book another man himself not a regular poet but a little concerned in street productions said to me with great earnestness now look at this sir and i hope youll just say sir as i tell you youve given the public a deal of information about men like me and some of our chaps abuses you for it like mad but i say its all right for its all true now youll have learned sir or any way you will learn that theres songs sung in the streets and sometimes in some tap rooms that isnt decent and relates to nothing but wickedness there wasnt a few of those songs once written for the streets straight away and a great sale they had i knowbut far better at country fairs and races than in town since the singing housesi dont mean where you pay to go to a concert no but such as your cyder cellars and your night houses where theres lords and gentlemen and city swells and young men up from the collegessince these places has been up so flourishing there hasnt i do believe been one such song written by one of our poets they all come from the places where the lords and genelmen and collegians is capital customers and they never was a worse sort of ballads than now in course those houses is licensed and perticler respectable or it wouldnt be allowed and if i was to go to the foot of the bridge sir westminster bridge and chaunt any such songs and my mate should sell them why we should very soon be taking reglar exercise on colonel chestertons everlasting staircase we has a great respect for the lawo certainly parodies on any very popular song which used to be prepared expressly for street trade are now in like manner derived from the night house or the concert room but not entirely so the parody cab cab cab which was heard in almost every street was originated in a concert room the ballads which have lately been written and published expressly for the street sale and have proved the most successful are parodies or imitations of the gay cavalier one street ballad commencing in the following words was i am told greatly admired both in the streets and the public houses twas a dark foggy night and the moon gave no light and the stars were all put in the shade when leary joe scott dealt in donovans hot said hed go to court his fair maid i now give three stanzas of the way to live happy together a ballad said to have been written expressly for street sale its popularity is anything but discreditable to the street buyers from the time of this worlds first formation you will find it has been the plan in every country and nation that woman was formed to please man and man for to love and protect them and shield them from the frowns of the world through the smooth paths of life to direct them and he who would do less is a churl then listen to me if you would live happy together as you steer through the troubles of life depend that this worlds greatest treasure is a kind and a good tempered wife some men will ill use a good woman and say all they do turns out wrong but as i mean to offend no one youll find faults to both sides belong but if both were to look at the bright side and each others minds cease to pain they would find they have looked at the right side for all would be summer again then listen to me if you would live happy together c married women dont gossip or tattle remember it oft stirs up strife but attend to your soft childrens soft prattle and the duties of mother and wife and men if you need recreation with selfish companions dont roam who might lead you to sad degradation but think of your comforts at home then listen to me if you would live happy together c its all as one sir was the answer of a man whom i questioned on the subject its the same poet and the same tip for any ballad no more nor a bob for nothing illustrations of street artno iii mr patrick connor 13 illustrations to street ballads the amorous waterman of st johns wood illustrations of street artno iv the queens glorious speech general haynau 14 the poachers the millers ditty the heart that can feel for another rosin the beau broken hearted gardener a large number of ballads which i procured and all sold and sung in the street though not written expressly for the purpose presented a curious study enough they were of every class i specify a few to show the nature of 279 the collection not including ballads on a subject ye banks and braes o bonnie doun with on the same sheet the merry fiddler an indecent song theres a good time coming boys nix my dolly the girls of shire which of course is available for any county widow mahoney remember the glories of brian the brave clementina clemmins lucy long erin go bragh christmas in 1850 the death of nelson the life and adventures of jemmy sweet the young may moon hail to the tyrol he was sich a lushy cove c c i may here mentionbut a fuller notice may be necessary when i treat of street artthat some of these ballads have an illustration always at the top of the column the heart that can feel for another is illustrated by a gaunt and savage looking lion the amorous waterman of st johns wood presents a very short obese and bow legged grocer in top boots standing at his door while a lady in a huge bonnet is taking a sight at him to the evident satisfaction of a baked tater man rosin the beau is heralded by the rising sun the poachers has a cut of the royal exchange above the title the millers ditty is illustrated by a perfect dandy of the slimmest and straightest fashion and when i was first breeched by an engraving of a highlander many of the ballads however have engravings appropriate enough of the experience of a street author or poet i have already mentioned the present number of street authors as i most frequently heard them styled though they write only verses i called upon one on the recommendation of a neighbouring tradesman of whom i made some inquiries he could not tell me the number of the house in the court where the man lived but said i had only to inquire for the tinker or the poet and any one would tell me i found the poor poet who bears a good character on a sick bed he was suffering and had long been suffering from abscesses he was apparently about forty five with the sunken eyes hollow cheeks and not pale but thick and rather sallow complexion which indicate ill health and scant food he spoke quietly and expressed resignation his room was not very small and was furnished in the way usual among the very poor but there were a few old pictures over the mantel piece his eldest boy a lad of thirteen or fourteen was making dog chains at which he earned a shilling or two sometimes 2 s 6 d by sale in the streets i was born at newcastle under lyne the man said but was brought to london when i believe i was only three months old i was very fond of reading poems in my youth as soon as i could read and understand almost yes very likely sir perhaps it was that put it into my head to write them afterwards i was taught wire working and jobbing and was brought up to hawking wire work in the streets and all over england and wales it was never a very good tradejust a living many and many a weary mile weve travelled together i mean my wife and i have and weve sometimes been benighted and had to wander or rest about until morning it wasnt that we hadnt money to pay for a lodging but we couldnt get one we lost count of the days sometimes in wild parts but if we did lose count or thought we had i could always tell when it was sunday morning by the look of nature there was a mystery and a beauty about it as told me i was very fond of goldsmiths poetry always i can repeat edwin and emma now no sir i never read the vicar of wakefield i found edwin and emma in a book called the speaker i often thought of it in travelling through some parts of the country above fourteen years ago i tried to make a shilling or two by selling my verses id written plenty before but made nothing by them indeed i never tried the first song i ever sold was to a concert room manager the next i sold had great success it was called the demon of the sea and was to the tune of the brave old oak do i remember how it began yes sir i remember every word of it it began unfurl the sails weve easy gales and helmsman steer aright hoist the grim deaths head the pirates head for a vessel heaves in sight that song was written for a concert room but it was soon in the streets and ran a whole winter i got only 1 s for it then i wrote the pirate of the isles and other ballads of that sort the concert rooms pay no better than the printers for the streets perhaps the best thing i ever wrote was the husbands dream im very sorry indeed that i cant offer you copies of some of my ballads but i havent a single copy myself of any of them not one and i dare say ive written a thousand in my time and most of them were printed i believe 10 000 were sold of the husbands dream it begins o dermot you look healthy now your dress is neat and clean i never see you drunk about then tell me where youve been your wife and familyare they well you once did use them strange o are you kinder to them grown how came this happy change then dermot tells how he dreamed of his wifes sudden death and his childrens misery as they cried about her dead body while he was drunk in bed and as he calls out in his misery he wakes and finds his wife by his side the ballad ends i pressed her to my throbbing heart whilst joyous tears did stream and ever since ive heaven blest for sending me that dream 280 dermot turned teetotaller the teetotallers were very much pleased with that song the printer once sent me 5 s on account of it i have written all sorts of thingsballads on a subject and copies of verses and anything ordered of me or on anything i thought would be accepted but now i cant get about ive been asked to write indecent songs but i refused one man offered me 5 s for six such songs why thats less than the common price said i instead of something over to pay for the wickedness all those sort of songs come now to the streets i believe all do from the concert rooms i can imitate any poetry i dont recollect any poet ive imitated no sir not scott or moore that i know of but if theyve written popular songs then i dare say i have imitated them writing poetry is no comfort to me in my sickness it might if i could write just what i please the printers like hanging subjects best and i dont but when any of them sends to order a copy of verses for a sorrowful lamentation of course i must supply them i dont think much of what ive done that way if id my own fancy id keep writing acrostics such as one i wrote on our rector god bless him interrupted the wife hes a good man that he is said the poet but hes never seen what i wrote about him and perhaps never will he then desired his wife to reach him his big bible and out of it he handed me a piece of paper with the following lines written on it in a small neat hand enough c elestial blessings hover round his head h undreds of poor by his kindness were fed a nd precepts taught which he himself obeyed m an erring man brought to the fold of god p reaching pardon through a saviours blood n o lukewarm priest but firm to heavens cause e xamples showed how much he loved its laws y outh and age he to their wants attends s teward of christthe poor mans sterling friend there would be some comfort sir he continued if one could go on writing at will like that as it is i sometimes write verses all over a slate and rub them out again live hard yes indeed we do live hard i hardly know the taste of meat we live on bread and butter and tea no not any fish as you see sir i work at tinning i put new bottoms into old tin tea pots and such like heres my sort of bench by my poor bit of a bed in the best weeks i earn 4 s by tinning never higher in bad weeks i earn only 1 s by it and sometimes not that and there are more shilling than four shilling weeks by three to one as to my poetry a good week is 3 s and a poor week is 1 s and sometimes i make nothing at all that way so i leave you to judge sir whether we live hard for the comings in and what we have from the parish must keep six of usmyself my wife and four children its a long hard struggle yes indeed said the wife its just as youve heard my husband tell sir weve 2 s a week and four loaves of bread from the parish and the rents 2 s 6 d and the landlord every week has 2 s and 6 d he has done for him in tinning work oh we do live hard indeed as i was taking my leave the poor man expressed a desire that i would take a copy of an epitaph which he had written for himself if ever he said i am rich enough to provide for a tomb stone or my family is rich enough to give me one this shall be my epitaph i copied it from a blank page in his bible stranger pause a moment stay tread lightly oer this mound of clay here lies j h in hopes to rise and meet his saviour in the skies christ his refuge heaven his home where pain and sorrow never come his journeys done his troubles past with god he sleeps in peace at last of the street sellers of broad sheets the broad sheet known in street sale is an unfolded sheet varying in size and printed on one side the word is frequently used to signify an account of a murder or execution but it may contain an account of a fire an awful accident and great loss of life a series of conundrums as in those called nuts to crack a comic or intended comic engraving with a speech or some verses as recently in satire of the pope and cardinal wiseman these are sometimes called comic exhibitions or a bill of the play the cocks are more frequently a smaller size than the broad sheet the sellers of these articles play bills excepted are of the class i have described as patterers the play bill sellers are very rarely patterers on other paper work some of them are on the look out during the day for a job in porterage or such like but they are not mixed up with any pattering and a regular patterer looks down upon a play bill seller as a poor creature fit for nothing but play bills i now proceed to describe such of these classes as have not been previously given of the gallows literature of the streets under this head i class all the street sold publications which relate to the hanging of malefactors that the question is not of any minor importance must be at once admitted when it is seen how very extensive a portion of the reading of the poor is supplied by the sorrowful lamentations and last dying speech confession and execution of criminals one paper worker told me that in some small and obscure villages in norfolk which he believed were visited only by himself in his line it was not very uncommon for two poor families to club for 1 d to purchase an execution broad sheet not long after rush was hung he saw one evening after dark through the uncurtained cottage window eleven persons young and old gathered round a scanty fire which was made to blaze by being fed with a few sticks an old man was reading to an attentive audience a 281 broad sheet of rushs execution which my informant had sold to him he read by the fire light for the very poor in those villages i was told rarely lighted a candle on a spring evening saying that a bit o fire was good enough to talk by the scene must have been impressive for it had evidently somewhat impressed the perhaps not very susceptible mind of my informant the procedure on the occasion of a good murder or of a murder expected to turn out well is systematic first appears a quarter sheet a hand bill 9 in by 7 in containing the earliest report of the matter next come half sheets twice the size of later particulars or discoveries orif the supposed murderer be in custodyof further examinations the sale of these bills is confined almost entirely to london and in their production the newspapers are for the most part followed closely enough then are produced the whole or broad sheets twice the size of the half sheets and lastly but only on great occasions the double broad sheet i have used the least technical terms that i might not puzzle the reader with accounts of crowns double crowns c the most important of all the broad sheets of executions according to concurrent and indeed unanimous testimony is the case of rush i speak of the testimony of the street folk concerned who all represent the sale of the papers relative to rush both in town and country as the best in their experience of late years the sheet bears the title of the sorrowful lamentation and last farewell of j b rush who is ordered for execution on saturday next at norwich castle there are three illustrations the largest represents rush cloaked and masked shooting mr jermy sen another is of rush shooting mrs jermy a prostrate body is at her feet and the lady herself is depicted as having a very small waist and great amplitude of gown skirts the third is a portrait of rush a correct copy i was assured and have no reason to question the assurance from one in the norwich mercury the account of the trial and biography of rush his conduct in prison c is a concise and clear enough condensation from the newspapers indeed rushs sorrowful lamentation is the best in all respects of any execution broad sheet i have seen even the copy of verses which according to the established custom the criminal composes in the condemned cellhis being unable in some instances to read or write being no obstacle to the compositionseems in a literary point of view of a superior strain to the run of such things the matters of fact however are introduced in the same peculiar manner the worst part is the morbid sympathy and intended apology for the criminal i give the verses entire this vain world i soon shall leave dear friends in sorrow do not grieve mourn not my end though tis severe for death awaits the murderer now in a dismal cell i lie for murder im condemnd to die some may pity when they read oppression drove me to the deed my friends and home to me were dear the trees and flowers that blossomd near the sweet loved spot where youth began is dear to every englishman i once was happythat is past distress and crosses came at last false friendship smiled on wealth and me but shunned me in adversity the scaffold is awaiting me for jermy i have murdered thee thy hope and joysthy son i slew thy wife and servant wounded too i think i hear the world to say oh rush why didst thou jermy slay his dear loved son why didst thou kill for he had done to thee no ill if jermy had but kindness shown and not have trod misfortune down i neer had fired the fatal ball that causd his son and him to fall my cause i did defend alone for learned counsel i had none i pleaded hard and questions gave in hopes my wretched life to save the witness to confound did try but god ordained that i should die eliza chestney she was there im sorry i have injured her oh emily sandford was it due that i should meet my death through you if you had wishd me well indeed how could you thus against me plead ive used thee kind though not my wife your evidence has cost my life a child by me you have had born though hard against me you have sworn the scaffold is alas my doom i soon shall wither in the tomb god pardon meno mercys here for rushthe wretched murderer although the execution broad sheet i have cited may be the best taken altogether which has fallen under my observation nearly all i have seen have one characteristicthe facts can be plainly understood the narrative embracing trial biography c is usually prepared by the printer being a condensation from the accounts in the newspapers and is perhaps intelligible simply because it is a condensation it is so moreover in spite of bad grammar and sometimes perhaps from an unskilful connection of the different eras of the trial when the circumstances of the case permit or can be at all constrained to do so the last sorrowful lamentation contains a love letter writtenas one patterer told me he had occasionally expressed it when he thought his audience suitablefrom the depths of the condemned cell with the condemned pen ink and paper the style is stereotyped and usually after this fashion dear shrink not from receiving a letter from one who is condemned to die as a murderer here in my miserable cell i write to one whom i have 282 from my first acquaintanceship held in the highest esteem and whom i believe has also had the same kindly feeling towards myself believe me i forgive all my enemies and bear no malice o my dear guard against giving way to evil passions and a fondness for drink be warned by my sad and pitiful fate if it be not feasible to have a love letterwhich can be addressed to either wife or sweetheartin the foregoing style a last letter is given and this can be written to father mother son daughter or friend and is usually to the following purport condemned cell my dear by the time you receive this my hours in this world will indeed be short it is an old and true saying that murderers will one day meet their proper reward no one can imagine the dreadful nights of anguish passed by me since the commital of the crime on poor all my previous victims have appeared before me in a thousand different shapes and forms my sufferings have been more than i can possibly describe let me entreat you to turn from your evil ways and lead a honest and sober life i am suffering so much at the present moment both from mind and body that i can write no longer farewell farewell your affectionate i have hitherto spoken of the last sorrowful lamentation sheets the next broad sheet is the life trial confession and execution this presents the same matter as the lamentation except that a partperhaps the judges charge at the trial or perhaps the biographyis removed to make room for the execution and occasionally for a portion of the condemned sermon to judge by the productions i treat of both subjects are marvelously similar on all occasions i cite a specimen of the condemned sermon as preached according to the broad sheet before hewson condemned for the murder of a turnkey it will be seen that it is of a character to fit any condemned sermon whatever the rev gent then turned his discourse particularly to the unhappy prisoner doomed to die on the morrow and told him to call on him who alone had the power of forgiveness who had said though his sins were red as scarlet he would make them white as snow though he had been guilty of many heinous crimes there was yet an opportunity of forgiveness during the delivery of this address the prisoner was in a very desponding state and at its conclusion was helped out of the chapel by the turnkeys the execution is detailed generally in this manner i cite the life trial confession and execution of mary may for the murder of w constable her half brother by poison at wix near manningtree at an early hour this morning the space before the prison was very much crowded by persons anxious to witness the execution of mary may for the murder of william constable her half brother by poison at wix manningtree which gradually increased to such a degree that a great number of persons suffered extremely from the pressure and gladly gave up their places on the first opportunity to escape from the crowd the sheriffs and their attendants arrived at the prison early this morning and proceeded to the condemn cell were they found the reverend ordinary engaged in prayer with the miserable woman after the usual formalities had been observed of demanding the body of the prisoner into their custody she was then conducted to the press room the executioner with his assistants then commenced pinioning her arms which opperation they skillfully and quickly dispatched during these awful preparations the unhappy woman appeared mently to suffer severely but uttered not a word when the hour arrived and all the arrangements having been completed the bell commenced tolling and then a change was observed to come over the face of the prisoner who trembling violently walked with the melancholy procession proceeded by the reverend ordinary who read aloud the funeral service for the dead when the bell commenced tolling a moment was heard from without and the words hats off and silence were distinctly heard from which time nothing but a continual sobbing was heard on arriving at the foot of the steps leading to the scaffold she thanked the sheriffs and the worthy governor of the prison for their kind attentions to her during her confinement then the unfortunate woman was seen on the scaffold there was a death like silence prevailed among the vast multitude of people assembled in a few seconds the bolt was drawn and after a few convulsive struggles the unhappy woman ceased to exist i cannot refrain from calling the readers attention to the copy of verses touching mary may i give them entire for they seem to me to contain all the elements which made the old ballads popularthe rushing at once into the subjectand the homely reflections though crude to all educated persons are nevertheless well adapted to enlist the sympathy and appreciation of the class of hearers to whom they are addressed copy of verses the solemn bell for me doth toll and i am doomd to die for murdering my brother dear upon a tree so high for gain i did premeditate my brother for to slay oh think upon the dreadful fate of wretched mary may chorus behold the fate of mary may who did for gain her brother slay in essex boundry i did dwell my brother lived with me in a little village called wix not far from manningtree in a burial club i entered him on purpose him to slay and to obtain the burial fees i took his life away one eve he to his home returnd not thinking he was doomd to be sent by a sisters hand unto the silent tomb his tea for him i did prepare and in it poison placed to which i did administer how dreadful was his case before he long the poison took in agony he cried upon him i in scorn did look at length my brother died then to the grave i hurried him and got him out of sight but god ordaind this cruel deed should soon be brought to light i strove the money to obtain for which i did him slay by which also suspicion fell on guilty mary may the poison was discovered which caused me to bewail and i my trial to await was sent to chelmsford jail 283 and for this most atrocious deed i at the bar was placed the jury found me guilty how dreadful was my case the judge the dreadful sentence passd and solemn said to me you must return from whence you came and thence unto the tree on earth i can no longer dwell theres nothing can me save hark i hear the mournful knell which calls me to the grave death appears in ghostly forms to summon me below see the fatal bolt is drawn and mary may must go good people all of each degree before it is too late see me on the fatal tree and pity my sad fate my guilty heart stung with grief with agony and pain my tender brother i did slay that fatal day for gain this mode of procedure in gallows literature and this style of composition have prevailed for from twenty to thirty years i find my usual impossibility to fix a date among these street folk but the sorrowful lamentation sheet was unknown until the law for prolonging the term of existence between the trial and death of the capitally convicted was passed before that sir i was told there wasnt no time for a lamentation sentence o friday and scragging o monday so we had only the life trial and execution before the year 1820 the execution broad sheets c were got up in about the same though certainly in an inferior and more slovenly manner than at present and one copy of verses often did service for the canticles of all criminals condemned to be hung these verses were to sacred or psalm tunes such as job or the old hundredth i was told by an aged gentleman that he remembered about the year 1812 hearing a song or as he called it stave of this description not only given in the street with fiddle and nasal twang to the tune of the old hundredth but commencing in the very words of sternhold and hopkins all people that on earth do dwell these death verses as they were sometimes called were very frequently sung by blind people and in some parts of the country blind men and women still singgenerally to the accompaniment of a fiddlethe copy of verses a london chaunter told me that a few years back he heard a blind man at york announce the verses as from the solitudes of the condemned cell at present the broad sheet sellers usually sing or chaunt the copy of verses an intelligent man now himself a street trader told me that one of the latest execution songs as he called them which he remembered to have heard in the old stylebut no doubt there were plenty after that as like one another as peas in a boilingwas on the murder of weare at elstree in hertfordshire he took great interest in such things when a boy and had the song in question by heart but could only depend upon his memory for the first and second verses come all good christians praise the lord and trust to him in hope god in his mercy jack thurtell sent to hang from hertford gallows rope poor weares murder the lord disclosed be glory to his name and thurtell hunt and probert too were brought to grief and shame another street paper worker whom i spoke to on the subject and to whom i read these two verses said thats just the old thing sir and its quite in old jemmy catnachs style for he used to write wersesanyhow he said he did for ive heard him say so and ive no doubt he did in realityit was just his favourite style i know but the march of intellect put it out it did so in the most popular murders the street papers are a mere recital from the newspapers but somewhat more brief when the suspected murderer is in custody but when the murderer has not been apprehended or is unknown then said one death hunter we has our fling and ive hit the mark a few chances that way we had at the werry least half a dozen coves pulled up in the slums that we printed for the murder of the beautiful eliza grimwood in the waterloo road i did best on thomas hopkins being the guilty mani think he was thomas hopkinscause a strong case was made out again him i received similar accounts of the street doings in the case of mysterious murders as those perpetrations are called by the paper workers when the criminal has escaped or was unknown among those leaving considerable scope to the patterers powers of invention were the murders of mr westwood a watchmaker in princes street leicester square of eliza davis a bar maid in frederick street hampstead road and of the policeman in dagenham essex one of the most successful cocks relating to murders which actually occurred was the confession to the rev mr cox chaplain of aylesbury gaol of john tawell the quaker i had some conversation with one of the authors of this confession for it was got up by three patterers and he assured me that it did well and the facts was soon in some of the newspapersas what we riginates often is this sham confession was as follows the rev mr cox the chaplain of aylesbury gaol having been taken ill and finding his end approaching sent for his son and said take this confession now i am as good as my word i promised that unhappy man john tawell that while i lived his confession should not be made public owing to the excited state of the public mind tawell confessed to me that besides the murder of sarah hart at salt hill for which he suffered the last penalty of the law at aylesbury he was guilty of two other barbarous murders while abroad as a transport in van diemans land one of these barbarous and horrid murders was on the 284 body of one of the keepers he knocked him down with the keys which he wrenched from him and then cut his throat with his own knife leaving the body locked up in his cell and before that to have the better opportunity of having the turnkey single handed john tawell feigned illness he then locked the keeper in the cell and went to a young woman in the town a beautiful innkeepers daughter whom he had seduced as he worked for her father as he had the privilege of doing in the day times he went to her and she seeing him in a flurried state with blood upon his hand questioned him he told the unhappy young woman how he had killed the keeper for the love of her and the best thing to be done was for her to get possession of all the money she could and escape with him to this country where he would marry her and support her like a lady the unhappy young woman felt so terrified that at the moment she was unable to say yes or no he became alarmed for his safety and with the identical knife that he killed the keeper with he left his unhappy victim a weltering in her gore he then fled from the house unobserved and went into the bush where he met three men who had escaped through his killing the keeper he advised them to go down with him to an english vessel lying off the coast when they reached the shore they met a crew in search of fresh water to them they made out a pitiful story and were taken on board the ship all being young men and the captain being short of hands and one of them having been really a seaman transported for mutiny the captain after putting questions which the seaman answered engaged them to work their passage home tawell was the captain of the gang and was most looked up to they worked their passage home behaving well during the voyage so that the captain said he would make each of them a present and never divulge when they reached liverpool tawell robbed the captains cabin of all the money contained in it which was a very considerable sum after that he left liverpool and adopted the garb of a quaker in which he could not easily be recognized and then pursued the course of wickedness and crime which led him to a shameful death the confession of rush to the chaplain of norwich castle was another production which was remunerative to the patterers there was soon a bit of it in the newspapers said one man for us and them treads close on one anothers heels the newspapers screeved about rush and his mother and his wife but we in our patter made him confess to having murdered his old grandmother fourteen years back and how he buried her under the apple tree in the garden and how he murdered his wife as well these ulterior confessions are very rarely introduced in lieu of some matter displaced into the broad sheet but form separate bills it was necessary to mention them here however and so preserve the sequence of the whole of the traffic consequent upon a conviction for murder in this curious trade sometimes the trial c form also separate bills as well as being embodied afterwards in the sorrowful lamentation this is only however in cases which are deemed important one of the papers i obtained for instance is the trial of mr and mrs manning for the murder of mr patrick oconnor the trial alone occupies a broad sheet it is fairly got up a portrait of mr patrick oconnor heads the middle column from the presence of a fur collar to the coat or cloak and of what is evidently an order with its insignia round the neck i have little doubt that the portrait of mr oconnor was originally that of the sovereign in whose service oconnor was once an excise officerking william iv the last publication to which the trade has recourse is the book this is usually eight pages but sometimes only four of a larger size in authorship matter or compilation it differs little from the narratives i have described the majority of these books are prepared by one man they are in a better form for being preserved as a record than is a broad sheet and are frequently sold and almost always offered by the patterers when they cry a new case on a sheet as people that loves such reading likes to keep a good account of the best by them and so when ive sold mannings bills ive often shoved off rushs books the books like the bills have generally the letters and the copy of verses some of these books have the title page set forth in full display for example horrible murder and mutilation of lucy game aged 15 by her cruel brother william game aged 9 at westmill hertfordshire his committal and confession with a copy of letter also full particulars of the poisonings in essex here as there was no execution the matter was extended to include the poisonings in essex the title i have quoted is expanded into thirteen lines sometimes the title page is adorned with a portrait one i was told which was last employed as a portrait of calcraft had done severe service since courvoisiers time for my informant thought that courvoisier was the original it is the bust of an ill looking man with coat and waistcoat fitting with that unwrinkled closeness which characterises the figures in tailors fashions the above style of work is known in the trade as the book but other publications in the book or pamphlet form are common enough in some i have seen the title page is a history in little i cite one of these founded on facts the whitby tragedy or the gamblers fate containing the lives of joseph carr aged 21 and his sweetheart maria leslie aged 19 who were found dead lying by each other on the morning of the 23rd of may maria was on her road to town to buy some ribbon c for her wedding day when her lover in a state of intoxication fired at her and then run to rob his prey but finding it to be his sweetheart reloaded his gun placed the muzzle to his mouth and blew out his brains all through cursed cards drink c also an affectionate copy of verses to show the extent of the trade in execution broad sheets i obtained returns of the number of copies relating to the principal executions of late that had been sold of rush 2 500 000 copies the mannings 2 500 000 courvoisier 1 666 000 good 1 650 000 corder 1 650 000 greenacre 1 666 000 285 of thurtell i could obtain no accountsit was so long ago but the sale i was told was enormous reckoning that each copy was sold for 1 d the regular price in the country where the great sale is the money expended for such things amounts to upwards of 48 500 l in the case of the six murderers above given all this number was printed and got up in london a few broad sheets concerning rush were printed also in norwich touching the issue of cocks a person connected with the trade calculated for me from data at his command that 3 456 copies were struck off weekly and sold in the streets in the metropolis and reckoning them at only a d each we have the sum of 7 l 4 s spent every week in this manner at this rate there must be 179 712 copies of cocks printed in a year on which the public expend no less than 374 l 8 s of the style of illustrations usually accompanying this class of street literature the two large engravings here given are fac similes while the smaller ones are faithful copies of the average embellishments to the halfpenny ballads on another occasion i shall speak at length on street art of the street sellers of conundrums among the more modern street sales are conundrums generally vended both in the shops and the streets as nuts to crack when not in the form of books this is another of the broad sheets and is sufficiently clever and curious in its way in the centre at the top is the wonderful picture with the following description this picture when looked at from a particular point of view will not only appear perfect in all respects and free from distortion but the figures will actually appear to stand out in relief from the paper the wonderful picture which is a rude imitation of a similar toy picture sold in a box with eye piece complete at the shops presents a distorted view of a church spire a light house a donjon keep castellated buildings backed by mountains a moat on which are two vessels an arch surmounted by a britannia a palm tree i presume and a rampart or pier or something that way on which are depicted two figures with the gestures of elocutionists the buildings are elongated like shadows at sunset or sunrise what may be the particular point of view announced in the description of the wonderful picture is not described in the nuts but the following explanation is given in a little book published simultaneously and entitled the nutcrackers a key to nuts to crack or enigmatical repository the wonderful picture cut out a piece of cardboard 2 inches long make a round hole about the size of a pea in the top of it place this level with the right hand side of the engraving and just 1 inches distant from it then apply your eye to the little hole and look at the picture and you will find that a beautiful symmetry pervades the landscape there is not the slightest appearance of distortion and the different parts appear actually to stand up in relief on the paper below the wonderful picture are other illustrations and the border of the broad sheet presents a series of what may be called pictorial engravings the first is the answer being evidently diocese no 26 is pinafore is the solution of the next hieroglyphicfor a second title to the nuts tells of 200 hieroglyphics enigmas conundrums curious puzzles and other ingenious devices i cannot speak very highly it consists of aimer a figure of a hare at full speed and eka answer america in the body of the broad sheet are the enigmas c announced of each of which i give a specimen to show the nature of this street performance or entertainment enigma 107 is ive got no wings yet in the air i often rise and fall ive got no feet yet clogs i wear and shoes and boots and all as the answer is foot ball the two last lines should manifestly have been placed first the conundrums are next in the arrangement and i cite one of them why are there strictly speaking only 325 days in the year because is the reply forty of them are lent and never returned the riddles follow in this portion of the nuts to crack of these one is not very difficult to be solved though it is distinguished for the usual grammatical confusion of tenses a man has three daughters and each of these have a brother how many children had he the charades complete the series of these i select one of the best i am a word of letters seven im sinful in the sight of heaven to every virtue im opposed mans weary life ive often closed if to me you prefix two letters more i mean exactly what i meant before the other parts of the letter press consist of anagrams transpositions c when a clever patterer works conundrumsfor the trade is in the hands of the pattering classhe selects what he may consider the best and reads or repeats them in the street sometimes with and sometimes without the answer but he does not cripple the probable quickness 286 of his sale by a slavish adherence to what is in type he puts the matter as it were personally what gentleman is it one man told me he would ask in this street that has eyes like saucers a back like a box a nose like a pen knife and a voice like a fox you can learn for a penny or sometimes ill go on with the patter thus he continued what lady is it that we have all seen and who can say truly i am brighter than day i am swifter than light and stronger than all the momentum of might more than once people have sung out the queen for they seem to think that the momentum of might couldnt fit any one else its thought as is the answer but it wouldnt do to let people think its anything of the sort it must seem to fit somebody if i see a tailors name on a door as soon as ive passed the corner of the street and sometimes in the same street ive asked why is mr so and so the busy tailor of this or the next street never at home because hes always cutting out i have the same questions for other tradesmen and for gentlemen and ladies in this neighbourhood and no gammon all for a penny nuts to crack a penny a pair of nutcrackers to crack em only one penny sometimes this man who perhaps is the smartest in the trade will take a bolder flight still and when he knows the residence of any professional or public man he will if the allusion be complimentary announce his name orif there be any satireindicate by a motion of the head or a gesture of the hand the direction of his residence my ingenuous and certainly ingenious informant obliged me with a few instances in whitechapel parish ive saidit aint in the print it was only in the patterwhy wont the reverend mr champneys lay up treasures on earth because hed rather lay up treasures in heaven thats the reverend gentleman not far from this spot but in this sheetwith nearly 100 engravings by the first artists only a pennyi have other questions for other parsons not so easy answered nuts as is hard to crack why is the reverend mr popjoy or the honourable lawyer bully or judge wiggem and then i just jerks my thumb sir if its where i know or think such people livewhy is the reverend mr popjoy or the others like two balloons one in the air to the east and the tother in the air to the west in this parish of st georges hanover square theres no such question and as its a sort of a cock of course theres no answer i dont know one but a gentlemans servant once sung out cause hes uppish and a man in a leather apron once said hes a raising the wind which was nonsense but i like that sort of interruption and have saidyoull not find that answer in the nutcrackers only a pennyand lord knows i told the truth when i said so and it helps the sale no fear of any ones finding out all whats in the sheet before im out of the drag not a bit and you must admit that any way its a cheap pennorth that it is a cheap harmless pennyworth is undeniable the street sale of conundrums is carried on most extensively during a week or two before christmas and on summer evenings when the days work is or ought to be over even among the operatives of the slop employers as the conundrum patterer requires an audience he works the quieter streets preferring such as have no horse thoroughfareas in some of the approaches from the direction of golden square to regent street the trade is irregularly pursued none following it all the year and from the best information i could acquire it appears that fifteen men may be computed as working conundrums for two months throughout the twelve and clearing 10 s 6 d weekly per individual the cost of the nuts to crack when new is 5 d a doz to the seller but old nuts often answer the purpose of the street seller and may be had for about half the price the cost of the nut crackers 2 s to 2 s 6 d it may be calculated then that to realize the 10 s 6 d 15 s must be taken this shows the street expenditure in nuts to crack and nut crackers to be 90 l yearly of the street sellers of comic exhibitions magical delusions c the street sale of comic exhibitions properly so called is of course as modern as the last autumn and winter and it is somewhat curious that the sale of any humorous or meant to be humorous sheet of engravings is now becoming very generally known in the street sale as a comic exhibition among theseas i have before intimatedare many caricatures of the pope the church of rome cardinal wiseman the church of england the bishop of london or any bishop or dignitary or of any characteristic of the conflicting creeds in many of these john bull figures personally and so does the devil the comic exhibition proper is certainly a very cheap pennyworth no 1 is entitled the ceremonial of the opening of the great exhibition in 1851 with illustrations of the contributions of all nations the contributions however are reserved for nos 2 and 3 two larger cuts at the head of the broad sheet may be considered geographical as regards the first and allegorical as regards the second table bay presents a huge feeder evidently and the cape of good hope is a spare man obsequiously bowing to the table and its guest in good hope of a dinner of the sandwich islands and of hung a ry the exhibition is of the same description the second larger cut shows the crystal palace ascending by the agency of a balloon a host of people of all countries looking on then comes the 287 procession from palace yard to hyde park the first figure in this procession is described as beefeaters piping hot and well puffed out though there is but one beefeater with head larger than his body and legs ridiculously small as have nearly all the sequent figures smoking a pipe as if it were a trombone duly followed by her majestys spiritual body guard five beefeaters drunk and by prince albert blowing his own trumpet from the back of a very sorry steed with mops and brooms and a cook oo a housemaid and cook as his supporters then follow figures grotesque enough of which the titles convey the character a famous well in town nae peer ye humorous estimates mr hume a jew d esprit mr disraeli an exemplification of cupidity in pummicestone lord palmerston old geese and young ducks old and angry looking and young and pretty women some gentlemen who patronise moses in the minories certainly no credit to the skill of a tailor a jew lion m jullien fine high screams ice creams and capers chorister boys and ballet girls hey day you dont take advantage here joseph ady and something to give the milk a head a man with a horses head on a tray these however are but a portion of the figures the comic exhibition sheet contains ninety such figures independent of those in the two cuts mentioned as headings galleries of comicalities or series of figures sometimes satirically sometimes grotesquely given without any aim at satire are also sold by the same parties and are often announced as a threepenny gallery for a penny and dirt cheap at threepence as big as a newspaper another broad sheet sold this winter in the streets is entitled optical and magical delusions and was announced as dedicated to and prepared for his royal highness the prince of walesthe only original copy the engravings are six in number and are in three rows each accompanying engraving being reversed from its fellow where the head is erect on one side it is downward on the other the first figure is a short length of a very plain woman while on the opposite side is that of a very plain man both pleased and smirking in accordance with a line below o what joy when our lips shall meet cat a gorical is a spectacled and hooded cat dog matical is a dog with the hat wig and cane once held proper to a physician cross purposes is an austere lady in a monster cap while her opposite husband is pointing bitterly to a long bill the purport of these figures is shown in the following directionspaste all over the back of the sheet and put a piece of thick paper between to stiffen it then fold it down the centre so that the marginal lines fall exactly at the back of each other which may be ascertained by holding it to the light press it quite flatwhen cut separate they will make three cardsshave them close to the marginthen take a needlefull of double thread and pass it through the dot at each end of the card cut the thread off about three inches long by twisting the threads between your fore fingers and thumbs so as to spin the card round backwards and forwards with a rapid motion the figures will appear to connect and form a pleasing delusion then there are the magical figures or rude street imitations of dr paris ingenious toy called the thaumascope beside these are what at the first glance appear mere black and very black marks defining no object but a closer examination shows the outlines of a face or of a face and figure of such there are sometimes four on a broad sheet but they are also sold separately both in the streets and the small stationers shops when the white or black portion of the paper is cut away for both colours are so prepared what remains by a disposition of the light throws a huge shadow of a grotesque figure on the wall which may be increased or diminished according to the motions of the exhibitor the shadow figures sold this winter by one of my informants were of mr and mrs manning the queen prince albert the princess royal and the prince of wales but you see sir observed the man the queen and the prince does for any father and motherfor she hasnt her crown onand the queens kids for anybodys kids i mention these matters more particularly as it certainly shows something of a change in the winter evenings amusements of the children of the working classes the principal street customers for these penny papers were mechanics who bought them on their way home for the amusement of their families boys however bought almost as many the sale of these papers is carried on by the same men as i have described working conundrums a superior patterer of course shows that his magical delusions and magical figures combine all the wonders of the magic lantern and the dissolving views and all for one penny the trade is carried on only for a short time in the winter as regards the magical portion and i am informed that including the comic exhibitions it extends to about half of the sum taken for conundrums or to about 45 l of the street sellers of play bills the sellers of play bills carry on a trade which is exceedingly uncertain and is little remunerative there are now rather more than 200 people selling play bills in london but the number has sometimes been as high as 400 yes indeed a theatrical gentleman said to me and if a dozen more theatres were opened to morrow why each would have more than its twenty bill sellers the very first night where they come from or what they are i havent a notion the majority of the play bill sellers are either old or young the sexes being about equally engaged in this traffic some of them have followed the business from their childhood i met with very few indeed who knew anything of 288 theatres beyond the names of the managers and of the principal performers while some do not even enjoy that small modicum of knowledge and some can neither read nor write the boys often run recklessly alongside the cabs which are conveying persons to the theatre and so offer their bills for sale one of these youths said to me when i spoke of the danger incurred the cabman knows how to do it sir when i runs and patters and so does his hoss an intelligent cabman however who was in the habit of driving parties to the lyceum told me that these lads clung to his cab as he drove down to wellington street in such a way for they seemed never to look before them that he was in constant fear lest they should be run over ladies are often startled by a face appearing suddenly at the cab window and thro my glass said my informant a face would look dirtier than it really is and certainly a face gliding along with the cab as it were no accompanying body being visible on a winters night while the sound of the runners footsteps is lost in the noise of the cab has much the effect of an apparition i did not hear of one person who had been in any way connected with the stage even as a supernumerary resorting to play bill selling when he could not earn a shilling within the walls of a theatre these bill sellers for the most part confine themselves as far as i could ascertain to that particular trade the youths say that they sometimes get a job in errand going in the daytime but the old men and women generally aver they can do nothing else an officer who some years back had been on duty at a large theatre told me that at that time the women bill sellers earned a trifle in running errands for the women of the town who attended the theatres but as they were not permitted to send any communication into the interior of the house their earnings that way were insignificant for they could only send in messages by any other dress woman entering the theatre subsequently in the course of my inquiries last year i met with a lame woman of sixty eight who had been selling play bills for the last twelve years she had been for six or eight months before she adopted that trade the widow of a poor mechanic a carpenter she had first thought of resorting to that means of a livelihood owing to a neighbouring old woman having been obliged to relinquish her post from sickness when my informant succeeded her in this way she said many persons succeeded to the business as the recognised old hands were jealous of and uncivil to any additional new comers but did not object to a successor these parties generally know each other they murmur if the haymarket hands for instance resort to the lyceum for any cause or vice vers thus over stocking the business but they offer no other opposition the old woman further informed me that she commenced selling play bills at astleys and then realized a profit of 4 s per week when the old amphitheatre was burnt down she went to the victoria but business was not what it was and her earnings were from 6 d to 1 s a week less and this she said although the victoria was considered one of the most profitable stations for the play bill seller the box keeper there seldom selling any bill in the theatre the boxes too at this house more frequently buy them outside another reason why business was better at the victoria than elsewhere was represented to me by a person familiar with the theatres to be this many go to the victoria who cannot read or who can read but imperfectly and they love to make believe they are good scholards by parading the consulting of a play bill on my visit the bill sellers at the victoria were two old women each a widow for many years two young men besides two or three though there are sometimes as many as six or seven children the old women fell into the business as successors by virtue of their predecessors leaving it on account of sickness the children were generally connected with the older dealers the young men had been in this business from boyhood some sticking to the practice of their childhood unto manhood or towards old age the number at the victoria is now i am informed two or three more as the theatre is often crowded the old woman told me that she had known two and even four visitors to the theatre club for the purchase of a bill and then she had sometimes to get farthings for them a young fellowwho said he believed he was only eighteen but certainly looked oldertold me that he was in the habit of selling play bills but not regularly as he sometimes had a job in carrying a board or delivering bills at a corner or the likes o that he favoured me with his opinion of the merits of the theatres he was practically acquainted with as regarded their construction for the purposes of the bill seller his mother who had been dead a few years had sold bills and had put him into the business his ambition seemed to be to become a general bill sticker he could not write but could read very imperfectly vy you see sir he said theres sets off at the market haymarket now theres this theres only one front so you may look sharp about for there goes boxes pit and gallery the delphis as good that way and so is the surrey but them ones crowded too much the lyceums built shocking orkered vy the boxes is in one street and the pit in another and the gallery in another its true sir the pits the best customer in most theatres i think ashleys and the wick is both spoiled that wayashleys perticleras the gallerys a good step from the pit and boxes at the wick its round the corner but the shilling gallery aint so bad at ashleys sadlers wells i never tried its out of the way and i cant tell you much about the lympic or the strand the lane is middling i dont know that either plays or actors makes much difference to me perhaps its rather vorser 289 ven its anything werry prime as everybody seems to know every think about it aforehand no sir i cant say sir that mr macready did me much good i sometimes runs along by a cab because ive got a sixpence from a swell for doing it stunnin but werry seldom and i dont much like it though ven youre at it you dont think of no fear i makes 3 s or rather more a week at bill selling and as much other vays i never saw a play but once at the wick id rather be at a free and heasy i dont know as i knows any of the actors or actresses either hes or shes the sellers of play bills purchase their stock of the printer at 3 s 4 d the hundred or in that proportion for half or quarter hundreds if a smaller quantity be purchased the charge is usually thirteen for 6 d though they used to be only twelve for 6 d these sellers are among the poorest of the poor after they have had one meal they do not know how to get another they reside in the lowest localities and some few are abandoned and profligate in character they reckon it a good night to earn 1 s clear but upon an average they clear but 3 s per week they lose sometimes by not selling out their nightly stock what they have left they are obliged to sell for waste paper at 2 d per lb christmas easter and whitsuntide are generally their best timesthey will then make 9 d per night clear the printer of the play bills prints but a certain number the demand being nearly ascertained week by week these are all sold by the printer or some person appointed to the regular customers in preference to others but the irregulars can get supplied though often not without trouble the profit on all sold is rather more than cent per cent as i have intimated when some theatres are closed the bill sellers are driven to others and as the demand is necessarily limited a superflux of sellers affects the profits and then 2 s 6 d is considered a good weeks work during the opera season i am told a few mechanics out of work will sell bills there and books of the opera making about 6 s a week and doing better than the regular hands as they have a better address and are better clad taking the profits at 3 s a week at cent per cent on the outlay and reckoning 200 sellers including those at the saloons concert rooms c we find that 60 l is now expended weekly on play bills purchased in the streets of london of the street sellers of periodicals pamphlets tracts books etc these street sellers are a numerous body and the majority of them show a greater degree of industry and energy than is common to many classes of street folk they have been for the most part connected with the paper newspaper or publishing trade and some of them have known better days one intelligent man i met with a dealer in waste paper had been brought up as a compositor but late hours and glaring gas lights in the printing office affected his eyes he told me and as a half blind compositor was about of as little value he thought as a horse with a wooden leg he abandoned his calling for out of door labour another had been a gun smith and when out of his apprenticeship was considered a don hand at hair triggers for hair triggers were more wanted then but an injury to his right hand and arm had disabled him as a mechanic and he had recourse to the streets a third had been an ink makers young man and had got to like the streets by calling for orders and delivering bottles of ink at the shops of the small stationers and chandlers and so he had taken to them for a living of the book stall keepers i heard of one man who had died a short time before and who once had been in the habit of buying better books for his own pleasure than he had afterwards to sell for his bread of the book stall proprietors i have afterwards spoken more fully all the street sellers in question are what street estimation pronounces to be educated men they can all as far as i could ascertain read and write and some of them were keenish politicians both free traders and against free trade when they was a talking of the better days when they was young nearly all are married men with families the divisions into which these street traffickers may be formed areodd number sellerssteamboat newsvendorsrailway newsvendors though the latter is now hardly a street traffic the sellers of second editions which i have already given as a portion of the patterers board workers also previously described and for the same reason tract sellers of whom i have given the number character c and who are regarded by the other street sellers as the idlers beggars and pretenders of the trade the sellers of childrens books and song booksbook auctioneers and book stall keepers of the street sale of back numbers this trade is carried on by the same class of patterers as work race cards second editions c the collectors of waste paper frequently find back numbers of periodicals in a lot they may have purchased at a coffee shop these they sell to warehousemen who serve the street sellers the largest lot ever sold at one time was some six or seven years ago of the pictorial times at least a ton weight a dealer states i lost the use of this arm ever since i was three months old my mother died when i was ten years of age and after that my father took up with an irishwoman and turned me and my youngest sister she was two years younger than me out into the streets my youngest sister got employment at my fathers trade but i couldnt get no work because of my crippled arm i walked about till i fell down in the streets for want at last a man who had a sweetmeat shop took pity on me his wife made the sweetmeats and minded 290 the shop while he went out a juggling in the streets in the ramo samee line he told me as how if i would go round the country with him and sell a few prints while he was a juggling in the public houses hed find me in wittles and pay my lodging i joined him and stopped with him two or three year after that i went to work for a werry large waste paper dealer he used to buy up all the old back numbers of the cheap periodicals and penny publications and send me out with them to sell at a farden a piece he used to give me 4 d out of every shilling and i done very well with that till the periodicals came so low and so many on em that they wouldnt sell at all sometimes i could make 15 s on a saturday night and a sunday morning a selling the odd numbers of periodicals such as tales tales of the wars lives of the pirates lives of the highwaymen c ive often sold as many as 2 000 numbers on a saturday night in the new cut and the most of them was works about thieves and highwaymen and pirates besides me there was three others at the same business altogether i dare say my master alone used to get rid of 10 000 copies of such works on a saturday night and a sunday morning our principal customers was young men my master made a good bit of money at it he had been about eighteen years in the business and had begun with 2 s 6 d i was with him fifteen year on and off and at the best time i used to earn my 30 s a week full at that time but then i was foolish and didnt take care of my money when i was at the odd number business i bought a peep show and left the trade to go into that line of the sale of waste newspapers at billingsgate this trade is so far peculiar that it is confined to billingsgate as in that market alone the demand supplies a livelihood to the man who carries it on his principal sale is of newspapers to the street fishmongers as a large surface of paper is required for the purposes of a fish stall the waste tradefor waste and not waste paper is the word always appliedis not carried on with such facility as might be expected for i was assured that waste is so scarce that only a very insufficient supply of paper can at present be obtained i hope things will change soon sir said one collector gravely to me or i shall hardly be able to keep myself and my family on my waste this difficulty however does not affect such a street seller as the man at billingsgate who buys of the collectorscollecting however a portion himself at the neighbouring coffee shops public houses c for the wants of a regular customer must by some means or other be supplied the billingsgate paper seller carries his paper round offering it to his customers or to those he wishes to make purchasers some fishmongers however obtain their waste first hand from the collectors or buy it at a news agents the retail price varies from 2 d to 3 d the pound but 3 d is only given for very clean and prime and perhaps uncut newspapers for when a newsvendor has as it is called over stocked himself he sells the uncut papers at last to the collector or the waste consumer this happens i was told twenty times as often with the weeklys as the dailys for said my informant suppose its a wet sunday morningand all newsvendors as does pray prays for wet sundays because then people stays at home and buys a paper or some number to read and pass away the time well sir suppose its a soaker in the morning the newsman buys a good lot an extra nine or two extra nines or the like of that and then may be after all it comes out a fine day and so hes over stocked in which case theres some for the waste when they consider it a favourable opportunity the workers carry waste to offer to the billingsgate salesmen but the chief trade is in the hands of the regular frequenter of the market from the best information i could obtain it appears that from 70 to 100 pounds weight of wasteabout three fourths being newspapers of which some are foreignis supplied to billingsgate market and its visitants two numbers of the times with their supplements one paper buyer told me when cleverly damped and theyre never particularly dry will weigh about a pound the average price is not less than 2 d a pound or from that to 3 d a single paper is 1 d at 2 d per pound and 85 pounds a day upwards of 275 l is spent yearly in waste paper at billingsgate in the street or open air purchase alone of the sale of periodicals on the steam boats and steam boat piers in this traffic are engaged about 20 men when the days are light until eight oclock from 10 to 15 if the winter be a hard winter and if the river steamers are unable to runnone at all this winter however there has been no cessation in the running of the boats except on a few foggy days the steam boat paper sellers are generally traders on their own account all i believe have been connected with the newsvendors trade some few are the servants of newsvendors sent out to deal at the wharfs and on board the boats the trade is not so remunerative that any payment is made to the proprietors of the boats or wharfs for the privilege of selling papers there as in the case of the railways but it is necessary to obtain leave from those who have authority to give it the steam boat paper seller steps on board a few minutes before the boat starts when there are a sufficient number of voyagers assembled he traverses the deck and dives into the cabins offering his papers the titles of which he 291 announces punch penny punch real punch last number for 3 d comic sheets a pennyall the london periodicalsguide to the thames from one of these frequenters of steam boats for the purposes of his business i had the following account i was a news agents boy sir near a pier for three or four year then i got a start for myself and now i serve a pier its not such a trade as you might think still its bread and cheese and a drop of beer i go on board to sell my papers its seldom i sell a newspaper theres no call for it on the river except at the foreign going shipsa few as is sold to thembut i dont serve none on em people reads the news for nothing at the coffee shops when they breakfasts i spose and goes on as if they took in the times chron and tiser pubs we calls the tiser all to their own cheek its penny works i sell the most of indeed its very seldom i offer anything else cause its little use penny punches is fair sale and i calls it punchjust punch its dead now i believe but theres old numbers still theyll be done in time the real punchi sell from six to twelve a weeki call that there as the reel punch galleries of comicalities is a middling sale people take them home with them i think guides to the thames is good in summer theyre illustrated but people sometimes grumbles and calls them catchpennies it aint my fault if theyre not all thats expected but people expects everything for 1 d joe millers and stophelees mephistopheles ive sold and said they was oppositions to punch thats a year or more back but they was old and to be had cheap i sell lloyds and reynoldss penniesfairish both of them sos the family herald and the london journalvery fair i dont venture on any three halfpenny books on anything like a spec acause people says at once a pennyill give you a penny i sell seven out of eight of what i do sell to gents more than that perhaps for youll not often see a woman buy nothing wots intended to improve her mind a young woman like a maid of all work buys sometimes and looks hard at the paper but i sometimes thinks its to show she can read a summer sundays my best time out and out theres new faces then and one goes on bolder ive known young gents buy just to offer to young women im pretty well satisfied its a introduction i have met with real gentlemen theyve looked over all i offered for sale and then said nothing i want my good fellow but heres a penny for your trouble i wish there was more of them i do sincerely sometimes ive gone on board and not sold one paper i buy in the regular way 9 d for a dozen sometimes thirteen to the dozen of penny pubs i dont know what i make for i keep no count perhaps a sov in a good week and a half in another i am informed that the average earnings of these traders altogether may be taken at 15 s weekly calculating that twelve carry on the trade the year through we find that assuming each man to sell at thirty three per cent profitthough in the case of old works it will be cent per cent upwards of 1 500 l are expended annually in steam boat papers of the sale of newspapers books c at the railway stations although the sale of newspapers at the railway termini c cannot strictly be classed as a street sale it is so far an open air traffic as to require some brief notice and it has now become a trade of no small importance the privilege of selling to railway passengers within the precincts of the terminus is disposed of by tender at present the newsvendor on the north western line i am informed pays to the company for the right of sale at the euston square terminus and the provincial stations as large a sum as 1 700 l per annum the amount usually given is of course in proportion to the number of stations and the traffic of the railway the purchaser of this exclusive privilege sends his own servants to sell the newspapers and books which he supplies to them in the quantity required the men thus engaged are paid from 20 s to 30 s a week and the boys receive from 6 s to 10 s 6 d weekly but rarely 10 s 6 d all the morning and evening papers are sold at the station but of the weekly press those are sent for sale which in the managers judgment are likely to sell or which his agent informs him are asked for it is the same with the weekly unstamped publications the reason seems obvious if there be more than can be sold a dead loss is incurred for the surplusage as regards newspapers is only saleable as waste paper the books sold at railways are nearly all of the class best known as light reading or what some account light reading the price does not often exceed 1 s and among the books offered for sale in these places are novels in one volume published at 1 s sometimes in two volumes at 1 s each monthly parts of works issued in weekly numbers shilling books of poetry but rarely political or controversial pamphlets one man who understood this trade told me that a few of the pamphlets about the pope and cardinal wiseman sold at first but in a month or six weeks people began to say a shilling for that im sick of the thing the large sum given for the privilege of an exclusive sale shows that the number of books and papers sold at railway stations must be very considerable but it must be borne in mind that the price and consequently the profit on the daily newspapers sold at the railways is greater than elsewhere none are charged less than 6 d the regular price at a news agents shop being 5 d so that as the cost price is 4 d 292 the profit is double nor is it unusual for a passenger by an early train who grows impatient for his paper to cry out a shilling for the times this however is only the case i am told with those who start very early in the morning for the daily papers are obtained for the railway stations from among the earliest impressions and can be had at the accustomed price as early as six oclock although if there be exciting news and a great demand a larger amount may be given of the street booksellers the course of my inquiry now leads me to consider one of the oldest and certainly not least important of the street trafficsthat of the book stalls of these there are now about twenty in the london streets but in this number i include only those which are properly street stalls many book stalls as in such a locality as the london road are appendages to shops being merely a display of wares outside the booksellers premises and with these i do not now intend to deal the men in this trade i found generally to be intelligent they have been for the most part engaged in some minor department of the book selling or newspaper trade in the regular way and are unconnected with the street sellers in other lines of whose pursuits habits and characters they seem to know nothing the street book stalls are most frequent in the thoroughfares which are well frequented but which as one man in the trade expressed himself are not so shoppy as otherssuch as the city road the new road and the old kent road if theres what you might call a recess observed another street book stall keeper thats the place for us and youll often see us along with flower stands and pinners up the stalls themselves do not present any very smart appearance they are usually of plain deal if the stock of books be sufficiently ample they are disposed on the surface of the stall fronts up as i heard it described with the titles when lettered on the back like as they are presented in a library if the front be unlettered as is often the case with the older books a piece of paper is attached and on it is inscribed the title and the price sometimes the description is exceeding curt as poetry french religious latin i saw an odd volume in spanish of don quixote marked latin but it was at a shop sellers stall pamphlets and such like or where it seems to have been thought necessary to give a somewhat fuller appellation such titles are written out as lockes understanding wattss mind or popes rape if the stock be rather scant the side of the book is then shown and is either covered with white paper on which the title and price are written or brushed or else a piece of paper is attached with the necessary announcement sometimes these announcements are striking enough as where a number of works of the same size have been bound together which used to be the case i am told more frequently than it is now or where there has been a series of stories in one volume one such announcement was smolletts peregrine pickle captain kyd pirate prairie rob of the bowl bamfyeld moore carew 2 s alongside this miscellaneous volume was wilberforces practical view of christianity 1 s fenelons aventures de tlmaque plates 9 d arres de predestinatione 1 s the last mentioned work which at the first glance seems as if it were an odd mixture of french and latin was a latin quarto coronis ad collationem hagiensem c c gulielmo amesio another work on another stall had the following description lord mount edgecumbes opera what is currency wattss scripture history thoughts on taxation only 1 s 3 d another was knickerbocker bacon 1 s as a rule however the correctness with which the work is described is rather remarkable at some few of the street stalls and at many of the shop stalls are boxes containing works marked all 1 d or 2 d 3 d or 4 d among these are old court guides parliamentary companions railway plans and a variety of sermons and theological as well as educational and political pamphlets to show the character of the publications thus offerednot perhaps as a rule but generally enough for salei copied down the titles of some at 1 d and 2 d all these at 1d letters to the right honourable lord john russell on state education by edward baines jun a pastoral letter to the clergy and members of the protestant episcopal church in the united states of america a letter to the protestant dissenters of england and wales by the rev robert ainslie friendly advice to conservatives elementary thoughts on the principles of currency and wealth and on the means of diminishing the burthens of the people by j d basset esq price 2 s 6 d the others were each published at 1 s all these at 2d poems by eleanor tatlock 1811 2 vols 9 s two sermons on the fall and final restoration of the jews by the rev john stuart thoughts and feelings by arthur brooke 1820 the amours of philander and sylvia being the third and last part of love letters between a nobleman and his sister volume the second the seventh edition london from a cursory examination of the last mentioned twopenny volume i could see nothing of the nobleman or his sister it is one of an inane class of books originated i believe in the latter part of the reign of charles ii such publications professed to be and some few were records of the court and city scandal of the day but in general they were works founded on the reputation of the current scandal in short to adopt the language of patterers they were cocks issued by the publishers of that period and 293 they continued to be published until the middle of the eighteenth century or a little later i notice this description of literature the more particularly as it is still frequently to be met with in street sale theres oft enough one street bookseller said to me works of that sort making up a lot at a sale and in very respectable rooms as if they were make weights or to make up a sufficient number of books and so they keep their hold in the streets as many of my readers may have little if any knowledge of this class of street sold works i cite a portion of the epistle dedicatory and a specimen of the style of philander and sylvia to show the change in street as well as in general literature as no such works are now published to the lord spencer my lord when a new book comes into the world the first thing we consider is the dedication and according to the quality and humour of the patron we are apt to make a judgment of the following subject if to a statesman we believe it grave and politic if to a gownman law or divinity if to the young and gay love and gallantry by this rule i believe the gentle reader who finds your lordships name prefixed before this will make as many various opinions of it as they do characters of your lordship whose youthful sallies have been the business of so much discourse and which according to the relators sense or good nature is either aggravated or excused though the womans quarrel to your lordship has some more reasonable foundation than that of your own sex for your lordship being formed with all the beauties and graces of mankind all the charms of wit youth and sweetness of disposition derived to you from an illustrious race of heroes adapting you to the noblest love and softness they cannot but complain on that mistaken conduct of yours that so lavishly deals out those agreeable attractions squandering away that youth and time on many which might be more advantageously dedicated to some one of the fair and by a liberty which they call not being discreet enough rob them of all the hopes of conquest over that heart which they believe can fix no where they cannot caress you into tameness or if you sometimes appear so they are still upon their guard with you for like a young lion you are ever apt to leap into your natural wildness the greatness of your soul disdaining to be confined to lazy repose though the delicacy of your person and constitution so absolutely require it your lordship not being made for diversions so rough and fatiguing as those your active mind would impose upon it the last sentence is very long so that a shorter extract may serve as a specimen of the staple of this book making to philander false and perjured as you are i languish for a sight of you and conjure you to give it me as soon as this comes to your hands imagine not that i have prepared those instruments of revenge that are so justly due to your perfidy but rather that i have yet too tender sentiments for you in spite of the outrage you have done my heart and that for all the ruin you have made i still adore you and though i know you are now anothers slave yet i beg you would vouchsafe to behold the spoils you have made and allow me this recompense for all to sayhere was the beauty i once esteemed though now she is no more philanders sylvia having thus described what may be considered the divisional parts of this stall trade i proceed to the more general character of the class of books sold of the character of books of the street sale there has been a change and in some respects a considerable change in the character or class of books sold at the street stalls within the last 40 or 50 years as i have ascertained from the most experienced men in the trade now sermons or rather the works of the old divines are rarely seen at these stalls or if seen are rarely purchased black letter editions are very unfrequent at street book stalls and it is twenty times more difficult i am assured for street sellers to pick up anything really rare and curious than it was in the early part of the century one reason assigned for this change by an intelligent street seller was that black letter or any ancient works were almost all purchased by the second hand booksellers who have shops and issue catalogues as they had a prompt sale for them whenever they could pick them up at book auctions or elsewhere ay indeed said another book stall keeper anything scarce or curious when its an old book is kept out of the streets if its not particular decent sir with a grin why its reckoned all the more curious thats the word sir i know curious i can tell how many beans make five as well as you or anybody why now theres a second hand bookseller not a hundred miles from holbornand a pleasant nice man he is and does a respectable businessand he puts to the end of his cataloguethey all have catalogues thats in a good waytwo pages that he calls faceti theyre titles and prices of queer old books in all languagesindecent books indeed he sends his catalogues to a many clergymen and learned people and to any that he thinks wouldnt much admire seeing his faceti he pulls the last leaf out and sends his catalogue looking finished without it those last two pages arent at all the worst part of his trade among buyers thats worth money in one respect a characteristic of this trade is unaltered i allude to the prevalence of odd volumes at the cheaper stalls not the odd volumes of a novel but more frequently of one of the essayiststhe spectator especially one stall keeper told me that if he purchased an old edition of the spectator in eight vols he could more readily sell it in single volumes at 4 d each than sell the eight vols altogether for 2 s or even 1 s 4 d though this was but 2 d a volume theres nothing in my trade said one street bookseller with whom i conversed on the subject that sells better or indeed so well as english classics i cant offer to draw fine distinctions and im just speaking of my own plain way of trade but i call english classics such works as the spectator tatler guardian adventurer rambler rasselas the vicar of wakefield peregrine pickle tom jones goldsmiths his 294 tories of greece rome and england they all sell quick enfields speaker mixed plays the sentimental journey no sir tristram shandy rather hangs on hand the pilgrims progress but it must be sold very low robinson crusoe philip quarles telemachus gil blas and juniuss letters i dont remember more at this moment such as are of good sale i havent included poetry because im speaking of english classics and of course they must be oldish works to be classics concerning the street sale of poetical works i learned from street book sellers that their readiest sale was of volumes of shakespeare pope thomson goldsmith cowper burns byron and scott you must recollect sir said one dealer that in nearly all those poets theres a double chance for sale at book stalls for what with old editions and new and cheap editions theres always plenty in the market and very low no i cant say i could sell milton as quickly as any of those mentioned nor hudibras nor youngs night thoughts nor prior nor dryden nor gays fables its seldom that we have any works of hood or shelley or coleridge or wordsworth or moore at street stallsyou dont often see them i think at booksellers stallsfor theyre soon picked up poetry sells very fair take it altogether another dealer told me that from twenty to thirty years ago there were at the street stalls a class of works rarely seen now he had known them in all parts and had disposed of them in his own way of business he specified the messiah klopstocks as of this class the death of abel the castle of otranto but thats seen occasionally still he observed the old english baron and thats seen still too but nothing to what it were once the young mans best companion zimmerman on solitude and burke on the sublime and beautiful but i have that yet sometimes these works were of heavy sale in the streets and my informant thought they had been thrown into the street trade because the publishers had not found them saleable in the regular way i was dead sick of the death of abel observed the man before i could get out of him occasionally are to be seen at most of the stalls works of which the majority of readers have heard but may not have met with among such i saw laura by capel lloftt 4 vols 1 s 6 d darwins botanic garden 2 s alfred an epic poem by h j pye poet laureate 10 d clebs in search of a wife 2 vols in one 1 s the same informant told me that he had lived near an old man who died twenty five years ago or it might be more with whom he was somewhat intimate this old man had been all his life familiar with the street trade in books which he had often hawkeda trade now almost unknown his neighbour had heard him say that fifty to seventy years ago he made his two guineas a week without distressing hisself meaning i was told that he was drinking every monday at least this old man used to tell that in his day the whole duty of man and the tale of a tub and pomfrets poems and pamela and sir charles grandison went off well but pamela the best and ive heard the old man say sir i was further told how he had to tread his shoes straight about what books he showed publicly he sold tom paine on the sly if anybody bought a book and would pay a good price for it three times as much as was marked hed give the age of reason in i never see it now but i dont suppose anybody would interfere if it was offered a sly trades always the best for paying and for selling too the old fellow used to laugh and say his stall was quite a godly stall and he wasnt often without a copy or two of the anti jacobin review which was all for church and state and all that though he had tom paine in a drawer the books sold at the street stalls are purchased by the retailers either at the auctions of the regular trade or at chance or general auctions or of the jews or others who may have bought books cheap under such circumstances often however the stall keeper has a market peculiarly his own it is not uncommon for working men or tradesmen if they become beaten down and poor to carry a basket full of books to a stall keeper and say here give me half a crown for these one man had forty parts each issued at 1 s of a bible offered to him at 1 d a part by a mechanic who could not any longer afford to take them in and was at last obliged to sell off what he had of course such things are nearly valueless when imperfect very few works are bought for street stall sale of the regular booksellers of the experience of a street book seller i now give a statement furnished to me by an experienced man as to the nature of his trade and the class of his customers most readers will remember having seen an account in the life of some poor scholar having readand occasionally in spite of the remonstrances of the stall keepersome work which he was too needy to purchase and even of his having read it through at intervals that something of this kind is still to be met with will be found from the following account my customers sir are of all sorts my informant said theyre gentlemen on their way from the city that have to pass along here by the city road bankers clerks very likely or insurance office clerks or such like theyre fairish customers but they often screw me why only last month a gentleman i know very well by sight and i see him pass in his brougham in bad weather took up an old latin bookif i remember right it was an odd volume 295 of a french edition of horaceand though it was marked only 8 d it was long before he would consent to give more than 6 d and i should never have got my price if i hadnt heard him say quite hastily when he took up the book the very thing ive long been looking for mechanics are capital customers for scientific or trade books such as suit their business and so they often are for geography and history and some for poetry but theyre not so screwy i know a many such who are rare ones for searching into knowledge women buy very little of me in comparison to men sometimes an odd novel in one volume when its cheap such as the pilot or the spy or the farmer of inglewood forest or the monk no doubt some buy the monk not knowing exactly what sort of a book it is but just because its a romance but some young men buy it i know because they have learned what sort its like old three vol novels wont sell at all if theyre ever so cheap boys very seldom buy of me unless its a work about pigeons or something that way i cant say that odd vols of annual registers are anything but a bad sale but odd vols of old mags magazines a year or half year bound together are capital old london mags or ladies or oxford and cambridges or town and countrys or universals or monthly reviews or humourists or ramblers or europeans or any of any sort thats from 40 to 100 years old no matter what they are go off rapidly at from 1 s 6 d to 3 s 6 d each according to size and binding and condition odd numbers of mags are good for little at a stall the old mags in vols are a sort of reading a great many are very fond of lives of the princess charlotte are a ready penny enough so are queen carolines but not so good dictionaries of all kinds are nearly as selling as the old mags and so are good latin books french are only middling not so well as you might think my informant then gave me a similar account to what i had previously received concerning english classics and proceeded old religious books theyre a fair trade enough but theyre not so plentiful on the stalls now and if theyre black letter they dont find their way from the auctions or anywhere to any places but the shops or to private purchasers mrs rowes knowledge of the heart goes off if old bibles and prayer books and hymn books are very bad this may be accounted for by the cheapness of these publications when new and by the facilities afforded to obtain them gratuitously annuals are dull in going off very much so though one might expect different i can hardly sell keepsakes at all childrens books such as are out one year at 2 s 6 d apiece very nicely got up sell finely next year at the stalls for from 6 d to 10 d genteel people buy them of us for presents at holiday times theyll give an extra penny quite cheerfully if theres price 2 s 6 d or price 3 s 6 d lettered on the back or part of the title page school books in good condition dont stay long on hand especially pinnocks theres not a few people who stand and read and read for half an hour or an hour at a time its very trying to the temper when they take up room that way and prevent others seeing the works and never lay out a penny theirselves but they seem quite lost in a book well im sure i dont know what they are some seem very poor judging by their dress and some seem shabby genteels i cant help telling them when i see them going that im much obliged and i hope that perhaps next time theyll manage to say thank ye for they dont open their lips once in twenty times i know a man in the trade that goes dancing mad when he has customers of this sort who arent customers i dare say one day with another i earn 3 s the year through wet days are greatly against us for if we have a cover people wont stop to look at a stall perhaps the rest of my trade earn the same this man told me that he was not unfrequently asked and by respectable people for indecent works but he recommended them to go to holywell street themselves he believed that some of his fellow traders did supply such works but to no great extent an elderly man who had known the street book trade for many years but was not concerned in it when i saw him told me that he was satisfied he had sold old books old plays often to charles lamb whom he described as a stuttering man who when a book suited him sometimes laid down the price and smiled and nodded and then walked away with it in his pocket or under his arm without a word having been exchanged when we came to speak of dates i found that my informantwho had only conjectured that this was lambwas unquestionably mistaken one of the best customers he ever had for anything old or curious and in italian if he remembered rightly as well as in english was the late rev mr scott who was chaplain on board the victory at the time of nelsons death at trafalgar he had a living in yorkshire i believe it was said the man and used to come up every now and then to town i was always glad to see his white head and rosy face and to have a little talk with him about books and trade though it wasnt always easy to catch what he said for he spoke quick and not very distinct but he was a pleasant old gentleman and talked to a poor man as politely as he might to an admiral he was very well known in my trade as i was then employed the same man once sold to a gentleman he told me and he believed it was somewhere about twenty five years ago if not more a spanish or portuguese work but what it was he did not know it was marked 1 s 9 d being a good sized book but the stall keeper was tired of having had it a long time so that he gladly would have taken 9 d for it the gentleman in question handed him half a crown and as he had not the change the purchaser said o 296 dont mind its worth far more than half a crown to me when this liberal customer had walked away a gentleman who had been standing at the stall all the time and who was an occasional buyer said do you know him and on receiving an answer in the negative he rejoined thats southey another stall keeper told me that his customerssome of whom he supplied with any periodical in the same way as a newsvendorhad now and then asked him especially the ladies of the family who glanced when they passed at the contents of his stall why he had not newer works i tell them said the stall keeper that they havent become cheap enough yet for the streets but that they would come to it in time after some conversation about his trade which only confirmed the statements i have given he said laughingly yes indeed you all come to such as me at last why last night i heard a song about all the stateliest buildings coming to the ivy and i thought as i listened it was the same with authors the best that the best can do is the book stalls food at last and no harm for hes in the best of company with shakespeare and all the great people calculating 15 s weekly as the average earnings of the street book stall keepersfor further information induces me to think that the street bookseller who earned 18 s a week regularly cleared it by having a tidy pitchand reckoning that to clear such an amount the bookseller takes at least 1 l 11 s 6 d weekly we find 5 460 guineas yearly expended in the purchase of books at the purely street stalls independently of what is laid out at the open air stalls connected with book shops of street book auctioneers the sale of books by auction in the streets is now inconsiderable and irregular the auctioning of booksi mean of new bookssome of which were published principally with a view to their sale by auction was thirty to forty years ago systematic and extensive it was not strictly a street sale the auctioneer offered his books to the public nine cases out of ten in town in an apartment now commonly known as a mock auction room which was so far a portion of the street that access was rendered easier by the removal of the door and window of any room on a ground floor and some of the bidders could and did stand in the street and take part in the proceedings in the suburbswhich at that period were not so integral a portion of the metropolis as at presentthe book auction sales were carried on strictly in the open air generally in front of a public house and either on a platform erected for the purpose or from a covered cart the books then being deposited in the vehicle and the auctioneer standing on a sort of stage placed on the propped up shafts in the country however the auction was often carried on in an inn the works thus sold were generally standard works the poems were those of pope young thomson goldsmith falconer cowper c the prose writings were such works as the pilgrims progress the travels of mr lemuel gulliver johnsons lives of the poets the vicar of wakefield the most popular of the works of defoe fielding and smollett and herveys meditations among the tombs at one time highly popular these books were not correctly printed they were printed too on inferior paper and the frontispiecewhen there was a frontispiecewas often ridiculous but they certainly gave to the public what is called an impetus for reading some were published in london chiefly by the late mr tegg who at one time i am told himself offered to public competition by auction the works he published others were printed in edinburgh aberdeen newcastle upon tyne ipswich bungay c one of my informants remembered being present at a street sale about twenty or thirty years ago he perfectly remembered however the oratory of the auctioneer of whom he purchased some books the sale was in one of the streets in stoke newington a door or two from a thoroughfare my informant was thereas he called itaccidentally and knew little of the neighbourhood the auctioneer stood at the door of what appeared to have been a coach house and sold his books which were arranged within very rapidly byron he exclaimed lord byrons latest and best poms sixpence sixpence eightpence i take penny bids under a shilling eightpence for the poems written by a lordgone yours sir to my informant the auctioneer i was told spoke very rapidly and clipped many of his words the work thus sold consisted of some of byrons minor poems it was in the pamphlet form and published i have no doubt surreptitiously for there was in those days a bold and frequent piracy of any work which was thought distasteful to the government or to which the court of chancery might be likely to refuse the protection of the law of copyright the auctioneer went on cooprcoopr published at 3 s 6 d as printed on the back superior to byroncooprs task no bidders thank you sir one and six yours sir youngyoungs night thoughts life death and immortality great subjects london edition marked 3 s 6 d going last biddertwo shillingsgone the purchaser then complained that the frontispiecea man seated on a tombstonewas exactly the same as to a copy he had of herveys meditations but the auctioneer said it was impossible i have thus shown what was the style and nature of the address of the street book auctioneer formerly to the public if it were not strictly patter or pompous oration it certainly partook of some of the characteristics of patter at present however the street book auctioneer may be described as a true patterer the street stationer from a daguerreotype by beard it will be seen from the account i have 297 given that the books were then really sold by auctionknocked down to the highest bidder this however was and is not always the case legally to sell by auction necessitates the obtaining of a licence at an annual cost of 5 l and if the bookseller conveys his stock of books from place to place a hawkers licence is required as well which entails an additional expenditure of 4 l the itinerant bookseller evades or endeavours to evade the payment for an auctioneers licence by putting up his books at a high price and himself decreasing the terms instead of offering them at a low price and allowing the public to make a series of advances thus a book may be offered by a street auctioneer at half a crowntwo shillingseighteenpencea shillingtenpence and the moment any one assents to a specified sum the volume handed to him so that there is no competitionno bidding by the public one in advance of another auction however is resorted to as often as the bookseller dares one experienced man in the book stall trade calculated that twenty years ago there might be twelve book auctioneers in the streets of london or rather of its suburbs one of these was a frequenter of the old kent road another newington way and a third resorted to any likely pitch in pimlicoall selling from a sort of van of these twelve however my informant thought that there were never more than six in london at one time as they were all itinerant and they have gradually dwindled down to two who are now not half their time in town these two traders are brothers and sell their books from a sort of platform erected on a piece of waste ground or from a barrow the works they sell are generally announced as new and are often uncut they are all recommended as explanatory of every topic of the day and are often set forth as spicy three or four years ago a gentleman told me how greatly he was amused with the patter of one of these men who was selling books at the entrance of a yard full of caravans not far from the school for the blind lambeth one work the street auctioneer announced at the top of his voice in the following terms as far as a good memory could retain them the rambler now you rambling boysnow you young devils thats been staring those pretty girls out of countenanceheres the very book for you and more shame for you and perhaps for me too but i must selli must do business if any lady or genlmanll stand treat to a glass of brandy and water warm with ill tell more about this ramblerim too bashful as it is who bids fifteen pencethankee sir sold again the rambler was dr johnsons the last time one of my informants heard the patter of the smartest of the two brothers it was to the following effect here is the history of the real flying dutchman and no mistake no fiction i assure you upon my honour published at 10 s who bids half a crown sixpence thank you sir ninepence goinggoing any more gone a book stall keeper who had sold goods to a book auctioneer and attended the sales told me he was astonished to hear how his own booksold new books he called them were set off by the auctioneer why there was a vol lettered pamphlets and i think there was something about jack sheppard in it but it was all odds and ends of other things i know heres the real jack sheppard sings out the man and no gammon the real editionno spooniness here but set off with other interesting histories valuable for the rising generation and all generations this is the real jack this will put you up to the time o day nix my dolly pals bid away then he went on goldsmiths history of england continued by the first writers of the dayto the very last rumpus in the palace and no mistake here it is genuine well sir the stall keeper continued the man didnt do well perhaps he cleared 1 s 6 d or a little more that evening on books people laughed more than they bought but its no wonder the trades going to the dogstheyre not allowed to have a pitch now i shouldnt be surprised if they was not all driven out of london next year its contrary to act of parliament to get an honest living in the streets now a days a man connected with the street book trade considered that if one of these auctioneers earned a guinea in london streets in the six days it was a good week half a guinea was nearer the average he thought looking at the weather and everything what amount is expended to enable this street dealer to earn his guinea or half guinea is so uncertain from the very nature of an auction that i can obtain no data to rely upon the itinerant book auctioneer is now confined chiefly to the provincial towns and especially the country markets the reason for this is correctly given in the statement above cited the street auction requires the gathering of so large a crowd that the metropolitan police consider the obstruction to the public thoroughfares warrants their interference the two remaining book auctioneers in london generally restrict their operations to the outskirtsthe small space which fronts the george inn in the commercial road and which lays a few yards behind the main thoroughfare and similar suburban retreats being favourite pitches the trade is as regards profits far from badthe books sold consisting chiefly of those picked up in cheap lots at the regular auctions so that what fetches 6 d in the streets has generally been purchased for less than a penny the average rate of profit may be taken at 250 l per cent at the least exorbitant however as this return may appear still it should be remembered 298 that the avocation is one that can be pursued only occasionally and that solely in fine weather books are now more frequently sold in the london streets from barrows this change of traffic has been forced upon the street sellers by the commands of the policethat the men should keep moving hence the well known light form of street conveyance is now fast superseding not only the book auctioneer but the book stall in the london streets of these book barrowmen there is now about fifty trading regularly in the metropolis and taking on an average from 3 s to 5 s 6 d a day of the street sale of song books and of childrens books the sale of song books in the streets at 1 d and at d each is smaller than it was two years ago one reason that i heard assigned was that the penny song booksstyled the universal song book the national the bijou c were reputed to be so much alike the same songs under a different title that people who had bought one book were averse to buy another theres the ross and the sam hall song books said one man the eighteenth series and i dont know what but i dont like to venture on working them though theyre only a penny theres lots to be seen in the shop windows but they might be stopped in the street for they ant decentspecially the flash ones one of the books which a poor man had found the most saleable is entitled the great exhibition song book a collection of the newest and most admired songs embellished with upwards of one hundred toasts and sentiments the toasts and sentiments are given in small type as a sort of border to the thirty two pages of which the book consists the toast on the title page is as follows ill toast englands daughters let all fill their glasses whose beauty and virtue the whole world surpasses to show the nature of the songs in street demand i cite those in the book the gathering of the nations bloom is on the rye wilt thou meet me there love minnas tomb ill love thee ever dearly arnold when phbus wakes the rosy hours money is your friend julia and caspar g m lewis that pretty word yes e mackey farewell forget me not the queen and the navy music published by h white great marlborough street i resign thee every token music published by duff and co sleep gentle lady a serenade h j payne the warbling waggoner the keepsake a sequel to the cavalier theres room enough for all music at mr davidsons will you come to the dale larry obrian womans love afloat on the ocean sung by mr weiss in the opera of the heart of mid lothian music published by jefferys soho square together dearest let us fly sung by mr braham in the opera of the heart of mid lothian music published by jefferys soho square the peremptory lover tunejohn anderson my joe there are forty seven songs in addition to those whose titles i have quoted but they are all of the same character the penny song books which are partly indecent and entitled the sam hall and ross songsters are seldom or never sold in the streets many of those vended in the shops outrage all decency some of these are styled the coal hole companion cider cellar songs captain morriss songs c the filthiest of all these are generally marked 1 s and sold at 6 d and have a coloured folded frontispiece they are published chiefly by h smith holywell street the titles of some of the songs in these works are sufficient to indicate their character the muff the two miss thys george robinss auction the woman that studied the stars a rummy chaunt frequently with no other title the amiable family joe buggins wedding stop the cart the mot that can feel for another the irish giant taylor tim the squire and patty some titles are unprintable the childrens books in best demand in the street trade are those which have long been popular cinderella jack the giant killer baron munchausen puss and the seven leagued boots the sleeping beauty the seven champions of christendom c c theres plenty of henry and emmas said a penny bookseller and a present for christmas and pictorial alphabets and good books for good boys and girls but when people buys really for their children they buys the old storiesat least they does of me ive sold penny hymns hymn books sometimes but when theyre bought or good books is bought its from charity to a poor fellow like me more than anything else the trade both in songs and in childrens books is carried on in much the same way as i have described of the almanacks and memorandum books but occasionally the singers of ballads sell books sometimes poor men old or infirm offer them in a tone which seems a whine for charity rather than an offer for sale buy a penny book of a poor old manvery hungry very hungry children do the same and all far more frequently in the suburbs than in the busy parts of the metropolis those who purchase really for the sake of the books say one street seller told me give me something thatll interest a child and set him a thinking they cant understandpoor little things your fine writing do you understand that another man had said fairy tales bring me nothing but fairies they set children a reading the price asked is most frequently a penny but some are offered at a halfpenny which is often given without a purchase out of compassion or to be rid of importunity the profit is at least cent per cent 299 of the street sellers of account books the sale of account books is in the hands of about the same class of street sellers as the stationery but one man in the trade thought the regular hands were more trusted if anything than street stationers people you see he said wont buy their accounts of raff they wont have them of any but respectable people the books sold are bought at 4 s the dozen or 4 d a piece up to 70 s the dozen or 5 s 9 d or 6 s a piece it is rarely however that the street account bookseller gives 4 s 9 d and very rarely that he gives as much as 5 s 9 d for his account books his principal sale is of the smaller waste or day books kept by the petty traders the average price of these being 1 s 9 d the principal purchasers are the chandlers butchers c in the quieter streets and more especially a little way out of town where there aint so many cheap shops a man now a street stationer with a fixed pitch had carried on the account book trade until an asthmatic affliction compelled him to relinquish it as the walking became impossible to him and he told me that the street trade was nothing to what it once was people he said arent so well off i think sir and theyll buy half a quire of outside foolscap or outside post for from 5 d to 8 d and stitch it together and rule it and make a book of it rich tradesmen do that sir i bought of a stationer some years back and he told me that he was a relation of a rich grocer and had befriended him in his the grocers youth but he wouldnt buy account books for he said the make shift books that his shopman stitched together for him opened so much easier people never want a good excuse for acting shabby there are now i am informed twelve men selling account books daily which they carry in a covered basket or in a waterproof bag or in fine weather under the arm some of these street sellers are not itinerant when there is a congregation of people for business or indeed for any purpose at other times they keep moving the fixed localities are on market days at smithfield and mark lane and to hungerford market an old man unable to travel resorts daily the chief trade however is in carrying or hawking these account books from door to door a man having a connection does best on a round if he be known he is not distrusted and sells as cheap or rather cheaper than the shop keepers the twelve account book sellers with connections may clear 2 s 6 d a day each taking for the realisation of such profit 7 s per diem thus 1 310 l will be taken by these street sellers in the course of a year the capital required to start is stock money 15 s basket 3 s 6 d waterproof bag 2 s 6 d 21 s in all of the street sellers of guide books c this trade as regards a street sale has only been known for nine or ten years and had its origination in the exertions of mr hume m p to secure to persons visiting the national exhibitions the advantage of a cheap catalogue the guide books were only sold prior to this time within any public exhibition and the profitsas is the case at presentwere the perquisite of some official when the sale was a monopoly the profit must have been considerable as the price was seldom less than 6 d and frequently 1 s the guide books or as they are more frequently called catalogues are now sold by men who stand at the entrance the approaches at a little distance on the line or at the corners of the adjacent streets at the following places the national gallery the vernon gallery the british museum westminster abbey the house of lords the society of arts occasionally the art union when open free greenwich hospital the dulwich gallery hampton court windsor castle and kew gardens at any temporary exhibition also the same trade is carried onas it was largely when the designs c for the decoration of the new houses of parliament were exhibited in westminster hall there are of course very many other catalogues or explanatory guides sold to the visitors of other exhibitions but i speak only of the street sale there are now at the national gallery three guidebook sellers plying their trade in the streets eight at the british museum two at westminster abbey one at the house of lords but only on saturdays when the house is shown by orders obtained gratuitously at the lord chamberlains office or when appeals are on one at the vernon gallery two at dulwich but not regularly as there are none at present two at hampton court one near each gate and one and sometimes three at windsor generally sent out by a shopkeeper there there used to be one at the thames tunnel but it grew so bad at last i was told that a rat couldnt have picked up his grub at itlet alone a man among all these sellers i heard statements of earning a most wretched pittance and all attributed it to the same cause by the national gallery is a board on which is an announcement that the only authorized catalogue of the works of art can be obtained in the hall there are similar announcements at other public places one man who had been in this street trade but had abandoned it spoke of these boards as he called them with intense bitterness theyre the ruin of any trade in the streets he said you neednt think because im out of it now that i have a pleasure in abusing the regulations no sir i look at it this way mr hume had trouble enough i know to get the public a cheap catalogue and poor men were allowed to earn honest bread by selling them in the streets and honest bread they would earn still if it werent for the board i declare solemnly a man cant 300 get a living at the trade the publishers cant prepare their catalogues without leave and when theyve got leave and do prepare and print them why isnt a man allowed to sell them in the streets as ive sold second editions of the globe without ever the office putting out a notice that the only authorized copy was to be had within god bless your soul sir its shocking shocking poor men being hindered every way anybody that looks on the board looks on us as cheats and humbugs and thinks that our catalogues are all takes in but ive heard gentlemen that im sure knew what they were talking about say in case theyd bought in the street first and then seen the board and bought within after so as to be sure of the real thingive heard gentlemen say sir why what we got in the street is the best after all free trade theres plenty said about free trade but that board sir or call it what you please gives a monopoly against us what i have said when i was starving on catalogues is this kick us out of the streets commit us for selling catalogues as rogues and vagabonds or give us a fair chance if we may sell why is the only authorised catalogue sold only within i wish mr hume or mr cobden either only understood the rights of the matterits of no account to me myself nowand i think theyd soon set it to rights free trade over the left and with more hooks than one i have no doubt that this representation and this opinion would have been echoed by the street catalogue sellers but they were evidently unwilling to converse freely on this branch of the subject knowing the object for which i questioned them and that publicity would follow i attribute this reluctance chiefly to the fact that all these poor men look forward to the opening of the great exhibition with earnest hope and anxiety that the influx of visiters will add greatly to their sale and profits and they are unwilling to jeopardise their privilege of sale one man told me that he believed from his own knowledge for he had not always sold outside that the largest buyers of these publications were country people sight seeing in london for they bought the book not only as an explanatory guide but to preserve as a memento of their visit such customers however i heard from several quarters the moment they saw a notice as to the only authorised copy looked upon the street sellers as a systematised portion of the london sharpers seeking whom they might devour and so bought their catalogues within the best customers in the streets for the catalogues are i am assured the working classes who visit the national exhibitions on a holiday ive oft enough heard them say one man stated id rather pay a poor man 2 d any day when i can spare it than rich people 1 d i know what it is to fight for a crust at the national gallery the street sold catalogues are 1 d 3 d and 6 d in the hall the authorised copy is sold at 4 d and 1 s at the british museum the street charges are 3 d and 6 d there were 1 d catalogues of this institution but they have been discontinued for the last half year being found too meagre at the vernon gallery the charge is 1 d but the 6 d guide book to the national gallery contains also an account of the pictures in the vernon gallery at westminster abbey the price is 6 d and the same at the house of lords at hampton court it is 2 d 4 d and 6 d and at the same rate as regards the other places mentioned at hampton court i was told the street sellers were not allowed to approach the palace nearer than a certain space one man told me that he was threatened with being had in for trespassing and mr g would make him wheel a roller of course the man continued theres an authorised catalogue there the best sale of catalogues in the streets was at the exhibition of the works of art for the houses of parliament the sellers thenabout 20 in number among whom were four womencleared 2 s and 2 s 6 d each daily at present i am assured that a good week is considered one in which 5 s is made but that 3 s is more frequently the weekly earning it must be borne in mind that at the two places most resorted tothe national gallery and the british museumthe street sale is only for four days in the week at the first mentioned and three days at the second you may think that more is made said one man but it isnt sweeping a good crossing is far better far bless your soul only stand a few minutes looking on any day and see what numbers and numbers of people pass in and out of a free admission place without ever laying out 1 d why only last monday and wednesday march 17 and 19 both very rainy days i took only 5 d i didnt take more than 5 d and i leave you to judge the living i shall clear out of that and i know that the man with the catalogue at another place didnt take 1 d its sad work sir as you stand in the wet and cold with no dinner for yourself and no great hope of taking one home to your family these street sellers contrive whenever they can to mix up other avocations with catalogue selling as the public institutions close early one on every occasion sells second editions of the newspapers another has odd turns at portering a third sells old umbrellas in the streets some sold exhibition cards in the park on sundays until the sale was stopped another sells a little stationery and nearly the whole of them resort on favourable opportunities to the sale of books of the play or of the opera reckoning that there are regularly sixteen street sellers of guide booksthey do not interfere with each others stationsand that each clears 4 s weekly we find 832 expended in this street traffic i have calculated only on the usual booksellers allowance of 25 per cent 301 though in some instances these sellers are supplied on lower termsbesides having in some of the catalogues thirteen to the dozen but the amount specified does not exceed the mark the greatest number of these guide books which i heard of as having been sold in any one day was four dozen disposed of on a fine whit monday and for these the street seller only took 6 s 8 d there are i was informed half as many more threepennies as sixpennies sold and three times as many pennies as the other two together the capital required to start is what may suffice to lay in a stock of books5 s generally of the street sellers of fine arts these traders may be described as partaking more of the characteristics of the street stationers than of the paper workers as they are not patterers the trade is less exclusively than the paper trade in the hands of men those carrying on this branch of the street traffic may be divided into the sellers of pictures in frames and of engravings of all kinds in umbrellas under this head may also be ranked the street artists though this is a trade associated with street life rather than forming an integrant part of it i allude more particularly to the illustrated boards which are prepared for the purposes of the street patterers and are adapted for no other use the same artist that executes the greater portion of the street art also prepares the paintings which decorate the exterior of shows there are also the writers of manuscript music and the makers and sellers of images of all descriptions but this branch of the subject i shall treat under the head of the street italians under the same curious head i shall also speak of the artists whose skill produces the street sold medallions in wax or plaster they being of the same class as the image men in both images and casts and moulded productions of all kinds the change and improvement that have taken place from the pristine rudeness of green parrots is most remarkable and creditable to the taste of working people who are the chief purchasers of the smaller articles of street art the artists who work for the street sellers are less numerous than the poets for the same trade indeed there is now but one man who can be said to be solely a street artist the inopportune illustration of ballads of which specimens have already been givenor of any of the street papersare the work of cheap wood engravers who give the execution of these orders to their boys but it is not often that illustrations are prepared expressly for anything but what i have described as gallows literature of these samples have also been furnished the one of a real murder and the other of a fabulous one or cock together with a sample in the case of mr patrick connor of the portraits given in such productions the cuts for the heading of ballads are very often such as have been used for the illustration of other works and are picked up cheap the artist who works especially for the street tradeas in the case of the man who paints the patterers boardsmust address his art plainly to the eye of the spectator he must use the most striking colours be profuse in the application of scarlet light blue orangenot yellow i was told it aint a good candlelight colourand must leave nothing to the imagination perspective and back grounds are things of but minor consideration everything must be sacrificed for effect these paintings are in water colours and are rubbed over with a solution of some gum resin to protect them from the influence of rainy weather two of the subjects most in demand of late for the patterers boards were the sloanes and the mannings the treatment of jane wilbred was worked by twenty boardmen each with his illustration of the subject the illustrations were in six compartments in the first mr and mrs sloane are picking out the girl from a line of workhouse children she is represented as plump and healthy but with a stupid expression of countenance in another compartment sloane is beating the girl then attenuated and wretched looking with a shoe while his wife and miss devaux a name i generally heard pronounced among the street people as it is spelt to an english reader look approvingly on the next picture was sloane compelling the girl to swallow filth the fourth represented her as in the hospital with her ribs protruding from her wasted bodyjust as ive worked sarah simpole said a patterer who was confined in a cellar and fed on tato peels sarah was a cock sir and a ripper then came the attack of the people on sloane one old woman dressed after the fashion of mrs gamp prodding him with a huge and very green umbrella the sixth and last was as usual the trial i have described the sloanes board first as it may be more fresh in the remembrance of any reader observant of such things in the mannings board there were the same number of compartments as in the sloanes showing the circumstances of the murder the discovery of the body of connor the trial c one standing patterer who worked a mannings board told me that the picture of mrs manning beautifully dressed for dinner in black satin with a low front firing a pistol at connor who was washing himself while manning in his shirt sleeves looked on in evident alarm was greatly admired especially out of town the people said observed the patterer o look at him a washing hisself hes a doing it so nattral and aint a thinking hes a going to be murdered but was he really so ugly as that lor such a beautiful woman to have to do with 302 him you see sir connor werent flattered and perhaps mrs manning was i have heard the same sort of remarks both in town and country i patters hard on the women such times as i points them out on my board in murders or any crimes i says when theres mischief a womans always the first look at mrs manning there on that werry boardthe work of one of the first artists in londonits a faithful likeness taken from life at one of her examinations look at her she fires the pistol as you can see and her husband was her tool i said too that sloane was mrs sloanes tool it answers best sir in my opinion going on that patter the men likes it and the women doesnt object for theyll say well when a woman is bad she is bad and is a disgrace to her sex theres the board before them when i runs on that line of patter and when i appeals to the lustration it seems to cooper the thing they must believe their eyes when there is a run on any particular subject there are occasionally jarringsi was informed by a boardmanbetween the artist and his street customers the standing patterers want something more original than their fellows especially if they are likely to work in the same locality while the artist prefers a faithful copy of what he has already executed the artist moreover and with all reasonableness will say why you must have the facts do you want me to make eliza chestney killing rush the matter is often compromised by some change being introduced and by the characters being differently dressed one man told me that in town and country he had seen mrs jermy shot in the following costumes in light green welwet sky blue satin crimson silk and vite muslin it was the same with mrs manning for the last six or eight years i am told the artist in question has prepared all the boards in demand previously the standing patterers prepared their own boards when they fancied themselves capable of such a reach of art or had them done by some unemployed painter whom they might fall in with at a lodging house or elsewhere this is rarely done now i am told not perhaps more than six times in a twelvemonth and when done it is most frequently practised of cock boards for as was said to me if a man thinks hes getting up a fakement likely to take and wants a board to help him on with it hell try and keep it to hisself and come out with it quite fresh the charge of the popular street artist for the painting of a board is 3 s or 3 s 6 d according to the simplicity or elaborateness of the details the board itself is provided by the artists employer the demand for this peculiar branch of street art is very irregular depending entirely upon whether anything be up or not that is whether there has or has not been perpetrated any act of atrocity which has riveted as it is called the public attention and so great is the uncertainty felt by the street folk whether the most beautiful murder will take or not that it is rarely the patterer will order or the artist will speculate in anticipation of a demand upon preparing the painting of any event until satisfied that it has become popular a deed of more than usual daring deceit or mystery may be at once hailed by those connected with murder patter as one that will do and some speculation may be ventured upon as it was i am informed in the cases of tawell rush and the mannings but these are merely exceptional thus if the artist have a dozen boards ordered for this ten days he may have two or one or none for the next ten so uncertain it appears is all that depends without intrinsic merit on mere popular applause i am unable to giveowing to the want of account books c which i have so often had to refer to as characteristic of street peoplea precise account of the average number of boards thus prepared in a year perhaps it may be as close to the fact as possible to conclude that the artist in question who unlike the majority of the street poets is not a street seller but works as a professional man for but not in the streets realises on his boards a profit of 7 s 6 d weekly the pictorial productions for street shows will be more appropriately described in the account of street performers and showmen this artist as i have shown concerning some of the street professors of the sister art of poesy has the quality of knowing how to adapt his works exactly to the taste of his patrons the sellers and of their patrons the buyers in the streets of the street sellers of engravings etc in umbrellas etc the sale of prints pictures and engravingsi heard them designated by each termin umbrellas in the streets has been known as far as i could learn from the street folk for some fifteen years and has been general from ten to twelve years in this traffic the umbrella is inverted and the stock is disposed within its expanse sometimes narrow tapes are attached from rib to rib of the umbrella and within these tapes are placed the pictures one resting upon another sometimes a few pins are used to attach the larger prints to the cotton of the umbrella the smaller ones being fitted in at the side of the bigger pins is best sir in my opinion said a little old man who used to have a print umbrella in the new cut for the public has a more unbrokener display i used werry fine pins though theys dearer for people as has a penny to spare likes to see things nice and big pins makes big holes in the pictures this trade is most pursued on still summer evenings and the use of an inverted umbrella seems so far appropriate that it can only be so used in the street in dry weather i used to keep a sharp look out sir said the same informant for wind or rain and manys the time them devils o boysgod forgive me 303 theys ony poor childrenbut they is devilshas come up to me and has saidone in particler standin afore the rest itll thunder in five minutes old bloke so hup with yer humbereller and go ome hup with it jist as it is itll show stunnin and sell as yer goes o theyre a shocking torment sir nobody can feel it like people in the streets shocking the engravings thus sold are of all descriptions some have evidently been the frontispieces of sixpenny or lower priced works these works sometimes fall into hands of the waste collectors and any illustrations are extracted from the letter press and are disposed of by the collectors by the gross or dozen to those warehousemen who supply the small shopkeepers and the street sellers sometimes i was informed a number of engravings which had for a while appeared as frontispieces were issued for sale separately many of these were and are found in the street umbrellas more especially the portraits of popular actors and actresses mr j p kemble as hamletmr fawcett as captain coppmr young as iagomr liston as paul prymrs siddons as lady macbethmiss oneil as belvidera c c in the course of an inquiry into the subject nearly a year and a half ago i learned from one umbrella man that six or seven years previously he used to sell more portraits of mr edmund kean as richard iii than of anything else engravings too which had first been admired in the annualswhen half a guinea was the price of the literary souvenir the forget me not friendships offering the bijou c c are frequently found in these umbrellas and amongst them are not unfrequently seen portraits of the aristocratic beauties of the day from waste flowers of loveliness and old court magazines which go off very fair the majority of these street sold engravings are coloured in which state the street sellers prefer them thinking them much more saleable though the information i received hardly bears out their opinion the following statement from a middle aged woman further shows the nature of the trade and the class of customers ive sat with an umbrella she said these seven or eight years i suppose it is my husbands a penny lot seller with just a middling pitch the vendor of a number of articles sold at a penny a lot and in the summer i do a little in engravings when im not minding my husbands lots for he has sometimes a day and oftener a night with portering and packing for a tradesman thats known him long well sir i think i sell most coloured master toms wasnt bad last summer master toms was pictures of cats siryou must have seen themand i had them different colours if a child looks on with its father very likely itll want pussy and if the child cries for it its almost a sure sale and more i think indeed im sure with men than with women women knows the value of money better than men for men never understand what housekeeping is i have no children thank god or they might be pinched poor things miss kitties was the same sale toms is hes and kitties is she cats ive sometimes sold to poor women who was tiresome they must have just what would fit over their mantel pieces that was papered with pictures my readers may remember that some of the descriptions i have given long previous to the present inquiry of the rooms of the poor fully bear out this statement i seldom venture on anything above 1 d i mean to sell at 1 d ive had toms and kitties at 2 d though fashions isnt worth umbrella room the poorest needlewoman wont be satisfied with them from an umbrella queens and alberts and waless and the other children isnt near so good as they was theres so many fine portraits of her majesty or the others given away with the first number of this or of that that peoples overstocked if a working man can buy a newspaper or a number why of course he may as well have a picture with it they gave away glasses of gin at the opening of that bakers shop there and its the same doctrine the word she used i never offer penny theatres or comic exhibitions or anything big they spoils the look of the umbrella and makes better things look mean i sell only to working people i think seldom to boys and seldomer to girls seldom to servant maids and hardly ever to women of the town i have taken 6 d from one of them though i think boys buy pictures for picture books i never had what i suppose was old pictures to a few old people ive known children sell fairly when theyre made plump and red cheeked and curly haired they sees a resemblance of their grandchildren perhaps and buys young married people does so too but not so oft i think i dont remember that ever i have made more than 1 s 10 d on an evening i dont sell or very seldom indeed at other times and only in summer and when its fine if i clear 5 s i counts that a good week its a great help to the lot selling i seldom clear so much oftener 4 s the principal sale of these pictures in the streets is from umbrellas occasionally a street stationer or even a miscellaneous lot seller when he has met with a cheap lot especially of portraits of ladies will display a collection of prints pyramidally arranged on his stall but these are exceptions sometimes too an umbrella print seller will have a few pictures in frames on a sort of stand alongside the umbrella the pictures for the umbrellas are bought at the warehouse or the swag shops of which i have before spoken at these establishments prints are commonly supplied from 3 d to 5 s the dozen the street sellers buy at 5 d and 6 d the dozen to sell at a 1 d a piece and 304 at 3 d to sell at d none of the pictures thus sold are prepared expressly for the streets in so desultory andas one intelligent street seller with whom i conversed on the subject described itso weathery a trade it is difficult to arrive at exact statistics from the best data at my command it may be computed that for twelve weeks of the year there are thirty umbrella print sellers all exceptional traders therein included each clearing 6 s weekly and taking 12 s thus it appears that 216 l is yearly expended in the streets in this purchase many of the sellers are old or infirm one who was among the most prosperous before the changes in the streets of lambeth was dwarfish and was delighted to be thought a character of the street sellers of pictures in frames from about 1810 or somewhat earlier down to 1830 or somewhat later the street sale of pictures in frames was almost entirely in the hands of the jews the subjects were then nearly all scriptural the offering up of isaac jacobs dream the crossing of the red sea the death of sisera and the killing of goliath from the sling of the youthful david but the jew traders did not at all account it necessary to confine the subjects of their pictures to the records of the oldtheir best trade was in the illustrations of the new testament perhaps the stoning of st stephen was their most saleable picture in a frame there were also the nativity the slaying of the children by order of herod with the quotation of st matthew chap ii verse 17 then was fulfilled that which was spoken by jeremy the prophet the sermon on the mount the beheading of john the baptist the entry of christ into jerusalem the raising of lazarus the betrayal on the part of judas the crucifixion and the conversion of st paul there were others but these were the principal subjects all these pictures were coloured and very deeply coloured st stephen was stoned in the lightest of sky blue short mantles the pictures were sold in the streets of london mostly in the way of hawking but ten times as extensively i am told in the country as in town indeed at the present time many a secluded village ale house has its parlour walls decorated with these scriptural illustrations which seem to have superseded the pictures placed for ornament and use the twelve good rules the royal game of goose mentioned by goldsmith as characteristic of a village inn these jew pictures are now yielding to others most of these articles were varnished and 2 s or 2 s 6 d each was frequently the price asked 1 s 6 d being taken if no better could be done and sometimes 1 s a smaller amount per single picture was always taken if a set were purchased these productions were prepared principally for street sale and for hawkers the frames were narrower and meaner looking than in the present street pictures of the kind they were stained like the present frames in imitation of maple but far less skilfully sometimes they were a black japan sometimes a sorry imitation of mahogany in the excitement of the reform bill era the street pictures in frames most in demand were earl grey earl spencers or lord althorp lord broughams and lord john russells oconnells also sold well as did william iv queen adelaide i was told went off middling not much more than half as good as william towards the close of king williams life the portraits of the princess victoria of kent were of good sale in the streets and her royal highness was certainly represented as a young lady of undue plumpness and had hardly justice done to her portraiture the duchess of kent also i was informed sold fairish in the streets in a little time the picture in a frame of the princess victoria of kent with merely an alteration in the title became available as queen victoria i of great britain and ireland since that period there have been the princes and princesses her majestys offspring who present a strong family resemblance the street pictures so to speak are not unfrequently of a religious character pictures of the virgin and child of the saviour seated at the last supper of the crucifixion or of the different saints generally coloured the principal purchasers of these religious pictures are the poorer irish i remember seeing in the course of an inquiry among street performers last summer the entire wall of a poor street dancers one room except merely the space occupied by the fireplace covered with small coloured pictures in frames the whole of which the proprietor told me with some pride he had picked up in the streets according as he could spare a few pence among them were a crucifix of bone and a few medallions of a religious character in plaster or wax this man was of italian extraction but i have seen the same thing in the rooms of the roman catholic irish though never to the same extent the general subjects now most in demand for street sale are lola montes louis philippe and his queen the sailors return the soldiers return and the parting of the same individuals smugglers in different situations poachers also turpins ride to york the divers feats attributed to jack sheppard but less popular than turpins ride courtship marriage the one a couple caressing and the other bickering father mathew in very black large boots napoleon bonaparte crossing the alps and his farewell to his troops at fontainebleau scenes of piracy none of these subjects are modern lola montes a bold faced woman in a riding 305 habit being the newest why said one man familiar with the trade there hasnt been no louis napoleon in a frame picture for the streets nor cobdens nor feargus oconnors nor sir john franklins what is wanted for us is something exciting the prices of frame pictures as i sometimes heard them called made expressly for street sale vary from 1 d to 1 s a pair the 1 d a pair are about six inches by four very rude and on thin paper and with frames made of lath wood stained but put together very compactly the cheaper sorts are of prints bought at the swag shops or of waste dealers sometimes roughly coloured and sometimes plain the greatest sale is of those charged from 2 d to 4 d the pair some of the higher priced pictures are painted purposely for the streets but are always copies of some popular engraving and their sale is not a twentieth of the others these frame pictures were and are generally got up by a family the girls taking the management of the paper work the boys of the wood the parents have many of them been paper stainers this division of labour is one reason of the exceeding cheapness of this street branch of the fine arts these working artistsor whatever they are to be calledalso prepare and frame for street sale the plates given away in the first instance with a number of a newspaper or a periodical and afterwards to be had for next to nothing the prevalence of such engravings has tended greatly to diminish the sale of the pictures prepared expressly for the streets ten years ago this trade was ten times greater than it is now the principal sale still is and always was at the street markets on saturday evenings they are sold piled on a small stall or carried under the arm to sell 10 s worth on a saturday night is an extraordinary sale and 2 s 6 d is a bad one and the frame picturer must have middling patter to set them off at all twopence a pair hell say only twopence a pair whod be without an ornament to his dwelling there are now about fifty persons engaged in this sale on a saturday night of whom the majority are the artists or preparers of the pictures on a monday evening there are about twenty sellers and not half that number on other eveningsbut some take a round in the suburbs if these people take 10 s weekly for frame pictures the year through 1 040 l is yearly expended in this way i estimate the average number at twenty daily their profits are about cent per cent boys and working people buy the most the trade is often promoted by a raffle at a public house many mechanics i was told now frame their own pictures of the street sellers of manuscript and other music this trade used to be more extensively carried on in the streets than it is at present the reasons i heard assigned for the decadence were the greater cheapness of musical productions generally and the present fondness for lithographic embellishments to every polka waltz quadrille ballad c c people now hates i do believe a bare music sheet one street seller remarked the street manuscript music trade was certainly and principally piratical an air became popular perhaps on a sudden as it was pointed out to me in the case of jump jim crow at a musical publishers such an affair in the first bloom of its popularity would have been charged from 2 s to 3 s 6 d twenty five years ago and the street seller at that time often also a book stall keeper would employ or buy of those who offered them for sale and who copied them for the purpose a manuscript of the demanded music which he could sell cheap in comparison a man who until the charges of which i have before spoken kept a second hand book stall in a sort of arched passage in the new cut lambeth sold manuscript music and was often sadly bothered he said at one time by the musical propensities of a man who looked like a journeyman tailor this man whenever he had laid out a trifle at the book stall looked over the music and often pulled a small flute from his pocket and began to play a few bars from one of the manuscripts and this he continued doing to the displeasure of the stall keeper until a crowd began to assemble thinking perhaps that the flute player was a street musician he was then obliged to desist of the kind of music he sold or of its mode of production this street bookseller knew nothing he purchased it of a man who carried it to his stall and as he found it sell tolerably well he gave himself no further trouble concerning it the supplier of the manuscript pencilled on each sheet the price it was to be offered at allowing the stall keeper from 50 to 150 per cent profit if the price marked was obtained i havent seen anything of him sir said the street bookseller for a long while i dare say he was some poor musicianer or singer or a reduced gentleman perhaps for he always came after dusk or else on bad dark days although but partially connected with street art i may mention as a sample of the music sometimes offered in street sale that a book stall keeper three weeks ago showed me a pile of music which he had purchased from a waste collector about eight months before at 2 d the pound among this was some ms music which i specify below and which the book stall keeper was confident on very insufficient grounds i think had been done for street sale the music had as regards three fourths of it evidently been bound and had been torn from the boards of the book as only the paper portion is purchased for waste some however were loose sheets which had evidently never been subjected to the process of stitching i 306 now cite some of the titles of this street sale le petit tambour sujet dun grand rondeau pour le piano forte compos par l zerbini ms di tanti palpiti the celebrated cavatina by rossini c twenty short lessons or preludes in the most convenient keys for the harp composed and respectfully dedicated to lady ann collins by john baptist meyer price 5 s an cota caol given in the ancient irish character the slender coat ms cailin beog chruite na mbo also in irish the pretty girl milking the cow ms there are now no persons regularly employed in preparing ms music for the streets but occasionally a person skilled in music writing will when he or she i was told had nothing better in hand do a little for the street sale disposing of the mss to any street stationer or bookseller if four persons are this way employed receiving 4 s a week each the year throughwhich i am assured is the extentwe find upwards of 40 l thus earned and about twice that sum taken by the street retailers of the capital and income of the street sellers of stationery literature and the fine arts i now proceed to give a summary of the capital and income of the above classes i will first however endeavour to give a summary of the number of individuals belonging to the class this appears to be made up so far as i am able to ascertain of the following items 120 sellers of stationery 20 sellers of pocket books and diaries 50 sellers of almanacks and memorandum books 12 sellers of account books 31 card sellers 6 secret papers sellers 250 sellers of songs and ballads 90 running patterers 20 standing patterers 8 sellers of cocks principally elopements 15 selling conundrums comic exhibitions c 200 selling play bills and books for the play 40 back number sellers 4 waste paper sellers at billingsgate 40 sellers of tracts and pamphlets 12 newsvenders c at steam boat piers 2 book auctioneers 70 book stall keepers and book barrow men 16 sellers of guide books 30 sellers of song books and childrens books 40 dealers in pictures in frames 30 vendors of engravings in umbrellas and 4 sellers of manuscript musicmaking altogether a total of 1 110 many of the above street trades are however only temporary as for instance the street sale of playing cards continues only fourteen days in the year pocket books and diaries four weeks others again are not regularly pursued from day to day as the sale of prints and engravings in umbrellas which affords employment for but twelve weeks out of the fifty two and conundrums for two months one trade however namely that of comic exhibition papers gelatine and engraved cards of the exhibition is entirely now in the streets in the broad sheet trade again the running patterers work what are called cocks when there are no incidents happening to incite the public mind hence making due allowances for such variations we may fairly assume that the street sellers belonging to this class number at least 1 000 the following statistics will show the whole amount of capital and the gross income of this branch of street traffic capital or value of the stock in trade of the street sellers of stationery literature and the fine arts s d street sellers of stationery 40 stalls 4 s each 80 boxes 3 s 6 d each and stock money for 120 sellers 10 s each 82 0 0 street sellers of pocket books and diaries stock money for 20 vendors 10 s each 10 0 0 street sellers of almanacks and memorandum books stock money for 50 vendors 1 s per head 2 10 0 street sellers of account books 12 baskets 3 s each 12 waterproof bags 2 s 6 d each stock money for 12 sellers 15 s each 12 6 0 street sellers of cards stock money for 20 sellers 1 s 6 d each 2 5 0 street seller of stenographic cards stock money for 1 seller 0 1 6 street sellers of long songs 20 poles to which songs are attached 2 d each stock money for 20 sellers 1 s each 1 3 4 street sellers of wall songs pinners up 30 canvass frames to which songs are hung 2 s each stock money for 30 sellers 1 s each 4 10 0 street sellers of ballads chaunters 2 fiddles 7 s each stock money for 200 chaunters 1 s each 10 14 0 street sellers of dialogues litanies c standing patterers 20 boards with appendages for pictures 5 s 6 d each 20 paintings for boards 3 s 6 d each stock money for 20 vendors 1 s each 10 0 0 street sellers of executions c running patterers stock money for 90 sellers 1 s each 4 10 0 street sellers of cocks stock money for 8 sellers 1 s each 0 8 0 street sellers of conundrums and nuts to crack stock money for 15 sellers 1 s each 0 15 0 307 street sellers of exhibition papers magical delusions c stock money for 15 sellers 1 s each 0 15 0 street sellers of secret papers stock money for 6 vendors 1 s each 0 6 0 street sellers of play bills and books of the play stock money for 200 vendors 2 s each 20 0 0 street sellers of back numbers stock money for 40 sellers 5 s each 10 0 0 street sellers of waste paper at billingsgate stock money for 4 sellers 5 s each 1 0 0 street sellers of tracts and pamphlets stock money for 40 sellers 6 d each 1 0 0 street sellers of newspapers second edition stock money for 20 sellers 2 s 6 d each 2 10 0 street sellers of newspapers c on board steam boats stock money for 12 sellers 5 s each 3 0 0 street sellers of books by auction stock money for 2 sellers 2 l each 2 barrows 1 l each 2 boards for barrows 3 s each 6 6 0 street sellers of books on stalls and barrows 20 stalls 4 s each 50 barrows 1 l each 50 boards for barrows 3 s each stock money for 70 sellers 2 l each 201 10 0 street sellers of guide books stock money for 16 sellers 5 s each 4 0 0 street sellers of song books and childrens books stock money for 30 vendors 1 s each 1 10 0 street sellers of pictures in frames 40 stalls 2 s 6 d each stock money for 40 sellers 5 s each 15 0 0 street sellers of engravings in umbrellas umbrellas 2 s 6 d each stock money for 30 sellers 2 s each 3 0 0 street sellers of manuscript music stock money for 4 sellers 1 s 6 d each 0 6 0 total capital invested in the street sale of stationery literature and the fine arts 411 5 10 income or average annual takings of the street sellers of stationery literature and the fine arts street sellers of stationery there are 120 vendors of stationery who sell altogether during the year 224 640 quires of writing paper at 3 d per quire 149 760 doz envelopes at 1 d per doz 37 440 doz pens at 3 d per doz 24 960 bottles of ink at 1 d each 112 320 black lead pencils at 1 d each 24 960 pennyworths of wafers and 49 920 sticks of sealing wax at d per stick amounting altogether to 4 992 street sellers of pocket books and diaries during the year 1 440 pocket books at 6 d each and 960 diaries at 6 d each are sold in the streets by 20 vendors amounting to 60 street sellers of almanacks and memorandum books there are sold during the year in the streets of london 280 800 memorandum books at 1 d each and 4 800 almanacks at 1 d each among 50 vendors altogether amounting to 1 190 street sellers of account books there are now 12 itinerants vending account books in various parts of the metropolis each of whom sells daily upon an average 4 account books at 1 s 9 d each the number sold during the year is therefore 14 976 and the sum expended thereon amounts to 1 310 street sellers of gelatine engraved and playing cards there are 20 street sellers vending gelatine and engraved cards during the day and 30 selling playing cards for 14 days at night these vendors get rid of among them in the course of the year 43 200 gelatine and 14 400 engraved cards at 1 d each and 3 360 packs of playing cards at 3 d per pack so that the money spent in the streets on the sale of engraved gelatine and playing cards during the year amounts to 282 street seller of stenographic cards there is only 1 individual working stenographic cards in the streets of london and the number he sells in the course of the year is 7 448 cards at 1 d each amounting to 31 4 street sellers of long songs i am assured that if 20 persons were selling long songs in the street last summer during a period of 12 weeks it was the outside as long songs are now for fairs and races and country work calculating that each cleared 9 s in a week and to clear that took 15 s we find there is expended in long songs in the streets annually 180 street sellers of wall songs pinners up 308 on fine summer days the wall song sellers of whom there are 30 take 2 s on an average on short wintry days they may not take half so much and on very foggy or rainy days they take nothing at all reckoning that each wall song man now takes 10 s 6 d weekly 7 s being the profit we find there is expended yearly in london streets in the ballads of the pinners up 810 street sellers of ballads chaunters there are now 200 chaunters who also sell the ballads they sing the average takings of each are 3 s per day altogether amounting to 4 680 street sellers of executions c running patterers some represent their average weekly earnings at 12 s 6 d the year through some at 10 s 6 d and others at less than half of 12 s 6 d reckoning however that only 9 s weekly is an average profit per individual and that 14 s be taken to realise that profit we find there is expended yearly on executions fires deaths c in london 3 276 street sellers of dialogues litanies c standing patterers if 20 standing patterers clear 10 s weekly each the year through and take 15 s weekly we find there is yearly expended in the standing patter of london streets 780 street sellers of cocks elopements love letters c there are now 8 men who sell nothing but cocks each of whom dispose daily of 6 dozen copies at d per copy or altogether during the year 179 712 copies amounting to 374 8 s street sellers of conundrumsnuts to crack c from the best information i could acquire it appears that fifteen men may be computed as working conundrums for two months throughout the twelve and clearing 10 s 6 d weekly per individual the cost of the nuts to crack when new is 5 d a dozen to the seller but old nuts often answer the purpose of the street seller and may be had for about half the price the cost of the nut crackers is 2 s to 2 s 6 d it may be calculated then that to realize the 10 s 6 d above mentioned 15 s must be taken this shows the street expenditure in nuts to crack and nut crackers to be yearly 90 street sellers of exhibition papers magical delusions c this trade is carried on only for a short time in the winter as regards the magical portion and i am informed that including the comic exhibitions it extends to about half of the sum taken for conundrums or to about 45 street sellers of secret papers supposing that 6 men last year each cleared 6 s weekly we find expended yearly in the streets on this rubbish 93 street sellers of play bills and books taking the profits at 3 s a week at cent per cent on the outlay and reckoning 200 sellers including those at the saloons concert rooms c there is expended yearly on the sale of play bills purchased in the streets of london 3 120 street sellers of back numbers there are now 40 vendors in the streets of london each selling upon an average 3 dozen copies daily at d each or during the year 336 960 odd numbers hence the sum expended annually in the streets for back numbers of periodicals amounts to upwards of 700 street sellers of waste paper at billingsgate there are 4 individuals selling waste paper at billingsgate one of whom informed me that from 70 to 100 pounds weight of wasteabout three fourths being newspapersis supplied to billingsgate market and its visitants the average price is not less than 2 d a pound or from that to 3 d a single paper is 1 d reckoning that 85 pounds of waste paper are sold a day at 2 d per pound we find that the annual expenditure in waste paper at billingsgate is upwards of 275 street sellers of tracts and pamphlets from the information i obtained from one of this class of street sellers i find there are 40 individuals gaining a livelihood in selling tracts and pamphlets in the streets full one half are men of colour the other half consists of old and infirm men and young boys the average takings of each is about 1 s a day the year through the annual street expenditure in the sale of tracts and pamphlets is thus upwards of 620 street sellers of newspapers second edition 309 there are 20 who are engaged in the street sale of newspapers second edition each of whom take weekly for a period of 6 weeks in the year 1 l 5 s so that adopting the calculation of my informant and giving a profit of 150 per cent the yearly expenditure in the streets in second editions amounts to 150 street sellers of newspapers c at steam boat piers i am informed that the average earnings of these traders altogether may be taken at 15 s weekly calculating that twelve carry on the trade the year through we find that assuming each man to sell at thirty three per cent profitthough in the case of old works it will be often cent per cent the sum expended annually in steam boat papers is upwards of 1 500 street sellers of books by auction there are at present only 2 street sellers of books by auction in london whose clear weekly earnings are 10 s 6 d each calculating their profits at 250 l per cent their weekly receipts will amount to 35 s each per week giving a yearly expenditure of 91 street sellers of books on stalls and barrows the number of book stalls and barrows in the streets of the metropolis is 70 the proprietors of these sell weekly upon an average 42 volumes each the number of volumes annually sold in the streets is thus 1 375 920 and reckoning each volume sold to average 9 d we find that the yearly expenditure in the sale of books in the street amounts to 5 733 street sellers of guide books the street sellers of guide books to public places of amusement are 16 in number the profit of each is 4 s weekly at 25 per cent hence the takings must be 20 s thus making the annual expenditure in the street sale of such books amount to 832 street sale of song books and childrens books there are 30 street sellers who vend childrens books and song books and dispose of among them 2 dozen each daily or during the year 224 640 books at 1 d each hence the sum yearly expended in the street sale of childrens books and song books is 936 street sellers of pictures in frames if we calculate 40 persons selling pictures in frames and each taking 10 s weekly we find the annual amount spent in the streets in the sale of these articles is 1 040 street sellers of prints and engravings in umbrellas the street sale of prints and engravings in umbrellas lasts only 12 weeks there are 30 individuals who gain a livelihood in the sale of these articles during that period the average takings of each seller is 12 s weekly so that the annual street expenditure upon prints and engravings is 216 street sellers of manuscript music there are only 4 sellers of manuscript music in the streets who take on an average 4 s each weekly hence we find the annual expenditure in this article amounts in round numbers to 40 total sum expended yearly in the streets on stationery literature and the fine arts 33 44612 s an epitome of the pattering class i wish before passing to the next subjectthe street sellers of manufactured articles of one of whom the engraving here given furnishes a well known specimen i wish i say as i find some mistakes have occurred on the subject to give the public a general view of the patterers as well as to offer some few observations concerning the means of improving the habits of street people in general the patterers consist of three distinct classes viz those who sell something and patter to help off their goods those who exhibit something and patter to help off the show and those who do nothing but patter with a view to elicit alms under the head of patterers who sell may be classed paper workers quack doctors cheap jacks grease removers wager patterers ring sellers dealers in corn salve razor paste french polish plating balls candle shades rat poisons blacking book auctioneers the second class of patterers includes jugglers showmen clowns and fortune tellers beside several exhibitors who invite public notice to the wonders of the telescope or microscope the third and last class of patterers are those who neither sell nor amuse but only victimise those who get into their clutches these to use their own words do it on the bounce their general resort is an inferior public house sometimes a brothel or a coffee shop one of the tricks of these worthies is to group together at a window and if a well dressed person pass by to salute him with the contents of a flour bag one of their palsbetter dressed than the restimmediately walks out declares it was purely accidental and invites the gentleman in to be brushed probably he consents and still more probably if he be good natured he is plied with liquor drugged with snuff for the occasion and left in some obscure court utterly stupified when he awakes he finds that his watch purse c are gone a casual observer or even a stranger may be induced to contract a wayside acquaintance with the parties to whom i allude says one of the pattering class from whom i have received much valuable information and if he be a visitor of fairs and races that acquaintance though slight may sometimes prove expensive 310 but casual observers cannot from the complexity and varied circumstances of the characters now under notice form anything like a correct view of them i am convinced that no one can but those who have visited their haunts and indeed lived among them for months together they are not to be known any more than the great city was to be built in a day this advantageif so it may be calledhas fallen to my lot the three classes of patterers above enumerated must not be confounded the two first are essentially distinct from the lastat least they do something for their living and though the pattering street tradesmen may generally overstep the bounds of truth in their glowing descriptions of the virtues of the goods they sell still it should be remembered they are no more dishonest in their dealings than the enterprising class of shopkeepers who resort to the printed mode of puffing off their wares indeed the street sellers are far less reprehensible than their more wealthy brother puffers of the shops who cannot plead want as an excuse for their dishonesty the recent revelations made by the lancet as to the adulteration of the articles of diet sold by the london grocers show that the patterers who sell practise far less imposition than some of our merchant princes a tradesman in tottenham court road whose address the lancet advertises gratis thus proclaims the superior qualities of his finest white pepper one package of this article which is the interior part of the kernel of the finest pepper being equal in strength to nearly three times the quantity of black pepper which is the inferior small shrivelled berries and often little more than husks it will be not only the best but the cheapest for every purpose this super excellent pepper sold in packages price 1 d was found on analysis to consist of finely ground black pepper and a very large quantity of wheat flour indeed the lancet has demonstrated that as regards tea coffee arrow root sugar and pepper sold by pattering shopkeepers the rule invariably is that those are articles which are the most puffed and warranted free from adulteration and to which the attention of families and invalids is particularly directed as being of the finest quality ever imported into this country are uniformly the most scandalously adulterated of all we should therefore remember while venting our indignation against pattering street sellers that they are not the only puffers in the world and that they at least can plead poverty in extenuation of their offence whereas it must be confessed that shopkeepers can have no other cause for their acts but their own brutalizing greed of gain the class of patterers with whom we have here to deal are those who patter to help off their goodsbut while describing them it has been deemed advisable to say a few words also on the class who do nothing but patter as a means of exciting commiseration to their assumed calamities these parties it should be distinctly understood are in no way connected with the puffing street sellers but in the exaggerated character of the orations they deliver they are mostly professional beggarsor bouncers that is to say cheats of the lowest kind and will not work or do anything for their living this at least cannot be urged against the pattering street sellers who as was before stated do something for the bread they eat further to show the extent and system of the lodging and routes throughout the country of the class of lurkers c here describedas all resorting to those placesi got a patterer to write me out a list from his own knowledge of divers routes and the extent of accommodation in the lodging houses i give it according to the patterers own classification brighton is a town where there is a great many furnished cribs let to needys nightly lodgers that are molled up that is to say associated with women in the sleeping rooms surrey and sussex dossing cribs or lodging houses beds needys or nightly lodgers wandsworth 6 9 108 croydon 9 8 144 reigate 5 6 60 cuckfield 2 8 32 horsham 3 7 52 lewis 7 6 84 kingston 12 8 192 brighton 16 9 228 bristol a few years back an old woman kept a padding ken here she was a strong methodist but had a queer method there was thirty standing beds besides make shifts and furnished rooms which were called cottages its not so bad now the place was well known to the monkry and you was reckoned flat if you hadnt been there the old woman when any female old or young who had no tin came into the kitchen made up a match for her with some men fellows half drunk had the old women there was always a broomstick at hand and they was both made to jump over it and that was called a broomstick wedding without that ceremony a couple werent looked on as man and wife in course the man paid in such case for the dos bed kensington 6 7 84 brentford 12 8 192 hounslow 6 5 60 colebrook 2 7 20 windsor 7 10 140 maidenhead 4 5 40 reading 12 9 216 oxford 14 7 196 banbury 10 12 240 marlboro 8 7 112 bath 10 8 160 bristol 20 11 440 counties of kent and essex here is the best places in england for skipper birds parties that never go to lodging houses but to barns or outhouses sometimes without a blanket the kent farmers permit it to their own travellers or the travellers they know in essex its different there a farmer will give 1 s rather than let a traveller sleep on his premises for fear 311 of robbery keyhole whistlers the skipper birds are sometimes called but theyre regular travellers kents the first county in england for them they start early to good houses for victuals when gentlefolk are not up ive seen them doze and sleep against the door they like to be there before any one cuts their cart exposes their tricks travellers are all early risers its good morning in the country when its good night in town kent dossing cribs or lodging houses beds needys or nightly lodgers deptford 18 9 324 greenwich 6 8 26 woolwich 9 8 144 gravesend 6 7 84 chatham 20 10 400 maidstone 5 7 70 sittingbourne 3 6 36 sheerness 4 5 40 faversham 3 5 30 canterbury 11 8 176 dover 12 9 216 ramsgate 4 5 40 margate 6 6 72 essex stratford 10 9 180 ilford 3 7 52 barking 4 6 48 billericay 5 7 70 orsett 2 8 32 rayleigh 3 9 54 rochford 3 8 48 leigh 4 8 64 prettywell 2 7 28 southend 3 8 48 maldon 5 9 90 witham 4 8 64 colchester 15 10 300 windsor at ascot race time ive paid many 1 s just to sit up all night colchester life in london at the bugle called hell upon earth sometimes barnet 5 1 80 watford 6 8 90 hemel hempstead 3 5 30 uxbridge 6 7 84 tring 2 6 24 dunstable 6 5 60 stony stratford 3 6 36 northampton 13 9 234 towcester 4 7 56 daventry 5 9 90 coventry 16 9 288 birmingham 50 11 1100 herts and bedfordshire edmonton 14 7 196 waltham abbey 3 6 36 cheshunt street 2 7 28 hoddesden 3 8 48 hertford 9 9 162 ware 7 10 140 puckeridge 2 5 20 buntingford 3 8 48 royston 4 10 40 hitchin 7 9 126 luton 6 8 96 bedford 9 7 126 st albans 8 6 96 suffolk and norfolk ipswich 24 8 384 hadleigh 8 7 112 halsted 5 6 60 stowmarket 4 7 56 woodbridge 6 5 60 sudbury 4 7 56 bury st edmunds 8 8 128 thetford 3 6 36 attleboro 2 5 20 wymondham 1 11 22 norwich 40 9 720 yarmouth 16 8 256 of the screevers or writers of begging letters and petitions screevingthat is to say writing false or exaggerated accounts of afflictions and privations is a necessary corollary to pattering or making pompous orations in publicand i here subjoin a brief description of the businessfor although the screevers economically considered belong properly to the class who will not work yet as they are intimately connected with the street trade of begging i have thought it best to say a few words on the subject here reserving a more comprehensive and scientific view of the subject till such time as i come to treat of the professional beggar under the head of those who are able but unwilling to labour for their livelihood in contradistinction to the involuntary beggars who belong more properly to those who are willing but unable to work the subjoined information has been obtained from one who has had many opportunities of making himself acquainted with the habits and tricks of the class here treated of indeed at one part of his life he himself belonged to the profession in england and wales the number of vagrants committed to prison annually amounts to 19 621 and as many are not imprisoned more than a dozen times during their lives and a few never at all the number of tramps and beggars may be estimated at the very lowest at 22 000 throughout england and wales the returns from scotland are indeterminate of this wretched class many are aged and infirm others are destitute orphans while not a few are persons whose distress is real and who suffer from temporary causes with this excusable class however i have not now to do of professional beggars there are two kindsthose who do it on the blob by word of mouth and those who do it by screeving that is by petitions and letters setting forth imaginary cases of distress of these documents there are two sorts slums letters and fakements petitions these are seldom written by the persons who present or send them but are the production of a class of whom the public little imagine either the number or turpitude i mean the professional begging letter writers persons who write begging letters for others sometimes though seldom beg themselves they are in many cases well supported by the fraternity for whom they write a professional of this kind is called by the cadgers their man of business their histories vary as much as their abilities generally speaking they have been clerks teachers shopmen reduced gentle 312 men or the illegitimate sons of members of the aristocracy while others after having received a liberal education have broken away from parental control and commenced the profession in early life and will probably pursue it to their graves i shall take a cursory view of the various pretences set forth in these begging documents says my informant and describe some of the scenes connected with their preparation the documents themselves are mournful catalogues of all the ills that flesh is heir to i address myself first to that class of petitions which represent losses by sea or perhaps shipwreck itself these documents are very seldom carried by one person unless indeed he is really an old sailor and to the credit of the navy be it spoken this is very seldom the case when the imposition under notice has to be carried out it is for the most part conducted by half a dozen worthless men dressed in the garb of seamen and known as turnpike sailors one of their number having really been at sea and therefore able to reply to any nautical inquiries which suspicion may throw out this person mostly carries the document and is of course the spokesman of the company generally speaking the gang have a subscription book sometimes only a fly leaf or two to the document to receive the names of contributors it may not be out of place here to give a specimendrawn from memoryof one of those specious but deceitful fakements upon which the swells especially those who have been in the service come down with a couter sovereign if they granny the mauley perceive the signature of a brother officer or friend the document is generally as follows these are to certify to all whom it may concern that the thunderer captain johnson was returning on her homeward bound passage from china laden with tea fruit c and having beside twenty passengers chiefly ladies and a crew of thirty hands exclusive of the captain and other officers that the said vessel encountered a tremendous gale off the banks of newfoundland and was dismasted and finally wrecked at midnight on such a day including the hour latitude and other particulars that the above named vessel speedily foundered and only the second mate and four of the crew the bearers of this certificate escaped a watery grave these after floating several days on broken pieces of the ship were providentially discovered and humanely picked up by the brig invincible captain smith and landed in this town and harbour of portsmouth in the county of hants that we the master of customs and two of her majestys justices of the peace for the said harbour and county do hereby grant and afford to the said here follows the names of the unfortunate mariners this our vouchment of the truth of the said wreck and their connection therewith and do empower them to present and use this certificate for twenty eight days from the date hereof to enable them to get such temporal aid as may be adequate to reaching their respective homes or any sea port where they may be re engaged and this certificate further showeth that they are not to be interrupted in the said journey by any constabulary or other official authority provided that is to say that no breach of the peace or other cognizable offence be committed by the said petitioners as witness our hands john harris m c 1 0 0 james flood j p 1 0 0 capt w hope r n j p 1 10 0 given at portsmouth this 10th day of october 1850 god save the queen rev w wilkins 1 0 0 an officers widow 0 10 0 an old sailor 0 5 0 a friend 0 2 6 i have already hinted at the character and description of the persons by whom these forgeries are framed it would seem from the example given that such documents are available in every sea port or other considerable town but this is not the case it is true that certain kinds of documents especially sham hawkers licenses may be had in the provinces at prices suited to the importance of their contents or to the probable gains of their circulation but all the regular bang up fakes are manufactured in the start metropolis and sent into the country to order carefully packed up and free from observation the following note sent to carotty poll at mrs finders login ouse facin the orse and trumpet bere shop han street westminster london with spede may tend to illuminate the uninitiated as to how such fakements are obtained dere poli ope this will find yu an george in good helth and spiritsthings is very bad ere yure sister lizer has been konfined an got a fine strappin boye they was very bad off wen it happend they say in mi country it never ranes but it pores and so it was pol for mi william as got a month along with cockny harry for a glim lurk and they kum out nex mundie and i av porned my new shift and every indivigual thing to get them a brekfust and a drop a rum the mornin they kums out they wont hav no paper to work and i dont know what they will do tayler tom lent me a shillin wish i send inklosed and yu must porn sumthing for anuther shilling and get joe the loryer to rite a fake for william not a glim loss by fire but a brake say as e ad a hors fell downe with the mad staggurs an broke all is plates and dishes an we are starvin you can sa that the children is got the mesulsthey av ben ill thats no liean we want to rase a little munney to git anuther hanimul to dror the kart put a fu monekurs names tu it and make it durty and date it sum time bak do not neglect and dont fale to pay the post no more at preasant from yure luvin sister jane n at mister john h the sweepnex dore to the five bels grinsted colchester essex good by the person from whom the above letter was obtained was in the lodging house when it 313 arrived and had it given him to read and retain for reference lawyer joe was soon sent for and the following is an outline of the scene that occurred given in my informants own words i had called at the house whither the above letter had been addressed to inquire for a man whom i had known in his and my own better days the kitchen door or rather cellar door was thrust open and in came carrotty poll herself well poll asked the deputy how does the world use you b bad was the reply wheres lawyer joe oh hes just gone to mother linsteads for some tea and sugar here he comes joe ive a job for you how much do you charge for screeving a brake oh half a bull half a crown no ill give you a deuce o deeners two shillings cos dont ye see the poor b is in stir prison well well i shant stand for a tanner have you got paper yes and a queens head and all the pen and ink were found a corner of the table cleared and operations commenced he writes a good hand exclaimed one as the screever wrote the petition i wish i could do it said another if you could youd soon be transported said a third while the whole kitchen in one chorus immediately on its completion proclaimed that it was dd well done adding to that not one swell in a score would view it in any other light than a ream genuine concern lawyer joe was up to his tradehe folded the paper in official stylecreased it as if it was long written and often examined attached the signatures of the minister and churchwardens and dipping his fingers under the fireplace smeared it with ashes and made the whole the best representation of a true account of a horse in the mad staggers and a child in the measles that could be desired by the oldest and best cadger on the monkry these professional writers are in possession of many autographs of charitable persons and as they keep a dozen or more bottles of different shades of ink and seldom write two documents on exactly the same sort of paper it is difficult to detect the imposition a famous lurker who has been previously alluded to in this work was once taken before a magistrate at york whose own signature was attached to his fakement the imitation was excellent and the lurker swore hard and fast to the worthy justice that he the justice did write it in his own saddle room as he was preparing to ride and gave him five shillings too the effrontery and firmness of the prisoners statement gained him his discharge it is not uncommon in extensive districtssay for instance a section of a county taking in ten or a dozen townshipsfor a school of lurkers to keep a secretary and remit his work and his pay at the same time in london this functionary is generally paid by commission and sometimes partly in food beer and tobacco the following is a fair estimate of the scale of charges s d friendly letter 0 6 long ditto 0 9 petition 1 0 ditto with ream monekurs genuine signatures 1 6 ditto with gammy monekurs forged names 2 6 very heavy dangerous 3 0 manuscript for a broken down author 10 0 part of a play for ditto 7 6 to this i may add the prices of other articles in the begging line loan of one child without grub 0 9 two ditto 1 0 ditto with grub and godfreys cordial 0 9 if out after twelve at night for each child extra 0 2 for a school of children say half a dozen 2 6 loan of any garment per day 0 2 going as a pal to vindicate any statement 1 0 such is an outline open to circumstantial variation of the pay received for the sort of accommodation required there is a very important species of lurking or screeving which has not yet been alluded to it is well known that in the colliery districts an explosion of fire damp frequently takes place when many lives are lost and the men who escape are often so wounded as to render amputation of a leg or arm the only probable means of saving them from the grave of course the accident with every particular as to date and locality goes the round of the newspapers such an event is a sort of god send to the begging letter writer if he is anything of a draughtsman so much the better he then procures a sheet of vellum and heads it with a picture of an explosion and exhibiting men boys and horses up in the air and a few nearer the ground minus a head a leg or an arm with a background of women tearing their hair and a few little girls crying such a fakement professionally filled up and put into the hands of an experienced lurker will bring the amanuensis or screever two guineas at least and the proceeds of such an expedition have in many cases averaged 60 l per week the lurker presenting this would have to take with him three or four countrymen dressed in the garb of colliers one at least knowing something of underground work these he would engage at a bob a nob one shilling each and if he made a 314 good day give them a toothful o rum beside as such men are always left outside the jigger door of the houses they are of course ignorant of the state of the subscription list a famous lurker to whom we have previously referred nicholas a kept a man of business to himself and gave him from 5 s to 10 s 6 d per day nicholas who was tolerably educated could write very well but as his secretary could imitate twelve different hands he was of course no trifling acquisition it would not be easy to trace the history of all or even many of the men who pursue the begging letter trade as professional writers many of the vagrant tribe write their own letters but the vast majority are obliged to have assistance of course they are sometimes detected by the fact that their conversation does not tally with the rhetorical statement of the petition the few really deserving persons well born and highly educated who subsist by begging are very retired and cautious in their appeals they write concisely and their statements are generally true to a certain extent or perhaps rigidly so in relation to an earlier part of their history these seldom live in the very common lodging houses the most renowned of the tribe who write for others and whose general trade lies in forged certificates of bankruptcy seizure of goods for rent and medical testimonies to infirmity is an irishman brought up in london and who may be seen almost every night at the bar of a certain public house in drury lane he lives or did live at one of the model lodging houses very few persons know his occupation they suppose that he is connected with the press several years ago this person says one who knew this trade well was regularly hard up and made a tender of his services to a distinguished m p who took a lively interest in the emancipation of the jews he offered to visit the provinces hold meetings and get up petitions the hon member tested his abilities and gave him clothes and a ten pound note to commence operations i saw him says my informant the same night and he mooted the subject to me over a glass of whiskey punch not that i care said he if all the by jews were in hll but i must do something but how asked my informant will you get up the meetings and then the signatures you know meetings was the reply dont mention it i can get millions of signatures the pretended jewish advocate never left london he got from ireland a box of old documents relative to bygone petitions for repeal c and on these he put a frontispiece suited to his purposegot them sent to bath and bristol and thence transmitted to his employerwho praised his perseverance and sent more money to the post office of one of the above named towns this was countermanded to london and jovially spent at tom springs in holborn hitherto the movements of the begging letter writerself consideredhave been chiefly dwelt upon there is another class of the fraternity however of whom some notice must here be taken viz those who to meet cases of great pretension and consequent misgivings on the part of the noblemen or gentry to whom fakements are presented become referees to professional beggars these referees are kept by local schools of beggars in well furnished apartments at respectable houses and well dressed their allowance varies from 1 l to 3 l per week but the most expert and least suspected dodge is referring to some dignified person in the country a person however who exists nowhere but in imagination suppose says my informant i am a beggar i apply to you for relief perhaps i state that i am in prospect of lucrative employment if i could get enough money to clothe myself you plead the number of impositions i consent to that fact but offer you references as to the truth of my statement i refer you to the hon and rev mr erskine at cheltenham any name or place will do you promise to write and tell me to call in a few days meanwhile i assume the name of the gentleman to whom i have referred you and write forthwith to the post master of the town in question requesting that any letter coming there directed to the hon and rev mr erskine may be forwarded to my present address i thus discover what you have written frame a flattering reply and address it to you i send it under cover to a pal of mine at cheltenham or elsewhere who posts it i call half an hour after you receive it and being satisfied you give me a donation and perhaps introduce me to some of your friends thus i raise a handsome sum and the fraud is probably never found out one of the london lurkers who has good means of forming a calculation on the subject assures me that the average earnings of lurkers in london alone including those who write for them cannot be less than 6 000 l per annum two of the class were lately apprehended at the instance of the duke of wellington on their persons was found fifteen sovereigns one five pound note a silver watch with gold guard and two gold watches with a ribbon attached to each their subscription book showed that they had collected 620 l during the current year a man named mkensiewho was transported at the last bristol assizeshad just received a cheque for 100 l from a nobleman lately deceased most of the professionals of this class include a copy of the court guide among their stock in trade in this all the persons known to be charitable have the mark set against their names i have been furnished with a list of such persons accompanied with comments from the note book of an old 315 stager thirty years on the monkery and as he adds never quodded but twice the late queen dowager hon wm ashley the bishop of norwich serjeant talfourd charles dickins samuel rogers the poet samuel warren author of extracts from the diary of a physician hon g c norton the beak magistrate but good for all that rev e holland hyde park gardens the late sir robert peel countess of essex only good to sickness or distressed authorship marquess of bredalbane good on anything religious the editor of the sun madame celeste marquess of blandford duke of portland duke of devonshire lord george bentinck deceased god amighty wouldnt let him live he was too good for this world lord skelmersdale lord john manners lord lyttleton mrs elder exeter lady emily ponsonby a devilish pretty wench miss burdett coutts f stewart esq bath mrs groves salisbury mrs mitchell dorchester mrs taggart bayswater her husband is a unitarian minister not so good as she but hell stand a bob if you look straight at him and keep to one story archdeacon sinclair at kensington but not so good as archdeacon pott as was there afore him he was a good man he couldnt refuse a dog much more a christian but he had a butler a regular knark who was a b and a half good weight lady cottenham used to be good but she is coopered spoilt now without you has a slum any one as she knows and then she wont stand above a bull five shillings of the probable means of reformation i shall now conclude this account of the patterers lurkers and screevers with some observations from the pen of one who has had ample means of judging as to the effect of the several plans now in operation for the reformation or improvement of the class in looking over the number of institutions writes the person alluded to designed to reform and improve the classes under review we are as it were overwhelmed with their numerous branches and though it is highly gratifying to see so much good being done it is necessary to confine this notice to the examination of only the most prominent with their general characteristics the churches on many considerationspersonal feelings being the smallest but not unknowndemand attention first i must treat this subject for your work is not a theological magazine without respect to doctrine principle or legislation the object of erecting churches in poor neighbourhoods is to benefit the poor why is it then that the instruction communicated should exercise so little influence upon the vicious the destitute and the outcast is it that christian ordinances are less adapted to them than to others or rather is it not that the public institutions of the clergy are not made interesting to the wretched community in question the great hindrance in my opinion to the progress of religion among the unsettled classes is that having been occasionally to church or chapel and heard nothing but doctrinal lectures or feverish mental effusions they cannot see the application of these to every day trade and practice and so they arrive at the conclusion that they can get as much or more good at home our preachers seem to be afraid of ascertaining the sentiments feelings and habits of the more wretched part of the population and without this their words will die away upon the wind and no practical echo answer their addresses it will perhaps relieve the monotony of this statement if i give an illustration communicated to me by a person well acquainted to determine the merits of the question your readers will probably recollect the opposition experienced by dr hampden on his promotion to the bishopric of hereford shortly after the affair was settled his lordship accepted an invitation to preach on behalf of the schools connected with the ten new churches of bethnal green the church selected for the purpose was the one on friars mount it was one july sunday in 1849 and as i well remember the morning was very wet but supposing the curiosity or better motives of the public would induce a large congregation i went to the church at half past ten the free seats occupying the middle aisle were all filled and chiefly with persons of the lowest and worst classes many of whom i personally knew and was agreeably surprised to find them in such a place i sat in the midst of the group and at the elbow of a tall attenuated beggar known by the name of lath and plaster of whom it is but justice to say that he repeated the responsive parts of the service very correctly it is true he could not read but having larned a few prayers in the downs tothill fields prison he always sed em night and morning if he wasnt drunk and then he sed em twice next day cos reasoned he i likes to rub off as i goes on in course of time the bishop made his appearance in the pulpit his subject was 316 neglected education and he illustrated it from the history of eli i thought proper to hang back and observe the group as they passed out of church there was tailor tom and brummagem dick and keate street nancy and davy the duke and stationer george and at least two dozen more most of whom were miserably clad and several apparently without a shirt they were not however without halfpence and as i was well known to several of the party and flattered as being a very knowledgeable man i was invited to the cat and bagpipes afterwards to have share of what was going i was anxious continues my informant to learn from my companions their opinion of the right reverend prelate they thought to use their own words he was a jolly old brick but did they think he was sound in opinion about the trinity or was he as alleged a unitarian they did not even understand the meaning of these words all they did understand was that a top sawyer parson at oxford called dr pussy had made himself disagreeable and that some of the bishops and nobility had jined him that these had persecuted dr hampden because he was more cleverer than themselves and that lord john russell who generally speaking was a regular muff had acted like a man in this instance and he ought to be commended for it and added the man who pronounced the above sentiment its just a picture of ourselves to other ears than mine the closing remark would have appeared impertinent but i tumbled to it immediately it was a case of oppression and whether the oppressors belonged to oxford university or to scotland yard militated nothing against the aphorism its just a picture of ourselves it seems to me that these poor creatures understood the circumstances better than they did the sermon and my inference is that whether from the parochial pulpit or the missionary exhortation or in the printed form of a tract those who wish to produce a practical effect must themselves be practical men i who have been in the christian ministry and am familiar unhappily with the sufferings of men of every grade among the outcast would say if you wish to do these poor outcasts real good you must mould your language to their ideas get hold of their common phrasesthose which tell so powerfully when they are speaking to each otherlet them have their own fashion of things and where it does not interfere with order and decency use yourselves language which their unpolished minds will appreciate and then having gained their entire confidence and perhaps their esteem you may safely strike home though it be as with a sledge hammer and they will even love you for the smart the temperance movement next claims attention and i doubt not that much crime and degradation has been prevented by total abstinence from all intoxicating drinks but i would rather raise the tone of moral feeling by intelligent and ennobling means than by those spasmodic efforts which are without deliberation and often without permanency the object sought to be obtained however is good so is the motive and i leave to others to judge what means are most likely to secure it i may also allude as another means of reformation to the ragged schools which are now studding the localities of the poorest neighbourhoods the object of these schools is one would hope to take care of the uncared for and to give instruction to those who would be otherwise running wild and growing up as a pest to society a few instances of real reform stand however in juxtaposition with many of increased hardihood i as a man seeing those who resort to ragged schools cannot understand the propriety of insulting an honest though ragged boy by classing him with a young thief or the hope of improving the juvenile female character where the sexes are brought in promiscuous contact and left unrestrained on their way home to say and do everything subversive of the good instruction they have received it is right i should here state that these are my informants own unbiassed sentiments delivered without communication with myself on the subject i say thus much because my own opinions being known it might perhaps appear as if i had exerted some influence over the judgment of my correspondent the most efficient means of moral reform among the street folk appear to have been consulted by those who in westminster and other places have opened institutions cheaper but equally efficient as the mechanics institutes of the metropolis in these for one farthing per night three halfpence a week or sixpence a month lectures exhibitions newspapers c are available to the very poor these and such as these i humbly but earnestly would commend to public sympathy and support believing that under the auspices of heaven they may deliver the outcast and poor from their own mistaken views and practices and make them ornamental to that society to which they have long been expensive and dangerous another laudable attempt to improve the condition of the poorer class is by the erection of model lodging houses the plan which induced this measure was good and the success has been tolerable but i am inclined to think the management of these houses as well as their internal regulation is scarcely what their well meaning founders designed the principal of these buildings is in george street st giless the building is spacious and well ventilated there is a good library and the class of lodgers very superior to what might be expected this latter circumstance makes the house in question scarcely admissible to the catalogue of reformed lodging houses for the very poor 317 the next model lodging house in importance is the one in charles street drury lane this from personal observation having lodged in it more than four months says my informant i can safely say so far as social reform is concerned is a miserable failure the bed rooms are clean but the sitting room though large is the scene of dirt and disorder noise confusion and intemperance abound from morning till night there is a model lodging house in westminster the private property of lord kinnaird it is generally well conducted his lordships agent visits the place once a week there is an almost profuse supply of cooking utensils and other similar comforts there are moreover two spacious reading rooms abundance of books and periodicals and every lodger on payment of 6 d is provided with two lockersone in his bed room and the other below stairs the money is returned when the person leaves the house there is divine service every day conducted by different missionaries and twice on sundays attendance on these services is optional and as there are two ways of ingress and egress the devout and undevout need not come in contact with each other the kitchen is very large and detached from the house the master of this establishment is a man well fitted for his situation he is a native of saffron walden in essex where his father farmed his own estate he received a superior education and has twice had a fortune at his own disposal he did dispose of it however and after many roving years as a traveller lurker and patterer he has settled down in his present situation and maintained it with great credit for a considerable period the beds in this house are only 3 d per night and no small praise is due to lord kinnaird for the superiority of this model over others of the same denomination such are a few of the principal of these establishments giving every credit to their founders however for purity and even excellence of motive i doubt if model lodging houses as at present conducted are likely to accomplish much real good for those who get their living in the streets ever and anon they are visited by dukes and bishops lords and ladies who march in procession past every table scrutinise every countenance make their remarks upon the quantity and quality of food and then go into the lobby sign their names jump into their carriages and drive away declaring that after all there is not so much poverty in london as they supposed the poor inmates of these houses moreover adds my informant are kept in bondage and made to feel that bondage to the almost annihilation of old english independence it is thought by the managers of these establishments and with some share of propriety that persons who get their living by any honest means may get home and go to bed according to strict rule at a certain prescribed hourin one house it is ten oclock in the others eleven but many of the best conducted of these poor people if they be street folk are at those very hours in the height of their business and have therefore to pack up their goods and carry homeward their cumbersome and perhaps heavy load a distance usually varying from two or three to six or seven miles if they are a minute beyond time they are shut out and have to seek lodgings in a strange place on their return next morning they are charged for the bed they were prevented from occupying and if they demur they are at once expelled thus the model lodgers are kept as it were in leading strings and triumphed over by lords and ladies masters and matrons who while they pique themselves on the efforts they are making to better the condition of the poor are making them their slaves and driving them into unreasonable thraldom while the rich and noble managers reckless of their own professed benevolence are making the poor poorer by adding insult to wretchedness if my remarks upon these establishments appear adds the writer of the above remarks to be invidious it is only in appearance that they are so i give their promoters credit for the best intentions and as far as sanitary and moral measures are concerned i rejoice in the benefit while suggesting the improvement everything even moderately valuable has its counterfeit we have counterfeit money counterfeit virtue counterfeit modesty counterfeit religion and last but not least counterfeit model lodging houses many private adventurers have thus dignified their domiciles and some of them highly merit the distinction while with others it is only a cloak for greater uncleanliness and grosser immorality there has come to my knowledge the case of one man who owns nearly a dozen of these dens of infamy in one of which a poor girl under fifteen was lately ruined by a gray headed monster who according to the pseudo model regulations slept in an adjoining bed the sham model houses to which i more particularly allude says my correspondent are in shorts gardens drury lane mill yard cable street keate street flower and dean street thrawl street spitalfields plough court whitechapel and union court holborn all of these are without exception twopenny brothels head quarters of low lived procuresses and resorts of young thieves and prostitutes each of the houses is managed by a deputy who receives an income of 8 s 2 d per week out of which he has to provide coke candles soap c of course it is impossible to do this from such small resources and the men consequently increase their salaries by taking in couples for a little while purchasing stolen goods and other nefarious practices worse than all the person owning these houses is a member of a strict baptist church and the son of a deceased minister he lives in great splendour in one of the fashionable streets in pimlico it still remains for me my correspondent continues to contemplate the best agency for 318 promoting the reformation of the poor the city mission if properly conducted as it brings many good men in close contact with the outcast and poor might be made productive of real and extensive good whether it has done so or done so to any extent is perhaps an open question our town missionary societies sprang up when our different christian denominations were not fully alive to the apprehension of their own duties to their poorer brethren who were lost to principle conscience and society that the object of the london city mission is most noble needs no discussion and admits of no dispute the method of carrying out this great object is by employing agents who are required to give their whole time to the work without engaging in any secular concerns of life and regarding the operation of the work so done i must say that great good has resulted from the enterprise at the commencement of the labours of the mission in any particular locality great opposition was manifested and a great amount of prejudice with habits of the most immoral kindopenly carried on without any public censurehad to be overcome the statements of the missionaries have from time to time been published and lie recorded against us as a nation of the glaring evils and ignorance of a vast portion of our people it is principally owing to the city missionaries that the other portions of society have known what they now do of the practices and habits of the poor it is principally due to their exertions that schools have been established in connection with their labours and the ragged schoolsone of the principal movements of the last few yearsare mainly to be attributed to their efforts a man says my informant in conclusion can receive little benefit from a thing he does not understand the talk which will do for the senate will not do for the cottage and the argument which will do for the study will not do for the man who spends all his spare time in a public house these remarks will apply to the distribution of tracts which should be couched in the very language that is used by the people to whom they are addressed then the ideas will penetrate their understanding some years back i met with an old sailor in a lodging house in westminster who professed a belief that there had once been a god but that he was either dead or grown old and diseased he did not dispute the inspiration of the bible he believed that there had been revelations made to our forefathers when god was alive and active but that now the almighty did not fash trouble himself about his creatures at all i endeavoured to instruct the man in his own rude language and ideas and after he had thus been made to comprehend the doctrine of the atonement he said i see it all plain enoughthough ive liked a drop o drink and been a devil among the gals and all that in my time if ill humble myself i can have it all wiped off and as the song says we may be happy yet because as the saying is its all square with god amighty whether the sailor permanently reformed i am unable to say for i lost sight of him shortly after at any rate he understood the subject and was thus qualified to profit by it and what can the teachers of christianity among the british heathenherded together in courts and alleystell their poor ignorant hearers better than the old sailors aphorism you have indeed gone astray from your greatest and best friend but if you so desire you may be happy yet because its all square with god amighty before quitting this subject i would add if you really wish to do these poor creatures good you must remember that your instructions are not intended for so called fashionable society but for those who have a fashion of their own if you lose sight of this fact your words will die away upon the wind and no echo in the hearts of these poor people will answer your addresses the above observations are from the pen of one who has not only had the means but is likewise possessed of the power of judging as to the effect of the several plans now in course of operation for the reformation and improvement of the london poor i have given the comments in the writers own language because i was anxious that the public should know the opinions of the best informed of the street people themselves on this subject and i trust i need not say that i have sought in no way to influence my correspondents judgment i now subjoin a communication from a clergyman in the country touching the character of the tramps and lurkers frequenting his neighbourhood together with some suggestions concerning the means of improving the condition of the london poor these i append because it is advisable that in so difficult a matter the sentiments of every one having sufficient experience judgment and heart to fit him to speak on the subject should be calmly attended to so that amid much counsel there may be at least some little wisdom the subject of the welfare of our poorer brethren was one which engaged much of my attention twenty years ago when studying for the bar at lincolns inn before i entered into orders and the inquiries c then made by me in reference to london are recalled by many of your pages i have pursued the same course according to my limited means and opportunities for my benefice like thousands of others is but 100 l a year in this neighbourhood and there are very many of my clerical brethren also deeply anxious and exerting their means for the country poor the details given in your numbers as to the country tramps and patterers i can fully corroborate from personal experience and knowledge so far as the country part of it we never give money to beggars here on any pretence whatever we never give clothes we never give relief to a naked or half naked man if we can avoid it the imposture is too barefaced 319 medicine i do give occasionally to the sick or pretended sick and see them take it every beggar may have dry bread or three or four tracts to sell but never both i know we are even thus often imposed on but it is better to run this risk than to turn away by chance a starving man and i do see the mendicants often sit down on a field near and eat the dry bread with ravenous look the tramps sometimes come to church on sunday and then beg but we never give even bread on sunday because on that day they can get help at the union workhouse and it only tempts idlers sometimes we are days without a beggar and then there will be ten to twenty per day and then all at once the stream stops there are no tramp lodging houses in my parish which is a village of 600 or 700 people most of the burglaries hereabouts seem connected with some inroad of tramps into the neighbourhood the lodging houses are very bad in some of the small towns near but somehow the magistrates cannot get them put down the gentry are alive here to the evil of crowded cottages c and are using efforts to build better and more decent ones but the evil results from the little landowners who have an acre or two or less and build rows of cottages on them of the scantiest dimensions at high rents ten per cent on the cost of building the rents of the gentry and nobility are very moderate to the poor viz scarcely two per cent beyond the yearly repairs on the market value of the cottage in 1832 i succeeded in getting land allotments for the poor here and most of the parishes round have followed our example since the success to the poor has always depended on the rent being a real rent such as is paid by the land round about and on the rules of good management and of payment of rent being rigidly enforced the character of the poor of england must be raised as well as their independence they must not be left to lean on charity i am sure that the sterling worth of the english character can only be raised by that means to the surface of society among the poor the english is a fine material but the poor neither value nor are benefited by mawkish nonsense or excessive feeling i believe this parish was one of the most fearfully demoralized twenty years ago it was said there was not one young female cottager of virtuous character there was not one man who was not or had not been a drunkard and theft fighting c c were universal it is greatly better nowtotally differentand i attribute the change to the land allotments the provident society the village horticultural society the lending library the clothing club the coal club the cultivating a taste for music c c as subsidiary to the more directly pastoral work of a clergyman and the schools c i am probably visionary in my ideas but the perusal of your pages has led me to think that were i clergyman of a parish where the street folks lived i should aim at some schemes of this style in addition to the benefit society and loan society the last most important as proposed by yourself 1 to get music taught at d a week or something of the kind a ragged school music room if the people would learn gratis would be still betteras a step to a superior music class at 1 d per week 2 to get the poor to adorn their rooms plentifully with a better class of picturesof places of people of natural history and of historical and religious subjectsjust as they might like and a circulating library for pictures if they preferred change this i find takes with the village poor provide these things excessively cheap for themat nominal prices just high enough to prevent them being sold at a profit by the poor 3 to establish a monthly or fortnightly sheetor little book for the poorat d or some trifle full of pictures such as they would like but free from impropriety it might be called the costers barrow or some name which would take their fancy and contain pictures for those who cannot read and reading for those who can its contents should be instructive and yet lively as for instance the history of london bridge history of a codfish travels of whelks dreams of st pauls old history of england voice from the bottom of the coal exchange roman tales true tale of trafalgar c c all very short articles at which perhaps they might be angry or praise or abuse or do anything but still would read or hear and talk about if possible the little work might have a corner called the next worlds page or any name of the kind with nothing in it but the lords prayer or the creed or the ten commandments or a parable or miracle or discourse of christsin the exact words of scripturewithout any commentary which could neither annoy the roman catholics nor others those parts in which the douay version differs from ours might be avoided and the romanists be given to understand that they would always be avoided the more difficult question of cheap amusements instead of the demoralizing ones now popular is one which as yet i cannot see my way through but it is one which must be grappled with if any good is to be done i write thus adds my correspondent because i feel you are a fellow workerso far as your labours show it for the cause of gods poorand therefore will sympathize in anything another worker can say from experience on the same subject such are the opinions of two of my correspondentseach looking at the subject from different points of viewthe one living among the people of whom he treats and daily witnessing the effects of the several plans now in operation for the moral and physical improvement of the poor and the other in frequent in 320 tercourse with the tramps and lurkers on their vagrant excursions through the country as well as with the resident poor of his own parishthe former living in friendly communion with those of whom he writes and the latter visiting them as their spiritual adviser and material benefactor i would however before passing to the consideration of the next subject here pause to draw special attention to the distinctive features of the several classes of people obtaining their livelihood in the streets these viewed in regard to the causes which have induced them to adopt this mode of life may be arranged in three different groups viz 1 those who are bred to the streets 2 those who take to the streets 3 those who are driven to the streets the class bred to the streets are those whose fathers having been street sellers before them have sent them out into the thoroughfares at an early age to sell either watercresses lavender oranges nuts flowers apples onions c as a means of eking out the family income of such street apprenticeship several notable instances have already been given and one or two classes of juvenile street sellers as the lucifer match and the blacking sellers still remain to be described another class of street apprentice is to be found in the boys engaged to wheel the barrows of the costers and who are thus at an early age tutored in all the art and mystery of street traffic and who rarely abandon it at maturity these two classes may be said to constitute the natives of the streetsthe tribe indigenous to the paving stonesimbibing the habits and morals of the gutters almost with their mothers milk to expect that children thus nursed in the lap of the kennel should when men not bear the impress of the circumstances amid which they have been reared is to expect to find costermongers heroes instead of ordinary human beings we might as well blame the various races on the face of the earth for those several geographical peculiarities of taste which constitute their national characteristics surely there is a moral acclimatisation as well as a physical one and the heart may become inured to a particular atmosphere in the same manner as the body and even as the seed of the apple returns unless grafted to its original crab so does the child without training go back to its parent stockthe vagabond savage for the bred and born street seller who inherits a barrow as some do coronets to be other than he isit has here been repeatedly enunciatedis no fault of his but of ours who could and yet will not move to make him otherwise might not the finest gentleman in europe have been the greatest blackguard in billingsgate had he been born to carry a fish basket on his head instead of a crown and by a parity of reasoning let the roughest rough outside the london fish market have had his lot in life cast by the grace of god king defender of the faith and surely his shoulders would have glittered with diamond epaulettes instead of fish scales i say thus much to impress upon the reader a deep and devout sense that we who have been appointed to another state are by the grace of god what we are and from no special merit of our own to which in the arrogance of our self conceit we are too prone to attribute the social and moral differences of our nature go to a lady of fashion and tell her she could have even become a fishfag and she will think you some mad ethnologist if indeed she had ever heard of the science let me not however while thus seeking to impress the readers mind with a sense of the antecedents of the human character be thought to espouse the doctrine that men are merely the creatures of events all i wish to enforce is that the three common causes of the social and moral differences of individuals are to be found in race organization and circumstances that none of us are entirely proof against the influence of these three conditionsthe ethnological the physiological and the associative elements of our idiosincracy but while i admit the full force of external nature upon us all while i allow that we are in many respects merely patients still i cannot but perceive that in other respects we are self agents moving rather than being moved by eventsoften stemming the current of circumstances and at other times giving to it a special direction rather than being swept along with it i am conscious that it is this directive and controlling power not only over external events but over the events of my own nature that distinguishes me as well from the brute of the fields as it does my waking from my sleeping moments i know moreover that in proportion as a man is active or passive in his operations so is his humanity or brutality developed that true greatness lies in the superiority of the internal forces over the external ones and that as heroes or extraordinary men are heroes because they overcome the sway of one or other or all of the three material influences above named so ordinary people are ordinary simply because they lack energyprinciplewill call it what you please to overcome the material elements of their nature with the spiritual and it is precisely because i know this that i do know that those who are bred to the streets must bear about them the moral impress of the kennel and the gutterunless we seek to develope the inward and controlling part of their constitution if we allow them to remain the creatures of circumstances to wander through life principleless purposeless consciencelessif it be their lot to be flung on the wide waste of waters without a guiding star above or a rudder or compass within how can we the well fed dare to blame them because wanting bread they prey and live upon their fellow creatures i say thus much because i feel satisfied that a large portion of the street folkand especially those who have been bred to the businessare 321 of improvable natures that they crave knowledge as starving men for the staff of life that they are most grateful for instruction that they are as deeply moved by any kindness and sympathy when once their suspicion has been overcome as they are excited by any wrong or oppressionand i say it moreover because i feel thoroughly convinced of the ineffectiveness of the present educational resources for the poor we think if we teach them reading and writing and to chatter a creed that we have armed them against the temptations the trials and the exasperations of life believing because we have put the knife and fork in their hands that we have really filled with food the empty bellies of their brains we exercise their memories make them human parrots and then wonder that they do not act as human beings the intellect the conscience the taste indeed all that refines enlightens and ennobles our nature we leave untouched to shrivel and wither like unused limbs the beautiful the admirable the true the right are as hidden to them as at their first days schooling we impress them with no purpose animate them with no principle they are still the same brute creatures of circumstancesthe same passive instrumentshuman waifs and straysleft to be blown about as the storms of life may whirl them of the second group or those who take to the streets i entertain very different opinions this class is distinguished from that above mentioned in being wanderers by choice rather than wanderers by necessity in the early chapters of this work i strove to point out to my readers that the human race universally consisted of two distinct classes the wanderers and the settlersthe civilized and the savagethose who produced their food and those who merely collected it i sought further to show that these two classes were not necessarily isolated but that on the contrary almost every civilized tribe had its nomadic race like parasites living upon it these nomadic races i proved moreover to have several characteristics common to the class one of the most remarkable of which was their adoption of a secret language with the intent of concealing their designs and exploits strange to say i then observed that despite its privations dangers and hardships those who have once taken to a wandering life rarely abandon it there are countless instances i added of white men adopting all the usages of an indian hunter but there is not one example of the indian hunter or trapper adopting the steady and regular habits of civilized society that this passion for a roving life to use the common expression by which many of the street people themselves designate it is a marked feature of some natures there cannot be a doubt in the mind of any one who has contemplated even the surface differences of human beings and nevertheless it is a point to which no social philosopher has yet drawn attention to my mind it is essentially the physical cause of crime too restive and volatile to pursue the slow process of production the wanderers and consequently the collectors of subsistence must in a land where all things are appropriated live upon the stock of the producers the nomadic or vagrant class have all an universal type whether they be the bushmen of africa or the tramps of our own country and mr knapp the intelligent master of the wandsworth and clapham union to whom i was referred at the time of my investigations touching the subject of vagrancy as having the greatest experience upon the matter gave me the following graphic account which as i said at the time of its first publication had perhaps never been surpassed as an analysis of the habits and propensities of the vagabond class ignorance to use the gentlemans own words is certainly not their prevailing characteristic indeed with a few exceptions it is the reverse the vagrants are mostly distinguished by their aversion to continuous labour of any kind he never knew them to work their great inclination is to be on the move and wandering from place to place and they appear to receive a great deal of pleasure from the assembly and conversation of the casual ward they are physically stout and healthy and certainly not emaciated or sickly they belong especially to the able bodied class being as he says full of health and mischief they are very stubborn and self willed they are a most difficult class to govern and are especially restive under the least restraint they can ill brook control and they find great delight in thwarting the authorities they are particularly fond of amusements of all kinds he never knew them love reading they mostly pass under fictitious names they are particularly distinguished by their libidinous propensities they are not remarkable for a love of drink he considers them to be generally a class possessing the keenest intellect and of a highly enterprising character they seem to have no sense of danger and to be especially delighted with such acts as involve any peril they are likewise characterised by their exceeding love of mischief they generally are of a most restless and volatile disposition they have great quickness of perception but little power of continuous attention or perseverance they have a keen sense of the ridiculous and are not devoid of deep feeling in the summer they make regular tours through the country visiting all places that they have not seen they are perfectly organized so that any regulation affecting their comforts or interests becomes known among the whole body in a remarkably short space of time every day my inquiries add some fresh proof to the justice of the above enumeration of the several phenomena distinguishing this class to the more sedate portion of the human family the attractions of a roving life are inexplicable nevertheless there can be no doubt that to the more volatile the mere muscular exercise 322 and the continual change of scene together with the wild delight which attends the overcoming of any danger are sources of pleasure sufficient to compensate for all the privations and hardships attending such a state of existence mr ruxton one of the many who have passed from settlers to wanderers has given us the following description of the enjoyments of a life in the wilderness although liable to an accusation of barbarism i must confess that the very happiest moments of my life have been spent in the wilderness of the far west and i never recall but with pleasure the remembrance of my solitary camp in the bayou solade with no friend near me more faithful than my rifle and no companions more sociable than my good horse and mules or the attendant cayute which nightly serenaded us seldom did i ever wish to change such hours of freedom for all the luxuries of civilized life and unnatural and extraordinary as it may appear yet such is the fascination of the life of the mountain hunter that i believe not one instance could be adduced of even the most polished and civilized of men who had once tasted the sweets of its attendant liberty and freedom from every worldly care not regretting the moment when he exchanged it for the monotonous life of the settlements nor sighing and sighing again once more to partake of its pleasures and allurements to this class of voluntary wanderers belong those who take to the streets glad to exchange the wearisomeness and restraint of a settled occupation for the greater freedom and license of a nomad mode of life as a class they are essentially the non working preferring as i said before to collect rather than produce what they eat if they sell they do so because for sundry reasons they fear to infringe the law and as traders their transactions certainly are not marked by an excess of honesty i am not aware that any of them are professional thieves for these are the more daring portion of the same vagrant fraternity though the majority assuredly are habitual cheatsdelighting in proving their cleverness by imposing upon simple minded citizensviewing all society as composed of the same dishonest elements as their own tribes and looking upon all sympathy and sacrifice even when made for their own benefit as some artful dodge or trick by which to snare them it should be remembered however that there are many grades of vagrants among us and that though they are all essentially non producing and consequently predatory still many are in no way distinguished from a large portion of even our wealthy tradesmenour puffing grocers and slopsellers to attempt to improve the condition of the voluntary street sellers by teaching of any kind would be to talk to the wind we might as well preach to messrs moses nicol and co in the hope of christianising them those who take to the streets are not like those who are bred to it an uneducated class they are intelligent and knowing enough and it is this development of their intellect at the expense of their conscience which gives rise to that excessive admiration of mere cleverness which makes skill the sole standard of excellence with them they approve admire venerate nothing but what is ingenious wrong with them is mere follyright cunning and those who think the simple cultivation of the intellect the great social panacea of the time have merely to study the characteristics of this class to see how a certain style of education can breed the very vice it seeks to destroy years ago i wrote and printed the following passage and every year since my studies have convinced me more and more of its truth man if deprived of his intellect would be the most miserable and destitute if of his sympathy the most savage and cunning of all the brute creation consequently we may infer that according as solely the one or the other of these powers is expanded in us so shall we approximate in our nature either to the instinct of the brute or to the artifice of the demon and that only when they are developed in an equal degree can man be said to be educated as man we should remember that the intellect simply executes it is either the selfish or moral propensity that designs the intellectual principle enables us to perceive the means of attaining any particular object it is the selfish or else the moral principle in us that causes us originally to desire that object the two latter principles are the springs the former is merely the instrument of all human action they are masters whereas the intellect is but the servant of the will and hence it is evident that in proportion as the one or the other of these two predominant principlesas either the selfish or the moral disposition is educed in man and thus made the chief director and stimulus of the intellectual power within him so will the cultivation of that power be the source of happiness or misery to himself and others the third and last class namely those who are driven to the streets is almost as large as any luckily those who take to that mode of life are by far the least numerous portion of the street folk and if those who are bred to the business are worthy of our pity assuredly those who are driven to it are equally if not more so with some who are deprived of the means of obtaining a maintenance for themselves the sale of small articles in the streets may perhaps be an excuse for begging but in most cases i am convinced it is adopted from a horror of the workhouse and a disposition to do at least something for the food they eat often is it the last struggle of independencethe desire to give something like an equivalent for what they receive over and over again have i noticed this honourable pride even in individuals who from some privations or affliction that rendered them utterly incompetent to labour for their living had a just claim on our sympathies and assistance the blindthe cripplethe maimedthe 323 very oldthe very youngall have generally adopted a street life because they could do nothing else with many it is the last resort of all the smallness of the stock money requiredfor a shilling it has been shown is sufficient to commence several street tradesis one of the principal causes of so many of those who are helpless taking to the street traffic moreover the severity of the poor laws and the degradation of pauperism and the aversion to be thought a common beggar by all except the very lowest are i have no doubt strong incentives to this course there are many callings which are peculiar as being followed principally by the disabled the majority of the blind are musicians or boot lace or tape sellers the very old are sellers of watercresses lucifers pincushions ballads and pins and needles stay laces and such small articles as are light to carry and require but a few pence for the outlay the very young are sellers of flowers oranges nuts onions blacking lucifers and the like many of those who have lost an arm or a leg or a hand turn showmen or become sellers of small metal articles as knives or nutmeg graters and many who have been born cripples may be seen in the streets struggling for self support but all who are driven to the streets have not been physically disabled for labour some have been reduced from their position as tradesmen or shopmen others again have been gentlemens servants and clerks all dragged down by a series of misfortunes sometimes beyond their control and sometimes brought about by their own imprudence or sluggishness as we have seen many are reduced to a state of poverty by long illness and on their recovery are unable from want of clothes or friends to follow any other occupation but a still larger class than all are the beaten out mechanics and artizans who from want of employment in their own trade take to make up small things as clothes horses tin ware cutlery brushes pails caps and bonnets on their own account the number of artizans in the london streets speaks volumes for the independence of the working men of this country as well as for the difficulty of their obtaining employment at their own trades those who are unacquainted with the sterling pride of the destitute english mechanic know not what he will suffer before becoming an inmate of a workhouse or sinking to the debasement of a beggar that handicraftsmen do occasionally pass into lurkers i know well but these i am convinced have gradually been warped to the life by a long course of tramping aided by the funds of their societies and thus becoming disused to labour have after forfeiting all claims upon the funds of their trade adopted beggary as a means of subsistence but that this is the exception rather than the rule the following is sufficient to show the destitute mechanics said the master of the wandsworth and clapham union to me are entirely a different class from the regular vagrants they have different habits and indeed different features during the whole of my experience i never knew a distressed artizan who applied for a nights shelter commit an act of theft and i have seen them he added in the last stage of destitution occasionally they have sold the shirt and waistcoat off their backs before they applied for admittance into the workhouse while some of them have been so weak from long starvation that they could scarcely reach the gate and indeed had to be kept for several days in the infirmary before their strength was recruited sufficiently to continue their journey the poor mechanic said another of my informants will sit in the casual ward like a lost man scared its shocking to think a decent mechanics houseless when hes beat out hes like a bird out of a cage he doesnt know where to go or how to get a bit i shall avail myself of another occasion to discuss the means of improving the condition of the street people of the street sellers of manufactured articles these traders consist of 1 the vendors of metal articles 2 of chemical articles 3 of china glass and stone articles 4 of linen cotton and other textile fabrics and 5 of miscellaneous articles in this classification i do not include second hand articles nor yet the traffic of those who make the articles they sell and who are indeed street artizans rather than street sellers under the first head are included the vendors of razors table and penknives tea trays dog collars key rings articles of hardware small coins and medals pins and needles jewellery snuffers candlesticks articles of tin ware tools card counters herring toasters trivets gridirons pans tray stands as in the roasting of meat and dutch ovens of the second description are the vendors of blacking black lead lucifer matches corn salves grease removing compositions china and glass cements plating balls rat and beetle poisons crackers detonating balls and cigar lights under the third head come all street sold articles of china glass or stone manufacture including not only crockery but vases chimney ornaments and stone fruit the fourth head presents the street vending of cotton silken and linen manufactures such as sheetings shirtings a variety of laces sew 324 ing cotton threads and tapes articles of haberdashery and of millinery artificial flowers handkerchiefs and pretended smuggled goods among the fifth class or the miscellaneous street sellers are those who vend cigars pipes tobacco and snuff boxes and cigar cases accordions spectacles hats sponge combs and hair brushes shirt buttons and coat studs lots rhubarb wash leather paper hangings dolls bristol and other toys saw dust fire wood and pin cushions there are many other manufactured articles sold in the streets but their description will be more proper under the head of street artisans the street sellers of manufactured articles present as a body so many and often such varying characteristics that i cannot offer to give a description of them as a whole as i have been able to do with other and less diversified classes among them are several distinct and peculiar street characters such as the pack men who carry their cotton or linen goods in packs on their backs and are all itinerants then there are duffers who vend pretended smuggled goods handkerchiefs silks tobacco or cigars also the sellers of sham sovereigns and sham gold rings for wagers the crockery ware and glass sellers known in the street trade as crocks are peculiar from their principle of bartering they will sell to any one but they sell very rarely and always clamour in preference for an exchange of their wares for wearing apparel of any kind they state if questioned that their reason for doing this isat least i heard the statement from some of the most intelligent among themthat they do so because if they sold outright they required a hawkers license and could not sell or swop so cheap some of the street sellers of manufactured articles are also patterers among these are the cheap jacks or cheap johns the grease and stain removers the corn salve and plate ball vendors the sellers of sovereigns and rings for wagers a portion of the lot sellers and the men who vend poison for vermin and go about the streets with live rats clinging to or running about their persons this class of street sellers also includes many of the very old and the very young the diseased crippled maimed and blind these poor creatures sell and sometimes obtain a charitable penny by offering to sell such things as boxes of lucifer matches cakes of blacking boot stay and other laces pins and sewing and knitting needles tapes cotton bobbins garters pincushions combs nutmeg graters metal skewers and meat hooks hooks and eyes and shirt buttons the rest of the class may be described as merely street sellers toiling struggling plodding itinerant tradesmen of the street sellers of manufactured articles in metal these street sellers are less numerous than might be imagined whenaccording to my present divisionthe class is confined to the sellers of articles which they do not manufacture the metal wares thus sold i have already enumerated and i have now to describe the characteristics of the sellers the result of my inquiries leads me to the conclusion that the street vendors of any article which is the product of the skill of the handicraftsman have been almost always in their first outset in a street life connected in some capacity or other with the trade the manufactures of which they vend one elderly man long familiar with this branch of the street trade expressed to me his conviction that when a mechanic sought his livelihood in the streets he naturally gave his mind to sell what he understood now in my own case continued my informant i was born and bred a tinman and when i was driven to a street life i never thought of selling anything but tins how could i if i wished to do the thing square and proper it would be like trying to speak another language if id started on slippersand i knew a poor man who was set up in the streets by a charitable lady on a stock of gentlemens slipperswhat could i have done why no better than he told me he did he was a potter down at deptford and knew of nothing but flower pots and honey jars for grocers and them red sorts of pottery poor fellow he might have died of hunger only the cholera came quickest but when im questioned about my tins im my own man and its a great thing im satisfied in a street trade when theres so many cheap shops and the police and all again you to understand the goods youre talking about this statement i may repeat is undoubtedly correct so far as that a beaten out mechanic when driven to the streets in the first instance offers to the public wares of which he understands the value and quality afterwards in the experience or vagaries of a street life other commodities may be or may appear to be more remunerative and for such the mechanic may relinquish his first articles of street traffic why sir i was told there was one man who left razors for cabbages cause one day a costermonger wot lived in the same house with him and was taken ill asked him to go out with a barrow of summer cabbagesthe costermongers boy went with himand they went off so well that joe the former razor seller managed to start in the costering line he was so encouraged the street trade in metal manufactured articles is principally itinerant perhaps during the week upwards of three fourths of those carrying it on are itinerant while on a saturday night perhaps all are stationary and almost always in the street markets the itinerant 325 trade is carried on and chiefly in the suburbs by men women and children but the children are always or almost always the offspring of the adult street sellers the metal sold in the street may be divided into street hardware street tinware and street jewellery i shall begin with the former the street sellers of hardware are i am assured in number about 100 including single men and families for women take their share in the business and children sell smaller things such as snuffers or bread baskets the people pursuing the trade are of the class i have above described with the exception of some ten or twelve who formerly made a living as servants to the gaming booths at epsom ascot c c and managed to live out of the races somehow most of the year since the gaming booths have been disallowed they have taken to the street hardware all these street sellers obtain their supplies at the swag shops of which i shall speak hereafter the main articles of their trade are tea boards waiters snuffers candlesticks bread baskets cheese trays britannia metal tea pots and spoons iron kettles pans and coffee pots the most saleable things i am told by a man who has been fifteen years in this and similar street trades are at present 18 in tea boards bought at the swags at from 10 s 6 d a doz to 4 s each 24 in boards from 20 s the doz to 5 s each bread baskets 4 s 6 d the doz and britannia metal tea pots 10 s the doz these tea pots have generally what is called loaded bottoms the lower part of the vessel is filled with composition so as to look as if there was great weight of metal and as if the pot would melt for almost the 18 d which is asked for it and very often got i learned from the same man however and from others in the trade that it is far more difficult now than it was a few years ago to sell rubbish there used to be also but not within these six or eight years a tolerable profit realised by the street sellers of hardware in the way of swop it was common to take an old metal article as part payment for a new one and if the old article were of good quality it was polished and tinkered up for sale in the saturday evening street markets and often went off well this traffic however has almost ceased to exist as regards the street sellers of hardware and has been all but monopolised by the men who barter crocks for wearing apparel or any old metal some hardware men who have become well known on their roundsfor the principal trade is in the suburbssell very good wares and at moderate profits its a poor trade sir is the hardware said one man carrying it on and street trades are mostly poor trades for ive tried many a one of them i was brought up a clown i may say my father died when i was a child and i might have been a clown still but for an accident a rupture thats long ago i cant say how long but i know that before i was fifteen i many a time wished i was dead and i have many a time since why the day before yesterday from 9 in the morning to 11 at night i didnt take a farthing some days i dont earn 1 s and i have a mother depending upon me who can do little or nothing im a teetotaller if i wasnt we shouldnt have a meal a day i never was fond of drink and if im ever so weary and out of sorts and worried for a meals meat i cant say i ever long for a drop to cheer me up sometimes i cant get coffee let alone anything else o i suffer terribly day after day i get wet through and have nothing to take home to my mother at last our principal food is bread and butter and tea not fish half so often as many poor people i suppose because we dont care for it i know that our living the two of us stands to less than 1 s a day not 6 d a piece then i have two rents to pay no sir not for two places but i pay 2 s a week for a room a tidy bit of a chamber furnished and 1 s a week rent i call it rent for a loan of 5 s ive paid 1 s a week for four weeks on it and must keep paying until i can hand over the 5 s with 1 s for rent added to it all in one sum if i could tip up the 5 s the day after id paid the last weeks 1 s i must pay another shilling the man who lends does nothing else he lives by lending and by letting out a few barrows to costermongers and other street people i wish i could take a farewell sight of them the principal traffic carried on by these street sellers is in the suburbs women constitute their sole customers or nearly so their profits fluctuate from 20 per cent to 100 per cent the bread baskets which they buy at 4 s 6 d the doz they retail at 6 d each for it is very difficult i have frequently been told to get a price between 6 d and 1 s this however relates only to those things which are not articles of actual necessity half of these street sellers i am assured take on an average from 20 s to 25 s weekly the year through a quarter take 15 s and the remaining quarter from 7 s 6 d to 10 s calculating an average taking of 15 s each per week throughout the entire class men women and children we find 3 900 l expended in street sold hardwares ten years ago i am told the takings were not less than 2 000 l the following is an extract from accounts kept not long ago by a street seller of hardware his principal sale was snuffers knives and forks iron candlesticks padlocks and bed screws his stock cost him 35 s on the monday morning and his first week was his best which i here subjoin receipts profits monday 8 s 3 s 0 d tuesday 5 2 3 wednesday 4 1 6 thursday always a slack day 3 friday a better day about the docks when people are paid 7 3 0 saturday morning and even 23 6 1 50 15 10 326 the following is the worst week in the account books the street seller after this about half a year ago sold his stock to a small shopkeeper and went into another business receipts profits s d s d monday very cold a common bed screw 0 4 0 1 tuesday wednesday 1 0 0 5 thursday sold cheap 1 1 0 3 friday saturday 1 7 0 8 4 0 1 5 of the cheap johns or street hansellers this class of street salesmen who are perhaps the largest dealers of all in hardware are not so numerous as they were some few years agothe excise laws as i have before remarked having interfered with their business the principal portion of those i have met are irishmen who notwithstanding generally hail from sheffield and all their sales are effected in an attempt at the yorkshire dialect interspersed however with an unmistakeable brogue the brogue is the more apparent when cheap john gets a little out of temperif his sales are flat for instance hell say by js i dont belaive youve any money with you or that youve lift any at home at all at all bad cess to you there are however many english cheap johns but few of them are natives of sheffield or birmingham from which towns they invariably hail their system of selling is to attract a crowd of persons by an harangue after the following fashion here i am the original cheap john from sheffield ive not come here to get money not i ive come here merely for the good of the public and to let you see how youve been imposed upon by a parcel of pompous shopkeepers who are not content with less than 100 per cent for rubbish they got up a petitionwhich i havent time to read to you just nowoffering me a large sum of money to keep away from here but no i had too much friendship for you to consent and here i am cheap john born without a shirt one day while my mother was out in a haystack consequently ive no parish for the cows eat up mine and therefore ive never no fear of going to the workhouse ive more money than the parson of the parishive in this cart a cargo of useful and cheap goods can supply you with anything from a needle to an anchor nobody can sell as cheap as me seeing that i gets all my goods upon credit and never means to pay for them now then what shall we begin with heres a beautiful guard chain if it isnt silver its the same colouri dont say it isnt silver nor i dont say it isin that affair use your own judgment now in the reglar way of trade you shall go into any shop in town and they will ask you 1 l 18 s 6 d for an article not half so good so what will you say for this splendid chain eighteen and sixpence without the pound what thats too much well then say 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 shillings what none of you give ten shillings for this beautiful article see how it improves a mans appearance hanging the chain round his neck any young man here present wearing this chain will always be shown into the parlour instead of the tap room into the best pew in church when he andbut the advantages the purchaser of this chain will possess i havent time to tell what no buyers why whats the matter with ye have you no money or no brains but ill ruin myself for your sakes say 9 s for this splendid piece of jewellery8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1a shilling will anybody give a shilling well here 11 d 10 d 9 d 8 d 7 d 6 d 6 d is there ever a buyer at sixpence now ill ask no more and ill take no less sell it or never sell it the concluding words are spoken with peculiar emphasis and after saying them the cheap john never takes any lower sum a customer perhaps is soon obtained for the guard chain and then the vendor elevates his voice sold to a very respectable gentleman with his mouth between his nose and chin a most remarkable circumstance i believe ive just one morethis is better than the last i must have a shilling for this sixpence to you sir sold again to a gentleman worth 30 000 l a year only the right owner keeps him out of it i believe ive just one more yes here it is its brighterer longerer strongerer and betterer than the last i must have at least tenpence for this well then 9 8 7 6 take this one for a sixpence sold again to a gentleman his fathers pet and his mothers joy pray sir does your mother know youre out well i dont think ive any more but ill look yes here is one more now this is better than all the rest sold again to a most respectable gentleman whose mother keeps a chandlers shop and whose father turns the mangle in this manner the cheap john continues to sell his guard chain until he has drained his last customer for that particular commodity he has always his remark to make relative to the purchaser the cheap john always takes care to receive payment before he hazards his jokes which i need scarcely remark are ready made and most of them ancient and worn threadbare the joint property of the whole fraternity of cheap johns after supplying his audience with one particular article he introduces another here is a carving knife and fork none of your wasters capital buck horn handle manufactured of the best steel in a regular workmanlike manner fit for carving in the best style from a sparrow to a bullock i dont ask 7 s 6 d for thisalthough go over to mr the ironmonger and he will have the impudence to ask you 15 s for a worse article the cheap johns always make comparisons as to their own prices and the shopkeepers and sometimes mention their names i say 5 s 327 for the carving knife and fork why its an article thatll almost fill your childrens bellies by looking at it and will always make 1 lb of beef go as far as 6 lb carved by any other knife and fork well 4 s 3 s 2 s 1 s 11 d 1 s 10 d 1 s 9 d 1 s 8 d 1 s 7 d 18 d i ask no more nor ill take no less the salesman throughout his variety of articles indulges in the same jokes and holds out the same inducements i give a few this is the original teapot producing one formerly invented by the chinese the first that ever was imported by those celebrated peopleonly two of them came over in three ships if i do not sell this to day i intend presenting it to the british museum or the great exhibition it is mostly used for making tea sometimes by ladies for keeping a little drop on the sly it is an article constructed upon scientific principles considered to require a lesser quantity of tea to manufacture the largest quantity of tea water than any other teapot now in uselargely patronised by the tea totallers now heres a fine pair of bellows any of you want to raise the wind this is a capital opportunity if youll try ill tell you how buy these of me for 3 s 6 d and go and pawn them for 7 s will you buy em sir no well then you be blowed lets seei said 3 s 6 d its too little but as i have said it they must go well3 s c c capital article to chastise the children or a drunken husband well take em for 1 s i ask no more and ill take no less these men have several articles which they sell singly such as tea trays copper kettles fire irons guns whips to all of which they have some preamble but their most attractive lot is a heap of miscellaneous articles i have here a pair of scissors i only want half a crown for them what you wont give 1 s well ill add something else heres a most useful articlea knife with eight blades and theres not a blade among you all thats more highly polished this knifes a case of instruments in addition to the blades heres a corkscrew a button hook a file and a picker for this capital knife and first rate pair of scissors i ask 1 s well well youve no more conscience than a lawyer heres something elsea pocket book this book no gentleman should be without it contains a diary for every day in the week an almanack a ready reckoner a tablet for your own memorandums pockets to keep your papers and a splendid pencil with a silver top no buyers im astonished but ill add another article heres a pocket comb no young man with any sense of decency should be without a pocket comb what looks worse than to see a mans head in an uproar some of you look as if your hair hadnt seen a comb for years surely i shall get a customer now what no buyerswell i never here ill add half a dozen of the very best britannia metal tea spoons and if you dont buy you must be spoons yourselves why you perfectly astonish me i really believe if i was to offer all in the shop myself included i should not draw 1 s out of you well ill try again here ill add a dozen of black lead pencils now then look at these articles he spreads them out holding them between his fingers to the best advantage heres a pair of first rate scissors that will almost cut of themselves this valuable knife which comprises within itself almost a chest of tools a splendid pocket book which must add to the respectability and consequence of any man who wears it a pocket comb which possesses the peculiar property of making the hair curl and dyeing it any colour you wish a half dozen spoons nothing inferior to silver and that do not require half the usual quantity of sugar to sweeten your tea and a dozen beautiful pencils at least worth the money i ask for the whole lot now a reasonable price for these articles would be at least 10 s 6 d ill sell them for 1 s i ask no more ill take no less sold again the opposition these men display to each other while pursuing their business is mostly assumed for the purpose of attracting a crowd sometimes when in earnest their language is disgusting and i have seen them says an informant after selling try and settle their differences with a game at fisticuffs but this occurred but seldom one of these men had a wife who used to sell for him she was considered to be the best chaffer on the road not one of them could stand against her tongue but her language abounded with obscenity all the cheap johns were afraid of her they never under sell each other unless they get in a real passion this but seldom happens but when it does they are exceedingly bitter against each other i cannot state the language they use further than that it reaches the very summit of blackguardism they have however assumed quarrels for the purpose of holding a crowd together and chaff goes round intended to amuse their expected customers hes coming your way to morrow theyll say one of the other mind and dont hang your husbands shirts to dry ladies hes very lucky at finding things before theyre lost he sells very cheap no doubtbut mind if you handle any of his wares he dont make you a present of a scotch fiddle for nothing his hair looks as if it had been cut with a knife and fork the irishmen in these displays generally have the best of it indeed most of their jokes have originated with the irishmen who complain of the piracies of other cheap johns for as soon as the joke is uttered it is the property of the commonwealth and not unfrequently used against the inventor half an hour after its first appearance a few of them are not over particular as to the respectability of their transactions i recollect one purchasing a brick at sheffield the brick was packed up in paper with a knife tied on the outside it appeared like a package of 328 knives containing several dozens the cheap john made out that he bought them as stolen property the biter was deservedly bitten a few of the fraternity are well known fences and some of them pursue the double calling of cheap john and gamblerkeeping gambling tables at races however the majority are hard working men who unite untiring industry with the most indomitable perseverance for the laudable purpose of bettering their condition i believe the most successful in the line have worked their way up from nothing gaining experience as they proceeded i have known two or three start the trade with plenty of stock but wanting the tact they have soon been knocked off the road there is a great deal of judgment required in knowing the best fairs and even when there as to getting a good stand and these matters are to be acquired only by practice in the provinces and in scotland there may be 100 cheap johns or as they term themselves han sellers they are generally a most persevering body of men and have frequently risen from small hawkers of belts braces c their receipts are from 5 l to 30 l per day their profits from 20 to 25 per cent 20 l is considered a good days work and they can take about three fairs a week during the summer months i have known many of these men a man well acquainted with them informs me who would walk 20 miles to a fair during the night hawk the public houses the whole of the day and start again all night for a fair to be held 20 miles off upon the following day i knew two irish lads named and i watched their progress with some interest each had a stock of goods worth a few shillings and now each has a wholesale warehouse one at sheffield in the cutlery line and the other at birmingham in general wares the goods the han seller disposes of are mostly purchased at sheffield and birmingham they purchase the cheapest goods they can obtain many of the han sellers have settled in various parts of england as swag shop keepers there are two or three in london i am told who have done so one in the kent road a large concern the others i am not aware of their locality their mode of living while travelling is rather peculiar those who have their caravans sleep in them some with their wives and families they have a man or more generally a boy to look after the horse and other drudgery and sometimes at a fair to hawk or act as a button a decoy to purchase the first lot of goods put up this boy is accommodated with a bed made between the wheels of the cart or wagon with some old canvas hung round to keep the weather outnot the most comfortable quarters perhaps but as they say its nothing when youre used to it the packing up occurs when theres no more chance of effecting sales the horse is put to and the caravan proceeds on the road towards the next town intended to visit after a sufficient days travel the cheap john looks out for a spot to encamp for the night a clear stream of water and provender for the horse are indispensable or perhaps the han seller has visited that part before and is aware of the halting place after having released the horse and secured his fore feet so that he cannot stray the next process is to look for some crack some dry wood to light a fire this is the boys work he is told not to despoil hedges or damage fences cheap john doesnt wish to offend the farmers and during his temporary sojourn in the green lanes he frequently has some friendly chat with the yeomen and their servants sometimes disposes of goods and often barters for a piece of fat bacon or potatoes a fire is lighted between the shafts of the cart a stick placed across upon which is suspended the cookery utensil when the meal is concluded the parties retire to bed the master within the caravan and the boy to his chamber between the wheels sometimes they breakfast before they proceed on their journey at other times they travel a few miles first those who have children bring them up in such a manner as may be imagined considering their itinerant life but there are very few who have families travelling with them though in most cases a wife generally the children of the cheap john are stationary either out at nurse or with relatives some of the cheap johns have wagons upon four wheels others have carts but both are fitted up with a wooden roof the proprietor invariably sleeps within his portable house both for the protection of his property and also upon the score of economy the vans with four wheels answer all the purposes of a habitation the furniture consists of a bed placed upon boxes containing the stock in trade the bed extends the whole width of the vehicle about 6 ft 6 in and many generally extend about 5 ft into the body of the van and occupies the farthest end of the machine from the door which door opens out upon the horse the four wheeled vans are 12 ft long and the two wheeled carts 9 ft during business hours the whole of the articles most likely to be wanted are spread out upon the bed and the assistant either the wife or a boy hands them out as the salesman may require them the furniture in addition to the bed is very scarce indeed they are very much averse to carry more than is really necessary the pail the horse takes his corn and beans from i dont know why but they never use nose bags serves the purpose of a wash hand basin or a washing tub it is generally painted the same colour as the van with the initials of the proprietor painted upon it and when travelling hangs upon a hook under the machine they mostly begin with a two wheeled machine and if successful a four wheeler follows the tables and chairs are the boxes in which the goods are packed a tea kettle and saucepan and as few delf articles as possible and corner cupboard and these comprise the whole of the furniture of the van 329 in the four wheeled wagons there is always a fire place similar to those the captains of ships have in their cabins but in the two wheeled carts fire places are dispensed with these are mostly brass ones and are kept very bright for the cheap johns are proud of their van and its contents they are always gaudily painted sometimes expensively indeed they are most expensive articles and cost from 80 l to 120 l the principal person for making these machines is a mr davidson of leeds the showmans caravans are still more expensive the last purchased by the late mr wombwell cost more than 300 l and is really a curiosity he termed it as all showmen dothe living wagon viz to live init has parlour and kitchen and is fitted up most handsomely its exterior presents the appearance of a first class railway carriage the front exterior of the van during the trading operations of the cheap johns is hung round with guns saws tea trays bridles whips centre bits and other articles displayed to the best advantage the name of the proprietor is always prominently displayed along the whole side of the vehicle added to which is a signification that he is a wholesale hardwareman from sheffield yorkshire or birmingham warwickshire and sometimes an extra announcement the original cheap john i do not know any class of men who are more fond of the good things of this life than cheap john his dinner during a fair is generally eaten upon the platform outside his van where he disposes of his wares and invariably consists of a joint of baked meat and potatoesthat is where they can get a dinner baked as little time as possible is occupied in eating especially if trade is good at a hill fair that is where the fair is held upon a hill away from a town a fire is made behind the cart the pot is suspended upon three sticks and dinner prepared in the usual camp fashion the wife or boy superintends this tea and coffee also generally find their way to their table and if theres no cold meat a plentiful supply of bacon beef steaks eggs or something in the shape of a relish seem to be with cheap john indispensable his man or boy if john is unmarried appears to be upon an equality with the master in the eating department he is not allowanced neither has he to wait until his superior has finished get it over as quick as you can seems to be the chief object perhaps from the circumstance of their selling guns and consequently always having such implements in their possession these men when they have time on their hands are fond of the sports of the field and many a hare finds its way into the camp kettle of cheap john i need not say that they practise this sport with but little respectful feeling towards the game laws but they are careful when indulging in such amusement and i never heard of one getting into a hobble during the winter since the cheap john has been obliged to become a licensed auctioneer some of them take shops and sell their goods by auction or get up mock auctions i have been told by them that sometimes its a better game than han selling the commencement of the cheap johns season is at lynn in norfolk there is a mart there commencing 14th february it continues fourteen days after this there is wisbeach spalding grantham and other marts in norfolk and lincolnshire which bring them up to easter at easter there are many fairsmanchester knott mill blackburn darlington newcastle c c the cheap johns then disperse themselves through different parts of the country hill fairs are considered the best that is cattle fairs where there are plenty of farmers and country people hirings for servants are next to them it may appear curious but sheffield and birmingham fairs are two of the best for the cheap johns business in england there are two fairs at each place during the year sheffield at whitsuntide and november birmingham whitsuntide and september nottingham derby leeds newcastle bristol glasgowin fact where the greatest population is the chances for business are considered the best and if i may judge from the number of traders in this line who attend the largest towns i should say they succeed better than in smaller towns if we calculate that there are 100 cheap johns in london and in the country and they are more or less itinerant and that they each take 4 l per day for nine months in the year or 24 l per week this amounts to 2 400 l per week or about 90 000 l in nine months supposing their profits to be 20 per cent it would leave 18 000 l clear income say that during the winter there are seventy five following the business and that their receipts amount to 15 l each per week this amounts to 13 500 l additional and at the rate of 20 per cent profit comes to 2 700 l making throughout the year the profits of the 100 cheap johns 20 700 l or 207 l a man the cheap johns seldom frequent the crowded thoroughfares of london their usual pitches in the metropolis are kings cross st georges in the east stepney round about the london docks paddington kennington and such like places the crippled street seller of nutmeg graters i now give an example of one of the classes driven to the streets by utter inability to labour i have already spoken of the sterling independence of some of these men possessing the strongest claims to our sympathy and charity and yet preferring to sell rather than beg as i said before many ingrained beggars certainly use the street trade as a cloak for alms seeking but as certainly many more with every title to our assistance use it as a means of redemption from 330 beggary that the nutmeg grater seller is a noble example of the latter class i have not the least doubt i have made all due inquiries to satisfy myself as to his worthiness and i feel convinced that when the reader looks at the portrait here given and observes how utterly helpless the poor fellow is and then reads the following plain unvarnished tale he will marvel like me not only at the fortitude which could sustain him under all his heavy afflictions but at the resignation not to say philosophy with which he bears them every one his struggles to earn his own living notwithstanding his physical incapacity even to put the victuals to his mouth after he has earned them are instances of a nobility of pride that are i believe without a parallel the poor creatures legs and arms are completely withered indeed he is scarcely more than head and trunk his thigh is hardly thicker than a childs wrist his hands are bent inward from contraction of the sinews the fingers being curled up and almost as thin as the claws of a birds foot he is unable even to stand and cannot move from place to place but on his knees which are shod with leather caps like the heels of a clog strapped round the joint the soles of his boots are on the upper leathers that being the part always turned towards the ground while he is crawling along his countenance is rather handsome than otherwise the intelligence indicated by his ample forehead is fully borne out by the testimony as to his sagacity in his business and the mild expression of his eye by the statements as to his feeling for all others in affliction i sell nutmeg graters and funnels said the cripple to me i sell them at 1 d and 1 d a piece i get mine of the man in whose house i live he is a tinman and makes for the street trade and shops and all i pay 7 d a dozen for them and i get 12 d or 18 d a dozen if i can when i sell them but i mostly get only a penny a pieceits quite a chance if i have a customer at 1 d some days i sell only threesome days not onethough im out from ten oclock till six the most i ever took was 3 s 6 d in a day some weeks i hardly clear my expensesand theyre between 7 s and 8 s a week for not being able to dress and ondress myself im obligated to pay some one to do it for mei think i dont clear more than 7 s a week take one week with another when i dont make that much i go withoutsometimes friends who are kind to me give me a trifle or else i should starve as near as i can judge i take about 15 s a week and out of that i clear about 6 s or 7 s i pay for my meals as i have them3 d or 4 d a meal i pay every night for my lodging as i go in if i can but if not my landlady lets it run a night or two i give her 1 s a week for my washing and looking after me and 1 s 6 d for my lodging when i do very well i have three meals a day but its oftener only twobreakfast and supperunless of sunday on a wet day when i cant get out i often go without food i may have a bit of bread and butter give me but thats allthen i lie a bed i feel miserable enough when i see the rain come down of a week day i can tell you ah it is very miserable indeed lying in bed all day and in a lonely room without perhaps a person to come near onehelpless as i amand hear the rain beat against the windows and all that without nothing to put in your lips ive done that over and over again where i lived before but where i am now im more comfortable like my breakfast is mostly bread and butter and tea and my supper bread and butter and tea with a bit of fish or a small bit of meat what my landlord and landlady has i share with them i never break my fast from the time i go out in the morning till i come homeunless it is a halfpenny orange i buy in the street i do that when i feel faint i have only been selling in the streets since this last winter i was in the workhouse with a fever all the summer i was destitute afterwards and obliged to begin selling in the streets the guardians gave me 5 s to get stock i had always dealt in tin ware so i knew where to go to buy my things its very hard work indeed is street selling for such as me i cant walk no distance i suffer a great deal of pains in my back and knees sometimes i go in a barrow when im travelling any great way when i go only a short way i crawl along on my knees and toes the most ive ever crawled is two miles when i get home afterwards im in great pain my knees swell dreadfully and theyre all covered with blisters and my toes ache awful ive corns all on top of them the street seller of nutmeg graters from a daguerreotype by beard often after ive been walking my limbs and back ache so badly that i can get no sleep across my lines it feels as if id got some great weight and my knees are in a heat and throb and feel as if a knife was running into them when i go up stairs i have to crawl upon the back of my hands and my knees i cant lift nothing to my mouth the sinews of my hands is all contracted i am obliged to have things held to my lip for me to drink like a child i can use a knife and fork by leaning my arm on the table and then stooping my head to it i cant wash nor ondress myself sometimes i think of my helplessness a great deal the thoughts of it used to throw me into fits at one timevery bad its the almightys will that i am so and i must abide by it people says as they passes me in the streets poor fellow its a shocking thing but very seldom they does any more than pity me some lays out a halfpenny or a penny with me but the most of em goes on about their business persons looks at me a good bit when i go into a strange place i do feel it very much that i havent the power to get my living or to do a thing for myself but i never begged for nothing id sooner starve than id do that i never thought that people whom god had given the power to help theirselves ought to help me i have thought that im as i amobliged to go on my hands and knees from no fault of my own often ive done that and ive over and over again laid in 331 bed and wondered why the almighty should send me into the world in such a state often ive done that on a wet day with nothing to eat and no friend to come a nigh me when ive gone along the streets too and been in pain ive thought as ive seen the people pass straight up with all the use of their limbs and some of them the biggest blackguards cussing and swearing ive thought why should i be deprived of the use of mine and ive felt angry like and perhaps at that moment i couldnt bring my mind to believe the almighty was so good and merciful as id heard say but then in a minute or two afterwards ive prayed to him to make me better and happier in the next world ive always been led to think hes afflicted me as he has for some wise purpose or another that i cant see i think as mine is so hard a life in this world i shall be better off in the next often when i couldnt afford to pay a boy ive not had my boots off for four or five nights and days nor my clothes neither give me the world i couldnt take them off myself and then my feet has swollen to that degree that ive been nearly mad with pain and ive been shivering and faint but still i was obliged to go out with my things if i hadnt i should have starved such as i am cant afford to be illits only rich folks as can lay up not we for us to take to our beds is to go without food altogether when i was without never a boy i used to tie the wet towel round the back of one of the chairs and wash myself by rubbing my face up against it ive been two days without a bit of anything passing between my lips i couldnt go and beg for victualsid rather go without then i used to feel faint and my head used to ache dreadful i used then to drink a plenty of water the women sex is mostly more kinder to me than the men some of the men fancies as i goes along that i can walk they often says to me why the sole of your boot is as muddy as mine and one on em is because i always rests myself on that footthe other sole you see is as clean as when it was first made the women never seem frightened on me my trade is to sell brooms and brushes and all kinds of cutlery and tin ware i learnt it myself i never was brought up to nothing because i couldnt use my hands mother was a cook in a noblemans family when i were born they say as i was a love child i was not brought up by mother but by one of her fellow servants mothers intellects was so weak that she couldnt have me with her she used to fret a great deal about me so her fellow servant took me when she got married after i were born mother married a farmer in middling circumstances they tell me as my mother was frightened afore i was born i never knew my father he went over to buonos ayres and kept an hotel thereive heard mother say as much no mother couldnt love a child more than mine did me but her feelings was such she couldnt bear to see me i never went to mothers to live but was brought up by the fellow servant as ive told you of mother allowed her 30 l a year i was with her till two years back she was always very kind to metreated me like one of her own mother used to come and see me about once a yearsometimes not so often she was very kind to me then oh yes i used to like to see her very much whatever i wished for shed let me have if i wrote to her she always sent me what i wanted i was very comfortably then mother died four years ago and when i lost her i fell into a fiti was told of it all of a sudden she and the party as i was brought up with was the only friends as i had in the worldthe only persons as cared anything about a creature like me i was in a fit for hours and when i came to i thought what would become of me i knew i could do nothing for myself and the only friend as i had as could keep me was gone the person as brought me up was very good and said while shed got a home i should never want but two years after mothers death she was seized with the cholera and then i hadnt a friend left in the world when she died i felt ready to kill myself i was all alone then and what could i docripple as i was she thought her sons and daughters as id been brought up withlike brothers and sisterswould look after me but it was not in their powerthey was only hard working people my mother used to allow so much a year for my schooling and i can read and write pretty well he wrote his name in my presence kneeling at the table holding the pen almost as one might fancy a bird would and placing the paper sideways instead of straight before him while mother was alive i was always foraging about to learn something unbeknown to her i wanted to do so in case mother should leave me without the means of getting a living i used to buy old bedsteads and take them to a man and get him to repair them and then id put the sacking on myself i can hold a hammer somehow in my right hand i used to polish them on my knees i made a bench to my height out of two old chairs i used to know what i should get for the bedsteads and so could tell what i could afford to give the man to do up the parts as i couldnt manage it was so i got to learn something like a business for myself when the person died as had brought me up i could do a little i had then got the means before her death i had opened a kind of shop for things in the general line i sold tin ware and brass work and candlesticks and fire irons and all old furniture and gown prints as well i went into the tally business and that ruined me altogether i couldnt get my money in theres a good deal owing to me now me and a boy used to manage the whole i used to make all my account books and everything my lodgers didnt pay me my rent so i had to move from the house and live on what stock i had in my new lodging 332 i went on as well as i could for a little while but about eighteen months ago i could hold on no longer then i borrowed a little and went hawking tin ware and brushes in the country i sold baking dishes dutch ovens roasting jacks skewers and gridirons teapots and saucepans and combs i used to exchange sometimes for old clothes i had a barrow and a boy with me i used to keep him and give him 1 s a week i managed to get just a living that way when the winter came on i gave it up it was too cold after that i was took bad with a fever my stock had been all gone a little while before and the boy had left because i couldnt keep him and i had to do all for myself all my friends was dead and i had no one to help me so i was obligated to lay about all night in my things for i couldnt get them off alone and that and want of food brought on a fever then i was took into the workhouse and there i stopped all the summer as i told you i cant say they treated me bad but they certainly didnt use me well if i could have worked after i got better i could have had tea but cause i couldnt do nothing they gave me that beastly gruel morning and night i had meat three times a week they would have kept me there till now but i would die in the streets rather than be a pauper so i told them if they would give me the means of getting a stock i would try and get a living for myself after refusing many times to let me have 10 s they agreed to give me 5 s then i came out but i had no home and so i crawled about till i met with the people where i am now and they let me sit up there till i got a room of my own then some of my friends collected for me about 15 s altogether and i did pretty well for a little while i went to live close by the blackfriars road but the people where i lodged treated me very bad there was a number of girls of the town in the same street but they was too fond of their selves and their drink to give nothing they used to buy things of me and never pay me they never made game of me nor played me any tricks and if they saw the boys doing it they would protect me they never offered to give me no victuals indeed i shouldnt have liked to have eaten the food they got after that i couldnt pay my lodgings and the parties where i lodged turned me out and i had to crawl about the streets for four days and nights this was only a month back i was fit to die with pain all that time if i could get a penny i used to go into a coffee shop for half a pint of coffee and sit there till they drove me out and then id crawl about till it was time for me to go out selling oh dreadful dreadful it was to be all them hoursday and nighton my knees i couldnt get along at all i was forced to sit down every minute and then i used to fall asleep with my things in my hand and be woke up by the police to be pushed about and druv on by them it seemed like as if i was walking on the bare bones of my knees the pain in them was like the cramp only much worse at last i could bear it no longer so i went afore mr secker the magistrate at union hall and told him i was destitute and that the parties where i had been living kept my bed and the few things i had for 2 s 6 d rent that i owed them he said he couldnt believe that anybody would force me to crawl about the streets for four days and nights cripple as i was for such a sum one of the officers told him i was a honest and striving man and the magistrate sent the officer with the money to get my things but the landlady wouldnt give them till the officer compelled her and then she chucked my bed out into the middle of the street a neighbour took it in for me and took care of it till i found out the tinman who had before let me sit up in his house i should have gone to him at first but he lived farther than i could walk i am stopping with him now and he is very kind to me i have still some relations living and they are well to do but being a cripple they despise me my aunt my mothers sister is married to a builder in petersham near richmond and they are rich peoplehaving some houses of their own besides a good business i have got a boy to wheel me down on a barrow to them and asked assistance of them but they will have nothing to do with me they wont look at me for my affliction six months ago they gave me half a crown i had no lodgings nor victuals then and that i shouldnt have had from them had i not said i was starving and must go to the parish this winter i went to them and they shut the door in my face after leaving my aunts i went down to ham common where my father in law lives and there his daughters husband sent for a policeman to drive me away from the place i told the husband i had no money nor food but he advised me to go begging and said i shouldnt have a penny of them my father in law was ill up stairs at the time but i dont think he would have treated me a bit betterand all this they do because the almighty has made me a cripple i can indeed solemnly say that there is nothing else against me and that i strive hard and crawl about till my limbs ache enough to drive me mad to get an honest livelihood with a couple of pounds i could i think manage to shift very well for myself id get a stock and go into the country with a barrow and buy old metal and exchange tin ware for old clothes and with that im almost sure i could get a decent living im accounted a very good dealer in answer to my inquiries concerning the character of this man i received the following written communication i have known c a twelve years the last six years he has dealt with me for tinware i have found him honest in all his dealings with me sober and industrious c h tinman from the writer of the above testimonial i 333 received the following account of the poor cripple he is a man of generous a disposition and very sensitive for the afflictions of others one day while passing down the borough he saw a man afflicted with st vituss dance shaking from head to foot and leaning on the arm of a woman who appeared to be his wife the cripple told my informant that he should never forget what he felt when he beheld that poor man i thought he said what a blessing it is i am not like him nor is the cripple i am told less independent than he is generous in all his sufferings and privations he never pleads poverty to others but bears up under the trials of life with the greatest patience and fortitude when in better circumstances he was more independent than at present having since through illness and poverty been much humbled his privations have been great adds my informant only two months back being in a state of utter destitution and quite worn out with fatigue he called at the house of a person where my informant occupied a room about ten oclock at night and begged them to let him rest himself for a short while but the inhuman landlady and her son laid hold of the wretched man the one taking him by the arms and the other by the legs and literally hurled him into the street the next morning my informant continued i saw the poor creature leaning against a lamp post shivering with the cold and my heart bled for him and since that he has been living with me of the swag shops of the metropolis by those who are not connected with the street trade the proprietors of the swag shops are often called warehousemen or general dealers and even slaughterers these descriptions apply but partially warehousemen or general dealers are vague terms which i need not further notice the wretchedly under paid and over worked shoe makers cabinet makers and others call these places slaughter houses when the establishment is in the hands of tradesmen who buy their goods of poor workmen without having given orders for them on saturday afternoons pale looking men may be seen carrying a few chairs or bending under the weight of a cheffonier or a chest of drawers in tottenham court road and thoroughfares of a similar character in all parts these are small masters who make or as one man said to me no sir i dont make these drawers i put them together it cant be called making its not workmanship who put together in the hastiest manner and in any way not positively offensive to the eye articles of household furniture the slaughterers who supply all the goods required for the furniture of a house buy at starvation prices the common term the artificer being often kept waiting for hours and treated with every indignity one east end slaughterer as i ascertained in a former inquiry used habitually to tell that he prayed for wet saturday afternoons because it put 20 l extra into his pocket this was owing to the damage sustained in the appearance of any painted varnished or polished article by exposure to the weather or if it had been protected from the weather by the unwillingness of the small master to carry it to another slaughter house in the rain under such circumstancesand under most of the circumstances of this unhappy tradethe poor workman is at the mercy of the slaughterer i describe this matter more fully than i might have deemed necessary had i not found that both the small masters spoken offor i called upon some of them againand the street sellers very frequently confounded the swag shop and the slaughter house the distinction i hold to be this the slaughterer buys as a rule with hardly an exception the furniture or whatever it may be made for the express purpose of being offered to him on speculation of sale the swag shop keeper orders his goods as a rule and buys as an exception in the manner in which the slaughterer buys ordinarily the slaughterer sells by retail the swag shop keeper only by wholesale most of the articles of the class of which i now treat are brummagem made an experienced tradesman said to me all these low priced metal things fancy goods and all which you see about are made in birmingham in nineteen cases out of twenty at the least they may be marked london or sheffield or paris or any placeyou can have them marked north pole if you willbut theyre genuine birmingham the carriage is lower from birmingham than from sheffieldthats one thing the majority of the swag shop proprietors are jews the wares which they supply to the cheap shops the cheap johns and the street sellers in town and country consist of every variety of article apart from what is eatable drinkable or wearable in which the trade class i have specified can deal as regards what is wearable indeed such things as braces garters c form a portion of the stock of the swag shop in one street a thoroughfare at the east end of london are twenty three of these establishments in the windows there is little attempt at display the design aimed at seems to be rather to crowd the windowas if to show the amplitude of the stores within the wonderful resources of this most extensive and universal establishmentthan to tempt purchasers by exhibiting tastefully what may have been tastefully executed by the artificer or what it is desired should be held to be so executed in one of these windows the daylight is almost precluded from the interior by what may be called a perfect wall of pots a street seller who accompanied me called them merely pots the trade term but they were all pot 334 ornaments among them were great store of shepherdesses of greyhounds of a gamboge colour of what i heard called figures allegorical nymphs with and without birds or wreaths in their hands very tall looking shaksperes i did not see one of these windows without its shakspere a sitting figure and some pots which seem to be either shepherds or musicians from what i could learn at the pleasure of the seller the buyer or the inquirer the shepherd or musician is usually seated under a tree he wears a light blue coat and yellow breeches and his limbs more than his body are remarkable for their bulk to call them merely fat does not sufficiently express their character and in some pots they are as short and stumpy as they are bulky on my asking if the dogs were intended for italian greyhounds i was told no they are german i alluded however to the species of the animal represented my informant to the place of manufacture for the pots were chiefly german a number of mugs however with the crystal palace very well depicted upon them were unmistakably english in another window of the same establishment was a conglomeration of pincushions shaving brushes letter stamps all in bone cribbage boards and boxes including a pack of cards necklaces and strings of beads the window of a neighbouring swag shop presented in the like crowding and in greater confusion an array of brooches some in coloured glass to imitate rubies topazes c some containing portraits deeply coloured in purple attire and red cheeks and some being very large cameos time pieces with and without glasses french toys with moveable figures telescopes american clocks musical boxes shirt studs backgammon boards tea trays one with a nondescript bird of most gorgeous green plumage forming a sort of centrepiece razor strops writing desks sailors knives hair brushes and tobacco boxes another window presented even a more miscellaneous assortment dirks apparently not very formidable weapons a mess of steel pens in brown paper packages and cases and of black lead pencils pipe heads cigar cases snuff boxes razors shaving brushes letter stamps metal tea pots metal tea spoons glass globes with artificial flowers and leaves within the glass an improvement one man thought on the old ornament of a reel in a bottle peel medals exhibition medals roulette boxes scent bottles quill pens with artificial flowers in the feathery part fans side combs glass pen holders and pot figures caricatures of louis philippe carrying a very red umbrella marshal haynau with some instrument of torture in his hand while over all boomed a huge english seaman in yellow waistcoat and with a brick coloured face sometimes the furniture of a swag shop window is less plentiful but quite as heterogenous in one were only american clocks french toys large opera glasses knives and forks and powder flasks in some windows the predominant character is jewellery ear drops generally gilt rings of all kinds brooches of every size and shade of coloured glass shawl pins shirt studs necklaces bead purses small paintings of the crystal palace in burnished gold frames watch guards watch seals each with three impressions or mottoes watch chains and keys silver tooth picks medals and snuff boxes it might be expected that the jewellery shops would present the most imposing display of any they are on the contrary among the dingiest as if it were not worth the trouble to put clean things in the window but merely what sufficed to characterise the nature of the trade carried on of the twenty three swag shops in question five were confined to the trade in all the branches of stationery of these i saw one the large window of which was perfectly packed from bottom to top with note paper account and copy books steel pens pencils sealing wax enamelled wafers in boxes ink stands c of the other shops two had cases of watches with no attempt at display or even arrangement poor things i was told by a person familiar with the trade in them fit only to offer to countrymen when theyve been drinking at a fair and think themselves clever i have so far described the exterior of these street dealers bazaars the swag shops in what may be called their head quarters upon entering some of these places of business spacious rooms are seen to extend behind the shop or warehouse which opens to the street some are almost blocked up with what appears a litter of packing cases packages and balesbut which are no doubt ordered systematically enoughwhile the shelves are crammed with goods in brown paper or in cases or boxes this uniformity of package so to speak has the effect of destroying the true character of these swag store rooms for they present the appearance of only three or four different kinds of merchandise being deposited on a range of shelves when perhaps there are a hundred in some of these swag shops it appears certain both from what fell under my own observation and from what i learned through my inquiries of persons long familiar with such places that the litter i have spoken of is disposed so as to present the appearance of an affluence of goods without the reality of possession in no warehouses properly swag or wholesale traders is there any arranged display of the wares vended ve dont vant people here one street seller had often heard a swag shopkeeper say as looks about them and says ow purty vot nice things ve vants to sell and not to show ve is all for bisness and be dd all of these places which i saw were dark more or less so in the interior as if a customers inspection were uncared for 335 some of the swag shop people present cards or circulars with prices to their street and other customers calling attention to the variety of their wares these circulars are not given without inquiry as if it were felt that one must not be wasted on one i find the following enumeration shopkeepers and dealers supplied with the following articles clocks american french german and english eight day dials watches gold and silver musical boxes two four six and eight airs watch glasses common flint geneva and lunettes main springs blue and straw colour english and geneva watch materials of every description jewellery a general assortment spectacles gold silver steel horn and metal frames concave convex coloured and smoked eyes telescopes one two and three draws mathematical instruments combs side dressing curl pocket ivory small tooth c musical instruments violins violincellos bows c flutes clarionets trombones ophoclides cornopeans french horns post horns trumpets and passes violin tailboards pegs and bridges accordions french and german of every size and style it must not be thought that swag shops are mainly repositories of fancy articles for such is not the case i have described only the windows and outward appearances of these placesthe interior being little demonstrative of the business but the bulkier and more useful articles of swag traffic cannot be exposed in a window in the miscellaneous or birmingham and sheffield shops however the useful and the fancy are mixed together as is shown by the following extracts from the circular of one of the principal swag houses i give each head with an occasional statement of prices the firm describe themselves as wholesale retail and export furnishing ironmongers general hardwaremen manufacturers of clocks watches and steel pens and importers of toys beads and other foreign manufactures table cutlery s d common knives and forks per doz 2 0 ivory handle table knives and fork per set of fifty pieces 30 0 tables per doz 15 0 desserts per doz 11 3 carvers per pair 4 0 fire irons strong wrought iron for kitchens per set 2 s to 6 0 ditto for parlours or libraries bright pans 4 s 6 d to 7 0 fenders kitchen fenders 3 ft long with sliding bar 3 0 green ditto brass tops for bed rooms 1 8 britannia metal goods tea pots c german silver goods tea spoons 1 s to 2 s per dozen c bellows kitchen each 10 d to 2 0 parlour ditto brass pipes and nails 2 s 3 d to 3 0 japanned goods brass goods iron saucepans oval iron pots iron tea kettles c iron stew pans c the prices here run very systematically one quart 1 2 three pints 1 8 two quarts 2 0 three quarts 3 0 four quarts 3 9 five quarts 4 0 patent enamelled saucepans oval tin boilers tin saucepans tea kettles coffee pots in all these useful articles the prices range in the same way as in the iron stew pans copper goods kettles coal scoops c tin fish kettles dish covers rosewood workboxes glass brushes tooth hair clothes scrubbing stove shoe japanned hearth banister plate carpet and dandy tools plated goods warranted silver edges snuffers beads musical instruments accordions from 1 s to 5 s c then come dials and clocks combs optics spectacles eye glasses telescopes opera glasses each 10 d to 10 s china ornaments lamps sundries these i give verbatim to show the nature of the trade crimping and goffering machines from 14 s looking glasses pictures c beads of every kind watch guards shaving boxes guns pistols powder flasks belts percussion caps c corkscrews 6 d to 2 s nut cracks 6 d to 1 s 6 d folding measures each 2 s to 4 s silver spoons haberdashery skates per pair 2 s to 10 s carpet bags each 3 s to 10 s egg boilers tapers flat and box irons italian irons and heaters earthenware jugs metal covers tea pots plaited straw baskets sieves wood pails camera obscuras medals amulets perfumery and fancy soaps of all kinds mathematical instruments steel pens silver and german silver patent pencil cases and leads snuff boxes in great variety strops ink slates metal eyelet holes and machines padlocks braces belts congreves lucifers fuzees pocket books bill cases bed keys and a great variety of articles too numerous to mention notwithstanding the specific character and arrangement of the circulars with prices it is common enough for the swag shop proprietors to intimate to any one likely to purchase that those prices are not altogether to be a guidance as thirty five per cent discount is allowed on the amount of a ready money purchase one of the largest swags made such an allowance to a street seller last week the swag shops of which i state the numbers in a parenthesis are in houndsditch their principal locality 23 minories 4 whitechapel 2 ratcliffe highway 20 shoreditch 1 long lane smithfield 4 fleet lane 2 holywell street strand 1 tothill street 4 compton street soho 1 hatton garden 2 clerkenwell 10 kent street borough 8 new cut 6 blackman street 2 tooley street 3 london road 3 borough road 1 waterloo road 4 in all 101 but a person who had been upwards of twenty years a frequenter of these places counted up fifty others many of them in obscure courts and alleys near houndsditch ratcliffe highway c c these outsiders are generally of a smaller class than those i have described and i can tell you sir the same man said some of themay and some of the big ones 336 tooare real swag shops still partly so that is you understand me sir the word swag i should inform my polite readers means in slang language plunder it may be safely calculated then that there are 150 swag shops to which the different classes of street sellers resort for the purchase of stock among these establishments are pot swag stationery swag haberdashery swag jewellery swag and miscellaneous swagthe latter comprise far more than half of the entire number and constitute the warehouses which are described by their owners as birmingham and sheffield or english and foreign or english and german it is in these last mentioned swags that the class i now treat ofthe street sellers of metal manufacturesfind the commodities of their trade to this however there is one exception tins for household use are not sold at the general swag shops but fancy tins such as japanned and embellished trays are vended there extensively the street sellers of this order are supplied at the tin shops the number of the wholesale tin men supplying the street sellers is about fifty the principle on which the business is conducted is precisely that of the more general swag shop but i shall speak of them when i treat of the street sellers of tins an intelligent man who had been employed in different capacities in some of the principal swag shops told me of one which had been carried on by the same family from father to son for more than seventy years in the largest of the swags about 200 hands are employed in the various capacities of salesmen buyers clerks travellers unpackers packers porters c c on some mornings twenty five large packagessome of small articles entirelyare received from the carriers in one week when my informant assisted in making up the books the receipts were upwards of 3000 l in my opinion sir he said and its from an insight into the business mr s profit on that 3000 l was not less than thirty five per cent for hes a great capitalist and pays for everything down upon the nail thats more than 1000 l profit in a week certainly it was an extra week and theres the 200 hands to pay but that wouldnt range higher than 300 l indeed not so high and theres heavy rent and taxes and rates no doubt and he the proprietor is a jew is a fair man to the trade and not an uncharitable manbut he will drive a good bargain where its possible so considering everything sir the profits must be very great and they are mostly made out of poor buyers who sell it to poor people in the streets or in small shops its a wonderful trade from the best information i could obtain i come to the conclusion that including small and large shops 3000 l yearly is the average receipt of eachor as it is most frequently expressed that sum is turned over by the swag shop keepers yearly there is great competition in the trade and much of what is called cutting or one tradesman underselling another the profit consequently varies from twenty to thirty five and rarely fifty per cent sometimes a swag shop proprietor is hung up with a stock the demand for which has ceased and he must dispose of it as a job lot to make room for other goods and thus is necessarily out of pocket the smaller swag shops do not turn over 500 l a year the calculation i have given shows an outlay yearly of 450 000 l at the swag shops of london but said a partner in one of these establishments what proportion of the goods find their way into the streets what to the shops what to the country and what for shipping i cannot form even a guess for we never ask a customer for what purpose he wants the goods though sometimes he will say i must have what is best for such or such a trade say half a million turned over in a year sir by the warehousemen who sell to the street people among others and youre within the mark i found the street sellers characterize the swags as hard and grinding men taking every advantage in the way of trade there is too i was told by a man lately employed in a swag shop a constant collision of clamour and bargaining not to say of wits between the smarter street sellersthe pattering class especiallyand the swag men with whom they are familiar the points in which the swag shops resemble the slaughter houses are in the traffic in work boxes desks and dressing cases of the life of a cheap john the following narrative relative to this curious class who in many respects partake of the characteristics which i have pointed out as proper to the mountebank of old was taken from one of the fraternity it may be cited as an example of those who are bred to the streets my father and mother said he both followed a travelling occupation and were engaged in vending different things from the old brimstone matches up to clothes lines clothes props and clothes pegs they never got beyond these the other articles were thread tapes nutmeg graters shoe ties stay laces and needles my father my mother used to tell me was a great scholard and had not always been a travelling vagrant my mother had never known any other life i however did not reap any benefit from my fathers scholarship at a very early age five or six perhaps i recollect myself a poor little neglected wretch sent out each day with a roll of matches with strict injunctions not to come home without selling them and to bring home a certain sum of money upon pain of receiving a sound thrashing which threat was mostly put into execution whenever i failed to perform the task imposed upon me my father seldom worked that is seldom hawked but my mother poor thing had to travel and work very hard to support four of usmy father myself and a sister who is since dead i was but little assistance and sometimes when i did not bring home the sum required she would make it up and tell my father i had been a good boy my father was an inveterate drinker and a very violent temper my mother i am sorry to 337 say used to drink too but i believe that ill usage drove her to it they led a dreadful life i scarcely felt any attachment for them home we had none one place was as good another to us i left my parents when scarcely eight years old i had received a thrashing the day before for being a defaulter in my sale and i determined the following morning to decamp and accordingly with my nine pennyworth of matches the quantity generally allotted me i set out to begin the world upon my own account although this occurred 25 years ago i have never met my parents since my father i heard died a few years after my leaving but my mother i know not whether she be living or dead i left my parents at dover and journeyed on to london i knew there were lodging houses for travellers in every town some of them i had stopped at with my father and mother i told the people of these houses that my parents would arrive the following day and paid my 2 d for the share of a third fourth fifth or even sixth part of a bed according to the number of children who inhabited the lodging house upon that particular night my matches i could always sell if i tried but i used to play my time away and many times night has arrived before i thought of effecting sales sufficient to pay my expenses at the beggars hotel broken victuals i got in abundance indeed more than sufficient for my own consumption the money i received for the matches after paying my lodging and purchasing a pennyworth of brimstone to make more the wood i begged at the carpenters i gambled away at cards yes young as i was i understood blind hookey i invariably lost of course i was cheated i remained in a lodging house in mill lane deptford for two years discontinued the match selling and having a tidy voice took to hawking songs through the public houses the sailors used to ask me to sing and there were few days that i did not accumulate 2 s 6 d and from that to 4 s especially when i chose to be industrious but my love of pitch and toss and blind hookey always kept me poor i often got into debt with my landlady and had no difficulty in doing so for i always felt a pride in paying from selling the printed songs i imbibed a wish to learn to read and with the assistance of an old soldier i soon acquired sufficient knowledge to make out the names of each song and shortly afterwards i could study a song and learn the words without any one helping me i stopped in deptford until i was something more than twelve years old i had then laid the songs aside and taken to hawking small wares tapes thread c and in the winter season i was a buyer of rabbit and hare skins i kept at this for about three years sometimes entirely without a stock i had run it out perhaps gambled it away and at such times i suffered great privations i never could beg i have often tried but never could i have approached a house with a begging intention knocked at the door and when it has been opened i have requested a drink of water when i was about 16 i joined in partnership with a man who used to make phosphorus boxes i sold them for him a piece of phosphorus was stuck in a tin tube the match was dipped into the phosphorus and it would ignite by friction i was hawking these boxes in norwich when the constable considered they were dreadful affairs and calculated to encourage and assist thieves and burglars he took me before the magistrate at the beaks own private house and he being equally horrified i was sent to prison for a month i have often thought since that the proceeding was illegal what would be said now if a man was to be sent to jail for selling lucifer matches in norwich prison i associated with the rest and if i had been inclined to turn thief i had plenty of opportunities and offers of gratuitous instruction the separate or silent system was not in vogue then i worked on the treadmill dinner was allowed to be sent in on the sunday by the prisoners friends my dinner was sent in on the first sunday by the man i sold the boxes for as it was on the second third and fourth but i had lost it before i received it i had always gambled it away for there were plenty of opportunities of doing so in the prisons then on leaving the jail i received 1 s with this i purchased some songs and travelled to yarmouth i could do best among sailors after a few weeks i had accumulated about 8 s and with that sum i purchased some hardware at the swag shop commenced hawking and cut the vocal department altogether still i gambled and kept myself in poverty in the course of time however i had amassed a basket of goods worth perhaps 3 l i gambled and lost them all in one night i was so downcast and unhappy from this circumstance that it caused me to reflect seriously and i made an oath that i never would gamble again i have kept it and have reason to bless the day that i made so good a resolution after losing my basket of goods the winner gave me articles amounting to a few shillings and i began the world once more shortly afterwards i commenced rag gatherer and changed my goods for old rags of course not refusing cash in payment my next step was to have some bills printed whereon i requested all thrifty wives to look out their old rags or old metal or old bones c stating at the bottom that the bill would be called for and that a good price in ready money would be given for all useless lumber c some months at this business realized me a pretty sum of money i was in possession of nearly 5 l then i discontinued the rag gathering not that the trade was declining but i did not like iti was ambitious i purchased a neat box and started to sell a little birmingham jewellery i was now respectably dressed was getting a living and had entirely left off stopping at common lodging houses but i confined my visits to small villagesi was afraid of the law and as i was pursuing my calling near wakefield a constable inquired for my hawkers licence i had none to produce he took me into custody and introduced me to a magistrate who committed me to prison for a 338 month and took away my box of goods i endured the months imprisonment upon the silent system they cut my hair short and at the expiration of the term i was thrust out upon the world heart broken without a shilling to beg to steal or to starve i proceeded to leeds the fair was on at this time i got engaged to assist a person from whom i had been accustomed occasionally to purchase goods he was a cheap john in the course of the day he suggested that i should have a try at the hand selling i mounted the platform and succeeded beyond my own expectations or that of my master he offered me a regular engagement which i accepted at times i would help him sell and at other times i hawked with his licence i had regular wages besides all i could get above a certain price that he placed upon each of the goods i remained with this person some fifteen months at the end of which period i commenced for myself having saved nearly 25 l i began at once the hand selling and purchased a hawkers licence which enabled me to sell without danger then i always called at the constables house and gave a louder knock at his door than any other persons proud of my authority and assured of my safety at first i borrowed an empty cart in which i stood and sold my wares i could chaff as well as the best and was as good a salesman as most of them after that i purchased a second hand cart from a person who had lately started a waggon i progressed and improved in circumstances and at last bought a very handsome waggon for myself i have now a nice caravan and good stock of goods worth at least 500 l money i have but little i always invest it in goods i am married and have got a family i always travel in the summer but remain at home during the winter my wife never travels she remains behind and manages a little swag shop which always turns in at least the family expenses the street sellers of cutlery the cutlery sold in the streets of london consists of razors pen knives pocket knives table and carving knives and forks scissors shears nail filers and occasionally if ordered lancets the knives are of various kindssuch as sailors knives with a hole through the handle butchers knives together with choppers and steels sold principally at newgate and billinsgate markets and round about the docks oyster and fish knives sold principally at billinsgate and hungerford markets bread knives hawked at the bakers shops ham and beef knives hawked at the ham and beef shops cheese knives with tasters and ham triers shoemakers knives and a variety of others these articles are usually purchased at the swag shops and the prices of them vary from 2 d to 1 s 1 d each they are bought either by the dozen half dozen or singly according to the extent of the street sellers stock money hence it would appear that the street seller of cutlery can begin business with only a few pence but it is only when the swag shop keeper has known the street seller that he will consent to sell one knife alone to sell again to street sellers with whom he is unacquainted he will not vend less than half a dozen even where the street seller is known he has if cracked up to beg hard i am told before he can induce the warehouseman to let him have only one article the swag shops wont be bothered with it say the menwhat are our troubles to them if the rain starves us out and makes us eat up all our stock money what is it to such folks they wouldnt let us have even a row of pins without the money for emno not if we was to drop down dead for want of bread in their shops they have been deceived by such a many that now they wont listen to none i subjoin a list of the prices paid and received by the street sellers of cutlery for the principal articles in which they deal lowest price paid per half dozen sold at in the streets highest price paid per half dozen sold at in the streets s d s d s d s d table knives and forks 1 3 2 0 5 0 7 6 ditto without forks 0 9 1 3 4 0 6 0 pocket knives 1 0 1 6 4 0 6 0 pen knives 1 9 2 6 2 6 3 9 razors 1 9 2 6 5 0 7 6 scissors 0 3 0 6 1 9 2 6 their usual rate of profit is 50 per cent but rather than refuse a ready sale the street cutlery seller will often take much less many of the sellers only pursue the trade for a few weeks in the year a number of the irish labourers take to it in the winter time when they can get no work some few of the sellers are countrymen but these mostly follow the business continuously i dont see as there is hardly one upon the list as has ever been a cutler by trade said one street seller to me and certainly none of the cutlery sellers have ever belonged to sheffieldthey may say so but its only a dodge the cutlery street sellers are not one quarter so numerous as they were two years back the reason is i am told that things are got so bad a man cant live by the trademayhap he has to walk three miles now before he can sell for 1 s a knife that has cost him 8 d and then mayhap he is faint and whats 3 d sir to keep body and soul together when a man most likely has had no victuals all the day before if they had a good bit of stock they might perhaps get a crust they say things within the last two or three years to quote the words of one of my informants have been getting much worse in the streets specially in the cutlery line i cant give no account for it im sure sir the sellers have not been half as many as they were whats become of them thats gone i cant tell theyre in the workhouse i dare say but notwithstanding this decrease in the number of sellers there is a greater difficulty to vend their goods now than formerly its all owing to the times thats all i can say people shopkeepers and all says to me i cant tell why things is so bad and has been so bad in 339 trade but so they is we has to walk farther to sell our goods and people beat us down so terrible hard that we cant get a penny out of them when we do sell sometimes they offers me 9 d yes and often 6 d for an 8 d knife and often enough 4 d for one that stands you in 3 d a d profit think of that sir then they say well my man will you take my money and so as to make you do so theyll flash it before your eyes as if they knew you was a starving and would be sure to be took in by the sight of it yes sir it is a very hard life and we has to put up with a good deala good dealstarvation and hard dealing and insults and knockings about and all and then you see the swag shops is almost as hard on us as the buyers the swag men will say if you merely makes a remark that a knife theyve sold you is cracked in the handle oh is it let me see whereabouts and when you hands it to em to show it em theyll put it back where they took it from and tell you youre too particular by half my man youd better go and get your goods somewhere else here take your money and go on about your business for we wont sarve you at all theyll do just the same with the scissors too if you complains about their being a bit rusty go somewhere else theyll say we wont sarve you ah sir thats what it is to be a poor man to have your poverty flung in your teeth every minute people says to be poor and seem poor is the devil but to be poor and be treated like a dog merely because you are poor surely is ten thousand times worse a street seller now a days is looked upon as a cadger and treated as one to try to get a living for ones self is to do something shameful in these times the man then gave me the following history of himself he was a kindly looking and hearty old man he had on a ragged fustian jacket over which he wore a black greasy looking and tattered oilskin coatthe collar of this was torn away and the green baize lining alone visible his waistcoat was patched in every direction while his trousers appeared to be of corduroy but the grease and mud was so thick upon them that it was difficult to tell of what material they were made his shoesor rather what remained of themwere tied on his feet with pieces of string his appearance altogether denoted great poverty my father was a farmer sir he had two farms about 800 acres in all i was one of eleven ten sons and one daughter seven years before my fathers death he left his farm and went to live on his money he had made a good bit at farming but when he died it was all gone and we was left to shift as we could i had little or no education my brothers could read and write but i didnt take to it i went a birds nesting boy like instead so that what little i did larn i have forgot i am very sorry for that now i used to drive the plough and go a harrowing for father i was brought up to nothing else when father died i thought as i should like to see london i was a mere ladabout 20and so i strolled up to town i had 10 s with me and that with a bundle was all that i possessed in the world when i got to london i went to lodge at a public housethe red lionin great wild street and while i was there i sought about for work but could not get any when all was gone i was turned out into the streets and walked about for two days and two nights without a bed or a bit to eat unless what i picked out of the gutter and eat like a dogorange peel and old cabbage stumps indeed anything i could find when i was very hard put to it i was coming down drury lane and i looked in quite casual like to ask for a job of work at the shop of mr bolton the needle maker from redditch i told him as how i was nigh starving and would do anything to get a crust i didnt mind what i put my hand to he said he would try me and gave me two packets of needles to sellthey was the goolden eyed ones of that time of dayand he said when i had got rid of them i was to come back to him and i should have two packets more he told me the price to asksixpence a paperand away i went like a sand boy and got rid of the two in an hour and a half then i went back and when i told him what id done he shook hands with me and said as he burst out laughing now you see ive made a man of you oh he was an uncommon nice gentleman then he told me to keep the shilling i had taken and said he would trust me with two more packets i sold them and two others besides that day then he says i shall give you something else and he let me have two packets of tailors needles and half a dozen of tailors thimbles he told me how to sell them and where to go and on them i did better i went round to the tailors shops and sold a good lot but at last they stopped me because i was taking the bread out of the mouths of the poor blind needle sellers what supplies the journeymen tailors at the west end then mr bolton sent me down to one of his relations a mr crooks in fetter lane who was a sheffield man and sold cutlery to the hawkers and mr crooks and mr bolton sot me up between them and so ive followed the line ever since i dare say i shall continue in it to my dying day after i got fairly set agoing i used to maketake good and bad wet and dry days together18 s a week three shillings a day was what i calculated on at the least and to do that i was obligated to take between 2 l and 3 l a week or about eight or nine shillings each day i went on doing this for upwards of thirty year i have been nearly forty years altogether in the streets selling cutlery i did very tidy till about 4 years backi generally made from 18 s to 1 l a week up to that time i used to go round the countryto margate brighton portsmouthi mostly travelled by the coast calling at all the sea port towns for i always did best among the sailors i went away every spring time and came to london again at the fall of the year sixteen year ago i married the widow of a printera pressmanshe had no money but you see i had no home and i thought i should be more comfortable and so 340 i have beena great deal more comfortableand so i should be now if things hadnt got so bad four year ago as i was a telling you it was just after the railways had knocked off work things began to get uncommon badbefore then i had as good as 30 s or 40 s stock and when things got slack it went away little by little i couldnt make profit enough to support me and my old womanshe has got the rheumatics and cant earn me a halfpenny or a farden in the world she hasnt done so for years when i didnt make enough to live upon of course i was obligated to break into my stock so there it kept going shilling by shilling and sixpence by sixpence until i had got nothing left to work uponnot a halfpenny you see four or five months ago i was took very bad with the rheumatic fever and gout i got wet through in the streets and my clothes dried on me and the next day i was taken bad with pains in my limbs and then everything that would fetch me a penny went to the pawn shop all my own and my old womans clothes went to get us foodblankets sheets and all i never would go nigh the parish i couldnt bring myself to have the talk about it when i got well and out into the streets again i borrowed 2 s or 3 s of my landladyi have lived with her these three yearsto get my stock again but you see that got me so few things that i couldnt fetch myself up i lost the greater portion of my time in going backards and forrards to the shop to get fresh goods as fast as i sold them and so what i took wasnt enough to earn the commonest living for me and my missus since december we have been nearly starving and thats as true as you have got the pen in your very hand sunday after sunday we have been without a bit of dinner and i have laid a bed all day because we have had no coal and then been obligated to go out on monday morning without a bit of victuals between my lips ive been so faint i couldnt hardly walk ive picked the crusts off the tables of the tap rooms where i have been to hawk my goods and put them in my pocket to eat them on the sly wet and dry im obligated to be out let it come down ever so hard i must be in it with scarcely a bit of shoe and turned 60 years old as i am look here sir he said holding up his foot look at these shoes the soles is all loose you see and let water on wet days i hawk my goods to respectable shops tap rooms is no good decent people merely get insulted there but in most of the shops as i goes to people tells me my good man it is as much as we can do to keep ourselves and our family in these cutting times now just to show you what i done last week sunday i laid a bed all day and had no dinner monday i went out in the morning without a morsel between my lips and with only 8 d for stock money with that i bought a knife and sold it for a shilling and then i got another and another after that and that was my days workthree times 3 d or 10 d in all to keep the two of us tuesday i sold a pair of small scissors and two little pearl handled knives at 6 d each article and cleared 10 d on the whole and that is all i did wednesday i sold a razor strop for 6 d a four bladed knife for a shilling and a small hone for 6 d by these i cleared 10 d altogether thursday i sold a pair of razors for a shilling clearing by the whole 11 d friday i got rid of a pair of razors for 1 s 9 d and got 9 d clear i added up the weeks profits and found they amounted to 4 s 3 d thats about right said the man out of that i shall have to pay 1 s for my weeks rent weve got a kitchen so that i leave you to judge how we two can live out of whats remaining i told him it wouldnt average quite 6 d a day thats about it he replied we have half a loaf of bread a day and that thank god is only five farthings now this lasts us the day with two penny worth of bits of meat that my old woman buys at a ham shop where they pare the hams and puts the parings by on plates to sell to poor people and when she cant get that she buys half a sheeps head one thats three or four days old for then they sells em to the poor for 1 d the half and these with d worth of tea and d worth of sugar d for a candle 1 d of coalthats seven poundsand d worth of cokethats half a peckmakes up all we gets these items amount to 6 d in all thats how we do when we can get it and when we cant why we lays in bed and goes without altogether of the blind street sellers of tailors needles etc it is customary with many trades for the journeymen to buy such articles as they require in their business of those members of their craft who have become incapacitated for work either by old age or by some affliction the tailorsthe shoe makersthe carpentersand many others do this these sellers are perhaps the most exemplary instances of men driven to the streets or to hawking for a means of living and they one and all are distinguished by that horror of the workhouse which i have before spoken of as constituting a peculiar feature in the operatives character at present i purpose treating of the street sellers of needles and trimmings to the tailors there are i am informed two dozen broken down journeymen tailors pursuing this avocation in and around london there may be more said one who had lost his sight stitching but i get my information from the needle warehouse where we all buy our goods and the lady there told me she knew as many as twenty four hawkers who were once tailors these are all either decayed journeymen or their widows some are incapacitated by age being between sixty and seventy years old the greater part of the aged journeymen however are inmates of the tailors almshouses i am not aware said my informant of there being more than one very old man hawking needles to the tailors though there may be many that i know nothing about the one i am acquainted with is close upon eighty and he is a very respectable man much esteemed in st 341 jamess and st georges he sells needles and london labour and the london poor to the journeymen he is very feeble indeed and can scarcely get along of the two dozen needle sellers above mentioned there are only six who confine their rounds solely to the metropolis out of these six my informant knew two who were blind beside himself one of these sells to the journeymen in the city there are other blind tailors who were formerly hawkers of needles but being unable to realize a subsistence thereby have been obliged to become inmates of the workhouses others have recently gained admission into the almshouses last february i am assured there were two blind needle sellers and two decrepit in st jamess workhouse there are moreover two widows selling tailors needles in london one of these i am told is wretchedly poor being eat up with the rheumatics and scarcely able to moveshe is the relict of a blind journeyman and well known in st jamess the other widow is now in st pancras workhouse having been unable to use the words of my informant to get anything to keep life and soul together at the needle trade she too i am told is well known to the journeymen the tailors needle sellers confining themselves more particularly to london consist of at present one old man three blind one paralyzed and one widow besides these there are now in the alms houses two decrepit and one paralyzed and one widow in the workhouse all of whom till recently were needle sellers and originally connected with the trade that is all that i believe are now in london said one to me i should i think know if there were more for it is not from one place we get our articles but many and there i hear that six is about the number of tailors hawkers in town the rest of the two dozen hawkers that i spoke of go a little way out into the suburbs the six however stick to london altogether the needle sellers who go into the country i am told travel as far as reading westward and to gravesend in the opposite direction or brentwood in essex and they will keep going backards and forards to the metropolis immediately their stock is exhausted these persons sell not only tailors needles but womens needles as well and staylaces and cottons and small ware in general which they get from shepherds in compton street they have all been tailors and are incapacitated from labour either by old age or some affliction there was one widow of a tailor among the number but it is believed she is now either too old to continue her journeys or else that she is deceased the town sellers confine their peregrinations mostly to the parishes of st jamess and st georges my informant was not aware that any went even into marylebone one travels the city while the other five keep to the west end they all sell thimbles needles inch measures bodkins inch sticks scissars when they can get them i was told and thats very seldom and bees wax basting cotton and many of them publications the publications vended by these men are principally the cheap periodicals of the day and two of these street sellers i am informed do much better with the sale of publications than by the trimmings they get money sir said one man to me while we are starving they have their set customers and have only to go round and leave the paper and then to get their money on the monday morning the tailors hawkers buy their trimmings mostly at the retail shops they have not stock money sufficient i am assured to purchase at the wholesale houses for such a thing as a paper of needles large tradesmen dont care about of selling us poor men they tell me that if they could buy wholesale they could get their goods one fourth cheaper and to be obligated to purchase retail is a great drawback on their profits they call at the principal tailors workshops and solicit custom of the journeymen they are almost all known to the trade both masters and men and having no other means of living they are allowed to enter the masters shops though some of the masters such as allen in bond street curlewis jarvis and jones in conduit street and others refuse the poor fellows even this small privilege the journeymen treat them very kindly the needle sellers tell me and generally give them part of the provisions they have brought with them to the shop if it was not for this the needle sellers i am assured could hardly live at all theres that boy there said a blind tailor speaking of the youth who had led him to my house and who sat on the stool fast asleep by the fire im sure he must have starved this winter if it hadnt been for the goodness of the men to us for its little that me and his mother has to give him shes gone almost as blind as myself working at the sank work making up soldiers clothing oh ours is a miserable life sir worn outblind with over work and scarcely a hole to put ones head in or a bit to put in ones mouth god almighty knows thats the bare truth sir sometimes the hawkers go on their rounds and take only 2 d but that is not often sometimes they take 5 s in a day and that is the greatest sum said my informant i ever took what others might do i cant say but that im confident is about the highest takings in the summer three months the average takings rise to 4 s per day but in the winter they fall to 1 s or at the outside 1 s 6 d the business lasts only for three hours and a half each day that is from eight till half past eleven in the morning after that no good is to be done then the needle sellers i am told go home and the reason of this is i am told if they appear in the public streets selling or soliciting alms the blind are exempted from becoming recipients of the benefits of many of the charitable institutions the blind man whom i saw told me that after he had done work and returned home he occupied himself with pressing the seams of the soldiers clothes when his missus had sewed them the tailors needle sellers are all married and one of the wives has a mangle and perhaps said my informant the blind 342 husband turns the mangle when he goes home but i cant say another wife is a bookfolder but she has no work the needles they usually sell five a penny to the journeymen but the most of the journeymen will take but four they say we cant get a living at all if we sell the needles cheaper the journeymen are mostly very consideratevery indeed much more than the masters for the masters wont hardly look at us i dont know that a master ever gave me a fardenand yet theres some of them very soothing and kind in speaking the profit in the needles i am told is rather more than 100 per cent but say the sellers only think sir we must get rid of 150 needles even to take 3 s the most we ever sell in one shop is 6 d worthand the usual amount is 2 d worth you can easy tell how many shops we must travel round to in order to get rid of 3 s worth take one shop with another the good with the bad they tell me they make about 1 d profit from each they visit the profit on the rest of the articles they vend is about 20 per cent and they calculate that all the year round summer and winter they may be said to take 2 s a day or 12 s a week out of which they clear from 5 s to 5 s 6 d they sell far more needles than anything else some of the blind needle sellers make their own bees wax into shapes pennyworths themselves melting into and pouring into small moulds the blind needle seller whom i saw was a respectable looking man with the same delicacy of hand as is peculiar to tailors and which forms so marked a contrast to the horny palms of other workmen he was tall and thin and had that upward look remarkable in all blind men his eyes gave no signs of blindness the pupils being full and black except that they appeared to be directed to no one object and though fixed were so without the least expression of observation his long black surtout though faded in colour was far from ragged having been patched and stitched in many places while his cloth waistcoat and trowsers were clean and neatvery different from the garments of street sellers in general in his hand he carried his stick which as he sat he seemed afraid to part with for he held it fast between his knees he came to me accompanied by his son a good looking rough headed lad habited in a washed out blue french kind of pinafore and whose duty it was to lead his blind father about on his rounds though the boy was decently clad still his clothes like those of his father bore many traces of that respectable kind of poverty which seeks by continuous mending to hide its rags from the world the face of the father too was pinched while there was a plaintiveness about his voice that told of a wretched spirit broken and afflicted man altogether he was one of the better kind of handicraftsmenone of those fine specimens of the operatives of this countryindependent even in their helplessness scorning to beg and proud to be able to give some little equivalent for the money bestowed on them i have already given accounts of the beaten out mechanic from those who certainly cannot be accused of an excess of sympathy for the poornamely the poor law commissioners and masters of workhouses and i can only add that all my experience goes fully to bear out the justice of these statements as i said before the class who are driven to the streets to which the beaten out or incapacitated operative belongs is of all others the most deserving of our sympathy and the following biography of one of this order is given to teach us to look with a kindly eye upon the many who are forced to become street sellers as the sole means of saving themselves from the degradation of pauperism or beggary i am 45 years of age next june said the blind tailor it is upwards of 30 years since i first went to work at the tailoring trade in london i learnt my business under one of the old hands at mr cooks in poland street and after that went to work at guthries in bond street i belonged to the society held at the old white hart i continued working for the honourable trade and belonging to society for about 15 years my weekly earnings then averaged 1 l 16 s a week while i was at work and for several years i was seldom out of work for when i got into a shop it was a long time before i got out again i was not married then i lived in a first floor back room well furnished and could do very comfortably indeed i saved often my 15 s or 16 s in a week and was worth a good bit of money up to the time of my first illness at one period i had nearly 50 l by me and had it not been for vacations and slack seasons i should have put by more but you see to be out of work even a few weeks makes a large hole in a journeymans savings all this time i subscribed regularly to society and knew that if i got superannuated i should be comfortably maintained by the trade i felt quite happy with the consciousness of being provided for in my old age or affliction then and if it had not been for that perhaps i might have saved more even than i did i went on in this way as i said before for 15 years and no one could have been happier than i wasnot a working man in all england couldnt i had my silver watch and chain i could lay out my trifle every week in a few books and used to have a trip now and then up and down the river just to blow the london smoke off you know about 15 years ago my eyes began to fail me without any pain at all they got to have as it were a thick mist like smoke before them i couldnt see anything clear working by gas light at first weakened and at last destroyed the nerve altogether im now in total darkness i can only tell when the gas is lighted by the heat of it it is not the black clothes that is trying to the sightblack is the steadiest of all colours to work at white and all bright colours makes the eyes water after looking at em for any long time but of all colours scarlet such as is used for regimentals is the most blinding it seems to burn the eyeballs and makes them ache dreadful after working at red theres always flying colours before the eyes theres no steady colour to be seen in anything for some time everything 343 seems all of a twitter and to keep changing its tint theres more military tailors blind than any others a great number of tailors go blind but a great many more has lost their sight since gas light has come up candle light was not half so pernicious to the sight gas light is so very heating and theres such a glare with it that it makes the eyes throb and shoot too if you work long by it ive often continued working past midnight with no other light than that and then my eyes used to feel like two bits of burning coals in my head and you see sir the worst of it was as i found my sight going bad i was obliged to try it more so as to keep up with my mates in the shop at last my eyes got so weak that i was compelled to give up work and go into the country and there i stopped living on my savings and unable to do any work for fear of losing my sight altogether i was away about three years and then all my money was gone and i was obligated in spite of my eyes to go back to work again but then with my sight defective as it was i could get no employment at the honourable trade and so i had to take a seat in a shop at one of the cheap houses in the city and that was the ruin of me entirely for working there of course i got scratched from the trade society and so lost all hope of being provided for by them in my helplessness the workshop at this cheap house was both small and badly ventilated it was about seven foot square and so low that as you sot on the floor you could touch the ceiling with the tip of your finger in this place seven of us workedthree on each side and one in the middle two of my shopmates were boys or else i am sure it would not have held us all there was no chimney nor no window that could be opened to let the air in it was lighted by a skylight and this would neither open nor shut the only means for letting out the foul air was one of them working ventilatorslike cockades you know sirfixed in one of the panes of glass but this wouldnt work so there we were often from 5 in the morning till 10 at night working in this dreadful place there was no fire in the winter though we never needed one for the workshop was over hot from the suffocation and in the summer it was like an oven this is what it was in the daytime but mortal tongue cant tell what it was at night with the two gas lights burning away and almost stifling us many a time some of the men has been carried out by the others fainting for air they all fell ill every one of them and i lost my eyes and my living entirely by it we spoke to the master repeatedly telling him he was killing us and though when he came up to the workshop hisself he was nearly blown back by the stench and heat he would not let us have any other room to work inand yet hed plenty of convenience up stairs he paid little more than half the regular wages and employed such men as myselfonly those who couldnt get anything better to do what with illness and all i dont think my wages there averaged above 12 s a week sometimes i could make 1 l in the week but then the next week maybe id be ill and would get but a few shillings it was impossible to save anything theneven to pay ones way was a difficulty and at last i was seized with rheumatics on the brain and obliged to go into st thomass hospital i was there eleven months and came out stone blind i am convinced i lost my eyesight by working in that cheap shop nothing on earth will ever persuade me to the contrary and whats more my master robbed me of a third of my wages and my sight too and left me helpless in the world as god knows i am now it is by the ruin of such men as me that these masters are enabled to undersell the better shops they get hold of the men whose eyes are just beginning to fail them like mine did because they know they can get them to work cheap and then just at the time when a journeyman requires to be in the best of shops have the best of air and to work as little by gas light as possible they puts him into a hole of a place that would stifle a rat and keeps him working there half the night through thats the way sir the cheap clothes is produced by making blind beggars of the workmen like myself and throwing us on the parish in our old age you are right sir they not only robs the men but the ratepayers too well sir as i said i come out of the hospital stone blind and have been in darkness ever since and thats near upon ten years ago i often dream of colours and see the most delightful pictures in the world nothing that i ever beheld with my eyes can equal themtheyre so brilliant and clear and beautiful i see then the features and figures of all my old friends and i cant tell you how pleasureable it is to me when i have such dreams they so excite me that i am ill all the next day i often see too the fields with the cows grazing on a beautiful green pasture and the flowers just at twilight like closing up their blossoms as they do i never dream of rivers nor do i ever remember seeing a field of corn in my visions its strange i never dreamt in any shape of the corn or the rivers but maybe i didnt take so much notice of them as of the others sometimes i see the sky and very often indeed theres a rainbow in it with all kinds of beautiful colours the sun is a thing i often dream about seeing going down like a ball of fire at the close of the day i never dreamt of the stars nor the moonits mostly bright colours that i see i have been under all the oculists i could hear ofmr turnbull in russell square but he did me no good then i went to charing cross under mr guthrie and he gave me a blind certificate and made me a present of half a sovereign he told me not to have my eyes tampered with again as the optic nerve was totally decayed oh yes if i had all the riches in the world id give them every one to get my sight back for its the greatest pressure to me to be in darkness god help me i know i am a sinner and believe im so afflicted on account of my sins no sir its nothing like when you shut your eyes when i had my sight and closed mine i remember i 344 could still see the light through the lids the very same as when you hold your hand up before the candle but mines far darker than thatpitch black i see a dark mass like before me and never any changeeverlasting darkness and no chance of a light or shade in this world but i feel consolated some how now it is settled although its a very poor comfort after all i go along the streets in great fear if a baby have hold of me i am firm but by myself i reel about like a drunken man i feel very timid unless i have hold of somethingnot to support me but to assure me i shall not fall if i was going down your staircase sir i should be all right so long as i touched the bannister but if i missed that im sure i should grow so giddy and nervous i should fall from the top to the bottom after losing my sight i found a great difficulty in putting my food into my mouth for a long timesix months or betterand i was obliged to have some one to guide my hand for i used often to put the fork up to my forehead instead of my mouth shortly after my becoming quite blind i found all my other senses much quickenedmy hearingfeelingand reckoning i got to like music very much indeed it seemed to elevate meto animate and cheer me much more than it did before and so much so now that when it ceases i feel duller than ever it sounds as if it was in a wilderness to mei cant tell why but thats all i can compare it to as if i was quite alone with it my smell and taste is very acute he was given some violets to smell oh thats beautiful he cried very reviving indeed often of an evening i can see things in my imagination and thats why i like to sit alone then for of all the beautiful thoughts that ever a man possessed theres none to equal a blind mans when hes by hisself i dont see my early home but occurrences that has recently took place i see them all plain before me in colours as vivid as if i had my sight again and the people all dressed in the fashion of my time the clothes seem to make a great impression on me and i often sit and see in my mind master tailors trying a coat on a gentleman and pulling it here and there the figures keep passing before me like soldiers and often im so took by them that i forget im blind and turn my head round to look after them as they pass by me but that sort of thinking would throw me into a melanchollyits too exciting while it lasts and then leaves me dreadful dull afterwards i have got much more melancholy since my blindness before then i was not seriously given but now i find great consolation in religion i think my blindness is sent to try my patience and resignation and i pray to the almighty to give me strength to bear with my affliction i was quick and hot tempered before i was blind but since then i have got less hasty like all other troubles appears nothing to me sometimes i revile against my afflictiontoo frequentlybut that is at my thoughtless moments for when im calm and serious i feel thankful that the almighty has touched me with his correcting rod and then im happy and at peace with all the world if i had run my race and not been stopped i might never have believed there was a god my wife works at the sank work she makes soldiers coats she gets 1 s 1 d for making one and thats nearly a day and a halfs work then she has to find her own trimmings and theyre 1 d it takes her 16 hours to finish one garment and the over work at that is beginning to make her like as i was myself if she takes up a book to read to me now its all like a dirty mass before her and thats just as my sight was before i lost it altogether she slaves hard to help me shes anxious and willingindeed too much so if she could get constant work she might perhaps make about 7 s a week but as it is her earnings are take one week with another not more than 3 s last week she earned 5 s but that was the first job of work shed had to do for two months i think the two of us make on an average about 8 s and out of that there is three people to keepour two selves and our boy our rent is 2 s 6 d so that after paying that we has about 5 s 6 d left for food firing and clothing for the whole of us how we do it i cant tell but i know we live very very hard mostly on pieces of bread that the men gives to me and my boy as we go round to the workshops if we was any of us to fall ill we must all go to the parish if my boy was to go sick i should be left without any one to lead me about and that would be as bad as if i was laid up myself and if anything was to happen to my wife id be done clean altogether but yet the lord is very good and wed get out of that i dare say if anything was to drive me to the parish i should lose all hopes of getting some help from the blind institutions and so i dread the workhouse worse than all id sooner die on the step of a door any time than go there and be what they call well kept i dont know why i should have a dislike to going there but yet i do possess it i do believe that any one that is willing to work for their bread hates a workhouse for the workhouse coat is a slothful degrading badge after a man has had one on his back hes never the same i wouldnt go for an order for relief so long as i could get a halfpenny loaf in twenty four hours if i could only get some friend to give me a letter of recommendation to mr days charity for the blind i should be happy for the rest of my days i could give the best of references to any one who would take pity on me in my affliction the public house hawkers of metal spoons etc the public house hawkers are never so prosperous as those who confine their calling to private houses they are often invited to partake of drink are not the most industrious class of hawkers and to use their own language are more frequently hard up than those who keep away from tap room selling the profits of the small hawkers in public houses vary considerably some of them when they have earned a shilling or two 345 are content to spend it before they leave the tap room and so they lose both their stock and profit i do not mean to infer that this is the case with the whole of the public house hawkers for some among them strive hard to better their condition and occasionally succeed but there are too many who are content to drawl out their existence by always suffering to morrow to provide for itself the man who gave me the routine of small hawkers business i found in a tap room in ratcliffe highway he was hawking tea spoons and all the stock he possessed was half a dozen these he importuned me to purchase with great earnestness he prayed of me to lay out a trifle with him he had not taken a penny the whole day he said and had nothing to eat whats much worse for such as me he added im dying for a glass of rum i might have his tea spoons he told me at any price if i would but pay for a glass of rum for him they should be mine i assured him some bread and cheese would do him more good as he had not eaten anything that day but still he would have the rum with a trembling hand he threw the liquor down his throat smacked his lips and said that there dram has saved my life a few minutes afterwards he sold his spoons to a customer for sixpence and he had another glass of rum now said he im all right for business if id twopence more i could buy a dozen tea spoons and i should earn a bob or two yet before i went to bed after this he grew communicative and told me he was as good a hawker as there was in london and he thought he could do more than any other man with a small stock he had two or three times resolved to better himself and had put in the pin meaning he had made a vow to refrain from drinking but he had broken out again and gone on in his old course until he had melted the whole of his stock though twice it had during his sobriety amounted to 5 l and was often worth between 2 l and 3 l it was almost maddening when he came to his senses he said to find he had acted so foolishly indeed it was so disheartening to discover all the result of his good resolutions dissipated in a moment that he declared he never intended to try again after having drunk out his stock he would if possible commence with half a dozen britannia metal tea spoons these cost him 6 d and would sell for 9 d or 1 s when one half dozen were disposed of he would procure another adding a knife or a comb or two if entirely destitute he would stick a needle in a cork and request to know of the parties assembled in some tap room if they wanted anything in the ironmongery line though the needle was all the stock he had this was done for the purpose of raising the wind and by it he would be sure to obtain a glass or two of ale if he introduced himself with his ironmongery establishment among the sailors sometimes he would manage to beg a few pence and then he would purchase a knife pair of braces or half a dozen tea spoons and begin to practise his trade in a legitimate manner in answer to my inquiry he said he had not always been a hawker his father had been a soldier and he had worked in the armoury his father had been discharged upon a pension and he the hawker left the army with his parents he had never enlisted while his father was a soldier but he had since his mother adopted the business of a hawker upon the receipt of his fathers first quarters pension and then he used to accompany her on her rounds with the pension and the mothers exertions they managed to subsist tolerably well being the only child i was foolishly spoilt by my parents he said and when i was a very young man15 or 16i became a great trouble to them at 18 i enlisted in the 7th fusileers remained in the regiment three months and then at my own request was bought off my mother sold off most of her stock of goods to raise the money twenty pounds when i returned home i could not think of trudging by my mothers side as i had been used to do when carrying the goods nor did i feel inclined to exert myself in any way for my own support i considered my mother had a right to keep me without my working and she poor thing thought so too i was not only supported in idleness but my mother would give me many a shilling though she could ill afford it for me to spend with my companions i passed most of my time in a skittle ground i was not what you might term a skittle sharp for i never entered into a plot to victimise any person although i confess i have often bet upon the greenness of those who were silly enough to make wagers that they could not possibly win sometimes after i had lost the trifle supplied me by my mother i would return and be blackguard enough to assume the bully unless my demands on her for a further supply were attended to poor thing she was very meek and with tears in her eyes she would grant my request i often weep when i think how i treated her here the tears trickled down the mans cheek and yet badly as i used her in my heart i loved her very much i got tired of the skittle grounds in consequence of getting into a hobble relative to a skittle swindle some sharpers had obtained a flat i was speculating in a small way betting pennies and twopences in such a manner as always to win i was practising upon the flat upon my own account without having any connection with the others they fleeced their dupe out of several pounds and he made a row about it the police interfered and i was singled out as one of the gang the principals were also apprehended they got six months each and i was accommodated with a months board and lodging at the expense of the nation i thought this at the time unjust but i was as culpable as any of them for at the time i only regretted i had not more money to stake larger wagers and envied the other parties who were making a better thing of the business than i was when i came out of jail my poor mother treated me as a martyr she thought i was as innocent as a child shortly after my release from prison my father died and with him went the pension of course i was then obligated to do something for myself a few shillings worth 346 of goods only were procuredfor my fathers funeral and my extravagances had sadly crippled my mothers means i behaved very well for a short time my mother then was often ill and she never recovered the death of my father in about a year after my father died i lost my mother our stock of goods had dwindled down to a very poor lot and i was obligated to ask relief of the parish towards her funeral expenses when all was over the value of my goods and cash did not amount to 20 s ten years have elapsed since my mothers death and i dont think i have ever been during the whole period sober for a month together while i sat in this tap room i counted in the course of an hour and a quarter 4 hawkers of sheeps trotters who visited the place 3 sellers of shrimps pickled whelks and periwinkles 2 baked potato sellers 8 song hawkers the same number with lucifer matches and 3 with braces c not one of these effected a sale of the street sellers of jewellery the jewellery now sold in the streets far exceeds both in cheapness and quality what was known even ten years ago fifty years ago the jewellery itinerant trade was almost entirely if not entirely in the hands of jews who at any rate professed to sell really gold articles and who asked large prices but these traders have lost their command over this as i have shown that they have over other street callings as not a twelfth of the street jewellers are now jews a common trade among such street and country itinerant jewellers was in large watch seals the bodies of which were of lead more or less thickly plated with gold and which were unsaleable even as old metal until broken to pieces but not always saleable then the street or itinerant trade was for a long time afterwards carried on only by those who were regularly licensed as hawkers and who preferred barter or swopping to actual sale the barter being usually for other and more solid articles of the goldsmiths trade the introduction of mosaic and other cheap modes of manufacturing quasi gold ornaments brought about considerable changes in the trade pertaining however more to the general manufacture than to that prepared for the streets the itinerants usually carry their wares in boxes or cases which shut up close and can be slung on the shoulder for conveyance or hung round the neck for the purposes of sale these cases are nearly all glazed within them the jewellery is disposed in such manner as in the street sellers judgment is the most attractive a card of the larger brooches or of cameos often forms the centre and the other space is occupied with the shawl pins with their globular tops of scarlet or other coloured glass rings armlets necklaces a few earrings and ear drops and sometimes a few side combs small medals for keepsakes clasps beads and bead purses ornamental buttons for dresses gilt buckles for waist belts thimbles c constitute the street jewellers stock in trade the usual prices are from 2 d to 1 s 6 d the price most frequently obtained for any article being 3 d it will be seen from the enumeration of the articles that the stock is such as is required for womens wear and women are now almost the sole customers of the street jewellers in my time sir said one elderly street trader or rather when i was a boy and in my uncles timefor he was in jewellery and i helped him at timesquite different sorts of jewellery was sold and quite different prices was had whats a high figure now was a low figure then ive known childrens coral and bells in my uncles stockwell i dont know whether it was real coral or notand big watch keys with coloured stones in the centre on em such as ive seen old gents keep spinning round when they was talking and big seals and watch chains there werent no guards then as i remember and there was plated fruit knivessilver as near as a toucherand silver pencils pencil cases and gilt lockets to give your sweetheart your hair in for keepsakes lor bless you times is turned upside down the disposition of the street stalls is somewhat after the same fashion as that in the itinerants box with the advantage of a greater command of space some of the stallsone in tottenham court road i may instance and another in whitechapelmake a great show i did not hear of any in this branch of the jewellery trade who had been connected with it as working jewellers i heard of two journeymen watchmakers and four clockmakers now selling jewellery but often with other things such as eye glasses in the street but that is all the street mass selling jewellery in town and country are i believe composed of the various classes who constitute the street traders generally of the nature of his present trade and of the class of his customers i had the following account from a man of twelve years experience in the vending of street jewellery its not very easy to tell sir he said what sells best for people begins to suspect everything and seems to think theyre done if they give 3 d for an agate brooch and finds out it aint set in gold i think agate is about the best part of the trade now it seems a stone as is easy imitated cornelians too aint so bad in broochespeople likes the colour but not what they was and not up to agates but nothing is up to what it once was not in the least sell twice as muchwhen you can which often stands over till to morrow come neverand get half the profit i dont expect very much from the great exhibition they sends goods so cheap from germany theyll think anything dear in london if its only at german prices i think its a mistake to fancy that the cheaper a jewellery article is the more youll sell of it you wont peoples of opinionat least thats my notion of itthat its so common everybodyll have it and so they wont touch it its thames water sir against beer is poor low priced jewellery against tidy and fair priced but then the low priced has now ruined the other sorts for theyre all thought to go under the same umbrella all 347 of a sort 1 s or 1 d why as to whos the best customers that depends on where you pitches your pitch or works your round and whether you are known or are merely a upstart but i can tell you sir whos been my best customersand is yet but not so good as they wasand thats women of the town and mostly for ive tried most places about ratcliff highway whitechapel mile end road bethnal green and oxford street the sailors gals is the best of all but amost all of them is very particular and some is uncommon tiresome im afeard they says this colour dont suit my complexion its too light or its too dark how does that ring show on my finger ive known some of the fat and fair oneswhat had been younger but would be oldersay let me have a necklace of bright black beads them things shows best with the fat unsbut in genral them poor creatures is bad judges of what becomes them the things theyre the most particular of all in is necklaces amber and pearl sells most i have them from 6 d to 1 s 6 d i never get more than 1 s 6 d cornelian necklaces is most liked by children and most bought for them ive trusted the women of the town and trust them still one young woman in shadwell took a fancy the tother week for a pearl necklace it became her so which it didnt and offered to pay me 6 d a week for it if i wouldnt sell it away from her the first week she paid 6 d the second nothing and next week the full tip cause her jack had come home i never lost a halfpenny by the women yes they pays you a fairish price but nothing more sometimes theyve beat me down 1 d and has said its all the money i has its not very long ago that one of them offered me a fine goold watch which i could have bought at any price for i saw she knew nothing of what it was worth i never do anything that way i believe a very few in my line does for they cant give the prices the rich fences can its common enough for them gals to ask any street jeweller they knows how much a watch ought to pop for or to sell for afore they tries it on but it isnt they as tries it on sir they gets some respeckbel old lady or old gent to do that for them ive had cigars and cavendish of them such as seamen had left behind them you know sir ive never given money only jewellery for it plenty of shopkeepers is glad to buy it of me and not at a bad price they asks no questions and i tells them no lies one reason why these gals buys free is that when the jewellery gets out of order or out of fashion they can fling it away and get fresh its so cheap when ive had no money on a day until i has sold to these women ive oft enough said god bless em earrings is hardly any go now sir nothing to what they was theyre going out the penny jewellerys little good its only children what buys or gets it bought for them i sell most of brooches from 3 d to 6 d very seldom higher and braceletsthey calls them armlets nowat the same price i buys all my goods at a swag shop theres no other market watchguards was middling sale both silver and goold or washed white and washed yellow and the swags made money in them but instead of 1 s theyre not to be sold at a joey now watchguards aint if a man patters ever so i am informed that there are not less than 1000 individuals who all buy their jewellery at the london swag shops and sell it in the streets with or without other articles but principally without and that of this number 500 are generally in london and its suburbs including such places as gravesend woolwich and greenwich of these traders about one tenth are women and in town about three fifths are itinerant and the others stationary one half or thereabouts of the women are the wives of street sellers the others trade on their own account a few swop jewellery for old clothes with either the mistress or the maids four or five when they see a favourable opportunity offer to tell any servant maid her fortune buy this beautiful agate brooch my dear the womanll say and ill only charge you 1 s 6 d a german thing sir costing her seven farthings one street jeweller informed me and ill tell you your fortune into the bargain one old hand calculated that when a street jeweller could display 50 s worth of stock he could clear all the year round 15 s a week people said this man as far as ive known the streets like to buy of what they think is a respectable man and seemingly well to do they feel safe with him those however who cannot boast so large a stock of jewellery as 50 s worth may only clear 10 s instead of 15 s weekly one trader thought that the average earnings of his fraternity might be taken at 12 s a week anotherand both judged from their own experiencethought 10 s 6 d was high enough calculating then at a weekly profit of 10 s 6 d and a receipt of 18 s per individual we find 23 400 l expended in the street trade including the sales at gravesend woolwich and greenwich whereboth places being resorted to by pleasure seekers and seamenthe trade is sometimes considerable watches which now are almost unknown in a regular street trade there forming an occasional part of it of the pedlar jewellers i have heard a manufacturer of birmingham jewellery assert that one pound of copper was sufficient to make 10 l worth of jewellery consequently the material to provide the unmanufactured stock in trade of a wholesale dealer in birmingham jewellery is not over expensive it may be imagined then that the pedlars who hawk jewellery do not invest a very great capital in the wares they sell there are some few however who have very valuable stocks of goods pedlars though they be this trade is principally pursued by jews and to a great extent especially in a small way by foreign jews the jews are i think more attentive to the wants of their poorer brethren than other people and instead of supplying them with trifling sums of money which must necessarily soon be 348 expended they give them small quantities of goods so that they may immediately commence foraging for their own support many of these poor jews when provided with their stock of merchandise can scarcely speak a word of english and few of them know but little respecting the value of the goods they sell they always take care to ask a good price leaving plenty of room for abatement i heard one observe that they could not easily be taken in by being overcharged for according what they paid for the article they fixed the price upon it some of these men notwithstanding their scanty knowledge of the trade at starting have eventually become excellent judges of jewellery some of them moreover have acquired riches in it indeed from the indomitable perseverance of the hebrew race success is generally the result of their untiring industry if once you look at the goods of a jew pedlar it is not an easy matter to get out of his clutches it is not for want of perseverance if he does not bore and tease you until at length you are glad to purchase some trifle to get rid of him one of my informants tells me he is acquainted with several jews who now hold their heads high as merchants and are considered very excellent judges of the wares they deal in who originally began trading with but a small stock of jewellery and that a charitable donation as well as jews there are irishmen who deal in such commodities the pedlar generally has a mahogany box bound with brass and which he carries with a strap hung across his shoulder when he calls at a house an inquiry is made whether there is any old silver or gold to dispose of i will give you a full price for any such articles if the lady or gentleman accosted seems to be likely to buy the box is immediately opened and a tempting display of gold rings chains scent boxes lockets brooches breast pins bracelets silver thimbles c c are exposed to view all the eloquence the pedlar can command is now brought into play the jewellery is arranged about the persons of his expected customers to the best advantage the pedlar says all he can think of to enhance their sale he will chop and change for anything they may wish to dispose ofany old clothes books or useless lumber may be converted into ornaments for the hair or other parts of dress the irish pedlar mostly confines his visits to the vicinity of large factories where there are many girls employed these he supplies with earrings necklaces shawl pins brooches lockets c which are bought wholesale at the following prices earrings and drops at from 3 s 6 d to 12 s per dozen pairs the 3 d earring is a neat little article says my informant and those sold at 1 s each wholesale are gorgeous looking affairs many of the latter have been disposed of by the pedlars at 1 l the pair and even a greater price necklaces are from 5 s to 1 l per dozen lockets may be purchased wholesale at from 2 s to 10 s per dozen guard chains german silver are 4 s per dozen gilt heavy looking waistcoat chains 6 s per dozen and all other articles are equally low in price the pedlar jeweller can begin business respectably for two pounds his box costs him 7 s 6 d half a dozen pairs of earrings of six different sorts 3 s half a dozen lockets various 1 s 9 d half a dozen guard chains 2 s half a dozen shawl brooches 2 s 6 d one dozen breast pins different kinds 3 s one dozen finger rings of various descriptions 3 s 6 d half a dozen brooches at 4 d each 2 s one dozen necklaces a variety at 6 s three silver pencil cases at 1 s 9 d each 5 s 3 d half a dozen waistcoat chains 3 s one silver toothpick at 1 s 6 d these make altogether two pounds if the articles are arranged with taste and seeming care as if they were very valuable with jewellers wadding under each and stuck on pink cards c while the finger rings are inserted in the long narrow velvet lined groove of the box and the other valuables well spread about the little portable shopthey may be made to assume a very respectable and almost rich appearance many who now have large establishments commenced life with much less stock than is here mentioned the jews i do not think continues my informant are the best salesmen and the fact of their being israelites is in many instances a bar to their success country people especially are afraid of being taken in by them the importunities and appeals of the hebrew however are far more urgent than any other tradesman and they always wait where they think theres the slightest chance of effecting a sale until the door is slammed in their face i believe there are not at the present time many especially small traders who deal exclusively in jewellery they mostly add other small and light articlessuch as fancy cutlery side combs c there may at a rough guess be 500 of them travelling the country half the number are poor foreign jews a quarter are jews who have perhaps followed the same calling for years and the remaining quarter a mixture of irish and english with a small preponderance of irishmen all these swop their goods for old gold and silver and frequently realize a large sum by changing the base metal for the sterling article their goods are always sold as being gold or silverif asked whether a particular article be gold they reply its jewellers gold is this ring gold inquires the customer taking one from the boxno maam i wouldnt deceive you is the answer that is not gold but here is one adds the pedlar taking up one exactly of the same description and which cost the same price which is of a similar shape and fashion and the best jewellers gold that is made the profits of the pedlar jewellers it is almost impossible to calculate for they will sell at any price upon which the smallest amount of profit can be realized the foreign jews especially will do this and it is not an unusual circumstance for one of these men to ask 5 s for an article which originally cost them 3 d and which they will eventually sell for 4 d in london there are about 200 hawkers of jewellery who visit the public houses but few of these have boxesthey invite customers by displaying some chains in their hands or having one or two arranged in front of their waistcoats while 349 the smaller articles are carried in their waistcoat pockets the class of persons who patronize the public house hawkers are those who visit the tap rooms of taverns and countrymen in the vicinity of smithfield upon market days one of the hawkers tells me that they succeed better upon the hay market days than at the cattle sales for the butchers they say are too fly for them sailors are among their best customers but the coster girls are very fond of drop earrings and coral beads the sailors however give the best prices of all i am told that the quantity of old gold and silver which the country pedlars obtain in exchange for their goods is astonishing and there have been occasions on which a pedlar has been enriched for life by one single transaction of barter some old and unfashionable piece of jewellery that they received for their goods has been composed of costly stones which had lain by for years and of which the pedlars customer was unacquainted with the value the more respectable jewellery pedlars put up at the better class of public houses and even after their days travels are over they still have an eye to business they open the box upon the table of the tap room where they are lodging and under the pretence of cleaning or arranging their goods temptingly display their glittering stock the bar maid kitchen maid the landladys daughter or perhaps the landlady herself admires some ornaments which the pedlar declares would become them vastly he hangs a necklace upon the neck of one of them holds a showy earring and drop to the ear of another facetiously inquires of the girls whether they are not likely to want something of this sort shortlyas he holds up first a wedding ring and then a babys coral or else he exhibits a ring set with turquoise or pearls and small diamonds in a cluster to the landlady and tries it on her finger and by such arts a sale that will cover his expenses is generally effected there is one peculiarity these men have when bartering their goods a worn out ornament of jewellery is brought to them and although it be brass the pedlar never attempts to undeceive the possessor if he finds it is considered to be genuine of course he never gives cash for such articles but he offers a large price in barter i will take 10 s for this ring and allow you 5 s for the old one says the pedlar it would never do to say the ornament was not gold the customer bought it years ago for such and no one ever disputed its being the precious metal should our pedlar do so he might as well shut up shop immediately the lady would be angry and suspicious neither would she believe him but rather suspect that he wanted only to cheat her consequently the pedlar barters obtains the old ring or some other article and 5 s for his commodity and though the article he has taken in exchange is worth only a few pence he very likely profits to the amount of 200 per cent upon the cash received the pedlars of lesser consequence put up at humble private or public houses and some of them at the common lodging houses those who have only small stocks confine their visits to farm houses and villages of the street sellers of card counters medals etc the card counters or as i have heard them sometimes called by street sellers the small coins are now of a very limited sale the slang name for these articles is jacks and half jacks they are sold to the street people at only two places in london one in holborn and the other at black toms himself formerly a street seller now a small swag in clerkenwell they are all made in birmingham and are of the size and colour of the genuine sovereigns and half sovereigns but it is hardly possible that any one who had ever received a sovereign in payment could be deceived by the substitution of a jack those now sold in the streets are much thinner and very much lighter each presents a profile of the queen but instead of the superscription victoria dei grati of the true sovereign the jack has victoria regina on the reverse in the place of the britanniarum regina fid def surrounding the royal arms and crown is a device intended for an imitation of st george and the dragon representing a soldier on horsebackthe horse having three legs elevated from the ground while a drawn sword fills the right hand of the equestrian and a crown adorns his head the superscription is to hanover and the rider seems to be sociably accompanied by a dragon round the queens head on the half jack is victoria queen of great britain and on the reverse the prince of waless feather with the legend the prince of waless model half sovereign until within these five or six years the gilt card counters had generally the portraiture of the monarch and on the reverse the legend keep your temper as a seasonable admonition to whist players occasionally the card counter was a gilt coin closely resembling a sovereign but the magistracy eight or nine years back put down the sale of these imitations under another head will be found an account of the use made of these sovereigns in pretended wagers a further use of them was to add to the heaps of apparent gold at the back of the table keeper in a race booth when gambling was allowed at epsom and the great meetings there are now only two men regularly selling jacks in the streets there have been as many as twelve one of these street sellers is often found in holborn announcing 30 s for 1 d 30 s for 1 d cheapest bargain ever offered 30 s for 1 d the jacks cost wholesale 4 s 6 d the gross the half jacks 2 s 9 d the two are sold for 1 d if the sale be not brisk the street seller will give a ring into the bargain these rings cost 1 s the gross or the third part of a farthing each if there be on the years average only two street sellers disposing of the jacks and earning 9 s a weekto earn which the receipts will be about 20 s we find 104 l expended in the streets on these trifles of medals the street sale is sometimes considerable at others a mere nothing when a 350 popular subject is before the public many of the general patterers go to medals i could not learn that any of the present street people vended medals in the time of the war i believe there are none at present among the street folk who did so i am told that the street sale in war medals was smaller than might reasonably have been expected the manufacture of those articles in the salamanca vittoria and even waterloo days was greatly inferior to what it is at present and the street price demanded was as often 6 d as a smaller sum these medals in a little time presented a dull leaden look and the knowledge that they were poor things seems to have prevented the public buying them to any extent in the streets and perhaps deterred the street sellers from offering them those who were the most successful of the medal sellers had been or assumed to have been soldiers or seamen within the last eighteen years or more there has hardly been any public occurrence without a comparatively well executed medal being sold in the streets in commemoration of it that sold at the opening of london bridge was i am told considered a superior thing and the improvement in this art of manufacture has progressed to the present time within the last three years the most saleable medals an experienced man told me were of hungerford suspension bridge the new houses of parliament the chinese junk and sir robert peel the thames tunnel medals were at one time very tidy as were those of the new royal exchange the great sale is at present of the crystal palace and one man had heard that there were a great many persons coming to london to sell them at the opening of the great exhibition the great eggs and bacon i call it he said for i hope it will bring us that sort of grub but i dont know im afraid therell be too many of us besides they say we shant be let sell in the park the exhibition medal is as follows what the street medal sellers call the right sidei speak of the penny medal which commands by far the greatest salepresents the crystal palace raised from the surface of the medal and whitened by the application of aqua fortis the superscription is the building for the international exhibition london 1851 on the wrong side so called is the following inscription occupying the whole face of the medal the construction is of iron and of glass 1848 feet long about half is 456 wide the remainder 408 feet wide and 66 feet high site upwards of 20 acres cost 150 000 josh paxton archt the size of this medal is between that of a shilling and a half crown a patterer who used to sell medals on sunday mornings in the park informed me that he told his customers the crystal palace part was dead silver by a new discovery making silver cheap but for all that he would risk changing it for a four penny bit the two penny medal is after the same style but the letters are more distinct on my stating to a medal seller that it was difficult to read the inscription on his pennies he said not at all sir but its your eyes is dazzled this was said quietly and with a touch of slyness and i have no doubt was the mans cut and dried answer the patterer whom i have mentioned told me that encouraged by a tolerable sale and a gathering of the aristocrats on a very fine sunday in january or februaryhe could not remember whichhe ventured upon 6 sixpenny medals costing him 1 s 9 d he sold them all but one which he showed me it was exactly the size of a crown piece the crystal palace was raised and of dead silver as in the smaller medals the superscription was the same as on the penny medal but underneath the representation of the palace were raised figures of mercury and of a naked personage with a quill as long as himself a cornucopia and a bee hive this i presume was industry these twin figures are supporters to a medallion crown surmounted of the queen and prince albert being also in dead silver on the reverse was an inscription giving the dimensions c of the building the medals in demand for street sale in london seem to be those commemorative of local events only none for instance were sold relating to the opening of the britannia bridge the wholesale price of the medals retailed in the street at 1 d is 7 s the gross those retailed at 2 d are 12 s the gross but more than three fourths of those sold are penny medals they are all bought at the swag shops and are all made in birmingham it is difficult to compute how many persons are engaged in this street trade for many resort to it only on occasions there are however from 12 to 20 generally selling medals and at the present time about 30 are so occupied they however do not sell medals exclusively but along with a few articles of jewellery or occasionally of such street stationery as letter stamps and fancy pens with coloured glass or china handles a fourth of the number are women the weather greatly influences the street medal trade as rain or damp dims their brightness one seller told me that the day before i saw him he had sold only four medals ive known the trade off and on he said for about six years and the greatest number as ever i sold was half a gross one saturday i cleared rather better than 3 s i sold them in whitehall and by westminster bridge there was nothing new among them but i had a good stock and it was a fine day and i was lucky in meeting parties and had a run for sets by a run for sets my informant meant that he had met with customers who bought a medal of each of the kinds he displayed this is called a set an intelligent man familiar with the trade and who was in the habit of clubbing his stock money with two others that they might buy a gross at a time calculated that 15 medal sellers were engaged in the traffic the year through and earned in medals alone 6 d a day each to clear 351 which they would take 6 s 6 d weekly giving a yearly outlay of 253 l 10 s it must be remembered to account for the smallness of the earnings that the trade in medals is irregular and the calculation embraces all the seasons of the trade on occasions when medals are the sole or chief articles of traffic they are displayed on a tray which is a box with a lid and thus look bright as silver on the faded brown velvet with which the box is often lined among the favourite pitches are oxford street the approaches to london blackfriars westminster and waterloo bridges the railway stations and the city road of small coins proper there is now no sale in the streets when there was an issue of half farthings about seven years ago the street sellers drove a brisk trade in vending them at four a penny urging on the sale before the coins got into circulation which they never did its not often said one patterer to me that we has anything to thank the government for but we may thank them for the half farthings i dare say at least 30 of us made a tidy living on them for a week or more and if they wasnt coined just to give us a spirt i should like to know what they was coined for i once myself sir for a lark gave one to a man that swept a capital crossing and he was in a thundering passion and wanted to fight me when i told him they was coined to pay the likes of him there was afterwards a tolerable sale of the new silver pennies just issued from the mint three hapence each or 7 for 6 d also of genuine models of the new english florin only 1 d both of these were fictitious of the street sellers of rings and sovereigns for wagers this class is hardly known in the streets of london at present country fairs and races are a more fitting ground for the ring sellers operations one man of this class told me that he had been selling rings and occasionally medals for wagers for this last fifteen years its only a so so game just now he said the people get so fly to it a many hold out their penny for a ring and just as i suppose im a going to receive it they put the penny into their pockets and their thumb upon their nose i wish i had some other game for this is a very dickey one i gives 3 d a dozen for the rings at the swag shop and sometimes sells a couple of dozen in a day but seldom more saturday is no better day than any other country people are my best customers i know them by their appearance sometimes a person in the crowd whispers to others that he bought one the other day and went and pawned it for 5 s and hed buy another but hes got no money i dont ask for such assistance i suppose its done for a lark and to laugh at others if they buy women buy more frequently than any one else several times since i have been on this dodge women have come back and abused me because the ring they bought for a penny was not gold some had been to the pawn shop and was quite astonished that the pawnbroker wouldnt take the ring in i do best in the summer at races people think it more likely that two sporting gents would lay an out of the way wager as you know i always make out then than at any other time i have been interfered with at races before now for being an impostor and yet at the same time the gamblers was allowed to keep their tables but of course theirs was all fairno imposition about themoh no i am considered one of the best patterers among our lot i dare say there may be twenty on us all together in town and country on rings and sovereigns sometimes when travelling on foot to a race or fair i do a little in the fawney dropping line fawneys are rings but that is a dangerous game i never did it but two or three times there were some got lagged for it and that frightened me in ring dropping we pretend to have found a ring and ask some simple looking fellow if its good gold as its only just picked up sometimes it is immediately pronounced gold well its no use to me well say will you buy it often they are foolish enough to buy and its some satisfaction to ones conscience to know that they think they are a taking you in for they give you only a shilling or two for an article which if really gold would be worth eight or ten some ring droppers write out an account and make a little parcel of jewellery and when they pick out their man they say if you please sir will you read this for me and tell me what i should do with these things as ive just found them some people advise they should be taken to the police officebut very few say that some that they should be taken to the address others that they should be sold and the money shared others offer a price for them stating that theyre not gold theyre only trumpery they say but theyll give half a crown for them its pleasant to take such people in sometimes the finder says hes in haste and will sell them for anything to attend to other business and he then transfers his interest at perhaps 200 per cent profit this game wont friz now sir its very dangerous ive left it off long since i dont like the idea of quod ive been there once another plan of dropping rings is to write a letter this is the style my dear anne i have sent you the ring and hope it will fit excuse me not bringing it john will leave it with you you know i have so much to attend to i shall think every minute a year until the happy day arrives yours devotedly james brown this love epistle containing the wedding ring was most successful when it first came up but the public now are too wide awake according to another informant the ring dropping lurk is now carried on this way for the old style is coopered a woman he says is made up so as to appear in the family waypretty far goneand generally with a face as long as a boys kite up she goes to any likely ken where she knows there are women that are married or expect to get married and commences begging then comes the tale of woe if she can get them to 352 listenim in the family way she says as you can plainly see young ladies this she says to the servants and that prides them you know my husband has left me after serving me in this way i dont know where he is and am forced to solicit the ladies charity well the servants will bring broken victuals and make a little collection among themselves for the unprotected female for which in return with many thanks for their kindness she offers her gold wedding ring for sale as she wants to get back to her suffering kids to give them something to eat poor things and they shall have the gold ring she says for half what its worth or if they wont buy it will they lend 2 s or 3 s on it till she can redeem it as she hasnt been in the habit of pledging the girls are taken off their guard she not being in the habit of pledging is a choker for them by the womans seeming simplicity and theres a consultation one says to the otheroh youll want it mary for john and another no youll want it first sally for william but the woman has her eye on the one as says the least as the likeliest of all to want it and so she says to the john and william girls oh you dont want it but here touching the silent one heres a young lady as does that sweetens the servant girl up directly she says i dont want it bless you with a giggle but ill lend you a trifle as you are in this state and have a family and are left like this by your husbandaint he cruel sally she adds to her fellow servant the money the ring woman gets sir depends upon the servants funds if it is just after quarter day she generally gets a tidy tipif not 4 or 5 bob ive known one woman get 10 s and even 12 s this way the ring is made out of brass gilt buttons and stunning well its faked up to rights and takes a good judge even at this day to detect it without a test the best sort of rings for fawney dropping is the belchers they are a good thick looking ring and have the crown and v r stamped upon them they are 7 d a dozen i takes my stand now in my ring selling as if i was in a great hurry and pulls out my watch i used to have a real one but now its a dummy now ladies and gentlemen says i i am not permitted to remain more than ten minutes in one spot i have rings to sell to decide a wager recently made between two sporting noblemen to the effect that i do not sell a certain quantity of these rings in a given time at a penny a piece i can recommend the article as being well worth the money i ask for it perhaps something more i do not say they are gold in fact i must not say too much as there is a person in this company watching my proceedings and seeing that i do not remain more than ten minutes in this spot here i always looks very hard at the most respectable and gentlemanly looking person among my hearers and sometimes gives him a wink and sometimes a nod but if you should hear anything more about these rings and you want to purchase dont be vexed if i am gone when you want me the ten minutes has nearly expired three minutes more any more buyers it makes no difference to me whether i sell or noti get my pay all the same but if you take my advice buy and perhaps if you was to call at the sign of the three balls as you go home you may be agreeably surprised and hear something to your advantage perhaps i have said too much i have one minute more before i close the establishment after shutting the box i dare not sell another in this spot if you were to offer me 5 l for it therefore if you wish to purchase now is your time i make many a pitch and do not sell a single ring and the insults i receive used to aggravate me very much but i do not mind them now im used to it the flyest cove among all us ring sellers is little ikey the jew there were two used to work the game they had a real gold ring just like the ones they were selling and they always used to pitch near a pawnbrokers shop ikeys pal would buy a ring for a penny of the street seller and would then say loud enough to be heard by the bystanders theres a pawn shopill go and ask them to take it in a crowd would follow him he would enter the pawnbrokerspresent a real gold ringobtain a loan of 5 s and would present the ticket to the bystanders who would then buy very fast when the pitch was over ikeys pal would take the ring out of pawn and away the two would go to work near some other pawnbrokers i have heard ikey say they have pawned the ring thirty five times in a day i tried the same caper but my pal cut with the gold ring the first day and ive never had another go at that fake since before i commenced the jewellery line continued my candid informant a good many years ago i used to hold horses about bond street afterwards i was taken as an errand boy at a druggists was out of an errand one day and got 6 d for holding a gentlemans horse which kept me nearly an hour when i went back to my masters i was told i wasnt wanted any more i had been cautioned about stopping of errands two or three times before however i didnt like the situation it was too confining i next got a place as pot boy in brick lane here i was out one day gathering in the pots i hung the strap of pots to a railing to have a game at chances pitch and toss somebody prigged my strap of pots and i cut a few weeks after i was grabbed for this and got a month at the mill but i was quite innocent of priggingi was only careless when i came out of prison i went to epsom races thinking to get a job there at something or other a man engaged me to assist him in pitching the hunters pitching the hunters is the three sticks a penny with the snuffboxes stuck upon sticks if you throw your stick and they fall out of the hole you are entitled to what you knock off i came to london with my master the pitcher hunter he went to a swag shop in kent street in the borough to purchase a new stock i saw a man there purchasing rings this was little ikey the jew some days afterwards i saw him making a pitch and selling very fast i had fourpence 353 in my pocket went to kent street to the swag shops bought a dozen rings and commenced selling them i sold that day three dozen that wasnt bad considering that my toggery was very queer and i looked anything but like one who would be trusted with ten pounds worth of gold rings this wager between the two sporting noblemen has been a long time settling ive been at it more than fifteen years the origin of it was this here when sovereigns were first coined the jew boys and others used to sell medals and card counters upon particular occasions the same as they do now and shove them in a saucepan lid with silver paper under them captain barclay and another of the same sort bet a wager that one of these jew boys could not dispose of a certain number of real sovereigns in a given time supposing the jew boy cried out nothing more than heres sovereigns only a penny a piece the number he was to sell was 50 within the hour and to take his station at london bridge the wager was made the jew boy procured and the sovereigns put into the pot lid here are real sovereigns a penny a piece wholl buy he cried but he sold only a few the number disposed of within the hour i have heard was seventeen those who purchased when they found that they had really bought sovereigns at a penny a piece returned for more but the salesman was gone a good harvest was afterwards reaped among the jews who got up a medal something like a sovereign and sold them in every quarter of london for the captains wager soon spread about everywhere its a stale game now it was so before my time but ive heard the jews talk about it the second day i tried the ring dodge i was a little more successful indeed every day for some time exceeded the day before for as i improved in patter my sales increased my appearance too was improving at one time i was a regular swell sported white kid gloves white choker white waistcoat black ribbon and a quizzing glass some people used to chaff me and cry out theres a swell i never was saving always spent my money as fast as i got it i might have saved a goodish bit and i wish i had now i never had a wife but i have had two or three broomstick matches though they never turned out happy i never got hold of one but what was fond of lush i live in westminster at a padding ken id rather not tell you where not that ive anything to fear but people might think i was a nose if anybody came after me and they would crab me id rather get something else to do if i could but i think this is the best street game i could follow i dont believe any of the ring sellers dispose of more than myself except little ikey he now adds other articles a silver thimble he calls it some conundrums a song book and a seal and all for a penny i tried the same thing but found i could do just as well with the rings alone we all expects to do great things during the exhibition i think all on us ought to be allowed to sell in the parks foreigners are invited to witness specimens of british industry and its my opinion they should see all from the highest to the lowest we did intend petitioning the prince on the subject but i dont suppose it would be any go seeing as how the slang coves the showmen have done so and been refused of the street sellers of childrens gilt watches these articles were first introduced into general street sale about 10 years ago they were then german made the size was not much larger than that of a shilling and to this tiny watch was appended as tiny a chain and seal the street price was only 1 d and the wholesale price was 8 s the gross they were sold at eight of the swag shops all english and foreign or english and german establishments from the price it would appear that the profit was 4 d a dozen but as the street sellers had to take the watches as they came the profit was but 3 d as a dozen watches in a gross had broken glasses or were otherwise damaged and unsaleable the supply of these watches was not equal to the demand for when a case of them was received it could have been sold twice over one street seller told me that he had sold 15 and even 16 dozen of these watches on a day and that once on a saturday night and early on sunday morning he had sold 2 gross or 24 dozen such however was not the regular sale a good week was a profit of 15 s about six years ago gilt watches of a very superior kind were sold in the streets in a different way they were french made and were at first vended at 1 s each some were displayed in case boxes fitted up with divisions in which were placed the watches with the guard chains about three quarters of a yard long coiled round them there were also two or three keys one in the form of a pistol the others were hung from a small pole sometimes a dozen and sometimes two being so suspended and they had a good glittering appearance in a bright light this street fashion still continues the street sellers however are anxious not to expose these watches too much as they are easily injured by the weather and any stain or injury is irreparable the shilling sale continued prosperously for about six weeks and then the wholesale priceowing the street sellers were told at the swag shops to an opposition in the trade in paris was reduced to 4 s 6 d the dozen and the retail street price to 6 d each when the trade was at its best there were thirty men and twenty women selling these watches all may june and july and each clearing from 12 s to 20 s but rarely the latter sum a week last season there were for the same period about half the number of sellers mentioned averaging a profit of about 15 d a day each or 9 s a week the cry ishandsome present for 6 d beautiful childs watch and chain made of peruvian metal by working jewellers out of employ only 6 d for a handsome present the vendors of these watches are the regular 354 street sellers some of them being tolerably good patterers one of these men in the second year of the street sale of watches appeared one morning in an apron and sleeves to which brass and copper filings were made to adhere and he announced himself as an english working jeweller unemployed offering his own manufactures for sale better finished and more solider nor the french the mans sale was greatly increased on the following day however four other english working jewellers appeared in leicester square and its approaches each in besprinkled apron and sleeves and each offering the productions of his own handicraft the apron and sleeves were therefore soon abandoned among the best pitches for the watch sellers are not itinerant though they walk to and froare the regents park leicester square the foot of london bridge and of blackfriars bridge and at the several railway stations the principal purchasers i was told by an intelligent patterer who sometimes turned his hand to the watches were fathers and mothers he thought and them as wished to please such parties calculating that twenty five persons now vend watches for twelve weeks in the year andas they are 10 per cent cheaper than they were at the swag shopsthat each clears 8 s weekly we find 360 l yearly expended in london streets in these toy watches of the street sellers of tinware the sellers of tins who carry them under their arms or in any way on a round apart from the use of a vehicle are known as hand sellers the word hand seller is construed by the street traders as meaning literally hand seller that is to say a seller of things held or carried in the hand but the term is clearly derived from the scotch handsell as in handsell penny handsell according to jamieson the scotch etymologist means 1 the first money that a trader receives for goods also a gift conferred at a particular season 2 a piece of bread given before breakfast ihre the gothic lexicographer views the term handsell as having sprung from the mso gothic hunsla sacrifice or offering this is the same as the anglo sax husl the eucharist whence comes the english housel and unhouseled and he considers the word to have originally meant a gift or offering of any kind hence the hand sellers of tin and other wares in the street would mean simply those who offered such tin or other wares for sale the goods they dispose of are dripping pans sometimes called square pans sold at from 3 d to 18 d the 3 d pans being 6 inch and the 18 d 15 inch cullenders 6 d to 9 d hand bowls for washerwomen 1 s now a very small portion of the trade roasting jacks with tin bodies 6 d to 1 s 6 d this used to be the best article for profit and ready sale in the trade but they are going out of date and the smaller articles of graters c the hand sellers also trade in other articles which are less portable the principal sale however is at stands and there chiefly on a saturday night the greatest business time of street commerce these less portable articles are tea kettles 10 d to 18 d saucepans of all sizes the smallest being the open pints at 2 d or 2 d each they cost them 20 d a dozen its a bargain to get them at 18 d and the largest the nine quart but the kinds most in demand are the three pints and two quarts sold at 6 d and 8 d there are also fish kettles in this street traffic though to a very limited extentone fish kettle i was told to four and twenty saucepans the selling price for the fish kettles is 5 s and 3 s 6 d each candlesticks are sold at 4 d to 1 s and shaving pots 4 d a few tin things used to be sold at the mews but the trade is now almost entirely abandoned these were tins for singeing horses 2 s 6 d each when first introduced ten or twelve years ago but now 1 s and stable lanterns of punched tin which cannot be sold now for more than 1 s each though they cost 10 s per dozen at a tin shop there are other tin articles vended in the streets but they will be more properly detailed in my account of street artisans as the maker and the street seller are the same individual among these are dutch ovens which are rarely offered now by those who purchase their goods at the tin shops as the charge there is 6 d why said a working tinman to me ive had 10 d many a week for making ovens and the stuff found it takes two plates of tin to make an oven thats 3 d at any tin shop before a minutes labour is given to it and yet the men who hawk their own goods sell their ovens regularly enough at 4 d its the ruin of the trade the tin shops i may observe supply the artisans with the materials they require as well as the ready made articles to the street seller one of the largest street stands in tin is in st john street clerkenwell on saturday evenings but the proprietor pertains to the artisan class though he buys some of his goods at the tin shops the hand sellers of tin are about 100 in number and 60 of that number may be said to be wives and children of the remaining 40 as the majority of the itinerant vendors of tinware are married men with families tins are not a heavy carriage and can very well be borne from house to house by women while children sell such things as nutmeg graters pepper boxes extinguishers and save alls those who sell the larger tin articles in the streets are generally the makers of them a dozen years back or more perhaps there was i was informed some prime block tin tea pots sold in the streets theres none now metals druv out tin among the street tin sellers i heard many complaints of the smallness and the constantly diminishing rate of their earnings our people has bad luck too said one man or they isnt wide awake you may remember sir that a few weeks back a new save all came in and was called candle wedges and went off well it was a tin thing and ought by rights to have been started by the tin shops for us but it was first put out by the 355 swag men at 3 s the gross the first and second days the men were soon sold out them as could patter tidy did the besti tried but you see sir im no scholar well they went at night to mr s in houndsditch i think it is and he says im out of them but ill have some in the morning they goes in the morning and the swag says o i cant afford em at three shillings you can have em at four he put 1 s exter on the gross cause they sold nothing else sir and a relation of mine heard the swag shopkeeper say why theyre cheap at four jim the street seller there made 3 s 3 d on em yesterday i aint a going to slave and pay rent and rates and taxes to make your fortens it aint likely you see sir they was sold at d each and cost d which is 3 d a dozen and so the swag got a higher profit while the poor fellows had to sell for less profit from the most reliable information which i could acquire it appears that these tin sellers taken altogether do not earn above 6 s a week each as regards the adult men and half that as regards the children and women to realize this amount the adults must take 13 s and the women and children 7 s for the latter are less priced down thus if we calculate an average receipt per individual of 10 s weekly reckoning 100 sellers we find a yearly expenditure on tins bought in the street of 2500 l the trade is greatest in the suburbs and some men who have become known on their rounds supply houses by order with all the tins they require there is a branch of the tin trade carried on in a way which i have shown prevailed occasionally among the costermongers viz the selling of goods on commission this system is now carried on among all the parties who trade from swag barrows the word swag which has been so often used in this work of late is like many other of the street terms of scotch origin as handseller and busker the scotch word is sweg or swack and means according to jamieson a quantity a considerable number a large collection of any kind the root appears to be an ancient german term sweig a flock a herd hence a swag warehouse is a warehouse containing a large collection of miscellaneous goods and a swag barrow a barrow laden with a considerable assortment of articles the slang term swag means booty plunderthat is to say the collection of goodsthe lot the heap stolen of these swag barrowmen there are not less than 150 and the barrows are mostly the property of three individuals who are not street sellers themselves one of these men has 50 barrows of his own and employs 50 men to work them the barrow proprietor supplies not only the vehicle but the stock and the mens remuneration is 3 d in the 1 s on the amount of sales each article they sell is charged to the public 1 d the tin wares of the swag barrows are nutmeg graters bread graters beer warmers fish slices goblets mugs save alls extinguishers candle shades money boxes childrens plates and rattles in addition to the tin wares the swag barrows are stocked with brooches rings pot ornaments plates small crockeryware toys c each article being also vended at 1 d the trade is so far stationary that the men generally confine themselves to one neighbourhood if not to one street the majority of the swag barrowmen have been costermongers and nearly the whole have been engaged in street avocations all their lives one man familiar with the trade thought i might state that the whole were of this description for though there was lately a swag barrowman who had been a tradesman in an extensive way there was he believed no such exception at the present time these barrowmen are nearly all uneducated and are plodding and persevering men though they make few exertions to better their condition as the barrow and stock are supplied to them without any outlay on their part their faculties are not even sharpened as among many of the costermongers by the necessity of providing stock money and knowing how to bargain and buy to advantage they have merely to sell their commission furnishes little or nothing more than the means of a bare subsistence the great sale is on saturday nights at the street markets and to the working people who then crowd those places and as one said to me has a few pennies to lay out at such times as much as 3 l has been taken by a swag barrowman during the other days of the week their earnings are small it is considered a first rate week and there must be all the facilities for street trade afforded by fine weather to take 2 s a day clearing 6 d and 3 l on a saturday night this gives the swag barrowman a commission of 18 s but i am informed by competent persons that the average of the weekly profits of these street traders does not exceed 10 s a week this shows a yearly receipt by the men working the barrows of 3900 l as their profit or payment and a gross receipt of 11 700 l of this large amount nearly two thirds i am assured is expended on tin wares the prime cost at the tin shops of these wares to the barrow proprietors are 7 s and 7 s 6 d the gross leaving from 1 d to 2 d profit on every shilling over the 3 d commission paid to the salesman the tins are all made in london the jewellery and other stock of the swag barrows are bought at the general swag shops of which i have before spoken of the life of a tin ware seller the following street biography was communicated to me in writing it is i believe a striking instance of the vicissitudes and privations to which a street life is subject it forms moreover a curious example of those moral contradictions which make the same individual at one time give way hopelessly to the force of circumstances and at another resolutely control them my object says my correspondent for writing this what some folks no doubt will call a nonsensical epistle is merely to show how much human nature is capable of enduring in the shape of privations people in easy circumstances will 356 scarcely credit what i am about to relate and many of the poor will smile at what i have termed hardships and at my folly in endeavouring to paint the misery i have endured which will appear slight when compared to what they themselves have suffered i am the son of a mechanic who was accidentally drowned some weeks previous to my birth my mother through industry and perseverance endeavoured to support me and my sister till we arrived at the ages of 15 and 18 i being the younger i entered a gentlemans service as pantry boy where i continued until i considered myself competent to take a higher situation still a servants life was not the bent of my inclinations martial music and viewing soldiers on parade made me think that a rifle was a more graceful tool than a toasting fork i resolved to serve his majesty and for that purpose enlisted in the 60th rifles on the route for india but providence ordained it otherwise on the afternoon on which i listed i fell by accident and broke my leg and as i was not sworn in i was entitled to no pension i was six months confined to my bed and it was three years before i could go without my crutch grief for my misfortunes had borne my mother to an early grave and i was left a cripple and destitute whether by design or accident i do not recollect but i met with the lady lady m in whose service i first entered as pantry boy she took pity on my forlorn condition and kindly invited me to her mansion where i remained until completely restored to health but still crippled after this i was employed painting and glazing c and considering myself competent to get my living in that line i resolved to go to londonthe theatre of all my misery to come for i was disappointed on reaching the metropolis my paint brush was turned into a shovel my paint pot into a dust sieve for i could only get employed by a man to work in a dust yard at 10 s a week from thence i went to a firm belonging to a friend at beckenham near croydon as working time keeper or foreman but during a fair in that village i neglected to back the time and being discharged was cast upon the world again with only 3 s in my pocket which i eat and drank up having no idea of street trading then came my trials but having had sufficient food during the day i did not feel much the effects of my first night in the streets the next day i had no food and towards dusk began bitterly to feel my situation that night i slept or rather lay in an empty house towards noon of the next day i felt weak and drank large quantities of water for i had no particular desire for food passing by a shop where old clothes were offered for sale i saw a man wretched in appearance disposing of an old vest for a few pence i caught the malady and was instantly spoiled of my coat having received in exchange for it 2 s and an old frocksuch as are generally worn by waggoners or countrymen i more than once smiled at my novel appearance a penny loaf a drink of water and a threepenny lodging was the first assault upon my 2 s i regretted however the 3 d paid for my lodging and determined not to risk another for my bedfellows were so numerous and of such teazing propensities that they would not allow me to sleep truly indeed is it said that poverty makes us acquainted with strange bedfellows at this time i formed an acquaintance with a man whose condition was similar to my own he engaged to put me fly to a dodge or two an explanation from him was necessary to make me acquainted with the sense of his words which i soon found simply meant artful manuvres one of these dodges was to snooze a term for sleeping in the adelphi arches i felt grateful for such a mark of disinterested friendship and next day my friend and me fared sumptuously on the produce of my coat and at night we repaired to the arches in question and there found a comfortable lodging in a hay loft i lay for some time but did not sleep i was several times addressed by my companion in an under tone are you asleep he whispered aint it a stunning dos which means a good bed i was not in a mood for conversation and made no reply to silence him completely i affected to snore and this had the desired effect for a few minutes he was quite quiet and then he commenced with great caution to unlace my boots with a view to stealing them i perceived his object and immediately left my lodging and companion i felt grieved and disappointed at the loss of one in whom i placed all confidence but this time wisdom was purchased cheaply inasmuch as i suffered no loss except that my money might have lasted me a little longer the remainder of that night i strayed about the strand and charing cross after a drink of water i took a seat on a curb surrounding the pump many wretched beings came and seated themselves beside me and a conversation ensued respecting their several destinations during the day one proposed going to hungerford market to do a feed on decayed shrimps or other offal laying about the market another proposed going to covent garden to do a tightener of rotten oranges to which i was humorously invited i accepted the invitation and proceeded with my new companion i fared well i filled my hat took a seat and made a most delicious breakfast i remained strolling about the garden all day and towards evening was invited by my companions to a dos in an open shed in islington this i declined alleging that i had a lodging but that night i slept amongst a heap of stones near the pillar at charing cross i continued to attend the garden for several weeks subsisting entirely on the offal of that market one day i took notice of a man there selling chestnut leaves i enquired how he obtained them he told me he plucked them from the trees without hindrance and directed me to where i could obtain some i went to a grove in the vicinity of kilburn and lay there all night next morning i found no leaves so i returned disappointed to town and on going through the market a woman employed me to carry a bushel of pears some little distance for her for a penny i felt quite elevated in anticipation of 357 such a treat as a penny loaf but alas i fell down under the weight of the fruit and poverty my employer however kindly gave me the penny though some of her pears were injured and i had not taken them half the required distance with the money i purchased a loaf and sat on a stone near the pump in covent garden and began my meal here i soon had a companion who after rincing a lettuce at the pump began to devour it i shared my loaf with him o god said he what are we destined to suffer i have escaped the bullets of the carlists in spain to die in the streets of london with hunger i felt an interest in the poor fellow who i discovered in the course of conversation had been a gentlemans servant in his time he assured me he had been living in the same way for several weeks as i myself had been towards night my companion asked me where i slept i told him my different haunts he told me id better go to the straw yard with him this was a place i had not yet heard of it was the nightly refuge for the houseless poor i accompanied him without hesitation my confidence was not misplaced i slept there several nights bread was distributed to us night and morning and this was fortunate for the garden began to fail in the course of conversation with some of the inmates of the refuge we found that we could obtain employment at stone breaking this we tried the next morning and succeeded we worked all day and received 6 d each on leaving work we then made up our minds to go to lodgings that we might have an opportunity of washing what were once shirts misery had not had that wasting influence on my companion as it had on me i was at this time a complete skeleton a puff of wind would cause me to stagger i continued stone breaking but about noon of the third day i sunk exhausted on the heap of stones before me poverty had done its work and i anticipated with pleasure approaching dissolution i was assisted to my lodging by my companion and went to bed when the woman at the lodging house discovered that i was ill she ordered some of her domestics to dress me and put me in the street alleging that she was under a penalty of 20 l were it discovered that she lodged a sick stranger i was therefore cast into the street at 12 oclock at night my companion then gave me the 3 d he had earned that day to procure me a lodging if possible and he slept in the streets the remainder of the night i went to another lodging concealing as much as possible my illness my money was taken and i was conducted to bed i spent a wretched night and next morning i was very bad the landlady led me to the workhouse i was admitted directly had they detained me asking questions i should have sunk on the floor my disorder was pronounced english cholera i lay three weeks in a precarious state but at the end of seven weeks was recovered sufficiently to walk about i was then discharged but on going towards the abbey in westminster i fainted and on recovery found myself surrounded by a number of persons i was advised to return to the house i did so and was admitted for a short time after which i was again discharged but i received out door relief twice a week and for some time a small portion of bread and cheese as well i had now lost not only all hope but even desire of bettering my condition during these trials i made none acquainted with my privations save those situated as i was i now altered my condition as regards sleeping i walked about during the night and slept a portion of the day on a heap of sand near westminster bridge i then remembered to have a poor relative in kensington i did not plead distress but merely asked whether she knew where i might procure employment i had a cup of tea the first i had tasted since i was in the workhouse a period of five weeks being asked some question by my relative i could not help making reference to some of my sufferings at this place i found a young man of whom i had had a previous acquaintance i told him of my inability to procure a lodging and he allowed me without the knowledge of his parents to sleep in the stable loft the bed was hard but the coal sacks kept me warm here i had many opportunities of earning a few pence and i began to regain my spirits on one occasion seeing a lad illtreated by a young man who was much his superior in size and strength i interposed and it may be conjectured in what manner this circumstance procured me a friend for with the assistance of the lad i had protected i was enabled to live tolerably well and after a short while i got a situation at a coal shed at 10 s a week i continued in this place eighteen months but my master giving up the business i was again cast on the world i then began to think seriously of some way of living and for the first time asked for the loan of 15 s with this i purchased a few articles of furniture laid out 7 s 6 d for two hundred of oranges with which i walked and hawked about two days taking but 4 d during the time i disposed of the remainder of my stock wholesale for 6 s with this i purchased a small tin saucepan a piece of marble slab and commenced sugar boiling i retailed my manufacture in the streets by dint of perseverance and economy i managed to live this way through the winter and a portion of the spring but summer being now come people needed none of my compounds to warm their mouths so it was necessary for me to change my hand what should i do thoughts came and vanished at their births i recollected having seen a person selling rings at a penny each i made up my mind to try the same i laid out 5 s in a tray and stock after arranging the goods to the best advantage i sallied into the streets the glittering baubles took for a while but when discoloured were useless having once a considerable stock of these soiled rings i was prompted to begin lot selling after calculating the profits i commenced selling in that line as this continued for seven weeks i managed to get a living the system then became general every street in the metropolis contained a lot seller so i was determined to change my hand one day in the street i saw a 358 girl with a bundle of old umbrellas going towards a marine store shop i asked if the umbrellas were for sale she replied in the affirmative the price she asked was 4 d i became a purchaser with these old umbrellas i commenced a new life i bought some trifling tools necessary for repairing umbrellas and after viewing well the construction of the articles i commenced operations i succeeded and in a little time could not only mend an old umbrella but make a new one this way of living i followed three years in one of my walks through the streets crying old umbrellas to sell i saw a street tinker repairing a saucepan he seemed so very comfortable with his fire pan before him that i resolved from that moment to become a tinker and for that purpose i bought a few tools prepared a budget and sallied into the streets with as much indifference as if i had been at the business since my birth after a little practice i fancied i was fit for better things than mending old saucepans and flattered myself that i was able to make a new one this i resolved to attempt and succeeded so well that i at once abandoned the rainy day system and commenced manufacturing articles in tin ware such as are now sold in the streets namely funnels nutmeg graters penny mugs extinguishers slices savealls c i soon became known to the street sellers and swag shop proprietors the prices i get are low and i am deficient in some of the tools necessary to forward the work with the required speed to procure returns adequate to my expenses but thanks to the lord i am better off than ever i expected to be with the difference only of a somewhat shattered constitution there are many at the present day suffering as i have done and they may be found in and about the different markets of the metropolis of the street sellers of dog collars of these street traders there are now regularly twelve one man counted to me fourteen but two of these only sold dog collars occasionally when they could not get employment in their trade as journeymen brass founders of the regular hands one two and sometimes three sell only dog collars with the usual adjuncts of locks and sometimes chains and key rings but even these when their stock money avails prefer uniting to the collars some other trifling article two of the most profitable pitches for the sale of these articles are in the neighbourhood of the old swan pier off thames street and at a corner of the bank neither of these two traders confines his stock to dog collars though they constitute the most valuable portion of it the one sells in addition to his collars key rings keys and chains dog whistles stamps with letters engraved upon them printers type in which any name or initials may be set up shaving brushes trowser straps razors and a few other light articles the other sells little more than dog articles with the addition of brass padlocks and small whips but the minor commodities are frequently varied according to the season and to the street sellers opinion of what may sell some of these traders hang their wares against the rails of any public or other building in a good situation where they can obtain leave others have stalls with a back from the corners of which hang the strings of dog collars one linked within another the manner in which one street seller displays his wares is shown in the illustration before given of the whole number half are either itinerant on a round or walk up and down a thoroughfare and an adjacent street or two dog collars said one man is no good at saturday night markets people has said to mefor i was flat enough to try oncedogs pooh ive hardly grub enough for the kids for all that sir some poor people has dogs and is very fond of them too ay and ive sold them collars but seldom i think its them as has no children has dogs the collars most in demand are brass one man pointed out to me the merits of his stock which he retailed from 6 d each for the very small ones to 3 s for collars seemingly big enough for pyrenean sheep dogs some of the street sold collars have black and red rims and linings others are of leather often scarlet stitched ornamentally over a sort of jointed iron or wire work a few are of strong compact steel chain work but thems more the fashion said one seller for sporting dogs like pointers and greyhounds and is very seldom bought in the streets its the pet dogs as is our best friends the dog collar sellers have as regards perhaps one half been connected in their youth with some mechanical occupation in metal manufacture four i am told are or were pensioners to a small amount as soldiers or sailors some further particulars of the business will be found in the following statement given me by a man in the trade he was sickly looking seemed dispirited at first but to recover his spirits as he conversed and spoke with a provincial i presume a warwickshire or staffordshire accent i served my time sir my relations put mefor my parents died when i was a boyto a harness furniture maker in wasall walsal who supplied mr dixon a saddlers ironmonger in a good way i had fair makings and was well treated and when i was out of my time i worked for another master and i then found i could make my pad territs the round loops of the harness pad through which the reins are passed my hooks my buckles my ornaments some of em crests as well as any man i worked only in brass never plated but sometimes the body for plating and mostly territs and hooks thinking id better myself i came to london i was between five and six weeks before i got a stroke of work and my money had gone i found that london harness makers and coachmakers names was put on walsal made goods and london made and town made was put too they might be as good but they wasnt town made no more nor i am i cant tell what i suffered and felt and thought as at last i walked the streets i was afraid to call at any brass workersfor i can do many sorts of brass worki was so shabby i called once at 359 mr as near smithfield and he or his foreman perhaps it was says to me give that tug buckle a file id had nothing to eat but an apple i found in the street that day and my hand trembled and so he told me that drunkards with trembling hands wouldnt do there i was never a drinking man and at that time hadnt tasted so much as beer for ten days my landladyi paid her 1 s a week for half a bed with a portertrusted me my rent cause i paid her when i had it but i walked about narvussed and trembling and frightened at every sudden sound no sir ive stood looking over a bridge but though i may have thought of suicide i never once had really a notion of it i dont know how to tell it but i felt stupified like as much as miserable i felt i could do nothing perhaps i shouldnt have had power of mind to drown myself if id made up my resolution besides its a dreadful wickedness i always liked reading and before i was fairly beaten out used to read at home at shop windows and at book stalls as long as i dared but latterly when i was starving i couldnt fix my mind to read anyhow one night i met a wasll friend and he took me to his inn and gave me a good beef steak supper and some beer and he got me a nice clean bed in the house in the morning he gave me what did me most good of all a good new shirt and 5 s i got work two days after and kept it near five years with four masters and married and saved 12 l we had no family to live and my poor wife died in the cholera in 1849 and i buried her decently thank god for she was a good soul when i thought the cholera was gone i had it myself and was ill long and lost my work and had the same sufferings as before and was without soles to my shoes or a shirt to my back till a gentleman id worked for lent me 1 l and then i went into this trade and pulled up a little in six weeks i paid 15 s of my debt and had my own time for the remaining 5 s now i get an odd job with my master sometimes and at others sell my collars and chains and key rings and locks and such like im ashamed of the dog collar locks i can buy them at 2 d a dozen or 1 s 6 d a gross theyre sad rubbish in two or three weeks sometimes the wire hasp is worn through just by the rattling of the collar and the lock falls off i make now one way and another about 10 s a week my lodgings 2 s a week for a bed roomits a closet tho for my furniture all went gods good and ill see better days yet i have sure promise of regular work and then i can earn 30 s to 40 s i do best with my collars about the docks im sure i dont know why i am told that each of the street sellers of dog collars sell on the average a dozen a week at a medium receipt of 12 s sometimes 20 s and sometimes 6 s though some will sell three and even four dozen collars in the week any regular dog collar seller will undertake to get a name engraved upon it at 1 d a letter the goods are bought at a swag shop or an establishment carried on in the same way the retailers profit is 35 per cent reckoning 12 s weekly taken by twelve men we find 374 l expended yearly in the streets in dog collars of the life of a street seller of dog collars from the well known vendor of these articles whose portrait was given in no 10 of this work i had the following sketch of his history i was born in brewer street st james he said in answer to my questions i am 73 years of age my father and mother were poor people i never went to school my father died while i was young my mother used to go out charing she couldnt afford to pay for schooling and told me i must look out and yearn my own living while i was a mere chick at ten years of age i went to sea in the merchant sarvice while i was in the merchant sarvice i could get good wages for i soon knowed my duty i was always of an industrious turn and never liked to be idle dont you see what i mean in 97 i was pressed on board the inconstant frigate i was paid off six months arterwards but hadnt much to take and that like all other young men who hadnt larned the dodges of life i spent very soon but i never got drunkthank god said the old man i never got drunk or i shouldnt ha been what i am now at 73 years of age i was drafted into the woolwich 44 gun ship from her to the overisal i inquired how the name of the ship was spelt oh i am not scholard enough for that there he replied tho i did larn to read and write when abord a man of war i larned myself but you must look into a dutch dictionary for its a dutch name i then entered on board the amphine frigate and arter i had sarved some months in her i entered the merchant sarvice again and arter that i went to greenland to the whale fisherythey calls me here in the college he is now an inmate of greenwich hospital whaler ben but i arnt affrontedmost on em here have nicknames i went three voyages besides to the west ingees i never got drunk even there though i was obliged to drink rum it wouldnt ha done to ha drunk the water neat there was so many insects in it when my sailors life was over i comes to liverpool and marries a wifeaye and as good a wife as any poor man ever had in england i had saved a goodish bit o money nearly 300 l for i was not so foolish as some of the poor sailors who yearns their money like horses and spends it like asses i say well we sets up a shopa chandler shopin liverpool me and my old ooman does and i also entered into the pig dealing line i used to get some of my pigs from ireland and some i used to breed myself but i was very misfortunate you recollect the year when the disease was among the cattle in course you recollects that well sir i lost 24 pigs and a horse in one year and that was a good loss for a poor man wernt it i thought it werry hard for id worked hard for my money at sea and i was always werry careful arter i knowed what life was my poor wife too used to trust a good deal in the shop and by and 360 by behold you me and my old ooman was on our beam ends my wife was took ill tooand for the purpose of getting the best adwice i brings her to london but her cable had run out and she died and ive been a poor forlorned creatur ever since you wouldnt think it but arter that i never slept on a bed for seven years i had blankets and my clothesbut what i means is that i never had a bed to lie on i sold most of my bits o things to bury my wife i didnt relish applying to the parish i kept a few sticks tho for i dont like them ere lodging houses i cant be a werry bad kerackter for i was seven years under one landlord and i warrant me if i wanted a room agin he would let me have one arter my wife died knowing someat about ropes i gets work at maberleys the great contractorsin course you knows him i made rope traces for the artillery theres a good deal of leather work about the traces and stitching them you see puts me up to the making of dogs collars i was always handy with my fingers and can make shoes or anythink i can work now as well as ever i could in my life only my eyes isnt so good aint it curious now sir that wot a man larns in his fingers he never forgets well being out o work i was knocking about for some time and then i was adwised to apply for a board to carry at one of them cheap tailors but i didnt get none so i takes to hawking link buttons and key rings and buys some brass dog collars it was them brass collars as made me bethought myself as i could make some leather ones altho i had been better off i didnt think it any disgrace to get a honest living the leather collars is harder to make than the brass ones only the brass ones wants more implements there are about a dozen selling in the streets as makes brass collarstheres not much profit on the brass ones people says theres nothing like leather and i thinks they are right well sir as i was a telling you i commences the leather collar making in course i didnt make em as well at first as i do now it was werry hard lines at the best of times i used to get up at 4 oclock in the morning in the summer time and make my collars then id turn out about 9 and keep out until 7 or 8 at night i seldom took more than 2 s per day what profit did i get out of 2 s why lor bless you sir if i hadnt made them myself i shouldnt have got no profit at all but as it was if i took 2 s the profits was from 1 s to 1 s 6 d howsomever sometimes i didnt take 6 d wet days too used to run me aground altogether my rheumatics used to bore me always when the rain come down and then i couldnt get out to sell if id any leather at them times i used to make it up but if i hadnt none why i was obligated to make the best on it oh sir you little knows what ive suffered many a banyan day ive had in my little roomupon a wet dayaye and other days too why i think id a starved if it hadnt a been for the bus men about hungerford market they are good lads them there bus lads to such as me they used to buy my collars when they didnt want them ask any on em if they know anything about old tom the collar maker and see if they dont flare up and respect me they used sometimes to raffle my collars and give em back to me mr longstaff too the landlord of the hungerford armsi believe its called the hungerford hotelhas given me something to eat very often when i was hungry and had nothing myself theres what you call a hornary there every day you knows what i meangentlemen has their grub there at so much a head or so much a belly it should be i says i used to come in for the scraps and werry thankful i was for them i can assure you yes mr longstaff is what you may call a good man hes what you calls a odd man and a odd mans always a good man all i got to say is god bless him hes fed me many time when ive been hungry i used to light upon other friends too landlords of public houses where i used to hawk my collars they seemed to take to me somehow it wernt for what i spent in their houses im sure seeing as how id nothing to spend i had no pension for my sarvice and so i was adwised to apply for admission to the house here greenwich hospital i goes to somerset house another poor fellow was making a application at the same time but i didnt nothing till one very cold day when i was standing quite miserable like with my collars id been out several hours and hadnt taken a penny when up comes the man as wanted to get into the house running with all his might to me i thought he was going to tell me he had got into the house and i was glad on it for poor fellow he was werry bad off howsomever he says to me tom says he they wants you at the admirality does they says i and cordingly away i goes and arter telling the admiral my sarvice and answering a good many questions as he put to me the admiral says says he the order will be made out you shall go into the house i think the admiral knowed me or somethink about me you see i dont know his name and it wouldnt ha done to have axed god bless him whoever he is i says and shall say to my dying day it seemed like providence i hadnt taken a hapenny all that day i was cold and hungry and suffering great pain from my rheumatics thank god exclaimed the old man in conclusion i am quite comfortable now ive everythink i want except a little more tea and shuggar but im quite content and thank god for all his mercies the street seller of dogs collars from a daguerreotype by beard the old man informed me moreover that he did not think there were more than half a dozen street sellers besides himself who made leather collars it was a poor trade he said and though the other makers were younger than he was he could lick them all at stitching he did not believe he told me that any of the collar sellers sold more than he didif as manyfor he had friends that perhaps other men had not he makes collars now sometimes and wishes he could get some shopkeeper to sell them for him and then maybe he says he could obtain a little more tea and shuggar and assist a sister in law of his whom he tells me is in great distress and whom he has been 361 in the habit of assisting for many years notwithstanding his poverty the old man during the recital of his troubles was affected to tears several timesespecially when he spoke of his wife and the distress he had undergoneand with much sincerity blessed god for the comforts that he now enjoys of the street sellers of tools these people are of the same class as the sellers of hardware articles though so far a distinct body that they generally sell tools only the tools are of the commonest kind and supplied by the cheapest swag shops from which establishments the majority of the street traders derive their supplies they are sometimes displayed on a small barrow sometimes on a stall and are mostly german made the articles sold and the price askedand generally obtained as no extravagant profit is demandedis shown by the following claw hammers 6 d large claw black and glaze faced 1 s pincers 4 d larger ones 6 d screw drivers from 2 d to 1 s flat nose pliers 6 d a pair squares 6 d to 1 s carpenters oil cans from 9 d to 1 s 3 d nests of brad awls for joiners and in wooden cases 6 d to 2 s back saws 1 s to 2 s 6 d while many of the street sellers of tools travel the several thoroughfares and suburbs of the metropolis others vend tools of a particular kind in particular localities these localities and sellers may be divided into four distinct classes 1 the street sellers of tools in the markets 2 the street sellers of tools at the docks and warehouses 3 the street sellers of tools at mews stable yards and job masters and 4 the street sellers of tools to working men at their workshops the markets which are usually frequented by the vendors of tools are newgate and leadenhall there are i am informed only five or six street sellers who at present frequent these markets on the busy days the articles in which they deal are butchers saws cleavers steels meat hooks and knives these saws they sell from 2 s to 4 s each knives and steels from 9 d to 1 s 3 d each cleavers from 1 s 6 d to 2 s each and meat hooks at 1 d 2 d and 3 d each according to the size it is very seldom however that cleavers are sold by the street sellers as they are too heavy to carry about i am told that the trade of the tool sellers in newgate and leadenhall markets is now very indifferent owing chiefly to the butchers having been so frequently imposed upon by the street sellers that they are either indisposed or afraid to deal with them when the itinerant tool sellers are not occupied at the markets they vend their wares to tradesmen at private shops but often without success it is a poor living said one of the hawkers to me sometimes little better than starving i have gone out a whole day and havent taken a farthing i am informed that the greater portion of these street sellers are broken down butchers the tools they vend are purchased at the brummagem warehouses to start in this branch of the street business 5 s or 10 s usually constitutes the amount of capital invested in stock and the average takings of each are about 2 s or 2 s 6 d a day a dozen years back twenty such men offered saws at my shop said a butcher in a northern suburb to me now theres only one and he seems half starving poor fellow and looks very hungrily at the meat perhaps its a way hes got to have a bit given him as it is sometimes the only street seller of tools at present frequenting billingsgate market is an elderly man who is by trade a working cutler the articles he displays upon his tray are oyster knives fish knives steels scissors packing needles and hammers this tradesman makes his own oyster knives and fish knives the scissors and hammers are second hand and the packing needles are bought at the ironmongers sometimes brad awls gimlets nails and screws form a part of his stock he informed me that he had frequented billingsgate market upwards of ten years wet or dry he said i am here and i often suffer from rheumatics in the head and limbs sometimes i have taken only a few pence on other occasions i have taken 3 s or 4 s but this is not very often however what with the little i take at billingsgate and at other places i can just get a crust and go on from day to day the itinerant saw sellers offer their goods to any one in the street as well as at the shops and are at the street markets on saturday evenings with small saws for use in cookery with the butchers they generally barter rather than sell taking any old saw in exchange with so much money for a new one i was brought up a butcher said one of these saw sellers and worked as a journeyman off and on between twenty and thirty year but i grew werry delicate from rheumaticks and my old ooman was bad too so that we once had to go into marylebone workus i had no family living perhaps theyre better as it is we discharged ourselves after a time and they gave us 5 s i then thought id try and sell a few saws and things a master butcher thats been a friend to me lent me another 5 s and i asked a man as sold saws to butchers to put me in the way of it and he took me to a swag shop i do werry badly sir but ill not deny and i cant denynot anyhowwhen you tell me mr told you about methat theres elps to me if i make a bargain for so much or for old saws or cleavers or any old butcher thing and so much a man wot knows me says well old boy you dont look satisfied heres a bit of steak for you sometimes its a cut off a scrag of mutton or weal that gives the old ooman and me a good nourishing bit of grub i can work at times and every saturday amost im now a porter to a butcher i carries his meat from newgate when hes killed hisself and wants no more than a mans weight from the market and when he asnt killed hisself in course he hires a cart i makes 1 s a day the year round i think on saws and my old ooman makes more than arf as much at charing and theres the elps and then i gets 18 d and my 362 grub every saturday its no use grumbling lots isnt grubbed arf so well as me and my old ooman my rents 20 d a week the articles vended by the second class of the street sellers of tools or those whose purchasers are mostly connected with the docks and warehouses consist of iron handled claw hammers spanners bed keys and corkscrews of these street traders there are ten or twelve and the greater portion of them are blacksmiths out of employ some make their own hammers whereas others purchase the articles they vend at the swag shops we sell more hammers and bed keys than other things said one and sometimes we sells a corkscrew to the landlord of a public house and then we have perhaps half a pint of beer our principal customers for spanners are wheelwrights those for hammers are egg merchants oilmen wax and tallow chandlers and other tradesmen who receive or send out goods in wooden cases as well as chance customers in the streets the amount of capital required to start in the line is from 5 s to 15 s it is not much use said one to go to shop with less than 10 s a third class of the street sellers of tools are the vendors of curry combs and brushes mane combs scrapers and clipping instruments and these articles are usually sold at the several mews stable yards and jobbing masters in and about the metropolis the sellers are mostly broken down grooms who not being able to obtain a situation resort to street selling as a last shift it is the last coach when a man takes to this kind of living said one of my informants a groom in a good place and its getting worse and worse the poor fellows look half starved why what do you think i gave for these scissors i got em for 6 d and a pint of beer and i should have to give perhaps half a crown for em at a shop the trade is fast declining and to gentlemens carriage mews the street sellers of such tools rarely resort as the instruments required for stable use are now bought by the coachmen of the tradesmen who supply their masters at the mixed mews as i heard them called there are two men who along with razors knives and other things occasionally offer clipping and trimming scissors four or five years ago there were four of these street sellers the trimming scissors are in the shops 1 s 6 d to 2 s 6 d a pair there is one trade still carried on in these places although it is diminutive compared to what it was i allude to the sale of curry combs those vended by street sellers at the mews are sold at 7 d or 6 d the best sale for these curry combs is about coventry street and the haymarket and at the livery stables generally along with curry combs the street vendors sell wash leathers mane combs horn sponges which were like dried moss for awhile i was told got up by the jews but which are now good dandy brushes whalebone brushes to scrape dirt from a horses legs before he is groomed spoke brushes to clean carriage wheels and coach mops one dweller in a large west end mews computed that 100 different street traders resorted thither daily and that twenty sold the articles i have specified in this trade i am assured there are no broken down coachmen or grooms only the regular street sellers a commoner curry comb is sold at 2 d prime cost 1 s 3 d a dozen at smithfield on market days and to the carmen and the owners of the rougher sort of horses but this trade is not extensive there may be ten men i am told selling common currys and they also sell other articles often horse oil cloths and nose bags along with them the last class of street sellers is the beaten out mechanic or workman who through blindness age or infirmities is driven to obtain a livelihood by supplying his particular craft with their various implements of this class as i have before stated there are six men in london who were brought up as tailors but are now through some affliction or privation incapacitated from following their calling these men sell needles at four and five for 1 d thimbles 1 d to 2 d each scissors from 1 s to 2 s 6 d and wax 1 d the lump there are also old and blind shoemakers who sell a few articles of grindery to their shopmates as they term them as well as a few decayed members of other trades hawking the implements of the handicraft to which they formerly belonged but as i have already given a long account of one of this class under the head of the blind needle seller there is no occasion for me to speak further on the subject from one of the street traders in saws i had the following account of his struggles as well as the benefit he received from teetotalism of which he spoke very warmly his room was on the fourth floor of a house in a court near holborn and was clean and comfortable looking there were good sized pictures in frames of the queen the last supper and a rural scene besides minor pictures some of these had been received in exchange for saws with street picture sellers a shelf was covered with china ornaments such as are sold in the streets the table had its oil skin cover and altogether i have seldom seen a more decent room the rent unfurnished was 2 s a week ive been eight years in this trade sir the saw seller said but i was brought up to a very different one when a lad i worked in a coal pit along with my father but his behaviour to me was so cruel he beat me so that i ran away and walked every step from the north of england to london i cant say i ever repented running awaymuch as ive gone through my money was soon gone when i got to london and my way of speaking was laughed at he had now very little of a provincial accent thats fourteen year back why indeed sir it puzzles me to tell you how i lived then when i did live i jobbed about the markets and slept when i could pay for a lodging at the cheap lodging houses so i got into the way of selling a few things in the streets as i saw others do i sold laces and childrens handkerchiefs sometimes i was miserable enough when i hadnt a farthing and if i managed to make a sixpence i got tipsy on it for six weeks i slept every night in the peckham union for another five or six weeks i slept every 363 night in the dark arches by the strand ive sometimes had twenty or thirty companions there i used to lie down on the bare stones and was asleep in a minute and slept like a top all night but waking was very bad i felt stiff and sore and cold and miserable how i lived at all is a wonder to me about eleven years ago i was persuaded to go to a temperance meeting in harp alley farringdon street and there i signed the pledge that is i made my mark for i cant read or write which has been a great hinder to me if id been a scholard a teetotal gent would have got me into the police three years ago about the time i got married i did better of course when i was a teetotallerno more dark arches i sold a few little shawls in the streets then but it was hardly bread and butter and coffee at times eight year ago i thought i would try saw selling a shopkeeper advised me and i began on six salt saws which i sold to oilmen theyre for cutting salt only and are made of zinc as steel would rust and dirty the salt the trade was far better at first than it is now in good weeks i earned 16 s to 18 s in bad weeks 10 s or 12 s now i may earn 10 s not more a week pretty regular yesterday i made only 6 d oilmen are better customers than chance street buyers for im known to them theres only one man besides myself selling nothing but saws i walk i believe 100 miles every week and that i couldnt do i know if i wasnt teetotal i never long for a taste of liquor if im ever so cold or tired its all poisonous the saws sold are 8 inch which cost at the swag shops 8 s and 8 s 6 d a dozen 10 inch 9 s and 9 s 6 d and so on the price advancing according to the increased size to 18 inch 13 s 6 d the dozen larger sizes are seldom sold in the streets the second mans earnings my informant believed were the same as his own the wife of my informant when she got work as an embroideress could earn 11 s and 12 s at present she was at work braiding dresses for a dressmaker at 2 d each by hard work and if she had not her baby to attend to she could earn no more than 7 d a day as it was she did not earn 6 d of the beggar street sellers under this head i include only such of the beggar street sellers as are neither infirm nor suffering from any severe bodily affliction or privation i am well aware that the agedthe blindthe lame and the halt often pretend to sell small articles in the streetsuch as boot laces tracts cabbage nets lucifer matches kettle holders and the like and that such matters are carried by them partly to keep clear of the law and partly to evince a disposition to the public that they are willing to do something for their livelihood but these being really objects of charity they belong more properly to the second main division of this book in which the poor or those that cant work and their several means of living will be treated of such though beggars are not lurkersa lurker being strictly one who loiters about for some dishonest purpose many modes of thieving as well as begging are termed lurkingthe dead lurk for instance is the expressive slang phrase for the art of entering dwelling houses during divine service the term lurk however is mostly applied to the several modes of plundering by representations of sham distress it is of these alone that i purpose here treatingor rather of that portion of them which pretends to deal in manufactured articles in a few instances the street sellers of small articles of utility are also the manufacturers many however say they are the producers of the things they offer for sale thinking thus to evade the necessity of having a hawkers licence the majority of these petty dealers know little of the manufacture of the goods they vend being mere tradesmen some few profess to be the makers of their commodities solely with the view of enlisting sympathy and thus either selling the trifles they carry at an enormous profit or else of obtaining alms an inmate of one of the low lodging houses has supplied me with the following statement within my recollection says my informant the great branch of trade among these worthies was the sale of sewing cotton either in skeins or on reels in the former case the article cost the lurkers about 8 d per pound one pound would produce thirty skeins which sold at one penny each or two for three halfpence produced a heavy profit the lurkers could mostly dispose of three pounds per day the article was of course damaged rotten and worthless the mode of sale consisted in the lurkers calling at the several houses in a particular district and representing themselves as manchester cotton spinners out of employ long tales of course were told of the distresses of the operatives and of the oppression of their employers these tales had for the most part been taught them at the padding ken by some old and experienced dodger of the school and if the spokesman could patter well a much larger sum was frequently obtained in direct alms than was reaped by the sale cotton on reels wasexcept to the purchasera still better speculation the reels were large handsomely mounted and displayed in bold relief such inscriptions as the following pikes patent cotton 120 yards the reader however must divide the 120 yards here mentioned by 12 and then he will arrive at something like the true secret as to the quantity for the surface only was covered by the thread the cotton lurk is now cooperd worn out a more common dodgeand of course only an excuse for beggingis to envelope a packet of warranted needles or a few inches of real honiton lace in an envelope with a few lines to the lady of the house or a printed bill setting forth the misery of the manufacturers and the intention of the parties leaving the fakement to presume to call for an answer in a few hours i subjoin a copy of one of these documents 364 the lace makers appeal it is with extreme regret we thus presume to trespass on your time and attention we are lace makers by trade and owing to the extensive improvements in machinery it has made hand labour completely useless so that it has thrown hundreds of honest and industrious men out of employment your petitioners are among the number fifteen men with their families have left their homes with the intention of emigrating to south australia and the only means we have of supporting ourselves till we can get away is by the sale of some frame thread and traced lace collars of our own manufacture at the following low pricesfashionable frame lace collars 3d each warranted to wash and wear well frame thread collars 6d each traced lace collars 1s each the best that can be made and we trust we shall meet with that encouragement from the friends of industry which our necessities require the enclosed two 6d the party calling for this will have an assortment of the newest patterns of frame thread lace and edgings for your inspection and the smallest purchase will be thankfully received and gratefully remembered by g davis lace makers we beg to state that a number of the families being destitute of clothing the bearer is authorised to receive any articles of such in exchange for lace edgings or collars allen printer long row nottingham these are left by one of the school at the houses of the gentry a mark being placed on the door post of such as are bone or gammy in order to inform the rest of the school where to call and what houses to avoid as the needles cost but a few pence per thousand and the lace less than one halfpenny per yarda few purchasers of the former at 1 s per packet 25 needles or of the latter at 2 s 6 d per yard is what these lurkers term a fair days work for a fair days wages another and very extensive branch of the pseudo manufacturing fraternity is to be found among the sham street sellers of cutlery at some of the least respectable of the swag shops may be bought all the paraphernalia requisite in order to set up as the real manufacturer of sheffield and brummagem goodsincluding beside the cutlery chamois leather aprons paper caps ready crushed to give them the appearance of age and usage and last but not least a compound of black lead and tallow to take the granny off them as has white ands so as the flats shant tumble to the unworkmanlike appearance of the palms of the lurker thus got up for the part continues my informant and provided with a case of razors which perhaps has cost him two groats and if he can raise as much a noggin o rum to give him cheek and make him speak up to his victimsjack beaver the king of the street cutlers will sally forth and meet intercept and follow any gentleman who seems a likely spec till worried perhaps by importunity the swell buys what he does not want and i need scarcely add what he cannot use next in importance to jack beaver is the notorious pat connor pat does nothing on the blob that is to say he does not follow people and speak to them on the streets his dodgeand it has been for years a successful oneis to go round to the public offices dressed as before described with the exception of being in his shirt sleeves he has every day a clean shirt and teaze the clerks till they purchase a pen knife he has been known to sell from fifteen to twenty knives in one day at two shillings each the first cost being about threepence halfpenny of course he is often interrupted by porters and other officials but he always carries in one hand a roll of wire and a small hammer in the other and having got the name of some gentleman up stairs he pretends that he is going to mend mr so and sos bell this worthy a short time ago made freein the custom housewith a timepiece belonging to one of the clerks for which the sheffield manufacturer got twelve months in newgate i have not seen him since adds my informant and therefore imagine that he is now taking a provincial tour of the house of lords a street sellers defunct club i have given an account of a defunct club of which the paper workers were the chief members and i have now to do the same of a society not very dissimilar in its objects of which the street sellers of manufactured articles constituted the great majority it was called the house of lords and was established about eight years ago at the roebuck tavern holborn and existed three years its object was to relieve its members in sickness the subscription was 2 d a week and the relief to a sick member was as many pennies a week as the club contained members with in any pressing case an additional halfpenny which the members paid into the fund over and above their weekly subscription for the greater part of its existence the club contained ninety members a few of them honorary and there were very few cases of declaring on the fund by sick members at one period for many weeks there were no such declarations and the house of lords had 30 l in hand one of the leading members a very intelligent man who had a good connection in hardware had taken great pains to prepare a code of rules which having been approved by the other members it was considered time that the house of lords should be enrolled delays however intervened to tell you the truth sir one of them said we were afraid to employ an attorney and thought of waiting upon mr tidd pratt ourselves but it wasnt to be the club was moreover looked upon as somewhat select no costers were admitted sir i was told by a hardware seller in the streets 365 not but what theres many very industrious and honest men among them but theyre in a different line and are a different sort of people to us the members met once a week and though they were merry and talkative enough drunkenness was strongly discouraged it was common for the subscribers who were regarded as the geniuses of the trade to take counsel together and invent any new move they were reputed to be knowing among the most knowing in all street arts and dodges and the way in which the club came to an end considering the strong claims to knowingness of its members was curious enough one saturday evening a member who was considered a respectable man and was sufficiently regular in his payments appeared at the weekly meeting introducing his landlord who as a non member had to pay 1 d for admission the man told how his family had suffered from illness and how he had been ill and got into arrears of rent for he did not like to distress the fund and how his landlord was then in possession of his sticks which must be sold in the morning if he could not pay 15 s and moreover how his landlorda very kind hearted indulgent manwas forced to do this for he himself was in difficulties the members voted that the 15 s should be advanced but before the next meeting night it was discovered that the statement of the poor member in arrears was an imposition the landlord was merely a confederate the worthy couple had been drinking together and to prolong their tippling had hit upon the roguish scheme i have mentioned this among other things lowered the confidence of the members the numbers fell off until it was thought best to wind up the concern the small funds in hand were fairly apportioned among the remaining members and the club ceased to exist another street sellers club has recently been formed by the men themselves of which the following is the prospectus and it is to be hoped that this attempt on the part of the street folk to better their condition will meet with a better fate than its predecessor our motto is to live honestly by daily perseverance and industry street mechanics labourers hawkers c protection association held at the lamb tavern new turnstile holborn proprietor mr white the above named classes are kindly invited to attend a meeting convened for sunday evening next and every succeeding sunday evening at the above house to carry out the object unanimously agreed to by the enrolled members and the general committee furthermore to take into consideration the most appropriate means whereby we may be enabled to assist each other in the time of adversity committee mr taylor chairman mr thoresby travers dowse cowan manly moody morris moore lawson hand lamb martin mr j white treasurer mr f a thoresby secretary the chair will be taken at seven oclock and the committee are requested to be in attendance one hour previous of the street sellers of crockery and glass wares we now come to a new class of the street sellers of manufactured articlesviz the crocks as they are termed i have before alluded to one characteristic of these tradersthat they all strive to be barterers in preference to salesmen they also present other varying qualities when compared with other classes of street sellers of these crocks there are from the best data i could obtain from men in the trade and from the swag shop people who supply them 250 men and 150 women of these 120 couples man and woman work together of the remainder sometimes two men work in unison and some women work singly on my inquiring of one of these street folk if ever three worked together i was told that such was never the case as the crocks would quote a saying twos good company threes none at all of the men and women carrying on this traffic conjointly more than half are married showing a difference of habits to the costermongers the reason assigned to me by one of the class himself once a costermonger was that the interest of the man and woman in the business was closer than in costermongering while the serviceableness of a woman helpmate in swopping or bartering was much greater this prompts the women i am told even if they are unmarried at the outset to insist upon wedlock and the mansometimes perhaps to secure a valuable help at others it may be from better motivesconsents to what in this rank of life and under the circumstances of such street traders is more frequently the womans offer than the mans the trade in its present form has not been known more than twelve years the goods which are all bought at the crock swag shops of which an account is given below are carried in baskets on the head the men having pads on the cloth caps which they wearor sometimes a padding of hay or wool inside the capwhile the womens pads are worn outside their bonnets or caps the bonnet being occasionally placed on the basket the goods though carried in baskets on the head to the locality of the traffic are whilst the traffic is going on usually borne from house to house or street to street on the arm or when in large baskets carried before them by the two hands these baskets are strongly made the principal mart is close to spitalfields market 366 the men engaged in this trade are usually strong robust and red faced most of them are above the middle stature very few are beyond middle age and the majority of them are under or little more than 30 the women more than the men have contracted a stoop or bend to one side not so much by carrying weights on the head as by carrying them on the arm the weights they carry are from three to five stone the dress of the men is the same as the costermongers with the exception of shooting cut jackets being more frequent among the crocks than the costers and red plush waistcoats are very popular with them when not at work or on sundaysfor they never work on the sabbath though they do not go to church or chapelthese men are hardly ever seen to wear a hat both men and women wear strong boots and unless when hard up silk handkerchiefs their places of residence are as regards the majority in spitalfields bethnal green and shoreditch of the others the greater portion reside in the neighbourhood of kent street in the borough their abode usually consists of one room which is in most cases more comfortable and better furnished than those of the costers we pick up a tidy ornament now and then one crock said such as a picture in the way of swop and our good women likes to keep them at home for a bit of show they live well in general dining out almost every day and i am told that as a body they have fewer children than any other class of street folk the trade is almost entirely itinerant crock sellers are to be seen at street markets on saturday nights but they are not the regular crocks who as i have said do not care to sell the crocks go on rounds the great trade being in the suburbs sometimes a round lasts a week the couple resting at a fresh place every night others have a round for each day of the week the long rounds are to greenwich woolwich northfleet gravesend stroud rochester chatham and then to maidstone some will then make maidstone the head quarters and work the neighbouring villagessuch as east farleigh town malling yalding aylesford and others the return to town may be direct by railway or by some other route if any stock remains unsold on these long rounds the higher priced goods are generally carried and stock is forwarded from london to the crock whilst on the round if the demand require it another long round is vauxhall wandsworth kingston on thames and guildford with divergings to the villages the return from guildford is often by richmond kew c a third long round is hampstead kilburn barnet watford and so on to st albans the other long rounds are less frequented but some go to uxbridge others to windsor and eton and as far as reading others to cambridge by tottenham edmonton ware c when no trade is to be done close to london the crocks often have themselves and their wares conveyed to any town by rail the short or town rounds are the dover road new kent road walworth camberwell and back by newington kennington brixton clapham and back by vauxhall bayswater notting hill and back by paddington camden town st johns wood and hampstead stoke newington dalston clapton shacklewell and stamford hill mile end stratford and bow limehouse poplar and back by the commercial road it would be easy to cite other routes but these show the character of the trade some occupy two days a few crocks work the poor neighbourhoods such as hoxton kingsland road parts of hackney c and cry here we arenow ladies bring out your old hats old clothes old umbrellers old anythink old shoes metal old anythink here we are the trade from the best information i could acquire is almost equally divided into what may be called fancy and useful articles a lodging letter for instance will swop her old gowns and boots and drive keen bargains for plates dishes or wash hand basins and jugs a housekeeper who may be in easier circumstances will exchange for vases and glass wares servant maids swop clothes and money for a set of china gainst they get married perhaps there are no more frequent collisions between buyer and seller than in the crock swag shops a man who had once been an assistant in one of these places told me that some of the crocks were tiresome beyond measure and every now and then a minute or two was wasted by the crock and the swag shopman in swearing one at another some of these street traffickers insist upon testing the soundness of every article by striking the middle finger nail against it this they do to satisfy their customers also in the course of trade especially in poor neighbourhoods from the best data at my command one quarter of the goods sold at the swag shops are sold to the crock dealers i have described and in about equal proportions as to amount in fancy or useful articles there are in addition to the crock barterers perhaps 100 traders who work the poor streets chiefly carrying their goods in barrows but they sell and though they will barter do not clamour for it they cry free trade for ever heres cup and saucer for a halfpenny pick em out at your own price tea pot for three half pence pick em out oho oho giving away here they rattle dishes and basins as they make this noise these men are all supplied at the swag shops buying what is called common lots and selling at 30 per cent profit such traders have only been known in the streets for five years and for three or four months of the year half of these go to costering the barrows are about seventy in number and there are thirty stalls seven eighths of the barrow crocks are men the swag barrowmen also sell small articles of crockery wares and altogether one half of the trade of the crock swag shops which i have described is a trade for the streets the street seller of crockery ware bartering for old clothes from a daguerreotype by beard of the way in which the crock barterers dispose of their wares c i have given an account below they are rapidly supplanting the old clo trade of the jews 367 the hucksters of crockery ware are a considerable class one who has great experience in the business thinks there must be some hundreds employed in it throughout london he says he meets many at the swag warehouses on the evenings that he goes there he is often half an hour before he can be served there are seven or eight swag warehouses frequented by the hucksters and at the busy time my informant has often seen as many as twenty five at each house and he is satisfied that there must be three or four hundred hucksters of china and glass throughout the metropolis the china and glass in which they deal are usually purchased at the east end of the town upon the understanding that if the huckster is unable to dispose of them in the course of the day the articles will be taken back in the morning if uninjured and the money returned the hucksters usually take out their goods early in the day their baskets are commonly deposited at the warehouse and each warehouse has from thirty to forty baskets left there over night when the unsold articles are returned the baskets are usually filled with china and glass and ornaments to the amount of from 5 s to 15 s according to the stock money of the huckster a basket filled with 15 s worth of china is considered i am told a very tidy stock in the same neighbourhood as they get the crockery are made the baskets in which it is carried for these baskets they pay from 2 s to 6 s and they are made expressly for the hucksters indeed on one side of a well known street at the east end the baskets made in the cellars may be seen piled outside the houses up to the second floor windows the class of persons engaged in hawking china through the metropolis are either broken down tradesmen or clerks out of place or jews or they may be staffordshire men who have been regularly bred to the business they carry different kinds of articles the staffordshire man may generally be known by the heavy load of china that he carries with him he has few light or fancy articles in his basket it is filled chiefly with plates and dishes and earthenware pans the broken down tradesmen carries a lighter load he prefers tea services and vases and rummers and cruet stands as they are generally of a more delicate make than the articles carried by the staffordshire men the jew however will carry nothing of any considerable weight he takes with him mostly light showy bohemian goodswhich are difficult to be priced by his customers and do not require much labour to hawk about the hucksters usually start on their rounds about nine there are very few who take money indeed they profess to take none at all but that is all flam said my informant if any one was to ask me the price of an article in an artful way like i shouldnt give him a straight forward answer to such parties we always say have you got any old clothes the hucksters do take money when they can get it and they adopt the principle of exchanging their goods for old clothes merely as a means of evading the licence still they are compelled to do a great deal in the old clothes line when they take money they usually reckon to get 4 d in the shilling but at least three fourths of their transactions consist of exchanges for old clothes a good tea service we generally give said my informant for a left off suit of clothes hat and bootsthey must all be in a decent condition to be worth that we give a sugar basin for an old coat and a rummer for a pair of old wellington boots for a glass milk jug i should expect a waistcoat and trowsers and they must be tidy ones too but theres nothing so saleable as a pair of old boots to us there is always a market for old boots when there is not for old clothes you can any day get a dinner out of old wellingtons but as for coats and waistcoatstheres a fashion about them and what pleases one dont another i can sell a pair of old boots going along the streets if i carry them in my hand the snobs will run after us to get themthe backs are so valuable old beaver hats and waistcoats are worth little or nothing old silk hats however theres a tidy market for they are bought for the shops and are made up into new hats for the country the shape is what is principally wanted we wont give a farden for the polka hats with the low crowns if we can double an old hat up and put it in our pockets its more valuable to us than a stiff one we know that the shape must be good to stand that as soon as a hatter touches a hat he knows by the touch or the stiffness of it whether its been through the fire or not and if so theyll give it you back in a minute there is one man who stands in devonshire street bishopsgate street waiting to buy the hats of us as we go into the market and who purchases at least thirty dozen of us a week there will be three or four there besides him looking out for us as we return from our rounds and theyll either outbid one another according as the demand is or theyll all hold together to give one price the same will be done by other parties wanting the old umbrellas that we bring back with us these are valuable principally for the whalebone cane ribbed ones are worth only from 1 d to 2 d and thats merely the value of the stick and the supporters iron skewers are made principally out of the old supporters of umbrellas the china and crockery bought by the hucksters at the warehouses are always second rate articles they are most of them a little damaged and the glass wont stand hot water every huckster when he starts has a bag and most of them twothe one for the inferior and the other for the better kind of old clothes he buys we purchase gentlemens left off wearing apparel this is mostly sold to us by women they are either the wives of tradesmen or mechanics who sell them to us or else it is the servant of a lodging house who has had the things given to her and with her we can deal much easier than the others shes come to em light and of course she parts with em light said the man and shell take a pair of sugar basins worth about 6 d you know for a thing thatll fetch two or three shillings sometimes but the mistresses of the houses are she dragons they wants a whole dinner chany service for their husbands 368 rags as for plates and dishes they think they can be had for picking up many a time they sells their husbands things unbeknown to em and often the gentleman of the house coming up to the door and seeing us make a dealfor his trowsers maybeputs a stop to the whole transaction often and often ive known a woman sell the best part of her husbands stock of clothes for chany ornaments for her mantelpiece and im sure the other day a lady stripped the whole of her passage and gave me almost a new great coat that was hanging up in the hall for a few trumpery tea things but the greatest screws we has to deal with are some of the ladies in the squares they stops you on the sly in the streets and tells you to call at their house at sitch a hour of the day and when you goes there they smuggles you quietly into some room by yourselves and then sets to work jewing away as hard as they can pricing up their own things and downcrying yourn why the other day i was told to call at a fashionable part of pimlico so i gave a person 3 d to mind the child and me and my good woman started off at eight in the morning with a double load but bless you when we got there the lady took us both into a private room unbeknown to the servants and wanted me to go and buy expressly for her a green and white chamber service all complete with soap trays and brush trays together with four breakfast cupsand all this here grand set out she wanted for a couple of old washed out light waistcoats and a pair of light trowsers she tried hard to make me believe that the buttons alone on the waistcoats was worth 6 d a piece but i knowed the value of buttons afore she was borned at first start off im sure they wouldnt have cost 1 d each so i couldnt make a deal of it no how and i had to take all my things back for my trouble i asked her even for a pint of beer but she wouldnt listen to no such thing we generally cry as we go any old clothes to sell or exchange and i look down the area and sometimes knock at the door if i go out with a 15 s basket of crockery may be after a tidy days work i shall come home with 1 s in my pocket perhaps i shall have sold a couple of tumblers or half a dozen plates and a bundle of old clothes consisting of two or three old shirts a coat or two a suit of left off livery a womans gown may be or a pair of old stays a couple of pair of wellingtons and a waistcoat or so these i should have at my back and the remainder of my chany and glass on my head and werry probably a humberella or two under my arm and five or six old hats in my hand this load altogether will weigh about three quarters of a cwt and i shall have travelled fifteen miles with that at least for as fast as i gets rid on the weight of the crockery i takes up the weight of the old clothes the clothes i hardly know the value on till i gets to the clothes exchange in houndsditch the usual time for the hucksters arriving there is between three and four in the winter or between five and six in the summer in fact we must be at the exchange at them hours because there all our buyers is and we cant go out the next day until weve sold our lot we cant have our baskets stocked again until weve got the money for our old clothes the exchange is a large square plot of damp ground about an acre in extent enclosed by a hoarding about eight feet high on the top of which is a narrow sloping roof projecting sufficiently forward to shelter one person from the rain across this ground are placed four rows of double seats ranged back to back here meet all the jew clothesmen hucksters dealers in second hand shoes left off wardrobe keepers hareskin dealers umbrella dealers and menders and indeed buyers and sellers of left off clothes and worn out commodities of every description the purchasers are of all nations and in all costumes some are greeks others swiss and others germans some have come there to buy up old rough charity clothing and army coats for the irish market others have come to purchase the hareskins and old furs or else to pick up cheap old teapots and tea urns the man with the long flowing beard and greasy tattered gaberdine is worth thousands and he has come to make another sixpence out of the rags and tatters that are strewn about the ground in heaps for sale at a little before three oclock the stream of rag sellers sets in in a flood towards this spot at the gate stands barney aaron to take the half penny admission of every one entering the ground by his side stands his son with a leather pouch of half pence to give change for any silver that may be tendered the stench of the old clothes is positively overpowering every one there is dressed in his worst if he has any good clothes he would not put them on almost each one that enters has a bag at his back and scarcely has he passed the gate before he is surrounded by some half dozen eager jewsone feels the contents of the bundle on the hucksters backanother clamours for the first sight a third cries im sure you have something thatll suit me you know me says a fourth im a buyer and give a good price have you got any breaking asks this jew who wants an old coat or two to cut up into cloth capshave you got any fustian any old cords or old boats and such is the anxiety and greediness of the buyers that it is as much as the seller can do to keep his bundle on his back at length he forces his way to a seat and as he empties the contents of his sack on the ground each different article is snapped up and eagerly overhauled by the different jews that have followed him to his seat then they all ask what sum is wanted for the several things and they one and all bid one quarter of the price demanded i am assured that it requires the greatest vigilance to prevent the things being carried off unpaid in the confusion while this scene is going on a jew perched upon a high stage in the centre of the ground shouts aloud to the multitude hot wine a half penny a glass here beside him stands another with smoking cans of hot eels and next to this one is a sweet meat stall with a crowd of jew boys gathered round the keeper of it gambling with marbles for albert rock and hardbake up and down 369 between the seats push women with baskets of sheeps trotters on their arms and screaming legs of mutton two for a penny wholl give me a handselwholl give me a handsel after them comes a man with a large tin can under his arm and roaring hot pea oh hot pea oh in one corner is a coffee and beer shop inside this are jews playing at draughts or settling and wrangling about the goods they have bought of one another in fact in no other place is such a scene of riot rags and filth to be witnessed the cause of this excitement is the great demand on the part of the poor and the cheap clothiers as well for those articles which are considered as worthless by the rich the old shoes are to be cobbled up and the cracks heel balled over and sold out to the working classes as strong durable articles the wellingtons are to be new fronted and disposed of to clerks who are expected to appear respectable upon the smallest salaries the old coats and trowsers are wanted for the slop shops they are to be turned and made up into new garments the best black suits are to be clobbered upand those which are more worn in parts are to be cut up and made into new cloth caps for young gentlemen or gaiters for poor curates whilst others are to be transformed into the best boys tunics such as are too far gone are bought to be torn to pieces by the devil and made up into new clothor shoddy as it is termedwhile such as have already done this duty are sold for manure for the ground the old shirts if they are past mending are bought as rubbish by the marine store dealers and sold as rags to the paper mills to be changed either into the bank note the newspaper or the best satin note paper the average earnings of the hucksters who exchange crockery china and glass for the above articles are from 8 s to 10 s per week some days i am told they will make 3 s and on others they will get only 6 d however taking the good with the bad it is thought that 10 s a week is about a fair average of the earnings of the whole class the best times for this trade are at the turn of the winter and at the summer season because then people usually purchase new clothes and are throwing off the old ones the average price of an old hat is from 1 d to 8 d for an old pair of shoes from 1 d to 4 d an old pair of wellingtons fetch from 3 d to 1 s 6 d those of french leather are of scarcely any value an old coat is worth from 4 d to 1 s waistcoats are valued from 1 d to 3 d trowsers are worth from 4 d to 8 d cotton gowns are of the same value bonnets are of no value whatever shirts fetch from 2 d to 6 d stockings are 1 d per pair a silk handkerchief varies in value from 3 d to 1 s the party supplying me with the above information was originally in the coal and greengrocery business but owing to a succession of calamities he has been unable to carry it on since then he has taken to the vending of crockery in the streets he is a man far above the average of the class to which he at present belongs of the swag crockery and glass shops in addition to the 150 general and particular swag shops or shops having a large collection of goods of which i have spoken there are twenty establishments for the sale of crockery and china which i heard styled by persons in the trade swag crocks or crock shops the principle on which the trade is conducted in these places is the same as that of the swag shops inasmuch as the sales are wholesale to street sellers shop keepers and shippers but rarely to private individuals the crock swag shops are to be found in the streets neighbouring spitalfields market and in and near to liquorpond street as at the more general or miscellaneous swag shops the crock swags make no display in one of the most extensive indeed two large windows are filled with goods here are spirit stands with the invariable three bottles invariable in the cheap trade blue green or uncoloured some lettered gin rum brandy but most of them unlabelled here too are cruet stands and pot or spar figures under glass shades and a number of many coloured flower glasses some of them profusely gilded and small china vases but the glass wares greatly predominate although there are glass and colour and gilding enough to make an imposing display the display is nevertheless anything but showy the goods look dingy and if i may so speak of such things faded some of the coloured glass seems to be losing its colour and few of the wares have the bright look of newness the windows of these shops are for the most part literally packed to a certain height so as almost to exclude the light with pitchers and basins and cups and jugs and the sundry smaller articles of this multifarious trade all undusted and seemingly uncared for in one large concern i saw a number of glass salt cellars wrapped severally in paper which had changed from white to a dusty brown and which from age and perhaps damp seemed about to fall to tatters the interiors of some of these warehouses are very spacious i saw one large and lofty shop into which two apartments and a yard had been flung the partitions having been taken down and the ceilings supported by pillars in order to extend the premises it was really a hall of pots on the floor were large crates the tops removed so that the goods might be examined packed one with cups another with saucers a third with basins and packed as only a potter could pack them intermixed with them were piles of blue and white dishes and plates and beside them washing pans fitted one into another like the old hats on a jews head the pillars had their festoons of crockery being hung with childrens white and gold mugs for a good boy and with white metal lidded and brown bodied mustard pots as well as other minor articles the shelves were loaded with tea services of many shapes and hues while the unoccupied space was what sufficed to allow the warehousemen and the 370 customers to thread the mazes of this labyrinth of crockerywares of the glass goods there was little display as they are generally kept in cases and other packages to preserve their freshness of appearance the crockery of the swag shops is made in staffordshire the glass principally in lancashire at none of these establishments do they issue circulars of prices such as i have cited of the general swag shops the articles are so very many i was told that to specify all the sizes and prices would take a volume and a half i give a statement however of the prices of the goods most in demand on the occasions when the street vendors sell them without barter and the prices at which they are purchased wholesale blue edged plates sold at 1 d each cost 1 s 8 d the dozen this would appear to entail a loss of 8 d on every dozen sold but in this article 30 is a dozen dishes are bought at the swag crocks in nests which comprise 10 dishes or 5 pairs of different sizes these the street crockman sells if possible in pairs but he will sell them singly for he can always make up the complement of his nest at the warehouse the prices run chiefly according to size from 8 d to 1 s 6 d sometimes 1 s 8 d the pair the 8 d a pair said one street crock seller costs me 6 d not a farthing under and the 18 d a pairits very seldom we can draw 1 s 8 d costs 1 s 2 d thats all sir and the profits so small it makes us keen to swop ill swop for old clothes or dripping or grease or anything you see the profit when you sells downright down must be small cause theres so many pot shops with prices marked on the plates and other things they can buy better than us sometimes and theyre hard to stand up against if a woman says to mefor i very seldom deal with menwhy theyre cheaper at ds in oxford street i answers and worser ill tell you what it is maam the cheapest place was in two houses painted all red in the london road but one fine morning them two houses fell and the pots was smashed as a matter of course it was a judgment on their bad pots but its a fact sir that these houses fell about 7 or 8 years ago i think and ive seen goods with one or two of em broken offered for sale when the place was re built having been rescued from the ruins and at less than half price of course that was gammon ive cracked and broke a few plates myself and sold them in the new kent road and in walworth and newington at half price from the ruins and at a very tidy profit a stone china tea service of 32 pieces12 cups 12 saucers 4 bread and butter plates a tea pot a sugar basin a slop basin and a cream jugis bought for 6 s 9 d while 9 s is asked for it and sometimes obtained a china set costs as the general price 10 s 6 d and for it 14 s is asked the glass wares are so very rarely soldbeing the most attractive articles of barterthat i could hardly get any street seller to state his prices swop sir i was told repeatedly they all goes in swop the glass goods however which are the most sold in the streets i ascertained to be cream jugs those vended at 6 d each costing 4 s the dozen and flower glasses the most frequent price being 1 s a pair the prime cost 7 d i have estimated the sum turned over by the general swag shops at 3000 l each from what i can learn the crock swag shops averaging the whole turn over a larger sum for their profits are smaller ranging from 10 to 30 per cent but rarely 30 calculating then that each of these swag shops turns over 4000 l yearly we find 80 000 l expended but this includes the sales to shopkeepers and to shippers as well as to street folk of the street sellers of spar and china ornaments and of stone fruit spars as spar ornaments are called by the street sellers are sold to the retailers at only four places in london and two in gravesend where the hawkers are for the most part supplied the london spar houses aretwo in westminster one in shoreditch and one on battle bridge none of them present any display of their goods which are kept in large drawers closets and packages at gravesend the spar shops are handsome these wares are principally of derbyshire spar and made in matlock a few are german the spars are hawked on a round and are on fine saturday nights offered for sale in the street and markets the trade was unknown as a street or a hawking trade in london i am informed until about twenty five years ago and then was not extensive the goods owing to the cost of carriage c being high priced as public conveyance became more rapid certain and cheap the trade in spars increased and cheaper articles were prepared for the london market from ten to fifteen years ago the vendors of spars did well in swop as street sellers always call barters the articles with which they tempted housewives were just the sort of article to which it was difficult for inexperienced persons to attach a value they were massive and handsome ornaments and the spar sellers did not fail to expatiate on their many beauties god rest jack moodys soul said an irishman now a crock seller to me jack moody was only his nick name but that dont matter god rist his sowl and the hivens be his bid he was the boy to sell the spar rs they was from the cavrents at the bottom of the say he towld them or from a new island in the frozen ocean he did well god rist him but he died young the articles swopped were such as i have described in my account of the tradings of the crock sellers and if the swop were in favour of the spar seller still the customer became possessed of something solid enduring and generally handsome at the outset of the street or hawking trade the spar sellers carried their goods done up in paper in strong baskets on their heads the mans wife sometimes carrying a smaller basket with less burdensome articles on her arm men have been known to start on a round with a basket of spars which would weigh from 1 cwt to 1 cwt or 12 stone this it must be remembered might 371 have to be borne for three or four miles into the suburbs before its weight was diminished by a sale one of these traders told me that twelve years ago he had sold spar watch stands weighing above 15 lbs these stands were generally of a square form the inner portion being open except a sort of recess for the watch the tick sounds well on spar ive often heard said one spar seller some of the spar ornaments are plain white and smooth of these many have flowers or rims or insects painted upon them and in brilliant colours those which are now in demand for the street sales or for itinerant barterings aresmall microscopes candlesticks inkstands pin cushions mugs paper holders match perfumery and shaving boxes etc the general price of these articles is 6 d to the street seller or hawker some of the dealers being licensed hawkers the wholesale price varies from 2 s 6 d to 5 s per dozen or an average of 3 s 9 d or 4 s of the larger articles the most saleable are candlesticks at from 1 s to 2 s 6 d each from 1 s to 1 s 6 d being the most frequent price watch stands and vases are now i am told in small demand peoples got stocked i think one man said and theres so much cheap glass and chaney work that they looks on spars as heavy and old fashioned some street sellers have their spars in covered barrows the goods being displayed when the top of the barrow is removed so that the conveyance is serviceable whether the owner be stationary or itinerant the spar sellers however are reluctant to expose their goods to the weather as the colours are easily affected in this trade i am informed that there are now twelve men nine of whom are assisted by their wives and that in the summer months there are eighteen their profits are about 15 s per week on an average of the whole year including the metropolis and a wide range of the suburbs what amount of money may be expended by the public in the street purchase of spars i am unable to state so much being done in the way of barter but assuming that there are fourteen sellers throughout the year and that their profits are cent per cent there would appear to be about 1000 l per annum thus laid out of stone fruit there are now usually six street sellers and in fine weather eight eight or ten years ago there were twenty the fruit is principally made at chesterfield in derbyshire and is disposed of to the london street sellers in the swag shops in houndsditch some of the articles both as regards form and colour are well executed others are far too red or too green but that i was told pleased children best the most saleable fruits are apples pears peaches apricots oranges lemons and cucumbers the cucumbers which are sometimes of pot as well as of stone are often hollow and are sometimes made to serve for gin bottles holding about a quartern the price at the swag shops is 4 s 3 d for a gross of fruit of all kinds in equal quantities for a better quality the price is 7 s 6 d the street seller endeavours to get 1 d each for the lower priced and 2 d for the higher but has most frequently to be content with d and 1 d the stone fruitmen are itinerant during the week and stationary in the street markets on saturday and sometimes other evenings they carry their stock both in baskets and barrows one man told me that he always cried pick em out pick em out half penny each cheapest fruit ever seen as good to morrow as last week never lose flavour ever lasting fruit supposing that there are six persons selling stone fruit in the streets through the year and that each earnsand i am assured that is the full amount9 s weekly one man said 7 s 6 d was the limit of his weekly profits in fruit we find 140 l received as profit on these articles and calculating the gains at 33 per cent an outlay of 420 l the trade in china ornaments somewhat differs from the others i have described under the present head it is both a street and a public house trade and is carried on both in the regular way and by means of raffles at some public houses indeed the china ornament dealers are called rafflers the ornaments now most generally sold or raffled are joy and grief two figures one laughing and the other crying dancing highlanders mustard pots in the form of cottages c grotesque heads one especially of an old man which serves as a pepper box the grains being thrown through the eyes nose and mouth queen and alberts but not half so well as the others and until of late smith obriens there are others also such as i have mentioned in my account of the general swag shops to the windows of many of which they form the principal furniture some of these ornaments sold on the sly can hardly be called obscene but they are dirty and cannot be further described the most lucrative part of the trade is in the raffling a street seller after doing what business he can on a round or at a stand during the day will in the evening resort to public houses where he is known and is allowed to offer his wares to the guests the ornaments in public house sale are hardly ever offered for less than 6 d each or 6 d a pair the raffling is carried on rapidly and simply dice are very rarely used new and when used provoke many murmurs from the landlords the raffler of the china ornaments produces a portable roulette box or tablethese tables becoming an established part of the street trafficeight or ten inches in diameter what may be called the board of some of these roulettes is numbered to thirty two it is set rapidly spinning on a pivot a pea is then slipped through a hole in the lid of the box and when the motion has ceased the pea is found in one of the numbered partitions now gentlemen a raffler told me he would say try your luck for this beautiful pair of ornaments six of you at 1 d a piece if you go home rather how came you so show what youve bought for the old lady and itll be all right and peaceful if six persons contribute 1 d each the one spinning the highest number 372 gains the prize and is congratulated by the ornament seller on having gained for 1 d what was only too cheap at 6 d why sir said a man who had recently left the trade for another calling and who was anxious that i should not give any particular description of him in case he went back to the raffling why sir i remember one monday evening four or five months back going into a parlour not a tap room mind where was respectable mechanics they got to play with me and got keen and played until my stock was all gone if one man stopped raffling another took his place i cant recollect how many ornaments i raffled but i cleared rather better than 3 s 6 d when there was no ornaments left they gave me 1 d a piecethere was eleven of them thenand a pint of beer to let them have the roulette till 12 oclock and away they went at it for beer and screws and bets of 1 d and 2 d one young man that had been lucky in winning the ornaments got cleaned out and staked his ornaments for 2 d or for a 1 d rather than not play that sort of thing only happened to me once to the same extent if the landlord came into the room of course they was only playing for drink or he might have begun about his licence the ornaments are bought at the swag shops i have described and are nearly all of german make they are retailed from 1 d and sometimes d to 1 s each and the profit is from 25 to 75 per cent there are i am informed about thirty persons in this trade two thirds of them being rafflers and their receipts being from 25 s to 30 s weekly most of them mix fancy glass goods and spars and other articles with their ornament trade so that it is not easy to ascertain what is expended upon the china ornaments independently of other wares if we calculate it at 10 s weekly a low average considering the success of some of the raffles we find 780 l expended in the streets in these ornamental productions of the street sellers of textile fabrics these street folk present perhaps as great a diversity of character as any of which i have been called upon to treat among them are the strong persevering men who carry rolls of linen or cotton manufacture in packs on their backs and trudge along holding a yard wand by the middle whichit is a not uncommon joke against themis always worn down an inch or two by being used as a walking stick in their long pedestrian journeys such however is not the case for the packmanwhen measuring is resorted togenerally shows the justice of his measure or invites the purchaser to use her own yard wand for women are now their most frequent customers some of these men love to tell of the many hundreds of miles they have walked in their time and in the three kingdoms the most of those who make london or any large town their head quarters and take regular journeys into the country are licensed hawkers those who confine their sales exclusively to london and its immediate vicinity frequently conduct their business without incurring the annual cost of a licence the penalty for hawking without a licence is 10 l or an imprisonment in default of payment not exceeding three months with a discretionary power of mitigation to the magistrates some of these men may be styled hereditary hawkers having first accompanied and then succeeded their parents on a round some were in their youth assistants to hawkers some had been unsuccessful as tallymen when shopkeepers or travellers for tally shops and have resorted to hawking or street trading occasionally in their transactions with different parties blending the tally system with the simple rules of sale for ready money in striking contrast to these sturdy and often astute traders are the street sellers of lace and millinery the majority of whom are women a walk through a street market especially on a saturday evening will show any one the frequent difference of the established street milliner to the other female traders surrounding her stall the milliner as she is commonly called by the street folk wears a clean and often tasty cap beneath her closely fitting bonnet a cap in which artificial flowers are not wanting should she sell those adornments her shawl is pinned beneath her collar her gown if it be old or of poor material is clean and she is rarely to be seen in boots or shoes made for mens wear near her stall are stout coarse looking irish girls with unstringed bonnets half ragged shawls thrown loose round their shoulders necks red from exposure to the weather coarse and never brushed but sometimes scraped shoes when shoes are worn and a general dirtiness of apparel the street milliners have been ladies maids working milliners and dress makers the wives of mechanics who have been driven to the streets and who add to the means of the family by conducting a street trade themselves with a sprinkling from other classes the street sellers of lace are of the same class as the milliners but with perhaps less smartness and carrying on an inferior trade both as regards profit and display the street sellers of boot and stay laces and of such things as sewing cotton threads and tapes when sold separately from more valuable articles are children and old people some of whom are infirm and some blind the children have in some instances been bred to the streets the old people probably are worn out in street trades requiring health and strength and so adopt a less laborious calling or else they have been driven to it either from comparatively better circumstances or by some privation or affliction in order to avoid the workhouse the sale of belts stockings braces straps and garters is mostly in the hands of men who from all that i can learn are regular street sellers who turn their hands first to this and then to that but this portion of street traffic is often combined with the sale of dog collars chains c the trade is more a public house than a distinct traffic in the street the landlord of a well frequented inn in lambeth told me that every day at least 100 of such street sellersnot including match girls and 373 womenentered his house to offer their wares the greatest number of such sellers was in the evening i have so far described what may be called the fair traders but to them the street sellers of textile fabrics are not confined there are besides these two other classes known as duffers and as lumpers and sometimes the same man is both duffer and lumper the two names are often confounded but an intelligent street seller versed in all the arts and mysteries of this trade told me that he understood by a duffer a man who sold goods under false pretences making out that they were smuggled or even stolen so as to enhance the idea of their cheapness whereas a lumper would sell linens cottons or silks which might be really the commodities represented but which by some management or other were made to appear new when they were old or solid when they were flimsy of the haberdashery swag shops by this name the street sellers have long distinguished the warehouses or rather shops where they purchase their goods the term swag or swack or sweg is as was before stated a scotch word meaning a large collection a lot the haberdashery however supplied by these establishments is of a very miscellaneous character which perhaps can best be shown by describing a haberdashery swag to which a street seller who made his purchases there conducted me and which he informed me was one of the most frequented by his fraternity if not the most frequented in the metropolis the window was neither dingy nor as my companion expressed it gay it was in size as well as in dressing or showfor i heard the arrangement of the window goods called by both those names by street peoplehalf way between the quiet plainness of a really wholesale warehouse and the gorgeousness of a retail drapery concern when a tremendous sacrifice befools the public not a quarter of an inch of space was lost and the announcements and prices were written many of them in a bungling school boy like hand while others were the work of a professional ticket writer and show the eagerness of so many of this class of trade to obtain custom in one corner was this announcement to boot makers boot fronts cut to any size or quality there was neither boot nor shoe visible but how a boot front can be cut to any quality is beyond my trade knowledge half hidden and read through laces was another announcement sufficiently odd in a window decorated with a variety of combustible commodities hawkers supplied with fuzees cheaper than any house in london on the ledge or the part shelving from the bottom of the window within the shop were paper boxes of steel purses with the price marked so loosely as to leave it an open question whether 1 s 0 d or 10 d was the cost there was also a good store of silk purses marked 2 d bright coloured ribbons in a paper box and done up in small rolls 1 d cotton reels four a penny worsted balls three a penny girls night caps 1 d womens caps from 2 d to 7 d the d was always in small indistinct characters but it was a very favourite adjunct diamond patent mixed pinslondon and birmingham1 d an oz my companion directed my attention to the little packets of pins theyre well done up sir as you can see and in very good and thick and strong pink papers with ornamental printers borders and plenty of paper for three ounces the papers weighed with the pins and the price is 1 d an oz so the paper fetches 1 s 4 d a pound there were also many papers of combs and one tied outside the packet as a specimen without a price marked upon them the price varies sir said my guide and informant and i heard the same account from others it varies from 1 d a pair to such as me up to 6 d or perhaps 1 s to a servant maid what looks innocent from what appeared to be slender rods fitted higher up to the breadth of the window depended black lace handkerchiefs 4 d and cap fronts some being a round wreath of gauze ornamented with light rose coloured artificial flowers and marked only 5 d together with lace or edgings which hung in festoons and filled every vacancy higher up were braces marked 5 d and more lace and to the back of all was a sort of screenfor it shuts out all view of the inside of the shopof big figured shawls the figures in purple orange and crimson and of silk handkerchiefs theyre regular duffers i was told and very tidy duffers toovery for its a respectable house in the centre of the window ledge was a handsome wreath of artificial flowers marked 2 d if a young woman was to go in to buy it at 2 d ive seen it myself sir said the street seller shes told that the ticket has got out of its place for it belonged to the lace beneath but as shed made a mistake without thinking of the value the flowers was 1 s 6 d to her though they was cheap at 2 s 6 d from this account it will be seen that the swag or wholesale haberdashers are now very general traders and that they trade retail as well as wholesale twenty or twenty five years ago i am informed the greater part of these establishments were really haberdashery swags but so fierce became the competition in the trade so keen the desire to do business that gradually and more especially within these four or five years they became all kinds of swags a highly respectable draper told me that he never could thoroughly understand where hosiery haberdashery or drapery began or ended for hosiers now were always glovers and often shirt makers haberdashers were always hosiers at the least and drapers were everything so that the change in the character of the shops from which the street sellers of textile fabrics procure their supplies is but in accordance with the change in the general drapery trade the literal meaning of the word haberdashery is unknown to etymologists there are now about fifty haberdashery swags 374 resorted to by street sellers but only a fifth part of them make the trade to street sellers a principal while none make it a sole feature of their business in the enumeration of the fifty haberdashery swags five are large and handsome shops carried on by cutting drapers some of theseone in the borough especiallydo not serve the street sellers except at certain hours generally from four to six there is another description of shops from which a class of street traders derive their supplies of stock these are the print brokers who sell gown pieces to the hawkers or street traders only about a dozen of such shops and those principally in the borough and in wormwood street bishopsgate are frequented by the london street sellers one man showed me a drapers shop at which hawkers were supplied but without an announcement of such a thing as it might affect the character of the concern for gentility the gown pieces were rolled loosely together and to each was attached a ticket 2 s 11 d or 3 s 11 d with intermediate prices but those here mentioned were the most frequent the 11 d was in pencil so that it could be altered at any time without the expense of a new ticket being incurred that one marked 2 s 11 d said the street seller would be charged to me 2 s 2 d and the 3 s 11 d in the same way 3 s 2 d or i might get it at 3 s if those gown pieces dont takeand they are almost as thin as silver paper theyll be marked down to 2 s 2 d and 3 s 2 d just by degrees as you see them shown in the window the regular print brokers make no display in their windows or premises the duffers and lumpers are supplied almost entirely at one shop in the east end the proprietor has the sham or inferior silk handkerchiefs manufactured for the purpose and for the supply of his other silk goods he purchases any silk miscoloured in the dyeing or faded from time a faded lavender one of his customers told me hell get dyed black and made to look quite new and fresh sometimes its good silk but its mostly very dicky this tradesman is also a retailer such things as braces and garters are sold to the street people at the general as well as the haberdashery swag shops and are more frequently sold wholesale than other goods indeed the general swag shop keepers sell them by no other way but the wholesale haberdashers will sell a single pair though not of course at wholesale price some houses again supply the more petty street sellers solely with such articles as are known in manchester by the name of small ware including thread cotton tapes laces c of hawkers pedlars and petty chapmen the machinery for the distribution of commodities has in this and in all other progressive countries necessarily undergone many changes but whether these changes have been beneficial to the community or not this is not the place for me to inquire all i have to do here is to set forth the order of such changes and to show the position that the hawker and pedlar formerly occupied in the state the distributor of the produce of the country is necessarily a kind of go between or middleman introduced for the convenience of bringing together the producer and consumerthe seller and the buyer of commodities the producer of a particular commodity being generally distinct from the consumer it follows that either the commodity must be carried to the consumer or the consumer go to the commodity to save time and trouble to both parties it seems to have been originally arranged that producer and consumer should meet periodically at appointed places such periodical meetings of buyers and sellers still exist in this and many other countries and are termed either fairs or markets according as they are held at long or short intervalsthe fair being generally an annual meeting and the market a weekly one in the olden time the peculiar characteristic of these commercial congregations was that the producer and consumer came into immediate contact without the intervention of any middleman the fair or market seemed to be a compromise between the two as to the inconvenience of either finding the other when wanted the producer brought his goods so to speak half way to the consumer while the consumer travelled half way to the goods there would be a great waste of time and trouble says stewart mill and an inconvenience often amounting to impracticability if consumers could only obtain the article they want by treating directly with the producers both producers and consumers are too much scattered and the latter often at too great a distance from the former to diminish this loss of time and labour continues mr mill the contrivance of fairs and markets was early had recourse to where consumers and producers might periodically meet without any intermediate agency and this plan still answers tolerably well for many articles especially agricultural produceagriculturists having at some seasons a certain quantity of spare time on their hands but even in this case attendance is often very troublesome and inconvenient to buyers who have other occupations and do not live in the immediate vicinity while for all articles the production of which requires continuous attention from the producers these periodical markets must be held at such considerable intervals and the wants of the consumers must either be provided for so long beforehand or must remain so long unsupplied that even before the resources of society permitted the establishment of shops the supply of those wants fell universally into the hands of itinerant dealers the pedlars who might appear once a month being preferred to the fair which only returned once a year in country districts remote from towns or large villages the vocation of the pedlar is not yet wholly superseded but a dealer who has a fixed abode and fixed customers continues mr mill is so much more to be depended on that customers prefer resorting to him if he is conveniently accessible and dealers therefore find their advantage in esta 375 blishing themselves in every locality where there are sufficient consumers near at hand to afford them remuneration thus we see that the pedlar was the original distributor of the produce of the countrythe primitive middleman as well as the prime mover in extending the markets of particular localities or for particular commodities he was as it were the first free trader increasing the facilities for the interchange of commodities without regard to market dues or tolls and carrying the natural advantages of particular districts to remote and less favoured places thus enabling each locality to produce that special commodity for which it had the greatest natural convenience and exchanging it for the peculiar produce of other parts now this extension of the markets necessarily involved some machinery for the conveyance of the goods from one district to another hence the pedlar was not only the original merchant but the primitive carrierto whom perhaps we owe both our turnpike roads and railways for since the peculiar characteristic of the pedlar was the carrying the produce to the consumer rather than troubling the consumer to go after the produce of course it soon became necessary as the practice increased and increased quantities of goods had to be conveyed from one part of the country to another that increased facilities of transit should be effected the first change was from the pack man to the pack horse for the former a foot way alone was required while the latter necessitated the formation of some kind of a road some of these ancient pack horse roads existed till within these few years hagbush lane which was described by william hone only twenty years ago but which has now vanished was the ancient bridle or pack horse road from london to the north and extended by the holloway back road as far as the city road near old street some parts of hagbush lane says hone are much lower than the meadows on either side at one time a terraced ridge at another a deep rut the pack horse road must have been to the unaccustomed traveller a somewhat perilous pass the historian of craven speaking of 1609 says at this time the communication between the north of england and the universities was kept up by the carriers who pursued their long but uniform route with trains of pack horses to their care were consigned packages and not unfrequently the persons of young scholars it was through their medium also that epistolary correspondence was managed and as they always visited london a letter could scarcely be exchanged between yorkshire and oxford in less time than a month the general post office was established by act of parliament in the year 1660 and all letters were to be sent through this office except such letters as shall be sent by coaches common known carriers of goods by carts waggons and pack horses and shall be carried along with their carts waggons and pack horses respectively there is no such conveyance as a waggon in this country scotland says roderick random referring to the beginning of the last century and my finances were too weak to support the expense of hiring a horse i determined therefore to set out with the carriers who transport goods from one place to another on horseback and this scheme i accordingly put in execution on the 1st day of november 1739 sitting on a pack saddle between two baskets one of which contained my goods in a knapsack but by the time we arrived at newcastle upon tyne i was so fatigued with the tediousness of the carriage and benumbed with the coldness of the weather that i resolved to travel the rest of my journey on foot rather than proceed in such a disagreeable manner the present mode of travelling compared with that of the pack horse means of conveyance as pursued of old forms one of the most striking contrasts perhaps in all history hence we see that the pedlar was originally both carrier and seller first conveying his pack on his back and then as it increased in bulk transferring it to the back of the pack horse but as soon as the practice of conveying the commodities to the buyers instead of compelling the buyers to go to the commodities was found to be advantageous to both consumer and producer it was deemed expedient that the two distinct processes of carriage and sale which are included in the distribution of commodities should be conducted by distinct persons and hence the carrying and selling of goods became separate vocations in the state and such is now the machinery by which the commodities of different parts of this country as well as of others are at present diffused over the greater portion of this kingdom in remote districts however and the poorer neighbourhoods of large towns where there are either too few consumers or too few commodities required now to support a fixed distributor with a distinct apparatus of transit the pedlar still continues to be the sole means of diffusing the produce of one locality among the inhabitants of another and it is in this lightas the poor mans merchantthat we must here consider him among the more ancient of the trades then carried on in england is that of the hawker or pedlar it is generally considered as i said before that hawking is as ancient a mode of trade as that carried on in fairs and markets towns and villages as well as at the castles of the nobles or the cottages of their retainers to fix the origin of fairs is impossible for in ancient and medival times every great gathering was necessarily a fair menwhom it is no violence to language to call hawkersresorted alike to the olympic games and to the festivals of the early christian saints to sell or barter their wares of our english fairs mr jacob says in his law dictionaryvarious privileges have been annexed to them and numerous facilities afforded to the disposal of property in them to give them a greater degree of solemnity they were originally both in the ancient and modern world associated with religious festivals in most places indeed they are still held on the same day with the wake or feast of the saint to whom the church is dedicated and till the practice was prohibited it was customary 376 in england to hold them in churchyards this practice i may add was not fully prohibited until the reign of charles ii although it had long before fallen into disuse thus the connection between church and market is shown to be of venerable antiquity the hawker dealt in the old times more in textile fabrics than in anything else indeed shakspere has dashed off a catalogue of his wares in the song of autolycus lawn as white as driven snow cyprus black as eer was crow in the reigns succeeding the termination of the wars of the roses and down to the commonwealth the hawkers pack was often stocked with costly goods for great magnificence in dress was then the custom of the wealthy and even the burgesses on public occasions wore velvet fine cambric ruffs and furs the hawker was thus often a man of substance and frequently travelled on horseback with his wares slung in bags on his horses side or fitted to the crupper or pommell of his saddle he was often moreover attended by a man both for help in his sales and protection in travelling in process of time an established hawker became the medium of news and of gossip and frequently the bearer of communications from town to town his profits were often great but no little trust seems to have been reposed in him as to the quality and price of his goods and until the present century or so slop goods were little manufactured so that he could not so well practise deceptions neither during the prosperity of the trade does it appear that any great degree of dishonesty characterized the hawker though to this there were of course plenty of minor exceptions as well as one glaring contradiction the wreckers of our southern coasts who sometimes became possessed of rich silks velvets laces c not unfrequently murdering all the mariners cast on shore and there was a convenient superstition among the wreckers that it was unlucky to offer help to a drowning man disposed of much of their plunder to the hawkers and as communication was slow even down to mr palmers improvements in the post office in 1784 the goods thus rescued from the deep or obtained by the murder of the mariners were disposed of even before the loss of the vessel was known at her destination for we are told that there was generally a hawker awaiting a wreck on the most dangerous shores of cornwall devon dorset and sussex during the last century and for the first ten years of the present the hawkers was a profitable calling he usually in later times travelled with horse and covered cart visiting fairs markets and private houses more especially in the country in some parts the calling was somewhat hereditary son succeeding to father after having officiated as his assistant and so becoming known to the customers the most successful of the class alike on both sides of the border were scotchmen in 1810 the prosperity of this trade experienced a check in that year every hawker pedlar or petty chapman going from town to town or to other mens houses and travelling on foot carrying to sell or exposing for sale any goods was required to pay a yearly licence of 4 l with an additional 4 l for every horse ass or mule used in the business nothing however in the act in question 50 geo iii c 41 as i have before intimated extended to prohibit the hawking for sale of any fish fruit or victuals without licence neither is there any extension of the prohibition to the unlicensed workers or makers of any goods or wares or their children or servants resident with them hawking such goods and selling them in every city borough town corporate or market town but not in villages or country places tinkers coopers glaziers plumbers and harness menders are likewise permitted to carry about with them the proper materials necessary for their business no licence being necessary the passing of this act did not materially check the fraudulent practices of which the hawkers were accused and of which a portion of them were doubtlessly guilty indeed some of the manufacturers whose names were pirated by the hawkers were of opinion that the licensing for ten or twenty years facilitated fraud as many people both in london and the country thought they were safe in dealing with a licensed hawker since he could not procure a licence without a certificate of his good character from the clergyman of his place of residence and from two reputable inhabitants linen of good quality used to be extensively hawked but from 1820 to 1825 or later in some parts the hawkers got to deal in an inferior quality unions a mixture of linen and cotton glazed and stiffened and set off with gaudy labels bearing sometimes the name of a well known firm but altered in spelling or otherwise and expressed so as to lead to the belief that such a firm were the manufacturers of the article jews moreover as we have seen travelled in all parts with inferior watches and jewellery and sometimes did well by persuading the possessors of old solid watches or old seals or jewellery that they were ridiculously out of fashion and so inducing them to give money along with the old watch for a watch or other article of the newest fashion which yet was intrinsically valueless compared with the other these and other practices such as selling inferior lace under pretence of its having been smuggled from france and of the choicest quality tended to bring the hawkers trade into disrepute and the disrepute affected the honest men in the business some sank from the possession of a good horse and cart to travelling on foot as of yore forwarding goods from place to place by the common carriers and some relinquished the itinerant trade altogether the cutting and puffing shopkeepers appeared next and at once undersold the slop hawker and foiled him on his own ground of pushing off inferior wares for the best the numbers of the hawkers fell off considerably but notwithstanding i find in the last census tables 1841 the following returns as to the numbers of hawkers hucksters and pedlars distributed throughout great bri 377 tain the government returns however admit of no comparison being formed between these numbers and those of any previous time england and wales bedford 79 berks 160 bucks 129 cambridge 139 chester 362 cornwall 175 cumberland 217 derby 427 devon 230 dorset 97 durham 301 essex 339 gloucester 437 hereford 44 hertford 137 huntingdon 45 kent 284 lancaster 1862 leicester 292 lincoln 435 middlesex 1597 monmouth 163 norfolk 431 northampton 214 northumberland 426 nottingham 267 oxford 94 rutland 23 salop 240 somerset 201 southampton 226 stafford 472 suffolk 288 surrey 609 sussex 238 warwick 476 westmorland 44 wilts 109 worcester 247 city of york 63 east riding of york 200 north riding 187 west riding 1039 14 038 wales anglesey 14 brecon 63 cardigan 38 carmarthen 49 carnarvon 32 denbigh 69 flint 35 glamorgan 202 merioneth 25 montgomery 31 pembroke 46 radnor 20 624 island in the british seas 47 scotland aberdeen 105 argyll 44 ayr 144 banff 33 berwick 41 bute 17 caithness 4 clackmannan 18 dumbarton 29 dumfries 72 edinburgh 401 elgin or moray 37 fife 77 forfar 108 haddington 54 inverness 33 kincardine 27 kinross 9 kirkcudbright 46 lanark 677 linlithgow 33 nairn 2 orkney and shetland 10 peebles 13 perth 119 renfrew 107 ross and cromarty 11 roxburgh 96 selkirk 18 stirling 95 sutherland 5 wigtown 36 2561 thus we find that in 1841 there were of these trades in england 14 038 wales 624 british isles 47 scotland 2 561 total in great britain 17 270 the counties in which the hawkers hucksters and pedlars most abound appear to be1st lancaster 2nd middlesex 3rd yorkshire west riding 4th lanark and 5th surrey what rule if any rule was observed in classing these hawkers hucksters and pedlars or what distinction was drawn between a hawker and a huckster i am unable to say but it is certain that the number of licensed hawkers was within one half of the 17 270 for in 1841 the hawkers duty realized only 32 762 l gross revenue and waiving the amount paid for the employment of horses c the official return reckoning so many persons paying 4 l each shows only 8190 licensed hawkers in 1841 the hawkers business has been prosecuted far more extensively in country than in town but he still continues to deal in london of the packmen or hawkers of soft wares the packman as he is termed derives his name from carrying his merchandise or pack upon his back these itinerant distributors are far less numerous than they were twenty or twenty five years since a few years since they were mostly irishmen and their principal merchandise irish linensa fabric not so generally worn now as it was formerly the packmen are sometimes called manchester men these are the men whom i have described as the sellers of shirtings sheetings c one man who was lately an assistant in the trade could reckon twenty men who were possessed of good stocks good connections and who had saved money they traded in an honourable manner were well known and much respected the majority of them were natives of the north of ireland and two had been linen manufacturers it is common indeed for all the irishmen in this trade to represent themselves as having been connected with the linen manufacture in belfast this trade is now becoming almost entirely a country trade there are at present i am told only five pursuing it in london none of them having a very extensive connection so that only a brief notice is necessary their sale is of both cottons and linens for shirts they carry them in rolls of 36 yards or in smaller rolls each of a dozen yards and purchase them at the haberdashery swag shops at from 9 d to 18 d a yard i now speak of good articles their profits are not very largeas for the dozen yards which cost them 9 s they often have a difficulty in getting 12 s while in street sale or in hawking from house to house there is great delay a well furnished pack weighs about one cwt and so necessitates frequent stoppages cotton for sheetings is sold in the same manner costing the vendors from 6 d to 1 s 3 d a yard of the tricks of the trade and of the tally system of one of these chapmen i had the following account from a man who had been both as principal and assistant a travelling packman but was best acquainted with the trade in and about london my master he said was an irishman and told everybody he had been a manager of a linen factory in belfast i believe he was brought up to be a shoemaker and was never in the north of ireland anyhow he was very shy of talking about irish factories to irish gentlemen i heard one say to him dont tell me you have the cork brogue i know hed got some knowledge of linen weaving at dundee and could talk about it very clever indeed he was a clever fellow sometimes to hear him talk youd think he was quite a religious man and at others that he was a big blackguard it wasnt drink that made the difference for he was no drinker its a great thing on a round to get a man or woman into a cheerful talk and put in a joke or two and that he could do to rights i had 12 s a week standing wages from him and bits of commissions on 378 sales that brought me from 3 s to 5 s more he was a buyer of damaged goods and we used to doctor them in some there was perhaps damages by two or three threads being out all the way so the manufacturers wouldnt send them to their regular customers my master pretended it was a secret where he got them but lord i knew it was at a swag shop we used to cut up these in twelves twelve yards sometimes less if they was very bad and take a congreve and just scorch them here and there where the flaws was worst and plaster over other flaws with a little flour and dust to look like a stain from street water from the fire engine then they were from the stock of mr anybody the great draper that had his premises burnt downin manchester or glasgow or londonif thered been a good fire at a drapersor anywhere we wasnt particular they was fine or strong shirtings hed sayand so they was the sound parts of themand hed sell as cheap as common calico ive heard him say why marm sure marm with your eyes and scissors and needle them burnsah fires a dreadful judgment on a manisnt the least morsel of matter in life the stains is cured in a wash tub in no time its only touched by the fire and you can humour it i know in cutting out as a shirt ought to be cut it should be as carefully done as a coat then we had an irish linen an imitation you know a kind of union which we call double twist it is made i believe in manchester and is a mixture of linen and cotton some of its so good that it takes a judge to tell the difference between it and real irish he got some beautiful stuff at one time and once sold to a fine dressed young woman in brompton a dozen yards at 2 s 6 d a yard and the dozen only cost him 14 s then we did something on tally but he was dropping that trade the shopkeepers undersold him if you get 60 l out of 100 l in tally scores he often said its good money and a fair living profit but he got far more than that what was worth 8 s was 18 s on tally pay 1 s a week he did most that way with the masters of coffee shops and the landlords of little public houses sometimes if they couldnt pay wed have dinner and that went to account and hed quarrel with me after it for what was my share theres not much of this sort of trade now sir i believe my old master got his money together and emigrated do you want any ginuine irish linin maam uttered in unmistakable brogue seemed to authenticate the fact that the inquirer being an irishman in all likelihood possessed the legitimate article but as to their obtaining their goods from coleraine and other places in the emerald isle famed for the manufacture of linen it was and is as pure fiction as the travels of baron munchausen the majority of these packmen have discontinued dealing in linens exclusively and have added silks ladies dresses shawls and various articles connected with the drapery business the country and small towns and villages remote from the neighbourhood of large and showy shops are the likeliest markets for the sale of their goods in london the irish packmen have been completely driven out by the scotch tallymen who indeed are the only class of packmen likely to succeed in london if the persevering scotch tallyman can but set foot in a decent looking residence and be permitted to display his tempting finery to the lady of the house he generally manages to talk her into purchasing articles that perhaps she has no great occasion for and which serve often to involve her in difficulties for a considerable periodcausing her no little perplexity and requiring much artifice to keep the tallymans weekly visits a secret from her husbandto say nothing of paying an enormous price for the goods for the many risks which the tallyman incurs necessitates of course an exorbitant rate of profit the number of packmen or hawkers of shawls silks c i think says one of their own body must have decreased full one half within the last few years the itinerant haberdashery trade is far from the profitable business that it used to be and not unfrequently do i travel a whole day without taking a shilling still perhaps one days good work will make up for half a dozen bad ones all the packmen have hawkers licences as they have mostly too valuable a stock to incur the risk of losing it for want of such a privilege some of the fraternity says my informant do not always deal upon the square they profess to have just come from india or china and to have invested all their capital in silks of a superior description manufactured in those countries and to have got them on shore unbeknown to the custom house authorities this is told in confidence to the servant man or woman who opens the doorbe so good as tell the lady as much says the hawker for really im afraid to carry the goods much longer and i have already sold enough to pay me well enough for my specgo theres a good girl tell your missus i have splendid goods and am willing almost to give them away and if we makes a deal of it why i dont mind giving you a handsome present for yourself this is a bait not to be resisted should the salesman succeed with the mistress he carries out his promise to the maid by presenting her with a cap ribbon or a cheap neckerchief the most primitive kind of packmen or hawkers of soft wares who still form part of the distributing machinery of the country traverse the highlands of scotland they have their regular rounds and regular days of visiting their customers their arrival is looked for with interest by the country people and the inmates of the farm house where they locate for the night consider themselves fortunate in having to entertain the packman for he is their newsmonger their story teller their friend and their acquaintance and is always made welcome his wares consist of hoselinsey wolsey for making petticoatsmuslins for capsribbonsan assortment of needles pins and netting pinsand all sorts of small wares he always travels on foot it is suspected that he likewise does a little in the jigger line for many of these 379 highlanders have or are supposed to have their illicit distilleries and the packmen are suspected of trafficking without excise interference glasgow dundee galashiels and harwick are the principal manufacturing towns where the packman replenishes his stock my own opinion says an informant of considerable experience is that these men seldom grow rich but the prevailing idea in the country part of scotland is that the pedlar has an unco lang stockin wi an awfu amount o goden guineas in it and that his pocket buik is plumped out wi a thick roll of bank notes indeed there are many instances upon record of poor packmen having been murderedthe assassins doubtlessly expecting a rich booty it scarcely ever costs the packman of scotland anything for his bed and board the highlanders are a most hospitable people with acquaintancesalthough with strangers at first they are invariably shy and distant in ireland there is also the travelling pedlar whose habits and style of doing business are nearly similar to that of the scotchman some of the packmen of scotland have risen to eminence and distinction a quondam lord provost of glasgow a gentleman still living and upon whom the honour of knighthood has been conferred was according to common report in his earlier days a packman and rumour also does the gentleman the credit to acknowledge that he is not ashamed to own it i am told by a london hawker of soft goods or packman that the number of his craft hawking london and its vicinity as far as he can judge is about 120 the census of 1841 makes the london hawkers hucksters and pedlars amount to 2041 in the 120 are included the irish linen hawkers i am also informed that the fair traders profits amount to about 20 per cent while those of the not over particular trader range from 80 to 200 per cent in a fair way of business it is said the hawkers taking will amount upon an average to 7 l or 8 l per week whereas the receipts of the duffer or unfair hawker will sometimes reach to 50 l per week many however travel days and do not turn a penny statement of a packman of the way of trading of a travelling pedlar i had the following account from one of the body he was well dressed and a good but keen looking man of about thirty five slim and of rather short stature with quick dark eyes and bushy whiskers on which it was evident no small culture was bestowed his manners were far from obtrusive or importunateto those whom he sought to make customersfor i happened to witness a portion of his proceedings in that respect but he had a quiet perseverance with him which along with perfect civility and something like deference might be the most efficient means of recommending himself to the maid servants among whom lay his chief customers he showed a little of the pride of art in describing the management of his business but he would not hear that he pattered he talked to his customers he declared as any draper who knew his business well might talk to his when i saw him his pack which he carried slung over one shoulder contained a few gown pieces of printed cotton nearly all with pink grounds a few shawls of different sizes and three rolls firmly packed each with a card label on which was neatly written french merino full duty paid a b l f 18331851 french chocolate there were also six neat paper packages two marked worked collars three gauze handkerchiefs and the other beautiful childs gros de naples the latter consisted of 4 yards of black silk sufficient for a childs dress he carried with him moreover 5 umbrellas one inclosed in a bright glazed cover while from its mother of pearl handle hung a card addressedthe ladys maid victoria lodge 13 s 6 d this is a very small stock he said to what i generally carry but im going on a country round to morrow and i want to get through it before i lay in a new one i tell people that i want to sell off my goods cheap as theyre too good for country sale and thats true the better half of it on my expressing some surprise that he should be leaving london at this particular time he answered i go into the country because i think all the hawkers will be making for town and therell be plenty of customers left in the country and fewer to sell to them at their own places thats my opinion i sell to women of all sorts smart dressing servant maids perhaps are my best customers especially if they live a good way from any grand ticketing shop i sold one of my umbrellas to one of them just before you spoke to me she was standing at the door and i saw her give half a glance at the umbrellas and so i offered them she first agreed to buy a very nice one at 3 s 3 d which should have been 4 s but i persuaded her to take one at 3 s 9 d which should have been 4 s 6 d look here maam said i this umbrella is much bigger you see and will carry double so when youre coming from church of a wet sunday evening a friend can have share of it and very grateful hell be as hes sure to have his best hat on theres been many a question put under an umbrella that way thats made a young lady blush and take good care of her umbrella when she was married and had a house of her own i look sharp after the young and pretty ladies miss and shall as long as im a bachelor o says she such ridiculous nonsense because its often so windy about here and then one must have a good cover if it rains as well thats my way sir i dont mind telling that because they do the same in the shops ive heard them but they cant put love and sweet hearting so cleverly in a crowded shop as we can in a quiet house its that i go for love and sweet hearting and i always speak to any smart servant as if i thought she was the mistress or as 380 if i wasnt sure whether she was the mistress or the ladys maid three times out of four shes house maid or maid of all work i call her maam and young lady and sometimes miss its no use offering to sell until a maid has tidied herself in the afternoonnot a bit i should make a capital drapers shopman i know only i could never bear the confinement i never will hear such words as i dont want it or nothing more to day no more than if i was behind a counter the great difficulty i have is to get a chance of offering my goods if i ring at a gatefor i always go a little way out of townthey can see who it is and i may ring half an hour for nothing if the doors opened its often shut again directly and i just hear bother i used to leave a few bills and i do so still in some parts of the country with a list of goods and this bill to be called for printed at the bottom but i havent done that in town for a long time its no good people seem to think its giving double trouble one of the prettiest girls i ever saw where i called one evening pointedjust as i began to say i left a bill andto some paper round a candle in a stick and shut the door laughing in selling my gown pieces i say they are such as will suit the complexion and such like and i always use my judgment in saying so why shouldnt i its the same to me what colour i sell its a genteel thing maam ill say to a servant maid and such as common people wont admire its not staring enough for them im sure it would become you maam and is very cheap cheaper than you could buy at a shop for all these things are made by the same manufacturers and sold to the wholesale dealers at the same price and a shopkeeper you know has his young men and taxes and rates and gas and fine windows to pay for and i havent so it dont want much judgment to see that i must be able to sell cheaper than shopkeepers and i think your own taste maam will satisfy you that these here are elegant patterns thats the way i go on no doubt theres others do the same but i know and care little about them i have my own way of doing business and never trouble myself about other peoples patter or nonsense now that piece of silk i shall most likely sell to the landlady of a public house where i see theres children i shall offer it after ive got a bit of dinner there or when ive said i want a bit its no use offering it there though if it isnt cheap theyre too good judges innkeepers arent bad customers i think taking it altogether to such as me if you can get to talk to them as you sometimes can at their bars theyre generally wanting something thats one step i always tell them that they ought to buy of men in my way who live among them and not of fine shop keepers who never came a near their houses ive sold them both cottons and linens after such talk as that i live at public houses in the country i sleep nowhere else my trade in town is nothing to what it was ten or a dozen years back i dont know the reason exactly i think so many threepenny busses is one for theyll take any servant when shes got an afternoon to a thoroughfare full of ticket shops and bring her back and her bundle of purchases too for another 3 d i shall cut it altogether i think and stick to the country why ive known the time when i should have met from half a dozen to a dozen people trading in my way in town and for these three days and dry days too i havent met one my way of trading in the country is just the same as in town i go from farm house to farm house or call at gentlemens grand seatsif a mans known to the servants there it may be the best card he can playand i call at every likely house in the towns or villages i only go to a house and sell a mistress or maid the same sort of goods a little cheaper perhaps and recommend them in the same way as is done every day at many a fine city and borough and west end shop i never say theyre part of a bankrupts stock a packfull would seem nothing for that i never pretend that theyre smuggled mines a respectable trade sir theres been so much dodging that way its been a great stop to fair trading and i like to go on the same round more than once a person once taken in by smuggled handkerchiefs or anything wont deal with a hawker again even though theres no deception but duffing and all that is going down fast and i wish it was gone altogether i do nothing in tally i buy my goods and ive bought all sorts in wholesale houses of course and id rather lay out 10 l in manchester than in london o as to what i make i cant say its enough to keep me ive only myself and escape the income tax sometimes i make 10 s a week sometimes 20 s sometimes 30 s and i have made 50 s and one week the best i ever did i made as much as 74 s 6 d thats all i can say perhaps it may be sufficiently accurate to compute the average weekly earnings of a smart trader like my informant at from 21 s to 25 s in london and from 25 s to 30 s in the country of the tally packman the pedlar tallyman is a hawker who supplies his customers with goods receiving payment by weekly instalments and derives his name from the tally or score he keeps with his customers linen draperyor at least the general routine of linen drapers stock as silk mercery hosiery woollen cloths c is the most prevalent trade of the tallyman there are a few shoemakers and some household furniture dealers who do business in the tally or score system but the great majority are linen drapers though some of them sell household furniture as well the system is generally condemned as a bad one as leading to improvidence in the buyer and rapacity in the seller there are many who have incurred a tally debt and have never been able to get a head of it but have been kept poor by it all their lives some few however may have been benefited by the system and as an outfit for a young man or woman entering service is necessarywhen the parties are too poor to pay ready moneyit is an 381 accommodation i have never heard any of the tallymans customers express an opinion upon the subject other than that they wish they had done with the tallyman or could do without him the system does not prevail to so great an extent as it did some years back the pedlar or hawking tallyman travels for orders and consequently is said not to require a hawkers licence the great majority of the tally packmen are scotchmen the children who are set to watch the arrival of the tallyman and apprise the mother of his approach when not convenient to pay whisper instead of mother heres the tallyman mother heres the scotchman these men live in private houses which they term their warehouse they are many of them proprietors themselves in a small way and conduct the whole of their business unassisted their mode of doing business is as follows they seldom knock at a door except they have a customer upon whom they call for the weekly instalment but if a respectable looking female happens to be standing at her door she in all probability is accosted by the scotchman do you require anything in my way to day maam this is often spoken in broad scotch the speaker trying to make it sound as much like english as possible without waiting for a reply he then runs over a programme of the treasures he has to dispose of emphasising all those articles which he considers likely to suit the taste of the person he addresses she doesnt want perhaps anyshe has no money to spare then she may want something in his way another day may be says the tallyman will she grant him permission to exhibit some beautiful shawlsthe last new fashion or some new style of dress just out and an extraordinary bargain the mans importunities and the curiosity of the lady introduces him into the apartment an acquaintance is called in to pass her opinion upon the tallymans stock should she still demur he says o im sure your husband cannot objecthe will not be so unreasonable besides consider the easy mode of payment youll only have to pay 1 s 6 d a week for every pounds worth of goods you take why its like nothing you possess yourself of respectable clothing and pay for them in such an easy manner that you never miss it well ill call next week i shall leave you this paper the paper left is a blank form to be filled up by the husband and runs thus i agree on behalf of my wife to pay by weekly instalments of 1 s 6 d upon every pounds worth of good she may purchase this proceeding is considered necessary by the tallymen as the judges in the court of requests now so frequently decide against him where the husband is not cognisant of the transaction these preliminaries being settled and the question having been asked what business the husband iswhere he worksand if it can be done without offence what are his wages the scotchman takes stock of the furniture c the value of what the room contains gives him a sufficiently correct estimate of the circumstances of his customers his next visit is to the nearest chandlers shop and there as blandly as possible he inquires into the credit c of mr if he deal however with the chandler the tallyman accounts it a bad omen as people in easy circumstances seldom resort to such places it is unpleasant to me he says to the chandler making these inquiries but mrs wishes to open an account with me and i should like to oblige them if i thought my money was safe do you trust them and what sort of payers are they according to the replythe tallyman determines upon his course but he rarely stops here he makes inquiries also at the greengrocers the beer shop c the persons who connect themselves with the tallyman little know the inquisition they subject themselves to when the tallyman obtains a customer who pays regularly he is as importunate for her to recommend him another customer as he originally was to obtain her custom some tallymen who keep shops have travellers in their employ some of whom have salaries while others receive a percentage upon all payments and do not suffer any loss upon bad debts notwithstanding the caution of the tallyman he is frequently victimised many pawn the goods directly they have obtained them and in some instances spend the money in drink their many losses as a matter of course somebody must make good it therefore becomes necessary for them to charge a higher price for their commodities than the regular trader however charitably inclined the tallyman may be at first he soon becomes i am told inured to scenes of misery while the sole feeling in his mind at length is i will have my money for he is often tricked and in some cases most impudently victimised i am told by a tallyman that he once supplied goods to the amount of 2 l and when he called for the first instalment the woman said she didnt intend to pay the goods didnt suit her and she would return them the tallyman expressed his willingness to receive them back whereupon she presented him a pawnbrokers duplicate she had pledged them an hour after obtaining them this was done in a court in the presence of a dozen women who all chuckled with delight at the joke the principal portion of the tallymans customers are poor mechanics when the appearance of the house and the inquiries out of doors are approved of no security is required but the tallyman would at all times rather add a security when attainable servant girls who deal with tallymen must find the security of a housekeeper and when such housekeeper agrees to be responsible for the payments the same inquisitorial proceedings are adopted in order to ascertain the circumstances of the surety there are about fifty drapery shops in london where the tally trade is carried on and about 200 scotchmen besides fifty others part english part irish are engaged in the trade a clerk of a tally shop at the west end informs me that there are ten collectors and canvassers for customers out each day from that one establishment and that until 382 lately they were accustomed to collect moneys on sundays some collect as much as 12 l or 14 l a day and some not more than 2 l or 3 l the average sum collected may be about 5 l each or 50 l per day by the whole the profits are 30 per cent the bad debts 10 per cent thus leaving 20 per cent net the scotchman who does not choose to extend his business beyond his own cautious superintendence is content with smaller profits perhaps 20 per cent and his bad debts may be estimated at 2 per cent one of the body informed me that he had been in the tally trade about five years that he commenced with a capital of only 10 l and that now his collections average 30 l per week he never bought he said on credit and his stock on hand is worth nearly 200 l cost price while his outstanding debts are nearly 200 l also this is a flourishing state of affairs he remarked i do not owe a penny in the world and i have accomplished all this in little less than five years this man had served his apprenticeship to a draper in glasgow and had originally arrived in london with 20 l in his pocket after some weeks fruitless endeavour to obtain a situation his money dwindling away the while he was advised by a fellow countryman who was a tallyman to try the tally trade for a few days previous to adopting the business he went the rounds with his friend for the purpose of getting initiated and the week after started on his own account notwithstanding his having no hawkers licence he tried to effect sales for ready money and to a trifling extent succeeded the first week he obtained three tally customers he could have got he said a dozen but he selected three whom he considered good and he was not deceived for they continued to be customers of his to this day the amount of goods that each of these took of him was 20 s and the three instalments of 1 s 6 d each 4 s 6 d per week the tallyman determined to subsist upon though his lodging and washing cost him 2 s per week he lived principally upon parritch and skim milk indulging now and then in the luxury of a herring and a few potatoes in twelve weeks he had added only one more credit customer to his books he had hawked for ready money and had succeeded so far as to increase his stock to 15 l in value his first three customers had by this time paid their accounts and again patronized him in the course of a little time his fourth customer had also paid up and had another supply of goods he then added two more tally customers and commenced indulging though very seldom in a mutton chop he progressed slowly and is now in flourishing circumstances he states that he has met with only one loss during his connection with the tally trade and that but a trifling one it is those who wish to drive a very extensive business he says who are principally victimised the most industrious of the packmen tallymen seldom travel less than twenty miles a day carrying a burthen upon their backs of from 100 to 120 lbs they used to carry merely patterns to their customers but they find that the full length article is more likely to secure purchasers and customers those who keep shops do not carry goods with them the would be customer is invited to the shop the best day for business in the tally trade is monday and most of these shops upon that day are crowded sometimes an unsolicited customer mostly a female presents herself and wishes to be supplied with goods on tally who recommended you inquires the tallyman oh mrs sir a customer of yours ah indeed very much obliged to mrs is the answer the articles required are shown selected and cut the new customer is treated most civilly by the tallyman who further inquires her name and abode the purchaser of course expects the next process will be to deliver up the parcel to her when she is informed that they will send it home for her oh she replies i wont trouble you i can carry it myself our rule maam returns the tallyman is always to send parcels home we certainly cannot doubt your respectability but we never deviate from our practice the disappointed female departs and if the inquiries do not prove satisfactory she never hears further from the tallyman the goods which she selected and which were cut expressly for her find their way to the shelves of the establishment if however a good customer accompanies a friend whom she wishes to recommend the parcels are delivered when purchased if required the tallyman to good customers often extends his civilities to a glass of wine or if the ladies prefer it which it must be confessed they mostly do a glass of gin there is another class of tallymen who sell clocks receiving payment by weekly instalments these are content with an instalment of 1 s in the pound per week they are principally germans who can speak english their proceedings altogether are similar to the tally linen draper i have given the rise and progress of a scotch tallyman and will now relate the downfall of anotheran englishman he commenced a tally shop in the neighbourhood of and was carrying on a prosperous and daily increasing trade at one time a bill in the shop window announced that an errand boy was wantedan applicant soon presented himselfwas engaged and proved a steady lad in the course of a few weeks this youth was promoted to the office of serving in the shop and afterwards became collecting clerk george said his master one day we have three days in the week unemployed suppose you try and form a connection around finchley highgate hampstead and that neighbourhood george was quite willing to make the experiment and succeeded beyond expectation the country connection soon surpassed the town trade and george the errand boy became a man of some consequence in the establishment the principal of the firm was what is termed gay he was particularly fond of attending public entertainments he sported a little as well and delighted in horse racing his business 383 though an excellent one was neglected the books got out of order and he became involved in difficulties an examination of his affairs took place and a mr r was engaged from a wholesale house in the city to assist in making up the accounts c during this persons sojourn in the shop he saw that george the quondam errand boy was the chief support of the concern the country customers had never seen any other person and a partnership was proposed the proposal was accepted and the firm r and w became one of the most prosperous tally shops in the neighbourhood of tottenham court road georges master was made bankrupt and is now a street seller in fitzroy marketvending sandwiches c the cases are not a few where ruin has followed a connection with the tallymen i will particularize one instance related to me on good authority a lawyers clerk married when young a milliner his salary was a guinea per week and he and his wife had agreed to get on in the world they occupied furnished lodgings at first but soon accumulated furniture of their own and every week added some little useful article towards their household stock at the end of a year said the individual in question i had as comfortable a little home as any man would wish to possess i was fond of it too and would rather have been there than anywhere else my wife frequently wished to obtain credit it would be so easy said she to pay a trifling instalment and then we could obtain immediately whatever we might want i objected and preferred supplying our wants gradually knowing that for ready money i could purchase to much better advantage consequently we still kept progressing and i was really happy judge my astonishment one day when i came home and found an execution was in the house my wife had run in debt with the tallyman unknown to me summonses had been served which by some means she had concealed from me the goods which i had taken so much pains to procure were seized and sold but this was not all my wife grew so much alarmed at the misery she had caused that she fled from me and i have never seen her but once since this occurred seven years ago and she has been for some time the companion of those who hold their virtue of little worth for some time after this i cared not what became of me i lost my situation and sunk to be a supernumerary for 1 s a night at one of the theatres here after being entrusted with a line to speak i eventually rose to a general utility man at 12 s per week with this and some copying that i occasionally obtain from the law stationers i manage to live but far from comfortably for i never think of saving now and only look out for copying when i stand in need of more money i am always poor and scarcely ever have a shilling to call my own some of the principal establishments doing largely in the tally trade are in or about red lion square and street the higher part of high holborn the vicinity of tottenham court road the blackfriars waterloo westminster st georges walworth new kent and dover roads at some of these tally shops horses and carts are kept to carry out the goods ordered of the travellers especially when furniture is supplied as well as drapery while in others the travellers are resident on the premises and are occasionally shopmen for a large tally master not unfrequently carries on a retail trade in addition to his tally business the tallymen not concerned with these large establishments but carrying on trade on their own account reside generally in the quieter streets in the neighbourhood of the thoroughfares i have mentioned and occupy perhaps the ground floor letting for the house is generally their own the other apartments sometimes a piece of cotton print is placed in their parlour window and sometimes there is no indication whatever of any business being carried on within for the hawking tallymen do not depend in any measure upon situation or display but solely on travelling and personal solicitations at peoples own residences of the duffers or hawkers of pretended smuggled goods of duffers and lumpers as regards the sale of textile fabrics there are generally i am informed about twenty in london at such times as epsom ascot heath or goodwood races however there is perhaps not one all have departed to prey if possible upon the countrymen eight of them are jews and the majority of the others are irishmen they are generally dressed as sailors and some wear either fur caps or cloth ones with gilt bands round them as if they were the mates or stewards of ships they look out for any likely victim at public houses and sometimes accost persons in the streetsfirst looking carefully about them and hint that they are smugglers and have the finest and cheapest injy handkerchiefs ever seen these goods are now sold in pieces of three handkerchiefs when times were better i was told they were in pieces of four five and six one street seller said to me yes i know the duffers all of them they do more business than you might think everybody likes a smuggled thing and i should say these men each of the duffers tops his 1 l a week clear profit i am assured that one of the classes most numerously victimised is a body who generally account themselves pretty sharp viz gentlemens grooms and coachmen at the several mews sailors are the best customers and the vicinity of the docks the best locality for this trade for the hawker of pretended smuggled goods always does most business among the tars the mock handkerchiefs are damped carefully with a fine sponge before they are offered for sale and they are often strongly perfumed some of the jews supplying cheap perfumes or common scents when the duffer thinks he may venture upon the assertion he assures a customer that this is the smell the handkerchiefs brought with em from foreign parts as they was smuggled in a bale of spices 384 the trade however is not without its hazards for i am informed that the duffers sometimes on attempting their impositions imprudently and sometimes on being discovered before they can leave the house get soundly thrashed they have of course no remedy the pieces of three handkerchiefs sold by the duffers are purchased by them in houndsditch at from 3 s to 7 s but 7 s is only given when there is a design to palm off the 3 s goods along with them cent per cent is a low profit in this trade one intelligent street trader to whom i am indebted for carefully considered information said to me very quietly ive read your work sir at a coffee shop for i cant afford to take it in i know youre going to open the eyes of the public as to the duffers tricks now all right sir theyre in honest mens ways but sir when are you going to say something about the rich shopkeepers as sells and the rich manufacturers as makes the duffers things every man of them knows its for roguery there is a peculiar style among the duffers they never fold their goods neatlythe same as drapers do but thrust them into the pack in a confused heap as if they did not understand their valueor their business there are other classes of duffers whose calling is rather more hazardous than the licensed hawker duffer i have often thought it strange says a correspondent that these men could induce any one to credit the fact of their being sailors for notwithstanding the showy manner in which they chew their quid and the jack tar like fashion in which they suffer their whiskers to grow there is such a fresh waterfied appearance about them that they look no more like a regular mariner than the supernumerary seamen in a nautical drama at the victoria theatre yet they obtain victims readily their mode of proceeding in the streets is to accost their intended dupes while walking by their side they usually speak in a half whisper as they keep pace with them and look mysteriously around to see if there be any of them ere custom house sharks afloat they address the simple looking passers by thus shipmate here they take off their fur cap and spit their quid into it shipmate ive just come ashore arter a long voyageand splice me but ive something in the locker thatll be of service to you and shiver my timbers they are very profuse in nautical terms you shall have it at your own price for im determined to have a spree and i havent a shot in the locker helms a lee just lets turn into this creek and ill show you what it is perhaps he persuades his dupe down a court or to a neighbouring public house now here is a beautiful piece of ingy handkerchiefs they are the coarsest description of spun not thrown silk well stiffened into stoutness and cost the duffer perhaps 15 d each but as business is always done on the sly in a hurry and to escape observation an examination seldom or never takes place i got em on shore in spite of those pirates the custom house officers you shall have em cheap theres half a dozen on em they cost me 30 s at madras you shall have em for the same money the victim may be is not inclined to purchase the pretended tar however must have money will you give me 25 s for them he says dn it a pound shiver my topsails you dont want them any cheaper than that do you the duffer says this to make his dupe believe that he really does want the goods or has offered a price for them perhaps if the duffer cannot extort more he takes 10 s for the half dozen ingy handkerchiefs the profit being thus about 2 s 6 d but more frequently he gets 100 and even 200 per cent on his transactions according to the gullibility of his customers the duffer deals also in cigars he accosts his victim in the same style as when selling handkerchiefs and gives himself the same sailor like airs sometimes the duffers visit the obscure streets in london where there are small chandlers shops one of them enters leaving his mate outside to give him the signal in case the enemy heaves in sight he requests to be served with some trifling articlewhen if he approve of the physiognomy of the shopkeeper and consider him or her likely to be victimisedhe ventures an observation as to how enormously everything is taxed though to one less innocent it might appear unusual for a sailor to talk politics even this ere baccy he says taking out his quid i cant chew without paying a tax but he adds chucklingus sailor chaps sometimes shirks the custom house lubbers sharp as they are here his companion outside puts his head in at the door and to make the scene as natural as possible says come jack dont stop there all night spinning your yarns come bear a hand or i shall part convoy oh heave to a bit longer my hearty replies the duffer i will be with you in the twinkling of a marling spike ill tell you what weve got marm and if you likes to buy it you shall have it cheap for me and my mate are both short of rhino weve half a dozen pounds of teayou can weigh it if you likeand you shall have the lot for 12 s perhaps there is an immediate purchase but if 12 s is refused then 10 s 8 s or 6 s is asked until a sale be effected after which the sailors make their exit as quickly as possible then the chandlers shop keeper begins to exult over the bargain he or she has made and to examine more minutely the contents of the neatly packed and tea like looking packet thus bought it proves to be lined with a profuse quantity of tea lead and though some chinese characters are marked on the outside it is discovered on opening to contain only half a pound of tea the remainder consisting principally of chopped hay the duffers enact the same part and if a purchaser buy 10 lbs of the smuggled article then 9 lbs at least consist of the same chopped hay sometimes the duffers sell all their stock to one individual no sooner do they dispose of the handkerchiefs to a dupe than they introduce the smuggled tobacco to the notice of the unsuspecting customer then they palm off their cigars next their tea and lastly as the duffer is determined to raise as much money as he can to 385 have his spree why de he exclaims to his victimill sell you my watch it cost me 6 l at portsmouthgive me 3 l for it and its yours shipmate well then 2 l 1 l the watch i need not state is made solely for sale it is really astonishing adds my informant how these men ever succeed for their look denotes cunning and imposition and their proceedings have been so often exposed in the newspapers that numbers are alive to their tricks and warn others when they perceive the duffers endeavouring to victimise them but as the thimble men say theres a fool born every minute of the street sellers of small ware or tape cotton etc the street sellers of tape and cotton are usually elderly females and during my former inquiry i was directed to one who had been getting her living in the street by such means for nine years i was given to understand that the poor woman was in deep distress and that she had long been supporting a sick husband by her little trade but i was wholly unprepared for a scene of such startling misery sublimed by untiring affection and pious resignation as i there discovered i wish the reader to understand that i do not cite this case as a type of the sufferings of this particular class but rather as an illustration of the afflictions which frequently befall those who are solely dependent on their labour or their little trade for their subsistence and who from the smallness of their earnings are unable to lay by even the least trifle as a fund against any physical calamity the poor creatures lived in one of the close alleys at the east end of london on inquiring at the house to which i had been directed i was told i should find them in the two pair back i mounted the stairs and on opening the door of the apartment i was terrified with the misery before me there on a wretched bed lay an aged man in almost the last extremity of life at first i thought the poor old creature was really dead but a tremble of the eyelids as i closed the door as noiselessly as i could told me that he breathed his face was as yellow as clay and it had more the cold damp look of a corpse than that of a living man his cheeks were hollowed in with evident want his temples sunk and his nostrils pinched close on the edge of the bed sat his heroic wife giving him drink with a spoon from a tea cup in one corner of the room stood the basket of tapes cottons combs braces nutmeg graters and shaving glasses with which she strove to keep her old dying husband from the workhouse i asked her how long her good man had been ill and she told me he had been confined to his bed five weeks last wednesday and that it was ten weeks since he had eaten the size of a nut in solid food nothing but a little beef tea had passed his lips for months we have lived like children together said the old woman as her eyes flooded with tears and never had no dispute he hated drink and there was no cause for us to quarrel one of my legs you see is shorter than the other said she rising from the bed side and showing me that her right foot was several inches from the ground as she stood my hip is out i used to go out washing and walking in my pattens i fell down my hip is out of the socket three quarters of an inch and the sinews is drawn up i am obliged to walk with a stick here the man groaned and coughed so that i feared the exertion must end his life ah the heart of a stone would pity that poor fellow said the good wife after i put my hip out i couldnt get my living as id been used to do i couldnt stand a day if i had five hundred pounds for it i must sit down so i got a little stall and sat at the end of the alley here with a few laces and tapes and things ive done so for this nine year past and seen many a landlord come in and go out of the house that i sat at my husband used to sell small articles in the streetsblack lead and furniture paste and blacking we got a sort of a living by this the two of us together its very seldom though we had a bit of meat we had 1 s 9 d rent to paycome my poor fellow will you have another little drop to wet your mouth said the woman breaking off come my dearest let me give you this she added as the man let his jaw fall and she poured some warm sugar and water flavoured with cinnamonall she had to give himinto his mouth hes been an ailing man this many a year he used to go of errands and buy my little things for me on account of my being lame we assisted one another you see he wasnt able to work for his living and i wasnt able to go about so he used to go about and buy for me what i sold i am sure he never earned above 1 s 6 d in the week he used to attend me and many a time ive sat for ten and fourteen hours in the cold and wet and didnt take a sixpence some days id make a shilling and some days less but whatever i got i used to have to put a good part into the basket to keep my little stock a knock here came to the door it was for a halfpenny worth of darning cotton you know a shilling goes further with a poor couple thats sober than two shillings does with a drunkard we lived poor you see never had nothing but tea or we couldnt have done anyhow if id take 18 d in the day id think i was grandly off and then if there was 6 d profit got out of that it would be almost as much as it would you see these cotton braces here said the old woman going to her tray well i gives 2 s 9 d a dozen for them here and i sells em for 4 d and oftentimes 4 d a pair now this piece of tape would cost me seven farthings in the shop and i sells it at six yards a penny it has the name of being eighteen yards the profit out of it is five farthings its beyond the power of man to wonder how theres a bit of bread got out of such a small way and the times is so bad too i think i could say i get 8 d a day profit if i have any sort of custom but i dont exceed that at the best of times ive often sat at the end of the alley and taken only 6 d and thats not much more than 2 d clearit ant 3 d im 386 sure i think i could safely state that for the last nine year me and my husband has earned together 5 s a week and out of that the two of us had to live and pay rent1 s 9 d a week clothes i could buy none for the best garment is on me but i thank the lord still ive paid my rent all but three weeks and that isnt due till to morrow we have often reckoned it up here at the fire some weeks we have got 5 s 3 d and some weeks less so that i judge we have had about 3 s to 3 s 6 d a week to live upon the two of us for this nine year past half a hundred of coals would fit me the week in the depths of winter my husband had the kettle always boiling for me against i came in he used to sit here reading his bookhe never was fit for work at the bestwhile i used to be out minding the basket he was so sober and quiet too his neighbours will tell that of him within the last ten weeks hes been very ill indeed but still i could be out with the basket since then hes never earnt me a pennypoor old soul he wasnt able all that time i still attended to my basket he wasnt so ill then but what he could do a little here in the room for hisself but he wanted little god knows for he couldnt eat after he fell ill i had to go all my errands myself i had no one to help me for id nothing to pay them and id have to walk from here down to sun street with my stick till my bad leg pained me so that i could hardly stand you see the hip being put out has drawn all the sinews up into my groin and it leaves me oncapable of walking or standing constantly but i thank god that ive got the use of it anyhow our lots hard enough goodness knows but we are content we never complain but bless the lord for the little he pleases to give us when i was away on my errands in course i couldnt be minding my basket so i lost a good bit of money that way well five weeks on wednesday he has been totally confined to his bed excepting when i lifted him up to make it some nights but he cant bear that now still the first fortnight he was bad i did manage to leave him and earn a few pence but latterly for this last three weeks i havent been able to go out at all to do anything shes been stopping by me minding me here night and day all that time mumbled the old man who now for the first time opened his gray glassy eyes and turned towards me to bear as it were a last tribute to his wifes incessant affection she has been most kind to me her tenderness and care has been such that man never knew from woman before ever since i lay upon this sick bed weve been married five and twenty years we have always lived happilyvery happily indeedtogether until sickness and weakness overcome me i always strove to help myself a bit as well as i could but since then she has done all in her power for meworked for meay she has worked for me surelyand watched over me my creed through life has been repentance towards god faith in jesus christ and love to all my brethren ive made up my mind that i must soon change this tabernacle and my last wish is that the good people of this world will increase her little stock for her she cannot get her living out of the little stock she has and since i lay here its so lessened that neither she nor no one else can live upon it if the kind hearts would give her but a little stock more it would keep her old age from want as she has kept mine indeed indeed she does deserve it but the lord i know will reward her for all she has done to me here the old mans eyelids dropped exhausted ive had a shilling and a loaf twice from the parish continued the woman the overseer came to see if my old man was fit to be removed to the workhouse the doctor gave me a certificate that he was not and then the relieving officer gave me a shilling and a loaf of bread and out of that shilling i bought the poor old fellow a sup of port wine i bought a quartern of wine which was 4 d and i gave 5 d for a bit of tea and sugar and i gave 2 d for coals a halfpenny rushlight i bought and a short candle that made a pennyand thats the way i laid out the shilling if god takes him i know hell sleep in heaven i know the life hes spent and am not afraid but no one else shall take him from menothing shall part us but death in this world poor old soul he cant be long with me hes a perfect skeleton his bones are starting through his skin i asked what could be done for her and the old man thrust forth his skinny arm and laying hold of the bed post he raised himself slightly in his bed as he murmured if she could be got into a little parlour and away from sitting in the streets it would be the saving of her and so saying he fell back overcome with the exertion and breathed heavily the woman sat down beside me and went on what shocked him most was that i was obligated in his old age to go and ask for relief at the parish you see he was always a spiritful man and it hurted him sorely that he should come to this at last and for the first time in his lifetime the only parish money that ever we had was this and it does hurt him every day to think that he must be buried by the parish after all he was always proud you see i told the kind hearted old dame that some benevolent people had placed certain funds at my disposal for the relief of such distress as hers and i assured her that neither she nor her husband should want for anything that might ease their sufferings the day after the above was written the poor old man died he was buried out of the funds sent to the morning chronicle and his wife received some few pounds to increase her stock but in a few months the poor old woman went mad and is now i believe the inmate of one of the pauper lunatic asylums of the street sellers of lace this trade is carried on both by itinerants and at stands or pitches the itinerants of whom i will first treat are about forty in number thirty 387 women and ten men they usually carry their lace in boxes or cases it is not uncommon for the women to represent themselves as lacemakers from marlow or some other place in buckinghamshire or from honiton in devonshire while the men assert they are from nottingham i am informed that there are among these itinerant lace sellers two women and one man who really have been lacemakers they all buy their wares at the haberdashery swag shops the lace which is the principal staple of this trade is edgings or the several kinds of cheap lace used for the bordering of caps and other female requirements among street people the lace is called driz and the sellers of it driz fencers it gained this slang name i was informed many years ago when it was sold and often to wealthy ladies as rare and valuable lace smuggled from mechlin brussels valenciennes or any foreign place famous or once famous for its manufacture the pretended smuggled lace trade is now unknown in london and is very little practised in the country there is however still some smuggling connected with lace selling two and sometimes three female lace sellers are also jigger workers they carry about their persons pint bladders of stuff or jigger stuff spirit made at an illicit still i used to supply them with it until lately one street trader told me from a friend that kept a jigger and a tidy sale some of them had indeed ive made the stuff myself i knew one woman six or seven years back that did uncommon well at first but she got too fond of the stuff and drank herself into the workus they never carried gin for brandy was most asked for they sold the brandy at 2 s 6 d the pint rum at 1 s 6 d and whiskey at 2 s sometimes higher and always trying for 6 d a pint profit at least o yes sir i know they got the prices ive mentioned though they seem high for you must remember that the jigger spirit is above proof and a pint will make two pints of gin palace stuff they sold it ive heard them say to ladies that liked a drop on the sly and to some as pretended they bought that way for economy yes and to shopkeepers and publicans too one old lady used to give 3 s for three yards of driz and it was well enough understood without no words that a pint of brandy was part of them three yards but the trade that way is nothing to what it was and gets less and less every year from a middle aged woman selling laces i had the following account ive been in the trade about six years sir ten years back or more i was in place and saved a little money as a servant of all work i married a house painter but trade got bad and we both had illnesses and my husband though hes as good a man as need be cant stick to anything very long at a time a very common failing by the bye with the street folk it seems not in his nature when we was reduced very low he got on a cabfor he can turn his hand to almost anythingand after that we came to street selling hes now on jewellery and i think it suits him as well or better than anything hes tried i do my part and we get on middling if were ever pushed its no use fretting we had one child and he died when he wanted just a month of three years old and after id lost him i said i would never fret for trifles no more my heart was broke for a long timeit was indeed he was the loveliest boy ever seen and everybody said so i went into lace because my husband got to know all about it and i had no tie at home then i was very shy and ashamed at first to go into houses but that wears off and i met with some nice people that bought of me and was very civil so that encourages one i sell nothing but lace i never cleared more than 2 s 6 d in a day and that only once i suppose i clear from 3 s 6 d to 4 s 6 d a week now perhaps take it altogether rather more than 4 s i have a connection and go to the houses in and about the regents park and all the small streets near it and sometimes maida hill way i once tried a little millinery made up things but it didnt suit somehow and i didnt stick to it you see sir i sell my lace to very few but servant maids and small shopkeepers wives and daughters but then theyre a better sort of people than those as has to buy everything ready made like servants has they can use their own needles to make themselves nice and smart and they buy of such as me to do it cheap and theyre not often such beaters down as them that buys the ready made i can do nothing or next to nothing in very wet weather if im in the habit of going into a nice kitchen perhaps the housemaid flies at me for bringing in all that dirt my husband says all women is crossest in bad weather and perhaps servants is i buy my lace near shoreditch its a long walk but i think im best used there i buy generally a dozen yards from 3 d to 1 s and sometimes up to 2 s i sell the commoner at 1 d a yard and three yards 2 d and the better at 2 d and 3 d a yard its a poor trade but its doing something my husband seldom earns less than 12 s a week for hes a good salesman and so we pay 2 s rent regular every monday for an unfurnished room and has the rest to live on i have sold in the brill on a saturday night but not often nor lately i dont like it i havent tongue enough in addition to the itinerants there are about seventy stationary lace sellers and not less than eighty on the saturday evenings the best pitches are i am told near the borough market in clare market the new cut on saturday nights walworth road tooley street and dockhead bermondsey from the best information at my command it appears that at least half of these traders sell only lace or rarely anything else the others sell also net for making caps and cauls which are the plain portion at the back to be trimmed or edged according to the purchasers taste some sell also with their lace cap ribbonsplain or worked collarsand muslin net or worked undersleeves braid and gimp were formerly sold by them but are now in no demand the prices run from 2 d to 6 d for lace articles and about the same for net c per yard the lowest priced are most sold 388 in this stationary trade are as many men and youths as women and girls one woman who had known street selling for upwards of twenty years said she could not do half so well now as she could twenty years ago for the cheaper things got the cheaper people would have them why twenty year ago she exclaimed i bought a lot of leno cheapit was just about going out of fashion for caps then i thinkand one saturday night in the cut i cleared 15 s on it i dont clear that in a fortnight now i have sold to women of the town as far as ive known them to be of that sort but very seldom its not often youll catch them using a needle for theirselves they do use their needles i know you can see some of them sewing at their doors and windows in granby street waterloo road or could latelyfor i havent passed that way for some timebut i believe its all for money down for the slop shops it suits the slop shops to get work cheap anyway and it suits the women to have some sort of occupation which they neednt depend upon for their living the stationary lace sellers for the most part display their goods on stalls but some spread them on a board or on matting on the ground some of the men gather an audience by shouting out three yards a penny edging as at this rate the lace seller would only clear d in a dozen yards the cry is merely uttered to attract attention a few who patter at the tradebut far fewer than was once the casegive short measure one man who occasionally sold lace told me that when he was compelled to sell for next to no profit and a hungry sunday coming he gave good shop measure thirty full inches to a yard his yard wand was the correct length but i can do it sir he said with some exultation by palming and he gave a jerk to his fingers to show how he caught in the lace and clipped it short calculating that 100 persons in this trade each take 10 s 6 d weekly the profit being about cent per cent we find 2 730 l expended in the streets in lace and similar commodities of the street sellers of japanned table covers this trade like several others as soon as the new commodities became in established demand and sufficiently cheap was adopted by street sellers it has been a regular street trade between four and five years previously when the covers were dearer the street sellers were afraid to speculate much in them but one man told me that he once sold a table cover for 8 s and at another time for 10 s the goods are supplied to the street folk principally by three manufacturersin long lane smithfield whitechapel road and petticoat lane the venders of the glazed table covers are generally considered among the smartest of the street folk as they do not sell to the poor or in poor neighbourhoods but at the better sort of houses and to the wealthier sort of people table covers are now frequently disposed of by raffle i very seldom sell in the streets said one man though i one evening cleared 4 s by standing near the vinegar works in the city road and selling to gents on their way home from the city the public house trade is the best and indeed in winter evenings and after dark generally theres no other i get rid of more by raffling than by sale on saturday evening i had raffles for two covers which cost me 1 s 4 d each i had some trouble to get 1 s 9 d for one but i got up a raffle for the other and it brought me 2 s six members at 4 d each its just the sort of thing to get off in a raffle on saturday night or any time when mechanics have money a man thinksleastways ive thought so myself when ive been in a public house rafflenow ive spent more money than i ought to and theres the old woman to face but if i win the raffle and take the thing home why my money has gone to buy a nice thing and not for drink i may remark that in nearly all raffles got up in this manner the article raffled for is generally something coveted by a working man but not so indispensably necessary to him that he feels justified in expending his money upon it this fact seems well enough known to the street sellers who frequent public houses with their wares i inquired of the informant in question if he had ever tried to get up a raffle of his table covers in a coffee shop as well as a public house never with table covers he said but i have with other things and find its no go in a coffee shop people are quiet and reading unless its one of them low places for young thieves and such like and theyve no money very likely and i wouldnt like to trust them in a raffle if they had in public houses theres talk and fun and peoples more inclined for a raffle or anything spicy that offers there are now fifteen regular street sellers or street hawkers of these table covers in london four of whom are the mens wives and they not unfrequently go a round together sometimes on fine days there are twenty i heard of one woman who had been very successful in bartering table covers for old clothes ive done a little that way myself said a man in the trade but nothing to her and people sees into things so now that theres hardly a chance for a crust the covers is so soft and shiny and theres such fine parrots and birds of paradise on them that before the price was known there was a chance of a good bargain i once got for a cover that cost me 2 s 9 d a great coat that a jew after a hard bargaining gave me 6 s 3 d for the prices of the table covers wholesale run from 8 s a dozen to 30 s but the street sellers rarely go to a higher price than 18 s they can buy a dozen or half a dozenor even a smaller quantityof different sizes some of these street traders sell with the table covers a few wash leathers of the better kind calculating that fifteen street sellers each take 25 s weekly the year roundone half being the profit including their advantages in bartering and rafflingwe find 975 l expended yearly upon japanned table covers bought in the streets 389 of the street sellers of braces belts hose trowser straps and waistcoats the street sellers of braces are a numerous and a mixed class they are nearly all men and the majority are irishmen but this relates only to the itinerant or public house brace sellers these wares are sold also by street traders who make other articles the staple of their tradesuch as the dog collar sellers the braces sold thirty years ago were of a very different manufacture from those vended in the streets at present india rubber web was then unknown as a component part of the street braces the braces which in some parts of the country are called gallowses were at the time specified made of a woollen web both washable and durable one pair of such braces good ones said an old tailor with whom i had some talk on the subject would last a poor man his lifetime now theyre in a rope or in rags in no time these woollen braces were sold at from 1 s to 2 s the pair in the streets the straps being of good firm leather not long after this period a much cheaper brace web was introduceda mixture of cotton with the woollenand the cheap manufacture gradually supplanted the better article as respects the street trade the cheaper braces were made with sheepskin straps which soon yielded to friction and were little serviceable the introduction of the india rubber web was another change in the trade and the manufacture has become lower and lower priced until the present time the braces sold in the streets or hawked in the public houses are however not all of the very inferior manufacture some are called silk others buck leather and others knitted cotton the silk are of a silken surface with an admixture of cotton and india rubber the buck leather a kind now very little known in street sale are of strong sheepskin dressed buck leather fashion and the knitted cotton are woven some kinds of them being very good and strong the street brace sellers when trying to do business in the streets carry their goods generally with a few belts and sometimes with hose in their hands and across their arms they stretch them from end to end as they invite the custom of passers by to evince the elasticity and firmness of the web sometimes the braces are slung from a pole carried on the shoulder the sellers call at the public house bars and tap rooms some are admitted into the parlours and at a well frequented gin palace i was informed by a manager of one a brace seller will call from twelve to twenty times a day especially on a monday while on a saturday evening they will remain two three or four hours accosting fresh customers at the gin palaces the young and strong irishmen offering these waresand there are many suchare frequently scoffed at for selling braces and things a baby can carry the following account which i received from a street brace seller shows the class who purchase such articles i was put to a carriage lamp maker the man said at birmingham but soon ran away nobody saw after me for i had only an uncle and he left me to the parish it was all my own fault i was always after some idle end though i can read very well it seems as if i couldnt help it being wild i mean i ran away to worcester without knowing where i was going or caring either i was half starved in worcester for i lived as i could i found my way to london afterwards ive been in the streets ever since at one thing or the other how many years i cant say time goes so quick sometimes and sometimes so slow and im never long in one place ive sold braces off and on ever since amato won the derby if you know when that was i remember it because i went to epsom races that year to sell race cards when i came to london after the races i laid out 12 s in braces i hardly remember how many pairs i bought for it but they wasnt such common things as im carrying now i could sell a few then at from 9 d to 1 s 3 d a pair to the cads and people at such places as the elephant and the flower pot in bishopsgate street which was a great bus place then i used to sell too to the helpers in inn yards and a few in the mews the helpers in the mews mostly buys knitted cotton ive got 1 s and sometimes 1 s 6 d for an extra article from them but now i dont carry them theres no demand there you see many of them work in their shirts and the head coachmen and grooms which is often great turks would blow up if the men had dirty braces hanging to their buttons so they uses whatll wash nearly all my business now is done at public houses i go from one tavern to another on my round all day long and sell in the street when i can i think i sell as many at 5 d and at 10 d as at all other prices together and most at 5 d but when i have what i call a full stock i carry em from 4 d to 20 d the poorer sort of people such as wears bracesfor theres a many as does without emlikes the 1 d out of 6 d and the others the 2 d out of the 1 s it tempts them its a tiresome life and not so good as costermongering for i once did tidy well in apples but in the brace trade you arnt troubled with hiring barrows and its easy carried on in public houses in wet weather and theres no stock to spoil i sell all to working people i think sometimes an odd pair or two at 1 s 6 d or so to a tradesman that may happen to be in a bar and likes the look and the price or to a gentlemans servant i make from 1 s to 1 s 6 d a day full 1 s 6 d if i stick close to it i may make 2 s or 2 s 6 d a week too in selling belts and stockings but i only sometimes carry stockings perhaps i clear 9 s a week the year round theres lots in the trade dont clear 1 s a day for they only carry low priced things i go for 4 d profit on every shillings worth i sell ive only myself to keep i pay 3 d a night at a lodging house and nothing on sundays i had a young woman with me when i was a coster but we didnt agree and parted she was too fond of lifting her hand to her mouth tippling to please me i mean to live very near this week and get a few shillings if i can to 390 try something at greenwich next monday this was said on the tuesday in passion week the braces are bought by the street sellers at the swag shops i have described the prices range from 1 s 6 d for common childrens to 12 s a dozen 3 s 3 s 6 d 6 s 6 d and 7 s being the most frequent prices higher priced articles are also sold at the swags and by the street sellers but not one in twenty of these compared with the lower priced in london and its suburbs and on rounds of which the metropolis forms the central point and at stands there are i am assured not fewer than 500 persons vending braces of these a twentieth portion may be women and a tenth old and sometimes infirm men there are few children in the trade the stall keepers selling braces with other articles are about 100 and of the remainder of this class those who are not irishmen are often impoverished mechanics such as tailorsbrace vending being easily resorted to and carried on quietly in public houses and it does not entail the necessity of bawling aloud to which a working man driven to a street life usually feels repugnance calculating that 500 brace sellers clear 5 s a week each on those articles alone and estimating the profit at 33 per cent it shows a street expenditure of 3900 l one brace seller considered that 500 such sellers was too low a number but the most intelligent i met with agreed on that estimate the belts sold in the street are nearly all of stout cotton web with india rubber threads and usually of a drab colour woollen belts being rarely ever seen now they are procured in the same way and sold by the same parties as are braces the amount expended on belts is from the best information i can command about an eighth of that expended on braces the belts are sold at 1 s each and cost 8 s the dozen or 9 d each if only one be purchased the street sale of hose used to be far more considerable than it is now and was in a great measure in the hands of a class who had personal claims to notice independent of the goodness of their wares these were old women wearing generally large white aprons and chintz patterned gowns and always scrupulously clean they carried from door to door in the quieter streets and in the then suburbs stockings of their own knitting such they often were and those which were not were still knitted stockings although they might be the work of old women in the country who knitted by the fireside needing no other light on winter evenings and at the doors of their cottages in the sunshine in summer of these street sellers some were blind between thirty and forty years ago i am told there were from twelve to twenty blind knitters but my informant could not speak with certainty as he might probably observe the same women in different parts the blind stocking sellers would knit at a door as they waited the informant i have quoted thought that the last of these knitters and street sellers disappeared upwards of twenty years ago as he then missed her from his door at which she used to make her regular periodical appearance the stockings of this trade were most frequently of white lambs wool and were sold at from 3 s 6 d to 5 s 6 d they were long in the leg and were suited for gentle peoples winter wear the women sellers made in those days i am assured a comfortable livelihood the sale of stockings is now principally in the hands of the men who vend braces c the kind sold is most frequently unbleached cotton the price to a street buyer is generally from 6 d to 9 d but the trade is of small extent its one of the trades a street seller said to me that we cant compete with shop keepers in you shall go to a haberdashery swag shop and though they have wholesale haberdashers and hawkers supplied on the door post youll see a pair of stockings in the window marked with a very big and very black 6 and a very little and not half black and if i was to go in theyd very likely ask me 6 s 6 d a dozen for an inferior thing they retail themselves and wont be undersold if they can help it and so they dont care to accommodate us in things thats always going a few pairs of womens stockings are hawked by women and sold to servant maids but the trade in these goods i am informed including all classes of sellersof whom there may be fiftydoes not exceed notwithstanding the universality of the wear the receipt of 6 s weekly per individual with a profit of from 1 s 4 d to 2 s and an aggregate expenditure of about 800 l in the year the trade is an addition to some other street trade the brace sellers used to carry with their wares another article of which india rubber web formed the principal part these were trowser straps with leather buttonings and ingy spring bodies it was only however the better class of brace sellers who carried them those who as my informant expressed it had a full stock and their sale was insignificant at one time the number of brace sellers offering these straps was i am informed from 70 to 100 it was a poor trade sir said one of the class at first i sold at 4 d as they was 6 d in middling shops and 1 s in the toppers if not 1 s 6 d but they soon came down to 3 d and then to 2 d my profit was short of 3 d in 1 s my best customers for braces didnt want such things plain working men dont and grooms and stable keepers generally wears boots or knee gaiters and footmen sports knee buckles and stockings all i did sell to was as far as i can judge young mechanics as liked to turn out like gents on a sunday or an evening and real gents that wanted things cheap i very seldom cleared more than 1 s a week on them the trades over now if you see a few at a stand its the remains of an old stock or some that a swag shop has pushed out for next to nothing to be rid of them the sale of waistcoats is confined to smithfield as regards the class i now treat ofthe sellers of articles made by others twelve or fourteen years back there was a considerable sale in what was a branch of duffing waistcoats were sold to countrymen generally graziers servants under 391 the pretence that they were of fine silk plush which was then rather an object of rustic sunday finery a drover told me that a good many years ago he saw a countryman with whom he was conversing at the time pay 10 s 6 d for a silk plush waistcoat the vendor having asked 15 s and having walked awayno doubt remarking the eagerness of his victimwhen the countryman refused to give more than 10 s he had a customer set for it he said at half a guinea on the first day the waistcoat was wornthe drover was afterwards told by the purchaserit was utterly spoiled by a shower of rain and when its possessor asked the village tailor the value of the garment he was told that it had no value at all the tailor could not even tell what it was made of but he never saw anything so badly made in his life never some little may be allowed for the natural glee of a village tailor on finding one of his customers who no doubt was proud of his london bargain completely taken in but these waistcoats i am assured by a tailor who had seen them were the veriest rubbish the trade however has been unknown unless with a few rare exceptions at a very busy timesuch as the market for the show and sale of the christmas stocksince the time specified the waistcoats now sold in smithfield market or in the public houses connected with it are i am told and also by a tailor very paltry things but the price asked removes the trade from the imputation of duffing these garments are sold at from 1 s to 4 s 6 d each but very rarely 4 s 6 d the shilling waistcoats are only fit for boysor youths as the slop tailors prefer styling thembut 1 s 6 d is a common price enough and seven eighths of the trade i am informed is for prices under or not exceeding 2 s the trade is moreover very small there are sometimes no waistcoat sellers at all but generally two and not unfrequently three the profits of these men are 1 s on a bad and 2 s 6 d on a good day as at intervals these street sellers dispose of a sleeve waistcoat waistcoat with sleeves at from 4 s 6 d to 6 s we may estimate the average earnings in the trade at 5 s per market day or 10 s in the week this shows an outlay of 78 l in the year as the profits of these street traders may be taken at 33 per cent or as it is almost invariably worded by such classes 4 d in the 1 s the material is of a kind of cotton made to look as stout as possible the back c being the commonest stuff they are supplied by a slop house at the east end and are made by women or rather girls the sale of waistcoats in the street markets c is of second hand goods or otherwise in the hands of a distinct class there are other belts and other portions of wearing apparel which though not of textile fabrics as they are often sold by the same persons as i have just treated of may be described here these are childrens patent leather belts trowser straps and garters the sellers of childrens and mens belts and trowser straps are less numerous than they were for both these things i am told but only on street authority are going out of fashion from one elderly man who had dropped belts and straps and all that for oranges i heard bitter complaints of the conduct of the swag shop keepers who supplied these wares the substance of his garrulous and not very lucid complaint was that when boys patent leather belts came into fashion eleven twelve or thirteen years back he could not remember which the usual price in the shops was 1 s and they were soon to be had in the streets for 6 d each the belt sellers did well for a while but the swags who according to my informant at first supplied belts of patent horse leather came to substitute patent sheep leather for them which were softer and looked as well the consequence was that whenever the sheep leather belts were wet or when there was any pull upon them they stretched and the polish went to cracks after having been wet a few times too they were easily torn and so the street trade became distrusted it was the same with trowser straps the belt trade is now almost extinct in the streets and the strap trade which was chiefly in the hands of old and infirm and young people is now confined to the sellers of dog collars c the trowser straps are not glazed or patent leather now but plain calf sold at 2 d a pair generally and bought at from 1 s 2 d to 1 s 4 d the dozen pairs many readers will remember how often they used to hear the cry three pair for sixpence three pair for sixpence a cry now i believe never heard among the belt and strap sellers were some blind persons one man counted to me three blind men whom he knew selling them and one sells them still attached to the rails by st botolphs church bishopsgate the same persons who sold straps c not including the present sellers the dog collar men c had lately no small traffic in the vending of garters the garter sellers were however far more numerous than ever were the strap sellers at one time i am told there were 200 garter sellers all old or infirm or poor women or children and chiefly irish children as these children were often stockingless and shoeless their cry of penny a pair india rubber garters penny a pair was sometimes pitiful enough as they were offering a cheap article unused by themselves the sudden influx of garters so to speak was owing i am told to a manufacturer having discovered a cheap way of working the india rubber threads and having thrown a lot into the market through the swag shops the price was at first 8 s a gross 8 d a dozen but as the demand increased it was raised to 9 s and 9 s 6 d the trade continued about six weeks but has now almost entirely ceased the stock of garters still offered for sale is what stall keepers have on hand or what swag shop keepers tempt street sellers to buy by reducing the price the leather garter trade 1 d a pair being the usual price for sheep skin garters is now almost unknown it was somewhat extensive of the street sellers of boot and stay laces c like many street callings which can be started on 392 the smallest means and without any previous knowledge of the article sold being necessary to the street vendor the boot and stay lace trade has very many followers i here speak of those who sell boot laces and subsist or endeavour to subsist by the sale without mixing it up with begging the majority indeed the great majority of these street traders are women advanced in years and perhaps i may say the whole of them are very poor an old woman said to me i just drag on sir half starving on a few boot laces rather than go into the workhouse and i know numbers doing the same the laces are bought at the haberdashery swag shops i have spoken of and amongst these old women i found the term swag shop as common as among men who buy largely at such establishments the usual price for boot laces to be sold in the streets is 1 d a dozen each lace is tagged at both ends sufficing for a pair of boots the regular retail price is three a penny but the lace sellers are not unfrequently compelled to give four or lose a customer a better quality is sold at 1 d and 2 d a dozen but these are seldom meddled with by the street lace sellers it is often a matter of strong endeavour for a poor woman to make herself mistress of 11 d the whole of which she can devote to the purchase of boot laces as for 11 d she can procure a gross so saving 1 d in twelve dozen the stay laces which are bought at the same places and usually sold by the same street traders are 2 d and 2 d the dozen i am told that there are as many of the higher as of the lower priced stay laces bought for street sale because one of the street sellers told me theres a great many servant girls and others too thats very particular about their stay laces the stay laces are retailed at d each these articles are vended at street stalls along with other things for female use but the most numerous portion of the lace sellers are itinerant walking up and down a street market or going on a round in the suburbs calling at every house where they are known or where as one woman expressed it we make bold to venture those frequenting the street markets or other streets or thoroughfares usually carry the boot laces in their hands and the stay laces round their necks and offer them to the females passing their principal customers are the working classes the wives and daughters of small shop keepers and servant maids ladies of course said one lace seller wont buy of us another old woman whom i questioned on the subject and who had sold laces for about fourteen years gave me a similar account but she added ive sold to high up people though only two or three weeks back a fine dressed servant maid stopped me and said here i must have a dozen boot laces for mistress and she says shell only give 3 d for them as its a dozen at once a mean cretur she is its grand doings before faces and pinchings behind backs at our house among the lace sellers having rounds in the suburbs are some who have known better days one old woman had been companion and housekeeper to a lady who died in her arms and whose legacy to her companion servant enabled her to furnish a house handsomely this she let out in apartments at high figures and anything like a regular payment by her lodgers would have supplied her with a comfortable maintenance but fine gentlemen and fine ladies too went away in her debt she became involved her furniture was seized and step by step she was reduced to boot lace selling her appearance is still that of the old school she wears a very large bonnet of faded black silk a shawl of good material but old and faded and always a black gown the poor woman told me that she never ventured to call even at the houses where she was best received if she saw any tax gatherer go to or from the house i know very well what it is she continued its no use my calling theyre sure to be cross and the servants will be cross too because their masters or mistresses are cross with them if the tax gatherers not paid theyre cross at being asked if he is paid theyre cross at having had to part with their money ive paid taxes myself the dress of the boot lace sellers generally is that of poor elderly women for the most part perhaps a black chip or old straw bonnet often broken and a dark coloured cotton gown their abodes are in the localities in all parts of the metropolis which i have frequently specified as the abodes of the poor they live most frequently in their own rooms but the younger and perhaps i may add coarser of the number resort to lodging houses it is not very uncommon i was told by one of the class for two poor women boot lace sellers or in some similar line to join in a room so saving half the usual rent of 1 s 6 d for an unfurnished room this arrangement however is often of short duration there is always arising some question i was told about the use or wear of this utensil or the other or about washing or about wood and coals if one street seller returned an hour or two before her companion this is not to be wondered at when we bear in mind that to these people every farthing is of consequence from all that i can learn the boot lace sellers i speak of the women are poor and honest and that as a body they are little mixed up with dishonest characters and dishonest ways the exceptions are i understand among some hale persons such as i have alluded to as sojourning in the lodging houses some of these traders receive a little parochial relief one intelligent woman could count up 100 persons depending chiefly upon the sale of boot and stay laces in what she called her own neighbourhood this comprised leather lane holborn tottenham court road the hampstead road and all the adjacent streets from the best data at my command i believe there are not fewer than 500 individuals selling these wares in london several lace sellers agreed in stating that they sold a dozen boot laces a day and a dozen stay laces and 2 dozen extra on saturday nights but the drawbacks of bad weather c reduce the average sale to not more than 6 dozen a week or 393 1 872 000 boot laces in a year at an outlay to the public of 3 900 l yearly from a half to three fourths of the receipts being the profit of the street sellers the same quantity of stay laces sold at 6 d a dozen shows an outlay of 3 900 l with about an equally proportional profit to the sellers most of these traders sell tapes and other articles as well as laces the tapes cost 3 d and 3 d the dozen and are sold at d a knot a dozen in 2 days is an average sale but i have treated more expressly of those who depend principally upon boot lace selling for their livelihood their average profits are about 3 s a week on laces alone the trade i am told was much more remunerative a few years back and the decline was attributed to so many getting into the trade and the button boots becoming as fashionable as the adelaides of a blind female seller of small wares i now give an account of the street trade the feelings and the life of a poor blind woman who may be seen nearly every fine day selling what is technically termed small ware in leather lane holborn the street small wares are now understood to be cotton tapes pins and sewing cotton sometimes with the addition of boot and stay laces and shirt buttons i saw the blind small ware seller enter her own apartment which was on the first floor of a small house in a court contiguous to her pitch the entrance into the court was low and narrow a tall man would be compelled to stoop as he entered the passage leading into the court here were unmistakeable signs of the poverty of the inhabitants soapsuds stood in the choked gutter old clothes were hung out to dry across the court one side being a dead wall and the windows were patched with paper sometimes itself patched with other paper in front of one window however was a rude gate work behind which stood a root of lavender and a campanula thriving not at all but yet with all their dinginess presenting a relief to the eye the room of the blind woman is reached by a very narrow staircase on which two slim persons could not pass each other and up old and worn stairs her apartment may be about ten feet square the window had both small and large panes with abundance of putty plastering the furniture consisted of a small round deal table on which lay the poor womans stock of black and white tapes of shirt buttons c and of four broken or patched chairs there were a few motley looking pot ornaments on the mantel shelf in the middle of which stood a doctors bottle the bust of a female was also conspicuous as was a tobacco pipe above the mantel piece hung some pictureless frames while a pair of spectacles were suspended above a little looking glass over a cupboard was a picture of the ethiopian serenaders and on the uncoloured walls were engravings of animals apparently from some work on natural history there were two thin beds on one of which was stowed a few costermongers old baskets and old clothes womens and boys as if stowed away there to make room to stir about all the furniture was dilapidated an iron rod for a poker a pair of old tongs and a sheet iron shovel were by the grate in which glimmered a mere handful of fire all showed poverty the rent was 1 s a week it had been 1 s 9 d and the blind woman and a lodger paying 6 d of the rent slept in one bed while a boy occupied the other a wiry haired dog neither handsome nor fat received a stranger for the blind woman and her guide and lodger left their street trade at my request for their own room with a few querulous yelps which subsided into a sort of whining welcome to me when the animal saw his mistress was at ease the pleasure with which this poor woman received and returned the caresses of her dog was expressed in her face i may add that owing to a change of street names in that neighbourhood i had some difficulty in finding the small ware seller and heard her poor neighbours speak well of her as i inquired her abode usually a good sign among the poor the blind tape seller is a tall and somewhat strongly formed woman with a good humoured and not a melancholy expression of face though her manner was exceedingly quiet and subdued and her voice low her age is about 50 she wore what i understand is called a half widows cap this was very clean as indeed was her attire generally though worn and old i have already given an account of a female small ware seller which account formerly appeared in one of my letters in the morning chronicle strongly illustrating the vicissitudes of a street life it was the statement however of one who is no longer in the streets and the account given by the blind tape and pin seller is further interesting as furnishing other habitudes or idiosyncracies of the blind or of an individual blind woman in addition to those before detailed more especially in its narrative of the feelings of a perhaps not very sensitive woman who became dark as she always called it in mature age its five years sir she said since i have been quite dark but for two years before that i had lost the sight of one eye oh yes i had doctors but they couldnt save my eyesight i lost it after illnesses and rheumatics and from want and being miserable i felt very miserable when i first found myself quite dark as if everything was lost to me i felt as if id no more place in the world but one gets reconciled to most things thank god in time but im often low and sad now living poorly and having a sickly boy to care about may be one reason as well as my blindness and being so bad off i was brought up to service and was sent before that to st andrews school i lost my parents and friends relatives when i were young i was in my first place eighteen months and was eight or nine years in service altogether mostly as maid of all work i saved a little money and married my husband was a costermonger and we didnt do well oh dear no sir because he was addicted to drinking we often suffered great pinching i cant say as he was unkind to me 394 he died nine years or more since after that i supported myself and two sons we had by going out to wash and chair i did that when my husband was living i had tidy work as i chaired and washed for one family in clerkenwell for ten years and might again if i wasnt dark my eldest sons now a soldier and is with his regiment at dover hes only eighteen but he could get nothing to do as hard as he tried i couldnt help him he knew no trade and so he listed poor fellow perhaps i shall never see him again oh see him that i couldnt if he was sitting as near me as you are sir but perhaps i may never hear his voice again perhaps hell have to go abroad and be killed its a sad thought that for a blind widow i think of it both up and in bed blind people thinks a great deal i feel they does my youngest sonhes now fourteenis asthmatical but hes such a good lad so easily satisfied he likes to read if he can get hold of a penny book and has time to read it hes at a paper stainers and works on fancy satin paper which is very obnicious the word she used twice for pernicious or obnoxious to such a delicate boy he has 5 s a week but oh dear me it takes all that for his bit of clothes and soap for washing and for shoes and then he must carry his dinner with him every day which i makes ready and as he has to work hard poor thing he requires a little meat i often frets about his being so weakly often as i stands with my tapes and pins and thinks and thinks but thank god i can still wash for him and myself and does so regularly no i cant clean my room myself but a poor woman who lives by selling boot laces in the streets has lodged with me for many years and she helps me lives interrupted the poor boot lace woman who was present starves you mean for all yesterday i only took a farthing but anythings better than the house ill live on 4 d a day and pay rent and all and starve half my time rather nor the great house the union yes indeed resumed the blind woman for when i first went dark i was forced to send to my parish and had 6 d twice a week and a half quartern loaf and that was only allowed for three weeks and then there was the house for me oh dear after that i didnt know what i could do to get a bit of bread at first i was so frightened and nervous i was afraid of every noise that was when i was quite dark and i am often frightened at nothing still and tremble as i stand in the lane i was at first greatly distressed and in pain and was very down hearted i was so put about that i felt as if i was a burden to myself and to everybody else if you lose your sight as i did sir when youre not young its a long time before you learns to be blind so she very expressly worded it a friend advised me to sell tapes and cottons and boot laces in the street as better than doing nothing and so i did but at first i was sure every minute i should be run on the poor woman that lodges with me bought some things for me where she buys her ownat albion house in the borough o i does very badly in my trade very badly i now clear only 2 d 3 d or 4 d a day no i think not more than 1 s 6 d a week that is all why one day this week i only sold a haporth of pins but what i make more than pays my rent and its a sort of employment something to do and make one feel ones not quite idle i hopes to make more now that nights are getting long for i can then go into the lane leather lane of an evening and make 1 d or 2 d extra i darent go out when its long dark evenings for the boys teases me and sometimes comes and snatches my tapes and things out of my hands and runs away and leaves me there robbed of my little stock im sure i dont know whether its young thieves as does it or for what they calls a lark i only knows i loses my tapes do i complain to the police do you say sir i dont know when a policemans passing in such a crowded place oh yes i could get people to complain for me but perhaps it would be no good and then im afraid of the police theyre so arbitry her word its not very long since one of themand i was told afterwards he was a sergeant tooordered me to move on i cant move on sir said i i wish i could but i must stand still for im blind i know that says he but youre begging no im not says i im only a trying to sell a few little things to keep me out of the workus then whats that thing you have tied over your breast says he if you give me any more of your nonsense ill lock you up and then he went away im terrified to think of being taken to the station the matter which called forth the officers wrath was a large card tied from the poor womans shoulders on which was printed in large letters please to buy of the poor blind ay said the blind womans companion with a bitterness not uncommon on the part of street sellers on such occasions and any shopkeeper can put what notice he likes in his window that he can if its ever such a lie and nothings said if he collects a crowd oh dear no but we musnt say our lives is our own yes sir said the blind woman as i questioned her further there i stands and often feels as if i was half asleep or half dreaming and i sometimes hardly knows when i dreams and what i thinks and i think what it was like when i had my eyesight and was among them and what it would be like if i had my eyesight again all those people making all that noise and trying to earn a penny seems so queer and i often thinks if people suffered ever so much they had something to be thankful for if they had their eyesight if id been dark from a child i think i shouldnt have felt it so much it wouldnt have been like all that lost and i should be handier though im not bad that way as it is but im afraid to go out by myself where i lives theres so many brokers about i should run against their furniture im sometimes not spoken to for an hour and more many a day ive only took 1 d then i thinks and mopes about what will become of me and thinks 395 about my children i dont know who buys of me but im sure im very thankful to all as does they takes the things out of my hands and puts the money into them i think theyre working people as buys of me but i cant be sure some speaks to me very kind and pleasant i dont think theyre ladies that speaks kind my husband used to say that if ladies went to places like the lane it was on the sly to get something cheap and they didnt want to be seen there or they might be counted low im sure he was right and it aint such as them as buys of a poor blind woman out of kindness no sir its very seldom indeed that i get more than the regular price a halfpenny a knot for my tapes and a halfpenny and a farthing for pins and a halfpenny and a penny a dozen for shirt buttons and three a penny when i sells boot laces and a halfpenny a piece when i has stay laces i sells good things i know for the friend as gets them wouldnt deceive me and i never has no complaints of them i dont know any other blind woman in the trade besides myself no i dont associate with blind people i wasnt brought up like to such a thing but am in it by accident i cant say how many blind women there may be in my line in the streets i havent the least notion i took little notice of them god forgive me when i had my eyesight and i havent been thrown among them since whether theres many of them or not theyre all to be pitied on a sunday i never stirs out except to chapel with my lodger or my son no sir not a roman catholic chapel but a protestant when its not very fine weather we goes to the nearest but you hears nothing but whats good in any of them oh dear no i lives on tea and bread and butter all the weekyes i can make it ready myselfexcept on sundays when my son has his dinner here and we has a bit of cheap meat not often fish its troublesome if bread and things wasnt cheap i couldnt live at all and its hardly living as it is what can any one do on all that i can earn theres so many in the streets im told in my line and distress drives more and more every weekeverybody says so and wages is so bad and theres such under selling that i dont know whatever things will come to ive no spectation of anything better in the time that has to come nothing but misery god help me but im sure i should soon fret to death in a workus the poor woman lodging with the blind street seller is herself in the same trade but doing most in boot and stay laces she has a sharp and pinched outline of countenance as if from poverty of diet and is indeed wretchedly poor earning only about 6 d a day if so much she is about the same age as her landlady or somewhat younger and has apparently been good looking and has still an intelligent expression she lodged with the blind woman during her husbands lifetime when he rented two rooms letting her one and she had lived with the present widow in this way about fourteen years she speaks cheerfully and seems an excellent companion for a blind person on my remarking that they could neither of them be very cross tempered to have lived so long together the lodger said laughingly o we have a little tiff now and then sir as women will you know but its not often and we soon are all right again poor people like us has something else to think of than tiffs and gossipping the blind street seller of boot laces the character thoughts feelings regrets and even the dreams of a very interesting class of street folkthe blindare given in the narratives i now proceed to lay before the reader from blind street folk but a few words of general introduction are necessary it may be that among the uneducatedamong those whose feelings and whose bodies have been subjected to what may be called the wear and tear of poverty and privationthere is a tendency even when misfortunes the most pitiable and undeserved have been encountered to fall from misery into mendicancy even the educated or as the street people more generally describe them those who have seen better days sometimes after the ordeal of the streets and the low lodging houses become trading mendicants among such people there may be in one capacity or other the ability and sometimes the opportunity to labour and yetwhether from irrepressible vagabondism from utter repugnance to any settled mode of subsistence caused either by the natural disposition of the individual or by the utter exhaustion of mind and body driving him to beg yet i say men of this class become beggars and even lurkers as this is the case with men who have the exercise of their limbs and of the several senses of the body there must be some mitigating plea if not a full justification in the conduct of those who beg directly or indirectly because they cannot and perhaps never could labour for their daily breadi allude to those afflicted with blindness whether from their youth up or from the calamity being inflicted upon them in maturer years by the present law for a blind man to beg is to be amenable to punishment and to be subjected to perhaps the bitterest punishment which can be put upon himimprisonment to a deprivation of what may be his chief solacethe enjoyment of the fresh air and to a rupture of the feeling which cannot but be comforting to such a man that under his infirmity he still has the sympathies of his fellow creatures it appears to me then that the blind have a right to ask charity of those whom god has spared so terrible an affliction and who in the terms best understood by the destitute themselves are well to do those whomin the canting language of a former generation of blind and other beggarsprovidence has blessed with affluence this right to solicit aid from those to whom such aid does not even approach to the sacrifice of any idle indulgenceto say nothing of any necessary wantis based on their helplessness but lapses if it becomes a mere business and with all the 396 trickiness by which a street business is sometimes characterised on this question of moral right as of political expediency i quote an authority which must command attention that of mr stuart mill apart from any metaphysical considerations respecting the foundation of morals or of the social union he says it will be admitted to be right that human beings should help one another and the more so in proportion to the urgency of the need and none needs help so urgently as one who is starving the claim to help therefore created by destitution is one of the strongest which can exist and there is prim facie the amplest reason for making the relief of so extreme an exigency as certain to those who require it as by any arrangements of society it can be made on the other hand in all cases of helping there are two sets of consequences to be considered the consequences of the assistance itself and the consequences of relying on the assistance the former are generally beneficial but the latter for the most part injurious so much so in many cases as greatly to outweigh the value of the benefit and this is never more likely to happen than in the very cases where the need of help is the most intense there are few things for which it is more mischievous that people should rely on the habitual aid of others than for the means of subsistence and unhappily there is no lesson which they more easily learn i may here mention in corroboration of this statement that i was told by an experienced parochial officer that there was truth in the saying once a pauper and always a pauper which seems to show that the lesson of relying on the habitual aid of others may not only be learned with ease but is forgotten with difficulty the problem to be solved continues mr mill is therefore one of peculiar nicety as well as importance how to give the greatest amount of needful help with the smallest encouragement to undue reliance on it energy and self dependence are however mr mill proceeds to argue and in this respect it seems to me to argue to demonstration liable to be impaired by the absence of help as well as by its excess it is even more fatal to exertion to have no hope of succeeding by it than to be assured of succeeding without it when the condition of any one is so disastrous that his energies are paralyzed by discouragement assistance is a tonic not a sedative it braces instead of relaxing the active faculties always provided that the assistance is not such as to dispense with self help by substituting itself for the persons own labour skill and prudence but is limited to affording him a better hope of attaining success by those legitimate means this accordingly is a test to which all plans of philanthropy and benevolence should be brought whether intended for the benefit of individuals or of classes and whether conducted on the voluntary or on the government principle in so far as the subject admits of any general doctrine or maxim it would appear to be this that if assistance is given in such a manner that the condition of the person helped is rendered as desirable as that of another in a similar grade of society who succeeds in maintaining himself without help the assistance if systematic and capable of being previously calculated upon is mischievous but if while available to everybody it leaves to all a strong motive to do without it if they can it is then for the most part beneficial that the workhouse should bring less comfort and even greater irksomeness and restraint to any able bodied inmate than is felt by the poorest agricultural labourer in the worst paid parts of the country or the most wretched slop tailor or shoe maker or cabinet maker in london who supports himself by his own labour is i think a sound principle however wretched the ploughman may be in his hut or the tailor in his garret he is what i have heard underpaid mechanics call still his own man he is supported by his labour he has escaped the indignity of a reliance on others i need not now enter into the question whether or not the workhouse system has done more harm than good some harm it is assuredly doing for its over discipline drives people to beg rather than apply for parish relief and so the public are twice mulct by having to pay compulsorily in the form of poors rate and by being induced to give voluntarily because they feel that the applicant for their assistance deserves to be helped but although the dogma i have cited respecting the condition of those in a workhouse may be sound in principle as regards the able bodied how does it apply to those who are not able bodied to those who cannot work and above all how does it apply to those to whom nature has denied even the capacity to labour to the blind for instance yet the blind man who dreads the injustice of such a creed applied to his misfortune is subject to the punishment of the mendacious beggar should he ask a passer by to pity his afflictions the law may not often be enforced but sometimes it is enforcedperhaps more frequently in country than in townand surely it is so enforced against abstract right and political morality the blind beggar worried by the police as i have heard it described becomes the mendacious beggar no longer asking in honesty for a mite to which a calamity that no prudence could have saved him gave him a fair claim but resorting to trick in order to increase his precarious gains that the blind resort to deceitful representations is unquestionable one blind man i am informed said to mr child the oculist when he offered to couch him why that would ruin me and there are many i am assured who live by the streets who might have their eyesight restored but who will not the public however must be warned to distinguish between those determined beggars and the really deserving and helpless blind to allow their sympathies to be blunted against all because some are bad is a creed most consolatory to worldly successful selfishness and alien to every principle of pure morals as well as to that of more than moralsthe spirit of christianity 397 the feelings of the blind apart from their mere sufferings as poor men are well described in some of the narratives i give and the account of a blind mans dreams is full of interest man is blessed with the power of seeing dreams it should be remembered visionally but the blind man to whose statement i invite attention dreams it will be seen like the rest of his fraternity through the sense of hearing or of feeling best known as touching that is to say by audible or tactile representations some of the poor blind he told me are polishers wheel turners but there is not employment for one in one hundred at this my informant only knew two so engaged people he says are glad to do it and will work at as low wages as the blind some of the blind too blow blacksmiths forges at foundries others are engaged as cutlers wheel turners there was one talking to me the other day and he said hed get me a job that way others again turn mangles but at this there is little employment to be had another blind acquaintance of my informants chops chaff for horses many of the blind are basket makers learning the business at the blind school but one half i am told cant make a living at this after leaving the school they cant do the work so neatly and waste more rods than the other workers other blind people are chair bottomers and others make rope mats with a frame but all of these can scarcely make a living many blind people play church organs some blind men are shoemakers but their work is so inferior it is almost impossible to live by it the blind people are forced to the streets because they say they can do nothing else to get a living at no trade even if they know one can they get a living for they are not qualified to work against those who can see and whats more labourers wages are so low that people can get a man with his eyesight at the same price as they could live upon theres many a blind basket weaver playing music in the streets cause he cant get work at the trade i know one blind basket maker can make 15 s a week at his trade but then he has a good connection and works for hisself the work all comes home he couldnt make half that working for a shop at turning wheels theres nothing to be done theres so many seeing men out of employment thats glad to do the work at the same price as the blind so that unless the blind will go into the workhouse they must fly to the streets the police i am told treat the blind very differently some of the force are very good to them and some has no feeling at allthey shove them about worse than dogs but the police is just like other men good and bad amongst them theyre very kind to me said my blind informant and they have a difficult duty to perform and some persons like colonel cavendish makes them harsher to us than they would be i inquired whether my blind informant had received one of the census papers to fill up and he told me that he had heard nothing about them and that he had certainly made no return to the government about his blindness but what it was to the government whether he was blind or not he couldnt tell his wife was blind as well as himself and there was another blind man living in his room and none of his blind friends that he had heard of had ever received any of the papers some blind people in the streets carry laces there are some five men and one woman at the west end do this and three of these have dogs to lead them one stands always on langham place one carries cabbage nets he is an old man of seventy year with white hair and is likewise led by a dog another carries matches he has a large family and he is often led by one of his boys there is a blind woman who always sits by the polytechnic and has indeed done so since it was built she gets her living by sewing making caps and things for ladies another blind woman obtains a livelihood by knitting garters and covers for bread trays and backs of chairs she generally walks about in the neighbourhood of baker street and portman square many recite a lamentation as they go along but in many parts of london the police will not allow them to do so its a very jealous place is london the police is so busy but many recites the lamentation for all that its a feeling thingoh theyre very touching words the greater part in the streets are musicians five to one are or ten to one my informant thinks last thursday week there were seven blind musicians all playing through the streets together in one band there are four living in york court two in grafton court two in clements lane one in orchard place two in grays buildings two in half moon street in the city and two in a court hard by one up by balls pond two in rose court whitechapel three in golden lane two at chelsea three in westminster one up at paddington one woman in marylebone one in westminster one in grays inn lane one in whitechapel in all thirty one but my informant was satisfied there must be at least as many more or sixty blind musicians in all in the course of a former inquiry into the character and condition of street performers i received the following account from a blind musician the street blind tried some years back to maintain a burying and sick club of our own but we were always too poor we live in rooms i dont know one blind musician who lives in a lodging house i myself know a dozen blind men now performing in the streets of london the blind musicians are chiefly married men i dont know one who lives with a woman unmarried the loss of sight changes a man he doesnt think of women and women dont think of him we are of a religious turn too generally when we agreed to form the blind club there was not more than a dozen members these consisted of two basket makers one mat maker four violin players myself and my two mates 398 and this was the number when it dropped for want of funds thats now sixteen years ago we were to pay 1 s a month and sick members were to have 5 s a week when they had paid two years our other rules were the same as other clubs theres a good many blind who play at sailors dances wapping and deptford way we seldom hire children to lead us in the streets we have plenty of our own generally i have five our wives are generally women that have their eyesight but some blind men marry blind women my informant was satisfied that there were at least 100 blind men and women getting their living in the streets and about 500 throughout the country there are many who stay continually in brighton bristol liverpool birmingham manchester newcastle on tyne plymouth and indeed all large towns there are a great many blind people i am told he said in cornwall its such a humane place for them the people has great feeling for the blind theyre very religious there and a many lose their sight in the mines and thats what makes them have a feeling for others so this man heard a calculation made some time back that there were 5000 blind people including those in schools and asylums within five miles round st pauls the most of the blind have lost their sight by the small poxnine out of every ten of the musicians have done so since the vaccination has been discovered i am told the cases of blindness from small pox have been considerably increased oh that was a very clever thingvery said the blind boot lace seller to me those who have not lost their sight by the small pox have gone blind from accidents such as substances thrown or thrust in the eyes or inflammation induced from cold and other ailments my informant was not acquainted with one blind person in the streets who had been born blind one of his acquaintance who had been blind from birth caught the small pox and obtained his sight after recovery at eight years old the great majority have lost their sight at an early agewhen mere children indeed they have consequently been trained to no employment those few who have my informant knew two been educated in the blind schools as basket makers are unable to obtain employment at this like a seeing person why the time that a blind mans feeling for the hole to have a rod through a seeing man will have it through three or four times the blind people in the streets mostly know one another they say they have all a feeling of brotherly love for another owing to their being similarly afflicted if i was going along the street and had a guide with me that could see they would say heres a blind man or blind woman coming i would say put me up to them so as ill speak to them then i should say as i laid my hand upon them holloa whos this theyd say im blind i should answer so am i whats your name would be the next question oh i have heard tell of you most like i should say do you know so and so i would say yes hes coming to see me or perhaps im going to see him on sunday then we say do you belong to any of the institutions thats the most particular question of all and if hes not a traveller and we never heard tell of one another the first thing we should ask would be how did you lose your sight you see the way in which the blind people in the streets gets to know one another so well is by meeting at the houses of gentlemen when we goes for our pensions the boot shoe and stay laces are carried by the blind i am told seldom for sale for its very few they sell of them they have they say to prevent the police or mendicity from interfering with them though the police do not often show a disposition to obstruct them the officers of the mendicity society they tell me are their worst enemies these however have desisted from molesting them because the magistrates object to commit a blind man to prison the blind never ask anybody for anything they tell me their cry is simply bootlace bootlace when they do sell they charge 1 d per pair for the leather boot laces 1 d per pair the silk boot laces and d per pair for the cotton boot laces and d each for the stay laces they generally carry black laces only because the white ones are so difficult to keep clean for the stay laces they pay 2 d a dozen and for the boot laces 5 d a dozen for the leather or for the silk ones and 1 d for the cotton each of the boot laces is double so that a dozen makes a dozen pair they buy them very frequently at a swag shop in compton street my informant carried only the black cotton laces and doesnt sell six penny worth in a week he did not know of a blind boot lace seller that sold more than he did formerly the blind people in the street used to make a great deal of money up to the beginning of the peace and during all the war the blind got money in handfuls where there was one blind man travelling then theres ten now if they didnt take 2 l and 2 l 10 s a day in a large town it was reckoned a bad days work for the musicianers almost all the blind people then played music in war time there was only one traveller tramp there are 100 now there was scarcely a common lodging house then in one town out of the three and now theres not a village hardly in the country but what theres one and perhaps two or three why the lodging houses coin money now look at a travellers house where theres twenty beds two in each bed at 3 d each and thats 10 s you know there was very few blind beggars then and what there was done well certainly done well they could get hatfuls of money almost but then money was of no valley scarcely you could get nothing for it most but now if you get a little you can buy a plenty with it what is worth 6 d now fetched 2 s then i wasnt in the streets then i wish i had been i should have made a fortin i think i should the blind beggars then could get 2 l a day if they went to look for it i myself said one when i first began have gone and sat myself down by the side of the road and got my 1 l all in half pence when i went to brain 399 tree i stood beside a public house the orange tree just by where the foot people went on to the fair ground and i took 15 s a day for two days only standing there a pattering my lamentation from 1 oclock till the dusk in the evening this is what i said you feeling christians look with pity unto my grief relate pity my misfortune for my sufferings are great im bound in dismal darkness a prisoner i am led poor and blind just in prime brought to beg my bread when in my pleasant youthful days in learning took delight and when i was in the country i used to say and by the small pox i lost my precious sight some says by an inflammation ive lost all earthly comforts but since it is gods will the more i cannot see the day hell be my comfort still in vain i have sought doctors their learned skill did try but they could not relieve me nor spare one single eye so now in dismal darkness for ever more must be to spend my days in silent tears till death doth set me free but had i all the treasures that decks an indian shore was all in my possession id part with that wealthy store if i once more could gain my sight and when could gladly view that glorious light to get my bread and work once more like you return you tender christians dear and pity my distress relieve a helpless prisoner thats blind and comfortless i hope that christ our great redeemer your kindness will repay and reward you with a blessing on the judgment day some say pity the poor blind but the lamentation is better its a very feeling thing many people stands still and hears it right through and gives a halfpenny id give one myself any day to hear it well said im sure the first time i heard it the very flesh crept on my bones i larnt it to one blind man myself last summer now just to show you the difference of things two year afterwards i went to the very same place where i had took 1 l by the road side as i told and all i got was 4 s so you can see how things was falling the day i took the 1 l there was only one blind man in the town beside me but when i got the 4 s there was three men blind there but things now is much worsebless you a hundred times worse if i went now to braintree fair i dont think as i should take 3 s you see theres so many blind men now about that i shouldnt wonder if thered be eight or ten at that very fair they dont know where to run to now to get a halfpenny theres so many blind people that persons makes game of them if they see two near one another they cries out theres opposition see what things is come to twelve year ago i should have thought the town was completely done and people quite tired of me if i didnt get my shilling going down only one side of a street and now i may go up and down and not get a penny if i get 3 d i am very well satisfied but mind i may perhaps sometimes meet a gentlemen who may give me a shilling or one who may give me 2 s 6 d a person the other day tapped me on the shoulder near brook street and said heres half a crown for you why even five year ago one gentleman gave me 1 l twice over within three months and prince napoleon gave me a sovereign last 23rd june was two year i know the date because thats the day the blind people goes to the cloth hall to get their quarters money 25 s and i thought i was as good as they my informant told me he does better than any of them not one does better than me he said because i sticks to it night and day its 12 oclock every night before i leave the streets you know i leaves home by ten of a morning i will have it to get a living many says they dont know how i stand it to keep so long on my legs i only has two meals a daymy breakfast a bit of summat about five or six at a public housemy dog though has plenty i feeds him well poor fellow many times i sleep as i go and knock my stick just the same as if i was awake i get a comfortable livingalways a little in debt ive got a very good kerackter thank godindeed all the blind men hasthey can always get credit and my dog gets me many a shilling that i wouldnt get at all but then its dreadful slavery ive never no amusementalways out excepting on sunday then ive got 5 l from cloth hall besides a small pension of 1 s and 2 s 6 d and 5 s a year from different gentlemen who allows us poor blind a small pension yearly there are many gentleman do this at the west end some will allow 10 s a year and some only 1 s a year to a stated number and they all pay on a particular day that they may appoint the earl of mansfield allows twenty four destitute blind people 10 s 6 d a year and his mother gives two blind 1 l and four 10 s the baroness rothschild gives to between seventy and eighty 5 s a piece once a year bless her said my informant most heartily she is a good woman the earl stanhope gives to between forty and fifty the same sum every year and hes a fine kind hearted gentleman the earl of corks brother gives eight or nine of us a shilling a piece once a year lady otway cave she is very good to us she gives seventy or eighty of us 1 s each every fust of may but the butler like a many more i am told takes advantage of the blind and puts them off with 6 d and takes a receipt from them for 1 s the earl of normanton gives 2 s 6 d to ten of us mrs managan of may fair gives three 2 s 6 d a piece the hon miss brande 1 s a piece to eight lady clements grosvenor square 2 s a piece to fifteen the marchioness of aylesbury 5 s a piece to about thirty the earl of harrowby gives twelve 5 s a piece lord dudley stuart gives to seven or eight 5 s a piece 400 mr gurney 1 s a piece to forty mr ellis arlington street 2 s 6 d a piece to fourteen the marquis of bute used to give 5 s a piece to sixty or seventy but the marchioness since his death has discontinued his allowance the dean of westminster gives 1 s a piece to thirty on boxing day mr spottiswoode 1 s a piece to about fourteen archbishop of oxford 5 s a piece to twelve rev sir samuel jarvis 2 s 6 d a piece to five lady dundas 1 s a piece to about fourteen or fifteen the earl of besborough 1 s each to ten lord stafford 1 s each to about twenty he used to give 2 s 6 d but owing to his servant i am told the sum has been reduced to 1 s lady isabella thynne 1 s to ten the countess of carlisle 2 s 6 d each to sixteen earl fitzwilliam used to give 5 s to some and 2 s 6 d to others to about twenty the countess of essex 2 s 6 d each to three lord hatherton 2 s 6 d each to twelve john ashley warr esq 5 s each to twenty four lord tynemouth 2 s 6 d each to forty miss vaughan 2 s 6 d each to forty this is bequeathed for ever lord saltoun 5 s each to three mr hope 1 s each to fifty mr warren bryanstone square 1 s each to twenty five miss howard york place 1 s each to every blind person that calls on boxing day sir john curtis 1 s each to eighty this is also a bequest lady beresford 1 s each to forty lord robert grosvenor gives 1 l each to some few the countess of andover 2 s 6 d a piece to ten lord stanley used to give 3 s to about twelve but two years ago the allowance was discontinued the marquis of bristol gives 10 s to eighteen the bishop of london 5 s to every one that can obtain a ministers signature mr mackenzie devonshire place 2 s 6 d to ten mr deacon 2 s 6 d to ten miss sheriff manchester square 1 s to twenty miss morrison cadogan place 1 s each to ten mrs kittoye wilton crescent 1 s to twenty mrs ferguson 2 s 6 d each to seven the earl of haddington 10 s each to twelve i am assured that these are only half of the donors to the blind and that with the exception of lady liddledam there is not one person living eastward of tottenham court road who allows the smallest pension to the blind my informant told me that he knew of no attorneys barristers surgeons physicians soldiers or sailors who distributed any money to the blind nor one tradesman i think i get 10 s a week regular he said while the qualitys in town im safe for other times i cant count above 5 s a week at the outsideif its the least damp in the world the quality will not come out the musicians you see have got the chance of a damp day for then all the best peoples at home but such as me does well only when theyre out if it wasnt for the pensions that the quality gives to the blind during the winter they couldnt do at all the blind people who have guides pay them no wages they find them their victuals and clothes but the guides are mostly children and the blind are very good to them many that i know spoils them the blind people are mostly all of a religious turn of mind they all make a point of attending divine service and the majority of them are catholics my informant knew only five among his blind neighbours who were protestantsand two of these were presbyterians one a methodist and two churchmen and on the other hand he numbered up fourteen catholics all going to the same chapel and living within a short distance of himself they are peculiarly distinguished by a love of music its a sure bit of bread to the most besides it makes them independent you see and thats a great thing to people like us there is not one teetotaller i am told among the street blind but they are not distinguished by a love of drink the blind musicians often when playing at public houses are treated to drink and indeed when performing in the streets are taken by drunken men to play at taverns and there supplied with liquor but they do not any of them make a habit of drinking there is however one now in prison who is repeatedly intoxicated and this the blind say is a great injury to them for people who see one of them drunk in the streets believe that they are all alike and there is one peculiarity among them allbeing continually mistaken for one another however different they may be in features still from the circumstance of their being blind and being mostly accompanied by a dog or a guide few persons can distinguish one from another they are mostly very jealous they tell me because they say every one takes advantage of their affliction even their own children and their own wives some of the wives dress themselves very gaily because they know their husbands cant see their fine clothes particularly those that have got no childrenthen theres none to tell but pray mind i only speaking of some of themdont blame the whole people never took no money out of my dogs baskettwo gals of the town once did try to steal a shilling out of it that some gentleman had dropped in but the dog barked and they gave a scream and run away many of the blind men have married blind womenthey say that they dont like seeing women if seeing men find it a hard job to take care of seeing women how are blind men to do it my informant knows six blind men who have married blind wivesthe blind wives i am told stick closer to homeand do not want to go to plays or dances or shows and have no love of dressand they are generally more sober than those who can see a blind person says one has no reason to be as wicked as those that can seetheres not half the temptation you know the women do all their household duties as well as if they had their eyesight they make puddings and pies and boil them or send them to the oven as well as quick and as handy as a woman that can see they sweep the floor without leaving a speck and tidy the room and black lead the grate and whiten the hearth and dress the chimney piece off quite handsome i can tell you they take great pride in their chimney piecethey like other people to see itand they take great pride in having their house quite clean and neat where i live its the remark of all that they who cant see have their 401 houses the cleanest i dont know of any blind person that has a looking glass over the mantelpiece though im sure that many would if they had the money just to please their friends and whats more strange the blind wives will wash their husbands shirts quite clean the blind are very fond of their children you see sir said one we owe so much to them theyre such helps to us even from their very infancy youll see a little thing that can hardly walk leading her blind father about and then may be our affliction makes them loves us the more the blind people are more comfortable at homethey are more together and more dependent on one another and dont like going out into company as others do with women a love of company is mostly of a love of seeing others and being seen themselves so the blind wives is happy and contented at home no man that could see unless he was a profligate would think of marrying a blind woman and the blind women knows this and thats why they love their blind husbands the morethey pity one another and so cant help liking each other now its strange that with so many blind couples living together no one ever heard of any accident from fire with blind peoplethe fact is their blindness makes them so careful that theres no chance of it besides when theres two blind people together they never hardly light a candle at all except when a stranger comes in and then they always ask him before he leaves to put the light out the blind people generally are persons of great feeling they are very kind and charitable to persons who are in any way afflicted or even to poor persons many of those who live on charity themselves are i am assured very generous to those that want one told me that a beggar had come to his house and he had made him cry with his story my heart he said was that full i was ashamed theyre not particularly proud though they like to be well dressed and they say that no one can get a wife so soon as a blind man one assured me that hed go into any lodging house in the country and get two or three if he wantedonly theyd fight he said you see in the lodging houses there are many woman whose husbands but theyre not married you know have told them to go on and said they would follow them which of course they dont or theres many in such places as wants a companion when a blind man goes into one of these houses a woman is sure to say to him can i fetch you anything master half an ounce of tea may be and when theyve got it of course theyre invited to have a cup and that does the business she becomes the blind mans guide after that the next morning after telling one another where to meetim going such a road they whisper to each other away they starts ive known many a blind man run away with a seeing mans wife the women i think does it for a living and thats all i cant see the least light in the worldnot the brightest sun that ever shone i have pressed my eye ballsthey are quite decayed you see but i have pushed them in and they have merely hurt me and the water has run from them faster than ever i have never seen any colours when i did so this question was asked to discover whether the illusion called peacocks feathers could still be produced by pressure on the nerve i have been struck on the eye since i have been blind and then i have seen a flash of fire like lightning i know its been like that because ive seen the lightning sometimes when its been very vivid even since i was stone blind it was terrible pain when i was struck on the eye a man one day was carrying some chairs along the street and struck me right in the eye ball with the end of the leg of one of the chairs and i fell to the ground with the pain i thought my heart was coming out of my mouth then i saw the brightest flash that ever i saw either before or since i was blind i irritated the ball of the eye with the object of discovering whether the nerve was decayed but found it impossible to produce any luminous impressionthough i suspect this arose principally from the difficulty of getting him to direct his eye in the proper direction i know the difference of colours because i remember them but i cant distinguish them by my touch nor do i think that any blind man in the world ever could i have heard of blind people playing at cards but its impossible they can do so any other way than by having them marked i know many that plays cards that way he was given two similar substances but of different colours to feel but could not distinguish between themboth were the same to him he said with the exception that one felt stiffer than the other i know hundreds of people myselfand they know hundreds moreand none of us has ever heard of one that could tell colours by the feel theres blind people in the school can tell the colours of their rods but they do so by putting their tongue to them and so they can distinguish them thats been dipped in copperas from them that hasnt i know blind people can take a clock to pieces and put it together again as well as any person that can see blind people gets angry when they hear people talk of persons seeing with their fingers a man has told me that a blind person in st jamess workhouse could read the newspaper with his fingers but that the blind know is quite impossible many blind men can i am told distinguish between the several kinds of wood by touch alone mahogany oak ash elm deal they say have all a different feel they declare it is quite ridiculous the common report that blind people can discern colours by the touch one of my informants who assured me that he was considered to be one of the cleverest of blind people told me that he had made several experiments on this subject and never could distinguish the least difference between black or red or white or yellow or blue or indeed any of the mixed colours my wife said one went blind so young that she doesnt never remember having seen the light and i am often sorry for her that she has no idea of what a beautiful thing light or colours is we often talk about 402 it together and then she goes a little bit melancholy because i cant make her understand what the daylight is like or the great delight that there is in seeing it ive often asked whether she knows that the daylight and the candlelight is of different colours and she has told me she thinks they are the same but then she has no notion of colours at all now its such people as these i pities i told the blind man of sandersons wonderful effect of imagination in conceiving that the art of seeing was similar to that of a series of threads being drawn from the distant object to the eye and he was delighted with the explanation saying he could hardly tell how a born blind man could come at such an idea on talking with this man he told me he remembered having seen a looking glass oncehis mother was standing putting her cap on before it and he thought he never saw anything so pretty as the reflection of the half mourning gown she had on and the white feathery pattern upon it he was five years old then he also remembered having seen his shadow and following it across the street these were the only two objects he can call to mind he told me that he knew many blind men who could not comprehend how things could be seen round or square all at once they are obliged they say to pass their fingers all over them and how it is that the shape of a thing can be known in an instant they cannot possibly imagine i found out that this blind man fancied the looking glass reflected only one object at onceonly the object that was immediately in front of it and when i told him that looking in the glass i could see everything in the room and even himself with my back turned towards him he smiled with agreeable astonishment he said you see how little i have thought about the matter there was a blind woman of his acquaintance he informed me who could thread the smallest needle with the finest hair in a minute and never miss once shell do it in a second many blind women thread their needles with their tongues the woman who stitches by the polytechnic always does so my informant was very fond of music one of the blind makes his own teeth he told me his front ones have all been replaced by one long bit of bone which he has fastened to the stumps of his two eye teeth he makes them out of any old bit of bone he can pick up he files them and drills a hole through them to fasten them into his head and eats his food with them he is obliged to have teeth because he plays the clarionet in the street music he said is our only enjoyment we all like to listen to it and learn it it affects them greatly they tell me and if a lively tune is played they can hardly help dancing many a tune ive danced to so that i could hardly walk the next day said one almost all of the blind men are clever at reckoning it seems to come natural to them after the loss of their sight by counting they say they spend many a dull hourit appears to be all mental arithmetic with them for they never aid their calculations by their fingers or any signs whatever my informant knew a blind man who could reckon on what day it was new moon for a hundred years back or when it will be new moon a century to comehe had never had a book read to him on the subject in his lifehe was one of the blind wandering musicians my informant told me he often sits for hours and calculates how many quarters of ounces there are in a ship load of tea and such like things many of the blind are very partial to the smell of flowers my informant knew one blind man about the streets who always would have some kind of smelling flowers in his room the blind are very ingenious oh very said one to me they can do anything that they can feel one blind man who kept a lodging house at manchester and had a wife fond of drink made a little chest of drawers about two feet high in which he used to put his money and so cleverly did he arrange it that neither his wife nor any one else could get at the money without breaking the drawers all to pieces once while her blind husband was on his travels she opened every drawer by means of false keys and though she took each one out she could find no means to get at the money which she could hear jingling inside when she shook it at last she got so excited over it that she sent for a carpenter and even he was obliged to confess that he could not get to it without taking the drawers to pieces the same blind man had a great fancy for white mice and made a little house for them out of pieces of wood cut into the shape of bricks there were doors windows and all said my informant the blind are remarkable for the quickness of their hearingone man assured me he could hear the lamp posts in the streets and indeed any substance any solid thing he said that he passed in the street provided it be as high as his ear if it were below that he could not hear it so well do you know i can hear any substance in the street as i pass it by even the lamp post or a dead wallanything thats the height of my head let it be ever so small just as well and tell what it is as well as you as can see one night i was coming homeyoull be surprised to hear thisalong burlington gardens between twelve and one oclock and a gentleman was following me i knew he was not a poor man by his walk but i didnt consider he was watching me i just heerd when i got between sackville street and burlington street oh i knows every inch of the street and i can go as quick as you can and walk four mile an hour know where i am all the while i can tell the difference of the streets by the sound of my eara wide street and a narrow streeti cant tell a long street till i get to the bottom of it i can tell when i come to an opening or a turning just by the click on the ear without either my touching with hand or stick well as i was saying this gentleman was noticing me and just as i come to turn up cork street which you know is my road to go into bond street on my way home just as i come into cork street and was going to turn round the corner the sergeant of police was coming from bond street at the opposite corner of cork street i heerd him and he just stopped to notice me but didnt know the gentleman was noticing me too i whipped 403 round the corner as quick as any man that had his sight and said good night policeman i can tell a policemans foot anywhere when he comes straight along in his regular way while on his beat and they all know it too i cant tell it where theres a noise but in the stillness of the night nothing would beat me i cant hear the lamp posts when theres a noise when i said good night policeman the gentleman whipped across to him and says is that man really blind and by this time i was half way up cork street when the gentleman hallooed to me to stop and he comes up and says says he are you really blind the sergeant of police was with him and he says yes he is really blind sir and then he says how is it that you go so cleverly along the street if youre blind well i didnt want to stop bothering with him so i merely says i do far cleverer things than that i can hear the lamp post as well as you that can see it he says yes because you know the distance from one to another the sergeant stood there all the time and he says no that cant be for theyre not a regular distance one from another then the gentleman says now could you tell if i was standing in the street when you passed me by i said yes but you mustnt stand behind the lamp post to deceive me with the sound of the substance then he went away to try me and a fine try we had he will laugh when he sees that theyre all put down when he went away i recollected that if he didnt stand as near to the pavement as the lamp post is and remain still hed deceive me oh certainly i couldnt hear him if he was far off and i shouldnt hear him in the same way as i can hear the lamp posts if he didnt stand still the policeman hallooed after him and told him that he mustnt deceive me but he wouldnt make no answer for fear i should catch the sound of his voice and know where he was i had agreed to touch every substance as i went along and round the street to look for him we always call it looking though we are blind well when he had stood still the sergeant told me to go hes the sergeant of st james station house and has been often speaking to me since about it and on i went at the rate of about three mile an hour and touched every lamp post without feeling for them but just struck them with my stick as i went by without stopping and cried out theres a substance at last i come to him theres a mews you know just by the hotel in cork street and the gentleman stood between the mews and clifford street in cork street and when i come up to him i stopped quite suddenly and cried out theres a substance as i was offering to touch him with my stick he drew back very softly just to deceive me then he would have another try but i picked him out again but that wouldnt satisfy him and he would try me a third time and then when i come up to him he kept drawing back right into the middle of the road i could hear the stones scrunch under his feet so i says oh thats not fair and he says well im bet then he made me a present and said that he would like to spend an hour some night with me again i dont think he was a doctor cause he never took no notice of my eyes but he was a real gentlemanthe sergeant said so when i dream its just the same as i am now i dream of hearing and touching the last dream that i had was about a blind manthats in prison just now i went into his wifes house i knew it was her house by the sound of my foot in it i can tell whether a place is clean or dirty by the sound then i heard her say well how do you get on and i said very well and she said sit down and after sitting there a little while i heard a voice at the door and i said to her bless me wouldnt you think that was john she said yes i would but she took no farther notice and i heard his voice repeatedly i thought he was speaking to a child and i got up and went to the door and says halloa is this you i was quite surprised and took him by the arm laying his hand on his own and he was in his shirt sleeves i knew that by the feel then i was kind of afeard of him though i am not afeard of anything i was rather surprised that he should come out three weeks before his time then i dreamt that he tried to frighten and pushed me down on the floor that way making the motion sideways to make me believe he was a ghost i felt it as plain as i should if you were to do the same to me now i says to him dont be so foolish sit down and i pushed him away and got up when i got up his wife says to him sit down john and dont be so foolish sit down and behave yourself and then we set down the two of us just on the edge of the bed here he moved his hand along the edge of the table i thought it was turned down hes a very resolute man and a wicked one this blind man is so i would like to have been out from him but i was afeard to go for hed got a hold of me after that i waked and i heerd no more but its my real opinion that hes dead now it is indeed through having such dreams of him i think so and the same night his wife dreamt that i was killed and all knocked into about a hundred pieces and those two dreams convince me somethings come to him oh i do firmly believe in dreams that i do theyre sent for people to foresee things im certain of it if people will only take notice of em i have been many times in prison myself while ive been travelling the country you know in many towns they comes and takes you up without given you never no warning if they catches you begging i was took up once in liverpool once in hull once in exeter and once in biddeford in devonshire most of the times i had a month and one of them only seven days i think thats very unjustnever to say you mustnt do it but to drag you off without never no warning every time before i was put in quod i had always dreamt that my father was starving to death for want of victuals and at last i got to know whenever i dreamt that i was sure of going to prison i never dreamt about my mother she died you see when i was very young and i never remember hearing 404 her speak but once or twice my father never did the thing that was right to me and i didnt care much about him when i was at home i was very fond of pigeons and my mind went so much upon them that i used to dream of it the night before always when they had eggs and when my rabbits had young ones too i know when i wake in the morning that i am awake by my thoughts sometimes i dream ive got a lot of money in my hand and when i wake and put my hand to feel it its gone theres none there and so i know its been only a dream im much surprised at my disappointment though many of the blind are very fond of keeping birds and animals some of them keep pigeons in one of their rooms others have cocks and hens and others white mice and rabbits and almost all have dogs though all are not led about by them some blind men take delight in having nothing but bull dogs not to lead them but solely for fancy nobody likes a dog so much as a blind man i am toldthey cantthe blind man is so much beholden to his dog he does him such favours and sarvices with my dog i can go to any part of london as independent as any one who has got his sight yesterday afternoon when i left your house sir i was ashamed of going through the street people was a saying lookee there thats the man as says hes blind i was going so quick it was so late you know they couldnt make it out but without my dog i must have crawled along and always be in great fear the name of my present dog is keeper he is a mongrel breed i have had him nine years and he is with me night and day goes to church with me and all if i go out without him he misses me and then he scampers all through the streets where i am in the habit of going crying and howling after me just as if he was fairly out of his mind its astonishing often before my first blind wife died for ive been married twice to blind women and once to a seeing woman i used to say id sooner lose my wife than my dog but when i did lose her i was sorry that ever i did say so i didnt know what it was im sorry for it yet and ever will be sorry for it she was a very good woman and had fine principles i shall never get another that i liked so much as the first my dog knows every word i say to him tell him to turn right or left or cross over and whip round he goes in a moment where i go for my tobacco at the shop in piccadilly close to the arcadeits down six or seven steps straight downand when i tells keeper to go to the baccy shop off he is and drags me down the steps with the people after me thinking hes going to break my neck down the place and the people stands on top the steps making all kinds of remarks while im below if he was to lose me to night or to morrow hed come back here and rise the whole neighbourhood he knows any public house no matter whether he was there before or not just whisper to him go to the public house and away he scampers and drags me right into the first he comes to directly i whisper to him go to the public house he begins playing away with the basket he has in his mouth throwing it up and laying it downthrowing it and laying it down for pleasure he gets his rest there and thats why hes so pleased its the only place i can go to in my rounds to sit down oh hes a dear clever fellow now only to show you how faithful he is one night last week i was coming along burlington gardens and i stopped to light my pipe as i was coming home and i let him loose to play a bit and get a drink and after i had lit my pipe i walked on for i knew the street very well without any guide i didnt take notice of the dog for i thought he was following me i was just turning into clifford street when i heard the cries of him in burlington gardens i know his cry let him be ever so far away the screech that he set up was really quite dreadful it would grieve anybody to hear him so i puts my fingers in my mouth and gives a loud whistle and at last he heard me and then up he comes tearing along and panting away as if his heart was in his mouth and when he gets up to me he jumped up to me right upon my back and screams likeas if really he wanted to speakyou cant call it panting because its louder than that and he does pant when he ant tired at all all i can say is its for all the world like his speaking and i understands it as such if i say a cross word to him after hes lostsuch as ah you rascal youhell just stand of one side and give a cry just like a christian ive known him break the windows up two story high when ive left him behind and down he would have been after me only he durstnt jump out ive had keeper nine year the dog i had before him was blucher he was a mongrel too he had a tail like a wolf an ear like a fox and a face black like a monkey i had him thirteen year he was as clever as keeper but not so much loved as he is at last he went blind he was about two year losing his sight when i found his eyes was getting bad i got keeper the way i first noticed him going blind was when i would come to cross a street on my way home at nightfall the shade of the house on the opposite side as we was crossing would frighten him and drive him in the middle of the road and he wouldnt draw to the pavement till he found he was wrong and then after that he began to run again the lamp posts in the dark when he did this hed cry out just like a christian i was sorry for him and he knowed that for i used to fret i was sorry for him on account of my own affliction at last i was obligated to take to keeper i got him of another blind man but he had no larning in him when he come to me i was a long time teaching him for i didnt do it all at once i could have teached him in a week but i used to let the old dog have a run while i put keeper into the collar for a bit here the blind man was some time before he could proceed for his tears and so he larnt all he knows little by little now keeper and blucher used to agree pretty well but ive got another dog now named dash and keepers as jealous of him as a woman is of a man if i say come keeper 405 come and have the collar on i may call twenty times before hell come but if i say dash come and have the collar on keepers there the first word jumping up agin me and doing anything but speak at last my old blucher went stone blind as bad as his master it was poor thing and then he used to fret so when i went out without him that i couldnt bear it and so got at length to take him always with me and then he used to follow the knock of my stick he done so for about six months and then i was one night going along piccadilly and i stops speaking to a policeman and blucher misses me he couldnt hear where i was for the noise of the carriages he didnt catch the sound of my stick and couldnt hear my voice for the carriages so he went seeking me into the middle of the road and there a buss run over him poor thing i heerd him scream out and i whistled to him and he came howling dreadful on to the pavement again i didnt think he was so much hurt then for i puts the collar on him to take him safe back and he led me home blind as he was the next morning he couldnt rise up at all his hind parts was useless to him i took him in my arms and found he couldnt move well he never eat nor drink nothing for a week and got to be in such dreadful pain that i was forced to have him killed i got a man to drown him in a bag i couldnt have done it myself for all the world it would have been as bad to me as killing a christian i used to grieve terribly after id lost him i couldnt get him off my mind i had had him so many years and he had been with me night and day my constant companion and the most faithful friend i ever had except keeper theres nothing in the world can beat keeper for faithfulnessnothing of the life of a blind boot lace seller the blind boot lace seller who gave me the following history of his life was the original of the portrait given in no 17 he was a tall strongly built man in face he was ghastly his cheek bones were sharp and high his nose flat to his face and his eyes were so deeply sunk in that he had more the appearance of a deaths head than of a living man his shirt was scrupulously clean he wore a bright red cotton neckerchief and a plaid waistcoat of many colours his dog accompanied him and never left his masters side one moment its very sorrowfulvery sorrowful indeed to hear that said the boot lace seller to me on my reading him the account of the blind needle seller it touches me much to hear that but you see i dont grieve for the loss of my sight as he do poor man i dont remember ever seeing any object if there was a thing with many colours in it i could dissarn the highest colour i couldnt tell one from another but only the highest the blind boot lace seller from a daguerreotype by beard i was born in northumberland he said about five and fifty years ago my father was a grocer and had 1 000 l worth of freehold property besides his business which was very large for a small town his was the principal shop and in the general line he had a cart of his own in which he attended market i was very comfortably brought up never wanted for nothing and had my mother lived i should have had an independent fortune at five years old while mother was still alive i caught the small pox i had four sisters and one brother and we all six had it at once that was before the vaccination was properly established ive heerd said that father did not want to have us inoculated because of the people coming backwards and forwards to the shop i only wish vaccination had been in vogue then as it is now and i shouldnt have lost my eyes god bless the man who brought it up i say people doesnt know what theyve got to thank him for well all my sisters and brothers had not a mark upon them it laid hold of only me they couldnt lay a finger upon me they was obligated to lift me up in one of my fathers shirts by holding the corners of it like a sheet as soon as ever the pock began to decay it took away my eyes altogether i didnt lose both my eyeballs till about twenty years after that though my sight was gone for all but the shadow of daylight and any high colours at sixteen years of age my left eye bursted i suffered terribly thenoh terribly yes that i did the black and white like all mixed together the pock came right through the star of the eye the doctor said and when i was five and twenty my other eye ball bursted and then my eyes was quite out of my head till that time i could see a little bit i could tell the daylight and i could see the moon but not the shape of it i never could see a star and do you know i grieved about the loss of that little bit of sight as much as if i was losing the whole of it as my eye ball sloughed day by day i could see the light going away by little every day till the weeks end when i looked at the daylight just before it all went i could see the light look as red as fireas red as blood and when it all left me oh i was dreadful sorrowful i thought i was lost altogether but i shouldnt have been so bad off as i said if mother had lived but she died when i was about six year old i didnt care much about her indeed i took a dreadful dislike to her i heerd her say one day to a person in the shop that she would sooner see me dead and buried than be as i was but now i know that it was her fondness for me mother catched a cold and died after six days illness when she was gone father got to neglect his business he had no one then to attend to it and he took and shut up the shop he lost heart you see he took and turned all the tenants out of his property and furnished all the rooms of a large house suitable for the quality that used to come to the town to bathe he mortgaged the place for 250 l to buy the furniture and that was the ruin of him eighteen years afterwards the lawyers got the better of him and all the family was turned out of the door without a penny my father theyd put in jail before he died a few years afterwards in the workhouse when the family was turned 406 out there was only my eldest brother away at sea and my eldest sister in sarvice so me and my three sisters was sent in the wide world without the means of getting a crust or a place to put our heads in all my sisters after that got into sarvice and i went to drive some coal carts at north shields the coal carts was fathers and they was all he had left out of his property so i used to go to walls end and fill the carts then take them down to north shields and sell them at the peoples doors we never used to sell less than the load i did all this blind as i was without a person to guide and continued at it night and day for about fifteen year it was well known to the whole country side i was the talk for miles round they couldnt believe i was blind though they see my eyes was gone still they couldnt hardly believe then after the fifteen year me and my father had a complete fall out he took an advantage of my sister he had borrowed 20 l of her and when he could he wouldnt pay her he behaved as bad as father could and then i broke with him he then went over the whole story and was affected even to speechlessness at the remembrance of his family troubles into these there is no necessity to enter here suffice it the blind man appears to have behaved very nobly i came away and went to my brother who was well off at hull when i got there i found he had gone to russia and died there that very spring while i was on my way to hull i used to go to sleep at the lodging houses for travellers i had never been in one before and there i got to think from what i heerd that a roving life was a fine pleasant one the very first lodging house i went into was one in durham and there persons as was coming the same road persuaded me to go and beg with them but i couldnt cheek it it was too near hand at home we came on to darlington that was 18 miles further that day they still kept company with me and wanted me to beg but i wouldnt i couldnt face it i thought people would know me the next day we started on our way to northallerton and then my few shillings was all gone so that night we went to seek relief and got a pennyworth of milk and a penny loaf each and our bed the parish gave us a ticket to a lodging house the next morning we started from northallerton and then i was very hungry all i had the day before was the pennyworth of bread i got from the parish then as we got about a mile out of the town there was a row of houses and the scotchman who was with me says if yell gang up wi me ill speak for ye well we went up and got 3 d and plenty of bread and butter almost every house we got something at then i was highly delighted thinks i this is a businessand so i did we shared with the other man who had come on the road with us and after that we started once more and then i was all eager to go on with the same business you see id never had no pleasure and it seemed to me like a new worldto be able to get victuals without doing anythinginstead of slaving as id been with a couple of carts and horses at the coal pits all the time i didnt think the country was half so big and you couldnt credit the pleasure i felt in going about it i felt as if i didnt care for nothing it was so beautiful to be away there quite free without any care in the world for i could see plainly i could always get the best of victuals and the price of my lodgings theres no part in all england like yorkshire for living we used to go to all the farm houses we wouldnt miss one if it was half a mile off the road if the scotchman who was with me could only see a road hed take me up it and we got nice bits of pie and meat and bread and cake indeed as much as would serve four people when we got to the lodging house at night and a few shillings beside i soon got not to care about the loss of my brother at last we got to make so much money that i thought it was made to chuck about the streets we got it so easy you see it was only 4 s or 5 s but then i was only a flatty or i could have made 14 s or 15 s at least this was in borough bridge and there at a place called i think bridely hill there was a lodging house without never a bed in it at all but only straw littered on the ground and here i found upwards of sixty or seventy all tramps and living in different ways pattering and thieving and singing and all sorts and that night i got to think it was the finest scene i had ever known i grew pleaseder and pleaseder with the life and wondered how any one could follow any other there was no drunkenness but it was so new and strange and id never known nothing of life before that i was bewildered like with over joy at it then i soon got to think id have the summers pleasure out and wouldnt go near hull till the back end of the year for it was the month of may that what im talking about took place and so things went on i never thought of home or sisters or anything indeed i was so over joyed that i could think of nothing else whenever i got to a new county it seemed like getting into a new nation and when i heard we were close upon a new place i used to long and long to get into it at last i left the scotchman and took up with an old sailor a man of warsman who was coming up to london to get his pension and he was a regular cadger like the other who had put me fly to the dodge though none of us wernt fly to nothing then i cant tell you i wanted to how i longed to be in town and as i came through the streets with him i didnt know whether i carried the streets or they carried me you see i had heard people talk about london in north shields and i thought there was no poor people there at allnone but ladies and gentlemen and sailors in london the sailor drew his pension and he and me got robbed and then the sailor left me and then i started off without a penny into the country and at stratford le bow i began for the first time to say pity the poor blind up to this time i had never axed no onenever spoke indeedthe cadgers who had been with me had done this for me and glad to have the chance of sharing with me a blind man can get a guide at any place because they know 407 hes sure to get something i took only 5 d at stratford le bow and then started on my way to romford and there in the lodging house i met a blind man who took me in partnership with him and larnt me my business completethat he just did and since then ive been following it and thats about two or three and twenty year ago since ive been in london and thats fourteen year ive lived very regular always had a place and attended my church if it hadnt been for the lodging houses i should never may be have been as i am though i must confess i always had a desire to find out travelling but couldnt get hold of any one to put me in the way of it i longed for a roving life and to shake a loose leg still i couldnt have done much else after my quarrel with my father my sister had offered to lend me money enough to buy a horse and cart for myself but i didnt like that and thought id get it of my brother at hull and that and the padding kens is solely the cause of my being as i am and since i first travelled theres more now than everdouble and treble as many of the low lodging houses the revelations of the blind boot lace seller concerning the low lodging houses make me anxious to arouse the public to a full sense of the atrocities committed and countenanced in those infamous places it will have been noticed that the blind man frankly tells us that he was taught his business as a mendicant in one of these houses of call for vagabonds of all kindsbeggars prostitutes cheats and thieves up to the time of his starting to see his brother at hull he appears to have had no notion of living but by his labour and more especially no wish to make a trade of his affliction till then he seems to have been susceptible of some of the nobler impulses of humanity and to have left his home solely because he refused to be party to a fraud on his own sister unfortunately however on his way to carry out his generous purposes he put up for the night at the travellers house in the town where he arrived at the end of his first days journey from the very minute that he set foot in the place he was a lost man here were assembled scores of the most degraded and vicious members of society lying in ambush as it were like tigers in the jungle ready to spring upon and make a prey of any one who came within the precincts of their lair to such as thesesworn to live on the labours of others and knowing almost to a sixpence the value of each human affliction as a means of operating upon both the heart strings and the purse strings of the more benevolent of the industrious or the affluentto such as these i say a blind man unskilled in the art and system of mendicancy was literally a god send a shipwreck or a colliery explosion as they too well knew some of the more sceptical of the public might call in question but a real blind man with his eye balls gone was beyond all doubt and to inspire faith as they were perfectly aware was one of the most important and difficult processes of the beggars craft besides of all misfortunes blindness is one which to those who have their sight appears not only the greatest of human privations but a privation which wholly precludes the possibility of self help and so gives the sufferer the strongest claim on our charity in such a place therefore as a low lodging house the common resort of all who are resolved not to work for their living it was almost impossible for a blind man to pass even an hour without every virtuous principle of his nature being undermined and overtures of the most tempting character being made to him to be allowed to go partners in so valuable a misfortune was a privilege that many there would strive for accordingly as we have seen the day after the blind man entered the low lodging house he who up to that time had been even in his affliction earning his living was taken out by one of the travellers and taught how much better a livinghow much more of the good things of this worldhe could get by mendicancy than by industry and from the very hour when the blind man learnt this the most dangerous lesson that any human being can possibly be taught he became heart and soul an ingrained beggar his description of the delight he felt when he found that he had no longer any need to workthat he could rove about the country as he pleasedwithout a care without a purposewith a perfect sense of freedom and a full enjoyment of the open air in the day and the wild licence of the lodging house society at night satisfied that he could get as much food and drink and even money as he needed solely for the asking for it his description of this is a frank confession of a few of the charms of vagabondismcharms to which the more sedate are not only strangers but of which they can form no adequate conception the pleasure of shaking a loose leg as the vagrants themselves call it is perhaps known only in its intensity by those wayward spirits who object to the restraint of work or the irksomeness of any settled pursuit the perfect thoughtlessness that the blind man describes as the first effect produced upon him by his vagabondism is the more remarkable because it seems to have effaced from his mind all regard even for the sister for whose sake he had quitted his homethough to those who have made a study of the vagrant character it is one of those curious inconsistencies which form the principal feature in the idiosyncrasy of the class and which indeed are a necessary consequence of the very purposelessness or want of some permanent principle or feeling which constitutes as it were the mainspring of vagabondism indeed the blind man was a strange compound of cunning and good feeling at one moment he was weeping over the afflictions of othershe was deeply moved when i read to him the sufferings of the crippled nutmeg grater seller and yet the next minute he was grinning behind his hand so that his laughter might be concealed from me in a manner that appeared almost fiendish still i am convinced that at heart he was far from a bad man there was amid the degradation that necessarily comes of habitual 408 mendicancy a fine expression of sympathy that the better class of poor always exhibit towards the poor nor could i help wondering when i heard him the professed mendicanttell me how he had been moved to tears by the recital of the sufferings of another mendicantsufferings that might have been as profitable a stock in trade to the one as his blindness was to the other though it is by no means unusual for objects of charity to have their objects of charity and to be imposed upon by fictitious or exaggerated tales of distress almost as often as they impose upon others by the very same means i now invite the readers attention to the narratives given below as to the character of the low lodging houses the individuals furnishing me with those statements it should be observed were not picked people but taken promiscuously from a number belonging to the same class i shall reserve what else i may have to remark on the subject till the conclusion of those statements prisons tread mills penal settlements gallows i said eighteen months ago in the morning chronicle are all vain and impotent as punishmentsand ragged schools and city missions are of no avail as preventives of crimeso long as the wretched dens of infamy brutality and vice termed padding kens continue their daily and nightly work of demoralization if we would check the further spread of our criminalsand within the last four years they have increased from 24 000 to 30 000we must apply ourselves to the better regulation and conduct of these places at present they are not only the preparatory schools but the finishing academies for every kind of profligacy and crime the system of lodging houses for travellers otherwise trampers says the constabulary commissioners report requires to be altogether revised at present they are in the practice of lodging all the worst characters unquestioned and are subject to no other control than an occasional visit of inspection from the parish officers accompanied by the constables whose power of interferenceif they have a legal right of entrydoes not extend to some of the most objectionable points connected with those houses as they can merely take into custody such persons as they find in commission of some offence the state in which those houses are found on the occasion of such visit proves how much they require interference the houses are small and yet as many as thirty travellers or even thirty five have been found in one house fifteen have been found sleeping in one room three or four in a bedmen women and children promiscuously beds have been found occupied in a cellar it is not necessary to urge the many opportunities of preparing for crime which such a state of things presents or the actual evils arising from such a mode of harbouring crowds of low and vicious persons according to the report of the constabulary commissioners there were in 1839 mendicants lodging houses lodgers total no of inmates in london 221 average 11 or 2 431 in liverpool 176 6 1 056 bristol 69 7 483 bath 14 9 126 kingston on hull 11 3 33 newcastle on tyne 78 3 234 chester see report p 35 150 3 450 619 4 813 moreover the same report tells us at p 32 that there is a low lodging house for tramps in every village by the post office directory there are 3823 postal towns in england and wales and assuming that in each of these towns there are two travellers houses and that each of these upon an average harbours every night ten tramps in a list given at p 311 there were in 83 towns no less than 678 low lodging houses receiving 10 860 lodgers every night this gives on an average 8 such houses to each town and 16 lodgers to each such house we have thus 76 460 for the total number of the inmates of such houses to show the actual state of these lodging houses from the testimony of one who had been long resident in them i give the following statement it was made to me by a man of superior education and intelligence as the tone of his narrative fully shows whom circumstances which do not affect the object of my present letter and therefore need not be detailed had reduced from affluence to beggary so that he was compelled to be a constant resident in those places all the other statements that i obtained on the subjectand they were numerouswere corroborative of his account to the very letter i have been familiar unfortunately for me with low lodging houses both in town and country for more than ten years i consider that as to the conduct of those places it is worse in london than in the countrywhile in the country the character of the keeper is worse than in london although but a small difference can be noted the worst i am acquainted with though i havent been in it lately is in the neighbourhood of drury lanethis is the worst both for filth and for the character of the lodgers in the room where i slept which was like a barn in size the tiles were off the roof and as there was no ceiling i could see the blue sky from where i lay that may be altered now here i slept in what was called the single mens room and it was confined to men in another part of the house was a room for married couples as it was called but of such apartments i can tell you more concerning other houses for the bed with the view of the blue sky i paid 3 d if it rained there was no shelter i have slept in a room in brick lane whitechapel in which were fourteen beds in the next bed to me on the one side was a man his wife and three children and a man and his wife on the other they were irish people and i believe the women were the mens wivesas the irish women generally are of all the women that resort to these places the irish are far the best for chastity all the beds were occupied single men being mixed with the married couples the question is never asked when a man and woman go to a lodging house if they are man and wife all must pay before they go to bed or be turned into the street these beds were madeas all the low lodging house beds areof the worst cotton flocks stuffed in coarse strong canvas there is a pair of sheets a blanket and a rug i have known the bedding to be unchanged for three months but that is not general the beds are an 409 average size dirt is the rule with them and cleanliness the exception they are all infested with vermin i never met with an exception no one is required to wash before going to bed in any of these places except at a very few where a very dirty fellow would not be admitted unless he has been walking on a wet day without shoes or stockings and then he must bathe his feet the people who slept in the room i am describing were chiefly young men almost all accompanied by young females i have seen girls of fifteen sleep with their chapsin some places with youths of from sixteen to twenty there is no objection to any boy and girl occupying a bed even though the keeper knows they were previously strangers to each other the accommodation for purposes of decency is very bad in some places a pail in the middle of a room to which both sexes may resort is a frequent arrangement no delicacy or decency is ever observed the women are i think worse than the men if any one possessing a sense of shame says a word of rebuke he is at once assailed by the women in particular with the coarsest words in the language the irish women are as bad as the others with respect to language but i have known them keep themselves covered in bed when the other women were outraging modesty or decency the irish will sleep anywhere to save a halfpenny a night if they have ever so much money here he stated certain gross acts common to lodging houses which cannot be detailed in print it is not uncommon for a boy or man to take a girl out of the streets to these apartments some are the same as common brothels women being taken in at all hours of the day or night in most however they must stay all night as a married couple in dressing or undressing there is no regard to decency while disgusting blackguardism is often carried on in the conversation of the inmates i have known decent people those that are driven to such places from destitution perhaps for the first time shocked and disgusted at what they saw i have seen a decent married pair so shocked and disgusted that they have insisted on leaving the place and have left it a great number of the lodging houses are large old buildings which were constructed for other purposes these houses are not so ill ventilated but even there where so many sleep in one room the air is hot and foul in smaller rooms say twelve feet by nine i have seen four beds placed for single men with no ventilation whatsoever so that no one could remain inside in warmish weather without every door and window open another room in the same house a little larger had four double beds with as many men and women and perhaps with children the board of health last autumn compelled the keepers of these places to whitewash the walls and ceilings and use limewash in other places before that the walls and ceilings looked as if they had been blackwashed but still you could see the bugs creeping along those black walls which were not black enough to hide that in some houses in the summer you can hardly place your finger on a part of the wall free from bugs i have scraped them off by handfulls nothing can be worse to the health than these places without ventilation cleanliness or decency and with forty peoples breaths perhaps mingling together in one foul choking steam of stench the mans own words they are the ready resort of thieves and all bad characters and the keepers will hide them if they can from the police or facilitate any criminals escape i never knew the keepers give any offender up even when rewards were offered if they did they might shut up shop these houses are but receptacles with a few exceptions for beggars thieves and prostitutes and those in training for thieves and prostitutesthe exceptions are those who must lodge at the lowest possible cost i consider them in every respect of the worst possible character and think that immediate means should be adopted to improve them fights and fierce fights too are frequent in them and i have often been afraid murder would be done they are money making places very one person will own severalas many as a dozen in each house he has one or more deputies chiefly men some of these keepers are called respectable men some live out in the country leaving all to deputies they are quite a separate class from the keepers of regular brothels in one house that i know they can accommodate eighty single men and when single men only are admitted what is decent or rather what is considered decent in such places is less unfrequent each man in such houses pays 4 d a night a bed to each man or boy that is 26 s 8 d nightly or 486 l 13 s 4 d a year provided the beds be full every nightand they are full six nights out of seven besides that some of the beds supply double turns for many get up at two to go to covent garden or some other market and their beds are then let a second time to other men so that more than eighty are frequently accommodated and i suppose 500 l is the nearest sum to be taken for an accurate return the rent is very trifling the chief expense to be deducted from the profits of the house in question is the payment of three and sometimes four deputies receiving from 7 s to 12 s a week eachsay an average of from 30 s to 40 s a weekas three or four are employed fire coke being only used and gas are the other expenses the washing is a mere trifle then there are the parochial and the water rates the rent is always low as the houses are useable for nothing but such lodgings the profits of the one house i have described cannot be less than 300 l a year and the others are in proportion now the owner of this house has i believe 10 more such houses which letting only threepenny beds some are lower than that may realise a profit of about 200 l a year each these altogether yield a clear profit of 2300 l for the eleven of them but on how much vice and disease that 2300 l has been raised is a question beyond a schoolmaster the missionaries visit these lodging houses but judging from what i have heard said by the inmates in all of them when the missionaries have left scarcely any 410 good effect has resulted from the visits i never saw a clergyman of any denomination in any one of these places either in town or country in london the master or deputy of the low lodging house does not generally meddle with the disposal of stolen property as in the country this is talked about alike in the town and country houses very openly and freely before persons known only to be beggars and never stealing it is sufficient that they are known as tramps in london the keepers must all know that stolen property is nightly brought into the house and they wink at its disposal but they wont mix themselves up with disposing of it if it be provisions that have been stolen they are readily disposed of to the other inmates and the owner or deputy of the house may know nothing about it and certainly would not care to interfere if he did i never heard robberies planned there but there are generally strangers present and this may deter i believe more robberies are planned in low coffee shops than in lodging houses the influence of the lodging house society on boys who have run away from their parents and have got thither either separately or in company with lads who have joined them in the streets is this boys there after paying their lodgings may exercise the same freedom from every restraint as they see the persons of maturer years enjoy this is often pleasant to a boy especially if he has been severely treated by his parents or master he apes and often outdoes all the mens ways both in swearing and lewd talk and so he gets a relish for that sort of life after he has resorted to such placesthe sharper boys for three and the duller for six monthsthey are adepts at any thieving or vice drunkenness and even moderate drinking is very rare among them i seldom or never see the boys drinkindeed thieves of all ages are generally sober men once get to like a lodging house life and a boy can hardly be got out of it i said the other day to a youth i wish i could get out of these haunts and never see a lodging house again and he replied if i had ever so much money i would never live anywhere else i have seen the boys in a lodging house sit together telling stories but paid no attention to them statement of a young pickpocket to show the class of characters usually frequenting these lodging houses i will now give the statement of a boya young pickpocketwithout shoes or stockings he wore a ragged dirty and very thin great coat of some dark jean or linen under which was another thin coat so arranged that what appeared rentsand indeed were rents but designedly madein the outer garment were slits through which the hand readily reached the pockets of the inner garment and could there deposit any booty he was a slim agile lad with a sharp but not vulgar expression and small features his hands were of singular delicacy and beauty his fingers were very long and no ladys could have been more taper a burglar told me that with such a hand he ought to have made his fortune he was worth 20 l a week he said as a wire that is a picker of ladies pockets when engaged for a turn as he told me he once was by an old pickpocket the man looked minutely at his fingers and approved of them highly his hands the boy said were hardly serviceable to him when very cold his feet were formed in the same symmetrical and beautiful mould as his hands i am 15 he said my father was a potter and i cant recollect my mother many of the thieves are orphans or motherless my father has been dead about five years i was then working at the pottery in high street lambeth earning about 4 s a week in good weeks 4 s 6 d i was in work eight months after my father died but one day i broke three bottles by accident and the foreman said i shant want you any more and i took that as meant for a discharge but i found afterwards that he didnt so mean it i had 2 s and a suit of clothes then and tried for work at all the potteries but i couldnt get any it was about the time smithfield fair was on i went but it was a very poor concern i fell asleep in a pen in the afternoon and had my shoes stolen off my feet when i woke up i began crying a fellow named gyp then came along i knew his name afterwards and he said what are you crying for and i told him and he said pull off your stockings and come with me and ill show you where to sleep so i did and he took me to st olaves workhouse having first sold my stockings i had never stolen anything until then there i slept in the casual ward and gyp slept there too in the morning we started together for smithfield where he said he had a job to sweep the pens but he couldnt sweep them without pulling off his coat and it would look so queer if he hadnt a shirtand he hadnt one he promised to teach me how to make a living in the country if i would lend him mine and i was persuadedfor i was an innocent lad thenand went up a gateway and stripped off my shirt and gave it to him and soon after he went into a public house to get half a pint of beer he went in at one door and out at another and i didnt see him for six months afterwards that afternoon i went into billingsgate market and met some boys and one said mate how long have you been knocking about where did you doss i didnt know what they meant and when theyd told me they meant where did i sleep i told them how id been served and they said oh you must expect that until you learn something and they laughed they all knowd gyp he was like the head of a billingsgate gang once i became a pal with these boys at billingsgate and we went about stealing fish and meat some boys have made 2 s in a morning when fish is dearthose that had pluck and luck they sold it at half price billingsgate market is a good place to sell it plenty of costermongers are there who will buy it rather than of the salesmen i soon grew as bad as the rest at this work at first i sold it to other boys who would get 3 d for what they bought at 1 d now they cant do me if i can get a thing 411 cheap where i lodge and have the money and can sell it dear thats the chance i carried on this fish rig for about two years and went begging a little too i used to try a little thieving sometimes in petticoat lane they say the fliest is easy to take in sometimesthats the artfullest but i could do no good there at these two years end i was often as happy as could be that is when i had made money then i met b whom i had often heard of as an uncommon clever pickpocket he could do it about as well as i can now so as people wont feel it three of his mates were transported for stealing silver plate he and i became pals and started for the country with 1 d we went through foots cray and passed a farm where a mans buried at the top of a house theres something about money while a mans above ground i dont understand it but its something like that a baker about thirty miles from london offended us about some bread and b said ill serve him out we watched him out and b tried at his pocket saying ill show you how to do a handkerchief but the baker looked round and b stopped and just after that i flared it whisked the handkerchief out and thats the first i did it brought 1 s 3 d we travelled across country and got to maidstone and did two handkerchiefs one i wore round my neck and the other the lodging housekeeper pawned for us for 1 s 6 d in maidstone next morning i was nailed and had three months of it i didnt mind it so much then but maidstones far worse now ive heard i have been in prison three times in brixton three times in the old horse bridewell three times in the compter once in the steel and once in maidstonethirteen times in all including twice i was remanded and got off but i dont reckon that prison every time i came out harder than i went in ive had four floggings it was bad enougha flogging waswhile it lasted but when i got out i soon forgot it at a weeks end i never thought again about it if i had been better treated i should have been a better lad i could leave off thieving now as if i had never thieved if i could live without i am inclined to doubt this part of the statement i have carried on this sort of life until now i didnt often make a very good thing of it i saw manning and his wife hung mrs manning was dressed beautiful when she came up she screeched when jack ketch pulled the bolt away she was harder than manning they all said without her there would have been no murder it was a great deal talked about and manning was pitied it was a punishment to her to come on the scaffold and see manning with the rope about his neck if people takes it in the right light i did 4 s 6 d at the hangingtwo handkerchiefs and a purse with 2 s in itthe best purse i ever had but ive only done three or four purses the reason is because ive never been well dressed if i went near a lady she would say tush tush you ragged fellow and would shrink away but i would rather rob the rich than the poor they miss it less but 1 s honest goes further than 5 s stolen some call that only a saying but its true all the money i got soon wentmost of it a gambling picking pockets when any one comes to think on it is the daringest thing that a boy can do it didnt in the least frighten me to see manning and mrs manning hanged i never thought i should come to the gallows and i never shallim not high tempered enough for that the only thing that frightens me when im in prison is sleeping in a cell by myselfyou do in the old horse and the steelbecause i think things may appear you cant imagine how one dreams when in trouble ive often started up in a fright from a dream i dont know what might appear ive heard people talk about ghosts and that once in the county a tin had been left under a tap that went dripdripdrip and all in the ward were shocking frightened and werent we glad when we found out what it was boys tell stories about haunted castles and cats that are devils and that frightens one at the fire in monument yard i did 5 s 7 d 3 s in silver and 2 s 3 d in handkerchiefs and 4 d for three pairs of gloves i sell my handkerchiefs in the lane petticoat lane i carry on this trade still most times ive got in prison is when ive been desperate from hunger and have said to b now ill have money nailed or not nailed i can pick a womans pocket as easy as a mans though you wouldnt think it if ones in prison for begging ones laughed at the others say begging oh you cadger so a boy is partly forced to steal for his character ive lived a good deal in lodging houses and know the ways of them they are very bad places for a boy to be in where i am now when the place is full theres upwards of 100 can be accommodated i wont be there long ill do something to get out of it theres people there will rob their own brother theres people there talk backwardfor one they say eno for two owt for three eerht for four ruof for five evif for six exis i dont know any higher i can neither read nor write in this lodging house there are no women they talk there chiefly about what theyve done or are going to do or have set their minds upon just as you and any other gentlemen might do i have been in lodging houses in mint street and kent street where men and women and children all slept in one room i think the men and women who slept together were generally married or lived together but its not right for a big boy to sleep in the same room young men have had beds to themselves and so have young women there but theres a deputy comes into the room every now and then to see theres nothing wrong theres little said in these places the people are generally so tired where i am theres horrid languageswearing and everything thats bad they are to be pitied because theres not work for honest people let alone thieves in the lodging houses the air is very bad enough to stifle one in bedso many breaths together without such places my trade couldnt be carried on i couldnt live some though would find another way out three or four would take a room among them anybodys moneys goodyou can always get a room i would be glad to leave this life and 412 work at a pottery as to sea a bad captain would make me run awaysure he can do what he likes with you when youre out at sea i dont get more than 2 s a week one week with the other by thieving some days you do nothing until hunger makes your spirits rise i cant thieve on a full belly i live on 2 s a week from thieving because i understand fiddlingthat means buying a thing for a mere trifle and selling it for double or for more if youre not taken in yourself ive been put up to a few tricks in lodging houses and now i can put others up to it everybody must look after themselves and i cant say i was very sorry when i stole that 2 s from a poor woman but id rather have had 1 s 6 d from a rich one i never drinkeatings my part i spend chief part of my money in pudding i dont like living in lodging houses but i must like it as im placed nowthat sort of living and those lodging houses or starving they bring tracts to the lodging housespipes are lighted with them tracts wont fill your belly tracts is no good except to a person that has a home at the lodging houses theyre laughed at they seldom are mentioned ive heard some of them read by missionaries but cant catch anything from them if it had been anything bad i should have caught it readily if an innocent boy gets into a lodging house hell not be innocent longhe cant i know three boys who have run away and are in the lodging houses still but i hope their father has caught them last night a little boy came to the lodging house where i was we all thought he had run away by the way he spoke he stayed all night but was found out in two or three falsehoods i wanted to get him back home or hell be as bad as i am in time though hes nothing to me but i couldnt find him this morning but ill get him home yet perhaps the jews in petticoat lane are terrible rogues theyll buy anything of youtheyll buy what youve stolen from their next door neighboursthat they would if they knew it but theyll give you very little for it and they threaten to give you up if you wont take a quarter of the value of it oh i shee you do it they say and i like to shee him robbed but you musht take vot i give i wouldnt mind what harm came to those petticoat laners many of them are worth thousands though you wouldnt think it after this i asked him what he as a sharp lad thought was the cause of so many boys becoming vagrant pickpockets he answered why sir if boys runs away and has to shelter in low lodging housesand many runs away from cruel treatment at homethey meet there with boys such as me or as bad and the devil soon lays his hand on them if there wasnt so many lodging houses there wouldnt be so many bad boysthere couldnt lately a boy came down to billingsgate and said he wouldnt stay at home to be knocked about any longer he said it to some boys like me and he was asked if he could get anything from his mother and he said yes he could so he went back and brought a brooch and some other things with him to a place fixed on and then he and some of the boys set off for the country and thats the way boys is trapped i think the fathers of such boys either ill treat them or neglect them and so they run away my father used to beat me shocking so i hated home i stood hard licking well and was called the plucked one this boy first stole flowers currants and gooseberries out of the clergymans garden more by way of bravado and to ensure the approbation of his comrades than for anything else he answered readily to my inquiry as to what he thought would become of him transportation if a boy has great luck he may carry on for eight years three or four years is the common run but transportation is what hes sure to come to in the end this lad picked my pocket at my request and so dexterously did he do his work that though i was alive to what he was trying to do it was impossible for me to detect the least movement of my coat to see him pick the pockets as he did of some of the gentlemen who were present on the occasion was a curious sight he crept behind much like a cat with his claws out and while in the act held his breath with suspense but immediately the handkerchief was safe in his hand the change in the expression of his countenance was most marked he then seemed almost to be convulsed with delight at the success of his perilous adventure and turning his back held up the handkerchief to discover the value of his prize with intense glee evident in every feature statement of a prostitute the narrative which followsthat of a prostitute sleeping in the low lodging houses where boys and girls are all huddled promiscuously together discloses a system of depravity atrocity and enormity which certainly cannot be paralleled in any nation however barbarous nor in any age however dark the facts detailed it will be seen are gross enough to make us all blush for the land in which such scenes can be daily perpetrated the circumstances which it is impossible to publish are of the most loathsome and revolting nature a good looking girl of sixteen gave me the following awful statement i am an orphan when i was ten i was sent to service as maid of all work in a small tradesmans family it was a hard place and my mistress used me very cruelly beating me often when i had been in place three weeks my mother died my father having died twelve years before i stood my mistresss ill treatment for about six months she beat me with sticks as well as with her hands i was black and blue and at last i ran away i got to mrs a low lodging house i didnt know before that there was such a place i heard of it from some girls at the glasshouse baths and washhouses where i went for shelter i went with them to have a halfpenny worth of coffee and they took me to the lodging house i then had three shillings and stayed about a month and did nothing wrong living on 413 the three shillings and what i pawned my clothes for as i got some pretty good things away with me in the lodging house i saw nothing but what was bad and heard nothing but what was bad i was laughed at and was told to swear they said look at her for a d modest foolsometimes worse than that until by degrees i got to be as bad as they were during this time i used to see boys and girls from ten and twelve years old sleeping together but understood nothing wrong i had never heard of such places before i ran away i can neither read nor write my mother was a good woman and i wish id had her to run away to i saw things between almost children that i cant describe to youvery often i saw them and that shocked me at the months end when i was beat out i met with a young man of fifteeni myself was going on to twelve years oldand he persuaded me to take up with him i stayed with him three months in the same lodging house living with him as his wife though we were mere children and being true to him at the three months end he was taken up for picking pockets and got six months i was sorry for he was kind to me though i was made ill through him so i broke some windows in st pauls churchyard to get into prison to get cured i had a month in the compter and came out well i was scolded very much in the compter on account of the state i was in being so young i had 2 s 6 d given to me when i came out and was forced to go into the streets for a living i continued walking the streets for three years sometimes making a good deal of money sometimes none feasting one day and starving the next the bigger girls could persuade me to do anything they liked with my money i was never happy all the time but i could get no character and could not get out of the life i lodged all this time at a lodging house in kent street they were all thieves and bad girls i have known between three and four dozen boys and girls sleep in one room the beds were horrid filthy and full of vermin there was very wicked carryings on the boys if any difference was the worst we lay packed on a full night a dozen boys and girls squeedged into one bed that was very often the casesome at the foot and some at the topboys and girls all mixed i cant go into all the particulars but whatever could take place in words or acts between boys and girls did take place and in the midst of the others i am sorry to say i took part in these bad ways myself but i wasnt so bad as some of the others there was only a candle burning all night but in summer it was light great part of the night some boys and girls slept without any clothes and would dance about the room that way i have seen them and wicked as i was felt ashamed i have seen two dozen capering about the room that way some mere children the boys generally the youngest there were no men or women present there were often fights the deputy never interfered this is carried on just the same as ever to this day and is the same every night i have heard young girls shout out to one another how often they had been obliged to go to the hospital or the infirmary or the workhouse there was a great deal of boasting about what the boys and girls had stolen during the day i have known boys and girls change their partners just for a night at three years end i stole a piece of beef from a butcher i did it to get into prison i was sick of the life i was leading and didnt know how to get out of it i had a month for stealing when i got out i passed two days and a night in the streets doing nothing wrong and then went and threatened to break messrs windows again i did that to get into prison again for when i lay quiet of a night in prison i thought things over and considered what a shocking life i was leading and how my health might be ruined completely and i thought i would stick to prison rather than go back to such a life i got six months for threatening when i got out i broke a lamp next morning for the same purpose and had a fortnight that was the last time i was in prison i have since been leading the same life as i told you of for the three years and lodging at the same houses and seeing the same goings on i hate such a life now more than ever i am willing to do any work that i can in washing and cleaning i can do a little at my needle i could do hard work for i have good health i used to wash and clean in prison and always behaved myself there at the house where i am it is 3 d a night but at mrs s it is 1 d and 2 d a night and just the same goings on many a girlnearly all of themgoes out into the streets from this penny and twopenny house to get money for their favourite boys by prostitution if the girl cannot get money she must steal something or will be beaten by her chap when she comes home i have seen them beaten often kicked and beaten until they were blind from bloodshot and their teeth knocked out with kicks from boots as the girl lays on the ground the boys in their turn are out thieving all day and the lodging housekeeper will buy any stolen provisions of them and sell them to the lodgers i never saw the police in the house if a boy comes to the house on a night without money or sawney or something to sell to the lodgers a handkerchief or something of that kind he is not admitted but told very plainly go thieve it then girls are treated just the same any body may call in the daytime at this house and have a halfpennyworth of coffee and sit any length of time until evening i have seen three dozen sitting there that way all thieves and bad girls there are no chairs and only one form in front of the fire on which a dozen can sit the others sit on the floor all about the room as near the fire as they can bad language goes on during the day as i have told you it did during the night and indecencies too but nothing like so bad as at night they talk about where there is good places to go and thieve the missioners call sometimes but theyre laughed at often when theyre talking and always before the doors closed on them if a decent girl goes there to get a haporth of coffee seeing the board over the door she is always shocked many a poor girl 414 has been ruined in this house since i was and boys have boasted about it i never knew boy or girl do good once get used there get used there indeed and you are life ruined i was an only child and havent a friend in the world i have heard several girls say how they would like to get out of the life and out of the place from those i know i think that cruel parents and mistresses cause many to be driven there one lodging house keeper mrs goes out dressed respectable and pawns any stolen property or sells it at public houses as a corroboration of the girls statement a wretched looking boy only thirteen years of age gave me the following additional information he had a few rags hanging about him and no shirtindeed he was hardly covered enough for purposes of decency his skin being exposed through the rents in his jacket and trowsers he had a stepfather who treated him very cruelly the stepfather and the childs mother went across the country begging and stealing before the mother died an elder brother ran away on account of being beaten sometimes i give his own words he the stepfather wouldnt give us a bit to eat telling us to go and thieve for it my brother had been a month gone hes now a soldier in gibraltar when i ran away to join him i knew where to find him as we met sometimes we lived by thieving and i do stillby pulling flesh stealing meat i got to lodge at mrs and have been there this eight months i can read and write a little this boy then confirmed what the young girl had told me of the grossest acts night by night among the boys and girls the language c and continued i always sleep on the floor for 1 d and pay a d besides for coke at this lodging house cats and kittens are melted down sometimes twenty a day a quart pot is a cat and pints and half pints are kittens a kitten pint brings 3 d from the rag shops and a cat 6 d theres convenience to melt them down at the lodging house we cant sell clothes in the house except any lodger wants them and clothes nearly all goes to the jews in petticoat lane mrs buys the sawney of us so much for the lump 2 d a pound about she sells it again for twice what she gives and more perhaps 30 lb of meat every day is sold to her i have been in prison six times and have had three dozen each time i came out harder if i left mrs s house i dont know how i could get my living lots of boys would get away if they could i never drink i dont like it very few of us boys drink i dont like thieving and often go about singing but i cant live by singing and i dont know how i could live honestly if i had money enough to buy a stock of oranges i think i could be honest the above facts require no comment from me statement of a beggar a beggar decently attired and with a simple and what some would call even a respectable look gave me the following account i am now twenty eight and have known all connected with the begging trade since i was fourteen my grandfather mothers father was rich owning three parts of the accommodation houses in st giless he allowed me 2 s a week pocket money my grandfather kept the great house the old rose and crown in church lane opposite carver street best known as the beggars opera when a child of seven i have seen the place crowdedcrammed with nothing but beggars first ratesnone else used the house the money i saw in the hands of the beggars made a great impression upon me my father took away my mothers money i wish my mother had run away instead he was kind but she was always nagging my father was a foreman in a foundry i got a situation in the same foundry after my father cut once i was sent to a bank with a cheque for 38 l to get cashed in silver for wages in coming away i met a companion of mine and he persuaded me to bolt with the money and go to ashleys the money was too much for my head to carry i fooled all that money away i wasnt in bed for more than a fortnight i bought linnets in cages for the fancy of my persuader in fact i didnt know what use to put the money to i was among plenty of girls when the money was out i was destitute i couldnt go back to my employers and i couldnt face my mothers temperthat was worse but for that nagging of hers i shouldnt have been as i am she has thrashed me with a hand broom until i was silly theres the bumps on my head still and yet that woman would have given me her hearts blood to do me a good as soon as i found myself quite destitute i went wandering about the city picking up the skins of gooseberries and orange peel to eat to live onthings my stomach would turn at now at last my mother came to hear that i tried to destroy myself she paid the 38 l and my former employers got me a situation in paddington i was there a month and then i met him as advised me to steal the money beforehes called the ex king of the costermongers now well he was crying hareskins and advised me again to bolt and i went with him my mind was bent upon costermongering and a roving life i couldnt settle to anything i wanted to be away when i was at work and when i was away i wanted to be back again it was difficult for me to stick to anything for five minutes together it is so now what i begin i cant finish at the timeunless its a pot of beer well in four days my adviser left me he had no more use for me i was a flat he had me for a go along to cry his things for him then for the first time in my life i went into a low lodging house there was forty men and women sleeping in one room i had to sleep with a black man and i slept on the floor to get away from the fellow there were plenty of girls there some playing cards and dominoes it was very dirtyold mother in lawrence lanethe queen of hell she was called there was one tub among the lot of us i felt altogether disgusted those who lived there were beggars thieves smashers coiners 415 purchasers of begged and stolen goods and prostitutes the youngest prostitute was twelve and so up to fifty the beastliest language went on its done to outrival one another there i met with a man called tom shallow shallow is cant for half naked and he took me out ballad singing and when we couldnt get on at that the songs got dead he left me i made him 10 s or 12 s a day in them days but he only gave me my lodgings and grub but not half enough and two pipes of tobacco a day to keep the hunger down that i mightnt be expensive i then listed i was starving and couldnt raise a lodging i took the shilling but was rejected by the doctor i listed again at chatham afterwards but was rejected again i stayed jobbing among the soldiers for some weeks and then they gave me an old regimental suit and with that i came to london one gave me a jacket and another a pair of military trowsers and another a pair of old ammunition boots and so on about that time a batch of invalids came from spain where they had been under general evans on my way up from chatham i met at gravesend with seven chaps out on the spanish lurk as they called itthat is passing themselves off as wounded men of the spanish legion two had been out in spain and managed the business if questions were asked the others were regular english beggars who had never been out of the country i joined them as a serjeant as i had a sergeants jacket given me at chatham on our way to londonthe school as the lot is called came all togetherwe picked up among us 4 l and 5 l a dayno matter where we went the school all slept in lodging houses and i at last began to feel comfortable in them we spent our evenings in eating out and out suppers sometimes we had such things as sucking pigs hams mince piesindeed we lived on the best no nobleman could live better in them days so much wine too i drank in such excess my nose was as big as that there letter stamp so that i got a sickening of it we gave good victuals away that was given to usit was a nuisance to carry them it cost us from 6 d to 1 s a day to have our shoes cleaned by poor tramps and for clean dickies the clean dodge is always the best for begging upon at woolwich we were all on the fuddle at the dust hole and our two spokesmen were drunk and i went to beg of major whose brother was then in spainhe himself had been out previously meeting the major at his own house i said i was a sergeant in the 3rd westminster grenadiers you know and served under your brother oh yes thats my brothers regiment says he where was you then on the 16th of october why sir i was at the taking of the city of irun says i in fact i was at that time with the costermonger in st giless calling cabbages white heart cabbages oh then said the major what day was ernani taken on why said i i was a little tipsy and bothered at the question that was the 16th of october too very well my man says he tapping his boots with a riding whip he held ill see what i can do for you and the words were no sooner out of his mouth than he stepped up to me and gave me a regular pasting he horsewhipped me up and down stairs and all along the passages my flesh was like sassages i managed at last however to open the door myself and get away after that the school came to london in a day we used to make from 8 l to 10 l among us by walking up regent street bond street piccadilly pall mall oxford street the parksthose places were the best beats all the squares were good too it was only like a walk out for air and your 25 s a man for it at night we used to go to plays dressed like gentlemen at first the beaks protected us but we got found out and the beaks grew rusty the thing got so overdone every beggar went out as a spanish lurksman well the beaks got up to the dodge and all the spanish lurksmen in their turns got to work the universal staircase under the care of lieutenant tracy tothill fields treadmill the men that had really been out and got disabled were sent to that staircase at last and i thought i would try a fresh lurk so i went under the care and tuition of a sailor he had been a sailor i became a turnpike sailor as its called and went out as one of the shallow brigade wearing a guernsey shirt and drawers or tattered trowsers there was a school of four we only got a tidy living16 s or 1 l a day among us we used to call every one that came alongcoalheavers and allsea fighting captains now my noble sea fighting captain we used to say fire an odd shot from your larboard locker to us nelsons bull dogs but mind we never tried that dodge on at greenwich for fear of the old geese the collegemen the shallow got so grannied known in london that the supplies got queer and i quitted the land navy shipwrecks got so common in the streets you see that people didnt care for them and i dropped getting cast away i then took to screeving writing on the stones i got my head shaved and a cloth tied round my jaws and wrote on the flags illness and want though i was never better in my life and always had a good bellyfull before i started of a morning i did very well at first 3 s or 4 s a daysometimes moretill i got grannied there is one man who draws christs heads with a crown of thorns and mackerel on the pavement in coloured chalks there are four or five others at the same business this one however often makes 1 l a day now in three hours indeed i have known him come home with 21 s besides what he drank on the way a gentleman who met him in regent street once gave him 5 l and a suit of clothes to do christs heads with a crown of thorns and mackerel on the walls his son does napoleons heads best but makes nothing like so much as the father the father draws cats heads and salmon as wellbut the others are far the best spec he will often give thirteen pence and indeed fourteen pence for a silver shilling to get rid of the coppers this mans pitch is lloyd square not far from sadlers wells i have seen him commence 416 his pitch there at half past eleven to catch the people come from the theatre he is very clever in wet weather and when i couldnt chalk as i couldnt afford to lose time i used to dress tidy and very clean for the respectable broken down tradesman or reduced gentleman caper i wore a suit of black generally and a clean dickey and sometimes old black kid gloves and i used to stand with a paper before my face as if ashamed to a humane public i have seen better days this is called standing pad with a fakement it is a wet weather dodge and isnt so good as screeving but i did middling and cant bear being idle after this i mixed with the street patterers men who make speeches in the streets on the destitute mechanics lurk we went in a school of six at first all in clean aprons and spoke every man in his turn it wont do unless youre clean each man wanted a particular article of dress one had no shirtanother no shoesanother no hatand so on no two wanted the same we said kind and benevolent christians it is with feelings of deep regret and sorrow and shame that us unfortunate tradesmen are compelled to appear before you this day to ask charity from the hands of strangers we are brought to it from wanti may say actual starvation we always had a good breakfast before we started and some of us sir was full up to the brim of liquor but what will not hunger and the cries of children compel men to do we were all single men when we left our solitary and humble homes this morning our children were crying for food but if a farthing would have saved their lives we hadnt it to give them i assure you kind friends me my wife and three children would have been houseless wanderers all last night but i sold the shirt from off my back as you may see opening my jacket to pay for a lodging we are kind friends english mechanics it is hard that you wont give your own countrymen a penny when you give so much to foreign hurdy gurdies and organ grinders owing to the introduction of steam and machinery and foreign manufactures we have been brought to this degraded state fellow countrymen there are at this moment 4000 men like ourselves able and willing to work but cant get it and forced to wander the streets i hope and trust some humane christian within the sound of my voice will stretch out a hand with a small trifle for us be it ever so small or a bit of dry bread or cold potato or anything turned from your table it would be of the greatest benefit to us and our poor children then we would whisper to one another i hope they wont bring out any scranonly coppers we have none of us tasted food this blessed day we have been told to go to our parishes but that we cannot brook to be torn from our wives and families is heart rending to think ofmay god save us all from the bastile we always pattered hard at the overseers the next of the school that spoke would change the story somehow and try to make it more heart rending still we did well at first making about 5 s a day each working four hours two in the morning and two in the afternoon we got a good deal of clothing too the man who went without a shirt never went to a door to ask for one he had to show himself in the middle of the road the man that did go to the door would say do bestow a shirt on my poor shopmate who hasnt had one for some days its been said of me when i had my shirt tied round my waist all the time out of sight the man who goes without his shirt has his pick of those given the rest are sold and shared whatever trade we represented we always had one or two really of the trade in the school these were always to be met at the lodging houses they were out of work and had to go to low lodging houses to sleep there they met with beggars who kiddied them on to the lurk the lodging houses is good schools for that sort of thing and when a mechanic once gets out on the lurk he never cares to go to work again i never knew one return i have been out oft and oft with weavers with a loom and have woven a piece of ribbon in a gentlemans parlourthat was when we was coventry ribbon weavers i have been a stocking weaver from leicester and a lacemaker too from nottingham distressed mechanics on their way to london get initiated into beggars tricks in the low lodging houses and the unions this is the way you see sir a school may be at work from the lodging house where the mechanic goes to and some of the school finds out what he is and says come and work with us in a school youll do better than you can at your business and you can answer any questions well lurk on your trade i have been out with a woman and children its been said in the papers that children can be hired for that lurk at 4 d or 6 d a daythats all fudge all stuff every bit of ittheres no children to be hired theres many a labouring man out of work who has a wife and three or more children who is glad to let them go out with any patterer he knows the woman is entitled to all the clothes and grub given and her share of the tinthats the way its done and shes treated to a drink after her days work into the bargain ive been out on the respectable family man lurk i was out with a woman and three kids the other day her husband was on the pad in the country as london was too hot to hold him the kids draws the younger the better for if you vex them and theyre oldish theyll blow you liverpool joes boy did so at bury st edmunds to a patterer that he was out with and who spoke cross to him the lad shouted out so as the people about might hear dont you jaw me youre not my father my fathers at home playing cards they had to crack the pitch discontinue through that the respectable family dodge did pretty well ive been on the clean family lurk too with a woman and children we dressed to give the notion that however humble at least we were clean in all our poverty on this lurk we stand by the side of the pavement in silence the wife in a perticler clean cap and a milk white apron the kids have long clean pinafores white as the driven snow theyre only used in clean lurk and taken off directly they come home the husband and father is in a white flannel jacket an apron worn and clean and polished shoes to succeed in this caper there must be no rags but plenty of darns a pack of pawn tickets is carried in the waistcoat pocket one man that i know stuck them in his hat like a carmans thats to show that theyve parted with their little all before they came to that they are real pawn tickets i have known a man pay 2 s 6 d 417 for the loan of a marriage certificate to go out on the clean lurk if a question is asked i sayweve parted with everything and can get no employment to be sure we have had a loaf from the parish but whats that among my family that takes the start out of the people because they say why not go to the parish some persons say oh poor folks theyre brought to this and how clean they area darn is better than a patch any time the clean lurk is a bare living nowit was goodlots of togs came in and often the whole family were taken into a house and supplied with flannel enough to make under clothing for them all all this was pledged soon afterwards and the tickets shown to prove what was parted with through want those are some of the leading lurks theres others fits are now bad and paralytics are no better the lucifer lurk seems getting up though i dont mean the selling but the dropping them in the street as if by accident its a great thing with the children but no go with the old uns ill tell you of another lurk a woman i knows sends out her child with oz of tea and half a quarter of sugar and the child sits on a door step crying and saying if questioned that she was sent out for tea and sugar and a boy snatched the change from her and threw the tea and sugar in the gutter the mother is there like a stranger and says to the child and was that your poor mothers last shilling and darent you go home poor thing then there is a gatheringsometimes 18 d in a morning but its almost getting stale that is ive done the shivering dodge toogone out in the cold weather half naked one man has practised it so much that he cant get off shivering now shaking jemmy went on with his shivering so long that he couldnt help it at last he shivered like a jellylike a calfs foot with the agueon the hottest day in summer its a good dodge in tidy inclement seasons its not so good a lurk by two bob a day as it once was this is a single handed job for if one man shivers less than another he shows that it isnt so cold as the good shiverer makes it outthen its no go of the maimed beggars some are really deserving objects as without begging they must starve to death thats a fact sir whats a labouring man to do if hes lost any of his limbs but some of these even are impostors i know several blind men who have pensions and i know two who have not only pensions but keep lodging houses and are worth money and still go out a beggingthough not near where they live theres the man with the very big leg who sits on the pavement and tells a long yarn about the tram carriage having gone over him in the mine he does very wellremarkable well he goes tatting and billy hunting in the country gathering rags and buying old metal and comes only to london when he has that sort of thing to dispose of theres paddy in the truck too he makes a good thing and sends money home to ireland he has a decrepit old mother and its to his credit he never drinks theres jerry the collier he has lost both arms and does a tidy living and deserves it its a bad misfortune theres jack tiptoe he cant put one heel to the groundno gammon but mr horsford and he cant agree so jack takes to the provinces now he did very well indeed here there used to be a society among us called the cadgers club if one got into a prison there was a gathering for him when he came out and 6 s a week for a sick member and when he got out again two collections for him the two amounting perhaps to 1 l we paid 3 d a week eachno women were membersfor thirteen weeks and then shared what was in hand and began for the next thirteen receiving new members and transacting the usual business of a club this has been discontinued these five years the landlord cut away with the funds we get up raffles and help one another in the best way we can now at one time we had forty five members besides the secretary the conductor and under conductor the rules were read over on meeting nightsevery wednesday evening they were very strict no swearing obscene or profane language was permitted for the first offence a fine of 1 d was inflicted for the second 2 d and for the third the offender was ejected the room there was very good order and few fines had to be inflicted several respectable tradesmen used to pay a trifle to be admitted out of curiosity to see the proceedings and used to be surprised at their regularity among the other rules were these a fine of 1 d for any member refusing to sing when called on visitors the same all the fines went to the fund if a member didnt pay for five meeting nights he was scratched very few were scratched the secretary was a windmill cove sold childrens windmills in the streets and was excused contributing to the funds he had 1 d from each member every sharing night once a quarter for his labour he was a very good scholar and had been brought up well the landlord generally gave a bob on a sharing night the conductor managed the room and the under conductor kept the door not admitting those who had no right to be there and putting out those who behaved improperly it was held in the coachmakers arms rose street longrave street tip top swells used to come among us and no mistake real noblemen sir one was the nephew of the duke of and was well known to all of us by the nick name facer i used to smoke a very short and very black pipe and the honourable gent has often snatched it from my mouth and has given me a dozen cigars for it my face has been washed in the gin by a noble lord after hed made me drunk and i felt as if it was vitriol about my eyes the beggars are now dispersed and broken up they live together now only in twos and threes and in plain truth have no money to spend they cant get it upon an average in former days a cadger could make his two or three guineas per week without working overtime but now he can hardly get a meal not even at the present winter though its been a slap up inclement season to be sure the mendicity society has ruined usthem men took me and gave me a month and i 418 can say from my conscience that i was no more guilty of begging at that time than an unborn baby the beggars generally live in the low lodging houses and there of a night they tell their tales of the day and inform each other of the good and bad places throughout london and what lurks do the best they will also say what beats they intend to take the next day so that those who are on the same lurk may not go over the same ground as their pals it is no use telling a lie but the low lodging houses throughout london and the country are nests for beggars and thieves i know some houses that are wholly supported by beggars in almost every one of the padding kens or low lodging houses in the country there is a list of walks written on a piece of paper and pasted up over the kitchen mantel piece now at st albans for instance at the and at other places there is a paper stuck up in each of the kitchens this paper is headed walks out of this town and underneath it is set down the names of the villages in the neighbourhood at which a beggar may call when out on his walk and they are so arranged as to allow the cadger to make a round of about six miles each day and return the same night in many of those papers there are sometimes twenty walks set down no villages that are in any way gammy are ever mentioned in these papers and the cadger if he feels inclined to stop for a few days in the town will be told by the lodging house keeper or the other cadgers that he may meet there what gentlemans seats or private houses are of any account on the walk that he means to take the names of the good houses are not set down in the paper for fear of the police most of the lodging house keepers buy the scran broken victuals of the cadgers the good food they either eat themselves or sell to the other travellers and the bad they sell to parties to feed their dogs or pigs upon the cadgers talk is quite different now to what it was in the days of billy you see the flats got awake to it so in course we had to alter the patter the new style of cadgers cant is nothing like the thieves cant and is done all on the rhyming principle this ways the caper suppose i want to ask a pal to come and have a glass of rum and smoke a pipe of tobacco and have a game at cards with some blokes at home with me i should say if there were any flats present splodger will you have a jack surp ass of finger and thumb and blow your yard of tripe of nosey me knacker and have a touch of the broads with me and the other heaps of coke at my drum in this it will be observed that every one of the cant words rhymes with the words ordinarily used to express the same idea i can assure you what little we cadgers do get we earn uncommon hard why from standing shakingthat is being out nearly naked in the hardest frostsi lost the use of my left side for nearly three years and wasnt able to stir outside the door i got my living by card playing in the low lodging houses all that time i worked the oraclethey were not up to it i put the first and seconds on and the bridge also id play at cards with any one you see sir i was afeard to come to you at first because i had been a starving on the pavement only a few days ago not a hundred yards from your very door and i thought you might know me meeting of thieves as a further proof however of the demoralizing influences of the low lodging houses i will now conclude my investigations into the subject with a report of the meeting of vagrants which i convened for the express purpose of consulting them generally upon several points which had come under my notice in the course of my inquiries the chronicle reporters account of this meeting was as follows a meeting of an unprecedented character was held at the british union school room shakspeare walk shadwell on monday evening last the use of the school room was kindly granted by mr fletcher the proprietor to whose liberality we stand indebted for many similar favours it was convened by our metropolitan correspondent for the purpose of assembling together some of the lowest class of male juvenile thieves and vagabonds who infest the metropolis and the country at large and although privately called at only two days notice by the distribution of tickets of admission among the class in question at the various haunts and dens of infamy to which they resort no fewer than 150 of them attended on the occasion the only condition to entitle the parties to admission was that they should be vagrants and under twenty years of age they had all assembled some time before the hour for commencing the proceedings arrived and never was witnessed a more distressing spectacle of squalor rags and wretchedness some were young men and some mere children one who styled himself a cadger was six years of age and several who confessed themselves prigs were only ten the countenances of the boys were of various characters many were not only good looking but had a frank ingenuous expression that seemed in no way connected with innate roguery many on the other hand had the deep sunk and half averted eye which are so characteristic of natural dishonesty and cunning some had the regular features of lads born of parents in easy circumstances the hair of most of the lads was cut very close to the head showing their recent liberation from prison indeed one might tell by the comparative length of the crop the time that each boy had been out of gaol all but a few of the elder boys were remarkable amidst the rags filth and wretchedness of their external appearance for the mirth and carelessness impressed upon their countenances at first their behaviour was very noisy and disorderly coarse and ribald jokes were freely cracked exciting general bursts of laughter while howls cat calls and all manner of unearthly and indescribable yells threatened for some time to render the object of the meeting utterly abortive at one moment a lad would imitate the bray of a jack ass and immediately the whole hundred and fifty would fall to braying 419 then some ragged urchin would crow like a cock whereupon the place would echo again with a hundred and fifty cock crows then as a black boy entered the room one of the young vagabonds would shout out swe ee op this would be received with peals of laughter and followed by a general repetition of the same cry next a hundred and fifty cat calls of the shrillest possible description would almost split the ears these would be succeeded by cries of strike up you catgut scrapers go on with your barrow flare up my never sweats and a variety of other street sayings indeed the uproar which went on before the meeting began will be best understood if we compare it to the scene presented by a public menagerie at feeding time the greatest difficulty as might be expected was experienced in collecting the subjoined statistics of their character and condition by a well contrived and persevering mode of inquiry however the following facts were elicited with respect to their ages the youngest boy present was 6 years old he styled himself a cadger and said that his mother who is a widow and suffering from ill health sends him into the streets to beg there were seven of 10 years of age three of 12 three of 13 ten of 14 ten of 15 eleven of 16 twenty of 17 twenty six of 18 and forty five of 19 nineteen had fathers and mothers still living thirty nine had only one parent and eighty were orphans in the fullest sense of the word having neither father nor mother alive of professed beggars there were fifty and sixty six who acknowledged themselves to be habitual thieves the announcement that the greater number present were thieves pleased them exceedingly and was received with three rounds of applause twelve of the youths assembled had been in prison once two of these were but 10 years of age 5 had been in prison twice 3 thrice 4 four times 7 five times 8 six times 5 seven times 4 eight times 2 nine times 1 of them 13 years of age 5 ten times 5 twelve times 2 thirteen times 3 fourteen times 2 sixteen times 3 seventeen times 2 eighteen times 5 twenty times 6 twenty four times 1 twenty five times 1 twenty six times and 1 twenty nine times the announcements in reply to the questions as to the number of times that any of them had been in prison were received with great applause which became more and more boisterous as the number of imprisonments increased when it was announced that one though only 19 years of age had been in prison as many as twenty nine times the clapping of hands the cat calls and shouts of brayvo lasted for several minutes and the whole of the boys rose to look at the distinguished individual some chalked on their hats the figures which designated the sum of the several times that they had been in gaol as to the causes of their vagabondism it was found that 22 had run away from their homes owing to the ill treatment of their parents 18 confessed to having been ruined through their parents allowing them to run wild in the streets and to be led astray by bad companions and 15 acknowledged that they had been first taught thieving in a lodging house concerning the vagrant habits of the youths the following facts were elicited 78 regularly roam through the country every year 65 sleep regularly in the casual wards of the unions and 52 occasionally slept in trampers lodging houses throughout the country respecting their education according to the popular meaning of the term 63 of the 150 were able to read and write and they were principally thieves fifty of this number said they had read jack sheppard and the lives of dick turpin claude du val and all the other popular thieves novels as well as the newgate calendar and lives of the robbers and pirates those who could not read themselves said theyd had jack sheppard read to them at the lodging houses numbers avowed that they had been induced to resort to an abandoned course of life from reading the lives of notorious thieves and novels about highway robbers when asked what they thought of jack sheppard several bawled out hes a regular bricka sentiment which was almost universally concurred in by the deafening shouts and plaudits which followed when asked whether they would like to be jack sheppards they answered yes if the times was the same now as they were then thirteen confessed that they had taken to thieving in order to go to the low theatres and one lad said he had lost a good situation on the birmingham railway through his love of the play twenty stated they had been flogged in prison many of them two three and four different times a policeman in plain clothes was present but their acute eyes were not long before they detected his real character notwithstanding his disguise several demanded that he should be turned out the officer was accordingly given to understand that the meeting was a private one and requested to withdraw having apologised for intruding he proceeded to leave the roomand no sooner did the boys see the policeman move towards the door than they gave vent to several rounds of very hearty applause accompanied with hisses groans and cries of throw him over the process of interrogating them in the mass having been concluded the next step was to call several of them separately to the platform to narrate in their peculiar style and phraseology the history of their own career together with the causes which had led them to take up a life of dishonesty the novelty of their position as speech makers seemed peculiarly exciting to the speakers themselves and provoked much merriment and interest amongst the lads their antics and buffoonery in commencing their addresses were certainly of the most ludicrous character the first speaker a lad 17 years of age ascended the platform dressed in a torn wide a awake hat and a dirty smock frock he began gentlemen immense applause and laughter i am a brummagem lad laughter my father has been 420 dead three years and my mother seven when my father died i had to go and live along with my aunt i fell out of employment and went round about the town and fell into the company of a lot of chaps and went picking ladies pockets then i was in prison once or twice and i came to london and have been in several prisons here i have been in london three years but i have been out of it several times in that time i cant get anything honest to do and i wish i could get something at sea or in any foreign land i dont care what or where it is cheers and yells another lad about 16 clad in a ragged coat with a dirty face and matted hair next came forward and saidmy father was a soldier and when i growed up to about ten years i joined the regiment as a drummer in the grenadier guards i went on and got myself into trouble till at last i got turned away and my father left the regiment i then went out with some more chaps and went thieving and have been thieving about two years now several voicesvery good thats beautiful i hope you do it well the third boy who stated that he had been twenty four times in prison said he belonged to hendon in middlesex and that his father left his mother seventeen years ago and he did not know whether he was dead or alive he went to christchurch school for some time but afterwards picked up with bad companions and went a thieving he went to school again but again left it to go a thieving and cadging with bad companions he had been doing that for the last five years and if he could get out of it he would be very glad to leave it cheers the fourth lad who was received with loud cheering evidently indicating that he was a well known character said he came from the city of york and was a farrier his father died a few years ago and then he took to work but the play led him on to be a thief and from that time to the present he had done nothing but beg or thieve if he could go to australia he would be very glad as if he stopped in england he feared he should do nothing but thieve to the end laughter with cries of well done very well spoken the next speaker was about 18 years of age and appeared a very sharp intelligent lad after making a very grave but irresistibly comical prefatory bow by placing his hand at the back of his head and so as it were forcing it to give a nod he proceeded my father is an engineers labourer and the first cause of my thieving was that he kept me without grub and wallopped me laughter well i was at work at the same time that he was and i kept pilfering and at last they bowled me out loud cheers i got a showing up and at last they turned me away and not liking to go home to my father i ran away i went to margate where i had some friends with a shilling in my pocket i never stopped till i got to ramsgate and i had no lodging except under the trees and had only the bits of bread i could pick up when i got there my grandfather took me in and kept me for a twelvemonth my mothers brothers wife had a spite against me and tried to get me turned away i did not know what thieving was then and i used to pray that her heart might be turned because i did not know what would become of me if my grandfather turned me away but she got other people to complain of me and say i was a nuisance to the town but i knowed there was no fault in me but however my grandfather said he could put up with me no longer and turned me away so after that i came back to london and goes to the union the first night i went there i got tore up cheers and laughter everything was torn off my back and the bread was taken away from me and because i said a word i got well wallopped renewed laughter they small ganged me and afterwards i went seven days to prison because others tore my clothes when i went in therethis was the first timea man said to me what are you here for i said for tearing up the man said to another what are you here for and the other made answer for a handkerchief the man then said ah thats something like and he said to me why are you not a thiefyou will only get to prison for that i said i will well after that i went pilfering small things worth a penny or twopence at first but i soon saw better things were as easy to be got as them so i took them laughter i picked up with one that knowed more than me he fairly kept me for some time and i learnt as well as him i picked him up in a london workhouse after that i thought i would try my friends again and i went to my uncle at dover but he could do nothing for me so i got a place at a butchers where i fancied myself fairly blessed for i had 2 s a week and my board and washing i kept a twelvemonth there honest without thieving at last my master and i fell out and i left again so i was forced to come up to london and there i found my old companions in the smithfield pensthey were not living anywhere i used to go to the workhouse and used to tear up and refuse to work and used to get sent to quod and i used to curse the day when it was my turn to go out the governor of the prison used to say he hoped he wouldnt see my face there again but i used to answer i shall be here again to night because its the only place ive got thats all ive got to say the next lad who said he had been fourteen times in prison was a taller cleaner and more intelligent looking youth than any that had preceded him after making a low affected bow over the railing to the company below and uttering a preliminary a hem or two with the most ludicrous mock gravity he began by saying i am a native of london my father is a poor labouring man with 15 s a weeklittle enough i think to keep a home for four and find candlelight laughter i was at work looking after a boiler at a paper stainers in old street road at 6 s a week when one night they bowled me out i got the sack and a bag to take it home in laughter i got my wages and ran away from 421 home but in four days being hungry and having no money i went back again i got a towelling but it did not do me much good my father did not like to turn me out of doors so he tied me to the leg of the bedstead laughter he tied my hands and feet so that i could hardly move but i managed somehow to turn my gob mouth round and gnawed it away i run down stairs and got out at the back door and over a neighbours wall and never went home for nine months i never bolted with anything i never took anything that was too hot for me the captain of a man of war about this time took me into his service where i remained five weeks till i took a fever and was obliged to go to the hospital when i recovered the captain was gone to africa and not liking to go home i stepped away and have been from home ever since i was in brummagem and was seven days in the new stir prison and nearly broke my neck when i came out i fell into bad company and went cadging and have been cadging ever since but if i could leave off and go to the isle of dogs the isle of man or the isle of woman laughter or any other foreign place i would embrace the opportunity as soon as i could and if so be that any gentleman would take me in hand and send me out i would be very thankful to him indeed and so good night cheers a dirty little boy fourteen years of age dressed in a big jacket next stood forward he said his father was a man of wars man and when he came home from sea once his father his mother and all of them got drunk the lad then stole 4 d from his fathers pocket after this when he was sent for sixpenny rum he used to fetch fourpenny and for fourpenny gin threepenny and for fourpenny beer he used to fetch threepenny and keep the difference to himself his mother used to sell fruit and when she left him at the stall he used to eat what he could not sell and used to sell some to get marbles and buttons once he stole a loaf from a bakers shop the man let him off but his father beat him for it the beating did him no good after that he used to go smugging running away with other peoples things then one day his father caught him and tied his leg to the bedstead and left him there till he was pretty near dead he ran away afterwards and has been thieving ever since a lad about twenty was here about to volunteer a statement concerning the lodging houses by which he declared he had been brought to his ruin but he was instantly assailed with cries of come down hold your tongue and these became so general and were in so menacing a tone that he said he was afraid to make any disclosures because he believed if he did so he would have perhaps two or three dozen of the other chaps on to him great confusion mr mayhew will it hurt any of you here if he says anything against the lodging houses yes yes how will it do so a voice they will not allow stolen property to come into them if it is told mr mayhew but would you not all gladly quit your present course of life yes yes yes then why not have the lodging house system the principal cause of all your misery exposed a voice if they shut up the lodging houses where are we to go if a poor boy gets to the workhouse he catches a fever and is starved into the bargain mr mayhew are not you all tired of the lives you now lead vociferous cries of yes yes we wish to better ourselves from all parts of the room however much you dread the exposure of the lodging houses you know my lads as well as i do that it is in them you meet your companions and ruin if not begun there is at least completed in such places if a boy runs away from home he is encouraged there and kept secreted from his parents and do not the parties who keep these places grow rich on your degradation and your peril loud cries of yes yes then why dont you all come forward now and by exposing them to the public who know nothing of the iniquities and vice practised in such places put an end to these dens at once there is not one of you herenot one at least of the elder boys who has found out the mistake of his present life who would not i verily believe become honest and earn his living by his industry if he could you might have thought a roving life a pleasant thing enough at first but you now know that a vagabonds life is full of suffering care peril and privation you are not so happy as you thought you would be and are tired and disgusted with your present course this is what i hear from you all am i not stating the fact renewed cries of yes yes yes and a voice the fact of it is sir we dont see our folly till it is too late now i and many hundreds and thousands really wish you well and would gladly do anything we could to get you to earn an honest living all or nearly all your misery i know proceeds from the low lodging houses yes yes it does master it does and i am determined with your help to effect their utter destruction a voice i am glad of it siryou are quite right and i pray god to assist you the elder boys were then asked what they thought would be the best mode of effecting their deliverance from their present degraded position some thought emigration the best means for if they started afresh in a new colony they said they would leave behind them their bad characters which closed every avenue to employment against them at home others thought there would be difficulties in obtaining work in the colonies in sufficient time to prevent their being driven to support themselves by their old practices many again thought the temptations which surrounded them in england rendered their reformation impossible whilst many more considered that the same temptations would assail them abroad which existed at home mr mayhew then addressed them on another point he said he had seen many notorious thieves in the course of his investigations since then he had received them at all hours into his housemen of the most desperate and women of 422 the most abandoned charactersbut he had never lost a 6 d worth of his property by them one thief he had entrusted with a sovereign to get changed and the lad returned and gave him back the full amount in silver he had since gone out to america now he would ask all those present whether if he were to give them a sovereign they would do the same several voices here called out that they would and others that they would not others again said that they would to him but to no one else here one of the most desperate characters present a boy who had been twenty six times in prison was singled out from the rest and a sovereign given to him to get changed in order to make the experiment whether he would have the honesty to return the change or abscond with it in his possession he was informed on receiving it that if he chose to decamp with it no proceedings should be taken against him he left the room amid the cheers of his companions and when he had been absent a few moments all eyes were turned towards the door each time it opened anxiously expecting his arrival to prove his trustworthiness never was such interest displayed by any body of individuals they mounted the forms in their eagerness to obtain the first glimpse of his return it was clear that their honour was at stake and several said they would kill the lad in the morning if he made off with the money many minutes elapsed in almost painful suspense and some of his companions began to fear that so large a sum of money had proved too great a temptation for the boy at last however a tremendous burst of cheering announced the lads return the delight of his companions broke forth again and again in long and loud peals of applause and the youth advanced amidst triumphant shouts to the platform and gave up the money in full the assemblage was then interrogated as to the effect of flogging as a punishment and the general feeling appeared to be that it hardened the criminal instead of checking his depravity and excited the deadliest enmity in his bosom at the time towards the person inflicting it when asked whether they had seen any public executions they almost all cried out that they had seen manning and his wife hung others said that they had seen rush and sarah thomas executed they stated that they liked to go a death hunting after seeing one or two executed it hardened them to it and at last they all got to thieve under the gallows they felt rather shocked at the sight of an execution at first but after a few repetitions it soon wore off before the meeting broke up several other lads expressed a strong desire to make statements a young man 18 years of age and of a miserable and ragged appearance said he first left home from bad usage and could not say whether it was the same with his sister or not but she left her home about nine months ago when he met her while he was getting his living as a costermonger with the stock money that he had rather than she should be driven to prostitution and the streets he bought as many things as he could to furnish a room this exhausted his stock money and then his furniture had to go a little at a time to support him and his sister in food after this he was obliged to take a furnished room which put him to greater expense to keep her off the streets he was compelled to thieve his father if he ever had the feeling of a christian would never have treated him as he had done could a father he asked have any feeling who chained his son up by the leg in a shed as his father had done to him and fed him on bread and water for one entire month and then after chaining him up all day still chain him in bed at night this it was that drove him into the streets at first it was after his mother died and he had a step mother that his father treated him thus his mother in law ill treated him as well as his father if he had been a transport he could not have been treated worse he told his father that he was driving him on the road to transportation but he took no notice of it and he was obliged to leave his roof he had been in newgate since a little boy dressed in the garb of a sailor came up to mr mayhew crying bitterly and implored him to allow him to say a word he statedi am here starving all my time last night i was out in the cold and nearly froze to death when i got up i was quite stiff and could hardly walk i slept in whitechapel under a form where they sell meat i was an apprentice on board of a fishing smack and ran away because i was ill treated after i ran away i broke into my masters house because i was hungry he gave me twelve months and now he is in the union himself he failed in business and got broken up i have been out of prison three months starving and i would rather do anything than thieve if i see a little thing i take it because i cant get anything to eat without it here the child still weeping piteously uncovered his breast and showed his bones starting through his skin he said he was anxious to get out of the country the following statement respecting the lodging houses was made after the others had left by another lad he left home when about thirteen and never thieved before that his father was dead and his mother was unable to keep him he got a situation and held it for three years and nine months until he picked up with a man from a lodging house and through keeping late hours he was obliged to leave his place and sleep in a lodging house himself the lodging house is in shorts gardens this he considered to have been the commencement of his downfall about forty thieves lived in the house and they brought in stolen property of every description and the deputies received it and took it to other people to sell it again and get the price and pay the thieves they got double as much as the thieves did or else they would have nothing to do with it several housebreakers lived at the house and he heard them there plan the robbery of bull and wilson the woollen drapers in st martins lane one of the men secreted himself in the house in the daytime and the other two were admitted by 423 him at night if he had stated this at the meeting the persons present would have killed him he was sure that more might be done by giving proper encouragement to virtue and by reforming the criminal than by rigorous prosecution he said with tears in his eyes that he should be very willing and happy to work for an honest living if he could only get it to do he showed a letter of recommendation for good conduct to his former master and a bible both of which had been given him by the chaplain of the gaol which he had just left after undergoing an imprisonment of twelve months it was useless he said for a young man like him to apply to the parish for relief he might just as well stand in the street and talk to a lamp post then what was a man to do after he left prison he must go a thieving to live he was persuaded that if there was an institution to give employment to the homeless the friendless and the penniless after being liberated from prison it would be the means of rescuing thousands the proceedings then terminated the assemblage which had become more rational and manageable towards the close dispersed quite peaceably it should be added and the boys were evidently sincerely grateful for the efforts being made to bring their misfortunes before the notice of those in whose power it may be to alleviate them before they were dismissed as much money was dispensed to each as would defray his nights lodging of the country lodging houses concerning the lodging houses more especially in the country i give the statement of a middle aged man familiar with them for twenty years he was recommended to me as possessed of much humour and a great master of humourous slang i can tell you all about it sir but one lodging house is so like another that i cant draw much distinction in small country towns especially agricultural towns they are decent places enough regular in their hours and tidy enough at these places they have what they call their own travellers persons that they know and who are always accommodated in preference as to the characters that frequent these places let us begin with the crocusses they carry about a lot of worms in bottles what they never took out of anybody though theyll tell you different or long pieces of tape in bottles made to look like worms and on that theyll patter in a market place as if on a real cure and theyve got the cheek to tell the people that that very worm was taken from lady near the town and referring them to her to prove it the one i knew best would commence with a piece of sponge in a bottle which he styled the stomach wolf that was his leading slum and pretty well he sponged them too when hed pattered on about the wolf he had another bottle with what he called a worm 200 inches long he bounced it was which the day before yesterday he had from mrs s girl some well known person and referred them to her while hes going on a brother crocus will step up a stranger to the people and say ah doctor youre right i had the pleasure of dining with mr when the worm was extracted and never saw a child so altered in my life thats what the crocuss call giving a jolly and after that dont the first crocuss old woman serve out the six pennyworths the stuff is to cure every mortal thing a man can ailay or a woman either theyd actually have the cheek to put a blister on a cork leg well when theyre done pattering on the worm racket then come the wonderful pills them are the things these pills from eight to a dozen in a box are charged 4 d to 6 d according to the flats appearanceas the crocus call his customers the pills meet with a ready sale and theyre like chip in porridge neither good nor harm its chiefly the bounciful patter the cheek they have that gets them crocusses on its amazing theyll stare a fellow in the face and make him believe hes ill whether he is or no the man i speak of is a first rate cove he trains it and coaches it from market to market like any gentleman he wears a stunning fawny ring on his finger an out and out watch and guard and not a duffer neitherno gammon and a slap up suit of black togs ive seen the swell bosmen farmers buy the pills to give the people standing about just to hear the crocus patter why theyve got the cheek to pitch their stall with their worms opposite a regular medical mans shop and say go over the way and see what hell dohell drive up in a horse and gig to your door and make you pay for it too but i dontive walked here to do you good and i will do you good before i leave you one trial is all i askand quite enough too said my informant ill warrant they wont come a second time if they do its with a stick in their hands if he does much business in the worm powder way some have it in cakes for children the crocus never gives them a chance to catch him but if its only pills hell show next market day or a month after and wont he crack about it then he says one trial is all i ask and one of them got it and was transported i knew one of these crocusses who was once so hard up from lushing and boozing about that he went into a field and collected sheep dung and floured it over and made his pills of it and made the people swallow it at lutterworth market in leicestershire because there theyll swallow anything if the crocus i have mentioned see this in the paperas he will for hes a reading manwont he come out bouncefull hell say why am i thus attackedwhy dont the proprietor and the editor of this paper come forwardif hes among you who made this report let him come forward and ill refute him face to face and no doubt my informant remarked hed give him a tidy dose too the crocus would for myself id far rather meet him face to face than his medicine either his blue or his pink water theres another sort who carry on the crocussing business but on a small scale theyre on the penny and twopenny racket and are called hedge crocussesmen who sell corn salve or four pills 424 a penny to cure anything and go from house to house in the country but as the hedge crocus is shickery togged he makes poorly out respectable people wont listen to him and its generally the lower order that he gulls these hedge fellows are slow and dull they go mouching along as if they were croaking themselves ive seen the head crocus ive mentioned at four markets in one week and a town on a saturday night clear from 5 l to 7 l all clear profit for his fakement costs him little or nothing for such a mans pound the hedge fellow may make 1 s the next ill tell you about is durynacking or duryking the gipsies and theyre called romanies are the leading mob at this racket but theyre well known and i neednt say anything about those ladies but therere plenty of travelling women who go about with a basket and a bit of driss lace in it gammy lace for a stall off a blind in case they meet the master who would order them off up at a bosken farm house theyll get among the servant girls being pretty well acquainted with the neighbourhood by inquiries on the road as to the number of daughters and female servants the first inquiry is for the missus or a daughter and if they cant be got at theyre on to the slaveys suppose they do get hold of one of the daughters they commence by offering the driss which as it is queer stuff wouldnt be picked up by an agricultural young lady as the durynacker very well knows then she begins ah my sweet young lady my blessed looking angelif shes as ugly as sin and forty they say that and thats the time you get them to rights when theyre old and ugly just by sweetening them and then they dont mind tipping the loaver money i know you dont want this stuff shell continue theres something on your mind i see youre in love but the dear handsome gentlemanhell not slight you but loves you as hard as a hammer this is thrown out as a feeler and the young lady is sure to be confused then the durrynacker has hold of her mauly hand in a minute its all up with the girl once the woman gets a grip shes asked in directly and of course the sisters if she has any and the slavey are let into the secret and all have their fortunes told the fortune teller may make a weeks job of it according as the loaver comes out shell come away with her basket full of eggs bacon butter tea and sugar and all sorts of things i have seen them bring the scran in every one is sure to have handsome husbands thumping luck and pretty children the durrynacker too is not particular if theres a couple of silver spoonsshe doesnt like odd ones and mind you she alway carries a basketbig enough too i know a man on this lurk but he works the article with a small glass globe filled full of water and in that he shows girls their future husbands and kids them on to believe they do see themay and the church theyre to be married inand they fancy they do see it as they twist the globe this way and that while he twists the tin out of them and no flies he actually had the cheek though he knew i was fly to every fake to try to make me believe that i could see the place where smith obrien had the fight in ireland dont you see them cabbages and a tall man in a green velvet cap among them holloring out im the king of munster i dont know any other male durrynacker worth noticing the women have all the call young women wont ask their fortunes of men the way the globe man does is to go among the old women and fiddle humbug them and upon my word three parts of them are worse than the young ones now ill tell you about the tat rag gatherers buying rags they call it but i call it bouncing people two men i lodged with once one morning hadnt a farthing regularly smashed up not a feather to fly with theyd knocked down all their tin lushing well they didnt know what to be up to till one hit upon a scheme ive got it joe says he he borrows two blue plates from the lodging house keeper a washing jug and basin off they goes one with the crockery and the other with a bag they goes into the by courts in windsor because this bouncing caper wouldnt do in the main drag up goes the fellow with a bag and hollas out now women bring out your copper brass white rags old flannel bed sacking old ropes empty bottles umbrellasany mortal thingthe best price is given and the words hardly out when up comes his pal hollaring sam holloa stop that horse as if hed a horse and cart passing the court and then the women bring out their umbrellas and things and theyre all to be exchanged for crockery such as he shows and all goes into the bag and the bagman goes off with the things leaving the other to do the bounce and he keeps singing out for the horse and cart with the load of crockery gammoning there is one that the ladies may have their choice and he then hurries down to quicken his cart drivers movements and hooks it leaving the flats completely stunned oh it does give them a ferry cadouzer two other men go about on this lurk one with an old cracked plate under his waistcoat and the other with a bag and one sings out now women fourpence a pound for your white rags none of your truck system your needles and thread for it i dont do it that way ready money women is the order of the day with me well one old mollesher woman though she must have known her rags would only bring 2 d a lb at a fair dealers if there be one brought out 8 lbs of white rags he weighs them with his steelyards and in they went to the bag the man with the bag steps it immediately and the other whips out his flute quite carelessly and sayswhich will you have marm jem crow or the bunch of roses the old woman says directly what do you mean 8 times 4 is 32 and 32 pence is 2 s 8 d never mind i wont be hard give me half a crown well when she finds theres no money out she hollars and he plays his distracted flute to drown her voice and backs himself manfully out of the court i have known these men get on so that i have seen them with a good horse and cart theres another class 425 of rag bloaks who have bills printed with the queens arms at the top if you please by royal authoritythats their own authority and they assume plenty of it well this bill specifies the best prices for rags left off clothes c one fellow goes and drops these bills at the kens houses the other comes after him and as the man who drops marks every house where a bill has been taken the second man knows where to call any house where he gets a call commences the caper well anything to be disposed of is brought out often in the back yard the party of the house produces the bill which promises a stunning tip for the old lumber the man keeps sorting the things out and running them down as not so good as he expected but at the same time he kids them on by promising three times more than the things are worth this is a grand racketthe way he fakes them and then he says marm or sir as it may be i shall give you 15 s for the lot which stuns the party for they never expected to get anything like thatand their expectations is not disappointed for they dont then he turns round directly and commences sorting more particularly than before putting the best and the easiest to carry altogether he starts up then and whips a couple of bob or half a bull 2 s 6 d into the womans hand saying i always like to bind a bargain marmone of the fairest dealing men travelling do save all your old lumber for me of a sudden he begins searching his pockets and exclaims dear me i havent enough change in my pocket but ill soon settle thatmy mate has it outside ill just take a load out to the cart and come back for the others with the money and so he hooks it and ive no occasion to tell you he never comes back and thats what he calls having them on the knock the other inmates at the lodging houses which my informant described are of the class concerning whom full information is or will be given in other portions of this or the following letters his description of the lodging houses too was a corroboration of the statement i give to day all the classes described meet and mix at the lodging houses i shall reserve what i have to say concerning the influence of the low lodging houses of london and the country till the conclusion of the present volume of the street sellers of chemical articles of manufacture the street purveyors of blacking of the different preparations of black lead of plating balls of corn salves of grease removing compositions of china and glass cements of rat poisons of fly papers of beetle wafers of gutta percha heads of lucifer matches and of cigar lights may be classed generally under two heads they are either very old or very young persons or else they are men who recommend their wares by patter among the first mentioned class are the vendors of cakes of blacking papers of black lead and lucifer matches of blacking and black lead the street sellers are more frequently old women of lucifer matches they are usually women and children and of all ages it is not uncommon in the quieter roads of the suburbs especially to see a young woman extend her bare red arm from beneath a scanty ragged shawl and with an imploring look a low curtsey and a piteous tone proffer a box of matches for sale while a child in her arms perhaps of two or three years old extends in its little hand another box there are also in the street sale of lucifer matches very many girls and boys parentless or uncared for and many old or infirm women and men the street sellers of chemically manufactured articles who feel it necessary to recommend their wares by a little street oratory or patter the paper worker whose humorous remarks i have before quoted once described it to me as advertising by word of mouth are the vendors of the articles which are to cure to repair to renovate or to kill any other itinerant vendors of chemical articles are of the ordinary class of street traders of the street sellers of blacking black lead etc i specify these two commodities jointly because they are frequently sold by the same individual in whitechapel and spitalfields are eight establishments where the street sellers of blacking are principally supplied with their stock it is sold in cakes which are wrapped in a kind of oil paper generally printed on the back so as to catch the eye with the address of some well known blacking manufacturer thus some which a street seller of blacking showed me were printed in large type as a sort of border lewiss india rubber blacking while in the middle was a very black and very predominant 30 and beneath it in small and hardly distinguishable type princess st portman market any shopkeeper who supplies the trade if he be a regular customer of the manufacturer can have his name and address printed on the cover of the blacking cakes the 30 is meant to catch the eye with the well known flourish of 30 strand the quality of these cakes of blacking the street sellers whom i questioned told me was highly approved by their customers and as blacking is purchased by the classes who aim at a smartness and cleanliness above that of the purchasers of many street commodities there is no reason to doubt the assertion the sale of this blacking indeed is chiefly on a round and it would be hopeless as to future custom to call a second time at any house where bad blacking had been sold on a previous visit the article is vended wholesale in gross boxes and half gross boxes the half gross boxes are 1 s 9 d and capital even in this trifling trade has its customary advantages for the gross boxes are but 3 s it should be remembered however that to the buyer of two half gross a couple of the plain wooden boxes in which the blacking is sold and often hawked must be supplied but to the buyer of a gross box only one of these cases is furnished i may mention to the credit 426 of the vendors that of the wholesale blacking makers two have themselves been street sellers and one still but only at intervals goes on a blacking round among his old customers there are other blacking makers but those i have specified as to number are more particularly the providers for the street trade the poor people who sell blacking at a distance from the manufacturers premisesas in the case of the 30 princess st portman marketare supplied by oilmen chandlers and other shopkeepers who buy largely of the manufacturers and can consequently supply the purchasers by the dozen for street sale or hawking as cheaply as they would be supplied by the manufacturer himself a dozen is generally charged 3 d and as the cakes are sold at d each occasionally 1 d both by the street people and more frequently the small shopkeepers the profit is moderate enough the cakes however which are regularly retailed at 1 d are larger and cost nearly twice the amount of the others wholesale this trade presents the peculiarity of being almost entirely a street door to door trade as i heard it described blacking is not presented for purposes of begging as are lucifer matches tracts memorandum books boot laces c for the half trading half begging is carried on in the quieter parts of town and more extensively in the suburbs ladies being principally accosted and to them blacking is not offered there are now i learn from good authority never fewer than 200 persons selling cake blacking from door to door more than half of them are elderly women and more than three fourths women of all ages and girls the other sellers are old men and boys none of the blacking sellers make the article they vend to sell eight dozen cakes a week is a full average and of these the pennies and the half pennies are about equally divided this gives a weekly outlay of 6 s to each individual seller with an average profit of about 2 s 6 d and shows a yearly street expenditure by the public of 3120 l the profit however is not in equal apportionment among the traders in blacking for the old hands on a regular round will do double the business of the others in liquid blacking the trade is now small it is occasionally sold in the street markets on saturday nights but the principal traffic is in the public houses this kind of blacking is retailed at 2 d a bottle and i was informed by a man who had sold it was rather queer stuff it is labelled equal to in very small letters day and martin in very large letters one of the manufacturers a few years ago told my informant that he had been threatened with being sued for piracy but it was no use sueing a mouse there are sometimes none and sometimes twenty persons hawking this blacking and they are principally i am informed the servants of showmen out of employ or down on their luck some of these men raffle their blacking in public houses they are provided with tickets numbered from one to six which are thrown the blank sides upwards on a table and the drawer of number six wins a two penny bottle of blacking for d for this the raffler receives 3 d few of these traders sell more than one dozen bottles in a day the principal trade being in the evening and one and a half dozen is a very good day the goods are carried in a sack slung from the shoulder and are a very heavy carriage as two and a half dozen which are often carried weigh about 100 lbs if ten men the year through take each 6 s weekly about half the amount being profit which i am assured is the average extent of the trade we find 156 l yearly expended in this liquid blacking ten years ago said one blacking seller to me it was three times as much as it is now at the mews blacking is sold by men who are for the most part servants out of place or who have become known to the denizens of the mews from having been helpers in some capacity if they have not worn a livery here the article vended is what it is announced to be hobys or everetts blacking the sellers are known to the coachmen and grooms many of whom have to find their own blacking or there would be no business done in the mews the dwellers there being great sticklers for a good article the profit to the vendors is 3 s in 12 s shilling bottles are vended as numerously as sixpennies an old coachman who had lived in mews in all parts of town calculated that take the year through there was every day twenty men selling blacking in the mews with an average profit of 10 d a day or 5s a week so taking 15 s each this gives a mews expenditure yearly of 780 l black lead for the polishing of grates is sold in small paper packets the half ounce being a d and the ounce a 1 d the profit is cent per cent nearly all the women who sell blacking as i have described sell black lead also in addition to these elderly traders however there are from twenty to thirty boys and girls who vend black lead in the street markets but chiefly on saturday nights and on other days offer it through the area railstheir wretched plight without any actual begging occasionally procuring them custom the black lead sold in the streets has often a label in imitation of that of established shop keepers as superfine pencil black lead prepared expressly for and sold by t h jennings oil colour and italian warehouse 25 wormwood street city the name and address must of course be different but the arrangement of the lines and often the type is followed closely as are the adornments of the packet which in the instance cited are heraldic in other parts of town the labels of tradesmen are imitated in a similar way but not very closely and in nearly half the quantity sold a bon fide label is given without imitation or sham there would be more sold in that way i was told by a sharp lad quite the real ticket if the dons as wholesales the black lead would make it up to sell in haporths and pennorths with a proper lowance to us as sells this boy and a young sister went on a round the boy with black lead the girl with 427 boot laces in one direction the mother going in another and each making for their room at six in the evening or as soon as sold out there are i am informed 100 to 150 persons selling and hawking black lead in the streets and it may be estimated that they take 4 s each weekly the adults selling other small articles with the black lead thus we find averaging the number of sellers at 125 that 1 300 l is yearly expended in this article half of which sum forms the profit of the street folk of the street sellers of french polish the greater part of the french polish vended in the streets is bought at oil and varnish shops in bethnal green and whitechapel the wholesale price being 1 s a pint the street vendors add turpentine to the polish put it into small bottles and retail it at 1 d a bottle they thus contrive to clear 5 d on each shilling they take there are now five and sometimes six men selling french polish in the streets and public houses but the trades getting stale i was told there was twice as many in it three or four years back and therell be fewer still next year when french polish first became famous there were i was informed several cabinet makers who hawked itsome having prepared it themselvesand they would occasionally clear 5 s in a day of these street traders there are now none the present vendors having been in no way connected with the manufacture of furniture these men generally carry with them pieces of fancy wood such as rose or sandal wood which they polish up in the streets to show the excellence of the varnish the chief purchasers are working people and small tradespeople or their wives who require trifling quantities of such a composition when they re polish any small article of furniture the french polish sellers i am assured by a man familiar with the business take 2 s a day each or rather in an evening for the sales are then the most frequent the 2 s leaves a profit of 10 d the street expenditure is therefore reckoning five regular sellers 156 l yearly none of the french polish sellers confine themselves entirely to the sale of it of the street sellers of grease removing compositions the persons engaged in this trade carry it on with a regular patter one mans street announcement is in the following words here you have a composition to remove stains from silks muslins bombazeens cords or tabarets of any kind or colour it will never injure nor fade the finest silk or satin but restore it to its original colour for grease on silks c only rub the composition on dry let it remain five minutes then take a clothes brush and brush it off and it will be found to have removed the stains for grease in woollen cloths spread the composition on the place with a piece of woollen cloth and cold water when dry rub it off and it will remove the grease or stain for pitch or tar use hot water instead of cold as that prevents the nap coming off the cloth here it is squares of grease removing composition never known to fail only 1 d each this street traffic i was informed was far more extensively carried on when silks and woollen cloths and textile manufactures generally were more costly and more durable than at present and when to dye and scour and turn a garment was accounted good housewiveship the sellers then told wonders of their making old silk gowns or old coats as good as new by removing every discolouration no matter from what cause now a silk dress is rarely if ever subjected to the experiment of being renovated by the virtues of grease removing compositions sold in the streets the trade at present is almost confined to the removing of the grease from coat collars or of stains from contact with paint c with which boys principally have damaged their garments the grease remover generally carries his wares on a tray slung in front of him and often illustrates the efficacy of his composition by showing its application to the very greasy collar of a boys old jacket which is removed with admirable facility the man patters as he carries on this work you would have thought now that jacket was done for and only fit for the rag bag or to go to make up a lot for a jew but with my compositiononly 1 d a cakeit has acquired a new nap and a new gloss and youve escaped a tailors bill for awhile for 1 d you can use your own eyes youve seen me do it and heres the very same stuff as i have proved to you is so useful and was never known to fail no mother or wife or mistress or maid that wishes to be careful and not waste money should be without it in the house it removes stains from silks c c notwithstanding these many recommendations the street trade in grease removing cakes is a very poor one it cannot be carried on in bad weather for an audience cannot then be collected and to clear 1 s 6 d in a day is accounted fair work no grease remover confines his trade to that commodity one of the best known sells also plate balls and occasionally works conundrums and comic exhibitions the two brothers who were formerly grecians at the blue coat school are also in this line there are now seven men who sell grease removing compositions which they prepare themselves the usual ingredients are pipe clay two pennyworth of which is beat up and worked with two colours generally red lead and stone blue this gives the composition a streaky look and takes away the appearance of pipe clay the purchasers of this article are i am told women and servants but the trade is one which is declining one of the best localities for sale is ratcliff highway and the purchasers there are sailors one man told me that he once made a pounds worth for a sailor who took it to sea with him the street seller did not know for what purpose but he conjectured that it was as a matter of speculation to a foreign country calculating that the seven grease removers carry on the sale of the article 3 days each week and clear 1 s 6 d per day we find 78 guineas yearly 428 expended in the streets for the removal of grease nearly the whole is profit plating balls are generally sold by the grease removers but sometimes they are proffered for sale alone there are four men whose principal dependance is on the sale of plating balls one announces his wares as making plate as good as silver and all inferior metals equal to the best plated no tarnish can stand against my plate balls he goes on and if in this respectable company there should chance to be any lady or genlman that has no plate then let him make an old brass candlestick shine like gold or his tin candlestick extinguisher and all shine like silver here are the balls that can do it and only 4 a penny you have only to rub the ball on your wash leather or dry woollen cloth and rub it on what has to be restored four a penny these balls which are prepared by the street sellers are usually made of a halfpennyworth of whitening a farthingsworth of red lead and an ounce of quicksilver costing 7 d a gross of balls costs 7 d as regards the materials the receipts of the plating ball sellers are the same as those of the grease removers but with a somewhat smaller profit of the street sellers of corn salve the street purveyors of corn salve or corn plaster for i heard both words used are not more than a dozen in number but perhaps none depend entirely upon the sale of corn salve for a living as is the wont of the pattering class to which they belong these men make rounds into the country and into the suburbs but there are sometimes on one day a dozen working the main drags chief thoroughfares of london there are no women in the trade the salve is most frequently carried on a small tray slung in front of the street professional but sometimes it is sold at a small stall or stand oxford street holborn tottenham court road and whitechapel are favourite localities for these traders as are blackfriars road and newington causeway on the surrey side of the thames on the saturday evening the corn salve sellers resort to the street markets the patter of these traders is always to the same purport however differently expressed the long tested efficacy and the unquestionable cheapness of their remedies the vendors are glib and unhesitating but some owing i imagine to a repetition of the same words as they move from one part of a thoroughfare to another or occupy a pitch have acquired a monotonous tone little calculated to impress a street audienceto effect which a man must be or appear to be in earnest the patter of one of these dealers who sells corn salve on fine evenings and works the public houses with anything likely on wet evenings is from his own account in the following words here you have a speedy remedy for every sort of corn your hard corn soft corn blood corn black corn old corn new corn wart or bunion can be safely cured in three days nothing further to do but spread this salve on a piece of glove leather or wash leather and apply it to the place art and nature does the rest either corns warts or bunions cured for one penny this however is but as the announcement of the article on sale and is followed by a recapitulation of the many virtues of that peculiar recipe but as regards the major part of these street traders the recapitulation is little more than a change of words if that there are however one and sometimes two patterers of acknowledged powers who every now and then sell corn salvefor the restlessness of this class of people drives them to incessant changes in their pursuitsand their oratory is of a higher order one of the men in question speaks to the following purport here you are here you are all that has to complain of corns as fast as the shoemaker lames you ill cure you if it wasnt for me he dursnt sing at his work bless you but he knows ill make his pinching easy to you hard corn soft corn any cornsold again thank you sir youll not have to take a bus home when youve used my corn salve and you can wear your boots out then you cant when youve corns now in this little box you see a large corn which was drawn by this very salve from the honourable foot of the late lamented sir robert peel its been in my possession three years and four months and though im a poor manhard corn soft corn or any cornthough im a poor man the mores the pity i wouldnt sell that corn for the newest sovereign coined i call it the free trade corn genlmen and leddis no cutting and paring and sharpening penknives and venturing on razors to level your corns this salve draws them outonly one pennyand without pain but wonders cant be done in a moment to draw out such a corn as ive shown you the foot the whole foot must be soaked five minutes in warm soap and water that makes the salve penetrate and draw the corn which then falls out in three days like a seed from a flower hard corn soft corn c c the corn from the honourable foot of sir robert peel or from the foot of any one likely to interest the audience has been scraped and trimmed from a cows heel and may safely be submitted to the inspection and handling of the incredulous there it is the corn seller will reiterateit speaks for itself the street seller of grease removing composition etc from a daguerreotype by beard one practiceless common than it was however of the corn salve street seller is to get a friend to post a letterexpressive of delighted astonishment at the excellence and rapidity of the corn cureat some post office not very contiguous if the salve seller be anxious to remove the corns of the citizens he displays this letter with the genuine post mark of piccadilly st jamess street pall mall or any such quarter to show how the fashionable world avails itself of his wares cheap as they are and fastidious as are the fashionable if the street professional be offering his corn cures in a fashionable locality he produces a letter from cheapside or cornhillthere it is it speaks for itselfto show how the shrewd city people who were never taken in 429 by street sellers in their lives and couldnt be appreciated that particular corn salve occasionally as the salve seller is pattering a man comes impetuously forward and says loudly here doctor let me have a shillings worth i bought a pennorth and it cured one corn by bringing it right outhere the dd thing is it troubled me seven yearand ive got other corns and im determined ill root out the whole family of them come now look sharp and put up a shillings worth the shillings worth is gravely handed to the applicant as if it were not only a bon fide but an ordinary occurrence in the way of business one corn salve sellerwho was not in town at the time of my inquiry into this curious matterhad i was assured and others might have full faith in the efficacy of the salve he vended one of his fellow traders said to me ay sir and he has good reason for trusting to it for a cure he cured me of my corns that im sure of so there can be no nonsense about it he has a secret on my asking this informant if he had tried his own corn salve he laughed and said no im like the regular doctors that way never tries my own things the same man who had no great faith in what he sold being of any use in the cure of corn wart or bunion assured meand i have no doubt with truththat he had sold his remedy to persons utter strangers to him who had told him afterwards that it had cured their corns false relics says a spanish proverb have wrought true miracles and to what cause these corn cures were attributable it is not my business to inquire i had no difficulty in acquiring a knowledge of the ingredients of a street corn salve anybody said one man that understands how to set about it can get the recipe for 2 d resin 1 lb costing 2 d tallow lb 1 d emerald green 1 d all boiled together the emerald green i was told was to give it a colour the colour is varied but i have cited the most usual mode of preparation attempts have been made to give an aromatic odour to the salve but all the perfumes within the knowledge or rather the means of the street sellers were overpowered by the resin and the tallow and it has remarked one dealer a physicky sort of smell as it is which answers the quantity i have cited would supply a sufficiency of the composition for the taking of a sovereign in pennorths in a week or so the stuff becomes discoloured often from dust and has to be re boiled some of the traders illustrate the mode of applying the salve by carrying a lighted candle and a few pieces of leather and showing how to soften the composition and spread it on the leather after all sir said the man who had faith in the virtues of his fellow street traders salve the regular thing such as i sell may do good i cannot say but it is very likely that the resin will draw the corn just as people apply cobblers wax which has resin in it the chemists will sell you something of the same sort as i do the principal purchasers are working men who buy in the streets and occasionally in the public houses the trade however becomes less and less remunerative to take 15 s in a week is a good week and to take 10 s is more usual the higher receipt is no doubt attributable to a superior patter being used as men will give 1 d to be amused by this street work without caring about the nostrum calculating that eight of these traders take 10 s weeklyso allowing for the frequent resort of the patterers to anything more attractivewe find 208 l expended in the streets on this salve the profits of the seller are about the same as his receipts for 240 pennyworths can be made out of materials costing only 4 d the further outlay necessary to this street profession is a tray worth 1 s or 1 s 6 d but a large old backgammon board which may be bought at the second hand shops for 1 s and sometimes for 6 d is more frequently used by the street purveyors of corn salve of the street sellers of glass and china cement and of razor paste the sale of glass and china cement is an old trade in the streets but one which becomes less and less followed before the finer articles of crockeryware became cheap as they are now it was of importance to mend if possible a broken dish of better quality and of more importance to mend a china punch bowl dishes however are now much cheaper and china punch bowls are no longer an indispensable part of even tavern festivity the sellers of this cement proclaim it as one which will cure any china stone or earthenware and make the broken parts adhere so firmly that if you let it fall again it will break not at the part where it has been cemented but at some other only a halfpenny or a penny a stick these traders sometimes illustrate the adhesive strength of the composition by producing a plate or dish which has been cemented in different places and letting it fall to break in some hitherto sound part this they usually succeed in doing for the cementing of glass the street article is now perhaps never sold and was but scantily sold i am informed at any time as the junction was always unsightly there are now four men who sell this cement in the streets one usually to be found in wilderness row goswell street being perhaps the one who carries on the trade most regularly they all make their own cement one of the receipts being1 lb shellac 5 d lb brimstone d blended together until it forms a thick sort of glue this quantity makes half a crowns worth of the cement for the purposes of retail the sellers do not confine themselves to one locality but are usually to be found in one or other of the street markets on a saturday night if each seller take 5 s weekly of which 4 s may be profit we find 52 l expended yearly by street customers in this cement i include razor paste under this head as sometimes and at one time more frequently than now 430 the same individual sold both articles though not at the same time there are twelve street sellers of razor paste but they seem to prefer working the distant suburbs or going on country rounds as there are often only three in london it is still vended i am told to clerks who use it to sharpen their pen knives but the paste owing to the prevalence of the use of steel pens is now almost a superfluity compared to what it was it is bought also and frequently enough in public houses by working men as a means of setting their razors the vendors make the paste themselves except two who purchase of a street seller the ingredients are generally fullers earth 1 d hogs lard 1 d and emery powder 2 d the paste is sold in boxes carried on a tray which will close and form a sort of case like a backgammon board the quantity i have given will make a dozen boxes each sold at 1 d so that the profit is 7 d in the 1 s for to the 4 d paid for ingredients must be added 1 d for the cost of a dozen boxes the paste is announced as warranted to put an edge to a razor or pen knife superior to anything ever before offered to the public the street sellers offer to prove this by sharpening any gentlemans pen knife on the paste spread on a piece of soldiers old belt which sharpening when required they accomplish readily enough one of these paste sellers i was told had been apprenticed to a barber another had been a cutler the remainder are of the ordinary class of street sellers calculating that 6 men work the metropolis daily taking 2 s each per day with 1 s 2 d profit we find 187 l the amount of the street outlay of the street sellers of crackers and detonating balls this trade i am informed by persons familiar with it would be much more frequently carried on by street folk and in much greater numbers were it not the one which of all street callings finds the least toleration from the police you must keep your eyes on both corners of the street said one man when you sell crackers and what good is it the police stopping us the boys have only to go to a shop and then its all right the trade is only known in the streets at holiday seasons and is principally carried on for a few days before and after the 5th of november and again at christmas tide last november was good for crackers said one man it was either guy faux day or the day before im not sure which now that i took 15 s and nearly all of boys for waterloo crackers and ball crackers the common trade names waterloo being the pulling crackers at least three parts was ball crackers i sold them from a barrow wheeling it about as if it was hearthstone and just saying quietly when i could six a penny crackers the boys soon tell one another all sorts bought of me doctors boys school boys pages boys as was dressed beautiful and boys as hadnt neither shoes nor stockings its sport for them all the same man told me he did well at what he called last poram fair clearing 13 s 6 d in three days or rather evenings or nights poram fair sir he said is a sort of feast among the jews always three weeks ive heard afore their passover and i then work whitechapel and all that way i inquired of a man who had carried on this street trade for a good many years it might be ten or twelve if he had noticed the uses to which his boy customers put his not very innocent wares and he entered readily into the subject why sir he said theyre not all boy customers as you call them but theyre far the most ive sold to men and often to drunken men what larks there is with the ball crackers one man lost his eye at stepney fair but thats 6 or 7 years ago from a lark with crackers the rights of it i never exactly understood but i know he lost his eye from the dry gravel in the ball cracker bouncing into it but its the boys as is fondest of crackers i sold em all last christmas and made my 5 s and better on boxing day i was sold out before 6 oclock as i had a regular run at lastjust altogether after that i saw one lad go quietly behind a poor lame old woman and pull a waterloo close behind her ear he was a biggish boy and tidily dressed and the old body screamed im shot she turned about and the boy says says he does your grandmother know youre out its a improper thing so it is for you to be walking out by yourself you should have seen her passion but as she was screaming out you saucy wagabone you boys is all wagabones people cant pass for you ill give you in charge i will the lad was off like a shot but one of the primest larks i ever saw that way was last winter in a street by shoreditch an old snob that had a bulk was making it all right for the night and a lad goes up i dont know what he said to the old boy but i saw him poke something a last i think it was against the candle put it out and then run off in a minute three or four lads that was ready let fly at the bulk with their ball crackers and there was a clatter as if the old snob had tumbled down and knocked his lasts down but he soon had his head outhe was irish i thinkand he first set up a roar like a smithfield bull and he shouts im kilt intirely wid the murthering pistols po lice po o lice he seemed taken quite by surprisefor they was capital crackersi think he couldnt have been used to bulks or he would have been used to pelting but how he did bellow surely i think it was that same night too i saw a large old man buttoned up but seeming as if he was fine dressed for a party in a terrible way in the commercial road i lived near there then there was three boys afore meand very well they did itone of em throws a ball cracker bang at the old gents feet just behind him and makes him jump stunning and the boy walks on with his hands in his pocket as if he knowd nothing about it just after that another boy does the same and then the tother boy and the old gentlord 431 how he swore it was shocking in such a respectable man as i told him when he said id crackered him me cracker you says i it ud look better if youd have offered to treat a poor fellow to a pint of beer with ginger in it and the chill off than talk such nonsense as we was having this jaw one of the boys comes back and lets fly again and the old gent saw how it was and he says now if youll run after that lad and give him a dd good hiding you shall have the beer money down sir says i if you mean honour bright but he grumbled something and walked away i saw him soon after talking to a bobby so i made a short cut home at the fairs near london there is a considerable sale of these combustibles and they are often displayed on large stalls in the fair they furnish the means of practical jokes to the people on their return after last whitsun greenwich fair said a street seller to me i saw a gent in a white choker like a parson look in at a pastry cooks shop as is jist by the elephant and castle a waiting for a bus i spose there was an old oman with a red face standing near him and i saw a lad very quick pin something to ones coat and the tothers gown they turned jist arter and bang goes a waterloo and they looks savage one at another and hup comes that indentical boy and he says to the red faced oman a pointing to the white choker marm i seed him a twiddling with your gown he done it for a lark arter the fair and ought to stand something so the parson if he were a parson walked away there are eight makers i am told who supply the street sellers and the small shops with these crackers the wholesale price is 4 d to 6 d a gross the cracker balls being the dearest the retail price in the streets is from six to twelve a penny according to the appearance and eagerness of the purchaser some street traders carry these commodities on trays and very few are stationary except at fairs i am assured that for a few days last november from 50 to 60 men and women were selling crackers in the streets of course on the sly in so irregular and surreptitious a trade it is not possible even to approximate to statistics the most intelligent man that i met with acquainted as he called it with all the ins and outs of the trade calculated that in november and christmas 100 l at least was expended in the streets in these combustibles and another 100 l in the other parts of the year about tower hill ratcliff highway or the highway as street sellers often call it and in wapping and shadwell the sale of crackers is the best the sellers are the ordinary street sellers and no patter is required of the street sellers of lucifer matches under this head i shall speak only of those who sell the matches apart from those who in proffering lucifer boxes mix up trade with mendicancy the latter class i have spoken of and shall treat of them more fully under the head of the london poor until lucifers became cheap and in general use the matches sold by the street folks and there were numbers in the trade were usually prepared by themselves the manufactures were simple enough wooden splints twice or thrice the length of the lucifer matches now in use were prepared and dipped into brimstone melted in an iron ladle the matches were never as now self igniting or rather ignitable by rapid friction but it was necessary to strike a light by the concussion of a flint and steel the sparks from which were communicated to tinder kept in a box the brimstone match sellers were of all ages but principally i am told old people many of them during and for some years after the war wore tattered regimentals or some remains of military paraphernalia and had been or assumed to have been soldiers but not entitled to a pension the same with seamen i inquired of some of the present race of match sellers what became of the old brimstones as i heard them called but from them i could gain little information an old groundsel gatherer told me that some went into his trade others i learned took to pins and others to song or tract selling indeed the brimstone match sellers not unfrequently carried a few songs to vend with their matches it must be borne in mind that 15 years ago those street trades into which any one who is master of a few pence can now embark were less numerous others of the match sellers with rounds or being known men displaced their brimstones for lucifers and traded on as usual i heard of one old man now dead who made a living on brimstone matches by selling a good quantity in hackney stoke newington and islington and who long refused to sell lucifer matches they was new fangled rubbish he said and would soon have their day he found his customers however fall off and in apprehension of losing them all he was compelled to move with the times i believe sir said one man still a street seller but not having sold matches of any kind for years i believe i was the first who hawked congreves or instantaneous lights they werent called lucifers for a good while after i bought them at mr joness light house in the strand and if i remember right for it must be more than 20 years ago between 1820 and 1830 mr jones had a patent somehow about them i bought them at 7 s a dozen boxes and sold them at 1 s a box im not sure how many matches was in a box but i think it was 100 youll get as much for a farthing now as you would for a shilling then the matches were lighted by being drawn quickly through sand paper i sold them for a twelvemonth and had the trade all to myself as far as i know i had for i never met with or heard of anybody else in it all that time i did decent at it i suppose i cleared my 15 s a week the price kept the same while i was in the business i sold them at city offices i supplied the phnix in lombard street i remember and the better sort of shops 432 people liked them when they wanted to light a candle in a hurry in places where there was no fire to seal a letter or such like there was no envelopes in them days the penny postage brought them in i was sometimes told not to carry such things there again as they didnt want the house set on fire by keeping such dangerous things in it now i suppose lucifers are in every house and that theres not a tinder box used in all london such appears to have been the beginning of the extensive street trade in these chemical preparations now carried on at the twelvemonths end my informant went into another line of business the german congreves were soon after introduced and were at first sold wholesale at the english and german swag shops in houndsditch at 2 s the dozen boxes and were retailed at 3 d 4 d and sometimes as high as 6 d the box these matches i am told kept their hold about five years when they ceased to be a portion of the street trade the german congreves were ignited by being drawn along a slip of sand paper at the bottom of the box as is done at present with some however a double piece of sand paper was sold for purposes of igniting after this time cheaper and cheaper matches were introduced and were sold in the streets immediately on their introduction at first the cheaper matches had an unpleasant smell and could hardly be kept in a bed room but that was obviated and the trade progressed to its present extent the lucifer match boxes the most frequent in the street trade are bought by the poor persons selling them in the streets at the manufacturers or at oil shops for a number of oilmen buy largely of the manufacturers and can supply the trade at the same rate as the manufacturer the price is 2 d the dozen boxes each box containing 150 matches some of the boxes german made are round and many used to be of tin but these are rarely seen now the prices are proportionate the common price of a lucifer box in the streets is d but many buyers i am told insist upon and obtain three a penny which they do generally of some one who supplies them regularly the trade is chiefly itinerant one feeble old man gave me the following account of his customers he had been in the employ of market gardeners carmen and others whose business necessitated the use of carts and horses in his old age he was unable to do any hard work he was assisted however by his family especially by one son living in the country he had a room in the house of a daughter who was a widow but his children were only working people with families he said and so he sold a few lucifers as a help and to have the comfort of a bit of tobacco and buy an old thing in the way of clothing without troubling any one out of his earnings too he paid 6 d a week for the schooling of one of his daughters children i sell these lucifers sir he said in answer to my inquiries i never beg with them id scorn it my children help me as ive told you i did my best for them when i was able and so i have a just sort of claim on them well indeed then sir as you ask me if i had only myself to depend upon why i couldnt live i must beg or go into the house and i dont know which i should take to worst at 72 ive been selling lucifers about five years for i was worn out with hard work and rheumatics when i was 65 or 66 i go regular rounds about 2 miles in a day or 2 or if its fine 3 miles or more from where i live and the same distance back for i can sometimes walk middling if i can do nothing else i carry my boxes tied up in a handkerchief and hold 2 or 3 in my hand im ashamed to hold them out on any rail where i aint known and never do if there isnt a good humoured looking person to be seen below or through the kitchen window but my eyesight aint good and i make mistakes and get snapped up very short at times yesterday now i was lucky in my small way theres a gentleman that if i can see him i can always sell boxes to at 1 d a piece thats his price he says and he takes no change if i offer it i saw him yesterday at his own door and says he well old greybeard i havent seen you for a long time heres 1 s leave a dozen boxes i told him i had only 11 left but he said o its all the same and he told a boy that was crossing the hall to take them into the kitchen and we soon could hear the housekeeper grumbling quite loudperhaps she didnt know her master could hearabout being bothered with rubbish that people took in master with and the gentleman shouts out some of you stop that old mouth will you she wants a profit out of them in her bills all was quiet then and he says to me quite friendly if she wasnt the best cook in london id have quitted her long since by g the old man chuckled no little as he related this he then went on hes a swearing man but a good man im sure and i dont know why hes so kind to me perhaps he is to others im ashamed to hold my boxes to the ary rails cause so many does that to beg i sell lucifers both to mistresses and maids some will have 3 for a 1 d and though its a poor profit i do it for they say o if you come this way constant well buy of you whenever we want if you wont give 3 a penny theres plenty will i sell too in some small streets lisson grove way to women that see me from their windows and come down to the door theyre needle workers i think they say sometimes im glad ive seen you for it saves me the trouble of running out the lucifer match girl from a daguerreotype by beard well sir im sure i hardly know how many boxes i sell on a middling good day i sell 2 dozen on a good day 3 dozen on a bad day not a dozen sometimes not half a dozen and sometimes but not often not more than a couple then in bad weather i dont go out and time hangs very heavy if it isnt a monday for every monday i buy a threepenny paper of a newsman for 2 d and read it as well as i can with my old eyes and glasses and get my 433 daughter to read a bit to me in the evening and next day i send the paper to my son in the country and so save him buying one as well as i can tell i sell about 9 dozen boxes a week one week with another and clear from 2 s to 2 s 6 d its employment for me as well as a help it is not easy to estimate the precise number of persons who really sell lucifer matches as a means of subsistence or as a principal means there are many especially girls and women the majority being irishwomen who do not directly solicit charity and do not even say buy a box of lucifers from a poor creature to get her a haporth of bread or please a bit of broken victuals if its only cold potatoes for a box of the best lucifers yet these match sellers look so imploringly down an area or through a window some shouldering a young child the while and remain there so pertinaciously that a box is bought or a halfpenny given often merely to get rid of the applicant an intelligent man a street seller and familiar with street trading generally whom i questioned on the subject said its really hard to tell sir but i should calculate this way its the real sellers you ask about them as tries to live on their selling lucifers or as their main support i have worked london and the outside placesyes i mean the suburbsin ten rounds or districts but six is better for you can then go the same round the same day next week and so get known the real sellers in my opinion is old men and women out of employ or past work and to beg they are ashamed ive read the bible you see sir though ive had too much to do with gay persons even to go to church i should say that in each of those ten rounds or at any rate splicing one with another was twenty persons really selling lucifers yes and depending a good deal upon them for theyre an easy carriage for an infirm body and as ready a sale as most things i dont reckon them as begs or whines or sticks to a house for an hour but them as sells in my opinion theyre 200 and no more all the others dodges in one way or other on pity and charity theres one lurk thats getting common now a man well dressed and very clean and wearing gloves knocks at a door and asks to speak to the master or mistress if he succeeds he looks about him as if he was ashamed and then he pulls out of his coat pocket a lucifer box or two and asks as a favour to be allowed to sell one as reduced circumstances drive him to do so he doesnt beg but i dont reckon him a seller for he has always some story or other to tell thats all a fakement most dwellers in a suburb will have met with one of these well dressed match sellers adopting my informants calculation and supposing that each of these traders take on lucifers alone but 4 s weekly selling nine dozen with a profit to the seller of from 1 s 9 d to 2 s 6 d we find 2080 l expended in this way the matches are sold also at stalls with other articles in the street markets and elsewhere but this traffic i am told becomes smaller and only amounts to one tenth of the amount i have specified as taken by itinerants these street sellers reside in all parts of town which i have before specified as the quarters of the poor of the street sellers of cigar lights or fuzees this is one of the employments to which boys whom neglect ill treatment destitution or a vagrant disposition have driven or lured to a street life seem to resort to almost as readily as to the offers old your os sir shall i carry your passel marm the trifling capital required to enter into the business is one cause of its numbering many followers the fuzees as i most frequently heard them called are sold at the congreve shops and are chiefly german made at one time indeed they were announced as german tinder the wholesale charge is 4 d per 1000 lights the 1000 lights are apportioned into fifty rows each of twenty self igniting matches and these rows are sold in the streets one or two for d and two three or four 1 d it is common enough for a juvenile fuzee seller to buy only 500 so that 2 d supplies his stock in trade the boys for the majority of the street traders who sell only fuzees are boys frequent the approaches to the steam boat piers the omnibus stands and whatever places are resorted to by persons who love to smoke in the open air some of these young traders have neither shoes nor stockings more especially the irish lads who are at least half the number and their apology for a cap fully displays the large red ears and flat features which seem to distinguish a class of the irish children in the streets of london some irish boys hold out their red tipped fuzees with an appealing look meant to be plaintive and say in a whining tone spend a halfpenny on a poor boy your honour others offer them without any appealing look or tone either in silence or sayingbuy a fuzee to light your pipe or cigar sir a row of lights for a d i met with one irish boy of thirteen or fourteen years of age who was offering fuzees to the persons going to chalk farm fair on easter tuesday but the rain kept away many visitors and the lad could hardly find a customer he was literally drenched for his skin shining with the rain could be seen about his arms and knees through the slits of his thin corduroy jacket and trowsers and he wore no shirt its oranges i sell in ginral your honour he said and its on oranges i hopes to be next week plaze god but motherits orange selling she is toowanted to make a grand show for aister wake and tuk the money to do it and put me on the fuzees its the thruth im telling your honour she thought i might be after making a males mate meals meat out of them intirely but the sorra a male ill make to day if it cost me a fardin for i havent tuk one i niver remimber any fader mother and me lives together somehow glory be to god but its often knowin what it is to be hungry we are ive 434 sould fuzees before when ingans and nuts and oranges was dear and not for the poor to buy but i niver did so bad as to day a gintleman once said to me here pat yer sowl you look hungry heres a thirteener for yez go and get drunk wid it och no your honour he wasnt an irish gintleman it was afther mocking me he was god save him on my asking the boy if he felt hurt at this mockery he answered slily with all his air of simplicity sure thin wasnt there the shillin for it was a shillin he gave me glory be to god no i niver heard it called a thirteener before but mother has och thin sir indeed and its could and wet i am i have a new shirt as was giv to mother for me by a lady but i wouldnt put it on sich a day as this your honour sir ill go to mass in it ivery sunday ive made 6 d a day and sometimes more a sellin fuzees wid luck god be praised but the bad withers put me out intirely this time the fuzee sellers frequently offer their wares at the bars of public houses in the daytime and sometimes dispose of them to those landlords who sell cigars from the best information i can command there are now upwards of 200 persons selling fuzees in the streets of the metropolis but the trade is often collateral the cigar seller offers fuzees play bill sellers boys do so sometimes at the doors of the theatres to persons coming out the pipe sellers also carry them they are sometimes sold along with lucifer matches and at miscellaneous stalls it will i believe be accurate to state that in the streets there are generally 100 persons subsisting or endeavouring to subsist on the sale of fuzees alone it may be estimated also that each of these traders averages a receipt of 10 d a day with a profit exceeding 6 d so that 1300 l is yearly laid out in the streets in this way of the fuzee selling lads those who are parentless or runaway sleep in the lodging houses in the better conducted of which the master or deputy takes charge of the stock of fuzees or lucifer matches during the night to avert the risk of fire in others these combustibles are stowed anywhere at the discretion or indiscretion of the lodgers of the street sellers of gutta percha heads there are many articles which having become cheap in the shops find their way to the street traders and after a brief or comparatively brief and prosperous trade has been carried on in them gradually disappear these are usually things which are grotesque or amusing but of no utility and they are supplanted by some more attractive noveltya main attraction being that it is a novelty among such matters of street trade are the elastic toys called gutta percha heads these however have no gutta percha in their composition but consist solely of a composition made of glue and treaclethe same as is used for printers rollers the heads are small coloured models of the human face usually with projecting nose and chin and wide or distorted mouth which admit of being squeezed into a different form of features their elasticity causing them to return to the original caste the trade carried on in the streets in these toys was at one time extensive but it seems now to be gradually disappearing on a fine day a little after noon last week there was not one head exposed for sale in any of the four great street markets of leather lane the brill tottenham court road including the hampstead road and high street camden town the trade became established in the streets upwards of two years ago at first i am told by a street seller himself one of the first there were six head sellers who worked the parks and their vicinity my informant one day sold a gross of heads in and about hyde park and a more fortunate fellow trader on the same day sold 1 gross the heads were recommended whenever opportunity offered by a little patter here one man used to say heres the duke of wellingtons head for 1 d its modelled from the statty on horseback but is a improvement his nose speaks for itself sir robert peels only 1 d anybody you please is 1 d a free choice and no favour the queen and all the royal family 1 d apiece as the street seller offered to dispose of the model of any eminent mans head and face he held up some one of the most grotesque of the number another man one saturday evening sold five or six dozen to costermongers and others in the street markets pattering them off as the likenesses of any policeman who might be obnoxious to the street traders this was when the trade was new the number of sellers was a dozen in the second week it was soon twenty five all confining themselves to the sale of the heads besides these the heads were offered to the street buying public by many of the stationary street folk whose stock partook of a miscellaneous character the men carrying on this traffic were of the class of general street sellers the trade was spoiled sir said an informant by so many going into it but ive heard that its not bad in parts of the country now the sale was always best in the parks i believe and sundays was the best days i dont pretend to be learned about religion but i know that many a time after id earned next to nothing in a wet week it came a fine sunday morning and i took as much as got me and my wife and children a good dinner of meat and potatoes and sometimes when we could depend on it smoking hot from the bakers oven and i then felt i had something to thank god for you see sir when a mans been out all the week and often with nothing to call half a dinner and his wifes earnings only a few pence by sewing at home with three young children to take care of youre nourished and comforted and your strength keeps up by a meat dinner on a sunday quietly in your own room but them as eats their dinner without having to earn it cant understand about that and as the sunday park trade was stopped the police drive us about like dogs not gentlemens dogs but stray or mad dogs and it 435 seems theres some sort of a new police i cant understand a bit of it and i dont want to for the old police is trouble enough the gutta percha heads are mostly bought at the english and german swag shops a few are made by the men who sell them in the streets the swag price is 1 s the gross at one time the swag man demurred to sell less than half a gross but now when the demand is diminished a dozen is readily supplied for 8 d the street price retail is and always was 1 d a head the principal purchasers in the street are boys and young men with a few tradesmen or working people such as can afford a penny or two who buy the gutta percha heads for their children there used to be a tolerable trade in public houses where persons enjoying themselves bought them for a lark but this trade has now dwindled to a mere nothing one of the larks an informant knew to be practised was to attach the head to a piece of paper or card write upon it some ones name make it up into a parcel and send it to the flattered individual the same man had sold heads to young women not servant maids he thought but in some not very ill paid employment and he believed from their manner when buying for some similar purpose of larking when the heads were a novelty he sold a good many to women of the town there are now no street folks who depend upon the sale of these gutta percha heads but they sell them occasionally the usual mode is to display them on a tray and now generally with other things one man showed me his box which when the lid was raised he carried as a tray slung round his neck and it contained gutta percha heads exhibition medals and rings and other penny articles of jewellery there are at present i am informed 30 persons selling gutta percha heads in the streets some of them confining their business solely to those articles in this number however i do not include those who are both makers and sellers their average receipts i am assured do not exceed 5 s a week each for though some may take 15 s a week others and generally the stationary head sellers do not take 1 s the profit to the street retailer is one third of his receipts from this calculation it appears that if the present rate of sale continue 390 l is spent yearly in these street toys at one time it was far more than twice the amount of the street sellers of fly papers and beetle wafers fly papers came generally into street traffic i am informed in the summer of 1848 the fly papers are sold wholesale at many of the oil shops but the principal shop for the supply of the street traders is in whitechapel the wholesale price is 2 d a dozen and the street retail charge d a paper or three 1 d a young man to whom i was referred and whom i found selling or rather bartering crockery gave me the following account of his experience of the fly paper trade he was a rosy cheeked strong built young fellow and said he thought he was getting on in his present trade he spoke merrily of his troubles as i have found common among his class when they are over my father had a milk walk he said and when he died i was without money and had nothing to do but i soon got a place with a single gentleman he had a small house and kept only me and a old housekeeper i was to make myself generally useful but when i first went the most i had to do was to look after a horse that master had master never was on horseback in his life but he took skipjackthat was the horses name he was rising sixfor a debt and kept him two months till he could sell him to his mind master took a largeish gardenfor he was fond of growing flowers and vegetables and made presents of themjust before poor skipjack went and i was set to work in it besides do my house work it was a easy place and i was wery comfable but master who was a good master and a friend to a poor man as i know got into difficulties he was something in the city i never understood what and one night when id been above a year and a half with him he told me i must go for he couldnt afford to keep me any longer next day he was arrested quite sudden i believe and sent to prison for debt i had a good character but nobody cared for one from a man in prison and in a month my money was out and my last 3 s 6 d went for an advertisement what was no good to me i then took to holding horses or anything that way and used to sleep in the parks or by the road sides where it was quiet i did that for a month and more ive sometimes never tasted food all day and used to quench myself so he worded it with cold water from the pumps it took off the hunger for a time i got to know other boys that was living as i was and when i could afford it i slept at lodging houses the boys took me to or told me about one evening a gentleman gave me 1 s for catching his horse that hed left standing but it had got frightened and run off next morning i went into the fly paper trade its nearly two years ago i thinkbecause a boy i slept with did tidy in it we bought the papers at the first shop as was open and then got leave of the deputy of the lodging house to catch all the flies we could and we stuck them thick on the paper and fastened the paper to our hats i used to think when i was in service how a smart livery hat with a cockade to it would look but instead of that i turned out the first time in my life that ever i sold anything with my hat stuck round with flies i felt so ashamed i could have cried i was miserable i felt so awkerd but i spent my last 2 d in some gin and milk to give me courage and that brightened me up a bit and i set to work i went mile end way and got out of the main streets and i suppose id gone into streets and places where there hadnt often been fly papers before and i soon had a lot of boys following me and i felt almost as if id picked a pocket or done something to be shamed of i could hardly cry catch em alive only a halfpenny but i found i could sell my papers to public houses and 436 shopkeepers such as grocers and confectioners and that gave me pluck the boys caught flies and then came up to me and threw them against my hat and if they stuck the lads set up a shout i stuck to the trade however and took 2 s 6 d to 3 s every day that week more than half of it profit and on saturday i took 5 s 6 d the trade is all to housekeepers i called at open shops and looked up at the windows or held up my hat at private houses and was sometimes beckoned to go in and sell my papers women bought most i think nasty things they used to say theres no keeping nothing clean for them i stuck to the trade for near two months and then i was worth 13 s 6 d and had got a pair of good shoes and a good second hand shirt with one to change it and next i did a little in tins and hardware at the places where i used to go my fly rounds and in the winter i got into the crock trade with another young fellow for a mate and im in it yet and getting a tidy connection i think some of the fly paper sellers make their stock in trade but three fourths of the number buy them ready made the street sellers make them of old newspapers or other waste paper no matter how dirty to the paper they apply turpentine and common coach varnish some using resin instead of varnish and occasionally they dash a few grains of sugar over the composition when spread upon the paper last summer i was informed there were fifty or sixty persons selling fly papers and beetle wafers in the streets some of them boys and all of them of the general class of street sellers who take to any trade for which 1 s suffices as capital their average earnings may be estimated at 2 s 6 d a day about one half being profit this gives a street outlay say for a season of ten weeks of 375 l calculating fifty sellers a few of these street traders carried a side of a newspaper black with flies attached to a stick waving it like a flag the cries were catch em alive catch em alive for d new method of destroying thousands of the street sellers of miscellaneous manufactured articles in addition to the more staple wares which form the street trade in manufactured articles of a miscellaneous character are many as i said before which have been popular for a while and are now entirely disused in the course of my inquiry it was remarkable how oblivious i found many of the street sellers as to what they had sold at various periods o dear yes sir ive sold all sorts of things in the streets besides what im on now first one and then another as promised a few pence was the substance of a remark i frequently heard but what was meant by the one and the other thing thus sold they had a difficulty to call to mind but on a hint being thrown out they could usually give the necessary details from the information i acquired i select the following curious matter six or seven years ago galvanic rings were sold extensively by the street folk these were clumsy lead coloured things which were described by the puffing shop keepers and in due course by the street sellers as a perfect amulet a thing which by its mere contact with the finger would not only cure but prevent fits rheumatics and cramps on my asking a man who had sold them if these were all the ailments of which he and the others proclaimed the galvanic rings an infallible cure he answered like the quack medicines you read about sir in vertisements we said they was good for anything anybody complained of or was afraid was coming on them but we went mostly for rheumatics a sight of tin some of the shopkeepers must have made for what we sold at 1 d they got 6 d a piece for then for gold galvanicsand ive been told they was giltthey had 10 s 6 d each the streets is nothing to the shops on a dodge ive been told by people as id sold galvanics to that theyd had benefit from them i suppose that was just superstitious i think hyams did the most of any house in galvanics the men selling these ringsfor the business was carried on almost entirely by menwere the regular street traders who sell first one thing and then another they were carried in boxes as i have shown medals are now and they generally formed a portion of the street jewellers stock whether he were itinerant or stationary the purchasers were labourers in the open air such as those employed about buildings whose exposure to the alternations of heat and cold render them desirous of a cure for or preventive against rheumatism the costermongers were also purchasers and in the course of my inquiries among that numerous body i occasionally saw a galvanic ring still worn by a few and those chiefly i think fish sellers nor was the street or shop trade in these galvanic rings confined to amulets for the finger i heard of one elderly woman then a prosperous street seller in the new cut who slept with a galvanic ring on every toe she suffered so much from cramp and rheumatism there were also galvanic shields which were to be tied round the waist and warranted to cure all over they were retailed at 6 d each galvanic earrings were likewise a portion of this manufacture they were not drops from the ear but filled behind and around it as regards the back of the skull and were to avert rheumatic attacks and even aching from the head the street price was 1 s the pair galvanic bracelets handsomely gilt were 2 s 6 d the pair but the sale of all these higher priced charms was a mere nonentity compared to that of the penny rings another tradeif it may be classed under this headcarried on by great numbers and with great success for a while was that of cards with the lords prayer in the compass of a sixpence this was an engravingnow and then offered in the streets stillstrictly fulfilling the announcement as to the compass in which the prayer was contained with the addition of a drawing of the bible as part of the engraving within the sixpence 437 this trade was at first i am told chiefly in the hands of the patterers grand novelty they said splendid engraving the lords prayer with a beautiful picture of the bible all legible to the naked eye in the compass of a sixpence five hundred letters all clear on a sixpence one man said to me i knew very well there wasnt 500 but it was a neat number to cry a schoolmaster said to me oncewhy there isnt above half that number of letters he was wrong though for i believe theres 280 this card was published six or seven years ago and the success attending the sale of the lords prayer led to the publication of the belief in the same form when the trade was new said one man i could sell a gross in a day without any very great trouble but in a little time there was hundreds in the trade and one might patter hard to sell four dozen the wholesale price was 8 s the gross and as thirteen cards went to the dozen the days profit when a gross was sold was 5 s when the sale did not extend to beyond four dozen the profit was 1 s 8 d a few cards in letters of gold were vended in the streets at 6 d each they had large margins and presented a handsome appearance the wholesale price was 3 s 6 d the dozen when this trade was at its height there were i am told from 500 to 700 men women and children engaged in it selling the cards both with and without other articles the cards had also a very extensive sale in the country pen holders with glass or china handles are another commodity which appeared suddenly about six months ago in street commerce and at once became the staple of a considerable traffic these pens are eight or nine inches long the body so to speak being of solid round glass of almost all colours green blue and black predominating with a seal lacquered white or yellow at the top and a holder of the usual kind with a steel pen at the bottom some are made of white pot and called china pens and of these some are ornamented with small paintings of flowers and leaves these wares are german and were first charged 9 s 6 d the gross without pens which were an additional 3 d at the swag shops the price is now 5 s the gross the pens being the same the street sellers who were fortunate enough to get a good start with these articles did exceedingly well the pen holders when new are handsome looking and at 1 d each were cheap some few were at first retailed at 2 d one man i am told sold two and a half gross in one day in the neighbourhood of the bank purchasers not seldom taking a dozen or more as the demand continued some men connected with the supply of goods for street sale purchased all the stock in the swag shops expending about 170 l and at once raised the price to 10 s 6 d the gross this amount the poorer street sellers demurred to give as they could rarely obtain a higher price than 1 d each and 2 d for the ornamented holders but the street stationers who bought however very sparingly and the small shopkeepers gave the advance as they found the glass holders asked for on the whole i am told this forestalling was not very profitable to the speculators as when fresh supplies were received at the swags the price fell at first this street business was carried on by men but it was soon resorted to by numbers of poor women and children one gentleman informed me that in consequence of reading london labour and the london poor he usually had a little talk with the street sellers of whom he purchased any trifle he bought these pen holders of ten or twelve different women and girls all of them could answer correctly his inquiry as to the uses of the pens but only one girl of fifteen or sixteen and she hesitatingly ventured to assert that she could write her own name with the pen she offered for sale the street trade still continues but instead of being in the hands of 400 individualsas it was at the very least i am assured at one periodthere are now only about fifty carrying it on itinerantly while with the pitched sales people the glass holders are merely a portion of the stock and with the itinerants ten dozen a week a receipt of 10 s and a profit of 4 s 9 d is now an average sale the former glass holder sellers of the poorer sort are now vending oranges shirt buttons form another of the articles generally either useful things or with such recommendation to street buyers as the galvanic amulets possessed which every now and then are disposed of in great quantities in the streets if an attempt be made by a manufacturer to establish a cheaper shirt button for instance of horn or pot or glass and if it prove unsuccessful or if an improvement be effected and the old stock becomes a sort of dead stock the superseded goods have to be disposed of and i am informed by a person familiar with those establishments that the swag shopkeepers can always find customers for anything likely with the indispensable proviso that it be cheap in this way shirt buttons have lately been sold in the streets not only by the vendors of small wares in their regular trade but by men lads and girls some of the males shirtless themselves who sell them solely with a continuous and monotonous cry of halfpenny a dozen halfpenny a dozen the wholesale price of the last street lot was 3 d the gross or d the dozen to clear 6 d a day in shirt buttons is good work it is more frequently 4 d of the street sellers of walking sticks the walking sticks sold in the streets of london are principally purchased at wholesale houses in mint street and union street borough and their neighbourhoods theres no street trade said an intelligent man and ive tried most thats been or promised to be a living in the streets that is so tiresome as the walking stick trade there is nothing in which people are so particular the sticks sure to be either too short or too long or too thick or too thin or too limp or too stiff you would think it was a simple thing for a man to choose a stick out of a lot but if you were with 438 me a selling on a fine sunday at battersea fields youd see it wasnt o its a tiresome job the trade is a summer and a sunday trade the best localities are the several parks and the approaches to them greenwich park included hampstead heath kennington common and indeed wherever persons congregate for pedestrian purposes battersea fields being perhaps the place where the greatest sunday trade is carried on some of the greater thoroughfares too such as oxford street and the city road are a good deal frequented by the stick sellers this tradelike others where the article sold is not of general consumption or primary usefulnessaffords what i once heard a street seller call a good range there is no generally recognised price or value so that a smart trader in sticks can apportion his offers or his charges to what he may think to be the extent of endurance in a customer what might be 2 d to a man who looked knowing might be 6 d to a man who looked green the common sticks which are the cripples i was told of all the sorts of sticks the spoiled or inferior sticks mixed with common pines are 15 d the dozen from this price there is a gradual scale up to 8 s the dozen for good polished beyond that price the street seller rarely ventures and seldom buys even at that for street trade high rate as fourpenny and sixpenny sticks go off the best these saleable sticks are generally polished hazel or pine ive sold to all sorts of people sir said a stick seller i once had some very pretty sticks very cheap only 2 d a piece and i sold a good many to boys they bought them i suppose to look like men and darent carry them home for i once saw a boy id sold a stick to break it and throw it away just before he knocked at the door of a respectable house one sunday evening ive sold shilling sticks to gentlemen sometimes that had lost or broken or forgot their own canes theres nothing done in now in the streets nor in vines which is the little switchy things that used to be a sort of a plaything theres only one stick man in the streets as far as i know i thinkthat has what you may call a capital in sticks only the other day i saw him sell a registered stick near charing cross it was a beauty a bath cane with a splendid ivory head and a compass let into the ivory the head screwed off and beneath was a map of london and a guide to the great exhibition o but he has a beautiful stock and aint he aristocratic ash twigs with the light coloured bark on them not polished but just trimmed was a very good sale but theyre not now why as to what i take its such a uncertain trade that its hard to say some days i havent taken 6 d and the most money i ever took was one derby day at epsomi wish there was more derby days for poor peoples sakesand then i took 30 s the most money as ever i took in london was 14 s one sunday in battersea fields when i had a prime cheap stock of bamboos when i keep entirely to the stick trade and during the summer i may take 35 s in a week with a profit of 15 s the street stick sellers are i am assured sometimes about 200 in number on a fine sunday in the summer of these some are dock labourers who thus add to their daily earnings by a seventh days labour others and a smarter class are the supers supernumeraries of theatres who also eke out their pittance by sunday toil porters irregularly employed and consequently hard pushed to live also sell walking sticks on the sundays as do others who cannot affordas a well educated man a patterer on paper once said to meto lose a day if they were dd for it the usual mode of this street trade is to carry the bundle of sticks strapped together under the arm and deposit the ends on the ground when a sale is to be effected a few however and principally jews have stands with the walking sticks inclosed in a sort of frame on the mondays there are not above a third of the number of stick sellers there are on the sundays and on the other days of the week not above a seventh or an eighth calculating that for 12 weeks of the year there are every day 35 stick sellers each taking on an average 30 s a week with a profit individually of about 12 s we find 630 l expended in walking sticks in the streets on clear winter days a stick seller occasionally plies his trade but on frosty days they are occupied in letting out skates in the parks or wherever ponds are frozen of the street sellers of whips etc these traders are a distinct class from the stick sellers and have a distinct class of customers the sale is considerable for to many the possession of a whip is a matter of importance if one be lost or stolen for instance from a butchers cart at newgate market the need of a whip to proceed with the cart and horse to its destination prompts the purchase in the quickest manner and this is usually effected of the street seller who offers his wares to the carters at every established resort the commonest of the whips sold to cart drivers is sometimes represented as whalebone covered with gut but the whalebone is a stick and the flexible part is a piece of leather while the gut is a sort of canvas made to resemble the worked gut of the better sort of whips and is pasted to the stock the thongwhich in the common sort is called four strands or plaitsbeing attached to the flexible part some of these whips are old stocks recovered and many are sad rubbish but for any deceit the street seller can hardly be considered responsible as he always purchases at the shop of a wholesale whipmaker who is in some cases a retailer at the same price and under the same representations as the street seller the retail price is 1 s each the wholesale 8 s and 9 s a dozen some of the street whip sellers represent themselves as the makers but the whips are almost all made in birmingham and walsall the street seller of walking sticks from a daguerreotype by beard of these traders very few are the ordinary street sellers most of them have been in some 439 way or other connected with the care of horses and some were described to me as beaten out countrymen who had come up to town in the hope of obtaining employment and had failed one man of the last mentioned class told me that he had come to london from a village in cambridgeshire bringing with him testimonials of good character and some letters from parties whose recommendation he expected would be serviceable to him but he had in vain endeavoured for some months to obtain work with a carrier omnibus proprietor or job master either as driver or in charge of horses his prospects thus failing him he was now selling whips to earn his livelihood a friend advised him to do this as better than starving and as being a trade that he understood i often thought id be forced to go back home sir he said and id have been ashamed to do t for i would come to try my luck in london and would leave a place i had all my friendsand theyre not badly offtried to suade me to stop at home another year or two but come i would as if i must and couldnt help it i brought good clothes with me and theyre amost all gone and id be ashamed to go back so shabby like the prodigals son you know sir ill have another try yet for i get on to a cab next monday with a very respectable cab master as ive only myself i know i can do i was on one but not with the same master after id been six weeks here but in two days i was forced to give it up for i didnt know my way enough and i didnt know the distances and couldnt make the money i paid for my cab if i asked another cabman he was as likely to tell me wrong as right then the fares used to be shouting out i say cabby where the h are you going i told you mark lane and here we are at the minories drive back sir i know my way now well enough sir ive walked the streets too long not to know it i notice them on purpose now and know the distances ive written home for a few things for my new trade and im sure to get them they dont know im selling whips there would be such a laugh against me among all t young fellows if they did me as was so sure to do well in london its a poor trade a carmanll bid me 6 d for such a whip as this which is 4 s 3 d the half dozen wholesale i have to find my own whips my last customer said though i drives for a stunning grocer and be dd to him theyre great swearers some of them i make 7 s or 8 s in a week for i can walk all day without tiring i one week cleared 14 s next week i made 3 s i have slept in cheap lodging housesbut only in three one was very decent though out of the way one was middling and the tother was a pig sty ive seen very poor places in the country but nothing to it i now pay 2 s a week for a sort of closet with a bed in it at the top of a house but its clean and sweet and my landlords a greengrocer and coal merchant and firewood seller hes a good manand i can always earn a little against the rent with him by cleaning his harness and grooming his ponyhe calls it a pony but its over 15 handsand greasing his cart wheels and mucking out his stable and such like i shall live there when im on my cab other carmens whips are 1 s 6 d and as high as 2 s 6 d but the great sale is of those at 1 s the principal localities for the trade are at the meat markets the green markets smithfield the streets leading to billingsgate when crowded in the morning the neighbourhood of the docks and wharfs and the thoroughfares generally the trade in the other kind of whips is again in the hands of another class in that of cabmen who have lost their licence who have been maimed and the numerous hands who job about stablesespecially cab horse stableswhen without other employment the price of the inferior sort of gig whips is 1 s to 1 s 6 d the wholesale price being from 9 s 6 d to 14 s 6 d the dozen some are lower than 9 s 6 d but the cabmen i am told will hardly look at them they know what theyre a buying of and is wide awake and thats one reason why the profits so small occasionally one whip seller told me he had sold gig whips at 2 s or 2 s 6 d to gentlemen who had broken their valuable lance wood or beautiful thorn and who made a temporary purchase until they could buy at their accustomed shops a military gent with mustachers once called to me in piccadilly the same man stated and he said here give me the best you can for half a crown ive snapped my own i never use the whip when i drive for my horse is skittish and wont stand it but i cant drive without one in the height of the season two and sometimes three men sell handsome gig whips at the fashionable drives or the approaches i have taken as much as 30 s in a day for three whips said one man each 10 s but they were silver mounted thorn and very cheap indeed thats 8 or 9 years back people looks oftener at 10 s now ive sold horse dealers whips too with loaded ends oh all prices ive bought them wholesale at 8 s a dozen and 7 s 6 d a piece hunting whips are never sold in the streets now i have sold them but its a good while ago as riding whips for park gentlemen the stocks were of fine strong lancewoodsuch a close grain with buck horn handles and a close worked thong fastened to the stock by an eye loop which its slipped through you could hear its crack half a mile off threshing machines i called them all the whip sellers in a large way visit the races fairs and large markets within 50 miles of london some go as far as goodwood at the race time which is between 60 and 70 miles distant on a well thronged race ground these men will take 3 l or 4 l in a day and from a half to three fourths as much at a country fair they sell riding whips in the country but seldom in town an experienced man knew 40 whip sellers as nearly as he could call them to mind by sight and 20 by name he was certain that on no day 440 were there fewer than 30 in the streets and sometimesthough rarelythere were 100 the most prosperous of the body including their profits at races c make 1 l a week the year through the poorer sort from 5 s to 10 s and the latter are three times as numerous as the others averaging that only 30 whip sellers take 25 s each weekly with profits of from 5 s to 10 s in london alone we find 1 950 l expended in the streets in whips some of the whip sellers vend whipcord also to those cabmen and carters who cord their own whips the whipcord is bought wholesale at 2 s the pound sometimes lower and sold at d the knot there being generally six dozen knots in a pound another class mend cabmens whips re thonging or new springing them but these are street artisans of the street sellers of pipes and of snuff and tobacco boxes the pipes now sold in the streets and public houses are the china bowls and the comic heads the china bowl pipe has a bowl of white stone china which unscrews from a flexible tube or stem as it is sometimes called about a foot long with an imitation amber mouth piece they are retailed at 6 d each and cost 4 s a dozen at the swag shops the comic heads are of the clay ordinarily used in the making of pipes and cost 16 d the dozen or 15 s the gross they are usually retailed at 2 d some of the comic heads may be considered as hardly well described by the name as among them are deaths heads and faces of grinning devils the best sale of the comic heads said one man was when the duke put the soldiers pipes out at the barracks wouldnt allow them to smoke there it was a wellingtons head with his thumb to his nose taking a sight you know sir they went off capital lots of people that liked their pipe bought em in the public houses especial cause as i heerd one manhe was a boot closersay it made the old boy a ridiculing of hisself at that timewell really then i cant say how long its sincei sold little bone tobacco stopperstheyre seldom asked for now stoppers is quite out of fashionand one of them was a figure of old nosey the duke you knowit was intended as a joke you see sir a tobacco stopper there are now nine men selling pipes which they frequently raffle at the public houses it is not unusual for four persons to raffle at d each for a comic head the most costly pipes are not now offered in the streets but a few are sold on race courses i am informed that none of the pipe sellers depend entirely upon their traffic in those wares but occasionally sell and raffle such things as china ornaments or table covers or tobacco or snuff boxes if therefore we calculate that four persons sell pipes daily the year through taking each 25 s and clearing 10 s we find 260 l yearly expended upon the hawkers pipes the snuff and tobacco boxes disposed of by street traders for they are usually sold by the same individual are bought at the swag shops in a matter of traffic such as snuff boxes in which the fancy or taste of the purchaser is freely exercised there are of course many varieties the exterior of some presents a series of transverse lines coloured and looking neat enough others have a staring portrait of the queen or of a young lady or a brigand or a man inhaling the pungent dust with evident delight occasionally the adornment is a ruin a farm house or a hunting scene the retail price is from 4 d to 1 s and the wholesale 3 s to 7 s 6 d the dozen the scotch boxes called holyroods in the trade are also sold in the streets and public houses these are generally the self colour of the wood the better sort are lined with horn and are or should be remarkable for the closeness and nice adjustment of the hinges or joints they are soldsome i was told being german madeat the swag shops at 3 s the dozen or 4 d each to 6 s the dozen or 8 d each why i calclated said one box seller that one week when i was short of tin and had to buy single boxes or twos at a time to keep up a fair show of stock the swags got 2 s more out of me than if i could have gone and bought by the dozen i once ventured to buy a very fine holyrood itll take a man three hours to find out the way to open it if he doesnt know the trick the joints is so contrived but i have it yet i never could get an offer for what it cost me 5 s the tobacco boxes are of brass and iron though often called steel there are three sizes the quarter ounce costing 3 s the dozen the half ounce 4 s 3 d and the ounce 5 s 6 d the dozen or 6 d each these are the prices of the brass the iron which are sized in the same way are from 2 s to 3 s 6 d the dozen wholesale they are retailed at from 3 d to 6 d each the brass being retailed at from 4 d to 1 s all these boxes are opened and shut by pressure on a spring they are partly flat but rounded so as to fit in any pocket the cigar cases are of the same quality as the snuff boxes not the holyroods and cost at the german swag shops 3 s 6 d the dozen or 4 d each they are usually retailed or raffled for on saturday and monday nights at 6 d each but the trade is a small one one branch of this trade concerning which i heard many street sellers very freely express their opinions is the sale of indecent snuff boxes most of these traders insisted with a not unnatural bitterness that it would be as easy to stop the traffic as it was to stop sunday selling in the park but then gentlemen was accommodated by it they added these boxes and cigar cases are for the most part i am told french the lowest price being 2 s 6 d a box one man whose information was confirmed to me by others gave me the following account of what had come within his own knowledge theres eight and sometimes nine persons carrying on the indecent trade in snuff boxes and cigar cases they make a good bit of money but theyre drunken characters and often hard up theyve neither shame nor decency theyll 441 tempt lads or anybody they go to public houses which they know is used by fast gents that has money to spare and they watch old and very young gents in the streets or any gents indeed and when they see them loitering and looking after the girls they take an opportunity to offer a spicy snuff box very cheap its a trade only among rich people for i believe the indecent sellers cant afford to sell at all under 2 s 6 d and they ask high prices when they get hold of a green un perhaps one up on a spree from oxford or cambridge well i cant say where they get their goods nor at what price thats their secret they carry them in a box with proper snuff boxes to be seen when its opened and the others in a secret drawer beneath or in their pockets you may have seen a stylish shop in oxford street and in the big window is large pipe heads of a fine quality and on them is painted quite beautiful naked figures of women and theres snuff boxes and cigar cases of much the same sort but theyre nothing to what these men sell i must know for its not very long since i was forced through distress to colour a lot of the figures i could colour 50 a day i hadnt a weeks work at it i dont know what they make perhaps twice as much in a day as in the regular trade can be made in a week i was told by one of them that one race day he took 15 l its not every day they do a good business for sometimes they may hawk without ever showing their boxes but gentlemen will have them if they pay ever so much for them theres a risk in the trade certainly sometimes the police gets hold of them but very very seldom and its 3 months or if the vice society takes it up it may be 12 months the two as does best in the trade are women they carry great lots theyve never been apprehended and theyve been in the trade for years no i should say they was not women of the town theyre both living with men but the mens not in the same trade and i think is in no trade just fancy men so ive understood i may observe that the generality of the hawkers of indecent prints and cards are women there are about 35 persons selling snuff and tobacco boxesthe greatest sale being of tobacco boxesand cigar cases generally with the other things i have mentioned of these 35 however not one half sell snuff boxes constantly but resort to any traffic of temporary interest in the public or street public estimation some sell only in the evenings reckoning that 15 persons on snuff and tobacco and cigar boxes alone take 18 s weekly clearing 7 s or 8 s we find 702 l thus expended of the street sellers of cigars cigars i am informed have constituted a portion of the street trade for upwards of 20 years having been introduced not long after the removal of the prohibition on their importation from cuba it was not however until five or six years later that they were at all extensively sold in the streets but the street trade in cigars is no longer extensive and in some respects has ceased to exist altogether i am told by experienced persons that the cigars first vended in the streets and public houses were really smuggled i say really smuggled as many now vended under that pretence never came from the smugglers hands well now sir said one man the last time i sold pickwicks and cubers a penny apiece with lights for nothing was at greenwich fair on the sly rather and them as i could make believe was buying a smuggled thing bought far freer everybody likes a smuggled thing this remark is only in consonance with what i have heard from others of the same class in my time ive sold what was smuggled or made to appear as sich but far more in the country than town to all sortsto gentlemen and ladies and shopkeepers and parsons and doctors and lawyers why no sir i cant say as how i ever sold anything in that way to an exciseman but smugglingll always be liked its sich a satisfaction to any man to think hes done the tax gatherer the price of a cigar in the earlier stages of the street traffic was 2 d and 3 d one of the boxes in which these wares are ordinarily packed was divided by a partition the one side containing the higher and the other the lower priced article the division was often a mere trick of tradein justification of which any street seller would be sure to cite the precedent of shopkeepers practicesfor the cigars might be the same price wholesale but the bigger and better looking were selected as threepennies the werry choicest and realest hawanners as mild as milk and as strong as gunpowder for such i am told was the cry of a then well known street trader the great sale was of the twopennies as the fuzees now so common were unknown and lucifer matches were higher priced and much inferior to what they are at present the cigar seller in most instances carried tow with him a portion of which he kept ignited in a sort of tinder box and at this the smokers lighted their cigars or the vender twisted together a little tow and handed it ignited to a customer that if he were walking on he might renew his light if the cigar wouldnt draw a cheaper cigar soon found its way into street commerce only a penny apiece prime cigars and on its first introduction a straw was fitted into it as a mouth piece cigar tubes were also sold in the streets they were generally of bone and charged from 2 d to 1 s each the cigar was fitted into the tube and they were strongly recommended on the score of economy as by means of this tube any genlman can smoke his cigar to half a quarter of an inch instead of being forced to throw it away with an inch and a half left these tubes have not for a long time been vended in the streets i am told by a person who himself was then engaged in the sale that the greatest number of penny cigars ever sold in the streets in one day was on that of her majestys coronation june 28 1838 of this he was quite 442 positive from what he had experienced seen and heard in my opinion said another street seller the greatest injury the street trade in such things had was when the publicans took to selling cigars they didnt at first at least not generally ive sold cigars myself at the bars of respectable houses to gentlemen that was having their glass of ale with a friend and one has said to another come well have a smoke and has bought a couple o no i never was admitted to offer them in a parlour or tap room that would have interfered with the order for screws penny papers of tobacco which is a rattling good profit i can tell you indeed i was looked shy at from behind the bar but if customers chose to buy a landlord could hardly interfere now its no go at all in such places one common practice among the smarter street seller when on cigars was until of late years and still is occasionally at races and fairs to possess themselves of a few really choice weeds as like as they could procure them to their stock in trade and to smoke one of them as they urged their traffic the aroma was full and delicate and this was appealed to if necessary or as one man worded it the smell was left to speak for itself the street folk who prefer the sale of what is more or less a luxury become by the mere necessities of their calling physiognomists and quick observers and i have no reason to doubt the assertion of one cigar vendor when he declared that in the earlier stages of this traffic he could always and most unerringly in the country pick out the man on whose judgment others seemed to rely and by selling him one of his choice reserve procure a really impartial opinion as to its excellence and so influence other purchasers when the town trade grew stalethe usual term for its falling offthe cigar sellers had a remunerative field in many parts of the country in london before railways became the sole means of locomotion to a distance the cigar sellers frequented the coaching yards and the outsides frequently bought a cigar to warm their noses of a cold night and sometimes filled their cases if the cigar seller chanced to have the good word of the coachman or guard the cigar street trade was started by two jews brothers named benasses who were licensed to deal in tobacco and vended good articles when they relinquished the open air business they supplied the other street sellers whose numbers increased very rapidly the itinerant cigar vending was always principally in the hands of the jews but the general street traders resorted to the traffic on all occasions of public resort sich times observed one as fairs and races and crownations and queens weddings i wish they came a bit oftener for the sake of trade the manufacture of the cigars sold at the lowest rates is now almost entirely in the hands of the jews and i am informed by a distinguished member of that ancient faith that when i treat of the hebrew children employed in making cigars there will be much to be detailed of which the public have little cognisance and little suspicion the cigars in question are bought wholesale in petticoat lane rosemary lane ailie street tenter ground in goodmans fields and similar localities the kinds in chief demand are pickwicks 7 s and 8 s per lb cubas 8 s 6 d common havannahs and bengal cheroots the same price but the bengal cheroots are not uncommonly smuggled the best places for cigar selling one man stated ive always found to be out of town about greenwich and shooters hill and to the gents going to kensington gardens and such like places about the eagle tavern was good too as well as the streets leading to the surrey zoologicalone could whisper cheap cigar sir half what theyll charge you inside ive known young women treat their young men to cigars as they were going to cremorne or other public places but theres next to no trade that way now and hasnt been these five or six years i dont know what stopped it exactly ive heard it was shop keepers that had licences complaining of street people as hadnt and so the police stopped the trade as much as they could at all the neighbouring races and fairs and at any great gathering of people in town cigars are sold more with the affectation than the reality of its being done quite on the sly the retail price is 1 d each and three for 2 d some of the cheap cigars are made to run 200 and even as high as 230 to the pound a fuzee is often given into the bargain i am told that on all favourable opportunities there are still 100 persons who vend cigars in the streets of london while a greater number of london hands carry on the trade at epsom and ascot races at other periods the business is all but a nonentity to clear 1 l a week is considered good work at one period on every fine sunday there were not i am assured fewer than 500 persons selling cigars in the open air in london and its suburbs of the street sellers of sponge this is one of the street trades which has been long in the hands of the jews and unlike the traffic in pencils sealing wax and other articles of which i have treated it remains so principally still in perhaps no article which is a regular branch of the street trade is there a greater diversity in the price and quality than in sponge the street sellers buy it at 1 s occasionally 6 d and as high as 21 s the pound at one time i believe about 20 years back when fine sponge in large pieces was scarce and dear some street sellers gave 28 s the pound or in buying a smaller quantity 2 s an ounce i have sold sponge of all sorts said an experienced street seller both fine toilet fit for any lady or gentleman and coarse stuff not fit to groom a ass with that very common sponge is mostly 1 s the lb wholesale but its no manner of use its so sandy and gritty it weighs heavy 443 or there might be a better profit on it it has to be trimmed up and damped for showing it and then it always feels hask harsh to the hand it rubs to bits in no time there was a old gent what i served with sponges and he was very perticler and the best customer i ever had for his housekeeper bought her leathers of me like a deal of old coves that has nothing to do and doesnt often stir out but hidles away time in reading or pottering about a garden he was fond of a talk and hed give me a glass of something short as if to make me listen to him for i used to get fidgety and hed talk away stunning hes dead now hes told me and more nor once that sponges was more of a animal than a wegetable continued the incredulous street seller i do believe people reads theirselves silly such nonsense does it look like a animal wheres its head and its nose hed better have said it was a fish and its not a wegetable neither but ill tell you what it is sir and from them as has seen it where its got with their own eyes i have some relations as is sea farin men and i went a woyage once myself when a ladone of my relations has seen it gathered by divers i forget where from the rocks at the bottom and shores of the sea and he says its just sea mossstuff as grows there as moss does to old walls in england thats what it is sir as its grown in the water it holds water you see ive made 15 s on sponge alone in a good week when i had a good stock but oftener ive made only 10 s and sometimes not 5 s my best trade is at private houses a little ways out of town ive heard gents say a good spongings as good as a bath and when i could get good things cheap theyd be sure to sell no i never did much at the mews another man told me that he once bought a large quantity of sponge at 6 d the lb trimmed it up as well as he could and got a man to help him and the two worked it off in barrows there was six barrows full and as one was emptied it was replenished it was sold at 1 d and 2 d a lump about twenty lumps or pieces going to a pound so that there was 14 d profit on what cost 6 d even on the penny lumps he had forgotten the exact amount he cleared and he and his mate sold it all in one summers evening but it was somewhere about 10 s this happened some years ago when the common sponge which i heard called also honeycomb sponge was not so blown upon as my informant expressed it as it is now on my asking this man as to the proportion of jews in this trade he answered well many a day im satisfied theres 100 people selling sponge and i should say that for every ten or twelve jews is one christian and half of them or more has been in some sort of service i mean the christians has most likely stable helpers and they supplies the mews and the job and livery stables such of them as requires men to find their own sponges but thats only a few sponges is mostly bought for such places at the saddlers and other shops in my opinion sir jews is better christians than christians themselves for they help one another and we dont ive been helped by a jew myself without any connection with them theyre terrible keen hands at a bargain though the sponge in the street trade is purchased wholesale chiefly in houndsditch the wholesale trade in sponge i may add is also in the hands of the jews the great mart is smyrna the best qualities being gathered in the islands of the greek archipelago the sponge is carried by the street traders in baskets the bearer holding a specimen piece or two in his hand smaller pieces are sometimes carried in nets and nets were more frequently in use for this purpose than at present it is nearly all sold by itinerants in the business parts as well as the suburbs the purchasers being shopkeepers innkeepers gentlemen and gentlemens servants sometimes low priced sponge is offered in a street market on a saturday or monday night but very rarely as it is a thing little used by the poor a little is sold to the cabmen at their stands the sponge sellers i may add when going a regular round offer their wares to any passer by a little is done by the jews in bartering sponge for old clothes there are five or six women in the trade i have reason to believe that the estimate of my informant as to the number of sponge sellers is correct but some sell sponge only occasionally some make it only a portion of their business and others vend it only when they have it a bargain calculating then that only fifty persons so allowing for the irregularities in the trade vend sponge daily and that each takes 15 s weekly some taking 25 s and others but 5 s with about half profit on the whole the common sponge is often from 200 to 300 per cent profit we find the outlay to be 1 950 l of the street sellers of wash leathers the wash leathers sometimes called shammys chamois now sold extensively in the streets are for the most part the half of a sheep skin or of a larger lamb skin the skin is split by machinery and to a perfect nicety into two portions that known as the grain the part to which the fleece of the animal is attached is very thin and is dressed into a skiver a kind of leather used in the commoner requirements of book binding and for such purposes as the lining of hats the other portion the flesh is dressed as wash leather these skins are bought at the leather sellers and the leather dressers at from 2 s to 20 s the dozen the higher priced or those from 12 s are often entire and not split skins the great majority of the street sellers of wash leathers are women and principally irishwomen they offer their wash leathers in all parts of town calling at shops and inns and at private houses offering them through the area rails or knocking at the door when it is accessible many of these street sellers are the wives of irish labourers employed by bricklayers and others who are either childless or able to leave their younger children under 444 the care of an older brother or sister or when the poverty of the parents or their culpable neglect is extreme allow them to run at large in the court or street untended the wives by this street trade add to the husbands earnings in the respects of honesty and chastity these women bear good characters the wash leathers are sold for the cleaning of windows and of plate and metal goods sixpence is a common price for a leather the higher priced being sold at the mews and at gentlemens houses the chamois sold at the mews however are not often sold by the irishwomen but by the class i have described as selling scissors c there the leathers are also cut into pennyworths and these pennyworths are sometimes sold on saturday evenings in the street markets there are i am assured 100 individuals selling little or nothing else but wash leathers for these traders are found in all the suburbs in london and that they take 10 s weekly with a profit of from 4 s to 5 s there are also 100 other persons selling them occasionally along with other goods and as they vend the higher priced articles they probably receive nearly an equal amount hence it would appear that upwards of 5000 l is annually expended in the streets in this purchase of the street sellers of spectacles and eye glasses twenty five years ago the street trade in spectacles was almost entirely in the hands of the jews who hawked them in their boxes of jewellery and sold them in the streets and public houses carrying them in their hands as is done still the trade was then far more remunerative than it is at the present time to the street folk carrying it on people had more money then one old spectacle seller now vending sponges said and there wasnt so many forced to take to the streets irish particularly and opticians charges were higher than they are now and those who wanted glasses thought they were a take in if they wasnt charged a fair price o times was very different then the spectacles in the street trade are bought at swag shops in houndsditch the common metal frames with or without slides are 2 s 6 d to 3 s 6 d the dozen wholesale and are retailed from 4 d to 1 s the horn frames are 6 s to 7 s 6 d the dozen and are retailed from 9 d to 18 d and even 2 s the thin steel are from 10 s 6 d to 21 s the dozen and are retailed from 1 s 6 d to 3 s there are higher and lower prices but those i have cited are what are usually paid by the street traders the inequality of the retail prices is accounted for by there being some difference in the spectacles in a dozen some being of a better looking material in horn or metal others better finished then there is the chance of which street sellers are not slow to avail themselves no more nor is shopkeepers one man said i mean the chance of obtaining an enhanced price for an article with whose precise value the buyer is unacquainted the patter said the street trader i have before quoted is nothing now to what ive known it you call it patter but i dont i think its more in the way of persuasion and is mostly said in public houses and not in the streets why ive persuaded people when i was in the trade and doing well at itfor that always gives you spiritsive persuaded them in spite of their eyes that they wanted glasses i knew a man who used to brag that he could talk people blind and then they bought it wasnt old people i so much sold to as young and middle aged i think perhaps i sold as many because people thought they looked better or more knowing in them than to help their eyesight ive known my customers try my glasses one pair after another in the chimney glass of a public house parlour theyre real scotch pebbles i used to say sometimesand i always had a fair article and was intended for a solid silver frame but the frame was made too small for them and so i got them and put them into this frame myself for im an optician out of work by trade theyre worth 15 s but you may have them framed and all for 7 s 6 d i got 5 s for one pair once that way but they were a superior thing i had them a particular bargain one man told me that not long ago he asked 10 d for a pair of spectacles and a journeyman slop tailor said to him why i only gave 1 s for this pair im wearing a few years back and they ought to be less than 10 d now for the dutys off glass the eye glasses sold in the streets are framed in horn they are bought at the same places as the spectacles and cost wholesale for single eyes 4 s 6 d to 7 s 6 d the dozen the retail price is from 6 d to 1 s the double eyes which are jointed in the middle so that the frame can be fitted to the bridge of the nose are 10 s 6 d to 15 s the dozen and are retailed by the street folk from 1 s 3 d to 2 s each the spectacles are sold principally to working men and are rarely hawked in the suburbs the chief sale is in public houses but they are offered in all the busier thoroughfares and wherever a crowd is assembled the eye glasses said a man who vended them is sold to what i calls counter hoppers and black legs youll see most of the young swells thats mixed up with gaming concerns at racesfor theres gaming still though the booths is put down in many placessport their eye glasses and so did them as used to be concerned in getting up derby and st leger sweeps at public houses least ways ive sold to them where sweeps was held and they was busy about them and offered me a chance sometimes for a handsome eye glass but theyre going out of fashion is eye glasses i think the other day i stood and offered them for nearly five hours at the foot of london bridge which used to be a tidy pitch for them and i couldnt sell one all that day i didnt take a halfpenny there are sometimes 100 men the half of whom are jews and irishmen in equal propor 445 tions now selling spectacles and eye glasses some of these traders are feeble from age accident continued sickness or constitution and represent that they must carry on a light trade being incapable of hard work even if they could get it two women sell spectacles along with dutch drops as in other light trades the spectacle sellers do not as a body confine themselves to those wares but resort as one told me to anything thats up at the time and promises better for a love of change is common among those who pursue a street life it may be estimated i am assured that there are thirty five men so allowing for the breaks in regular spectacle selling who vend them daily taking 15 s a week with a profit of 10 s the yearly expenditure being thus 1365 l of the street sellers of dolls the making of dolls like that of many a thing required for a mere recreation a toy a pastime is often carried on amidst squalor wretchedness or privation orto use the word i have frequently heard among the poorpinching of this matter however i shall have to treat when i proceed to consider the manufacture of and trade in dolls generally not merely as respects street sale dolls are now so cheap and so generally sold by open air traders whose wares are of a miscellaneous character as among the swag barrow or penny a piece men of whom i have treated separately that the sale of what are among the most ancient of all toys as a business of itself is far smaller numerically than it was the dolls are most usually carried in baskets by street sellers who are not makers and generally by women who are very poor here and there in the streets most frequented by the patrons of the open air trade may be seen a handsome stall of dolls of all sizes and fashions but these are generally the property of makers although those makers may buy a portion of their stock there are also smaller stalls which may present the stock of the mere seller the dolls for street traffic may be bought at the swag shops or of the makers for the little armless 1 d dolls the maker charges the street seller 8 s and to the swag shop keeper who may buy largely 7 s 6 d the dozen some little stalls are composed entirely of penny dolls on others the prices run from 1 d to 6 d the chief trade however among the class i now describe is carried on by the display of dolls in baskets if the vendor can only attract the notice of childrenand more especially in a private suburban residence where children are not used to the sight of dolls on stalls or barrows or in shopsand can shower a few blessings and compliments god be wid your bhutiful faces thinand yours too my lady maam with a curtsey to mistress or maid buy one of these dolls of a poor woman shure theyre bhutiful dolls and shuted for them angels o the worruld under such circumstances i say a sale is almost certain i may add that the words i have given i myself heard a poor irishwoman whom i had seen before selling large pincushions in the same neighbourhood that of the regents park address to a lady who was walking round her garden accompanied by two children a vendor of dolls expresses an opinion that as long as ever there are children from two years old to ten there will always be purchasers of dolls but for all that said he somehow or another t is nothing of a trade to what it used to be ive seen the time when i could turn out in the morning and earn a pound afore night but its different now theres so many bazaars and so many toy shops that the doll hawker hasnt half the chance he used to have sartinly we gets a chance now and thenfine days is the bestand if we can get into the squares or where the children walks with their nurses we can do tidy but the police are so very particular theres not much of a livelihood to be got spoiled children are our best customers whenever we sees a likely customer approachingwe that is those who know their businessalways throw ourselves in the way and spread out our dolls to the best advantage if we hears young miss say she will have one and cries for it we are almost sure of a customer and if we see her kick and fight a bit with the nuss maid we are sure of a good price if a child cries well we never baits our price most of the doll sellers are the manufacturers of the dollsthat is i mean they puts em together the heads are made in hamburgh the principal places for buying them in london are at alfred daviss in houndsditch whites in houndsditch and josephs in leadenhall street they are sold as thus the heads that we sell for 3 d each when made up cost us 7 s 6 d per gross or 7 d per dozen these are called 1os no 2os are 8 s 6 d per gross and no 3os 10 s per gross one yard and half of calico will make a dozen bodies small size these we get sewn for three halfpence and we stuffs and finishes them ourselves when our 3 d dolls are made up they cost about 1 s per dozenso there is 2 d profit on every doll which i thinks is little enough but we often sells em at 2 d we lays em out to the best advantage in a deep basket all standing up as it were or leaning against the sides of the basket the legs and bodies is carefully wrapped in tissue paper not exactly to preserve the lower part of the doll for that isnt so very valuable but in reality to conceal the legs and body which is rather the reverse of symmetrical for to tell the truth every doll looks as if it were labouring under an attack of the gout there are however some very neat articles exported from germany especially the jointed dolls but they are too dear for the street hawker and would not show to such advantage there is also the plaster dolls with the match legs i wonder how they keep their stand for they are very old fashioned but they sell for you never see a chandlers shop window without seeing one of these sticking in it and a falling down as if it was drunk then theres the wax dolls some of em are made of wax and others of pappy mashy and afterwards dipped in wax the cheapest and best mart for these is in barbi 446 can it would astonish many if they knew exactly what was laid out in the course of a year in dolls it would be impossible i think to ascertain exactly but i think i could guess something near the mark there are at least at this time of year when the fairs are coming on fifty doll hawkers who sell nothing else say each of these sells one dozen dolls per day and that their average price is 4 d each that is just 10 l a day and 60 l per week in the winter time so many are not sold but i have no doubt that 50 l s worth of dolls are sold each week throughout the year by london hawkers alone or just upon 3000 l per annum the shops sell as many as the hawkers and the stalls attending fairs half the amount and you may safely say that the sum taken for dolls in and around london in one year amounts to 7500 l a doll merchant can begin business with a trifle continued my informant a shilling will obtain a dozen 3 d dolls if you have no basket carry them in your arms although they dont show off to such advantage there as they do when nicely basketed however if youve luck you may soon raise a basket for 3 s 6 d you can get a very nice one and although the doll trade is not what it used to be there are said my informant worse games than that yet i know one man who is now in a very respectable way of business a regular gentleman was a very few years ago only a doll hawker another man who had two hands and only one armpoor fellow he was born with one arm and had two hands one appended to his arm in the usual way and the other attached to his shouldera freak of nature i think they called it however my one armed friend keeps now a very respectable little swag shop at north shields in northumberland i inquired of my informant whether he objected to relate a little of his history he replied not the least and recounted as follows they call me dick the dollman i was i believe the first as ever cried dolls three a shilling in the streets afore i began they alays stood still with em but i cried em out same as they do mackrel that is twenty years ago i wasnt originally a doll seller my father was a pensioner in greenwich college my mother used to hawk and had a licence i was put to school in st patricks school lanarks passage where i remained six years but i didnt learn much at thirteen years of age i was apprenticed to a brush and broom makers corner of c street spitalfields my master was not the honestest chap in the world for he bought hair illegal was found out and got transported for seven years a man who worked for my master took me to finish my apprenticeship this man and his wife was very old people i used to work four days in the week two for them and two for myself the other two days i went out hawking brooms and brushes and very often would earn 7 s or 8 s on a saturday but times was better then than they are now arter that for sake of gain i left the old people i was offered 20 s to make and hawk and in course i took it i remained with this master five months he was afflicted with rheumatic feverwent into the hospitaland i was left to shift for myself when my master went to the hospital i had 7 s 6 d in my pocket i knew i must do something and to tell you the truth i didnt like the brush making i would rather have hawked something without the trouble of making it i think now i was a little afflicted with laziness i was passing london bridge and saw a man selling marshalls pocket books i knowed him afore i thought i should like to try the pocket book selling and communicated my wishes to the man he told me they cost eight shillings a dozen if i liked we would purchase a dozen atwixt us we did so i received half a dozen but i afterwards learned that my friend obtained seven for his share as they were sold thirteen to the dozen i went to chancery lane with my lot and was very lucky i sold the six books to one gentleman for six shillings in course i soon obtained another supply that day i sold four dozen and earned 20 s i was such a good seller that marshall let me have 3 l or 4 l s worth on credit and i never paid him i know that was wrong now but i was such a foolish chap and used to spend my money as fast as i got it i would have given marshall a shilling the other day if i had had one for i see him selling penny books in the street i thought it was hard lines and had been such a gentleman too somerset house corner was a capital stand for selling pocket books the way i took to the dolls was this i met a girl with a doll basket one day as i was standing at somerset house corner she and i got a talking will you go to the delphy to night says i she consented they was a playing tom and jerry at this time all the street sellers went to see it and other people and nice and crabbed some on em was well we goes to the delphyand i sees her often arter that and at last gets married she used to buy her dolls ready made i soon finds out where to get the headsand the profits when we made them ourselves was much greater we began to serve hawkers and shops went to bristolsaved 47 l comes to london and spends it all walks back to bristol and by the time we got there we had cleared more than 20 l we were about a month on the journey and visited cheltenham and other towns we used to spend our money very foolishly we were too fond of what was called getting on the spree you see we might have done well if we had liked but we hadnt the sense my wife got very clever at the dolls and so did i then i tried my hand at the wax dolls and got to make them very well i paid a guinea to learn i was selling wax dolls one day in london and a gentleman asked me if i could mend a wax figure whose face was broken i replied yes for i had made a few wax heads large size for some showmen i had made some murderers who was hung lately i made rush and mr and mrs manning but the showmen cant afford to get new heads now a days so they generally makes one head do for all sometimes they changes the dress well as i was telling you i went with this gentleman and proposed that he should have 447 a new head cast for the face of the figure was so much broken it was androcles pulling the thorn out of the lions foot and was to be exhibited i got 20 s for making the new head the gentleman asked me if i knew the story about androcles now i had never heard on him afore but i didnt like to confess my ignorance so i says yes then he offers me 30 s a week to describe it in the flora gardens where it was to be exhibited i at once accepted the engagement but i was in a bit of a fix for i didnt know what to say i inquired of a good many people but none on em could tell me at last i was advised to go to mr charles slomanyou know who i meanhim as makes a song and sings it directly i was told he writes things for people i went and he wrote me out a patter i asked him how much he charged he said nothing my man sartinly he wasnt long a doing it but it was very kind of him i got what mr sloman wrote out for me printed and this i stuck inside my hat the people couldnt see it though i dare say they wondered what i was looking in my hat about however in a week or so i got it by heart and could speak it well enough after exhibiting androcles i got an engagement with another waxwork shownamed biancisand afterwards at other shows i was considered a very good doorsman in time but theres very little to be got by that now so we keeps to the dolly business and finds we can get a better living at that than anything else me and the old woman can earn 1 l a week bad and all as things are but were obliged to hawk of the swag barrowmen and lot sellers the swag miscellaneous barrow is one of the objects in the streets which attracts perhaps more readily than any other the regards of the passer by there are so many articles and of such various uses they are often so closely packed so new and clean looking and every here and there so tastefully arranged that this street traders barrow really repays an examination here are spread on the flat part of the barrow pepper cruets or boxes tea caddies nutmeg graters vinegar cruets pen cases glass or china handled pens pot ornaments beads ear rings finger rings plain or with stones cases of scent bottles dolls needle cases pincushions exhibition medals and frames framed pictures watches shawl pins extinguishers trumpets and other toys kaleidoscopes seals combs lockets thimbles bone tooth picks small playing cards teetotums shuttle cocks key rings shirt studs or buttons hooks and eyes coat studs money boxes spoons boxes of toys earthenware mugs and glass articles such as salt cellars and smelling bottles on one barrow were 225 articles at the back and sides of the swag barrow are generally articles which are best displayed in an erect position these are childrens wooden swords whips climbing monkeys and tumblers jointed snakes twisting to the wind from the top of a stick kites and such things as tin egg holders perhaps on very few barrows or stalls are to be seen all the articles i have enumerated but they are all in the trade and if not found in this mans stock may be found in his neighbours things which attain only a temporary sale such as galvanic rings the lords prayer in the compass of a sixpence gutta percha heads c are also to be found during the popular demand in the miscellaneous traders stock each of the articles enumerated is retailed at 1 d only a penny is the cry pick em out anywhere wherever your taste lies only a penny a penny a penny but on a few other barrows are goods mixed with the penny wares of a higher price such as knives and forks mustard pots sham beer glasses the glasses which appear to hold beer frothing to the brim higher priced articles of jewellery skipping ropes drums china ornaments c at these barrows the prices run from 1 d to 1 s the practice of selling by commission the same as i have shown to prevail among the costers exists among the miscellaneous dealers of whom i am treating who are known among street folk as swag barrowmen or in the popular ellipsis penny swags the word swag meaning as i before showed a collectiona lot the swag men are often confounded with the lot sellers so that i proceed to show the difference the lot sellers proper are those who vend a variety of small articles or a lot all for 1 d a lot frequently consists of a sheet of songs a chinese puzzle a 5 l note bank of elegance an exhibition snuff box containing 6 spoons a half jack half sovereign a gold ring a silver ring and a chased keeper with rose thistle and shamrock on it the lots are diversified with packs of a few cards little pewter ornaments boxes of small wooden toys shirt buttons baby thimbles beads tiny scent bottles and such like the penny apiece or swag trade as contradistinguished from the penny lots vended by the lot sellers was originated by a man who some 19 years ago sold a variety of trifles from a tea tray in petticoat lane my informant had heard him sayfor the original penny apiece died four years agothat he did it to get rid of the odds and ends of his stock the system however at once attracted popularity and the fortunate street seller prospered and died worth money at that period penny goods excepting such things as sweet stuffs pastry c were far less numerous in the streets and yet i have never met with an old street trader a statement fully borne out by old and intelligent mechanics who did not pronounce spare pennies to be far more abundant in those days among the poorer and even middle classes there were moreover far fewer street chapmen so that this novel mode of business had every chance to thrive the origin of lot selling or selling penny lots instead of penny articles was more curious it was commenced by an ingenious swiss 448 about a year after the penny apiece trade known in the street circles as swede he was a refugee a roman catholic and a hot politician he spoke and understood english well but had no sympathy with the liberal parties in this country he was a republican he would say and the chartists were only milk and water when he established his lot selling he used to place to his mouth an instrument which was described to me as like a doubled card and play upon it very finely this would attract a crowd and he would then address them in good english but with a slight foreign accent my frents come to me and i will show you my musical instruments which will play italian swiss french scotch irish or any tunes and here you see beautiful cheap lots of useful tings and elegant tings a penny a lot a penny a lot the arrangement of the lots was similar to what it is at present but the components of the pennyworth were far less numerous this man carried on a good trade in london for two or three years and then applied his industry to a country more than a town career he died about five or six years ago at his abode in fashion street spitalfields worth money at the time of his decease he was the proprietor of two lodging houses one in spitalfields the other in birmingham both i am told well conducted the charge was 4 d a night he did not reside in either but employed deputies i may observe that he sold his musical instruments also at 1 d each but the sale was insignificant only himself seemed master of em said one man with other people they were no better nor a jews harp of the penny apiece street vendors there are about 300 in london 250 having barrows and 50 stalls or pitches on the ground some even sell at a halfpenny apiece but chiefly to get rid of inferior wares or when cracked up and unable to spring a better stock the barrows are 7 feet by 3 are well built in general and cost 50 s each these barrows when fully stocked are very heavy about 4 cwt so that it requires a strong man to propel one any distance and though occasionally the mans wife officiates as the saleswoman there is always a man connected with the business in my description of a stock of penny goods i have mentioned that there were 225 articles these were counted on a barrow in a street near the brillbut probably on another occasion when there appeared a better chance of selling there might be 500 articles such things as rings and the like admitting of being stowed by the hundred in very small compass the great display however is only on the occasion of holidays or when a man starts and wants to stun you with a show at maidstone fair the other day a london street seller rather well to do sold his entire stock of penny articles to a shopkeeper of the town and when counted there were exactly fifteen gross or 2160 pieces as they are sometimes called these vended at 1 d each would realize just 9 l and would cost wholesale about 6 l or for ready money at the swag shops where they may be bought from 10 s to 20 s less according to the bargaining powers of the buyer the mans reason for selling was that the fair was no good that is to say the farmers had no money and their labourers received only 7 s a week so there was no demand the swag seller therefore rather than incur the trouble and expense of having to carry his wares back to london sold at a loss to a shopkeeper in maidstone who wanted a stock the swag barrowmen selling on commission have 3 s in every 20 s worth of goods that they sell the commission may average from 9 s to 12 s a week in tolerable weather but as in bad and especially in foggy weather the trade cannot be prosecuted at all 7 s 6 d may be the highest average or 10 s the year through the character of the penny swag men belongs more to that of the costermongers than to any other class of street folk many of them drink as freely as their means will permit i was told of a match between a teetotaller and a beer drinker about nine years ago it was for 5 s a side and the championship each man started with an equal stock alike in all respects but my informant had forgotten the precise number of articles they pattered twenty five yards apart one from another three hours in james street covent garden three hours in the blackfriars road and three hours in deptford the teetotaller was sold out in seven and a half hours while his opponentand the contest seems to have been carried on very good humouredlyat the nine hours end had four dozen articles left and was rather exhausted or as it was described to me told out the result albeit was not looked upon i was assured as anything very decisive of the relative merits of beer or water as the source of strength or inspiration of patter the teetotaller was the smarter though he did not appear the stronger man he abandoned the championship and went into another trade four years ago the patter of the swag men has nothing of the humour of the paper workers it is merely declaratory that the extensive stock offered on such liberal terms to the public would furnish a wholesale shop that such another opportunity for cheap pennyworths could never by any possibility occur again and that it was a duty on all who heard the patterer to buy at once the men having their own barrows or stalls but the stall trade is small buy their goods as they find their stock needs replenishment at the swag shops it was a good trade at first sir said one man and for its not being a good trade now we may partly blame one another there was a cutting down trade among us black earrings were bought at 14 d the dozen and sold at a loss at 1 d each so were childrens trap bats and monkeys up sticks but they are now 9 d a dozen sometimes sir as i know the master of a swag barrow gets served out you see a man may once on a time have a good day and take as much as 2 l well next day hell use part of that money and go as a penny swag on his own account or else hell buy things he is sold out of and work them on his own account on 449 his masters barrow all right sir his master makes him a convenience for his own pocket and so his master may be made a convenience for the mans when he takes the barrow back at the weeks end if hes been doing a little on his own dodge theres the stock and theres the money its all right between a rich man and a poor man that way turn and turn abouts fair play the lot sellers are when the whole body are in london about 200 in number but they are three times as itinerant into the country as are the traders in the heavier and little portable swag barrows the lot sellers nearly all vend their goods from trays slung from their shoulders the best localities for the lot sellers are ratcliffe highway commercial road whitechapel minories tower hill tooley street newington causeway walworth blackfriars and westminster roads long acre holborn and oxford street to this list may be added the brill tottenham court road and the other street markets on saturday evenings when some of these places are almost impassable the best places for the swag barrow trade are also those i have specified their customers alike for the useful and fancy articles are the working classes and the chief sale is on saturdays and mondays one swag man told me that he thought he could sell better if he had a less crowded barrow but his master was so keen of money that he would make him try everything it made selling more tiresome too he said for a poor couple who had a penny or two to lay out would fix on half the things they saw and change them for others before they parted with their money of the penny a piece sellers trading on their own account the receipts may be smaller than those of the men who work the huge swag barrows on commission but their profits are greater calculating that 100 of these traders are the year round in london some are absent all the summer at country fairs and on any favourable opportunity while a number of swag barrowmen leave that employment for costermongering on their own account and that each takes 2 l weekly we find no less than 10 400 l thus expended in the streets of london in a year the lot sellers also resort largely to the country and frequently try other callings such as the sale of fruit medals c some also sell lots only on saturday and monday nights taking these deductions into consideration it may be estimated that only fifty men there is but one female lot seller on her own account carry on the trade presuming it to be spread over the six days of the week each of them may take 13 s weekly with a profit of 7 s 6 d so showing the street outlay to be 1 690 l the lots are bought at the german and english swag shops the principal supply however is procured from black tom in clerkenwell of the street sellers of roulette boxes in my account of the street trade in china ornaments i had occasion to mention a use to which a roulette box or portable roulette table was put i need only repeat in this place that the box usually of mahogany contains a board with numbered partitions which is set spinning by means of a central knob on a pivot the lid is then placed on the box a pea is slipped through a hole in the lid and on the number of the partition in which the pea is found deposited when the motion has ceased depends the result the table or board is thus adapted for the determination of that mode of raising money popular among costermongers and other street folk who in their very charities crave some excitement i mean a raffle or it may be used for play by one or more persons the highest number spun determining the winner these street sold tables may still be put to another use in the smaller sort going no higher than fourteen one division is blank thus any one may play against another or several others spinning in turns the blank being a chance in the bankers favour some of the tables however are numbered as high as 36 or as a seller of them described it single and double zero bang a french game this curious street trade has been carried on for seven years but with frequent interruptions by one man who until within these few weeks was the sole trader in the article there are now but two selling roulette boxes at all regularly the long established salesman wears mustachios and has a good deal the look of a foreigner during his seven years experience he has sold he calculates 12 000 roulette boxes at a profit of from 175 l to 200 l the prices retail are from 1 s to 2 l at which high amount my informant once disposed of a roulette in the street he has sold however more at 1 s than at all other rates together the shilling roulette is about three inches in diameter the others proportionately larger these wares are german made bought at a swag shop and retailed at a profit of from 15 to 33 per cent they are carried in a basket one being held for public examination in the vendors hand my best customers said the experienced man in the business are stock brokers travellers and parsons people that have spare time on their hands o i mean by travellers gentlemen going on a railway who pass the time away at roulette now and then a regular leg when hes travelling to chester york or doncaster to the races may draw other passengers into play and make a trifle or not a trifle by it or he will play with other legs but its generally for amusement ive reason to believe friends travelling together play for a trifle to pass away time or who shall pay for breakfasts for two or such like i supplied one gaming house with a large roulette table made of a substance that if you throw it into waterand theres always a pail of tepid readywould dissolve very quickly when its not used its hung against the wall and is so made that it looks to be an oil painting framed it cost them 10 l i suppose i have the knock of almost every gaming house in london theres plenty of them still the police can drive such as me about in the streets or out of the streets to 450 starve but lords and gentlemen and some parsons i know go to the gaming houses and when ones broke into by the officersits really funnyjohn smith and thomas jones and william brown are pulled up but as no gaming implements are found theres nothing against them some of these houses are never noticed for a long time the great nick hasnt been nor the little nick i dont know why theyre called nicks those two but so they are perhaps after old nick at the great nick i dare say theres often 1000 l depending but the little nick is what we call only brown papermen low gamblersplaying for pence and 1 s being a great go i wonder the police allow that of the street sellers of poison for rats the number of vermin destroyers and rat catchers who ply their avocation in london has of late years become greatly diminished one cause which i heard assigned for this was that many ruinous old buildings and old streets had been removed and whole colonies of rats had been thereby extirpated another was that the race of rat catchers had become distrusted and had either sought some other mode of subsistence or had resorted to other fields for the exercise of their professional labours the rat catchers dress is usually a velveteen jacket strong corduroy trowsers and laced boots round his shoulder he wears an oil skin belt on which are painted the figures of huge rats with fierce looking eyes and formidable whiskers his hat is usually glazed and sometimes painted after the manner of his belt occasionallyand in the country far more than in townhe carries in his hand an iron cage in which are ferrets while two or three crop eared rough terriers dog his footsteps sometimes a tamed rat runs about his shoulders and arms or nestles in his bosom or in the large pockets of his coat when a rat catcher is thus accompanied there is generally a strong aromatic odour about him far from agreeable this is owing to his clothes being rubbed with oil of thyme and oil of aniseed mixed together this composition is said to be so attractive to the sense of the rats when used by a man who understands its due apportionment and proper application that the vermin have left their holes and crawled to the master of the powerful spell i heard of one man not a rat catcher professionally who had in this way tamed a rat so effectually that the animal would eat out of his mouth crawl upon his shoulder to be fed and then smuggle into his bosom the words of my informant and sleep there for hours the rat catchers have many wonderful stories of the sagacity of the rat and though in reciting their own feats these men may not be the most trustworthy of narrators any work on natural history will avouch that rats are sagacious may be trained to be very docile and are naturally animals of great resources in all straits and difficulties one great source of the rat catchers employment and emolument thirty years ago or even to a later period is now comparatively a nonentity at that time the rat catcher or killer sometimes received a yearly or quarterly stipend to keep a london granary clear of rats i was told by a man who has for twenty eight years been employed about london granaries that he had never known a rat catcher employed in one except about twenty or twenty two years ago and that was in a granary by the river side the professional man he told me certainly poisoned many rats which stunk so continued my informantbut then all evil odours in old buildings are attributed to dead ratsthat it was enough to infect the corn he poisoned two fine cats as well but i believe he was a young hand and a bungler the rats after these measures had been taken seem to have deserted the place for three weeks or a month when they returned in as great numbers as ever nor were their ravages and annoyances checked until the drains were altered and rebuilt it is in the better disposition of the drains of a corn magazine i am assured that the great check upon the inroads of these varmint is attainedby strong mason work and by such a series and arrangement of grates as defy even the perseverance of a rat otherwise the hordes which prey upon the garbage in the common sewers are certain to find their way into the granary along the drains and channels communicating with those sewers and will increase rapidly despite the measures of the rat catcher the same man told me that he had been five or six times applied to by rat catchers and with liberal offers of beer to allow them to try and capture the black rats in the granary one of these traders declared that he wanted them for a gent as vas curous in them there hinteresting warmint but from the representations of the other applicants my informant was convinced that they were wanted for rat hunts the dog billy being backed for 100 l to kill so many rats in so many minutes you see sir the corn merchants man continued ours is an old concern and theres black rats in it great big fellows some of em must be old for theyre as white about the muzzle as is the duke of wellington and they have the character of being very strong and very fierce one of the catchers asked me if i knew what a stunning big black rat would weigh as if i weighed rats i always told them that i cared nothing about rat hunts and that i knew our people wouldnt like to be bothered and they was gentlemen that didnt admire sporting characters the black rat i may observe or the english rat is now comparatively scarce while the brown or hanoverian rat is abundant this brown rat seems to have become largely domiciled in england about the period of the establishment of the hanoverian dynasty whence its name a hanover rat was a term of reproach applied by the jacobites to the successful party the rat catchers are also rat killers they destroy the animals sometimes by giving them what is called in the trade an alluring poison every professional destroyer or capturer of rats will pretend that as to poison he has his own particular methodhis secrethis discovery but 451 there is no doubt that arsenic is the basis of all their poisons its being inodorous and easily reducible to a soft fine powder renders it the best adapted for mixing with anything of which rats are fondtoasted cheese or bacon or fried liver or tallow or oatmeal much as the poisoner may be able to tempt the animals appetite he must and does proceed cautiously if the bait be placed in an unwonted spot it is often untouched if it be placed where rats have been accustomed to find their food it is often devoured but even then it is frequently accounted best to leave the bait unpoisoned for the first night so that a hungry animal may attack it greedily the second with oatmeal it is usual to mix for the first and even second nights a portion of pounded white sugar if this be eaten it accustoms the jealous pest to the degree of sweetness communicated by arsenic the oatmeal poison is i am told the most effectual but even when mixed only with sugar it is often refused as rats is often better up to a dodge nor kirstians christians another mode of killing rats is for the professional destroyer to slip a ferret into the rats haunts wherever it is practicable the ferret soon dislodges them and as they emerge for safety they are seized by terriers who after watching the holes often a long time and very patiently and almost breathlessly throttle them silently excepting the short squeak or half squeak of the rat who by a good dog is seized unerringly by the part of the back where the terriers gripe and shake is speedy death if the rat still move or shows signs of life the well trained rat killers dog cracks the vermins skull between his teeth if the rats have to be taken alive they are either trapped so as not to injure them for a rat hunt or the procedure in the pit would be accounted foul or if driven out of their holes by ferrets they can only run into some cask or other contrivance where they can be secured for the sportsmans purposes although any visible injury to the body of the rat will prevent its reception into a pit the creatures teeth are often drawn and with all the cruelty of a rough awkwardness by means of pinchers so that they may be unable to bite the puppies being trained for the pit on the rats if the vermin be not truly seized by the dog the victim will twist round and inflict a tremendous bite on his worrier generally on the lip this often causes the terrier to drop his prey with a yell and if a puppy he may not forget the lesson from the sharp nip of the rat to prevent this it is that the rat catchers play the dentist on their unfortunate captives i heard many accounts of the dodges practised by or imputed to the rat catchers that it was not a very unusual thing to deposit here and there a dead rat when those vermin were to be poisoned on any premises it is then concluded that the good poison has done its good work and the dead animal supplies an ocular demonstration of professional skill these men also i am informed let loose live rats in buildings adapted for the purpose and afterwards apply for employment to destroy them i am informed that the principal scene of the rat catchers labours in london is at the mews and in private stables coach houses and out buildings it is probable that the gentlemens servants connected with such places like the excitement of rat hunting and so encourage the profession which supplies them with that gratification in these places such labours are often necessary as well as popular for i was informed by a coachman then living with his family in a west end mews and long acquainted with the mews in different parts of town that the drainage was often very defective and sanitary regulationsexcept perhaps as regarded the horseslittle cared for hence rats abounded and were with difficulty dislodged from their secure retreats in the ill constructed drains and kennels the great sale of the rat catchers is to the shops supplying private parties with rats for the amusement of seeing them killed by dogs with some fast men one of these shopkeepers told me it was a favourite pastime in their own rooms on the sunday mornings it is however somewhat costly if carried on extensively as the retail charge from the shops is 6 d per rat the price from the catcher to the dealer is from 2 s 6 d to 7 s the dozen rats it appears are sometimes scarce and then the shopkeeper must buy to keep up his connection at enhanced cost one large bird seller who sold also plain and fancy rats white mice and live hedgehogs told me that he had last winter been compelled to give 7 s a dozen for his vermin and sell them at 6 d each the grand consumption of rats however is in bunhill row at a public house kept by a pugilist a rat seller told me that from 200 to 500 rats were killed there weekly the weekly average being however only the former number while at easter and other holidays it is not uncommon to see bills posted announcing the destruction of 500 rats on the same day and in a given time admittance 6 d dogs are matched at these and similar places as to which kills the greatest number of these animals in the shortest time i am told that there are forty such places in london but in some only the holiday times are celebrated in this small imitation of the beast combats of the ancients there is too a frequent abandonment of the trade in consequence of its not paying and perhaps it may be fair to estimate that the average consumption of this vermin game does not exceed in each of these places 20 a week or 1040 in a year giving an aggregateover and above those consumed in private sportof 52 000 rats in a year or 1000 a week in public amusement alone to show the nature of the sport of rat catching i print the following bill of which i procured two copies the words and type are precisely the same in each but one bill is printed on good and the other on very indifferent paper as if for distribution among distinct classes the concluding announcement as to the precise moment at which 452 killing will commence reads supremely business like ratting for the million a sporting gentleman who is a staunch supporter of the destruction of these vermin will give a gold repeater watch to be killed for by dogs under 13lbs wt 15 rats each to come off at jemmy masseys kings head compton st soho on tuesday may 20 1851 to be killed in a large wire pit a chalk circle to be drawn in the centre for the second any man touching dog or rats or acting in any way unfair his dog will be disqualified to go to scale at half past 7 killing to commence at half past 8 precisely a dealer in live animals told me that there were several men who brought a few dozens of rats or even a single dozen from the country men who were not professionally rat catchers but worked in gardens or on farms and at their leisure caught rats even some of the london professional rat catchers work sometimes as country labourers and their business is far greater in merely rat catching or killing in the country than in town from the best information i could command there are not fewer than 2000 rats killed for sport in london weekly or 104 000 a year including private and public sport for private sport in this pursuit goes on uninterruptedly the public delectation therein is but periodical this calculation is of course exclusive of the number of rats killed by the profession on the premises when these men are employed to clear the premises of vermin there are i am told 100 rat catchers resorting at intervals to london but only a fourth of that number can be estimated as carrying on their labours regularly in town and their average earnings i am assured do not exceed 15 s a week being 975 l a year for london merely these men have about them much of the affected mystery of men who are engaged on the turf they have their secrets make or pretend to make their books on rat fights and other sporting events are not averse to drinking and lead in general irregular lives they are usually on intimate terms with the street dog sellers who are much of the same class many of the rat catchers have been brought up in stables and there is little education among them when in london they are chiefly to be found in whitechapel westminster and kent street borough the more established having their own rooms the others living in the low lodging houses none of them remain in london the entire year these men also sell rat poison baked flour or oatmeal sometimes in cakes arsenic being the ingredient the charge is from 2 d to 1 s according to the circumstances of the customer in like manner the charge for clearing a house of vermin varies from 2 s to 1 l a very frequent charge is 2 s 6 d of the street sellers of rhubarb and spice from the street seller whose portrait has already been given i received the following history he appeared to be a very truthful and kindly disposed old man i am one native of mogadore in morocco i am an arab i left my countree when i was sixteen or eighteen year of age i forget sir i dont know which about eighteen i tink it was my fader was like market man make de people pay de tollhe rent de whole market you see from de governemen and make de people pay so much for deir stands i cant tell you what dey call dem dere i couldnt recollect what my fader pay for de market but i know some of de people pay him a penny some a hapenny for de stands dere everyting sheap not what dey are here in england dey may stop all day for de toll or go when de market is over my fader was not very rishnot very poorhe keep a family we have bread meat shicken apples grapes all de good tings to eat not like heretis de sheapest countree in de world my fader have two wifes not at once you know he bury de first and marry anoder i was by second wife he have seven shildren by her four sons and tree daughters by de first i tink dere was five two sons and tree daughters bless you by de time i was born dere was great many of em married and away in de world i dont know where dey are now only one broder i got live for what i know wheder de oders are dead or where dey are i cant tell de one broder i speak of is in algiers now he is dealer dere what led me to come away you say like good many i was young and foolish like all de rest of young people i like to see foreign countries but you see in my countree de governemen dont like de people to come away not widout you pay so mush so gibraltar was de only port i could go to it was only one twenty miles across de waterclose to us you see you go to gibraltar like smugglingyou smuggle yourselfyou talk wid de captain and he do it for you the street rhubarb and spice seller from a daguerreotype by beard my fader been dead years and years before i come away i suppose i was about ten year old when he die i had been at school till time i was grown up and after dat i was shoemaker i make de slippers oh yes my moder was alive denshe was dead when i was here in england i get about one penny a pair for de slippers in my countree penny dere as good as shilling here amost i could make tree four five pair in one day i could live on my gains den better dan what i could do here wid twelve times as mushdat 453 time i could i dont know what it is now yes my moder give me leave to go where i like she never see me since sighing oh yes i love her very mush i am old man now but i never forgot her yet here the old man burst into tears and buried his face in his handkerchief for several minutes no no she dont know when i come away dat she never see me again nor me neider i tell i go gibraltar and den i tell her i go to lisbon to see my broder who was spirit merchant dere i didnt say noting not at all about coming back to her but i tought i should come back soon if i had tought i never see no more not all de gold in de world take me from her she was good moder to me i was de youngest but one my broders kept my moder you see where i came from it is not like here if only one in de family well off de oders never want for noting in my country you see de law is you must maintain your fader and moder before you maintain your own family you must keep dem in de house here he repeated the law in hebrew de people were mahomedans in mogadore but we were jews just like here you see de first ting de jews teesh de shildren is deir duty to deir faders and deir moders and dey love one anoder more than de gold but dey love de gold more dan most people for you see gold is more to dem in my countree de governemen treat de jews very badly so de money all de jews have to help dem often de government in my country take all deir money from de jews and kill dem after so de jews all keep deir money in secret places put de gold in jars and dig dem in de ground and de men worths hundreds go about wid no better clothes dan mine well you see i leave my poor moder we kissed one anoder and cry for half an hour and come away to gibraltar when i get dere my broder come away from lisbon to gibraltar dat time it was war time and de french was coming to lisbon so everybody run when i come away from mogadore i have about one hundred dollarssome my moder give me and some i had save when i got to gibraltar i begin to have a little stand in de street wid silk handkershiefs cotton handkershiefs shop goods you know i do very well wid dat so after i get licence to hawk de town and after dat i keep shop altogeder i stop in gibraltar about six year i had den about five or six hundred dollars i live very well all de time i dere i was wid my broder all de time after i am six year in gibraltar i begin to tink i do better in england i tink like good many people if i go to anoder part dat is rishert is de rishest countree in de worldi do better still so i start off and get i here i tink in 1811 when de tree shilling pieces first come out i have about one hundred and tirty pound at dat time i stop in london a good bit and eat my money it was most done before i start to look for my living i try to look what i could do but i was quite stranger you see i am about fourteen or fifteen month before i begin to do anyting i go to de play house i see never such tings as i see here before i come when i come here i tink i am in heaven altogethergod amighty forgive mesuch sops shops and such beautiful tings i live in mary axe parish when i first come same parish where i live now well you see some of my countreemen den getting good living by selling de rhubarb and spices in de street i get to know dem all and dat time you see was de good time money was plenty like de dirt here dat time dere was about six or seven arabians in de street selling rhubarb and spices five of em was from mogadore and two from not far off and dere is about five more going troo de country dey all sell de same tings merely rhubarb and spice dat time before den was good for tem tingsafter dat dey get de silks and tings beside i cant tell what first make dem sell de rhubarb and de spice but i tink it is because people like to buy de turkey rhubarb of de men in de turbans when i was little shild i hear talk in mogadore of de people of my country sell de rhubarb in de streets of london and make plenty money by it dere was one very old arabian in de streets wen i first come dey call him sole he been forty year at de same business he wear de long beard and turkish dress he used to stand by bow shursh sheapside everybody in de street know him he was de old establish one he been dead now let me seehow long he been deadoh dis six or seven and twenty year he die in gibraltar very poor and very oldmost ninety year of age all de rhubarb sellers was jews dere was anoder called ben aforiat and two broders and anoder his name was azuli one of aforiats broders use to stand in st pauls shurshyard he was very well know all de oders hawk about de town like i do myself now dey all gone dead and dere only four of us now in england dey all in london and none in de country two of us live in mary axe anoder live in what dey call datspitalfield and de oder in petticoat lane de one wat live in spitalfield is old man i dare say going for 70 de one in petticoat lane not mush above 30 i am little better dan 73 and de oder wat live in mary axe about 40 i been de longest of all in de streets about tirty eight or tirty nine year all dat was here when i first come die in london except dat old man sole wat i was telling you of dat die in gibraltar about tirteen or fourteen die since i come to england some die in de hospital of de jews at mile end some die at homenot one of dem die worth no money six of dem was very old people between 60 and 70 dere was some tirty some forty some of dem die by inshes dere was one fine fellow he was six foot two and strong man he take to his bed and fall away so at last you see troo his hand he was noting but de carcase oders die of what you call de yellow jaundice some have de fever but deir time was come de death we must be when i first come to dis countree me make plenty of money by selling de rhubarb in de street five and twenty year ago i make a pound a day 454 some time take one week wid another i dare say i clear after i pay all de cost of my living tirty shillings and now god help me i dont make not twelve shilling a week and all my food to pay out of dat one week wid anoder when i go out i clear about twelve shilling everyting is so sheep now and dere is so many sops shops people has no money to buy tings with i could do better when everyting was dear i could live better get more money and have more for it i have better food better lodging and better clothes i dont know wat is de cause as you say i only know dat i am worse and everybody is worse dat is all i know bread is sheeper but when it was one and ninepence de loaf i could get plenty to buy it wid but now it is five pence i cant no five pence to have it if de cow is de penny in de market what is de use of dat if you cant get no penny to buy him after i been selling my rhubarb for two years when i fust come here i save about a hundred and fifty pound and den you see i agree wid tree oder of my countrymen to take a sop shop in exeter de oder tree was rhubarb sellers like myself and have save good bit of money as well one have seven hundred pound but he have brought tree or four hundred pound wid him to dis countree anoder of de tree have about two hundred and de oder about one hundred dey have all save deir money out of de rhubarb we keep our sop you see about five year and den we fall in pieces altogeder we take and trust and lose all our money toders never keep a sop before and not one of us was english scholar we was forced to keep a man and dat way we lose all our money so we was force to part and every one go look for hisself den we all go selling rhubarb again about de country and in london and i never able to hold up my head since when i come back to de rhubarb times is getting bad and i not able to save no more money all i am worth in de world is all i got in my box and dat altogether is not more dan ten shilling last week i havnt a pound of meat in de house and i am obliged to pawn my waistcoat and handkerchief to get me some stock it easy to put dem in but very hard to get dem out i had two wives after two or tree year when i come i marry my first i had two shildren by my first but both of dem die very young one was about five year old and de oder about tree when i travel the countree my first wife she go wid me everywhere i been to all partsto scotland to wales but not ireland i see enough of dem irish in dis countree i do no want no more of dem dere not one of my countree i tink ever been to ireland and only one beside myself been to scotland but dat no use de scotsh dont know wat de spice is all de time i am in scotland i cant get no bread only barley and pea meal and dat as sour as de winegarand i cant get no flour to make none tooso i begin to say by god i come to wrong countree here when i go across de countree of england i never live in no lodging housesalways in de publicbecause you see i do business dere de missus perhaps dere buy my spices of me i lodge once in taunton at a house where a woman keep a lodging house for de jewish people wat go about wid de gold tingsde jewellery at oder towns i stop at de public for dere is de company and i sell my tings i buy my rhubarb and my spice of de large warehouse for de drugs sometime i buy it of my countreemen we all of us know de good spice from de bad you look i will show you how to tell de good nutmeg from de bad here is some in de shell you see i put de strong pin in one and de oil run out dat is because dey has not been put in de spirit to take away de oil for to make de extract now in de bad nutmeg all de oil been took out by de spirit and den dere is no flavour like dose you buy in de sheep sops cheap shops i sell de rhubarb east indy and turkey de cloves cinnamons mace cayenne pepper white peppera little of all sorts when i get de money to buy it wid i take my solemn oat i never sheat in scales nor weight because de law is take weight and give weight dat is judge and justice dere is no luck in de sort weightno luck at all never in my life i put no tings wid my goods i tell you de troot i grind my white pepper wid my own hands but i buy me ginger ground and dat is mixed i know i tink it is pea flour dey put wid it dere is no smell in dat but it is de same colourtwo ounces of ginger will give de smell to one pound of pea flour de public houses will have de sheap ginger and dat i buy i tell you de troot how am i tell what will become of me dat is de almightys work here he pointed to heaven de jews is very good to deir old people if it was not for my old woman i be like a gentleman now in de hospital at mile end but you see i marry de christian woman and dat is against our peopleand i would never leave herno not for all de good in de world to come to myself if i am poor i not de only one in de holiday times i send a petition and perhaps dere is five shillings for me from de hospital in de jews hospital dere is only tenwhat you call de portuguese jews we have hospital to our ownselves dere de old peopledey are all above sixtyare all like noblemen wid good clothes plenty to eat go where you like and pipe of tobacco when you want but i wont go in no hospital away from my old woman i will get a bit of crust for her as long as i can standbut i can hardly do that now every one got his feeling and i will feel for her as long as i live when dere is de weather i have de rheumatisoh very badsometime i can scarcely stand or walk i am seventy tree and it is a sad time for me now i am merry sometime tho everyting wid de pocket when de pocket is merry den i am merry too sometime i go home wid one shilling and den i tink all gets worse and worse and what will become of me i saybut dat is de almightys work and i trust in him can i trust any better one sometime i say i wish i was back in my countreeand i tink of my poor moder wat is dead now and den i am very sad oh yes bless your heart very sad indeed 455 the old man appears to sell excellent articles and to be a very truthful fair dealing man of the hawking of tea persons hawking tea without a licence see chittys edition of burns justice vol ii p 1113 are liable to a penalty under 50 geo iii cap 41 and even though they had a licence they would be liable to a penalty for selling tea in an unentered place the penalty under this act is 10 l but the prohibition in question has long been commonly if not very directly evaded the hawking of tea in london cannot be considered as immediately a street trade but it is in some respects blended with street callings and street traffic so that a brief account is necessary i will first give a short history of what is or was more intimately a portion of the street trade until about eight or ten years ago tea was extensively hawkedfrom house to house almoston tally the tally system is that wherein weekly payments are taken in liquidation of the cost of the article purchased and the trade is one embodying much of evil and much of trickery at the present time the tallymen are very numerous in london and in the tally trade there are now not less than 1000 hawkers of or travellers in tea but they carry on their business principally in the suburbs when i come to treat of the class whom i have called distributors i shall devote an especial inquiry to the tally trade including of course the tea trade mr mculloch mentions that a scotchmans tally walkand the majority of the tallymen are scotchmenis worth 15 per cent more than an englishmans the branch of the tea trade closely connected with the street business is that in tea leaves the exhausted leaves of the tea pot are purchased of servants or of poor women and they are made into new tea one gentlemanto whose information and to the care he took to test the accuracy of his every statement i am bound to express my acknowledgmentstold me that it would be fair to reckon that in london 1500 lbs of tea leaves were weekly converted into new tea or 78 000 lbs in the year one house is known to be very extensively and profitably concerned in this trade or rather manufacture and on my asking the gentleman who gave me the information if the house in question he told me the name was accounted respectable by their fellow citizens the answer was at once highly respectable the old tea leaves to be converted into new are placed by the manufacturers on hot plates and are re dried and re dyed to give the green hue a preparation of copper is used for the black no dye is necessary in the generality of cases this tea manufacture is sold to cheap or slop shopkeepers both in town and country and especially for hawking in the country and is almost always sold ready mixed the admixture of sloe leaves c which used to be gathered for the adulteration of tea is now unknown and has been unknown since tea became cheaper but the old tea leaf trade i am assured carried on so quietly and cleverly that the most vigilant excise officers are completely in the dark a smaller tea maker was however fined for tea leaf conversion last year into this curious question concerning the purposes for which the old tea leaves are now purchased by parties in the street i shall enter searchingly when i treat of the street buyers the information i have already received is of great curiosity and importance nor shall i suppress the names of those dishonest traders who purchase the old dried tea leaves as a means of cheating their customers into the statistics of this strange trade i will not now enter but i am informed that great quantities of tea leaves are sent from the country to london perhaps of the 1500 lbs weekly manufactured three quarters may be collected in the metropolis i may here add that the great bulk of the tea now hawked throughout the metropolis is supplied from the handsome cars or vans of well known grocers and tea dealers of theseit was computed for methere are on no day fewer than 100 in the streets of london and of its contiguous and its more remote suburbs such as woolwich and even barnet one tradesman has six such cars the tea is put up in bags of 7 14 and 21 lbs duly apportioned in quarter half and whole pounds a quarter of a pound being the smallest quantity vended in this manner the van and its contents are then entrusted to a driver who has his regular round and very often his regular customers the customers purchase the tea from their faith in the respectability of the firmgenerally well known through extensive advertising the teas are supplied by the house which is pronounced to supply them for the tradesman is the capitalist in the matter his carman is the labourer and the house is responsible for the quality of the article when a new connection has to be formed or an old connection to be extended circulars bon fide are sent round and the carman afterwards calls and in some genteel streets i was told calls oft enough at every house and in many districts at every decent looking house in every street so far then even this part of the traffic may be considered one of the streets the remuneration of the street traveller in or hawker of tea is usually 1 d per lb on the lower priced kinds 2 d on the higher but more often 1 d and very rarely indeed 3 d on the highest the trade is one peculiar to great citiesand most peculiar i am assured to londonfor the tradesman does not know so much as the name of his customer nor perhaps does the carman but merely as number such an one the supply is for ready money or if credit be given it is at the risk of the carman who has a weekly wage in addition to his perquisites every evening when the vehicle is driven back to the premises of its owner stock is taken and the money taken by the carmanminus 456 what may be called the poundageis paid over to the proper party a man who had driven or as he called it managed one of these vans told me that he made this way 2 s to 2 s 6 d a day but he added if you make a good thing of it that way you have all the less salary these carmen are men of good character and good address and were described to me by a gentleman familiar with the trade as of the very best class of porters as this vehicular itinerant business has now become an integral part of the general tea trade i need not further dwell upon it but reserve it until i come to treat of the shopmen of grocers and tea dealers and thence of the tea trade in general i may add however that the tea thus hawked is as regards perhaps three fourths of the quantity sold known as mixed and sold at 4 s per lb costing at a tea brokers from 2 s 11 d to 3 s 3 d it is announced as to its staple or entire compound to be congou but is in reality a tea known as pouchong some old ladies are still anxious i was told for a cup of good strong bohea and though bohea has been unknown to the tea trade since the expiration of the east india companys charter in 1834 the accommodating street traveller will undertake to supply the genuine leaf to which the old lady had been so long accustomed the green teas thus sold and they are not above a fiftieth part of the other are common twankays and common young hysons neither of themi can state on excellent authorityaccounted in the trade to be true teas but as in the case of some other green tea canton made the green is sold from the vans generally at 4 s 6 d sometimes but rarely as high as 5 s 6 d what is sold at 4 s 6 d may cost on the average 3 s 5 d i may add also that when a good article is supplied such profits in the tea trade are not accounted at all excessive but the more usual mode of tea hawking is by itinerant dealers who have a less direct connection with the shop whereat they purchase their goods to this mode of obtaining a livelihood the hawkers are invited by all the persuasive powers of advertising eloquence to persons in want of a genteel and lucrative employmentto gentlemen of good address and business habits c c the genteel and lucrative employment is to hawk tea under the auspices of this company or the other the nature of this business and of the street tea trade generally is shown in the following statement about twelve years ago i came to london in expectation of a situation as tide waiter i did not succeed however and not being able to obtain any other employment and trusting to the promises of gentlemen m p s for too long a time my means were exhausted and i was at length induced to embark in the tea business to this i was persuaded by a few friends who advanced me some money considering that it would suit me well while my friends would endeavour to get me a connection that is procure me customers i accordingly went to a well known tea company in the city a firm bearing a great name their advertisements put forth extraordinary statements of so many persons realizing independencies from selling their teas and in very short spaces of time i was quite pleased at the prospect presented to me in such glowing terms and depending not a little on my own industry and perseverance i embraced the opportunity and introduced myself forthwith to the company they advised me in the first place to take out a licence for selling teas to secure me against any risk of fines or forfeitures the cost of a licence after payment of 2 s 11 d preliminary expenses is 11 s per annum to be paid quarterly as it becomes due and it is paid by the company for their agents the licence is granted for the place of abode of the traveller and strictly prohibits him from hawking or exposing his wares for sale at places other than at such place of abode but he may of course supply his customers where he will and serve them at their places of abode respectively everything thus prepared i commenced operations but soon found that this tea dealing was not so advantageous as i had anticipated i found that the commission allowed by the company on cheap teas was very low for those generally used by the working people 4 s tea for instance or that at 4 s per pound i had to pay to the company 3 s 6 d per pound thus allowing the travelling dealer or agent for commission only 6 d in the pound or 1 d per quarter now 80 or 100 customers is considered a fair connection for a dealer and allowing each customer to take a quarter of a pound at an average 80 good customers at that rate would bring him 10 s or 100 customers 12 s 6 d clear profit weekly but many customers do not require so much as a quarter of a pound weekly while others require more so that i find it rather awkward to subdivide it in portions to suit each customer as the smallest quantity made at the warehouse is a quarter of a pound and every quarter is done up in a labelled wrapper with the price marked on it so that to break or disturb the package in any way might cause some customers to suspect that it had been meddled with unfairly another disadvantage was in dealing with the tea company no sugars are supplied by them which makes it more inconvenient for the travelling dealer as his customers find it difficult to get sugars most retail grocers having an objection to sell sugars to any but those who are purchasers of teas as well however i was not confined to deal with this company and so i tried other places and found a city house whose terms were preferable here i could get tea for 3 s 3 d as good as that for which the company charged 3 s 6 d besides getting it done up to order in plain paper and in quantities to suit every variety of customer there were also sugars which must be had to accommodate the customers at whatever trouble or inconvenience to the traveller for it is very lumbersome to carry about and leaves scarcely any profit at all the trade is anything but agreeable and the customers are often exacting they seem to fancy 457 however cheaply and well they may be supplied that the tea seller is under obligations to them that their custom will be the making of him and therefore they expect some compliment in return the consequence is that very often unless he be willing to be accounted a shabby man the tea dealer is obliged of a saturday night to treat his customers to ensure a continuance of their custom other customers take care to be absent at the time he calls those who are anxious to run up bills perhaps keep out of the way purposely for two or more successive nights of the dealers calling who notwithstanding cannot very well avoid serving such customers this is another evil and if the tea mans capital be not sufficient to enable him to carry on the business in this manner giving credit for it is unavoidable he is very soon insolvent and compelled to give up the business i had to give it up at last after having carried it on for four years leaving 8 l or 9 l due to me in small sums varying from 1 s to 10 s one shilling of which i never expect to be paid i could not have continued it so long for my means would not allow me to give credit but getting partial employment at the last mentioned house where i dealt enabled me to do so when however i got permanently employed i grew tired of tea dealing and gave it up in my opinion the business would best suit persons casually employed such as dockmen and others who might have leisure to go about those also who get other commissions and hawk about other commodities such as soft wares might do very well by it otherwise in most cases t is only resorted to as a make shift where no other employment can be obtained i do not know how many persons are in the trade i have however heard it asserted that there were between 4000 and 5000 persons in london engaged in the business who are with but few exceptions scotchmen they of all others manage to do the best in this line a man to undertake the tea business requires a double capital because in the first place he has to purchase the tea then he must give credit and be able to support himself till such time as he can get in his money some of the tea dealers manage to eke out their profits by mixing tea leaves which have been used with the genuine commodity they spread the old tea leaves on tins which they have for the purpose and by exposing them either to the action of the air or the heat of the fire the leaves crisp up as they had been before they were used and are not distinguishable from the rest i never vended such an article and that may be one reason why i could not succeed in the business i believe the career thus detailed is a common one among the hawkers of tea or rather the travellers in the tea trade many sell it on tally of the women street sellers as the volume is now fast drawing to a close and a specific account has been furnished of almost every description of street seller with the exception of those who are the makers of the articles they vend i purpose giving a more full and general history and classification than i have yet done of the feminine portion of the traders in the streets the women engaged in street sale are of all ages and of nearly all classes they are however chiefly of two countries england and ireland there are comparatively a few jewesses and a very few scotchwomen and welchwomen who are street traders and they are so as it were accidentally from their connection by marriage or otherwise with male street sellers of foreigners there are german broom women and a few italians with musical instruments the first broad and distinctive view of the female street sellers is regarding them nationally that is to say either english or irish womentwo classes separated by definite characteristics from each other the irishwomento avoid burthening the reader with an excess of subdivisionsi shall speak of generally that is to say as one homogeneous class referring those who require a more specific account to the description before given of the street sellers the englishwomen selling in the streets appear to admit of being arranged into four distinct groups viz 1 the wives of street sellers 2 mechanics or labourers wives who go out street selling while their husbands are at work as a means of helping out the family income 3 widows of former street sellers 4 single women i do not know of any street trade carried on exclusively by women the sales in which they are principally concerned are in fish including shrimps and oysters fruit and vegetables widows selling on their own account fire screens and ornaments laces millinery artificial flowers but not in any great majority over the male traders cut flowers boot and stay laces and small wares wash leathers towels burnt linen combs bonnets pin cushions tea and coffee rice milk curds and whey sheeps trotters and dressed and undressed dolls what may be called the heavier trades those necessitating the carrying of heavy weights or the pushing of heavily laden barrows are in the hands of men and so are even more exclusively what may be classed as the more skilled trades of the streets viz the sale of stationery of books of the most popular eatables and 458 drinkables the coffee stalls excepted and in every branch dependent upon the use of patter in such callings as root selling crock bartering table cover selling mats game and poultry the wife is the helpmate of her husband if she trade separately in these things it is because there is a full stock to dispose of which requires the exertions of two persons perhaps with some hired help just for the occasion the difference in the street traffic as carried on by englishwomen and irishwomen is marked enough the irishwomans avocations are the least skilled and the least remunerative but as regards mere toil such as the carrying of a heavy burthen are by far the most laborious an irishwoman though not reared to the streets will carry heavy baskets of oranges or apples principally when those fruits are cheap along the streets while her english co trader if not a costermonger may be vending laces millinery artificial flowers or other commodities of a light and in some degree of street estimation a genteel trade some of the less laborious callings however such as that in wash leathers are principally in the hands of young and middle aged irishwomen while that in sheeps trotters which does not entail heavy labour are in the hands mostly of elderly irishwomen the sale of such things as lucifer matches and water cresses and any stock of general use and attainable for a few pence is resorted to by the very poor of every class the irishwoman more readily unites begging with selling than the englishwoman and is far more fluent and even eloquent perhaps she pays less regard to truth but she unquestionably pays a greater regard to chastity when the uneducated irishwoman however has fallen into licentious ways she is as i once heard it expressed the most savagely wicked of any after these broad distinctions i proceed to details 1 from the best information at my command it may be affirmed that about one half of the women employed in the diverse trades of the streets are the wives or concubines permanently or temporarily of the men who pursue a similar mode of livelihoodthe male street sellers i may here observe that i was informed by an experienced police officerwho judged from his personal observation without any official or even systematic investigationthat the women of the town who survived their youth or their middle age did not resort to the sale of any commodity in the streets but sought the shelter of the workhouse or died he could not tell where or under what circumstances of the verity of this statement i have no doubt as a street sale entails some degree of industry or of exertion for which the life of those wretched women may have altogether unfitted them in the course of the narratives and statements i have given it is shown that some wives pursue one itinerant or stationary calling while the husband pursues another the trades in which the husband and wife and i may here remark that when i speak of wives i include all so regarded in street life whether legally united or not the trades in which the woman is more than in any others literally the help mate of the man are the costermongers including the flower or root sellers and the crockery ware people to the costermonger some help is often indispensable and that of a wife is the cheapest and the most honest to say nothing of the considerations connected with a home which can be obtained among the more prosperous costermongers too especially those who deal in fish the wife attends to the stall while the husband goes a round and thus a greater extent of business is transacted in the root and crockery trades the womans assistance is necessary when barter takes place instead of sale as the husband may be ignorant of the value of the old female attire which even high hip ladies as they were described to me loved to exchange for a fuchsia or a geranium for a glass cream jug or a china ornament of the married women engaged in any street trade i believe nineteen twentieths are the wives of men also pursuing some street avocation 2 there are however large classes of female street sellers who may be looked upon as exceptions the wife selling in the streets while the husband is engaged in some manual labour but they are only partially exceptions in the sale of wash leathers for instance are the wives of many irish bricklayers labourers the woman may be constantly occupied in disposing of her wares in the streets or suburbs and the man labouring at any building but in case of the deprivation of work such a man will at once become a street seller and in the winter many burly irish labourers sell a few nuts or baked taties or a few pairs of braces or some article which seems little suitable for the employment of men of thews and muscle in the course of my present inquiry i have in only very rare instances met with a poor irishman who had not a reason always at his tongues end to justify anything he was doing ask a bricklayers labourer why in his youth and strength he is selling nuts and he will at once reply sure thin your honnur isnt it better than doin nothing i must thry and make a pinny til im in worruk again and glory be to god i hope thatll be soon an experienced man who knows all the street folk trading in whitechapel and its neighbourhood and about spitalfields told me that he could count up 100 married women in different branches of open air commerce and of them only two had husbands who worked regularly in doors the husband of one woman works for a slop tailor the other is a bobbin turner the tailors wife sells water cresses every morning and afternoon the turners wife is a small ware woman the tailor however told my informant that his eyesight was failing him that his earnings became less and less that he was treated like dirt and would go into some street trade himself before long when the man and his wife are both in the street trade it is the case in three instances out of four excluding of course the costermongers root sellers and crock mans pursuits that the couple carry on different callings the street comb seller from a daguerreotype by beard 459 in the full and specific accounts i gave of the largest body of street sellers viz the costermongers i showed that concubinage among persons of all ages was the rule and marriage the exception it was computed that taking the mass of costermongers only one couple in twenty living together were married except in clerkenwell where the costers are very numerous and where the respected incumbent at certain seasons marries poor persons gratuitously there one couple in ten were really man and wife of the other classes of women street sellers directly the reverse is the case of those living as man and wife one couple in twenty may be unmarried an intelligent informant thought this average too high and that it was more probably one in sixteen but i incline to the opinion of one in twenty considering how many of the street traders have seen better days and were married before they apprehended being driven to a street career in this enumeration i include only street traders among such people as ballad singers concubinage though its wrongfulness is far better understood than among ignorant costermongers is practised even more fully and there is often among such classes even worse than concubinagea dependance more or less on the wages of a womans prostitution and often a savage punishment to the wretched woman if those wages of sin are scant or wanting 3 the widows in the street trades are very generally the widows of street sellers i believe that very few of the widows of mechanics when left unprovided for on their husbands demise resort to street traffic if they have been needle women before marriage they again seek for employment at needle work if they have been servants they become charwomen or washerwomen or again endeavour to obtain a livelihood in domestic service there are some to whom those resources are but starvation or a step from starvation or whom they fail entirely and then they must try the streets as they will describe it if they are young and reckless they become prostitutes if in more advanced years or with good principles they turn street sellers but this is only when destitution presses sharply 4 the single women in the street callings are generally the daughters of street sellers but their number is not a twentieth of the others excepting they are the daughters of irish parents the costermongers daughters either help their parents with whom they reside or carry on some similar trade or they soon form connections with the other sex and easily sever the parental tie which very probably has been far too lax or far too severe i made many inquiries but i did not hear of any unmarried young woman not connected with street folk by birth or rearing such as a servant maid endeavouring to support herself when out of work or place by a street avocation such a person will starve on slop millinery or slop shirt making or will as much or more from desperation than from viciousness go upon the town with the irish girls the case is different brought up to a street life used to whine and blarney they grow up to womanhood in street selling and as they rarely form impure connections and as no one may be induced to offer them marriage their life is often one of street celibacy a young irishwoman to whom i was referred in the course of my inquiry among fruit sellers had come to london in the hopes of meeting her brother with whom she was to emigrate but she could learn nothing of him and concluding that he was dead became an apple seller she sat when i saw her on cold wintry days at the corner of a street in the commercial road seemingly as much dead as alive and slept with an aunt also a single woman who was somewhat similarly circumstanced and thus these two women lived on about 6 d a day each their joint bed was 1 s a week and they contrived to subsist on what remained when this shilling was paid the niece referred me not without a sense of pride to her priest as to her observance of her religious duties and declared that where she lodged there were none but women lodgers and those chiefly her own countrywomen i believe such cases are not uncommon a few who have had the education of ladies as in the case of an envelope seller whose statement i gave are driven to street trading but it is as a desperate grasp at something to supply less bitter bread however little of it than is supplied in the workhouse i have many a time heard poor women say god knows sir i should live far better and be better lodged and better cared for in the house they seldom call it workhouse but id rather live on 2 d a day into the question of out and in door relief i need not now enter but the prevalent feeling i have indicated is one highly honourable to the english poor i have heard it stated that the utter repugnance to a workhouse existence was weaker than it used to be among the poor but i have not met with anything to uphold such an opinion such constitute the several classes of women street sellers i shall now proceed to speak of the habits and characters of this peculiar portion of the street folk as regards the religion of the women in street trades it is not difficult to describe it the irishwomen are roman catholics perhaps i am justified in stating that they are all of that faith the truth of this assertion is proved moreover to as full a demonstration as it very well can be proved without actual enumeration by the fact that the great majority of the irishwomen in the streets are from the catholic provinces of connaught leinster and munster there are very few from ulster and not one twentieth of the whole from any one of the other provinces perhaps again it is not extravagant to estimate that three fourths of the women and girls from the sister island now selling things in the streets have been when in their own country connected through their husbands or parents with the cultivation of the land it is not so easy to speak of what the remaining fourth were before they became immigrants some were the wives of mechanics who when their husbands 460 failing to obtain work in london became street traders had adopted the same pursuits i met with one intelligent man having a stall of very excellent fruit in battle bridge who had been a brogue maker he had been in business on his own account in tralee but mended the indifferent profits of brogue making by a little trade in dry goods this he told me with a cautious glance around him and in a half whisper though it was twenty eight years since he left his country meant smuggled tobacco he found it advisable on account of being wanted by the revenue officers to leave tralee in great haste he arrived in london got employment as a bricklayers labourer and sent for his wife to join him this she did and from her first arrival sold fruit in the streets in two or three years the husbands work among the builders grew slack and he then took to the streets another man a shoemaker who came from dublin to obtain work in london as he was considered a good hand could not obtain it but became a street seller and his wife previously to himself had resorted to a street trade in fruit he became a widower and married as his second the daughter of an irish carpenter who had been disappointed in emigrating from london and whose whole family had become fruit sellers a third man who had worked at his trade of a tailor in cork waterford wicklow and dublin he tramped from cork to dublin had come to london and been for many years a street seller in different capacities his wife and daughter now assist him or trade independently in selling roots rayther this man said than put up wid the wages and the ter ratement said very emphatically o thim slop masters at the aist ind id sill myself as a slave the sthraits doesnt degrade a man like thim thieves o the worruld this man knew personally ten irish mechanics who were street sellers in london as were their wives and families including some five and twenty females i adduce these and the following details somewhat minutely as they tend to show by what class of irish immigrants the streets of the imperial metropolis are stocked with so large a body of open air traders there is also another class of women who i am informed on good authority sometimes become street sellers though i met with no instance myself the orphan children of poor irish parents are on the demise of their father and mother sometimes taken into a workhouse and placed out as domestic servants so as regards domestic servants are the daughters of irish labourers by their friends or the charitable as the wages of these young girls are small and sometimes nominal the work generally hard and in no few instances the food scanty and the treatment severe domestic service becomes distasteful and a street life on a few oranges and limmons is preferred there is moreover with some of this class another cause which almost compels the young irish girl into the adoption of some street calling a peevish mistress whose numerous family renders a servant necessary but whose means are small or precarious becomes bitterly dissatisfied with the awkwardness or stupidity of her irish handmaiden the girls going or teasing to go every sunday morning to mass is annoying and the girl is often discharged or discharges herself in a huff the mistress perhaps with the low tyranny dear to vulgar minds refuses her servant a character or in giving one suppresses any good qualities and exaggerates the failings of impudence laziness lying and dirtiness thus the girl cannot obtain another situation and perforce perhaps she becomes a street seller the readiness with which young irish people thus adapt themselves to all the uncertainties and hardships of a street life is less to be wondered at when we consider that the irish live together or at any rate associate with one another in this country preserving their native tastes habits and modes of speech among their tastes and habits a dislike to a street life does not exist as it does among english girls the poor irish females in london are for the most part regular in their attendance at mass and this constant association in their chapels is one of the links which keeps the street irish women so much distinct from the street english in the going to and returning from the roman catholic chapels there is among these peoplei was told by one of the most intelligent of thema talk of family and secular matters of the present too high price of oranges to leave full 6 d a day at two a penny and the probable time when cherries would be in and cheap plaze god to prosper them in these colloquies there is an absence of any interference by english street sellers and an unity of conversation and interest peculiarly irish it is thus that the tie of religion working with the other causes keeps the irish in the london streets knitted to their own ways and is likely to keep them so and perhaps to add to their number it was necessary to write somewhat at length of so large a class of women who are professors of a religion but of the others the details may be brief for as to the great majority religion is almost a nonentity for this absence of religious observances the women street sellers make many and sometimes i must confess valiant excuses they must work on a sunday morning they will say or they cant eat or else they tell you they are so tired by knocking about all the week that they must rest on a sunday or else they have no clothes to go to church in and arnt a going there just to be looked down upon and put in any queer place as if they had a fever and for ladies to hold their grand dresses away from them as they walked in to their grand pews then again some assert they are not used to sit still for so long a time and so fall asleep i have heard all these causes assigned as reasons for not attending church or chapel a few women street sellers however do attend the sunday service of the church of england one lace seller told me that she did so because it obliged mrs who was the best friend and customer she had and who always looked from 461 her pew in the gallery to see who were on the poor seats a few others perhaps about an equal number attend dissenting places of worship of the various denominationsthe methodist chapels comprising more than a half if i may venture upon a calculation founded on the result of my inquiries and on the information of others who felt an interest in the matter i should say that about five female street sellers attended protestant places of worship in the ratio of a hundred attending the roman catholic chapels the localities in which the female street sellers reside are those generally which i have often had occasion to specify as the abodes of the poor they congregate principally however in the neighbourhood of some street market the many courts in ray street turnmill street cow cross and other parts of clerkenwell are full of street sellers especially costermongers some of those costermongers being also drovers their places of sale are in clerkenwell green aylesbury street and st john street others reside in vine street late mutton hill saffron hill portpool lane baldwins gardens and the many streets or alleys stretching from leather lane to grays inn lane with a few of the better sort in cromer street their chief mart is leather lane now one of the most crowded markets in london the many who use the brill as their place of street traffic reside in brill row in ossulston street wilstead street chapel street and in the many small intersecting lanes and alleys connected with those streets and in other parts of somers town the saleswomen in the cripplegate street markets such as whitecross street fore street golden lane c reside in play house yard and in the thick congregation of courts and alleys approximating to aldersgate street fore street bunhill row chiswell street barbican c c advancing eastward the female street sellers in shoreditch including the divisions of the bishopsgate streets within and without norton folgate and holywell street reside in and about artillery lane half moon street and the many narrow clefts as they are called in one of leigh hunts essays stretching on the right hand as you proceed along bishopsgate street from its junction with cornhill clefts which on my several visits have appeared to me as among the foulest places in london on the left hand side proceeding in the same direction the street sellers reside in long alley and the many yards connected with that perhaps narrowest in proportion to its length of any merely pedestrian thoroughfare in london mixed with the poor street sellers about long alley i may observe are a mass of the tailors and shoemakers employed by the east end slop masters they are principally irish workmen carrying on their crafts many in one room to economise the rent while some of their wives are street sellers the street sellers in spitalfields and bethnal green are so mixed up as to their abodes with the wretchedly underpaid cabinet makers who supply the slaughter houses with slop employed tailors and shoemakers in the employ of a class as respects shoemakers known as garret masters or middle men between the workman and the wholesale warehouse man bobbin turners needle women slop milliners c that i might tediously enumerate almost every one of the many streets known emphatically enough as the poor streets these poor streets are very numerous running eastward from shoreditch to the cambridge road and southward from the bethnal green road to whitechapel and the mile end road the female street sellers in whitechapel live in wentworth street thrawl street osborne street george yard and in several of their interminglements with courts and narrow streets the petticoat lane street dealers are generally jews and live in the poorer jewish quarters in petticoat lane and its courts and in the streets running on thence to houndsditch rosemary lane has many street sellers but in the lane itself and its many yards and blind alleys they find their domiciles westward in the metropolis one of the largest street markets is in tottenham court road and in the courts between fitzroy market and tottenham court road are the rooms of the women vending their street goods those occupying the hampstead road with their stallswhich is but a continuation of the tottenham court road marketlive in the same quarters in what is generally called the st georges market meaning the stalls at the western extremity of oxford street the women who own those stalls reside in and about thomas street toms court and the wretched placesthe very existence of which is perhaps unknown to their aristocratic neighbourhoodabout grosvenor square some of them lamentably wretched places it might be wearisome to carry on this enumeration further it may suffice to observe that in the populous parts of southwark lambeth and newington wherever there is a street market are small or old streets inhabited by the street sellers and at no great distance from the obelisk at the junction or approximate junction of the westminster waterloo blackfriars borough and london roads in pretty well every direction to the banks of the thames are a mass of private looking streetsas far as the absence of shops constitutes the privacy of a streetold and half ruinous or modern and trim in all of which perhaps may be found street sellers and in some of which are pickpockets thieves and prostitutes of course it must be understood that these specified localities are the residence of the male as well as the female street sellers both adults and children the proportion of female street traders who reside in lodging houses may be estimated at one tenth of the entire number this may appear a small proportion but it must be remembered that the costermongering women do not reside in lodging housesso removing the largest class of street folk from the calculation of the numbers thus accommodatedand that the irish who pursue street callings with any regularity generally prefer living if it be two or three families in a room in a place of their own the female 462 street folk sleeping in lodging houses and occasionally taking their meals there are usually those who are itinerant the women who have a settled trade especially a pitch reside in preference in some place of their own of the number in lodging houses one half may be regular inmates some having a portion of a particular room to themselves the others are casual sojourners changing their nights shelter as convenience prompts of the female street sellers residing in houses of ill fame there are not many perhaps not many more than 100 i was told by a gentleman whose connection with parochial matters enabled him to form an opinion that about whitecross street and some similar streets near the cornwall road and stretching away to the blackfriars and borough roads the locality which of any in london is perhaps the most rank with prostitution and its attendant evils there might be 600 of those wretched women and of all ages from 15 to upwards of 40 and that among them he believed there were barely a score who occupied themselves with street sale of women and more especially of girl street sellers such as flower girls those pursuing immoral courses are far more numerous than 100 but they do not often reside in houses notoriously of ill fame but in their own rooms and too often with their parents and in low lodging houses for women who are street sellers without the practice of prostitution to reside in a house of ill fame would be a reckless waste of money as i am told that in so wretched a street as white horse street the rent of a front kitchen is 4 s 6 d a week of a back kitchen 3 s 6 d of a front parlour 6 s and of a back parlour 4 s 6 d all being meagrely furnished and very small this is also accounted one of the cheapest of all such streets the rent of a street sellers unfurnished room is generally 1 s 6 d or even 1 s a week a furnished room is 3 s or 2 s 6 d the state of education among the female street sellers is very defective perhaps it may be said that among the english costers not one female in twenty can read and not one in forty can write but they are fond of listening to any one who reads the newspaper or any exciting story among the street selling irish also education is very defective as regards the adults who have been of womans estate before they left ireland a knowledge of reading and writing may be as rare as among the english costerwomen but with those who have come to this country sufficiently young or have been born here education is far more diffused than among the often more prosperous english street children this is owing to the establishment of late years of many roman catholic schools at charges suited to the poor or sometimes free and of the irish parents having availed themselves probably on the recommendation of the priest of such opportunities for the tuition of their daughters which the english costers have neglected to do with equal chances of the other classes whom i have specified as street sellers i believe i may say that the education of the females is about the average of that of servants of all work who have been brought up amidst struggles and poverty they can read but with little appreciation of what they read and have therefore little taste for books and often little leisure even if they have taste as to writing a woman told me that at one time when she was in place and kept weekly accounts she had been complimented by her mistress on her neat hand but that she and her husband a man of indifferent character had been street sellers for seven or eight years and during all that time she had only once had a pen in her hand this was a few weeks back in signing a petitionsomething about sundays she saidshe wrote her name with great pain and difficulty and feared that she had not even spelled it aright i may here repeat that i found the uneducated always ready to attribute their want of success in life to their want of education while the equally poor street sellers who were scholars are as apt to say its been of no manner of use to me in all these matters i can but speak generally the male street sellers who have seen better days have of course been better educated but the most intelligent of the street class are the patterers and of them the females form no portion the diet of the class i am describing is as regards its poorest members tea and bread or bread and grease a meal composed of nothing else is their fare twice or thrice a day sometimes there is the addition of a herringor a plaice when plaice are two a pennybut the consumption of cheap fish with a few potatoes is more common among the poor irish than the poor english female street sellers indeed sir said an elderly woman who sold cakes of blacking and small wares i could make a meal on fish and potatoes cheaper than on tea and bread and butter though i dont take milk with my teaive got to like it better without milk than with itbut if youre a long time on your legs in the streets and get to your bit of a home for a cup of tea you want a bit of rest over it and if you have to cook fish its such a trouble o no indeed this time of year theres no casion to light a fire for your teaand tea livens you far more nor a herringbecause theres always some neighbour to give a poor woman a jug of boiling water married women who may carry on a trade distinct from that of their husbands live as well as their earnings and the means of the couple will permit what they consider good living is a dinner daily off good block ornaments small pieces of meat discoloured and dirty but not tainted usually set for sale on the butchers block tripe cow heel beef sausages or soup from a cheap cook shop at 2 d a pint to this there is the usual accompaniment of beer which in all populous neighbourhoods is 3 d a pot quart in your own jugs from what i could learn it seems to me that an inordinate or extravagant indulgence of the palate under any circumstances is far less common among the female than the male street sellers during the summer and the fine months of the spring and autumn there are i am assured one third of the london street sellersmale and femaletramping 463 the country at maidstone fair the other day i was told by an intelligent itinerant dealer there were 300 women all of whose faces he believed he had seen at one time or other in london the irish however tramp very little into the country for purposes of trade but they travel in great numbers from one place to another for purposes of mendicancy or if they have a desire to emigrate they will tramp from london to liverpool literally begging their way no matter whether they have or have not any money the female street sellers are thus a fluctuating body the beggars among the women who profess to be street traders are chiefly irishwomen some of whom though otherwise well conducted sober and chaste beg shamelessly and with any mendacious representation it is remarkable enough too that of the irishwomen who will thus beg many if employed in any agricultural work or in the rougher household labours such as scouring or washing will work exceedingly hard to any feeling of self respect or self dependence however they seem dead their great merit is their chastity their great shame their lying and mendicancy the female street sellers are again a fluctuating body as in the summer and autumn months a large proportion go off to work in market gardens in the gathering of peas beans and the several fruits in weeding in hay making in the corn harvest when they will endeavour to obtain leave to glean if they are unemployed more profitably and afterwards in the hopping the women however thus seeking change of employment are the ruder street sellers those who merely buy oranges at 4 d to sell at 6 d and who do not meddle with any calling mixed up with the necessity of skill in selection or address in recommending of this half vagrant class many are not street sellers usually but are half prostitutes and half thieves not unfrequently drinking all their earnings while of the habitual female street sellers i do not think that drunkenness is now a very prevalent vice their earnings are small and if they become habituated to an indulgence in drink their means are soon dissipated in which case they are unable to obtain stock money and they cease to be street sellers if i may venture upon an estimation i should say that the women engaged in street salewives widows and single personsnumber from 25 000 to 30 000 and that their average earnings run from 2 s 6 d to 4 s a week i shall now proceed to give the histories of individuals belonging to each of the above class of female street sellers with the view of illustrating what has been said respecting them generally of a single woman as a street seller i had some difficulty for the reasons i have stated in finding a single woman who by her unaided industry supported herself on the sale of street merchandise there were plenty of single young women so engaged but they lived or lodged with their parents or with one parent or they had some support however trifling from some quarter or other among the street irish i could have obtained statements from many single women who depended on their daily sale for their daily bread but i have already given instances of their street life one irishwoman a spinster of about 50 for i had some conversation with her in the course of a former inquiry had supported herself alone by street sale for many years she sat literally packed in a sort of hamper basket at the corner of charles street leather lane she seemed to fit herself cross legged like a turk or a tailor on his shop board into her hamper her fruit stall was close by her and there she seemed to doze away life day by dayfor she usually appeared to be wrapped in slumber if any one approached her stall however she seemed to be awake as it were mechanically i have missed this poor woman of late and i believe she only packed herself up in the way described when the weather was cold a woman of about 26 or 27i may again remark that the regular street sellers rarely know their agemade the following statement she was spare and sickly looking but said that her health was tolerably good i used to mind my mothers stall she stated when i was a girl when mother wasnt well or had a little work at pea shelling or such like she sold sweet stuff no she didnt make it but bought it i never cared for it and when i was quite young ive sold sweet stuffs as i never tasted i never had a father i cant read or write but i like to hear people read i go to zion chapel sometimes of a sunday night the singings so nice i dont know what religion you may call it of but its a zion chapel mothers been dead thesewell i dont know how long but its a long time ive lived by myself ever since and kept myself and i have half a room with another young woman who lives by making little boxes i dont know what sort of boxes pill boxes very likely sir but i cant say i ever saw any she goes out to work on another box makers premises shes no better off nor me we pays 1 s 6 d a week between us its my bed and the other sticks is hern we gree well enough i havent sold sweet stuff for a great bit ive sold small wares in the streets and artificials artificial flowers and lace and penny dolls and penny boxes of toys no i never hear anything improper from young men boys has sometimes said when ive been selling sweets dont look so hard at em or theyll turn sour i never minded such nonsense i has very few amusements i goes once or twice a month or so to the gallery at the wick victoria theatre for i live near its beautiful there o its really grand i dont know what they call whats played because i cant read the bills i hear what theyre called but i forgets i knows miss vincent and john herbert when they come on i likes them the best im a going to leave the streets i have an aunt a laundress because she was mothers sister and i always helped her and she taught me laundressing i 464 work for her three and sometimes four days a week now because shes lost her daughter ann and im known as a good ironer another laundress will employ me next week so im dropping the streets as i can do far better im not likely to be married and i dont want to of a mechanics wife as a street seller a middle aged woman presenting what may be best understood as a decency of appearance for there was nothing remarkable in her face or dress gave me the following account of her experience as a street seller and of her feelings when she first became one i went into service very young in the country she said but mistress brought me up to london with her where master had got a situation the children was so fond of me i saved a little money in that and other places as girls often does and they seems not to save it so much for themselves as for others father got the first bit of money i saved or he would have been seized for renthe was only a working man agricultural labourer and all the rest i scraped went before id been married a fortnight for i got married when i was 24 o no indeed i dont mean that my money was wasted by my husband it was every farthing laid out in the house besides what he had for we took a small house in a little street near the commercial road and let out furnished rooms we did very well at first with lodgings but the lodgers were mates of vessels or people about the river and the docks and they were always coming and going and the rooms was often empty and some went away in debt my husband is a smith and was in middling work for a good while then he got a job to go with some horses to france for he can groom a horse as well as shoe it and he was a long time away three or four months for he was sent into another country when he got to france but i dont understand the particulars of it the rooms was empty and the last lodger went away without paying and i had nothing to meet the quarters rent and the landlord all of a sudden almost put in the brokers for he said my husband would never come back and perhaps i should be selling the furniture and be off to join him for he told me it was all a planned thing he knew and so the furniture was sold for next to nothing and 1 l 6 s was given to me after the sale i suppose that was over when all was paid but id been forced to part with some linen and things to live upon and pay the rates that came very heavy my husband came back to an empty house three days after and hed been unlucky for he brought home only 4 l instead of 10 l at least as he expected but hed been cheated by the man he went into the other country with yes the man that cheated him was an englishman and my poor john was put to great trouble and expense and was in a strange place without knowing a word of the language but the foreigners was very kind to him he said and didnt laugh at him when he tried to make hisself understood as ive seen people do here many a time the landlord gave us 1 l to give up the house as he had a good offer for it and so we had to start again in the world like our money was almost all gone before john got regular work tho he had some odd jobs and then he had for a good many months the care of a horse and cart for a tradesman in the city shortly after that he was laid up a week with a crushed leg but his master wouldnt wait a week for him so he hired another i have nothing to say against john says he when i told his master of the accident and im sorry very sorry but my business cant be hindered by waiting for people getting better of accidents john got work at his own business next but there was always some stopper he was ill or i was ill and if there was 10 s in the house then it went and wasnt enough and so we went on for a good many years i dont know how many john kept working among horses and carts or at his own business but what with travelling abroad i suppose and such like he got to like best to be in the streets and he has his health best that way the husband it is evident was afflicted with the restlessness of the tribe about seven years ago we were very badly offno work and no money and neither of us well then i used to make a few womens plain night caps and plain morning caps for servants and sell them to a shopkeeper but latterly i couldnt sell them at all or get no more than the stuff cost me without any profit for labour so at lastand it was on a friday evening of all unlucky timesmy gold wedding ring that cost 8 s 6 d and that id stuck to all along had to be pawned for 4 s 6 d for rent and bread that was a shocking time sir weve sat in the dark of an evening for we could get neither coals nor a candle as we was a little in debt and john said it was a blessing after all perhaps that we hadnt no family for he often both joking and serious wished for children but it wasnt gods will you see that we should have any one morning when i woke very early i found my husband just going out and when i asked him what sent him out so soon he says its for nothing bad so dont fret yourself old gal that day he walked all over london and called on all the masters as had employed him or knowed him and told them how he was situated and said that if he could borrow 20 s up and down he could do a little he knewthe thought of it came into his mind all of a suddenin going about with a horse and cart that he could hire and sell coals to poor people he raised 8 s 6 d i think it was and started with a quarter of a ton of coals and then another quarter when the first was sold and he carried it on for three or four weeks but the hire of the horse and cart took all the profit and the poor people wanted credit besides people must cheat to thrive as sells coals in the street all this time i could do nothingthough i tried for washing and charing but im slow at washingbut starve at home and be afraid every knock was the landlord after that john was employed to carry a very heavy board over his shoulder and so as to have it read on both sides it was about an eating house and i went 465 with him to give little bills about it to all we met for it was as much as a man could do to carry the board he had 1 s a day and i had 6 d that was my first time in the streets and i felt so shamed to come to that i thought if i met any people i knew in essex or any of my old mistresses what would they think then we had all sorts of jokes to stand we both looked pinched and young gents used to say do you dine there yourselves and the boyso of all the torments theyve shouted out excellent dining rooms that was on the board sir and two jolly speciments of the style of grub i could have knocked their saucy heads together we was resting in the shade one dayand we were anxious to do our best for 1 s 6 d a day was a great thing thenand an old gentleman came up and said he was glad to get out of the sun he looked like a parson but was a joky man and hed been having some wine i think he smelled of it so he began to talk to us and ask us questions such as you have sir and we told him how we was situated god bless you says he for i think youre honest folks people that lie dont talk like you heres some loose silver i have and he gave john 5 s 6 d and went away we could hardly think it was real it seemed such a lot of money just then to be got clear all at once ive never seen him since and never saw him as i knows of before but may god almighty bless him wherever he is for i think that 5 s 6 d put new life into us and brought a blessing a relation of johns came to london not long after and gave him a sovereign and sent him some old clothes and very good ones when he went back then john hired a barrowits his own nowand started as a costermonger a neighbour of ourn told him how to do it and hes done very well at it since well you know sir i couldnt like to stay at home by myself doing of a nothing and i couldnt get any charing besides john says why cant you sell something so i made some plain womens caps and as we lived in anns place waterloo road then i went into the new cut with them on a saturday night but there was such crowding and shoving and shouting that i was kept under and sold only one cap i was very much nervoused before i went and thought againit was very foolish i knowif i saw anybody from essex for country people seem to think all their friends in london are making fortunes before i went my landlady would treat me to a little drop of gin to give me spirits and for luck but i think it made me more nervoused i very seldom taste any and johns very good that way he takes his pint or two every now and then but i know where he uses and if it gets late i go for him and he comes home the next time i went to sell in the cut i got bold for i knew i was doing nothing but what was honest ive sold caps and millinery and laces and artificial flowers and such like ever since weve saved a little money now which is in the bank thank god but thats not done by costering or by my trade but my husband buys a poney every now and then and grooms and fattens it up well and makes it quite another thing and so clears a pound or two he once cleared 3 l 15 s on it we dont go to church or chapel on a sunday were so tired out after the weeks work but john reads a tract that a young lady leaves till he falls asleep over it of an irishwoman as a street seller i have before had occasion to remark the aptitude of the poor irish in the streets of london not so much to lie which may be too harsh a word when motives and idiosyncrasy are considered but to exaggerate and misrepresent and colour in such a way that the truth becomes a mere incident in the narrative instead of being the animating principle throughout i speak here not as regards any direct question or answer on one specific point but as regards a connected statement presuming that a poor irishwoman for instance had saved up a few shillings very likely for some laudable purpose and had them hidden about her person and was asked if she had a farthing in the world she would reply with a look of most stolid innocence sorra a fardin sir this of course is an unmitigated lie then ask her why she is so poor and what are her hopes for the future and a very slender substratum of truth will suffice for the putting together of a very ingenious history if she think the occasion requires it it is the same when these poor persons are questioned as to their former life they have heard of societies to promote emigration and if they fancy that any inquiries are made of them with a view to emigration they will ingeniously shape their replies so as to promote or divert that object according to their wishes if they think the inquiries are for some charitable purpose their tale of woe and starvation is heart rending the probability is that they may have suffered much and long and bravely but they will still exaggerate in one thing however i have found them understate the fact and that i believe principally or wholly when they had been previously used to the most wretched of the irish hovels i mean as to their rooms where do you live may be asked will thin in paraker street parker street derwry lane have you a decent room shure thin and it is dacint for a poor woman on a visit perhaps the room will be found smoky filthy half ruinous and wretched in every respect i believe however that if these poor people could be made to comprehend the motives which caused their being questioned for the purposes of this work the elucidation of the truthmotives which they cannot be made to understandthey would speak with a far greater regard to veracity but they will suspect an ulterior object involving some design on the part of the querist and they will speak accordingly to what causes social or political national long rooted or otherwise this spirit may be owing it is not now my business to inquire at the outset of my inquiries amongst the poor 466 irish whose civility and often native politeness where there is a better degree of intelligence makes it almost impossible to be angry with them even when you listen to a story of which you believe not one sixthat the outset of my inquiries i say i was told by an irish gentleman that i was sure to hear the truth if i had authority to use the name of their priest i readily obtained the consent of reverend gentlemen to use their names and for any purpose of inquiry a courtesy which i thankfully acknowledge i mention this more especially that it may not be thought that there has been exaggeration in my foregoing or in the following statement where the irish are the narrators i have little doubt of their truth it may be but proper to remark in order that one class of poor people may not be unduly depreciated while another class is perhaps unduly appreciated that the poor irishman is much more imaginative is readier of wit and far readier of speech than an englishman of a corresponding grade and were the untaught englishman equally gifted in those respects who will avouch that his regard for the truth would be much more severe of the causes which induced a good looking irish woman to become a street seller i had the following account which i give in its curious details deed thin sir its more than 20 long years since i came from dublin to liverpool wid my father and mother and brother william thats dead and gone rest his soul he died when he was fourteen they was masons in ireland was both father and mother masons sir well then in any quiet job mother helped father for she was a strong woman they came away sudden they was in some thrubble but i never knew what for they wouldnt talk to me about it we thravelled from liverpool to london for there was no worruk at liverpool and he got worruk on buildings in london and had 18 s a week and mother cleaned and worruked for a greengrocer as they called himhe sold coals more than anythingwhere we lodged and it wasnt much she got but she airned what is such a thrubble to poor people the rint we was well off and i was sent to school and we should have been better off but father took too much to the dhrop god save him he fell onste and broke his leg and though the hospital gintlemen god bless them for good christians got him through it he got little worruk when he came out again and died in less than a year mother wasnt long afther him and on her death bed she said so low i could hardly hear her mary my darlint if you starruve be vartuous rimimber poor illens funeral when i was quite a child sir i went wid mother to a funeralshe was a relationand it was of a young woman that died after her child had been borrun a fortnight and she wasnt married that was illen her body was brought out of the lying in hospitalive often heard spake of it sinceand was in the churchyard to be buried and her brother that hadnt seen her for a long time came and wanted to see her in her coffin and they took the lid off and then he currused her in her coffin afore him shed been so wicked but he wasnt a good man hisself and was in dhrink too still nobody said anything and he walked away it made me ill to see illen in her coffin and hear him curruse and ive remimbered it ever since i was thin fifteen i believe and hadnt any friends that had any tie to me i was lone sir but the neebours said poor thing shes left on the shuckrawn homeless and they helped me and i got a place mistress was very kind at first thats my first mistress was and i had the care of a child of three years old they had only one because mistress was busy making waistcoats master was a hatter and away all day and they was well off but some women called on mistress once and they had a deal of talkin and bladherin and laughin and i dont know how often i was sent out for quarterns of gin then they all went out together and mistress came home quite tipsy just afore master and went up stairs and had just time to get into bed she told me to tell master she had one of her sick head aches and was forced to go to bed she went on that way for three or four days and master and she used to quarrel of a night for i could hear them one night he came home sooner than common and hed been drinking or perhaps it might be thrubble and he sent me to bed wid the child and sometime in the night i dont know what time but i could only see from a gas lamp that shined into the room he came in for there was no fastenin inside the door it was only like a closet and he began to ask me about mistress when he larned shed been drinking wid other women he used dreadful language and pulled me out of bed and struck me with a stick that he snatched up he could see it in the gas light it was little franks horse and swore at me for not telling him afore he only struck me onste but i screamed ever so often i was so frightened i dressed myself and lay down in my clothes and got up as soon as it was lightit was summer timeand thought i would go away and complain to some one i would ask the neebours who to complain to when i was going out there was master walking up and down the kitchen hed never been to bed and he says says he mary where are you going so i told him and he begged my pardon and said he was ashamed of what hed done but he was half mad then he began to cry and so i cried and mistress came home just then and when she saw us both crying together she cried and said she wasnt wanted as we was man and wife already master just gave her a push and down she fell and he ran out she seemed so bad and the child began to cry that i couldnt lave thin and master came home drunk that night but he wasnt cross for hed made out that mistress had been drinking with some neebours and had got to her mothers and that she was so tipsy she fell asleep they let her stay till morning and then some woman set her home but shed been there all night they made 467 it up at last but i wouldnt stay they was very kind to me when i left and paid me all that was owing and gave me a good pair of shoes too for they was well off i had a many places for seven years after that and when i was out of a place i stayed wid a widder and a very dacint woman she was wid a daughter working for a bookbinder and the old woman had a good pitch with fruit some of my places was very harrud but shure again i met some as was very kind i left one because they was always wanting me to go to a methodist chapel and was always running down my religion and did all they could to hinder my ever going to mass they would hardly pay me when i left because i wouldnt listen to them they saidthe haythens when they would have saved my soul they save my soul indeed the likes o thim yes indeed thin i had wicked offers sometimes and from masters that should have known better i kept no company wid young men one mistress refused me a karackter because i was so unhandy she said but she thought better of it at last i had a faver fever and wasnt expected for long not expected to live when i was getting well everything went to keep me what wasnt good enough for the pawn went to the dolly dolly shop generally a rag and bottle shop or a marine store when i could get about i was so shabby and my clothes hung about me so that the shops i went to said very sorry but cant recommend you anywhere and mistresses looked strange at me and i didnt know what to do and was miserable id been miserable sometimes in place and had many a cry and thought how lone i was but i never was so miserable as this at last the old woman i stayed along wido yes she was an irishwomanadvised me to sill fruit in the streets and i began on strawberries and borrowed 2 s 6 d to do it wid i had my hilth better than ever thin and after id sold fruit of all kinds for two years i got married my husband had a potato can thin i knew him because he lived near and i saw him go in and out and go to mass after that he got a porters place and dropped his can and he porters when he has a chance still and has a little work in sewing sacks for the corn merchants whin hes at home at his sacks as he is now he can mind the childrenwe have twoand i sells a few oranges to make a thrifle whin theres nothing ilse for him to do he sills fruit in the sthreets and thin im at home we do middlin god be praised there is no doubt my informant was a modest and in her way a worthy woman but it may be doubted if any english girl after seven years of domestic service would have so readily adapted herself to a street calling had an english girl been living among and used to the society of women who supported themselves by street labour her repugnance to such a life might have been lessened but even then i doubt if she who had the virtue to resist the offers told of by my irish informant could have made the attempt to live by selling fruit i do not mean that she would rather have fallen into immoral courses than honestly live upon the sale of strawberries but that she would have struggled on and striven to obtain any domestic labour in preference to a street occupation of a widow a street seller a woman apparently about 50 strong built and red faced speaking in a loud tone and what people of her class account a hearty manner gave me the following account i can readily condense it for in her street career there was nothing very novel she was the daughter of a costermonger and she married a costermonger before she was 20 on my hinting that sometimes the marriage ceremony was not considered indispensable the good woman laughed and said married or as good its hall as onebut we was married the marriage was not one of unalloyed happiness for the couple often wrangled and occasionally fought this was told to me with some laughter and with perfect good humour for the widow seemed interested to have a listener she did not i feel confident exaggerate the merits of the deceased nor perhaps his failings he was the best judge of fish in the streets she said and was the neatest hand in cutting it up or showing it off he was not a bad sort and was very fond of his children when sober and at work he was a quiet fellow without a cross word for a whole morning but when drunk which was far too often unless very drunk and then he was silly he went about tearing and swearing like one oclock but if he saw his wife take but a glass or two to do her good he went on like a madman and as if he never touched it himself he never had nothing to say to other womenif he had she would have clawed their eyes out and hisn toohe was as good that way as any nobleman could be and he was a fine man to look at and on a sunday when he dressed hisself he was beautiful he was never in a church in his life and didnt trouble hisself about such things they was no concern of hisn it may be thought that i have treated this matter too lightly but the foregoing is really the substance and certainly it is the tone of the widows talk which she poured forth freely without expressing wonder why any one a perfect stranger cared to listen to such a history she needed but a few hints and leading questions to make her talk on nor is this an uncommon quality even among classes who would be shocked to be classed in any respect with the widowed street seller their own career their own sayings and doings hopes and disappointments alone interest masses of people and with the simplicity which not seldom pertains to selfishness they will readily talk of all that interests themselves as if it must necessarily interest others on the whole though the departed costermonger was greatly deplored by his widow and family they did very well without him and carry on the business to this day he died four or five years back i have no doubt this widow is a shrewd saleswoman 468 enough i have heard her cry mackrel live mackrel eight a shilling mackrel and at other times eight a bob fine mackrel mackrel eight a bob eight a bob on my inquiring as to the cause of this difference in her cries the fish seller laughed and said i cries eight a bob when i sees people as i thinks is likely to like slang to others i cries eight a shilling which no doubt is the right way of talking of the children street sellers of london when we consider the spirit of emulation of imitation of bravado of opposition of just or idle resentment among boys according to their training companionship natural disposition and above all home treatment it seems most important to ascertain how these feelings and inclinations are fostered or stimulated by the examples of the free street life of other lads to be seen on every side there is no doubt that to a large class of boys whose parents are not in poverty the young street ruffian is a hero if this inquiry be important as it unquestionably is concerning boys how much more important is it when it includes the female children of the streets when it relates to the sex who in all relations of life and in all grades of society are really the guardians of a peoples virtue the investigation is again rendered more interesting and more important when it includes those children who have known no guidance from parent master or relative but have been flung into the streets through neglect through viciousness or as outcasts from utter destitution mixed with the children who really sell in the streets are the class who assume to sell that they may have the better chance to steal or the greater facility to beg before i classify what i consider to be the causes which have driven children to a street career with all its hardening consequences i may point out that culpability cannot be imputed to them at the commencement of their course of life they have been either untaught mistaught maltreated neglected regularly trained to vice or fairly turned into the streets to shift for themselves the censure then is attributable to parents or those who should fill the place of parentsthe state or society the exceptions to this culpability as regards parents are to be found in the instances where a costermonger employs his children to aid him in his business occupation which the parents in their ignorance or prejudices may account as good as any other and the youths thus become unfit perhaps for any other than a scrambling street life a second exception may be where the children in a poor family as continually happens among the irish in london must sell in the streets that they may eat in any place in the following details i shall consider all to be children who are under fifteen years of age it is just beyond that age or the age of puberty that as our prison statistics and other returns show criminal dispositions are developed self will becomes more imperious and headstrong that destructive propensity or taste which we term the ruling passion or character of the individual is educed and the destiny of the human being especially when apart from the moulding and well directed care of parents or friends is influenced perhaps for life the causes then which fill our streets with children who either manifest the keen and sometimes roguish propensity of a precocious trader the daring and adroitness of the thief or the loutish indifference of the mere dull vagabond content if he can only eat and sleep i consider to be these 1 the conduct of parents masters and mistresses 2 the companionship and associations formed in tender years 3 the employment of children by costermongers and others who live by street traffic and the training of costermongers children to a street life 4 orphanhood friendlessness and utter destitution 5 vagrant dispositions and tastes on the part of children which cause them to be runaways after this i shall treat of a the pursuits of the street trading children b their earnings c the causes or influences which have induced children to adopt some especial branch of a street life d their state of education e their morals religion opinions and conduct f places and character of dwellings g diet h amusements i clothing j propensities concerning cause 1 viz the conduct of parents masters and mistresses i should have more to say were i treating of the juvenile criminals instead of sellers in the streets the brute tyranny of parents manifested in the wreaking of any annoyances or disappointments they may have endured in the passionate beating and cursing of their children for trifling or for no causes is among the worst symptoms of a depraved nature this conduct may be the most common among the poor for among them are fewer conventional restraints but it exists among and debases other classes some parents only exercise this tyranny in their fits of drunkenness and make that their plea in mitigation but their dispositions are then only the more undisguisedly developed and they would be equally unjust or tyrannical when sober but for some selfish fear which checks them a boy perhaps endures this course of tyranny some time and then finding it increase he feels its further endurance intolerable and runs away if he have no friends with whom he can hope to find a shelter the streets only are open to him he soon meets with comrades some of whom perhaps had been circumstanced like himself and if not strongly disposed to idleness and vicious indulgencies goes through a course of horse holding errand running parcel carrying and such like and so becomes if honestly or prudently inclined a street seller beginning with fuzees or nuts or some unexpensive stock the where to buy and the how to sell he will find 469 plenty to teach him at the lodging houses where he must sleep when he can pay for a bed when i was collecting information concerning brace selling i met with a youth of sixteen who about two years previously had run away from birmingham and made his way to london with 2 s 6 d although he earned something weekly he was so pinched and beaten by a step mother his father was seldom at home except on sunday that his life was miserable this went on for nearly a year until the boy began to resist and one saturday evening when beaten as usual he struck in return drawing blood from his step mothers face the father came home before the fray was well ended listened to his wifes statement and would not listen to the boys and in his turn chastised the lad mercilessly in five minutes after the boy with aching bones and a bitter spirit left his fathers house and made his way to london where he was then vending cheap braces this youth could neither read nor write and seemed to possess no quickness or intelligence the only thing of which he cared to talk was his step mothers treatment of him all else was a blank with him in comparison this was the one burning recollection i may here observe that i heard of several instances of children having run away and adopted a street life in consequence of the violence of step mothers far more than of step fathers i cite the foregoing instance as the boys career was exactly that i have described but the reader will remember that in the many and curious narratives i have collected how often the adult street seller has begun such a life by being a runaway from domestic tyranny had this birmingham boy been less honest or perhaps less dull it would have been far easier for him to have become a thief than a street trader to the gangs of young thieves a new boy who is not known to the police is often as a smart young pickpocket then known as the cocksparrow described it to me a god send my readers will remember that in the collected statements of the street folk there are several accounts of runaways but they were generally older than the age i have fixed and it was necessary to give an account of one who comes within my classification of a child i did not hear of any girls who had run away from their homes having become street sellers merely they more generally fall into a course of prostitution or sometimes may be ostensibly street sellers as a means of accosting men and perhaps for an attractive pretence to the depraved that they are poor innocent girls struggling for an honest penny if they resort to the low lodging houses where the sexes are lodged indiscriminately their ruin seems inevitable 2 that the companionship and associations formed in tender years lead many children to a street life is so evident that i may be brief on the subject there are few who are in the habit of noting what they may observe of poor children in the streets and quieter localities who have not seen little boys playing at marbles or gambling with halfpennies farthings or buttons with other lads and who have laid down their basket of nuts or oranges to take part in the play the young street seller has probably more halfpence at his command or at any rate in his possession than his non dealing playmates he is also in the undoubted possession of what appears a large store of things for which poor boys have generally a craving and a relish thus the little itinerant trader is envied and imitated this attraction to a street career is very strong i have ascertained among the neglected children of the poor when the parents are absent at their work on a saturday morning some little time since i was in a flagged court near drury lane a wretched place which was full of children of all ages the parents were nearly all i believe then at work or on the look out for a job as porters in covent garden market and the children played in the court until their return in one corner was a group of four or five little boys gambling and squabbling for nuts of which one of the number was a vendor a sharp looking lad was gazing enviously on and i asked him to guide me to the room of a man whom i wished to see he did so and i gave him a penny on my leaving the court i found this boy the most eager of the players gambling with the penny i had given him i had occasion to return there a few hours after and the same lad was leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets as if suffering from listlessness he had had no luck with the nut covey he told me but he hoped before long to sell nuts himself he did not know his age but he appeared to be about eleven only last week i saw this same lad hawking a basket very indifferently stocked with oranges he had raised a shilling he said and the early bird the nickname of a young street seller had put him up to the way to lay it out on my asking if his father a journeyman butcher knew what he was doing he replied that so long as he didnt bother his father he could do what he pleased and the more he kept out of his the fathers way the better he would be liked and treated the association of poor boys and girls with the children of the costermongers and of the irish fruit sellers who are employed in itinerant vending is often productive of a strong degree of envy on the part of unemployed little ones who look upon having the charge of a basket of fruit to be carried in any direction as a species of independence 3 the employment of children by costermongers and others who live by street traffic and the training of costermongers children to a street life is the ordinary means of increase among the street folk the children of the costermongers become necessarily as i have already intimated street dealers and perhaps more innocently than in any other manner by being required as soon as their strength enables them to assist their parents in their work or sell trifles single handed for the behoof of their parents the child does but obey his father and the father does but rear the child 470 to the calling by which his daily bread is won this is the case particularly with the irish who often have large families and bring them with them to london there are moreover a great number of boys anybodys children as i heard them called who are tempted and trained to pursue an open air traffic through being engaged by costermongers or small tradesmen to sell upon commission or as it is termed for bunse in the curious and almost in every instance novel information which i gave to the public concerning the largest body of the street sellers the costermongers this word bunse probably a corruption of bonus bone being the slang for good first appeared in print the mode is this a certain quantity of saleable and sometimes of not very saleable commodities is given to a boy whom a costermonger knows and perhaps employs and it is arranged that the young commission agent is to get a particular sum for them which must be paid to the costermonger i will say 3 s that being somewhere about the maximum for these articles the lad may ask and obtain any price he can and whatever he obtains beyond the stipulated 3 s is his own profit or bunse the remuneration thus accruing to the boy vendor of course varies very materially according to the season of the year the nature of the article and the neighbourhood in which it is hawked much also depends upon whether the boy has a regular market for his commodities whether he has certain parties to whom he is known and upon whom he can call to solicit custom if he has of course his facilities for disposing of his stock in trade are much greater than in the case of one who has only the chance of attracting attention and obtaining custom by mere crying and bawling penny a piece col ly flowers five bunches a penny red dish es and such like the irish boys call this having a back an old hibernian phrase formerly applied to a very different subject and purpose another cause of the abundance of street dealers among the boyish fraternity whose parents are unable or unwilling to support them is that some costers keep a lad as a regular assistant whose duty it is to pull the barrow of his master about the streets and assist him in crying his wares sometimes the man and the boy call out together sometimes separately and alternately but mostly the boy alone has to do this part of the work the costers voice being generally rough and hoarse while the shrill sound of that of the boy re echoes throughout the street along which they slowly move and is far more likely to strike the ear and consequently to attract attention than that of the man this mode of practising the voice is however perfectly ruinous to it as in almost every case of this description we find the natural tone completely annihilated at a very early age and a harsh hoarse guttural disagreeable mode of speaking acquired in addition to the costers there are others who thus employ boys in the streets the hawkers of coal do so invariably and the milkmenespecially those who drive cows or have a cart to carry the milk pails in once in the streets and surrounded with street associates the boy soon becomes inured to this kind of life and when he leaves his first master will frequently start in some branch of costermongering for himself without seeking to obtain another constant employment this mode of employing lads and on the whole perhaps they are fairly enough used by the costermongers and generally treated with great kindness by the costers wives or concubines is i am inclined to think the chief cause of the abundance and even increase of the street sellers of fish fruit and vegetables 4 to orphanhood friendlessness and utter destitution the commerce of the streets owes a considerable portion of its merchants a child finds himself or herself an orphan the parents having been miserably poor he or she lives in a place where street folk abound it seems the only road to a meal and a bed and the orphan starts with a few lucifer matches boot laces nuts or onions it is the same when a child without being an orphan is abandoned or neglected by the parents and perhaps without any injunctions either for or against such a course is left to his or her own will to sell or steal in the streets 5 the vagrant dispositions and tastes of lads and it may be now and then somewhat of a reckless spirit of adventure which in our days has far fewer fields than it once had is another cause why a street life is embraced lads have been known to run away from even comfortable homes through the mere spirit of restlessness and sometimes they have done so but not perhaps under the age of fifteen for the unrestrained indulgence of licentious passions as this class of runaways however do not ordinarily settle into regular street sellers but become pickpockets or trade only with a view to cloak their designs of theft i need not further allude to them under this head i now come to the second part of my subject the pursuits c of the children in street avocations as i have shown in my account of the women street sellers there is no calling which this body of juveniles monopolize none of which they are the sole possessors but some are principally in their hands and there are others again to which they rarely incline among the wares sold by the boys and girls of the streets are money bags lucifer match boxes leather straps belts firewood common and also patent that is dipped into an inflammable composition fly papers a variety of fruits especially nuts oranges and apples onions radishes water cresses cut flowers and lavender mostly sold by girls sweet briar india rubber garters and other little articles of the same material including elastic rings to encircle rolls of paper music toys of the smaller kinds cakes steel pens and penholders with glass handles exhibition medals and cards gelatine cards glass and other cheap seals brass watch guards chains and rings small tin ware nutmeg graters and other articles 471 of a similar description such as are easily portable iron skewers fuzees shirt buttons boot and stay laces pins and more rarely needles cotton bobbins christmasing holly and other evergreens at christmas tide may flowers coat studs toy pottery blackberries groundsel and chickweed and clothes pegs there are also other things which children sell temporarily or rather in the season this year i saw lads selling wild birds nests with their eggs such as hedge sparrows minnows in small glass globes roots of the wild early orchis orchis mascula and such like things found only out of town independently of the vending of these articles there are many other ways of earning a penny among the street boys among them are foundtumblers mud larks water jacks ethiopians ballad singers bagpipe boys the variety of street musicians especially italian boys with organs billingsgate boys or young roughs covent garden boys porters and shoeblacks a class recently increased by the ragged school brigade a great many lads are employed also in giving away the cards and placards of advertising and puffing tradesmen and around the theatres are children of both sexes along with a few old people offering play bills for sale but this is an occupation less pursued than formerly as some managers sell their own bills inside the house and do not allow any to pass from the hands of the printer into those of the former vendors again amid the employments of this class may be mentionedthe going on errands and carrying parcels for persons accidentally met with holding horses sweeping crossings but the best crossings are usually in the possession of adults carrying trunks for any railway traveller to or from the terminus and carrying them from an omnibus when the passenger is not put down at his exact destination during the frosty days of the winter and early spring some of these little fellows used to run along the foot pathbaker street was a favourite place for this displayand keep pace with the omnibuses not merely by using their legs briskly but by throwing themselves every now and then on their hands and progressing a few steps so to speak with their feet in the air this was done to attract attention and obtain the preference if a job were in prospect done too in hopes of a halfpenny being given the urchin for his agility i looked at the hands of one of these little fellows and the fleshy parts of the palm were as hard as soling leather as hard indeed as the soles of the childs feet for he was bare footed at the doors of the theatres and of public places generally boys are always in waiting to secure a cab from the stand their best harvest being when the night has turned out wet after a fine day boys wait for the same purpose lounging all night and until the place closes about the night houses casinos saloons c and sometimes without receiving a penny there are again the very many ways in which street boys employed to help other people when temporary help is needed as when a cabman must finish the cleaning of his vehicle in a hurry or when a porter finds himself over weighted in his truck boys are moreover the common custodians of the donkeys on which young ladies take invigorating exercise in such places as hampstead heath and blackheath at pigeon shooting matches they are in readiness to pick up the dead birds and secure the poor fluttering things which are hard hit by the adventurous sportsman without having been killed they have their share again in the picking of currants and gooseberries the pottling of strawberries in weeding c c and though the younger children may be little employed in haymaking or in the more important labours of the corn harvest they have their shares both with and without the company of their parents in the hopping in fine there is no business carried on to any extent in the streets or in the open air but it will be found that boys have their portion thus they are brought into contact with all classes another proof of what i have advanced touching the importance of this subject it will be perceived that under this head i have had to speak far more frequently of boys than of girls for the boy is far more the child of the streets than is the girl the female child can do little but sell when a livelihood is to be gained without a recourse to immorality the boy can not only sell but work the many ramifications of child life and of child work in our teeming streets which i have just enumerated render it difficult to arrive at a very nice estimation of the earnings of the street boys and girls the gains of this week are not necessarily the gains of the next there is the influence of the weather there may be a larger or a smaller number of hands taking a turn at any particular calling this week than in its predecessor and above all there is that concatenation of circumstances which street sellers include in one expressive wordluck i mean the opportunities to earn a few pence which on some occasions present themselves freely and at others do not occur at all such luck however is more felt by the holders of horses and the class of waiters upon opportunity so to speak than by those who depend upon trade i believe however both in consequence of what i have observed and from the concurrent testimony of persons familiar with the child life of london streets that the earnings of the children when they are healthful and active are about the same in the several capacities they exercise the waiter on opportunity the lad on the look out for a job may wait and look out all day bootlessly but in the evening some fortunate chance may realize him a whole tanner all in a lump in like manner the water cress girl may drudge on from early morning until cresses are wanted for tea and with a connection and a tolerably regular demand earn no more than the boys 6 d and probably not so much one of the most profitable callings of the street child is in the sale of christmasing but that is only for a very brief season the most regular 472 returns in the childs trade are in the sale of such things as water cresses or any low priced article of daily consumption wherever the youthful vendor may be known i find it necessary to place the earnings of the street children higher than those of the aged and infirm the children are more active more persevering and perhaps more impudent they are less deterred by the weather and can endure more fatigue in walking long distances than old people this however relates to the boys more especially some of whom are very sturdy fellows the oranges which the street children now vend at two a penny leave them a profit of 4 d in the shilling to take 1 s 6 d with a profit of 6 d is a fair days work to take 1 s with a profit of 4 d is a poor days work the dozen bunches of cut flowers which a girl will sell on an average day at 1 d a bunch cost her 6 d that sum being also her profit these things supply i think a fair criterion the childrens profits may be 6 d a day and including sunday trade 3 s 6 d a week but with the drawbacks of bad weather they cannot be computed at more than 2 s 6 d a week the year through the boys may earn 2 d or 3 d a week on an average more than the girls except in such things which i shall specify under the next head as seem more particularly suited for female traffic of the causes which influence children to follow this or that course of business when a street career has been their choice or their lot i have little to say it seems quite a matter of chance even where a preference may exist a runaway lad meets with a comrade who perhaps sells fuzees and he accordingly begins on fuzees one youth of whom i have given an account but he was not of childs estate began his street career on fly papers when children are sent into the streets to sell on account of their parents they of course vend just what their parents have supplied to them if on their own hook they usually commence their street career on what it is easiest to buy and easiest to sell a few nuts or oranges bought in dukes place lucifer boxes or small wares as their experience increases they may become general street sellers the duller sort will continue to carry on the trades that any one with ordinary lungs and muscles can pursue all a fellow wants to know to sell potatoes said a master street seller to me is to tell how many tanners make a bob and how many yenaps a tanner how many sixpences make a shilling and how many pence a sixpence the smarter and bolder lads ripen into patterers or street performers or fall into theft for the class of adventurous runaways the patterers or rather the paper working patterers life with its alternations of town and country fairs and hangings the bustle of race grounds and the stillness of a village has great attractions to a pattering and chaunting career moreover there is the stimulus of that love of approbation and of admiration as strong among the often penniless professionals of the streets as on the boards of the opera house perhaps there is not a child of either sex now a street seller who would not to morrow if they thought they could clear a penny or two a day more by it quit their baskets of oranges and sell candle ends or old bones or anything in a street career and most especially when united with a lodging house existence there is no daintiness of the senses and no exercise of the tastes the question is not what do i like best to sell but what is likely to pay me best this cannot be wondered at for if a child earn but 5 d a day on apples and can make 6 d on onions its income is increased by 20 per cent the trades which i have specified as in the hands of street children are carried on by both sexes i do not know that even the stock in trade which most taxes the strength is more a boys than a girls pursuit a basket of oranges or of apples is among the heaviest of all the stocks hawked by children and in those pursuits there are certainly as many or rather more girls than boys such articles as fly papers money bags tins fuzees and christmasing are chiefly the boys sale cut flowers lavender water cresses and small wares are more within the trading of the girls the callings with which children do not meddle are those which require patter some of the boys very glibly announce their wares and may be profuse now and then in commendations of their quality cheapness and superiority but it requires a longer experience to patter according to the appreciation of a perhaps critical street audience no child for instance ventures upon the sale of grease removing compositions corn salve or the trial and execution of thomas drory with an affecting copy of werses a gentleman remarked to me that it was rather curious that boys playthings such as marbles and tops were not hawked by street juveniles who might be very well able to recommend them i do not remember to have seen any such things vended by children education is as far as i have been able to ascertain more widely extended among street children than it was twelve or fifteen years ago the difficulty in arriving at any conclusion on such a subject is owing to the inability to find any one who knew or could even form a tolerably accurate judgment of what was the state of education among these juveniles even twelve years back perhaps it may be sufficiently correct to say that among a given number of street children where a dozen years ago you met twenty who could read you will now meet upwards of thirty of sixteen children none apparently fifteen years of age whom i questioned on the subject nine admitted that they could not read the other seven declared that they could but three annexed to the avowal the qualifying wordsa little ten were boys and six were girls and i spoke to them promiscuously as i met them in the street two were irish lads who were working oranges in company and the bigger answeredshure thin we 473 can rade your honour sir i have little doubt that they could but in all probability had either of those urchins thought he would be a penny the better by it he would have professed to a perfect stranger that he had a knowledge of algebra yis sir i do thin would very likely be his response to any such inquiry and when told he could not possibly know anything about it he would answer arrah thin but i didnt understand your honour to the ragged schools is in all probability owing this extension of the ability to read it appears that the attendance of the street children at the ragged school is most uncertain as indeed must necessarily be the case where the whole time of the lad is devoted to obtaining a subsistence from the best information i can collect it appears that the average attendance of these boys at these schools does not exceed two hours per week so that the amount of education thus acquired if education it may be called must necessarily be scanty in the extreme and is frequently forgotten as soon as learned with many of these little traders a natural shrewdness compensates in some measure for the deficiency of education and enables them to carry on their variety of trades with readiness and dexterity and sometimes with exactness one boy with whom i had a conversation told me that he never made any mistake about the coppers although as i subsequently discovered he had no notion at all of arithmetic beyond the capability of counting how many pieces of coin he had and how much copper money was required to make a tanner or a bob this boy vended coat studs he had also some metal collars for dogs or as he said for cats aither these articles he purchased at the same shop in houndsditch where there was a wonderful lot of other things to be had ony some on em cost more money in speaking of money the slang phrases are constantly used by the street lads thus a sixpence is a tanner a shilling a bob or a hog a crown is a bull a half crown a half bull c little as a modern writer has remarked do the persons using these phrases know of their remote and somewhat classical origin which may indeed be traced to the period antecedent to that when monarchs monopolized the surface of coined money with their own images and superscriptions they are identical with the very name of money among the early romans which was pecunia from pecus a flock the collections of coin dealers amply show that the figure of a hog was anciently placed on a small silver coin and that that of a bull decorated larger ones of the same metal these coins were frequently deeply crossed on the reverse this was for the convenience of easily breaking them into two or more pieces should the bargain for which they were employed require it and the parties making it had no smaller change handy to complete the transaction thus we find that the half bull of the itinerant street seller or traveller so far from being a phrase of modern invention as is generally supposed is in point of fact referable to an era extremely remote numerous other instances might be given of the classical origin of many of the flash or slang words used by these people i now give the answers i received from two boys the first his mother told me was the best scholar at his school when he was there and before he had to help her in street sale he was a pale and not at all forward boy of thirteen or fourteen and did not appear much to admire being questioned he had not been to a ragged school but to an academy kept by an old man he did not know what the weekly charge was but when father was living he died last autumn the schoolmaster used to take it out in vegetables father was a costermonger mother minded all about his schooling and master often said she behaved to him like a lady god this child told me was our heavenly father and the maker of all things he knew everything and everybody he knew peoples thoughts and every sin they committed if no one else knew it his was the kingdom and the power and the glory for ever and ever amen jesus christ was our lord and saviour he was the son of god and was crucified for our sins he was a god himself the child understood next to nothing of the doctrine of the trinity and i did not press him the scriptures which were the bible and testament were the word of god and contained nothing but what was good and true if a boy lied or stole or committed sins he said he would be punished in the next world which endured for ever and ever amen it was only after death when it was too late to repent that people went to the next world he attended chapel sometimes as to mundane matters the boy told me that victoria was queen of great britain and ireland she was born may 24 1819 and succeeded his late majesty king william iv july 20 1837 she was married to his royal highness prince albert c c france was a different country to this he had heard there was no king or queen there but didnt understand about it you couldnt go to france by land no more than you could to ireland didnt know anything of the old times in history hadnt been told had heard of the battle of waterloo the english licked had heard of the battle of trafalgar and of lord nelson didnt know much about him but there was his pillar at charing cross just by the candlesticks fountains when i spoke of astronomy the boy at once told me he knew nothing about it he had heard that the earth went round the sun but from what hed noticed shouldnt have thought it he didnt think that the sun went round the earth it seemed to go more sideways would like to read more if he had time but he had a few books and there was hundreds not so well off as he was i am far from undervaluing indeed i would not indulge in an approach to a scoff at the extent of this boys knowledge many a man who piques himself on the plenitude of his breeches pocket and who attributes his success in life to the fulness 474 of his knowledge knows no more of nature man and god than this poor street child another boy perhaps a few months older gave me his notions of men and things he was a thick limbed red cheeked fellow answered very freely and sometimes when i could not help laughing at his replies laughed loudly himself as if he entered into the joke yes he had heerd of god who made the world couldnt exactly recollec when hed heerd on him but he had most sarten ly didnt know when the world was made or how anybody could do it it must have taken a long time it was afore his time or yourn either sir knew there was a book called the bible didnt know what it was about didnt mind to know knew of such a book to a sartinty because a young oman took one to pop pawn for an old oman what was on the spreea bran new unbut the cove wouldnt have it and the old oman said he might be dd never heerd tell on the deluge of the world having been drownded it couldnt for there wasnt water enough to do it he werent a going to fret hisself for such things as that didnt know what happened to people after death only that they was buried had seen a dead body laid out was a little afeared at first poor dick looked so different and when you touched his face he was so cold oh so cold had heerd on another world wouldnt mind if he was there hisself if he could do better for things was often queer here had heered on it from a tailorsuch a clever cove a stunneras went to straliar australia and heerd him say he was going into another world had never heerd of france but had heerd of frenchmen there wasnt half a quarter so many on em as of italians with their earrings like flash gals didnt dislike foreigners for he never saw none what was they had heerd of ireland didnt know where it was but it couldnt be very far or such lots wouldnt come from there to london should say they walked it aye every bit of the way for hed seen them come in all covered with dust had heerd of people going to sea and had seen the ships in the river but didnt know nothing about it for he was very seldom that way the sun was made of fire or it wouldnt make you feel so warm the stars was fire too or they wouldnt shine they didnt make it warm they was too small didnt know any use they was of didnt know how far they was off a jolly lot higher than the gas lights some on em was was never in a church had heerd they worshipped god there didnt know how it was done had heerd singing and playing inside when hed passed never was there for he hadnt no togs to go in and wouldnt be let in among such swells as he had seen coming out was a ignorant chap for hed never been to school but was up to many a move and didnt do bad mother said he would make his fortin yet had heerd of the duke of wellington he was old nosey didnt think he ever seed him but had seed his statty hadnt heerd of the battle of waterloo nor who it was atween once lived in webber row waterloo road thought he had heerd speak of buonaparte didnt know what he was thought he had heerd of shakespeare but didnt know whether he was alive or dead and didnt care a man with something like that name kept a dolly and did stunning but he was sich a hard cove that if he was dead it wouldnt matter had seen the queen but didnt recollec her name just at the minute oh yes wictoria and albert had no notion what the queen had to do should think she hadnt such power he had first to ask me what power was as the lord mayor or as mr norton as was the lambeth beak and perhaps is still was never once before a beak and didnt want to hated the crushers what business had they to interfere with him if he was only resting his basket in a street had been once to the wick and once to the bower liked tumbling better he meant to have a little pleasure when the peas came in the knowledge and the ignorance of these two striplings represent that of street children generally those who may have run away from a good school or a better sort of home as far as means constitute such betterness of course form exceptions so do the utterly stupid the morals religion and opinions of the street trading children are the next topic their business morals have been indicated in the course of my former statements and in the general tone of the remarks and conversation of street sellers as traders their morals may be lax enough they give short weight and they give short measure they prick the juice out of oranges and brush up old figs to declare theyre new their silk braces are cotton their buck leather braces are wash leather their sponge is often rotten and their salves and cures quackeries speak to any one of the quicker witted street sellers on the subject and though he may be unable to deny that his brother traders are guilty of these short comings he will justify them all by the example of shopkeepers one man especially with whom i have more than once conversed on the subject broadly asserts that as a whole the streets are in all matters of business honester than the shops it aint we runs the purport of his remarks as makes coffee out of sham chickory it aint we as makes cigars out of rhubarb leaves we dont make duffers handkerchiefs nor weave cotton things and call them silk if we quacks a bit does we make fortins by it as shopkeepers does with their ointments and pills if we give slang weights how many rich shopkeepers is fined for that there and how manys never found out and when one on ems fined why he calculates how much hes into pocket between what hes made by slanging and what hes been fined and on he goes again he didnt know that there ever was short weight given in his shop not he no more do we at our stalls or barrows who dulterates the beer who makes old tea leaves into new who grinds rice among pepper and as for smugglingbut nobody thinks theres any harm in buying smuggled things what we does is like that pencil you 475 re writing with to a great tree compared to what the rich people does o dont tell me sir a gentleman like you that sees so much of whats going on must know were better than the shopkeepers are to remarks such as these i have nothing to answer it would be idle to point out to such casuists that the commission of one wrong can never justify another the ignorant reverse the doctrine of right and live not by rule but by example i have unsparingly exposed the rogueries and trickeries of the street people and it is but fair that one of them should be heard in explanation if not in justification the trade ethics of the adult street folk are also those of the juveniles so on this subject i need dwell no longer what i have said of the religion of the women street sellers applies with equal truth to the children their religious feelings are generally formed for them by their parents especially their mothers if the children have no such direction then they have no religion i did not question the street seller before quoted on this subject of the want of the christian spirit among his fraternity old or young or he would at once have asked me in substance to tell him in what class of society the real christian spirit was to be found as to the opinions of the street children i can say little for the most part they have formed no opinions of anything beyond what affects their daily struggles for bread of politics such children can know nothing if they are anything they are chartists in feeling and are in general honest haters of the police and of most constituted authorities whom they often confound with the police officer as to their opinions of the claims of friendship and of the duty of assisting one another i believe these children feel and understand nothing about such matters the hard struggles of their lives and the little sympathy they meet with make them selfish there may be companionship among them but no friendship and this applies i think alike to boys and girls the boys opinion of the girl seems to be that she is made to help him or to supply gratification to his passions there is yet a difficult inquiry as to the opinions which are formed by the young females reared to a street life i fear that those opinions are not and cannot be powerfully swayed in favour of chastity especially if the street girl have the quickness to perceive that marriage is not much honoured among the most numerous body of street folk if she have not the quickness to understand this then her ignorance is in itself most dangerous to her virtue she may hear too expressions of an opinion that going to church to be wed is only to put money into the clergymans or as these people say the parsons pocket without the watchful care of the mother the poor girl may form an illicit connection with little or no knowledge that she is doing wrong and perhaps a kind and indulgent mother may be herself but a concubine feeling little respect for a ceremony she did not scruple to dispense with to such opinions however the irish furnish the exception the dwelling places of the street children are in the same localities as i specified regarding the women those who reside with their parents or employers sleep usually in the same room with them and sometimes in the same bed nearly the whole of those however who support themselves by street trade live or rather sleep in the lodging houses it is the same with those who live by street vagrancy or begging or by street theft and for this lazy or dishonest class of children the worst description of lodging houses have the strongest attractions as they meet continually with tramps from the country and keep up a constant current of scheming and excitement it seems somewhat curious that considering the filth and noisomeness of some of these lodging houses the children who are inmates suffer only the average extent of sickness and mortality common to the districts crammed with the poor perhaps it may be accounted for by the circumstance of their being early risers and their being in the open air all day so that they are fatigued at the close of the day and their sleep is deep and unbroken i was assured by a well educated man who was compelled to resort to such places that he has seen children sleep most profoundly in a lodging house throughout a loud and long continued disturbance many street children who are either alone in the world or afraid to return home after a bad days sale sleep in the markets or under the dry arches there are many other lads who being unable to pay the 1 d 2 d or 3 d demanded in pre payment by the lodging house keepers pass the night in the streets wherever shelter may be attainable the number of outcast boys and girls who sleep in and about the purlieus of covent garden market each night especially during the summer months has been computed variously and no doubt differs according to circumstances but those with whom i have spoken upon the subject and who of all others are most likely to know consider the average to be upwards of 200 the diet of the street children is in some cases an alternation of surfeit and inanition more especially that of the stripling who is on his own hook if money be unexpectedly attained a boy will gorge himself with such dainties as he loves if he earn no money he will fast all day patiently enough perhaps drinking profusely of water a cake seller told me that a little while before i saw him a lad of twelve or so had consumed a shillings worth of cakes and pastry as he had got a shilling by fiddling not be it understood by the exercise of any musical skill for fiddling among the initiated means the holding of horses or the performing of any odd jobs of these cakes and pastrythe cakes being from two to twelve a penny and the pastry tarts and coventrys three cornered tarts two a pennythe street urchins are very fond to me they seemed to possess no recommendation either to the nose or the palate the strong flavour of 476 these preparations is in all probability as grateful to the palate of an itinerant youth as is the high gout of the grouse or the woodcock to the fashionable epicure in this respect as in others which i have pointed out the extremes of society meet these remarks apply far more to the male than to the female children some of the street boys will walk a considerable distance when they are in funds to buy pastry of the jew boys in the minories houndsditch and whitechapel those keen traders being reputed and no doubt with truth to supply the best cakes and pastry of any a more staple article of diet which yet partakes of the character of a dainty is in great demand by the class i treat ofpudding a halfpenny or a penny worth of baked plum boiled plum or plum dough currant or plum batter batter pudding studded with raisins is often a dinner this pudding is almost always bought in the shops indeed in a street apparatus there could hardly be the necessary heat diffused over the surface required and as i have told of a distance being travelled to buy pastry of the jew boys so is it traversed to buy pudding at the best shops the proprietor of one of those shops upon whom i called to make inquiries told me that he sold about 300 pennyworths of pudding in a day two thirds of this quantity he sold to juveniles under fifteen years of age but he hadnt noticed particularly and so could only guess this man when he understood the object of my inquiry insisted upon my tasting his batter which really was very good and tastedi do not know how otherwise to describe ithonest his profits were not large he said and judging from the size and quality of his oblong halfpenny and pennyworths of batter pudding i have no doubt he stated the fact theres many a poor man and woman he said aye sir and some that you would think from their appearance might go to an eating house to dine make a meal off my pudding as well as the street little ones the boys are often tiresome master theyll say cant you give us a plummier bit than this or is it just up i likes it ot all ot the baked tatur from the street dealers can more frequently than from the shops is another enjoyable portion of the street childs diet of the sale to the juvenile population of pickled whelks stewed eels oysters boiled meat puddings and other articles of street traffic i have spoken under their respective heads the irish children who live with their parents fare as the parents fare if very poor or if bent upon saving for some purpose their diet is tea and bread and butter or bread without butter if not so very poor still tea c but sometimes with a little fish and sometimes with a piece of meat on sundays but the sundays meat is more common among the poor english than the poor irish street traders indeed the english street traders generally live better than the irish the coster boys often fare well and abundantly the children living in the lodging houses i am informed generally partake only of such meals as they can procure abroad sometimes of a night they may partake of the cheap beef or mutton purveyed by some inmate who has been lifting flesh stealing meat or sawney bacon vegetables excepting the baked potato they rarely taste of animal food perhaps they partake more of bacon and relish it the most drinking is not from what i can learn common among the street boys the thieves are generally sober fellows and of the others when they are in luck a half pint of beer to relish the bread and saveloy of the dinner and a pennyworth of gin to keep the cold out are often the extent of the potations the exceptions are among the ignorant coster lads who when they have been prosperous in their bunse drink and ape the vices of men the girls i am told are generally fonder of gin than the boys elderwine and gingerbeer are less popular among children than they used to be many of the lads smoke the amusements of the street children are such as i have described in my account of the costermongers but in a moderate degree as those who partake with the greatest zest of such amusements as the penny gaff penny theatre and the twopenny hop dance are more advanced in years many of the penny gaffs however since i last wrote on the subject have been suppressed and the twopenny hops are not half so frequent as they were five or six years back the jew boys of the streets play at draughts or dominoes in coffee shops which they frequent in one in the london road at which i had occasion to call were eight of these urchins thus occupied and they play for money or its equivalent but these sedentary games obtain little among the other and more restless street lads i believe that not one half of them know the cards but they are fond of gambling at pitch and toss for halfpennies or farthings the clothing of the street children however it may vary in texture fashion and colour has one pervading characteristicit is never made for the wearers the exceptions to this rule seem to be those when a child has run away and retains through good fortune or natural acuteness the superior attire he wore before he made the choiceif choice he hadof a street life and where the pride of a mother whose costermonger husband is getting on clothes little jack or bill in a new sunday suit even then the suit is more likely to be bought ready made than made to measure nor is it worn in business hours until the gloss of novelty has departed the boys and girls wear every variety of clothing it is often begged but if bought is bought from the fusty stocks of old clothes in petticoat and rosemary lanes these rags are worn by the children as long as they will hold or can be tied or pinned together and when they drop off from continued wear from dirt and from the ravages of vermin the child sets his wits to work to procure more one mode of obtaining a fresh supply is far less available than it was three or four years back this was for the lads to denude 477 themselves of their rags and tearing them up in the casual ward of a workhouse as it were compel the parish officers to provide them with fresh apparel this mode may be successful in parts of the country still but it is not so or to a very limited extent in town the largest and what was accounted by the vagrants the most liberal of all the casual wards of the metropolitan workhouses that of marylebone has been closed above two years so numerous were the applicants for admission and so popular among the vagrants was marylebone workhouse that a fever resulted and attacked that large establishment it was not uncommon for the irish who trudged up from liverpool to be advised by some london vagrant whom they met to go at once when they reached the capital to marylebone workhouse and that the irishman might not forget a name that was new to him his friendly adviser would write it down for him and a troop of poor wretched irish children with parents as wretched would go to marylebone workhouse and in their ignorance or simplicity present the address which had been given to them as if it were a regular order for admission boys have sometimes committed offences that they might get into prison and as they contrived that their apparel should be unfit for purposes of decency or perhaps their rags had become unfit to wear they could not be sent naked into the streets again and so had clothing given to them a shirt will be worn by one of those wretched urchins without washing until it falls asunder and many have no shirts the girls are on the whole less ragged than the boys the most disgusting parts of their persons or appareli speak here more of the vagrant or the mixed vagrant trading and selling girl often a child prostitute than of the regular street sellerthe worst particular of these girls appearance i repeat is in their foul and matted hair which looks as if it would defy sponge comb and brush to purify it and in the broken and filthy boots and stockings which they seem never to button or to garter the propensities of the street children are the last division of my inquiry and an ample field is presented alike for wonder disgust pity hope and regret perhaps the most remarkable characteristic of these wretched children is their extraordinary licentiousness nothing can well exceed the extreme animal fondness for the opposite sex which prevails amongst them some rather singular circumstances connected with this subject have come to my knowledge and from these facts it would appear that the age of puberty or something closely resembling it may be attained at a much less numerical amount of years than that at which most writers upon the human species have hitherto fixed it probably such circumstances as the promiscuous sleeping together of both sexes the example of the older persons indulging in the grossest immorality in the presence of the young and the use of obscene expressions may tend to produce or force an unnatural precocity a precocity sure to undermine health and shorten life jealousy is another characteristic of these children and perhaps less among the girls than the boys upon the most trivial offence in this respect or on the suspicion of an offence the gals are sure to be beaten cruelly and savagely by their chaps this appears to be a very common case the details of filthiness and of all uncleanness which i gave in a recent number as things of course in certain lodging houses render it unnecessary to dwell longer upon the subject and it is one from which i willingly turn to other matters in addition to the licentious the vagabond propensities of this class are very striking as soon as the warm weather commences boys and girls but more especially boys leave the town in shoals traversing the country in every direction some furnished with trifling articles such as i have already enumerated to sell and others to begging lurking or thieving it is not the street sellers who so much resort to the tramp as those who are devoid of the commonest notions of honesty a quality these young vagrants sometimes respect when in fear of a gaol and the hard work with which such a place is identified in their mindsand to which with the peculiar idiosyncrasy of a roving race they have an insuperable objection i have met with boys and girls however to whom a gaol had no terrors and to whom when in prison there was only one dread and that a common one among the ignorant whether with or without any sense of religionsuperstition i lay in prison of a night sir said a boy who was generally among the briskest of his class and think i shall see things the things represent the vague fears which many not naturally stupid but untaught or ill taught persons entertain in the dark a girl a perfect termagant in the breaking of windows and such like offences told me something of the same kind she spoke well of the treatment she experienced in prison and seemed to have a liking for the matron and officials her conduct there was quiet and respectful i believe she was not addicted to drink many of the girls as well as the boys of course trade as they tramp they often sell both in the country and in town little necklaces composed of red berries strung together upon thick thread for dolls and children but although i have asked several of them i have never yet found one who collected the berries and made the necklaces themselves neither have i met with a single instance in which the girl vendors knew the name of the berries thus used nor indeed even that they were berries the invariable reply to my questions upon this point has been that they are called necklaces that they are just as they sells em to us that they dont know whether they are made or whether they grow and in most cases that they gets them in london by shoreditch although in one case a little brown complexioned girl with bright sparkling eyes said that she got them from the gipsies 478 at first i fancied from this childs appearance that she was rather superior in intellect to most of her class but i soon found that she was not a whit above the others unless indeed it were in the possession of the quality of cunning some of the boys on their country excursions trade in dominoes they carry a variety of boxes each differing in size and varying accordingly in price the lowest priced boxes are mostly 6 d each sometimes 4 d or even 3 d the highest 1 s an informant told me that these boxes are charged to him at the rate of 20 to 25 per cent less but if as is commonly the case he could take a number at a time he would have them at a smaller price still they are very rudely made and soon fall to pieces unless handled with extreme care most of the boys who vend this article play at the game themselves and with some skill but in every case i believe there is a willingness to cheat or take advantage which is hardly disguised one boy told me candidly that those who make the most money are considered to be the cleverest whether by selling or cheating or both at the game nor can it be said that this estimation of cleverness is peculiar to these children at this season of the year great numbers of the street children attend the races in different parts of the country more especially at those in the vicinity of a large town the race course of wolverhampton for instance is usually thronged with them during the period of the sport while taking these perigrinations they sometimes sleep in the low lodging houses with which most of our provincial towns abound frequently skipper it in the open air when the weather is fine and warm and occasionally in barns or outhouses attached to farms and cottages sometimes they travel in couplesa boy and a girl or two boys or two girls but the latter is not so common a case as either of the former it is rare that more than two may be met in company with each other except indeed of a night and then they usually herd together in numbers the boys who carry dominoes sometimes also have a sheet of paper for sale on which is rudely printed a representation of a draught board and menthe latter of which are of two colours black and white and may be cut out with a pair of scissors thus forming a ready means of playing a game so popular in rustic places these sheets of paper are sold if no more can be got for them at a penny each the boy who showed them to me said he gave a halfpenny a piece for them or 6 d for fifteen he said he always bought them in london and that he did not know any other place to get them at nor had ever heard any talk of their being bought nowhere else the extraordinary lasciviousness of this class which i have already mentioned appears to continue to mark their character during their vagabondizing career in the country as fully as in town indeed an informant upon whom i think i may rely says that the nightly scenes of youthful or even childish profligacy in the low lodging houses of the small provincial towns quite equaleven if they do not exceedthose which may be witnessed in the metropolis itself towards the approach of winter these children like the vagrants of an older growth advance towards london some remain in the larger towns such as liverpool manchester birmingham sheffield c but the greater proportion appear to return to the metropolis where they resume the life they had previously led anything but improved in education morals manners or social position generally by their summers excursion the language spoken by this rambling class is peculiar in its construction it consists of an odd medley of cockneyfied english rude provincialisms and a large proportion of the slang commonly used by gipsies and other travellers in conveying their ideas to those whom they wish to purchase their commodities among the propensities of the street boys i do not think that pugnacity or a fondness or even a great readiness for fighting is a predominant element gambling and thieving may be rife among a class of these poor wretches and it may not unfrequently happen that force is resorted to by one boy bigger than another to obtain the halfpence of which the smaller child is known to be possessed thus quarrels among them are very frequent but they rarely lead to fighting even in the full swing and fury of their jealousy it does not appear that these boys attack the object of their suspicions but prefer the less hazardous course of chastising the delinquent or unjustly suspected girl the girls in the low lodging houses i was told a little time since by a woman who used to frequent them sometimes not often scratched one another until the two had bloody faces and they tried to bite one another now and then but they seldom fought what was this poor womans notion of a fight between two girls it may not be very easy to comprehend the number of children out daily in the streets of london employed in the various occupations i have named together with others which may possibly have been overlookedincluding those who beg without offering any article for salethose who will work as light porters as errand boys and the like for chance passengers has been variously calculated probably nothing like exactitude can be hoped for much less expected in such a speculation for when a government census has been so frequently found to fail in correctness of detail it appears highly improbable that the number of those so uncertain in their places of resort and so migratory in their habits can be ascertained with anything like a definite amount of certainty by a private individual taking the returns of accommodation afforded to these children in the casual wards of workhouses refuges for the destitute and homeless poor of the mendicity and other societies of a similar description and those of our hospitals and gaols and these sources of information upon this subject can alone be confidently relied upon and then taking into the calculation the additional numbers who pass the night in the variety of ways i have already enumerated i think it will be found that the 479 number of boys and girls selling in the streets of this city and often dependent upon their own exertions for the commonest necessaries of life may be estimated at some thousands but nearer 10 000 than 20 000 the consideration which i have devoted to this branch of my subject has been considerable but still not in my own opinion commensurate to the importance of its nature steps ought most unquestionably to be taken to palliate the evils and miseries i have pointed out even if a positive remedy be indeed impossible each year sees an increase of the numbers of street children to a very considerable extent and the exact nature of their position may be thus briefly depicted what little information they receive is obtained from the worst classfrom cheats vagabonds and rogues what little amusement they indulge in springs from sources the most poisonousthe most fatal to happiness and welfare what little they know of a home is necessarily associated with much that is vile and base their very means of existence uncertain and precarious as it is is to a great extent identified with petty chicanery which is quickly communicated by one to the other while their physical sufferings from cold hunger exposure to the weather and other causes of a similar nature are constant and at times extremely severe thus every means by which a proper intelligence may be conveyed to their minds is either closed or at the least tainted while every duct by which a bad description of knowledge may be infused is sedulously cultivated and enlarged parental instruction the comforts of a home however humblethe great moral truths upon which society itself rests the influence of proper example the power of education the effect of useful amusement are all denied to them or come to them so greatly vitiated that they rather tend to increase than to repress the very evils they were intended to remedy the costers invariably say that no persons under the age of fifteen should be allowed by law to vend articles in the streets the reason they give for this isthat the children under that period of life having fewer wants and requiring less money to live than those who are older will sell at a less profit than it is fair to expect the articles sold should yield and thus they tersely conclude they pervents others living and ruins theirselves there probably is truth in this remark and i must confess that for the sake of the children themselves i should have no objection to see the suggestion acted upon and yet there immediately rises the plain yet startling questionin such a case what is to become of the children i now cite the histories of street lads belonging to the several classes above specified as illustrations of the truth of the statements advanced concerning the children street sellers generally of children sent out as street sellers by their parents of the boys and girls who are sent out to sell in the streets by parents who are themselves street traders i need say but little under this head i have spoken of them and given some of their statements in other divisions of this work see the accounts of the coster boys and girls when as is the case with many of the costermongers and with the irish fruit sellers the parents and children follow the same calling they form one household and work as it were into one anothers hands the father can buy a larger and consequently a cheaper quantity when he can avail himself of a subdivision of labour as inexpensive as that of his own familywhom he must maintain whether employed or unemployedin order to vend such extra quantity i have already noticed that in some families as is common with rude tribes costermongering seems an hereditary pursuit and the frequent and constant employment of children in street traffic is one reason why this hereditary pursuit is perpetuated for street commerce is thus at a very early age made part and parcel of the young costers existence and he very probably acquires a distaste for any other occupation which may entail more of restraint and irksomeness it is very rarely that a costermonger apprentices his son to any handicraft business although a daughter may sometimes be placed in domestic service the child is usually sent out to sell there is another class of children who are sent out as are the children of the costers and sometimes with the same cheap and readily attained articlesoranges and lemons nuts chestnuts onions salt or fresh herrings winks or shrimps and more rarely with water cresses or cut flowers sometimes the young vendors offer small waresleather boot laces coat studs steel pens or such like these are often the children not of street sales people but of persons in a measure connected with a street life or some open air pursuit the children of cabmen deprived of their licences or of the hangers on of cabmen of the supers supernumeraries of the theatres who have irregular or no employment or as they would call it engagement with the unhappy consequence of irregular or no salary the children again of street performers or ethiopians or street musicians are sent out to sell as well as those of the poorer class of labourers connected with the riverballast heavers lumpers c of irish bricklayers labourers and paviours assistants of market porters and dock labourers of coal heavers out of work and of the helpers at coal wharfs and at the other wharfs of the billingsgate roughs and of the many classes of the labouring rather than the artisan poor whose earnings are uncertain or insufficient or have failed them altogether with such classes as these and more especially with the irish as soon as pat or biddy is big enough to carry a basket and is of sufficiently ripened intellect to understand the relative value of coins from a farthing to a shilling he or she must do something to help and that something is generally to sell in the streets one poor woman who made a scanty living in working on corn sacks and bagsher infirmities sometimes preventing her working at allsent out three children together 480 or separately to sell lucifer matches or small wares they like it she said and always want to be off into the streets and when my husband a labourer was ill in the hospital the few pence they brought in was very useful but now hes well and at work again and we want to send the eldestshes nineto school but they all will go out to sell if they can get hold of any stock i would never have sent them at all if i could have helped it but if they made 6 d a day among the three of them perhaps it saved their lives when things were at the worst if a poor woman as in this instance has not been used to street selling herself there is always some neighbour to advise her what to purchase for her childrens hawking and instruct her where from one little girl i had the following account she was then selling boot laces and offered them most perseveringly she was turned nine she said and had sold things in the streets for two years past but not regularly the father got his living in the streets by playing she seemed reluctant to talk about his avocation but i found that he was sometimes a street musician or street performer and sometimes sung or recited in public houses and having seen better days had it appears communicated some feeling of dislike for his present pursuits to his daughter so that i discontinued any allusion to the subject the mother earned 2 s or 2 s 6 d weekly in shoe binding when she had employment which was three weeks out of four and a son of thirteen earned what was sufficient to maintain him as an occasional assistant in a wholesale pottery or rather pot shop its in the winter sir when things are far worst with us father can make very little thenbut i dont know what he earns exactly at any timeand though mother has more work then theres fire and candle to pay for we were very badly off last winter and worse i think the winter before father sometimes came home and had made nothing and if mother had no work in hand we went to bed to save fire and candle if it was ever so soon father would die afore he would let mother take as much as a loaf from the parish i was sent out to sell nuts first if its only 1 d you make mother said its a good piece of bread i didnt mind being sent out i knew children that sold things in the streets perhaps i liked it better than staying at home without a fire and with nothing to do and if i went out i saw other children busy no i wasnt a bit frightened when i first started not a bit some childrenbut they was such little thingssaid o liz i wish i was you i had twelve haporths and sold them all i dont know what it made 2 d most likely i didnt crack a single nut myself i was fond of them then but i dont care for them now i could do better if i went into public houses but im only let go to mr smiths because he knows father and mrs smith and him recommends me and wouldnt let anybody mislest me nobody ever offered to i hear people swear there sometimes but its not at me i sell nuts to children in the streets and laces to young women i have sold nuts and oranges to soldiers they never say anything rude to me never i was once in a great crowd and was getting crushed and there was a very tall soldier close by me and he lifted me basket and all right up to his shoulder and carried me clean out of the crowd he had stripes on his arm i shouldnt like you to be in such a trade says he if you was my child he didnt say why he wouldnt like it perhaps because it was beginning to rain yes we are far better off now father makes money i dont go out in bad weather in the summer in the winter though i must i dont know what i make i dont know what i shall be when i grow up i can read a little ive been to church five or six times in my life i should go oftener and so would mother if we had clothes i have no reason to suppose that in this case the father was an intemperate man though some of the parents who thus send their children out are intemperate and loving to indulge in the idleness to which intemperance inclines them are forced to live on the labour of their wives and children of a neglected child a street seller of this class perhaps there is less to be said than of others drunken parents allow their children to run about the streets and often to shift for themselves if such parents have any sense of shame unextinguished by their continued besottedness they may feel relieved by not having their children before their eyes for the very sight of them is a reproach and every rag about such helpless beings must carry its accusation to a mind not utterly callous among such children there is not perhaps that extreme pressure of wretchedness or of privation that there is among the orphans or the utterly deserted if a neglected child have to shift wholly or partly for itself it is perhaps with the advantage of a shelter for even the bare room of the drunkard is in some degree a shelter or roof there is not the nightly need of 2 d for a bed or the alternative of the adelphi arches for nothing i met with one little girl ten or eleven years of age whom some of the street sellers described to me as looking out for a job every now and then she was small featured and dark eyed and seemed intelligent her face and hands were brown as if from exposure to the weather and a lack of soap but her dress was not dirty her father she described as a builder probably a bricklayers labourer but he could work she said at drains or such like mothers been dead a long time the child continued and father brought another woman home and told me to call her mother but she soon went away i works about the streets but only when theres nothing to eat at home father gets drunk sometimes but i think not so oft as he did and then he lies in bed no sir not all day but he gets up and goes out and gets more drink and comes back and goes to bed again he never uses me badly when hes drinking and has money he gives me some now and then to get bread and butter with or a halfpenny pudding he never eats anything 481 in the house when hes drinking and hes a very quiet man sometimes hes laid in bed two or three days and nights at a time i goes to school when father has money we lives very well then ive kept myself for a whole week i mind peoples stalls if theyre away a bit and run for them if theyre wanted and i go errands ive carried home flower pots for a lady ive got a halfpenny on a day and a penny and some bread perhaps and ive lived on that i should like very well to have a pitch of my own i think i should like that better than place but i have a sister who has a place in the country shes far older than i am and perhaps i shall get one but fathers at work now and he says hell take the pledge five or six times ive sold oranges and ingans as well and carried the money to mrs who gave me all i took above 4 d for myself it could surprise no one if a child so neglected became so habituated to a street life that she could not adapt herself to any other i heard of other children thus or similarly neglected but boys far more frequently than girls who traded regularly in apples oranges c on their own account some have become regular street sellers and even in childhood have abandoned their homes and supported themselves of a hired coster boy one shell fish seller who has known street commerce and street folk for many years thought although he only hazarded an opinion that there was less drinking among the young costers and less swearing than he had known in a preceding generation a young coster boy living with his parents who had a good business told me that he would never be nothing but a general dealer which among some of these people is the genteel designation for a costermonger as long as he lived unless indeed he rose to a coal shed and a horse and cart a consummation perhaps with the addition of a green grocery a fried fish and a gingerbeer trade not unfrequently arrived at by the more prudent costermongers this boy could neither read nor write he had been sent to school and flogged to school he grinned as he told me by his mother who said his father wouldnt have been done so often by fine folks when he sold grass asparagus and such things as cost money if he could have kept count but his father only laughed and said nothing when the boy cut away from school which he did so continuously that the schoolmaster at length declined the charge of the young costers further education this stripling who was about fourteen seemed very proud of a pair of good half boots which his mother had bought him and which he admired continually as he glanced at his feet his parents from his account were indulgent and when they got farthings in change or in any manner kept them for him and so he got treats and smart things to wear now and then we expects to do well he said for he used the we when he spoke of his parents business when its peas and new potatoes cheap enough to cry its my dodge to cry i know a man as says may month ought to be ashamed on itself or things ud a been herlier last week i sung out it was the same mans dodge he put me up to itheres your great exhibition mackarel people laughed but it werent no great good ive been to penny gaffs but not this goodish bit i likes the singing best as has a stunnin chorus theres been a deal of hard up lately among people as is general dealers things is getting better i think and they must it wouldnt do at all if they didnt its no use your a asking me about what i thinks of the queen or them sort of people for i knows nothing about them and never goes among them the hired boys for the service of the costermongers whether hired for the day or more permanently are very generally of the classes i have spoken of when the new cut lambeth was a great street market every morning during the height of the vegetable and fruit seasons lads used to assemble in hooper street short street york street and indeed in all the smaller streets or courts which run right and left from the two cuts when the costermonger started thence perhaps by the first light to market these boys used to run up to his barrow dyou want me jack or want a boy bill being their constant request it is now the same in the localities where the costermongers live or where they keep their ponies donkeys and barrows and whence they emerge to market it is the same at billingsgate and the other markets at which these traders make their wholesale purchases boys wait about these marts to be hired or as they may style it to see if theyre wanted when hired there is seldom any wage specified the lads seeming always willing to depend upon the liberality of the costermonger and often no doubt with an eye to the chances of bunse a sharp lad thus engaged who may acquit himself to a costermongers liking perhaps continues some time in the same mans employ i may observe that in this gathering and for such a purpose there is a resemblance to the simple proceedings of the old times when around the market cross of the nearest town assembled the population who sought employment whether in agricultural or household labour in some parts of the north of england these gatherings are still held at the two half yearly terms of may day and martinmas a lad of thirteen or fourteen who did not look very strong gave me the following account i helps you see sir where i can for mother who sells sheeps trotters depends a deal on her trotters but theyre not great bread for an old oman and theres me and neddy to keep fathers abroad and a soger do i know he is mother says so sir i looks out every morning when the costermongers starts for the markets and wants boys for their barrows i cried roots last heres your musks hapenny each heres yer all agroin and all a bloin i got my grub and 3 d i takes the tin home if theres a cabbage or two left 482 ive had it guv to me i likes that work better nor school i should think so one sees life well i dont know wot one sees perticler but its wot people calls life i was a week at school once i has a toss up sometimes when i has a odd copper for it i avent ad any riglar work as yet i shall praps when its real summer said may 24th this is the queens birthday is it sir werry likely but shes nothing to me i cant read in coorse not after a weeks schooling yes i likes a show punch is stunnin but they might make more on the dog i would if i was a punch o i has tea and bread and butter with mother and gets grub as i jobs besides i makes no bargain if a coves scaly we gets to know him i hopes to have a barrer of my own some day and praps a hass can i manage a hass in coorse and he dont want no groomin id go to hepsom then ive never been yet but ive been to grinnage fairs i dont know how i can get a barrer and a hass but i may have luck of an orphan boy a street seller from one of this class i had the following account it may be observed that the lads statement contains little of incident or of novelty but this is characteristic of many of his class with many of them it may indeed be said one day certifieth another it is often the same tale of labour and of poverty day after day so that the mere uniformity makes a youth half oblivious of the past the months or perhaps years seem all alike this boy seemed healthy wore a suit of corduroy evidently not made for him and but little patched although old he was in good spirits i believe im between fifteen and sixteen he said and mother died more than two year ago nearer three perhaps father had gone dead a long time afore i dont remember him i am inclined to think that this story of the death of the father is often told by the mother of an illegitimate child to her offspring through a natural repugnance to reveal her shame to her child i do not know however that it was the case in this instance i dont remember about mothers funeral for i was ill myself at the time she worked with her needle sometimes for a dressmaker on skirts and sometimes for a tailor on flannels she sometimes worked all night but we was wery badly offwe was so she had only me when mother died there was nothing left for me but there was a good womanshe was a laundress and kept a mangleand she said well heres a old basket and a few odd things give the kid the basket and turn the bits of old traps into money and let him start on muffins and then he must shift for hisself so she tuk me to a shop and i was started in the muffin line i didnt do so bad but its ony a winter trade isnt muffins i sold creases nextno not creases cherries yes it was creases and then cherries for i remembers as ow ungerford was the first market i ever was at it was so since then ive sold apples and oranges and nuts and chestnutsbut they was dear the last time as i had emand spring garters a penny a pair and glass pens yes and other things i goes to market mostly to common gardn and theres a man goes there what buys bushels and bushels and hell let me have any little lot reasnable he will so theres another will but he aint so good to a poor kid well i doesnt know as ow one trades better nor another i think ive done as much in one as in another but ive done better lately ive sold more oranges and i had a few sticks of rhubarb i think times is mending but others says thats ony my luck i sleeps with a boy as is younger nor i am and pays 9 d a week toms father and motherhes a coal heaver but hes sometimes out of worksleeps in the same room but we has a good bed to ourselves toms father knew my mother theres ony us four toms father says sometimes if his rheumatics continues he and all on em must go into the house most likely i should then go to a lodging house i dont know that some on ems bad places ive heerd they was jolly i has no amusements last year i helped a man one day and he did so well on fruit he did so for he got such a early start and so cheap that he gave me 3 d hextra to go to the play with i didnt go id rather go to bed at seven every night than anywhere else im fond of sleep i never wakes all night i dreams now and then but i never remembers a dream i cant read or write i wish i could if it would help me on im making 3 s 6 d a week now i think some weeks in winter i didnt make 2 s this boy although an orphan at a tender age was yet assisted to the commencement of a business by a friend i met with another lad who was left under somewhat similar circumstances the persons in the house where his mother had died were about to take him to the parish officers and there seemed to be no other course to be pursued to save the child then nearly twelve from starvation the lad knew this and ran away it was summer time about three years ago and the little runaway slept in the open air whenever he could find a quiet place want drove him to beg and several days he subsisted on one penny which he begged one day he did not find any one to give him even a halfpenny and towards the evening of the second he became bold or even desperate from hunger as if by a sudden impulse he went up to an old gentleman walking slowly in hyde park and said to him sir ive lived three weeks by begging and im hungering now give me sixpence or ill go and steal the gentleman stopped and looked at the boy in whose tones there must have been truthfulness and in whose face was no doubt starvation for without uttering a word he gave the young applicant a shilling the boy began a street sellers life on lucifer matches i had to see him for another purpose a little while ago and in the course of some conversation he told me of his start in the streets i have no doubt he told the truth and i should have given a more detailed account of him but when i inquired for him i found that he had 483 gone to epsom races to sell cards and had not returned having probably left london on a country tour but for the old gentlemans bounty he would have stolen something he declared had it been only for the shelter of a prison of the life of an orphan girl a street seller father was a whitesmith she said and mother used to go out a washing and a cleaning and me and my sister but she is dead now did nothing we was sent to a day school both of us we lived very comfortable we had two rooms and our own furniture we didnt want for nothing when father was alive he was very fond on us both and was a kind man to everybody he was took bad first when i was very youngit was consumption he had and he was ill many years about five years i think it was afore he died when he was gone mother kept us both she had plenty of work she couldnt a bear the thought of our going into the streets for a living and we was both too young to get a place anywhere so we stayed at home and went to school just as when father was alive my sister died about two year and a half ago she had the scarlet fever dreadful she lay ill seven weeks we was both very fond of her me and mother i often wish she had been spared i should not be alone in the world as i am now we might have gone on together but it is dreadful to be quite alone and i often think now how well we could have done if she was alive mother has been dead just a year this month she took cold at the washing and it went to her chest she was only bad a fortnight she suffered great pain and poor thing she used to fret dreadful as she lay ill about me for she knew she was going to leave me she used to plan how i was to do when she was gone she made me promise to try to get a place and keep from the streets if i could for she seemed to dread them so much when she was gone i was left in the world without a friend i am quite alone i have no relation at all not a soul belonging to me for three months i went about looking for a place as long as my money lasted for mother told me to sell our furniture to keep me and get me clothes i could have got a place but nobody would have me without a character and i knew nobody to give me one i tried very hard to get one indeed i did for i thought of all mother had said to me about going into the streets at last when my money was just gone i met a young woman in the street and i asked her to tell me where i could get a lodging she told me to come with her she would show me a respectable lodging house for women and girls i went and i have been there ever since the women in the house advised me to take to flower selling as i could get nothing else to do one of the young women took me to market with her and showed me how to bargain with the salesman for my flowers at first when i went out to sell i felt so ashamed i could not ask anybody to buy of me and many times went back at night with all my stock without selling one bunch the woman at the lodging house is very good to me and when i have a bad day she will let my lodging go until i can pay her she always gives me my dinner and a good dinner it is of a sunday and she will often give me a breakfast when she knows i have no money to buy any she is very kind indeed for she knows i am alone i feel very thankful to her i am sure for all her goodness to me during the summer months i take 1 s 6 d per day which is 6 d profit but i can only sell my flowers five days in the weekmondays there is no flowers in the market and of the 6 d a day i pay 3 d for lodging i get a halfpenny worth of tea a halfpenny worth of sugar one pound of bread 1 d butter d i never tastes meat but on sunday what i shall do in the winter i dont know in the cold weather last year when i could get no flowers i was forced to live on my clothes i have none left now but what i have on what i shall do i dont knowi cant bear to think on it of two runaway street boys i endeavoured to find a boy or girl who belonged to the well educated classes had run away and was now a street seller i heard of boys of this classone man thought he knew five and was sure of fourwho now lived by street selling my informant believed without having any recourse to theft but all these boys were absent they had not returned from epsom or had not returned to their usual haunts or else they had started for their summers excursion into the country many a street seller becomes as weary of town after the winter as a member of parliament who sits out a very long session and the moment the weather is warm and seems settled they are off into the country in this change of scene there is the feeling of independence of freedom they are not tied to their work and this feeling has perhaps even greater charms for the child than the adult the number of lads of a well educated class who support themselves by street selling is not large i speak of those whom i have classed as children under fifteen years of age if a boy run away scared and terrified by the violence of a parent or maddened by continuous and sometimes excessive severity the parent often feels compunction and i heard of persons being sent to every lodging house in london and told to search every dry arch to bring back a runaway on these occasions the street sellers willingly give their aid i have even heard of women whose degradation was of the lowest exerting themselves in the recovery of a runaway child and that often unsolicited and as often unrecompensed the children who are truants through their own vicious or reckless propensities or through the inducements of their seniors become far more frequently thieves or lurkers rather than street sellers as to runaway girls of a well educated class and under fifteen i heard of none who were street sellers 484 i now give instances of two runaway lads who have been dishonest and honest the one when he told me his history was a slim and rather tall young man of 23 or 24 with a look speech and air anything but vulgar he was the son of a wealthy jeweller in a town in the west of england and ran away from home with an adult member of his fathers establishment who first suggested such a course taking with them money and valuables they came to london and the elder thief retaining all the stolen property at once abandoned the child then only ten and little and young looking for his age he fell into the hands of some members of the swell mob and became extremely serviceable to them he was dressed like a gentlemans son and was innocent looking and handsome his appearance when i saw him showed that this must have been the case as regards his looks he lived with some of the swell mobsmenthen a more prosperous people than they are nowin a good house in the southwark bridge road the women who resided with the mobsmen were especially kind to him he was well fed well lodged well clad and petted in everything he was called the kid a common slang name for a child but he was the kid he went to work in regent street or wherever there were most ladies and his appearance disarmed suspicion he was moreover highly successful in church and chapel practice at length he became spotted the police got to know him and he was apprehended tried and convicted he was howeverhe believed through the interest of his friends of whose inquiries concerning him he had heard but of that i know nothingsent to the philanthropic asylum then in st georges road here he remained the usual time then left the place well clothed and with a sum of money and endeavoured to obtain some permanent employment in this endeavour he failed whether he exerted himself strenuously or not i cannot say but he told me that the very circumstance of his having been in the philanthropic was fatal to his success his character and recommendations necessarily showed where he had come from and the young man as he then was became a beggar his chief practice was in screeving or writing on the pavement perhaps some of my readers may remember having noticed a wretched looking youth who hung over the words i am starving chalked on the footway on the surrey side of waterloo bridge he lay huddled in a heap and appeared half dead with cold and want his shirtless neck and shoulders being visible through the rents in his thin jean jacket shoe or stocking he did not wear this was the rich jewellers son until he himself told me of itand he seemed to do so with some sense of shamei could not have believed that the well spoken and well looking youth before me was the piteous object i had observed by the bridge what he is doing now i am unable to state another boy who thought he was not yet fifteen though he looked older gave me the following account he was short but seemed strong and his career so far is chiefly remarkable for his perseverance exercised as much perhaps from insensibility as from any other quality he was sufficiently stupid if he had parents living he said he didnt know nothing about them he had lived and slept with an old woman who said she was his grandmother and hed been told that she werent no relation he didnt trouble himself about it she sold lucifer boxes or any trifle in the streets and had an allowance of 2 s weekly but from what quarter he did not know about four years ago he was run over by a cab and was carried to the workhouse or the hospital he believed it was clerkenwell workhouse but he werent sure when he recovered and was discharged he found the old woman was dead and a neighbour went with him to the parish officers by whomas well as i could understand himhe was sent to the workhouse after some inquiry he was soon removed to norud on my asking if he meant norwood he replied no norud and there he was with a number of other children with a mr horbyn he did not know how long he was there and he didnt know as he had anything much to complain of but he ran away he ran away because he thought he would and he believed he could get work at paper staining he made his way to smithfield near where there was a great paper stainers but he could not get any work and he was threatened to be sent back as they knew from his dress that he had run away he slept in smithfield courts and alleys fitting himself into any covered corner he could find the poor women about were kind to him and gave him pieces of bread some knew that he had run away from a workhouse and was all the kinder the fust browns as ivver i yarned he said was from a drover he was a going into the country to meet some beasts and had to carry some passels for somebody down there they wasnt evvy but they was orkerd to grip his old oman luk out for a young cove to elp her old man and saw me fust so she calls me and i gets the job i gived the greatest of satisfaction and had sixpence giv me for jim the drover was well paid as they was vallyble passels and he said hed taken the greatest of care on em and had engaged a poor lad to elp him on his return the child slept in a bed in a house near grays inn lane for the first time since he had run away he believed about a fortnight he persevered in looking out for odd jobs without ever stealing though he met some boys who told him he was a fool not to prig i used to carry his tea from his old oman he went on to a old cove as had a stunnin pitch of fruit in the city road but my best friend was stumpy he had a beautiful crossin as a sweeper then but hes dead now and berried as well i used to talk to him and whistlei can just whistle here he whistled loud and shrill to convince me of his perfection in that street accomplishment and to dance him the double shuffle he favoured me with a specimen of that dance and he said i hinterested him well he meant he liked it i spose when he went to rest hisself for he soon got tired over 485 his drop of beer to his grub i had his crossin and his broom for nuffn one boy used to say to stumpy ill give you 1 d for your crossin while yous grubbin but i had it for nuffn and had all i yarned sometimes 1 d sometimes 2 d but only once 3 d ive been elping old bill with his summer cabbages and flowers cauliflowers and now hes on live heels i can sing em out prime but you eared me i has my bit o grub with him and a few browns and old bill and young bill too says i shall have better to do but i cant until peas i sleeps in a loft with ampers which is old bills a stunnin good bed ive cried for and elped other costers stumpy sent me to em i think hed been one hisself but i was always on the look out ill go for some bunse soon i dont know what i shall do time to come i nivver thinks on it i could read middlin and can a little now but im out of practice i have given this little fellows statement somewhat fully for i believe he is a type of the most numerous class of runaway urchins who ripen so to speak into costermongers after helping that large body of street traders i heard of one boy who had been discharged from brixton and had received 6 d to begin the world with as it was his first offence on his way back to london being called upon suddenly as soon as he had reached the new cut then the greatest of all the street markets to help a costermonger this gave the boy a start and he had since lived honestly of the capital and income of the street sellers of manufactured articles before giving a summary of the capital and income of the above mentioned class i shall endeavour to arrive at some notion as to the number of persons belonging to this division of the london street sellers as far as i am able to ascertain the following estimate may be taken as an approximation to the truth there are in the metropolis 100 hardware sellers 6 cheap johns 30 sellers of cutlery 6 sellers of tailors needles 20 sellers of metal spoons 500 sellers of jewellery 2 sellers of card counters 15 sellers of medals 6 sellers of rings and sovereigns for a wager 25 sellers of childrens gilt watches 100 sellers of tin ware 100 swag barrowmen 12 sellers of dog collars c 40 sellers of tools 380 sellers of crockery and glass wares 12 sellers of spar ornaments 30 sellers of china ornaments 6 sellers of stone fruit 120 packmen and duffers or hawkers of soft wares 500 sellers of tapes cottons c 100 sellers of lace 15 sellers of japanned table covers 500 brace and belt sellers 50 sellers of hose 3 sellers of waistcoats 230 sellers of blacking 125 sellers of black lead 5 sellers of french polish 7 sellers of grease removing composition 4 sellers of plating balls 8 sellers of corn salve 4 sellers of china and glass cement 6 sellers of razor paste 55 sellers of crackers and detonating balls 200 sellers of lucifer matches 100 sellers of cigar lights 30 sellers of gutta percha heads 50 sellers of fly papers and beetle wafers 25 sellers of poison for rats 35 sellers of walking sticks 30 sellers of whips 4 sellers of clay and meerschaum pipes 15 sellers of tobacco boxes snuff boxes and cigar cases 100 sellers of cigars 50 sellers of sponge 200 sellers of wash leathers 35 sellers of spectacles and eye glasses 50 sellers of dolls 50 lot sellers 2 sellers of roulette tables 4 sellers of rhubarb 100 rat catchers 50 sellers of combs 50 sellers of money bags 70 sellers of coat studs making altogether a total of 4272 some few of the above trades are however of only a temporary character as for instance such as are engaged in the street sale of crackers and detonating ballsthe month of november and the christmas week being the only regular periods with the exception of fairs and races for the vending of those articles the fly papers and beetle wafers are other instances of the same kindsummer being the only season in which there is a demand for such things making due allowance therefore for the temporary character of some of the callings as well as for the itinerancy and unsettledness of other trades or traders we may i think safely assume that the street sellers connected with this class are about 4000 in number concerning the amount of capital invested in this branch of the street traffic as well as the income derived therefrom the following tables are given as being somewhat near the truth metal street sellers of hardware s d stock money for 100 vendors at 10 s each 50 0 0 cheap johns 6 carts 30 l each and stock money for the same 50 l each 480 0 0 street sellers of cutlery stock money for 30 vendors at 1 s 6 d each 2 5 0 blind street sellers of tailors needles 6 boxes at 1 s 6 d each stock money for 6 vendors at 2 s each 1 1 0 street sellers of metal spoons c at public houses stock money for 20 vendors at 2 s 6 d each 2 10 0 street sellers of jewellery 500 boxes at 3 s 6 d each stock money for 500 vendors at 15 s each 462 10 0 street sellers of card counters medals c 17 boxes at 3 s each stock money for 17 vendors at 2 s 6 d each 4 13 6 street sellers of rings and sovereigns for wagers stock money for 6 vendors at 2 s 6 d each 0 15 0 street sellers of childrens gilt watches stock money for 25 vendors at 5 s each 6 5 0 486 street sellers of tin ware 50 stalls at 3 s each stock money for 100 vendors averaging 6 s each 37 10 0 street swag barrowmen 100 barrows at 1 l each stock money for 150 swag barrowmen at 10 s each 175 0 0 street sellers of dog collars key rings c 6 stalls at 3 s each stock money for 12 vendors at 5 s each 3 18 0 street sellers of tools 6 stalls at 3 s each stock money for 40 vendors at 10 s each 20 18 0 crockery and glass street sellers of crockery and glass wares 100 barrows at 1 l each 280 baskets at 2 s 6 d each 280 linen bags at 1 s 6 d each stock money for 380 vendors at 10 s each 346 0 0 street sellers of spar and china ornaments and stone fruit 16 barrows at 1 l each stock money for 12 vendors of spar ornaments at 15 s each 16 baskets at 2 s 6 d each 16 stalls at 3 s each stock money for 6 vendors of stone fruit at 10 s each and 20 roulette tables at 2 s 6 d each stock money for 30 sellers of china ornaments at 5 s each 42 8 0 textile packmen and duffers or hawkers of soft wares 120 wrappers at 2 s each stock money for 120 hawkers at 5 l each 612 0 0 street sellers of small ware or tapes cottons c 500 boxes at 1 s 6 d each stock money for 500 vendors at 1 s each 62 10 0 street sellers of lace 20 baskets at 2 s 6 d each 20 boxes at 3 s each 60 stalls at 3 s each stock money for 100 vendors averaging 2 s 6 d each 27 0 0 street sellers of japan table covers stock money for 15 sellers at 10 s each 7 10 0 street sellers of braces and belts hose trowser straps and waistcoats 100 stalls at 4 s each 300 rods with hooks to hang the braces upon at 3 d each stock money for 500 brace sellers at 5 s each 148 15 0 street sellers of hose stock money for 50 vendors at 10 s each 25 0 0 street sellers of waistcoats stock money for 3 vendors at 15 s each 2 5 0 chemicals street sellers of blacking 200 boxes at 6 d each 30 bags at 1 s each stock money for 230 vendors averaging 2 s each 29 10 0 street sellers of black lead stock money for 125 vendors at 1 s each 6 5 0 street sellers of french polish 5 boxes at 1 s 6 d each stock money for 5 vendors at 2 s 6 d each 1 0 0 street sellers of grease removing composition 7 boxes at 1 s 6 d each stock money for 7 vendors at 1 s 6 d each 1 1 0 street sellers of plating balls 4 boxes at 1 s 6 d each stock money for 4 vendors at 1 s each 0 10 0 street sellers of corn salve 8 boxes at 1 s 6 d each stock money for 8 vendors at 6 d each 0 16 0 street sellers of glass and china cement 4 boxes at 1 s 6 d each stock money for 4 vendors at 6 d each 0 8 0 street sellers of razor paste 6 trays at 2 s each stock money for 6 vendors at 1 s each 0 18 0 street sellers of crackers and detonating balls 55 trays at 2 s each stock money for 55 vendors at 1 s 6 d each 9 12 6 street sellers of lucifer matches 200 boxes at 6 d each stock money for 200 vendors at 6 d each 10 0 0 street sellers of cigar lights stock money for 100 vendors at 6 d each 2 10 0 street sellers of gutta percha heads 30 boxes at 1 s 6 d each stock money for 30 vendors at 1 s each 3 15 0 street sellers of fly papers and beetle wafers stock money for 50 vendors at 1 s each 2 10 0 street sellers of poison for rats stock money for 25 vendors at 2 s 6 d each 3 2 6 miscellaneous street sellers of walking sticks stock money for 35 vendors at 5 s each 8 15 0 street sellers of whips stock money for 30 vendors at 15 s each 22 10 0 street sellers of pipes tobacco stock money for 4 vendors at 5 s each 1 0 0 street sellers of snuff boxes tobacco boxes c 15 stalls at 4 s each stock money for 15 vendors at 10 s each 10 10 0 street sellers of cigars stock money for 100 vendors at 10 s each 50 0 0 street sellers of sponge 50 baskets at 1 s each stock money for 50 vendors at 5 s each 15 0 0 street sellers of wash leathers stock money for 200 vendors at 2 s 6 d each 25 0 0 487 street sellers of spectacles and eye glasses stock money for 35 vendors at 5 s each 8 15 0 street sellers of dolls 20 stalls at 4 s each 30 baskets at 3 s 6 d each stock money for 50 vendors at 10 s each 34 5 0 street lot sellers 50 boxes at 1 s 6 d each stock money for 50 sellers at 2 s 6 d each 10 0 0 street sellers of roulette boxes 2 baskets at 3 s 6 d stock money for 2 vendors at 1 l each 2 7 0 street sellers of rhubarb and spice 4 boxes at 6 s each stock money for 4 vendors at 10 s each 3 4 0 rat catchers 20 belts at 3 s 6 d each 25 cages at 1 s each 25 pair of ferrets at 2 s 6 d per pair keep for 25 pair of ferrets at 4 d per pair weekly 8 5 10 street sellers of combs 50 stalls at 3 s each 50 boxes at 3 s 6 d each stock money for 50 vendors at 2 s 6 d each 22 10 0 street sellers of money bags stock money for 50 vendors at 2 s each 5 0 0 street sellers of coat studs 70 boxes at 1 s 6 d each stock money for 70 vendors at 2 s 6 d each 14 0 0 total amount of capital 2 833 13 4 income of the street sellers of manufactured articles metal street sellers of hardware there are at present 100 hardware sellers trading in london c half of them i am assured may be said to take on an average from 20 s to 25 s weekly the year through a quarter take 15 s and the remaining quarter from 7 s 6 d to 10 s calculating an average receipt of 15 s each per week throughout the entire class men women and children we find there is annually expended in street sold hardwares 3 900 0 0 cheap johns if we calculate that there are 6 cheap johns in london throughout the year and that they each take 4 l per day for nine months in the year or 24 l per week this amounts to about 5 000 l in nine months say that during the winter or the remaining 13 weeks of the year their receipts are 15 l each per week this amounts to upwards of 1000 l additional thus making a gross annual outlay with these dealers of 6 000 0 0 street sellers of cutlery reckoning there are 30 men who are engaged regularly in the sale of cutlery and that the average takings of each are about 15 s weekly this gives a yearly expenditure in the street trade of cutlery 1 170 0 0 blind street sellers of tailors needles there are now 6 men engaged in selling needles at the several tailors shops and calculating their average daily receipts to be 2 s 6 d or 15 s a week each we find that the annual takings of the whole are 234 0 0 street sellers of metal spoons in publichouses from the best information i can arrive at the number of metal spoon hawkers is 20 each of whom take upon an average 16 s weekly thus showing a yearly expenditure in the street sale of spoons of 832 0 0 street sellers of jewellery i am informed that there are at present 500 persons engaged in the street sale of jewellery and calculating a weekly profit of 10 s 6 d and a receipt of 18 s per individual we find expended in the street trade 23 400 street sellers of card counters if there be on the years average only two street sellers disposing of jacks and earning 9 s a week to earn which the receipts will be about 20 s we find expended in the streets on these trifles annually 104 0 0 street sellers of medals an intelligent man familiar with the trade and who was in the habit of clubbing his stock money with two others so that they might buy a gross of medals at a time calculated that 15 medal sellers were engaged in the traffic the year through and earned upon medals alone 6 d a day each to clear which they must take 6 s 6 d weekly giving a yearly outlay of 253 10 0 street sellers of rings and sovereigns for a wager one of this class who is up to all the dodges of the trade informed me that there were only 6 men working the rings and sovereigns now in the streets and that the average takings of each might be about 12 s weekly thus showing a yearly expenditure of 187 4 0 street sellers of childrens gilt watches calculating that 25 persons now vend watches for twelve weeks in the year and that each clears 8 s weekly taking 24 s we find yearly expended in london streets on these toy watches 360 0 0 street sellers of tin ware if we calculate an average receipt per individual of 10 s weekly we find reckoning 100 sellers a yearly expenditure on tins bought in the street of 2 600 0 0 488 swag barrowmen calculating that 100 of these traders are the year round in london some are absent all the summer at country fairs and on any favourable opportunity and that each takes 2 l weekly we find thus expended in the streets of london in a year no less than 10 400 0 0 sellers of dog collars key rings c reckoning 12 s weekly taken by 12 men there is expended yearly in the streets upon dog collars 374 0 0 street sellers of tools there are at present 40 men engaged in selling tools throughout the metropolis and they each average about 15 s weekly this gives a yearly outlay of 1 560 0 0 street sellers of crockery and glass wares according to the best calculation there are 380 vendors of crockery and glass wares and the average takings of each may be said to amount to 10 s weekly so giving an annual expenditure in the streets of 9 880 0 0 street sellers of spar ornaments in this trade i am informed that there are now 12 men 9 of whom are assisted by their wives and that in the summer months there are 18 their profits are about 15 s per week on an average of the whole year what amount of money may be expended by the public in the street purchase of spars i am unable definitely to state so much being done in the way of barter but assuming that there are 14 sellers throughout the year and that their profits are cent per cent there would appear to be laid out in the streets every year on these articles about 1 000 0 0 street sellers of china ornaments there are i am informed about 30 persons in this trade if we calculate the receipts at 10 s weekly a low average considering the success of some of the raffles we find yearly expended in the streets in these ornamental productions 780 0 0 street sellers of stone fruit supposing that there are 6 persons selling stone fruit in the streets through the year and that each earns 9 s weekly one man said 7 s 6 d was the limit of his weekly profits we find 140 l received as profit on these articles and calculating the gains at 33 per cent an outlay of 420 0 0 textile packmen and duffers or hawkers of soft wares i am told by a london hawker of soft goods that the number of his craft hawking london and its vicinity as far as he can judge is about 120 in this number are included the irish linen hawkers i am also informed that the fair traders profits amount to about 20 per cent while those of the not over particular trader range from 80 to 200 per cent in a fair way of business it is said the hawkers takings will amount upon an average to 7 l or 8 l per week whereas the receipts of the duffer or unfair hawker will sometimes reach to 50 l per week at 7 l per week each the gross takings will amount to 43 680 0 0 street sellers of small ware or tapes cottons laces c from the best data at my command i believe there are not fewer than 500 individuals selling these wares in london their weekly receipts do not appear to average more than 6 s each hence the expenditure on these articles will amount to 7 800 0 0 street sellers of lace 100 persons in this trade may be said each to take 10 s 6 d weekly the profit being about cent per cent hence the annual sum expended in the streets in lace and similar commodities is 2 730 0 0 street sellers of japanned table covers calculating that 15 street sellers each take 25 s weekly the year roundone half being the profit including their advantages in bartering and rafflingwe find there is expended yearly upon japanned table covers bought in the streets 975 0 0 street sellers of braces and belts 500 brace sellers are said to clear 5 s a week each on those articles alone and estimating the profit at 33 per cent it shows a street expenditure of 26 196 l and calculating one eighth less for belts we find that the annual outlay in the streets on braces and belts is 29 470 0 0 street sellers of hose a few pairs of womens stockings are hawked by women and sold to servant maids but the trade in these goods i am informed including all classes of sellersof whom there may be fiftydoes not exceed notwithstanding the universality of the wear the receipt of 6 s weekly per individual with a profit of from 1 s 4 d to 2 s thus there is an aggregate expenditure yearly of 800 0 0 street sellers of waistcoats there are sometimes no waistcoat sellers at all but generally two and not unfrequently three the profits of these men are 1 s on a bad and 2 s 6 d on a good day as at intervals the street sellers dispose of a sleeve waistcoat waistcoat with 489 sleeves at from 4 s 6 d to 6 s we may estimate the average earnings in the trade at 5 s per market day or 10 s in the week assuming their profits to be 33 per cent this shows an annual outlay of 312 0 0 chemical street sellers of blacking there are at present 230 vendors of blacking in the london streets 210 of these sell cake and liquid blacking each taking 6 s weekly while the 20 others work the mews with a superior kind of blacking taking 15 s each thus there is a yearly expenditure in the sale of blacking in the streets of 4 056 0 0 street sellers of black lead there are i am informed 100 to 150 persons selling and hawking black lead in the streets it may be estimated that they take 4 s each weekly the adults selling other small articles with the black lead thus we findaveraging the number of sellers at 125that there is expended yearly in the street sale of this article 1 300 0 0 street sellers of french polish the french polish sellers i am assured by a man familiar with the business take 2 s a day each the 2 s leaves a profit of 10 d the street expenditure is therefore reckoning five regular sellers annually 156 0 0 street sellers of grease removing composition calculating that 7 grease removers carry on the sale of the article 3 days each week and clear 1 s 6 d per day we find a yearly expenditure on this commodity equal to 81 18 0 street sellers of plating balls reckoning that 4 men are engaged in selling plating balls 3 days in each week and that each take 2 s a day we find there is an annual outlay on the sale of this article of 62 8 0 street sellers of corn salve calculating that 8 of these traders take 10 s weekly we find there is expended in the streets on this salve 208 0 0 street sellers of glass and china cement there are at present 4 men vending this article in the streets of london and if each seller take 5 s weekly of which 4 s may be profit we find there is expended yearly by street customers in this cement 52 0 0 street sellers of razor paste calculating that 6 men work the metropolis daily taking 2 s each per day with 1 s 2 d profit we find the amount of the street outlay to be upwards of 187 0 0 street sellers of crackers and detonating balls i am assured that for a few days last november from 50 to 60 men and women were selling crackers in the streets the most intelligent man that i met with acquainted as he called it with all the ins and outs of the trade calculated that during the month of november and at christmas 100 l at least was expended in the streets in these combustibles and another 100 l at other times of the year thus giving altogether a yearly outlay of 200 0 0 street sellers of lucifer matches supposing that each of the 200 traders take on lucifers alone but 4 s weekly selling nine dozen with a profit to the seller of from 1 s 9 d to 2 s 6 d we find on lucifer matches bought in the streets an annual outlay of 2 080 0 0 street sellers of cigar lights or fuzees it will i believe be accurate to state that in the streets there are generally 100 persons subsisting or endeavouring to subsist on the sale of fuzees alone it may be estimated also that each of these traders averages a receipt of 10 d a day with a profit exceeding 6 d so that the sum yearly laid out in the streets in this way amounts to 1 300 0 0 street sellers of gutta percha heads c there are at present i am informed 30 persons selling gutta percha heads in the streets some of them confining their business solely to those articles their average receipts i am assured do not exceed 5 s a week each for though some may take 15 s a week others and generally the stationary head sellers do not take 1 s the profit to the street retailer is one third of his receipts from this calculation it appears that if the present rate of sale continue the sum spent yearly in these street toys is 390 0 0 street sellers of fly papers and beetle wafers last summer i was informed there were 50 or 60 persons selling fly papers and beetle wafers in the streets some of them boys and all of them of the general class of street sellers who take to any trade for which 1 s suffices as capital their average earnings may be estimated at 2 s 6 d a day about one half being profit this gives a street outlay for a season of ten weeks of 375 0 0 street sellers of poison for rats calculating 25 sellers of rat poison and each taking on an average 1 s daily for the sale of their article we find that the sum annually expended upon this commodity amounts to 390 0 0 490 miscellaneous street sellers of walking sticks for 12 weeks of the year there are i am told every day 35 stick sellers each taking on an average 30 s a week with a profit individually of about 12 s we find thus that the sum expended yearly in walking sticks in the streets is 630 0 0 street sellers of whips c averaging that 30 whip sellers take 25 s each weekly with profits of from 5 s to 10 s in london alone we find that the yearly sum expended in the streets in whips amounts to 1 950 0 0 street sellers of pipes tobacco if we calculate that 4 persons sell pipes daily the year through taking each 25 s and clearing 10 s we find the yearly sum expended upon the hawkers pipes amounts to 260 0 0 street sellers of snuff boxes tobacco boxes c reckoning that 15 persons trading on snuff and tobacco and cigar boxes take 18 s weekly clearing 7 s or 8 s we find the sum thus expended annually amounts to 702 0 0 street sellers of cigars reckoning the number of vendors of cigars at 100 and the average takings of each to be 20 s weekly we have a yearly outlay of 5 200 0 0 street sellers of sponge calculating then that only 50 persons and so allowing for irregularities in the trade vend sponge daily and that each takes 15 s weekly some taking 25 s and others but 5 s with about half profit on the whole the common sponge is often from 200 to 300 per cent profit we find the outlay to be 1 950 0 0 street sellers of wash leather there are i am assured 100 individuals selling little or nothing else but wash leather in london for these traders are found in all the suburbs and that they respectively take 10 s weekly with a profit of from 4 s to 5 s there are also 100 other persons selling them occasionally along with other goods and as they vend the higher priced articles they probably receive nearly an equal amount hence it would appear that there is annually expended in the streets in this purchase upwards of 5 000 0 0 street sellers of spectacles and eye glasses it may be estimated i am assured that there are 35 men who vend these articles daily taking 15 s a week with a profit of 10 s the yearly expenditure being thus 1 365 0 0 street sellers of dolls there are at least at this time of year when the fairs are coming on 50 doll hawkers who vend nothing else say that each of these sell one dozen dolls per day and that their average price is 4 d each that is just 10 l a day and 60 l per week in the winter time so many are not sold but i have no doubt that 50 l s worth of dolls are sold each week throughout the year by london hawkers alone hence the annual outlay on street dolls would be close upon 3 000 0 0 street lot sellers it may be estimated that 50 men carry on this trade each of these may take 13 s weekly with a profit of 7 s 6 d so showing the annual street outlay to be 1 690 0 0 street sellers of roulette tables calculating the 2 sellers of roulette tables take 30 s each weekly we find the annual outlay amounts to 156 0 0 street sellers of rhubarb reckoning 4 street sellers of rhubarb and spice each taking 18 s weekly we find the sum annually spent in the sale of these articles to be upwards of 187 0 0 rat catchers there are i am told 100 rat catchers resorting at intervals to london but only a fourth of that number can be estimated as carrying on their labours regularly in town their average earnings i am assured do not exceed 15 s a week thus there is a yearly expenditure of 975 0 0 street sellers of combs from the best information i have gained there are 50 persons who sell nothing but combs the average takings of each are 9 s a week showing the yearly outlay in the streets on these articles to be 1 170 0 0 street sellers of money bags there are at present 50 persons consisting of men women and children vending money bags in the streets of london each taking on an average 1 s 6 d daily or 9 s per week and so giving a yearly expenditure of 1 170 0 0 street sellers of coat studs there are i am informed no less than 70 persons consisting of men women and children these i am told take upon an average 15 s a week each their usual profits being cent per cent thus we find a yearly outlay on studs bought in the streets of 2 730 0 0 total amount of income 188 189 0 0 491 errata page 5 line 45 second column for 9 350 read 8 850 6 line 39 first column for 34 209 read 28 506 line 43 for between thirty and forty thousand read between twenty five and thirty thousand 11 number of markets surrey side for 664 read 764 number of markets middlesex side for 3 137 read 3 147 first line second column for 3801 read 3 911 and for 102 read 105 26 line 50 first column for 75 l read 67 l 10 s line 53 for 525 l read 405 l line 57 for 6 300 l read 4 860 l 30 line 25 for 2 l each read 2 l 56 line 27 for 24 135 l read 23 775 l line 28 for upwards read very nearly line 50 for 14 000 l read 9 750 l line 54 for 6 500 l read 130 l line 58 for 22 550 l read 17 400 l line 36 second column for between 1 250 000 l and 1 500 000 l read 1 040 000 l 63 line 13 for 5 040 000 lbs read 4 940 000 lbs line 27 for 147 000 000 read 49 750 000 line 36 for 24 300 read 22 067 line 38 for 32 400 read 33 696 69 line 38 for 263 281 000 read 263 261 000 80 line 11 for 16 450 read 37 650 line 14 for 171 000 read 175 000 line 15 for 108 000 read 112 000 line 16 for 24 000 read 26 800 line 28 for 16 817 000 read 18 017 000 line 31 for 221 100 read 221 200 line 39 for 94 000 read 104 400 line 41 for 32 900 read 37 900 95 line 37 first column for 6 270 read 6 240 line 43 first column for 1 960 read 1 950 line 48 first column for 15 300 read 15 200 line 16 second column for 333 420 read 332 400 96 line 3 first column for 333 420 read 332 400 line 5 first column for 292 000 read 292 240 line 6 first column for 626 420 read 625 640 line 6 second column for 2 087 270 read 2 086 490 122 table middle column line 12 for 524 000 read 525 000 table middle column line 21 for 524 000 read 525 000 table middle column line 22 for 1 464 000 read 1 465 000 130 line 4 second column for 160 read 166 139 line 12 second column for 123 360 read 129 360 142 line 46 second column for 575 read 525 144 line 7 first column for 150 000 read 150 768 line 33 first column for 50 read 60 last line first column for 2 867 l read 2 877 l line 9 second column for 1 183 l read 1 883 l line 11 second column for 2 774 l read 2 474 l line 32 second column for 210 read 160 line 33 second column for 1 667 l read 1 617 l 158 line 17 second column for 13 949 l read 13 950 l line 20 second column for 520 read 572 line 21 second column for 28 504 read 28 557 163 line 4 second column for 19 448 read 21 910 line 24 second column for 12 102 read 14 586 171 line 13 second column for 3 031 l 11 s read 3 033 l 6 s 8 d 195 line 39 first column for 1 452 l read 780 l 492 197 line 13 first column for 3 000 l read 1 040 l 203 line 12 first column for 300 read 100 218 line 61 first column for because read although line 63 first column for no read an utter want of line 51 second column for flummut read flummuxed 325 line 48 second column for 780 l read 3 900 l 329 line 43 second column for 3 500 read 13 500 line 45 second column for 700 read 2 700 line 46 second column for 25 000 read 20 700 line 47 second column for 250 read 207 340 line 57 second column for vicapicated read incapacitated 347 line 41 second column for 23 410 read 23 400 370 line 15 second column for store read stone 377 in the table of hawkers and pedlars for england wales and scotland the total for wales is placed below the islands in the british seas but should stand above it 388 line 43 first column for 2 600 read 2 730 392 last line second column for 384 400 read 1 872 000 393 line 2 first column for 3 120 read 3 900 line 5 first column for 4 680 read 3 900 427 line 9 first column for 1 250 read 1 300 440 line 9 first column for 2 340 read 1 950 441 line 55 first column for 692 read 702 443 line 39 second column for 1 850 read 1 950 449 line 58 first column for 1 190 read 1 690 493 index arts fine street sellers of 301 capital and income of 306 art street 301 author and poet street experience of 279 ballad minstrelsy in the streets ancient and modern 273 ballads street on a subject 275 back numbers street sale of 289 beggar street sellers 363 beggar street seller statement of a 414 beetle wafers street sellers of 435 billingsgate description of 64 billingsgate market quantity and weight of fish sold in 63 blacking and black lead street sellers of 425 blind street seller of boot laces 395 blind female street seller of small wares 393 blind street seller of tailors needles 340 blind boot lace seller life of 405 book auctioneers street 296 booksellers street 292 booksellers street experience of 294 books sold in the streets character of 293 books memorandum and almanacks street sale of 271 books pocket and diaries street sale of 271 books song street sale of 298 books childrens street sale of 298 books guide street sale of 299 books account street sale of 299 boot and stay laces street sellers of 391 boys of the costermongers and their bunse 33 braces belts hose trowser straps and waistcoats street sellers of 389 bread street sale of 178 broadsheets street sellers of 280 buns hot cross and chelsea street sellers of 201 butter cheese and eggs 129 cake street sellers of 199 cakes and tarts street sellers of 198 cards engraved street sellers of 266 cards gelatine street sellers of 266 cards playing street sellers of 266 cards race and lists of races street sellers of 265 cards short hand street sellers of 261 card counters medals c street sellers of 349 cats and dogs meat street sellers of 181 cement for glass and china street sellers of 429 chaunters experience of 226 cheap john or street hansellers 326 cheap john life of a 336 chemical articles of manufacture street sellers of 425 chickweed and groundsell street sellers of 153 children in low lodging houses 257 children causes which influence them to take to a street career 472 children as street sellers sent out by parents 479 christmasing laurel ivy holly and mistletoe street sellers of 141 cigar lights or fuzees street sellers of 433 cigars street sellers of 441 cocks c 238 coffee stall keepers 183 comic exhibitions magical delusions c street sellers of 286 conundrums street sellers of 285 conveyances of costermongers and other street folk 26 corn salve street sellers of 428 costermongers ancient calling of 7 costermongers and other street folk number of 4 costermongers capital of 29 costermongers capital and income of 55 costermongers children education of 24 costermongers cries rounds and days of 52 costermongers diet and drink of 52 costermongers donkeys of 29 costermongers dress of 51 costermongers earnings of 54 costermongers education of 35 costermongers gambling of 16 costermongers habits and amusements of 11 costermongers homes of 47 costermongers honesty of 26 costermongers juvenile trading of 35 costermongers language of 23 costermongers literature of 25 costermongers markets and trade rights of 58 costermongers marriage and concubinage of 20 costermongers nicknames of 24 costermongers obsolete cries of 8 costermongers politics of 20 costermongers providence and improvidence of 56 costermongers raffles of 58 costermongers religion of 21 costermongers removal from streets of 59 costermongers tricks of 61 costermongers uneducated state of 22 costermongering mechanics 7 costermongers and thieves 46 costermongers and thieves in bad weather and during the cholera 57 costermongers and thieves on their country rounds 53 costermongers and thieves the more provident 46 costermongers and thieves economically considered 8 coster boy hired 481 coster girls 43 coster girl life of a 45 coster lad life of a 39 coster lad education of 35 cough drops and medical confectionery street sellers of 205 country lodging houses 423 crackers and detonating balls street sellers of 430 crippled seller of nutmeg graters 329 crockery and glass ware street sellers of 365 covent garden market 81 curds and whey street sale of 192 cutlery street sellers of 338 death and fire hunters 228 dog collars street sellers of 358 dog collar seller life of a 359 dolls street sellers of 445 drinkables street sale of 183 duffers or hawkers of pretended smuggled goods 383 eatables and drinkables street sellers of 258 eatables and drinkables capital and income of street sellers of 208 eatables and drinkables sums spent yearly upon 212 elder wine hot street sellers of 189 engravings in umbrellas street sellers of 362 female street sellers localities in which they reside 461 female street sellers education state of 462 female street sellers diet of 462 fish kind and quality of sold in london 61 fish season of the costermongers 63 fish annually sold in the streets of london gross value of 77 fish dry selling in the street 77 fish fruit and vegetables stationary street sellers of 96 fish street sellers of 61 flower girls london 134 flower girls life of 136 flower girls two orphan 135 flower roots shrubs and trees quantity sold in the streets 130 flowers buyers of those sold in the streets 130 flowers cut and in pots trees shrubs roots seeds and branches street sellers of 130 flowers in pots roots street sale of 137 flowers cut quantity of sold in streets 137 flowers trees shrubs table showing quantity of sold wholesale at markets and retail in the streets 131 fly papers street sellers of 435 forestalling markets and billingsgate bummarees 67 french polish sellers of 427 fried fish sellers of 165 fried fish preparation of 165 fried fish seller experience and customers of 169 fruit green selling in the streets 83 fruit stall keepers 99 fruit and vegetable season of costermongers 81 fruit and vegetables sold annually in london streets gross value of 95 fruit street sellers of 79 fruit kind and quantity of sold in the london streets 79 fruit home grown quantity sold in metropolitan markets and proportion sold retail in streets 80 fruit foreign 81 fruit dry 81 gallows literature of the streets 280 game rabbits and poultry sold in the streets 121 game hawker experience of 124 ginger beer seller experience of 189 ginger beer sherbet and lemonade street sale of 186 ginger bread nuts street sellers of 199 grease removing compositions street sellers of 427 green stuff street sellers of 145 gutta percha heads street sellers of 434 haberdashery swag shops 373 ham sandwich seller experience of 177 ham sandwich street sellers of 177 hawkers pedlars and petty chapmen 374 hawking butcher experience of 176 494 hot eels and pea soup man experience of 162 hot eels and green pea seller experience of 180 hot eels and green peas street sellers of 180 house of lords a street sellers defunct club 364 ices and ice creams street sellers of 206 indecent sham street trade 240 irish causes which made them turn costermongers 105 irish lodging houses for immigrants 111 irish refuse sellers 117 irish street diet drink and expense of living among 113 irish education literature amusements and politics of 108 irish how they displanted the street jews in the orange trade 106 irish houses of 109 irish history of some of the sellers 115 irish religion of 107 irish resources of as regards stock money sickness burials c 114 irish street 104 irishwoman street seller an 465 jewellery street sellers 346 lace street sellers of 386 lace makers appeal 364 lavender street sale of 137 literature street sellers of 306 literature street sellers of capital and income of 306 london children street sellers of 468 lot sellers 447 low lodging houses of london 251 407 low lodging houses of the country 258 low lodging houses filth dishonesty and immorality of 254 lucifer matches street sellers of 431 manufactured articles street sellers of 323 manufactured articles capital and income of 485 manufactured articles in metal street sellers of 324 manuscript and other music 305 markets the london street on a saturday night 9 markets the london street on a sunday morning 10 may palm c street sale of 143 mechanics wife a street seller 464 milk selling in st jamess park 191 milk street sale of 192 miscellaneous manufactured articles street sellers of 436 muffin and crumpet selling in the streets 202 newspapers books c sale of at railway stations 291 nut selling in streets 89 orphan girl life of 483 orphan boy street seller 482 onion selling in the streets 93 orange and lemon selling in the streets 87 orange and nut market 86 oyster selling in the streets 75 packman statement of a 379 packmen or hawkers of soft wares 377 pastry and confectionary street sellers of 195 patterers abodes tricks marriage and characteristics of the different grades of 243 patterers benefit society of 242 patterers former and present state of 215 patterers habits opinions morals and religion of 217 patterers running 221 patterers running experience of 222 patterers running recent experience of 224 patterers standing 232 patterers standing experience of 234 pattering class epitome of 309 pea soup and hot eels street sellers of 160 pedlar jeweller 347 penny gaff 40 peppermint water street sale of 191 periodicals pamphlets tracts books c street sellers of 289 periodicals on the steamboats and steamboat piers sale of 290 periwinkle selling in the streets 76 pickpocket statement of a young 410 pictures in frames street selling of 304 pieman street 195 pinners up or wall song sellers 272 pipes street sellers of 440 plantain sellers 158 play bills street sellers of 287 plum duff or dough street sellers of 197 poets and authors street 278 poison for rats 450 political litanies dialogues c 236 pot herbs and celery 94 potatoes baked street trade in 173 poultry and game street purchasers of 123 poultry hawkers statement of two 125 poultry live and dead game rabbits butter cheese and eggs street sellers of 120 poultry live and game street sale of 126 prostitute statement of a 412 public house hawkers of metal spoons 344 publishers and authors of street literature 220 puddings boiled street seller of 197 rabbit selling in the streets 129 razor paste street sellers of 429 reduced gentlewoman and a reduced tradesman as street sellers of stationery 269 religious tract sellers 241 rhubarb and spice street sellers of 452 rice milk street sellers of 193 rings and sovereigns for wagers street sellers of 351 roasted chestnuts and apples 90 roulette boxes street sellers of 449 runaway street boys two 483 screevers or writers of begging letters and petitions 311 second editions sellers of 230 seeds sale of 139 sheeps trotter seller statement of a 171 sheeps trotters street sellers of 170 sheeps trotters preparation of and quantity sold 170 shell fish sellers in the streets 69 shrimp selling 72 single woman street seller a 463 slang weights and measures 32 small ware street sellers of 385 smithfield races 27 snuff boxes street sellers of 440 song sellers long 221 songs street sellers of 272 spar china ornaments and stone fruit street sellers of 370 spectacle and eye glasses street sellers of 444 sponge street sellers of 442 sprat selling in the streets 69 stationery literature and fine arts street seller of 213 stationery street sellers of 267 306 stationers street and street card sellers 261 stationers street experience of 267 stationers street capital and income of 306 stalls street character of 99 stalls street number of 96 sticks walking street sellers of 437 strawing 239 street children amusements of 476 street children clothing of 476 street children diet of 475 street children dwelling places of 475 street children education of 472 street children morals religion opinions of 474 street children propensities of 477 street folk in general and costermongers in particular varieties of 6 street seller neglected child 480 street sellers public meeting of 102 swag barrowmen 447 swag shops of the metropolis 333 sweet stuff street sellers and customers of 204 sweet stuff street sale of 203 table covers japanned street sellers of 388 tally packmen 380 tea hawking of 455 textile fabrics street sellers of 372 thieves meeting of 418 tinware street sellers of 354 tinware seller life of 355 tobacco boxes street sellers of 440 tools street sellers of 361 trees and shrubs street sale of 133 trotting or hawking butchers 175 turf cutting and selling 155 turf cutter experience and customers of 157 vegetables street sale of 91 vegetables aristocratic sale of 92 vic gallery 18 wandering tribes of this country 2 wandering tribes in general 1 wash leathers street sellers of 443 waste newspapers at billingsgate sale of 290 watches childrens gilt street sellers of 353 water carriers 194 water cress selling in farringdon market 145 water cresses table showing the quantity sold wholesale at green markets and retail in the streets 152 water cresses street sellers of 149 water cress girl 151 whelks pickled street sellers of 163 whelks pickled purchasers of 165 whips street sellers of 438 widow street seller a 467 women street sellers 457 footnotes costermongers dry their own sprats the half bushel measure at billingsgate is double quantityor more correctly a bushel the above fruits are not all home grown the currants i am informed are one fifteenth foreign the foreign tender fruit being sent to the markets it is impossible to obtain separate returns a common sale of strawberries in the markets is rounds i have however given the quantity thus sold less technically and in the measures most familiar to the general public the cabbages turnips c are brought in loads to the great wholesale markets a load varying from 150 to 200 dozen but being more frequently nearer 200 and not unfrequently to fully that amount not to perplex my reader with too great a multiplicity of figures in a tabular arrangement i have given the quantity of individual articles in a load without specifying it in the smaller market for vegetables of portman the cabbages c are not conveyed in waggons as to the other markets but in carts containing generally sixty dozens the numbers here given do not include the shrubs roots c bought by the hawkers at the nursery gardens these totals include the supplies sent to the other markets i inquired as to what was meant by the reproachful appellation horrid horn and my informant declared that to the best of his hearing those were the words used but doubtless the word was omad haun signifying in the erse tongue a half witted fellow my informant had often sold fruit to the same lad and said he had little of the brogue or of old irish words unless his temper was riz and then it came out powerful the hot eel trade being in conjunction with the pea soup the same stall candles towels sleeves and aprons do for both 10 there are altogether 500 vendors of lemonade in the streets but 300 of these sell also ginger beer and consequently do not have separate stalls c 11 the street sellers of rice milk are included in the street sellers of curds and whey hence the stalls saucepans cups c of the two classes are the same 12 i may here observe that i have rarely heard tradesmen dealing in the same wares as street sellers described by those street sellers by any other term than that of shopkeepers 13 this is evidently a rude copy of lawrences picture of george the fourth 14 this originally was an illustration to thump em the drummer in one of fairburns song books transcriber s note transcribed from the 1967 reprinting of the 1865 edition errata printed before the index have been incorporated into the text in the mobile version of this file the table on p 80 has been adapted for smaller screens the following additional apparent errors have been corrected p i 466 changed to 468 p ii potatoe changed to potato p 2 srange changed to strange p 6 the the metropolis changed to the metropolis p 17 among the the changed to among the p 24 singularly changed to singularity p 24 dirtywomen changed to dirty women p 25 them changed to them p 25 read changed to read p 26 noblesse changed to noblesse p 27 ounce changed to ounce p 28 other n changed to other on p 44 life changed to life p 47 drawing room changed to drawing room p 54 buy changed to buy p 54 round changed to round p 55 cent changed to cent p 56 cent changed to cent p 64 marke opens changed to market opens p 68 my customers changed to my customers p 71 fool changed to fool p 71 acccounts changed to accounts p 72 them to changed to them to p 79 thoroughfares changed to thoroughfares p 80 junks changed to junks p 80 note multiciplicity changed to multiplicity p 81 the the streets changed to the streets p 85 cherry stones changed to cherry stones p 85 soldiers changed to soldiers p 88 however changed to however p 91 general dealer changed to general dealer p 93 nothing changed to nothing p 96 total changed to total p 99 potatoe changed to potato p 100 continued to changed to continued to p 103 the moral changed to the moral p 103 a street changed to a street p 106 priest we changed to priest we p 108 ive changed to ive p 108 of she changed to of the p 110 proferring changed to proffering p 112 jan changed to jan p 118 cent changed to cent p 122 in ihe changed to in the p 122 londen changed to london p 122 1s changed to 1 s p 131 one sixth changed to one sixth p 132 backwarks changed to backwards p 137 cent changed to cent p 144 cut fowers changed to cut flowers p 152 receipts changed to receipts p 158 he shops changed to the shops p 158 660 000 changed to 660 000 p 158 were more changed to were more p 160 mnsical changed to musical p 165 give changed to give p 170 beautiful changed to beautiful p 174 money changed to money p 175 trade as changed to trade as p 176 6 d changed to 6 d p 176 tflat changed to flat p 176 giblets changed to giblets p 178 comfort changed to comfort p 188 i changed to i p 188 ginger beer changed to ginger beer p 192 5 s changed to 5 s p 194 1 s changed to 1 s p 195 one changed to one p 203 sarcely changed to scarcely p 204 possesed changed to possessed p 204 everything changed to everything p 206 13 s changed to 13 s p 206 splntter changed to splutter p 207 note powerful changed to powerful p 214 apochryphal changed to apocryphal p 216 maketh changed to maketh p 216 offer changed to offer p 217 shilling changed to shilling p 221 the gay changed to the gay p 226 most changed to most p 228 haynau changed to haynau p 229 fellows changed to fellows p 229 last changed to last p 230 i was changed to i was p 233 ascertaind changed to ascertained p 236 of of changed to of p 237 queed changed to queen p 237 to to changed to to p 237 em changed to em p 238 know nof changed to known of p 247 c changed to c p 248 life changed to life p 248 past changed to past p 248 scran changed to scran p 250 a foreigner changed to a foreigner p 258 unprincipled changed to unprincipled p 258 backer changed to backer p 262 guage changed to gauge p 265 town changed to town p 266 earnig changed to earning p 268 or them changed to for them p 275 gramachree changed to gramachree p 276 lummy changed to lummy p 277 born changed to borne p 277 him changed to him p 281 conerned changed to concerned p 282 by brother changed to my brother p 283 while changed to which p 283 which changed to while p 284 death changed to death p 287 procession changed to procession p 287 ridiculously small changed to ridiculously small p 288 familar changed to familiar p 293 rasellas changed to rasselas p 293 tom jones changed to tom jones p 294 companion changed to companion p 299 stastioner changed to stationer p 308 c changed to c p 309 chidrens changed to childrens p 309 candleshades changed to candle shades p 312 god save the queen changed to god save the queen p 315 physician changed to physician p 315 good weight changed to good weight p 316 expected changed to expected p 330 foot changed to foot p 330 lipe changed to lip p 339 else changed to else p 340 cant get changed to can get p 349 them changed to them p 350 tolerably changed to tolerable p 355 6 d changed to 6 d p 356 charing cross changed to charing cross p 359 tho changed to tho p 364 patry changed to party p 364 nottingham changed to nottingham p 364 unworkmanlike changed to unworkmanlike p 376 many has changed to many as p 377 blanff changed to banff p 378 profit changed to profit p 381 but changed to but p 384 taxed changed to taxed p 389 to to changed to to p 391 waiscoat changed to waistcoat p 392 drag on changed to drag on p 399 of me changed to of me p 400 i think changed to i think p 402 blind changed to blind p 415 out and out changed to out and out p 418 cards changed to cards p 418 cant changed to cant p 424 there changed to theyre p 426 day and martin changed to day and martin p 430 street seller changed to street sellers p 431 i saw changed to i saw p 433 offers changed to offers p 433 sir changed to sir p 435 gutta percha changed to gutta percha p 435 invividual changed to individual p 436 d changed to d p 436 highter changed to higher p 437 neigbourhood changed to neighbourhood p 438 15 s changed to 15 s p 443 empted changed to emptied p 444 that it changed to than it p 450 warmint changed to warmint p 456 2 s changed to 2 s p 464 of of us changed to of us p 467 there there was changed to there was p 473 hog changed to hog p 490 amount changed to amount p 491 5 25 changed to 525 p 491 18 017 000 changed to 18 017 000 p 493 parents changed to parents p 494 111 changed to 111 p 494 clothing of changed to clothing of p 494 country 1 changed to country 2 p 494 general 2 changed to general 1 the index entries for flower girls two orphan and water carriers were misplaced and have been moved inconsistent or archaic spelling capitalisation and punctuation have otherwise been kept as printed end of the project gutenberg ebook of london labour and the london poor vol 1 of 4 by henry mayhew end of this project gutenberg ebook london labour this file should be named 55998 h htm or 55998 h zip this and all associated files of various formats will be found in http www gutenberg org 5 5 9 9 55998 produced by henry flower jonathan ingram suzanne lybarger the booksmiths at ebookforge and the online distributed proofreading team at http www pgdp net updated editions will replace the previous one the old editions will be renamed creating the works from print editions not protected by u s copyright law means that no one owns a united states copyright in these works so the foundation and you can copy and distribute it in the united states without permission and without paying copyright royalties special rules set forth in the general terms of use part of this license apply to copying and distributing project gutenberg tm electronic works to protect the project gutenberg tm concept and trademark project gutenberg is a registered trademark and may not be used if you charge for the ebooks unless you receive specific permission if you do not charge anything for copies of this ebook complying with the rules is very easy you may use this ebook for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works reports performances and research they may be modified and printed and given away you may do practically anything in the united states with ebooks not protected by u s copyright law redistribution is subject to the trademark license especially commercial redistribution start full license the full project gutenberg license please read this before you distribute or use this work to protect the project gutenberg tm mission of promoting the free distribution of electronic works by using or distributing this work or any other work associated in any way with the phrase project gutenberg you agree to comply with all the terms of the full project gutenberg tm license available with this file or online at www gutenberg org license section 1 general terms of use and redistributing project gutenberg tm electronic works 1 a by reading or using any part of this project gutenberg tm electronic work you indicate that you have read understand agree to and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property trademark copyright agreement if you do not agree to abide by all the terms of this agreement you must cease using and return or destroy all copies of project gutenberg tm electronic works in your possession if you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a project gutenberg tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement you may obtain a refund from the person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1 e 8 1 b project gutenberg is a registered trademark it may only be used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement there are a few things that you can do with most project gutenberg tm electronic works even without complying with the full terms of this agreement see paragraph 1 c below there are a lot of things you can do with project gutenberg tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement and help preserve free future access to project gutenberg tm electronic works see paragraph 1 e below 1 c the project gutenberg literary archive foundation the foundation or pglaf owns a compilation copyright in the collection of project gutenberg tm electronic works nearly all the individual works in the collection are in the public domain in the united states if an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the united states and you are located in the united states we do not claim a right to prevent you from copying distributing performing displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as all references to project gutenberg are removed of course we hope that you will support the project gutenberg tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by freely sharing project gutenberg tm works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the project gutenberg tm name associated with the work you can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the same format with its attached full project gutenberg tm license when you share it without charge with others 1 d the copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern what you can do with this work copyright laws in most countries are in a constant state of change if you are outside the united states check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement before downloading copying displaying performing distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any other project gutenberg tm work the foundation makes no representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any country outside the united states 1 e unless you have removed all references to project gutenberg 1 e 1 the following sentence with active links to or other immediate access to the full project gutenberg tm license must appear prominently whenever any copy of a project gutenberg tm work any work on which the phrase project gutenberg appears or with which the phrase project gutenberg is associated is accessed displayed performed viewed copied or distributed this ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the united states and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever you may copy it give it away or re use it under the terms of the project gutenberg license included with this ebook or online at www gutenberg org if you are not located in the united states you ll have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook 1 e 2 if an individual project gutenberg tm electronic work is derived from texts not protected by u s copyright law does not contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the copyright holder the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in the united states without paying any fees or charges if you are redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase project gutenberg associated with or appearing on the work you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1 e 1 through 1 e 7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the project gutenberg tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1 e 8 or 1 e 9 1 e 3 if an individual project gutenberg tm electronic work is posted with the permission of the copyright holder your use and distribution must comply with both paragraphs 1 e 1 through 1 e 7 and any additional terms imposed by the copyright holder additional terms will be linked to the project gutenberg tm license for all works posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work 1 e 4 do not unlink or detach or remove the full project gutenberg tm license terms from this work or any files containing a part of this work or any other work associated with project gutenberg tm 1 e 5 do not copy display perform distribute or redistribute this electronic work or any part of this electronic work without prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1 e 1 with active links or immediate access to the full terms of the project gutenberg tm license 1 e 6 you may convert to and distribute this work in any binary compressed marked up nonproprietary or proprietary form including any word processing or hypertext form however if you provide access to or distribute copies of a project gutenberg tm work in a format other than plain vanilla ascii or other format used in the official version posted on the official project gutenberg tm web site www gutenberg org you must at no additional cost fee or expense to the user provide a copy a means of exporting a copy or a means of obtaining a copy upon request of the work in its original plain vanilla ascii or other form any alternate format must include the full project gutenberg tm license as specified in paragraph 1 e 1 1 e 7 do not charge a fee for access to viewing displaying performing copying or distributing any project gutenberg tm works unless you comply with paragraph 1 e 8 or 1 e 9 1 e 8 you may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing access to or distributing project gutenberg tm electronic works provided that you pay a royalty fee of 20 of the gross profits you derive from the use of project gutenberg tm works calculated using the method you already use to calculate your applicable taxes the fee is owed to the owner of the project gutenberg tm trademark but he has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the project gutenberg literary archive foundation royalty payments must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you prepare or are legally required to prepare your periodic tax returns royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the project gutenberg literary archive foundation at the address specified in section 4 information about donations to the project gutenberg literary archive foundation you provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies you in writing or by e mail within 30 days of receipt that s he does not agree to the terms of the full project gutenberg tm license you must require such a user to return or destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of project gutenberg tm works you provide in accordance with paragraph 1 f 3 a full refund of any money paid for a work or a replacement copy if a defect in the electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of receipt of the work you comply with all other terms of this agreement for free distribution of project gutenberg tm works 1 e 9 if you wish to charge a fee or distribute a project gutenberg tm electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set forth in this agreement you must obtain permission in writing from both the project gutenberg literary archive foundation and the project gutenberg trademark llc the owner of the project gutenberg tm trademark contact the foundation as set forth in section 3 below 1 f 1 f 1 project gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable effort to identify do copyright research on transcribe and proofread works not protected by u s copyright law in creating the project gutenberg tm collection despite these efforts project gutenberg tm electronic works and the medium on which they may be stored may contain defects such as but not limited to incomplete inaccurate or corrupt data transcription errors a copyright or other intellectual property infringement a defective or damaged disk or other medium a computer virus or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by your equipment 1 f 2 limited warranty disclaimer of damages except for the right of replacement or refund described in paragraph 1 f 3 the project gutenberg literary archive foundation the owner of the project gutenberg tm trademark and any other party distributing a project gutenberg tm electronic work under this agreement disclaim all liability to you for damages costs and expenses including legal fees you agree that you have no remedies for negligence strict liability breach of warranty or breach of contract except those provided in paragraph 1 f 3 you agree that the foundation the trademark owner and any distributor under this agreement will not be liable to you for actual direct indirect consequential punitive or incidental damages even if you give notice of the possibility of such damage 1 f 3 limited right of replacement or refund if you discover a defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it you can receive a refund of the money if any you paid for it by sending a written explanation to the person you received the work from if you received the work on a physical medium you must return the medium with your written explanation the person or entity that provided you with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a refund if you received the work electronically the person or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund if the second copy is also defective you may demand a refund in writing without further opportunities to fix the problem 1 f 4 except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth in paragraph 1 f 3 this work is provided to you as is with no other warranties of any kind express or implied including but not limited to warranties of merchantability or fitness for any purpose 1 f 5 some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages if any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement the agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by the applicable state law the invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions 1 f 6 indemnity you agree to indemnify and hold the foundation the trademark owner any agent or employee of the foundation anyone providing copies of project gutenberg tm electronic works in accordance with this agreement and any volunteers associated with the production promotion and distribution of project gutenberg tm electronic works harmless from all liability costs and expenses including legal fees that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do or cause to occur a distribution of this or any project gutenberg tm work b alteration modification or additions or deletions to any project gutenberg tm work and c any defect you cause section 2 information about the mission of project gutenberg tm project gutenberg tm is synonymous with the free distribution of electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers including obsolete old middle aged and new computers it exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from people in all walks of life volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the assistance they need are critical to reaching project gutenberg tm s goals and ensuring that the project gutenberg tm collection will remain freely available for generations to come in 2001 the project gutenberg literary archive foundation was created to provide a secure and permanent future for project gutenberg tm and future generations to learn more about the project gutenberg literary archive foundation and how your efforts and donations can help see sections 3 and 4 and the foundation information page at www gutenberg org section 3 information about the project gutenberg literary archive foundation the project gutenberg literary archive foundation is a non profit 501 c 3 educational corporation organized under the laws of the state of mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the internal revenue service the foundation s ein or federal tax identification number is 64 6221541 contributions to the project gutenberg literary archive foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by u s federal laws and your state s laws the foundation s principal office is in fairbanks alaska with the mailing address po box 750175 fairbanks ak 99775 but its volunteers and employees are scattered throughout numerous locations its business office is located at 809 north 1500 west salt lake city ut 84116 801 596 1887 email contact links and up to date contact information can be found at the foundation s web site and official page at www gutenberg org contact for additional contact information dr gregory b newby chief executive and director gbnewby pglaf org section 4 information about donations to the project gutenberg literary archive foundation project gutenberg tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest array of equipment including outdated equipment many small donations 1 to 5 000 are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt status with the irs the foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the united states compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a considerable effort much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up with these requirements we do not solicit donations in locations where we have not received written confirmation of compliance to send donations or determine the status of compliance for any particular state visit www gutenberg org donate while we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we have not met the solicitation requirements we know of no prohibition against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who approach us with offers to donate international donations are gratefully accepted but we cannot make any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from outside the united states u s laws alone swamp our small staff please check the project gutenberg web pages for current donation methods and addresses donations are accepted in a number of other ways including checks online payments and credit card donations to donate please visit www gutenberg org donate section 5 general information about project gutenberg tm electronic works professor michael s hart was the originator of the project gutenberg tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared with anyone for forty years he produced and distributed project gutenberg tm ebooks with only a loose network of volunteer support project gutenberg tm ebooks are often created from several printed editions all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in the u s unless a copyright notice is included thus we do not necessarily keep ebooks in compliance with any particular paper edition most people start at our web site which has the main pg search facility www gutenberg org this web site includes information about project gutenberg tm including how to make donations to the project gutenberg literary archive foundation how to help produce our new ebooks and how to subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new ebooks </s>
<s>[INST] best fish to buy in uk [/INST] where to find london s best fish and chips classic chip shops like fryers delight sit comfortably alongside modern restaurants like kerbisher malt in this guide to where to buy londons best fish and chips by lucas oakeley london s best fish and chips bonnie gull is a lot fancier than your local chippy but don t let that fool you into thinking it doesn t serve excellent fish and chips published thursday 4th july 2019 guides chunky par boiled chips sodden with vinegar newspaper stains on your fingers performing that tantric hot hot hot breathing exercise when you ve got piping chunk of cod in your mouth fish and chips are an evocative food to say the least you dont order fish and chips because you want an artsy attempt at haute cuisine you don t want a chip that shatters into a jackson pollock on your plate no you want a chip that s slightly limp and undercooked complimenting your fried pollock with a mashy hug of starched comfort that bewildering nostalgia can however often make it difficult to take off your rose tinted glasses and judge a chip shop for what it really is after all the staff at your local chippy have seen you at your worst at your most desperate degraded and in dire need of something fast and deep fried but that doesn t mean what you re getting is quality stuff or fish that s coming from ethical and sustainable sources either although some people argue that you ve got a better chance of finding hen s teeth than a decent chippy in london we d like to have a go at proving those naysayers wrong because whether you re looking for the best fish and chips in covent garden the best fish and chips in mayfair or the best fish and chips in central london theres actually plenty of great options out there in the capital from traditional chippies like fryer s delight to more fanciful options like kerbisher malt or bonnie gull here s our guide in no particular order to some of london s best fish and chips 16 of london s best fish and chips 1 kerbisher malt 164 shepherds bush road w6 7pb out of all the fancy fish and chipperies in london kerbisher and malt are one of the few that get it right out of all the fancy fish and chipperies in london kerbisher and malt are one of the few that get it right out of all the fancy fish and chipperies in london kerbisher and malt are one of the few that get it right out of all the fancy fish and chipperies in london kerbisher and malt are one of the few that get it right 1 of 4 with a host of foods from different nations taking turns to be put one by one on the culinary pedestal recently the humble british fish n chips has often take a back seat not if kerbisher malt has its way however the restaurant group is quietly turning the original british seaside staple into a seriously good dinner and a meal that s worth having a proper sit down over yes this is fish and chips that s worth putting your pants on for this isn t the sort of cod you order while thumbing through deliveroo when you re three tins in watching friends re runs for the hundredth time this is that good shit hence why it s made the cut in our round up of london s best fish and chips prices aren t the cheapest but the portion sizes are generous and golden kerbisher co uk 2 hook 63 65 parkway nw1 7pp view on instagram well this is rather nice isn t it is something you might say when you enter hook s camden outlet panko breadcrumbed fish and seaweed salted chips aren t exactly traditional but they are nice and come to think of it the whole ethos behind hook is rather nice as well hook only works with 100 sustainable small fisheries and local suppliers to ensure everyone is treated fairly even all of the cutlery hook uses in its take away packaging is made of 100 biodegradable corn starch yes hook strays slightly from the formula in terms of flavour but if this is the future of eco friendly fish and chips we re all for it hookrestaurants com 3 the fryer s delight 19 theobalds road wc1x 8sl view on instagram chippies don t get much better than holborn s the fryer s delight which has served some of london s best fish and chips for donkeys years from the formica coated tables and chessboard tiled floor to the crisp battered cod flung to you over the counter fryer s delight has been a favourite for fish and chips ever since it opened up its shutters back in 1962 the portly chips are fried in beef dripping the saveloys are a firm and delicious fire truck red and it s simply not hard to see why the fryer s delight is a hit with everyone from phd students to senior citizens facebook com 4 cannons fish various locations view on instagram cannons fish knows how to treat its fish whether you re opting for skate plaice cod or haddock each seadweller is lovingly fried till its all crunchy pert and asking politely to be devoured every piece of fish that leaves a cannons s kitchen is given the same expert treatment and considering that are now three cannons fish outlets dotted across north london you d be remiss not to try at least one out at some point home made cod bites are the fish goujons of your dreams and the option to order a side of battered halloumi well that s north london for you cannons fish co uk 5 toff s fish 38 muswell hill broadway n10 3rt toff s fish does just about everything right fried in an old school combo of egg and matzo the fish is crunchy hot and fresh as it gets toff s fish does just about everything right fried in an old school combo of egg and matzo the fish is crunchy hot and fresh as it gets 1 of 2 before you ask no this isn t an mic backed food venture a la jaime laing and his candy kittens this muswell hill chippy was established back in 1968 before georgia toffolo was barely even a twinkle in her father s well moneyed eye toff s fish does just about everything right fried in an old school combo of egg and matzo the fish is crunchy hot and fresh as it gets furthermore toff s is a member of the n f f f the national federation of fish fryers the british potato council and unlike most fish and chip shops has an alcohol license to boast about a glass of house white to accompany your rock eel sounds like toff s would top the list of london s best fish and chips hands down yeah toffsfish co uk 6 golden union 38 poland street w1f 7ly view on instagram despite the fact it was only opened in 2008 golden union has gone fully in on the retro aesthetic gu s potatoes are sourced weekly from the fenlands of east anglia before being peeled cut and fried just the once all that triple cooked tomfoolery is left to the likes of heston and his endless m s sponsorship deals golden union is all about doing the basics and doing them fucking well so go for the fish and chips maybe even cough up for one of the homemade pies if you re feeling fancy as the mission statement on its website says golden union is about no frills just great fresh food and fast friendly service we can t argue with that goldenunion co uk 7 fish house 128 lauriston road e9 7lh view on instagram located in the heart of victoria park village fish house is a seafood restaurant and traditional takeaway that specialises in fish the clue s in the name an ethically sourced menu comprised of seasonal ingredients and quality produce is what really takes this family run plaice sorry up another echelon of the fish and chip food chain and earns it the title of one of london s best fish and chips joints it s hard to justify messing around with fish this fresh and as a rather happy consequence everything at fish house is made with a tad more finesse than your regular chippy unless of course fish house is your regular chippy in which case it s made with exactly the same amount of finesse fishouse co uk 8 golden hind 71a 73 marylebone lane w1u 2pn view on instagram golden hind has been serving fish and chips for over a 100 years add up the number of fish dinners it has served over that time period and the number might just tally up into the millions every fish is freshly caught on a daily basis before being cooked and served in the marylebone fishery s famous homemade batter serving one of the largest slabs of cod in the city golden hind fries all its fish in groundnut oil when the oil is fresh you ll have an absolute whale of a time however if you are feeling a bit more wellness you could always get your fish steamed with olive oil and oregano but c mon where s the fun in that goldenhindrestaurant com 9 micky s chippy 2 pellerin road n16 8at view on instagram a change of owners late last year hasn t stopped micky s chippy from being an excellent location to tuck into top quality chish and fips fast and freshly prepared any fried fish you go for at micky s drums a familiar rhythm in the flavour department if you ve ever sat on a dock and fantasied about fish and chips in a proper pining romeo thinking about rosaline sort of fashion it s likely that the dinner you were dreaming of is the sort they serve at micky s chippy not a shakespeare fan let s put it his way if you had to explain to an alien what fish and chips tastes like this is where you d take them be warned though queues on friday night can be lengthy so make sure to give kang and kodos an ample disclaimer about the wait if you do go down stoke newington way facebook com 10 the golden chippy 62 greenwich high road se10 8lf view on instagram greenwich s the golden chippy cooks some of the most picturesque portions of fish and chips you ll find in london every bump crag and perfectly imperfect wrinkle of the fish crackles to the touch giving way to reams of beautiful white fish that s been steamed in its lovely batter parka even the chips are perfect in their uniform inconsistency and ever so slightly underdone ness service is excellent and the prices are better than reasonable is it worth the trip to greenwich abso bloody lutely thegoldenchippy com 11 masters superfish 191 waterloo road se1 8ux view on instagram just a short walk from the tate modern masters superfish is a real work of art if we could freeze the restaurant in time package it up put it in a museum while still getting to reap the benefits of its glorious fish and chips we d do it in a heartbeat having barely changed since its opening masters superfish is a time capsule to a simpler time every piece of fish brought in fresh everyday from billingsgate looks as if it s been sculpted out of bronze and could make for a worthy inclusion in the tate itself the fact masters superfish doesn t just work as a takeaway but also offers a lovely table service as well is just the cherry on top masterssuperfish business site 12 poppies 6 8 hanbury street e1 6qr owner pop newland s fish and chip restaurant has got a whole lot of heart and haddock owner pop newland s fish and chip restaurant has got a whole lot of heart and haddock owner pop newland s fish and chip restaurant has got a whole lot of heart and haddock owner pop newland s fish and chip restaurant has got a whole lot of heart and haddock owner pop newland s fish and chip restaurant has got a whole lot of heart and haddock owner pop newland s fish and chip restaurant has got a whole lot of heart and haddock owner pop newland s fish and chip restaurant has got a whole lot of heart and haddock 1 of 7 owner pop newland has been cooking up classic east end fish and chips all his life and some time ago he decided to ramp up the quality bringing in fish from peterhead fisheries via billingsgate market and recreating a 1940s feel in his two restaurants and takeaway counter in spitalfields jellied eels and whitebait round off a menu of classic chip shop favourites done bloody well making it undoubtedly one of london s best fish and chips joints if it ain t broke don t fix it poppiesfishandchips co uk 13 gigs fish chips 12 tottenham street w1t 4re view on instagram if you re talking the hardest fish and chip shops in london gigs better pop up in your thoughts as an artist one of the rare few chippies that lets you create your own mezze platter gigs is a bit of a jack of all trades thanks to its cypriot influence but it doesn t let that stand in the way of delivering a strong spate of typically british fried fish cooked in ground nut oil the fish isn t overwhelming greasy and won t leave you feeling like you ve glugged a gallon of oil afterwards fancy taramasalata instead of mushy peas how about a greek salad with your scampi gigs is the place for you gigsfishandchips com 14 olley s fish experience 65 69 norwood road se24 9aa view on instagram you d have to eat a lot of fish and chips before you stumbled across some of london s best fish and chips but lucky for you you ve got this guide with all the insider info you d ever need to know and boy are you in for a treat with olley s let us be clear here eating at olley s fish experience is an experience unto itself everything from the cod to the loch duart salmon fillets are prime examples of what fish and chips is capable of when it takes itself seriously not only is the food at olley s of the highest quality but it also works closely with its suppliers to make sure its seafood is ethically sourced and traceable back to sustainable or best alternative fisheries and farming practices if you ve got a particularly large appetite for sustainably stunning seafood you can always order the cilla black experience it s a momentous medley of the sea that includes haddock three king prawns three scampi and onions served with chips and wedge of lemon take that takeaway treasure to the nearby brockwell park on a sunny summer s day for a hard to match meal olleys info 15 bonnie gull 21a foley street w1w 6ds bonnie gull is that strange rarity of a fancy fish and chips joint that actually serves decent fish and chips as a clean and crisp west london restaurant bonnie gull is that strange rarity of a fancy fish and chips joint that actually serves decent fish and chips scottish scallop ceviche and battered haddock join forces for a tour de force of sustainable seafood yes it s all a bit more frilly refined and in fitzrovia than your local chippy but bonnie gull still takes care that it remains cognizant of the chip shop traditions so yes the chips might be triple cooked but they re also triple cooked in beef dripping delivering that old faithful flavour in a snazzy new package cheap no worth it yes bonniegull com 16 nautilus fish 27 29 fortune green road nw6 1du view on instagram it doesn t matter whether you re looking to takeaway or eat in nautilus fish is west hampstead s answer to any of your fish related cravings there s nothing fancy about the matzo crusted pieces of fish you ll get at nautilus flavours are simple and ungarnished but that means each ingredient is given its time on the taste pedestal every portion of cod comes out looking like a professional bodybuilder tanned muscular slightly oily and waiting to impress nautilus chips aren t anything to particularly write home but then again that s the appeal of most chips from a chippy they re a comfort blanket of warm soft blandness that lulls you into a sense of nostalgia next to a lovely chunk of cod besides douse anything in enough salt and vinegar and we d happily eat it all day long facebook com locations in this article guides west london south east london south west london north london british east london </s>
<s>[INST] forestry company christchurch [/INST] agriculture forestry bring your skills to new zealand and be part of a global industry while enjoying the lifestyle youve always wanted new zealand is justly famous for its agriculture and forestry overcoming the challenge of distance to become a world leader youll have an unbeatable opportunity to develop your career in a country recognised as a hub of agribusiness innovation a powerhouse sector globally agriculture forestry and thefood sector generate nearly two thirds of our merchandise export earnings and employ 11 of our total workforce agriculture and forestry are among new zealand s powerhouse industries together with fisheries and related industries they generated 44 6 of our total overseas trade in the year to june 2015 and employed over 141 400 people or over 6 of our total workforce its big business by any reckoning and your chance to work in a sector that makes waves around the world despite some challenging conditions in 2015 the meat horticulture seafood and other sectors grew strongly helping to offset slowdowns in dairy and forestry medium term prospects are good with the ministry for primary industries forecasting earnings from the sector to risearound 6 between 2018 and 2022 new zealand is the world s largest dairy and sheep meat exporter the industry has succeeded in building a highly competitive primary production and distribution infrastructure despite being further from the worlds agricultural markets than any other major producers skilled workers needed workers are needed in several areas of agriculture in 2018 especially in supervisory and management roles and also in highly skilled areas particularly agricultural related sciences for details of occupations currently in demand check out immigration new zealands lists ofskill shortages agriculture and forestry jobs on the skills shortages lists include apiarist arborist dairy beef farmer pig farmer forestry scientist market gardener poultry farmer viticulturist if you are offered a job which appears on a skill shortage list and you have the qualifications and experience to match getting a work visa will be easier this is because the government has identified that employers need to recruit people from overseas to help meet demand for your skills but if your job is not on a shortage list dont be disheartened there are other work and resident visa options the dairy sector is especially short of workers its estimated that at least 2 000 more workers are needed every year to cater for growth in the sector guides working in dairy farming read the guide despite new zealands reputation for its sheep population jobs in sheep farming are static as the national flock continues to decline sheep numbers have dropped by around4 million in the last five years down to about 27 6 million in 2016 go back 30 years and we had over 70 million sheep skill shortage skill checker immigration new zealand forestry log exports ttj online job sites to explore farm sourcejobs nz s largestdairy sector job board seek nz s largest general job website trade me n zs most popular website with a large job section more job websites seasonal work for working holiday visa holders new zealand s horticulture industryhas many casual roles available for travellers with working holiday visas allowing you to work your way around the regionsand enjoysome of new zealand s best tourist attractions work is available all across new zealand all year round and for many roles experience is not required while on siteaccommodation isavailable in some areas new zealand has eight main horticulture regions their unique weather conditions mean different crops grow better in some regions than others however all regionsare blessed with high sunshine hours settled weather and warm temperatures what s good for growing is also great for lifestyle seasonal work and careers in new zealand horticulture pick nz guide for seasonal workers nzkgi seasonal job sites to explore work the seasons seasonal jobs in new zealand fruit packing packhouse and vineyard jobs backpackerboard visa options there are various types of visas that you may be eligible to apply for work visas are for a temporary stay in new zealand but some can lead to residence resident visas such as the skilled migrant category allow you to stay indefinitely and enjoy more of our state funded public services visas to work in new zealand register your interest take the first step to a new life by registering with immigration new zealand well send you personalised emails about job opportunities in your profession life in new zealand and choosing the right visa register your interest its free and theres no obligation you may be interested in finding applying for jobs preparing for your job search finding opportunities and tips for success read more our nz way of working get familiar with how your employer will behave and what to expect in the workplace read more employment rights our employment laws help keep workplaces fair know your rights and responsibilities read more top is there anything wrong with this page page last updated 06 03 2019 </s>
<s>[INST] alligator hunting equipment gator pro [/INST] alligator hunt equipment homepage alligator hunting equipment central florida alligator hunts central florida snare products alligator hunting equipment crossbow products alligator hunting equipment alligator hunting equipment llc home facebook alligator hunting equipment gator pro bangstick alligator hunting equipment florida alligator hunting florida alligator hunt melissa bachman florida alligator hunting tips equipment guide nomad gator hunting alligator equipment how to hunt a gator alligator hunting equipment alligator hunting equipment products florida alligator hunting wild alligator hunts cajun gator hunt equipment fish gigs alligator hunting equipment gator pro bangstick floats alligator hunting equipment alligator hunting equipment gator pro harpoon welcome to ratworks hand crafted gator hunt equipment alligator hunt equipment more homepage alligator hunting equipment alligator hunting equipment llc everything you need to start hunting alligators shop now we make alligator hunting affordable so youre focused on the hunt not on your bank account why us about us shop featured products quick view sale starter kits complete gator hunting kit 250 00 215 00 bring your bow and drawback your inhibitions on a challenging alligator bow hunt most alligator hunters have a difficult time hitting a fixed quarter sized target on a piece of cardboard let alone one on the back of an alligator that thrashes violently left and right bow hunting requires more self control and accuracy than any other weapon central florida alligator hunts central florida florida alligator hunts if you are looking for your own personal alligator hunt well youve come to the right place we have one on one guiding to help you get that trophy alligator of a life time if you are considering coming to florida in pursuit of an alligator we have a list of things to be considered prior to arranging a hunt with any outfitter or guide service for this information please view our alligator hunting in florida page snare products alligator hunting equipment snare products alligator equipment 6 foot snare 3 32 stainless steel 7 00 6 foot snare 1 8 stainless steel heavy duty 11 00 gator hunting supplies alligator hunting equipment llc combining over 30 years of experience with quality private land the best equipment and a family friendly atmosphere were passionate about curating the best possible hunting experience to make memories that last a lifetime if youre searching for hog hunting in florida this is the place to go crossbow products alligator hunting equipment crossbow equipment for gator hunting alligator hunters you one and only stop for gator hunting equipment new product this year alligator application deadline expired august 01 2019 angelina neches dam b wma download hunt brochure 3 00 adult expired no canoes kayaks or inflatable boats allowed standbys may be available please call area to confirm application deadline expired 1 3 people per all archery equipment gig or pole snare hook and alligator hunting equipment llc home facebook alligator hunting equipment llc babcock st palm bay florida 32909 rated 4 8 based on 39 reviews just bought a bang stick looks great i just have our alligator hunting guides will bring you face to face with the apex predator of north americas lakes and rivers the florida alligator no experience is necessary as your alligator hunting guide will provide you with all the instruction and equipment youll need for a successful alligator hunt but if you want to bring your own alligator hunting equipment gator pro bangstick alligator hunting equipment gator pro bangstick annytta escobar loading unsubscribe from annytta escobar cancel unsubscribe working massive alligator complete video gourmet duration 17 42 deermeatfordinner 3 149 887 views 17 42 alligator hunting equipment llc babcock st palm bay florida 32909 rated 4 8 based on 39 reviews just bought a bang stick looks great i just have texas alligator hunting is a combination of spot and stalk baiting and running lines we pride ourselves on a 100 success ratio in harvesting these prehistoric creatures population control has become an essential management tool for the promotion of a healthy texas alligator population and resource where man meets nature alligator hunting equipment gator pro alligator hunting equipment including harpoons bangsticks gator calls snatch hooks crossbows for gator hunting alligator trapping supplies as well as a wide variety of kits to get you started fast the package 1 alligator hunt is a 1 2 day alligator hunt and includes your alligator head mount and 5 pounds of alligator meat you and your professional alligator hunting guide will run a series of baited lines bait the lines for the following day and haul in your kill florida alligator hunting giant florida alligator hunt hunt florida alligator year round alligator hunting at our private florida ranch with your choice of bow rifle pistol or alligator harpoon from shore line buggy or airboat is florida s greatest hunting adventure we carry all alligator equipment and tags necessary to insure you harvest one of florida s ageless vaughan gators llc tallahassee florida vaughan gator slammer bolts alligator hides in stock now alligator hunting equipment we now carry the vaughan gator slammer bolt alligator hunt book your hunt alligator hunts florida alligator hunt melissa bachman alligator hunting in florida with monster gators catch all the action as melissa bachman hunts for these giants in the swamps of florida for more visit ht services packages alligator hunts offered during the ga alligator hunting season typically the first week of september through the first few days of october over 21 years of experience as a nuisance alligator trapper in the state of ga captured over 5 000 alligators in coastal ga guided hunts offered for zone 7 and 8 florida alligator hunting tips equipment guide nomad florida alligator hunting florida alligator hunting requires a very different set of skills and equipment than most quarry this isnt like sniping 40 pound coyotes with a small caliber rifle alligator hunting requires close quarters combat with a monster reinstating alligator hunting was to provide the public with a much desired opportunity to hunt alligators in florida recreational alligator hunting is just one part of the fwcs overall approach to managing the population alligator conservation is a huge success story and its estimated there are approximately 1 3 million alligators living gator hunting alligator equipment bow eco kit the big game float features a rotto molded body that has a built in hand wrap style reel arrow holder and handle its mounted with a 1 4 twist to the mounting stud allowing for quick and secure attachment and deployment of the float alligator private land experience the exciting adrenaline pumping and challenging florida alligator hunt at fox brown outfitters our experienced guide will bring you up close and personal to the monsters lurking beneath the waters gator hunting pictures from florida statewide alligator hunts brad 11 footer in georgetown south carolina i harvested this gator thanks to alligator hunting equipment llc christina gator we got with and i snagged him with a treble hook raymond g a it was fun going unguided and have the right equipment to hunt with how to hunt a gator gator hunting 101 now that youre draw to hunt gators you may find information on hunting equipment is scarce in the next few pages ill give you a crash course on what equipment you need why you need to increase your chances of success while decreasing your chance of injury we offer alligator hunts in florida both public water hunts and private land this allows hunting year round all tags equipment boat and bug repellant supplied you can use your own bow crossbow or rifle the hunts are very exciting and you will not soon forget running around florida waters at night alligator hunting equipment sample video for alligatorhuntingequipment com this video is unavailable watch queue queue as we glide across the water on an airboat youll feel as though youve ventured into another realm together well float through the wilderness and see the marvels that nature has to offer while making memories of a fun and thrilling alligator hunt for example the newly opened 2007 florida alligator hunt specifically prohibits firearms due to the dangers of firing bullets around bodies of water and recommends instead the use of a detachable head harpoon for hunting alligators during the nighttime hours that hunting is permitted alligator hunting equipment products alligator hunting equipment these are the same products we use to get our gators i don t sell equipment i don t use like some since 2010 i ve killed 112 gators with my equipment i lost a lot of hooks to trees and weeds i also bent some of my drivers which was a quick fix i sell all my gator equipment cheap gator hunting equipment gator hunt equipment alligator hunt equipment visit ratworks professional gator hunting equipment click here captain phil walters of gatorguides com often called the gator hunter of the south has decades of experience guiding double up on adrenalin with our alligator hog combo hunt package all of our alligator hunts are guaranteed and take place in a beautiful private owned cypress swamp in south florida just minutes from fort myers all licenses and equipment is provided free of charge for your alligator hunt and you may rent a weapon for your hog hunt for 50 florida alligator hunting wild alligator hunts florida alligator hunting options multi night alligator hunts aug 15 nov 1 these fully guided wild alligator hunts can only be done at night from boats using harpoons crossbows spear guns and fishing poles this by far is the most exciting action packed way to hunt wild florida alligators alligator hunting is quickly gaining in popularity across the southern united states quality public waterways and year round private land hunting make central florida the perfect destination airboat and gator charters offers hunters the opportunity to hunt alligators year round with their choice of equipment this point has no barbs to break or slow penetration on impact and allows it to leave a very small entry hole once in the gator the special flange catches flesh allowing the shaft to be pulled free and the point to turn sideways beneath the hide for solid holding power cajun gator hunt equipment fish gigs cajun gator hunt equipment fish gigs 400 monroe ave masaryktown fl 34604 shop 352 796 5815 or mobile 352 279 6961 or contact deanna 386 688 5121 for account or order info email cooters tampabay rr com in addition to the gator charge a 500 guide fee for up to 2 day hunt applies includes skinning head and skin along with 10 lbs of tail meat and all leg meat observer charge 100 charger per non hunter observer we supply the alligator hunting equipment you bring your own weapon to kill the alligator baiting no hooks only 2in pegs or less this is one of the best ways to get a gator it can be the easiest way and it can also be the most dreaded one especially when they get in the weeds or trees i ve spent more than 3 hours digging through weeds only to find my beef lung was spit up and left behind alligator hunting equipment gator pro bangstick gator pro is the leading manufacture in the world of extreme hunting gear if you re interested in gear that will withstand the test of time and not fail you when your trophy gator is on the line look no further experience the thrilling and challenging florida alligator hunting during your stay at florida wildlife adventure always an exciting hunt our hunters can harvest up to two alligators during the statewide alligator harvest season permits must be applied for and will be awarded prior to alligator harvest season a resident alligator hunter must either own land or have permission to hunt alligators on land that is classified as wetland habitat in order to qualify for alligator harvest tags ldwf issues harvest tags for property containing sufficient alligator habitat capable of sustaining an alligator harvest floats alligator hunting equipment gator hunting equipment floats for gator hunting we sell em cheap we have heavy duty floats as well gator hunting supplies palm bay fl floats and ropes for alligator hunting 6in gator float 6 inch crab float you can attached this to your dart 3 50 7in gator float 7 inch crab float you can attached this to your dart home of xtreme hunting gear including gator pro alligator hunting equipment frog collector frog gigging supplies ultra light night sport headlights as well as bowfishing fish gigging and airboating supplies alligator hunting equipment gator pro harpoon alligator hunting equipment gator pro harpoon deermeatfordinner loading alligator hunting equipment gator pro bangstick duration 10 24 deermeatfordinner 77 244 views giant alligator hunt by get bit outdoors duration 7 37 getbitoutdoors 263 157 views alligator hunting is the capture and killing of gators with the appropriate licenses and tags the american alligator can legally be hunted in the southeastern united states the states of florida georgia alabama arkansas mississippi louisiana north carolina south carolina and texas all distribute alligator hunting licenses our alligator hunts offer a 100 opportunity guarantee hunters typically see between 50 200 gators per boat ride and can hunt either in the daytime or at night if youre looking for the adrenaline rush of a lifetime our more challenging nighttime alligator hunts are a must all inclusive private wetland alligator hunting pricing welcome to ratworks hand crafted gator hunt equipment gator hunt dvd video 15 95 gatorguides com and ratworks gator hunting equipment present gator hunting across the south with capt phil walters 1 hour 8 min video of gator hunting complied from tv appearances and news broadcasts you ll enjoy the excitement of the hunt and thrill of the kill up close and personal alligator hunting equipment llc declines responsibility for the indirect consequences of any injuries and or death of persons or animals damage to objects caused by use of the bang stick or by primer explosion by bullets ricochet or unsafe loading practices and or procedure article32 php article33 php article34 php article35 php article36 php article37 php article38 php article39 php article40 php article41 php article42 php article43 php article44 php article45 php article46 php article47 php article48 php article49 php article50 php article51 php article52 php article53 php article54 php article55 php article56 php article57 php article58 php article59 php article60 php article61 php article62 php article63 php article64 php article65 php article66 php article67 php article68 php article69 php article70 php article71 php article72 php article73 php article74 php article75 php article76 php article77 php article78 php article79 php article80 php article81 php article82 php article83 php article84 php article85 php article86 php article87 php article88 php article89 php article90 php article91 php article92 php </s>
<s>[INST] forestry company auckland [/INST] innovative forest investment and management company ifs growth leaders in the business of sustainable profitable safe forestry find out more investing for you we will listen and understand your investment goals then find a suitable investment which meets your needs undertake due diligence and purchase it end to end management we manage forestry enterprises for clients growing value from start to finish let us step into your shoes we run your investment as if it was our own for your maximum returns one off advice take guesswork out of your forestry equation we specialise in one off consultations before and during all stages of your venture make the most of your asset today areas of expertise grow your living breathing investment ifs growth has over 30 years experience in forestry investment consulting management and harvesting marketing investment diversify your investment portfolio into forestry talk to us before you invest we know the game capitalise on our hands on expertise industry know how and solid financial modelling get ready to grow your returns invest with the best management industry best practice is at the forefront of our daily forestry operations we advise plan and execute your entire forestry enterprise from beginning to end we are leaders in environmental health safety management optimise your results consultancy de mystify the complexities of forestry and carbon accounting with our specialist advice at your fingertips we advise landowners and investors on all forestry land and carbon matters trust our experts harvesting marketing plan ahead power up your returns at harvest time with ifs growths streamlined harvesting expertise join the collective force and reap the sales marketing rewards of oneforest collaborate with oneforest graduate program 2019 ifs growth is pleased to offer the ifs growth scholarship to encourage students to pursue a qualification in the forestry industry scholarship applications are invited through to 30 april 2019 click here for more information ifs growth scholarship program 2019 email tracey hrsouth co nz or liss troedel ifsgrowth co nz find out how to apply sponsorship ifs growth supports many local teams and community events ifs growth are also proud to be life flight community partners life flight operate the wellington based westpac rescue helicopter and 2 nationwide air ambulance aircrafts the life flight team complete about 1400 missions each year means they will be able to respond when somebody needs their help this is important to us and we are proud to be affiliated with such a significant charity see how you can help latest information keep up with the latest industry news publications and legislation woodleigh forest download the future of forestry in new zealand by anton ridley southland regional manager download ceo update from the forest ground download graduates adventures in canada download </s>
<s>[INST] buy wood yardsticks [/INST] yardsticks all auction buy it now sort best match best match time ending soonest time newly listed price shipping lowest first price shipping highest first distance nearest first view gallery view 1 48 of 316 results vtg tennessee metal culvert wooden yardstick armco products drainage emergency c 31 05 top rated seller c 39 75 shipping from united states color multi color customs services and international tracking provided vintage advertising walking stick cane yardstick dupont londax herbicide 09234 c 14 12 0 bids c 77 18 shipping ending 5 apr at 19 01 edt 2d 11h top rated seller from united states vtg advertising yardstick johnson electric binghamton ny delco packard leland c 14 05 top rated seller c 47 90 shipping from united states customs services and international tracking provided vintage yardstick funeral home norman witzler advertising perrysburg ruler y42 c 25 41 top rated seller was previous price c 28 23 from united states c 36 93 shipping customs services and international tracking provided vintage walking yard stick square wilkins doherty funeral home cape charles va c 49 43 from united states c 41 34 shipping color brown or best offer customs services and international tracking provided 34 yardstick wood wooden ruler lot advertising sign color art craft hobby c 120 04 top rated seller c 84 48 shipping from united states customs services and international tracking provided vintage antique sunbeam bread thick wooden yardstick c 33 88 top rated seller c 41 50 shipping from united states or best offer customs services and international tracking provided vintage wooden yardstick lot holder c 66 68 top rated seller c 64 26 shipping from united states customs services and international tracking provided vintage ruler advertising yard stick canby minn c 25 25 from united states c 48 30 shipping customs services and international tracking provided vintage walking stick square wooden yard stick tapered c 11 23 from united states c 53 08 shipping color red customs services and international tracking provided vintage advertising yardstick doxol propane kingman arizona bleve explosion c 21 17 top rated seller c 53 04 shipping from united states color beige customs services and international tracking provided advertising yardstick fuller warren co stoves binghamton house furnishings c 11 23 top rated seller c 47 82 shipping from united states customs services and international tracking provided vintage wood advertising yardstick 48 harris custom interiors asid camdenton mo c 28 24 from united states was previous price c 35 31 customs services and international tracking provided c 58 13 shipping or best offer 22 yardstick wood wooden ruler lot advertising sign color art craft hobby c 77 67 top rated seller c 83 77 shipping from united states 22 watching customs services and international tracking provided vintage advertising yardstick leggetts southern largest distributor merchandise c 14 12 from united states c 39 43 shipping customs services and international tracking provided lowe brothers paints enamels stain varnish lacquers yardstick vintage 36 c 28 15 top rated seller c 53 48 shipping from united states or best offer customs services and international tracking provided vintage richards chevrolet barneveld ny advertising yard stick wooden thick c 14 12 top rated seller c 47 87 shipping from united states customs services and international tracking provided vintage yardstick kmart department store home center c 14 11 top rated seller c 50 56 shipping from united states or best offer customs services and international tracking provided 20 meter yardstick wood wooden ruler lot advertising sign color art craft c 42 37 top rated seller c 41 35 shipping from united states customs services and international tracking provided vintage wood yard stick advertising lincoln nebraska c 12 70 from united states c 50 64 shipping customs services and international tracking provided or best offer vintage walking stick square yard stick advertising ruler 36 vincent metals c 35 29 from united states or best offer color brown vintage cass scenic railroad cass w va yardstick ruler wood estate find c 35 31 top rated seller c 47 82 shipping from united states customs services and international tracking provided 10 meter yardstick wood wooden ruler lot advertising sign color art craft c 21 18 top rated seller c 46 69 shipping from united states 19 sold customs services and international tracking provided new listing vintage wooden yardstick century lumber co des moines iowa c 12 70 0 bids c 36 86 shipping ending 12 apr at 22 54 edt 9d 14h top rated seller from united states new listing vintage wooden yardstick robinson s electronics serv stanton michigan c 12 70 0 bids c 36 86 shipping ending 12 apr at 22 54 edt 9d 14h top rated seller from united states new listing vintage pioneer seeds advertising folding yardstick tri fold great condition c 8 46 0 bids c 39 22 shipping ending 9 apr at 11 18 edt 6d 3h from united states customs services and international tracking provided boyertown body equipment co tape measure boyertown pa body works c 42 35 top rated seller c 31 46 shipping from united states customs services and international tracking provided advertizing collapsable yard stick carlson electric co sibley iowa contracting c 12 70 from united states c 34 73 shipping customs services and international tracking provided or best offer advertising metal ruler mar ton venetian blinds chicago 9 ill c 10 59 top rated seller c 19 46 shipping from united states color white vintage square wood yard stick national electrical supply co wash d c c 39 22 from united states c 34 26 shipping color brown or best offer customs services and international tracking provided vintage collectible advertising wood yardstick lot 10 yard sticks c 26 13 15 bids c 52 92 shipping ending 6 apr at 17 42 edt 3d 9h from united states color brown customs services and international tracking provided parkley knitwear advertisement folding yardstick c 16 95 top rated seller c 37 42 shipping from united states color multi color vintage wood advertising yardstick sears wallcoverings paints tools ladders c 14 11 from united states c 61 92 shipping customs services and international tracking provided or best offer 33 yardstick wood wooden ruler lot advertising sign color art craft hobby c 116 51 top rated seller c 84 42 shipping from united states 15 watching customs services and international tracking provided vintage wooden advertising yardstick mccoy leffler funeral home art craft hobby c 42 35 from united states c 37 89 shipping customs services and international tracking provided or best offer norman r johnson truck line flandreau sd livestock grain yardstick vintage 36 c 28 15 top rated seller c 53 48 shipping from united states or best offer customs services and international tracking provided denny gaspar chevrolet pontiac buick canton sd 6059874326 yardstick vintage 36 c 28 15 top rated seller c 53 48 shipping from united states or best offer customs services and international tracking provided vintage kaeser blair advertising folding yardstick cincinnati ohio vg c 34 43 top rated seller was previous price c 45 90 from united states c 44 82 shipping customs services and international tracking provided or best offer vintage wolfschmidt vodka advertising tri color folding wood yardstick ruler c 39 54 from united states c 39 26 shipping color multi color or best offer customs services and international tracking provided vintage wood advertising yardstick spalding michigan fleetwood true value hardwa c 14 11 from united states c 61 92 shipping customs services and international tracking provided or best offer vtg newton mfg co newco line yard stick ruler salesman sample kit c 56 47 from united states c 49 43 shipping color multi color or best offer customs services and international tracking provided wood yardstick vintage 36 square better cleaning diamond perchlorethylene c 16 95 0 bids c 59 41 shipping ending 8 apr at 12 15 edt 5d 4h or best offer top rated seller from united states customs services and international tracking provided new listing vtg advertising folding yard stick walter g trayer harrisburg pa 1281 c 21 17 from united states c 36 80 shipping color yellow customs services and international tracking provided 44 yardstick wood wooden ruler lot advertising sign color art craft hobby c 155 34 top rated seller c 85 06 shipping from united states 31 watching customs services and international tracking provided pierce ne nebraska pittsburgh paints vintage yardstick wood wallhide waterspar c 35 29 top rated seller c 48 16 shipping from united states customs services and international tracking provided pierce ne nebraska lundak radios undertaking furniture antique yardstick wood c 55 06 top rated seller c 48 48 shipping from united states customs services and international tracking provided vtg 1970 s tupperware folding ruler yardstick everybody needs tupperware c 16 24 from united states c 44 77 shipping color beige or best offer customs services and international tracking provided vintage advertising wood yardstick the astrup company c 14 11 top rated seller c 55 01 shipping from united states or best offer customs services and international tracking provided results pagination page 1 1 2 3 4 5 sponsored listings vintage lot wood yard sticks w advertising bank insurance others c 42 35 vintage lot wood yard sticks w advertising furniture appliance others c 56 47 vintage lot wood yard sticks w advertising farmer hog massey others c 70 60 vintage lot wood yard sticks w advertising upholstery frabic c 42 35 vintage buick mufflers are engineered for buicks wooden yardstick slide stik c 22 54 was previous price c 28 17 vintage lot wood yard sticks w advertising chevrolet dealers olds dealer c 98 84 unusual germany german metal ruler yardstick advertising owston kansas ks c 105 90 make an offer vintage walking yard stick square wilkins doherty funeral home cape charles va c 49 43 c 41 34 shipping make offer vintage walking yard stick square wilkins doherty funeral home cape charles va vintage antique sunbeam bread thick wooden yardstick c 33 88 c 41 50 shipping make offer vintage antique sunbeam bread thick wooden yardstick vintage wood advertising yardstick 48 harris custom interiors asid camdenton mo c 28 24 c 58 13 shipping make offer vintage wood advertising yardstick 48 harris custom interiors asid camdenton mo lowe brothers paints enamels stain varnish lacquers yardstick vintage 36 c 28 15 c 53 48 shipping make offer lowe brothers paints enamels stain varnish lacquers yardstick vintage 36 vintage yardstick kmart department store home center c 14 11 c 50 56 shipping make offer vintage yardstick kmart department store home center vintage wood yard stick advertising lincoln nebraska c 12 70 c 50 64 shipping make offer vintage wood yard stick advertising lincoln nebraska quakertown perkasie silverdale pa yardstick ruler tractors john deere delaval c 62 14 c 36 10 shipping make offer quakertown perkasie silverdale pa yardstick ruler tractors john deere delaval vintage walking stick square yard stick advertising ruler 36 vincent metals c 35 29 make offer vintage walking stick square yard stick advertising ruler 36 vincent metals vintage kaeser blair advertising folding yardstick cincinnati ohio vg c 34 43 c 44 82 shipping make offer vintage kaeser blair advertising folding yardstick cincinnati ohio vg vintage square wood yard stick national electrical supply co wash d c c 39 22 c 34 26 shipping make offer vintage square wood yard stick national electrical supply co wash d c vtg newton mfg co newco line yard stick ruler salesman sample kit c 56 47 c 49 43 shipping make offer vtg newton mfg co newco line yard stick ruler salesman sample kit vintage wood advertising yardstick sears wallcoverings paints tools ladders c 14 11 c 61 92 shipping make offer vintage wood advertising yardstick sears wallcoverings paints tools ladders side refine panel shop by category merchandise memorabilia other merch memorabilia ads advertising print blotters calendars characters dolls clocks fans labels mannequins mirrors mugs cups plates premiums prizes charms signs store displays thermometers tins trays victorian trade cards color see all brown multi color red white beige featured refinements see all yardsticks filter applied original reproduction see all condition see all new used not specified price under 20 00 20 00 to 50 00 over 50 00 please provide a valid price range buying format see all all listings auction buy it now classified ads item location see all default canada only north america worldwide delivery options see all free shipping free in store pickup show only see all returns accepted completed items sold items authorized seller more refinements more refinements sell on ebay sell other merch memorabilia ads </s>
<s>[INST] canned sardines for fishing [/INST] canned sardines description sardines has excellent taste qualities and is an excellent source of easily digestible proteins amino acids and unsaturated omega 3 fats most healthiest elements for human consumption high quality canned sardines can be produced with the addition of extra virgin natural olive oil at your request various packaging options are possible as well as the addition of various flavor combinations lemon basil olives spices tomato sauce chili peppers mustard sauce marinade and many more moroccan canned fish products are known throughout the world for their unrivaled taste rightly considered one of the most gourmets choice for the production of canned food only freshly caught fish and high quality ingredients are used natural olive or sunflower oil scented freshly ground spices chili peppers tomato sauce basilic olives etc a great choice of various flavors combinations are available upon the personalisable request univela morocco as specializes supplier of assorted canned fish from morocco sets as its main mission to offer the buyers a optimum variety of choices with best quality and cost performance read more fishing zone fao 34 shelf life 3 years quality eu standards pcs per club 1 2 2 4 3 4 4 6 presentation format in fillets without head and tail in fillets skinless without head and tail eviscerated without head and tail packaging 1 4 club rr 125 f a dingley 105 grs 1 2 h 425 grs 1 2 h 425 grs f a ro 1 000 1 kg ro 2 000 2 kg m o q 1 x 20dv fcl club 3250 boxes x 50 tins trademark local or private brand variety sardines natural in own juice sardines in oil olive sunflower vegetable sardines with spices chili peppers sardines in tomato sauce sardines with lemons sardines with basil sardines with olives sardine fillets delivery terms fob cfr cif ddu payment terms tt onfirmed irrevocable lc at sight usance lc up to 180 days factoring financing up to 120 days cad trade credit insurance certification haccp iso dipoa ifs fda fos canned mackerel previous canned mackerel next frozen fish catalog seafood catalog canned fish catalog precooked fish catalog fruits catalog vegetables catalog feed additives catalog wood catalog polymers catalog </s>
<s>[INST] fishery equipment [/INST] search 0 your shopping cart is empty my account register login shopping cart checkout second hand home feeding fish counters graders hatchery baskets trophs nets and cages other oxygen pumps fishpumps tanks water treatment more categories close menu categories feeding fish counters graders hatchery baskets trophs nets and cages new equipment other oxygen pumps fish pumps tanks water treatment home wanted new equipment about us newsletter contact us login or create an account close returning customer i am a returning customer login or create an account close register account if you already have an account with us please login at the login form if json success your account has been created thank you for registering with 24fish you will be notified by e mail once your account has been activated by the store owner if you have any questions about the operation of this online shop please contact the store owner continue account logout you have been logged off your account it is now safe to leave the computer your shopping cart has been saved the items inside it will be restored whenever you log back into your account continue not finding what you re looking for let us know what products you are looking for and we will find them for you read more buy and sell equipment upgrade your farm 24fish connects you to fish farmers across the world and lets you buy and sell equipment for accessible prices read more trout eggs by troutex find out more microscreen filters by hydrotech find out more shipping available we can handle transport on request reliable support contact us if you have any questions latest additions stainless steel drum filter 300l s 16 000 ex tax 16 000 add to cart add to wish list compare this product quick view apollo 4 track grader 10 800 ex tax 10 800 add to cart add to wish list compare this product quick view surface aerators 249 ex tax 249 add to cart add to wish list compare this product quick view paddle wheelers 0 ex tax 0 add to cart add to wish list compare this product quick view surface aerators 375 ex tax 375 add to cart add to wish list compare this product quick view kjrgaard pumps 1 675 ex tax 1 675 add to cart add to wish list compare this product quick view apollo 4 track grader 3 950 ex tax 3 950 add to cart add to wish list compare this product quick view fiap feeders 40l 125 ex tax 125 add to cart add to wish list compare this product quick view feeders by ias find out more new equipment for fish farms find out more feeding baskets trophs quick view cj feeder 1 274 ex tax 274 add to wish list add to cart compare this product quick view cj feeder 1p 129 ex tax 129 add to wish list add to cart compare this product quick view complete feeders 5 liters 75 ex tax 75 add to wish list add to cart compare this product quick view fiap feeders 40l 125 ex tax 125 add to wish list add to cart compare this product quick view pendlum feeders 80 liters 150 ex tax 150 add to wish list add to cart compare this product quick view pescapex feeding pipe 10 ex tax 10 add to wish list add to cart compare this product quick view walkways 100 ex tax 100 add to wish list add to cart compare this product quick view cj feeder 1 274 ex tax 274 add to wish list add to cart compare this product quick view cj feeder 1p 129 ex tax 129 add to wish list add to cart compare this product quick view complete feeders 5 liters 75 ex tax 75 add to wish list add to cart compare this product quick view fiap feeders 40l 125 ex tax 125 add to wish list add to cart compare this product quick view pendlum feeders 80 liters 150 ex tax 150 add to wish list add to cart compare this product quick view pescapex feeding pipe 10 ex tax 10 add to wish list add to cart compare this product quick view walkways 100 ex tax 100 add to wish list add to cart compare this product </s>
<s>[INST] buy wood board [/INST] fast facts about cutting boards and food safety in your kitchen september 23 2014 matt shipman photo via wikimedia commons photographer unknown anything that touches your food can be a source of contamination and foodborne illness including cutting boards for example if you cut up a raw chicken and then use the same cutting board to slice a tomato for your salad you run the risk of cross contamination with bacteria from the chicken being transferred to the tomato that of course would be bad and vegetarians arent off the hook either fruits and vegetables can also carry pathogens and transfer them to cutting boards to reduce the risk of foodborne illness in your kitchen here are some things you should know about cutting boards plastic versus wood for a long time most if not all cutting boards were made of wood but at some point people began using plastic cutting boards the idea was that they were easier to clean and sanitize and therefore were safer but in the late 1980s a uc davis researcher named dean cliver the de facto godfather of cutting board food safety decided to investigate whether plastic cutting boards really were safer answer not really photo credit betsssssy via wikimedia commons plastic cutting boards cliver found are easier to sanitize but cutting on them also leaves lots of grooves where bacteria can hide wood is tougher to sanitize but its also often tougher in general you wont find as many deep scratches in the surface in addition researchers have discovered that the type of wood your cutting board is made from also makes a difference hardwoods like maple are fine grained and the capillary action of those grains pulls down fluid trapping the bacteria which are killed off as the board dries after cleaning says ben chapman a food safety researcher at ncstate soft woods like cypress are less likely to dull the edge of your knife but also pose a greater food safety risk chapman explains thats because they have larger grains which allows the wood to split apart more easily forming grooves where bacteria can thrive which type of cutting board should you use chapman recommends using plastic cutting boards for meat and wood cutting boards for fruit vegetables or any ready to eat foods like bread or cheese why use plastic cutting boards for meat because of how you wash them cleaning your cutting board plastic and wood have different characteristics so you have to handle them differently plastic cutting boards can be placed in the dishwasher where they can be sanitized by washing at high temperatures but wood cutting boards would quickly be ruined by a dishwasher and not everyone owns a dishwasher if youre washing a cutting board by hand you should rinse the debris off the cutting board being careful not to splatter contaminated water all over the place scrub the cutting board with soap and water to get out anything in the scratches or grooves on the boards surface and sanitize the cutting board you should use different sanitizers for wood cutting boards than for plastic ones for plastic cutting boards you should use a chlorine based sanitizer such as a solution of bleach and water one tablespoon of bleach per gallon of water has a shelf life of a week or two but for wood cutting boards you should use a quaternary ammonium sanitizer such as a solution of mr clean and water follow the dilution instructions on the label this is because chlorine binds very easily to organic materials like the wood in a cutting board which neutralizes its antibacterial properties chapman says quaternary ammonium is more effective at killing bacteria on wood or other organic surfaces its worth noting that you should also sanitize your kitchen sponge rag brush after youve used it to scrub the chicken juice off your cutting board or else you run the risk of contaminating the next thing you wash which is the exact opposite of what youre trying to do the last step in cleaning your cutting board is an important one dry it make sure you put the cutting board somewhere that air circulates so that it can dry completely chapman says bacteria need moisture to grow and you dont want to give them a welcoming environment historically butchers used to put salt on their butcher blocks to keep them from smelling bad chapman says this worked because the salt drew the moisture out of the wood and prevented bacterial contamination which is what caused the smell though the butchers didnt know it at the time when to replace your cutting board at some point scrubbing and sanitizing might not be enough when your cutting board has accumulated a lot of deep grooves from repeated use you probably need to replace it the more grooves it has and the bigger they are the more area is available for trapping moisture and giving bacteria a place to proliferate chapman says categories the abstract tags explainer food food safety health and well being view comments 86 total responses leave a response cancel reply </s>
<s>[INST] low seam coal mining equipment [/INST] low seam coal mining underground thin seam coal mining in virginia semantic scholar hour of western surface mines extracting much thicker seams however there are distinct incentives to continuing coal mining in virginia where the coal is not only low in sulfur content but has a calorific value some 20 higher than western coal without constraints solid ground solid ground 15 jun 2018 miners at ulan west are visually reminded where quality coal is at the beginning of every shift they exit the pre start through a life size overlay of the ulan seam depicting the low ash coal within the economic section and modern experience of low coal seams underground mining in ukraine however geotechnological aspects of coal seams development and ukrainian crisis have a negative influence on the mining industry this article analyzes the experience in the development of very low and low coal seams with 0 71 0 m coal miner lovers mining low seam coal coal miner facebook 27 jan 2019 mining low seam coal coal miner lovers source owens a survivor coal coalmining coalminer coalminerlovers coal mining world coal association we need all energy sources to meet global energy needs and we need all low emission technologies to reduce emissions this method recovers a higher proportion of the coal deposit than underground mining as all coal seams are availability of the springfield coal for mining in illinois illinois state 17 surface mining of multiple seams 17 underground minable coal 17 depth of seam 17 thickness of seam 17 thickness of bedrock channels are the primary restrictions on mining these lower sulfur deposits an additional 3 billion coal department for energy and mining until recently south australia produced approximately 2 7 mt of low grade sub bituminous black coal for power the coal seams which reach cumulative thicknesses of up to 25 m occur in the upper part of the early permian mount task specific postures in low seam underground coal mining cdc the objective of this study was to determine low seam mine worker exposure to various postures as they pertain to job classifications and job tasks sixty four mine workers from four low seam coal mines participated the mine workers multi seam layout guidelines and feasibility of acarp abstract 4 oct 2019 mining of two to four seams within the hunter valley is a likely scenario of new mines and in the future there are also opportunities for multi seam operations in the bowen basin pillar interaction effects subsidence stress concentration zones mining low coal mining currently takes place in two seams 382 and 385 2 the operation itself is split into three sections bogdanka nadrybie and stefanw all of which lie within a distance of a few kilometres in total the mine has six shafts and one coal coalsafe msha low seam refuge chamber minearc systems coalsafe msha low seam refuge chamber is designed for underground coal mines with a 46 1 2m seam height custom specified to fit a coal mine site needs appalachia comes up small in era of giant coal mines washington 5 may 2017 the key piece of equipment in strip mining is a mobile dragline excavator which scrapes away long rows of soil and rock overburden in mining terms to expose the coal seam below the largest have bodies the size of embers under the earth the surprising world of coal seam fires 30 jan 2019 across the globe hundreds of fires burn low and slow on dirty fuel beneath the earth smoldering for decades or most coal seam fires are ignited by human activity usually in the process of coal mining or waste removal fully mechanized coal mining technology for thin coal seam abstract in view of the present situations and existing problems of thin coal seam mining under complex geological conditions low profile mining equipment for fully mechanized coal mining was developed this paper presents the study mine the gap this strange metal snake shreds and slithers 12 feb 2014 it can mine narrow coal seams sandwiched between soft sedimentary rock and extract coal miners used to leave behind there are coal seams so low and narrow that it would be impossible to get to them without the f330 innovative extraction method for a coal seam with a thick mdpi 30 oct 2017 lower coal seams are mined resulting in the waste of coal resources and a high cost for mining the coal therefore the thick rock parting heavily influences coal mining yields and efficiency and has sustainability 2017 9 coal mining end coal vast tracts of forests mountains and farmland have been cleared to make way for coal mines pregnant women have a higher risk of having children of low birth weight during mining operations enormous amounts of groundwater are drained from aquifers so minin chapters economics of thin seam coal mining it is a known fact that thin seam mining can be very expensive both in monetary thin seam coal mining became unfavourable due to its low production rate and very high cost of mining only a few strategic mines were kept open and heavily influence of mining thickness on the rationality of upward jestr the top caving technique was applied to the exploitation of the lower layer of the no 12 coal seam practically monitored data keywords coal seam group upward mining initial mining thickness destruction influence pressure relief effect coal mining choosing a mining method britannica com the various methods of mining a coal seam can be classified under two headings surface mining and underground mining surface and previous one advantages over augering include higher productivity greater safety and lower cost famur fl 13 19 thin seams longwall system youtube 26 feb 2015 famur is a producer of mechanized longwall systems for underground mining of seams thickness from 1m to 6 m the thin seam mining system allows for extraction of thin coal seams deposited in mining conditions low seam coal mining in south africa mining technology mining 23 apr 2008 the thick high coal seams have been mined extensively in the past more and more coal is now left in low coal seams with a height varying from 1m to 2 8m the quality of the coal is usually quite good and with current coal coal mining 101 the coal seam the basics there are four basic types of coal lignite subbituminous bituminous and anthracite lignite is the lowest rank of coal with the lowest energy content lignite is crumbly and has high moisture content lignite accounts for about 7 coal coal michigan has small deposits of coal although many of our coal deposits are in thin seams and not economically valuable for that reason the largest deposits found and the most coal mined in the past were in the saginaw valley multi seam coal mining saimm mine coal rom the mining methods used are a mechanized bord and pillar method that utilizes continuous miners cm and a small scale contractor operated opencast which utilizes trucks and shovels1 there are 5 accepted coal seams mining techniques arigna mining experience the men often had to lie on their backs in water using a hand pick or short handle shovel to get at a thin seam of coal under passed the main tunnel and entered the branches the miners had to crouch down as those tunnels were very low key technologies and equipment for a fully mechanized top coal 21 jul 2015 there are some limitations with the fully mechanized sub level coal mining method including the thickness variation of coal seams spontaneous combustion unit mining cost and efficiency due to the low production plow systems for low seam coal caterpillar cat in the right longwall mining applications a plow system from caterpillar can be the most efficient cost effective means of extracting low seams of coal underground modern day plow systems can be working at maximum production while coal mining wikipedia coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to the choice of mining method depends primarily on depth density overburden and thickness of the coal seam seams re learn about wyoming coal mining wyoming mining association supply of coal is reliable wyoming s low sulfur coal can be produced and used in compatibility with the nations environmental objectives currently most wyoming coal is mined from coal seams 100 feet thick these are some of the previous 500 mesh powder grinder manufacturer next equipment purchased for ore plant related articles ore dressing equipment for kaolin low noise material for low crushing strength mining use grinding ball mill machinery with low price filtrate tank processing sulfide ores low consumption spiral chute mineral processing plant low consumption low cost italy concrete batching plant hzs120 on sale gold mine manganese ore processing low consumption low maintenance cost bs k flotation machine beneficiation cip gold processing plant low consumption process of manufacturing of low heat cement cir low air pressure drill hammer mineral processing low consumption portable mobile stone crusher plant low cost gold wash plants classifier mill energy saving low costs flotation cell machine mineral processing crusher low maintenance cost per ton silver separating gold from ore low consumption gold flotation production line for kaolin low noise gold cip plant cu pb zn dressing process low consumption jaw crusher for sale with low price low cost mining separator shake table cities skylines ore mining newest type china supplier gold mill machine ball mill principle for bauxite crushing plant gold sands pacific ocean mining companies grinding carbon untuk mendapat emas mobile crusher plant price for sale on site stone crusher pet crushing recycling ore processing plant gold mining machine what is mine plant stone quarries in gauteng steps of the way gold ore is processed by mills sand washing machine in mining cedar rapids rock leaching dry calcium carbonate 3 5 micron production line gold miners tols saint george free quarrying business plan limonite gold ore graphite crushing machine india india grinding machine india sand washing machine xsd home extraction of copper indec html low seam coal mining copyright 2011 2019 shanghai gpc industry co ltd all rights reserved diy deck mobile crusher plants of multy ore crushing plant latest portable gold milling machines for batter sands name the iron ore mining countries in west africa plant bauxite mining wpc deck limestone mobile jaw crushing plant in iran ficha tecnica del molino industrial mining jobs in lafarge cements mining industry growth composite deck price permanent magnetic rotary drum for tin ore newest design crusher hydraulic chinaimpact mesin mesin crusher batubara mini cone crusher lubriion and maintenance system composite deck board stone crusher in australia portable crushing plant for sale jordan wheel mill for gold of best quality and china professional real mining int l ltd composite plastic decking beryllium copper c crushed lava rock stones used crusher price philippines introduction to data mining kumar torrent cone crusher characters </s>
<s>[INST] forestry company new zealand [/INST] navigation expertise currently selected our people careers current opportunities legal professionals business professionals summer clerk programme contact hr about us firm news awards and recognition inclusion and diversity community support sponsorships and memberships sustainability history publications covid 19 updates events continuing professional development alumni alumni update register or update your details current opportunities contact us home expertise forestry a166cfe5 60eb 4323 b17b 394a65192231 forestry bell gully has been and continues to be at the forefront of forestry investment and ownership in new zealand send link print page summary work highlights people publications tab one body we providelegal advice on acquisitions and disposals of forestry assets and forestry and wood processing investment generally this means we understand the forestry industry in new zealand the opportunities risks and challenges ouroutstanding track record of scoping and executing large scale acquisitions and sales of forestry assets in new zealand meanswe have been involved in almost every major forestry transaction which has occurred in new zealand in the last two decades we use the insights gained from this extensive experience to deliver commercial pragmatic advice to our clients as part of our agribusiness practice we advise on the sale and purchase of forestry assets and sawmilling and wood processing assets the establishment of joint ventures planning and environmental applications forestry management agreements and log and timber sales and crown forestry licences and other cutting rights we also advise on related matters such as internationalinvestment approvals licences and leases emissions trading roading and access agreements corporate securities tax and resource management tab two body sale of carter holt harvey s pulp paper and packaging business advisedrank group on the sale of carter holt harvey s pulp paper and packaging business to oji holdings corporation and innovation network corporationof japan for nz 1 037 billion mangakahia forest sale acted for a fund advised by global forest partnerson the sale of its interest in the mangakahia forest tenon sale of forestry estate advised tenon then fletcher challenge forests on the sale of its extensive north island forestry estate to kiwi forests group and a consortium of north american forestry investors including ontario teachers pension plan and hancock natural resources group and on the sale of its structural sawmills to carter holt harvey nelson forests joint venture advised nelson forests on its acquisition of weyerhauser company s 51 interest in a nelson forest joint venture and the remaining 49 of the joint venture from rii new zealand forests hancock natural resource group sale advised carter holt harvey on one of the largest and most complex forestry transactions ever carried out in new zealand the sale of essentially all of its forestry interests including approximately 260 000 ha of forestry estate to us based forestry manager hancock natural resource group matariki forests sale advised carter holt harvey on the sale of 94 300 ha of forest estate and related assets in new zealand to matariki forests an incorporated joint venture between rayonierand rreef infrastructure the global infrastructure arm of deutsche asset management we subsequently acted for rreef onthe disposal of its joint venture interest rayonier forest acquisitions advised on rayonier s acquisition of a substantial forest estate from the new zealand government for approximately us 200 million during the privatisation of state owned forests and on establishing various joint ventures with us institutional investors and others kaingaroa timberlands partnership ktp investments acting for ktp onits ongoing investment in the kaingaroa forest in which new zealandsuperannuation fund psp investmentsand moriinterests are partners error loading the people list please contact a system administrator add to contacts view full profile sorry we could not load the publications list haydn wong partner auckland andrew petersen partner auckland david chisnall partner wellington simon watt partner wellington view team view partners </s>
<s>[INST] fly fishing company [/INST] home fly tyer reader favorite flies reader favorite flies upload a fly for a chance to win a free fly tyer subscription read more 03 25 20 truform hendrickson mayfly jerry coviello chalfont pa read more 03 24 20 mr adam timbs elizabethton tn read more 03 23 20 thread body nymph sheldon slusser philadelphia pa read more 03 23 20 mr juan ibanez alperte zaragoza read more 03 20 20 copper straw larry holt broomfield co read more 03 20 20 the billy special steve root south st paul mn read more 03 19 20 micro gurgler sheldon slusser philadelphia pa read more 03 19 20 mr eric kelley newport nh read more 03 18 20 thread body frenchie sheldon slusser philadelphia pa view all flies submit your fly reader favorite flies pattern used previous post next post warmwater coldwater saltwater beginners masterclass in this issue facebook instagram warmwater coldwater saltwater beginners masterclass in this issue subscribe subscribe online digital subscription gift subscription manage subscription newsletter facebook instagram featured posts read more bullheads far and wide all trout streams and lakes have bottom dwelling baitfish the authors designed this pattern to match european bullheads but you can read more the sure thing a story of a miracle fly rattlesnakes and making memories by bill bugs logan have you ever had a fly read more the modern surf candy simple changes improve this classic saltwater fly by tim flagler jersey shore fly fishing legend bob popovics needs no introduction about fly tyer the world s largest publication dedicated to the art of tying flies fly tyer offers more accurate easy to follow step by step tying instructions than any other publication in the marketplace it also includes well written articles about history and fly tying tools materials and new patterns fly tyer is now the fourth largest fly fishing magazine in north america it appeals not only to novice fly tyers but to the most experience as well subscribe featured videos watch video puterbaugh caddis the puterbaugh caddis has earned its place in the fly boxes of many anglers and for good reason it floats fly tying watch video nano puff baetis cdc is a versatile material thats a lot of fun to tie with and if youre looking for a great coldwater patterns fly tying watch video magic tying materials hungarian partridge continuing with his magic tying materials theme tim talks about the different applications and styles for tying with hungarian partridge tips and techniques watch video blue winged olive nymph the blue winged olive bwo nymph is a a classic pattern that has proved itself time and time again on fly tying watch video magic materials brahma hen cdl in this new one minute tips techniques video from tim flagler he shows us two new magic materials he cant tips and techniques watch video the crystal godbout our good friends at uni products have teemed up with king of the river to bring you a new set fly tying watch video magic tying materials pine squirrel every fly tyer has a few materials that they prefer to others in this video tim flagler walks us through tips and techniques watch video tim flaglers hares ear 101 we love it when tim releases a corresponding series of videos and this time around weve compiled his recent tips and techniques recent posts read more favorite flies for winter tailwaters temperatures head south but the fishing remains hot the author opens his fly box to reveal his go to patterns for read more the sunny corleone sunfish this bass walloping pattern pays homage to a famous gangster movie but it is really designed to catch fish tie it read more splitting hairs deer hair is one of the most importantand misunderstoodfly tying materials the author tells us what we need to know read more bare bones these stripped down flies catch bonefish anywhere in the world by seth fields as i finish my last batch of bonefish recent news events read more the feather benders flytying techniques if youre a big fan of barry clarke and his regular contributions to fly tyer magazine or if youre just read more fly fishers international 2020 fly tying challenge from ffi fly tying challenge overview the fly tying group is proud to announce the second fly fishers international ffi read more flymen fishing companys new and improved fly tester from flymen fishing co new 2020 edition fly tester improvements the 2020 edition fly tester has the best features of read more trout unlimited sues epa from trout unlimited chris wood trout unlimited ceo 571 274 0601 nelli williams trout unlimited alaska program director 907 230 7121 trout in this issue winter 2019 guide flies for winter tailwaters american wet flies the evolution comes full circle 20 must tie patterns realism rules tie a better bug favorite flies for winter tailwaters 13 guide tested flies 40 whats the deal with dubbing 9 pro tips you can use a caddisfly for all occasions matching the hatch made simple pacific northwest coastal river flies 16 best patterns in this issue </s>
<s>[INST] buy horse cart [/INST] proxymedia decorative wooden horse cart by proxymedia pkr 2 500 brand unbranded description wooden horse cart hand craved design decorative horse cart high quality delivery time 2 4 working days qty add to cart or add to wishlist add to compare availability in stock condition new sold by proxymedia seller note sell yours here email to a friend share facebook share on twitter specifications description reviews product information description details ishopping pk brings you the best price forproxymedia decorative wooden horse cart with express shipping all over pakistan details wooden horse cart hand craved design decorative horse cart high quality dimensions l x b x h 42 cm x 17 cm x 20 cm customer reviews be the first to review this product why buy from us about us search terms blog site map information home my account orders and returns site map contact us location office 506 continental trade centre ctc block 8 clifton karachi 74200 pakistan call us uan 9221 111 222 202 newsletter shipping partners payment partners copyright 2011 2017 ishopping pk all rights reserved please wait please wait x close accept </s>
<s>[INST] fishery exam 2020 [/INST] fishinglicense eu search menu home france germany preparation courses poland uk england and wales northern ireland scotland about about me terms and conditions data privacy policy poland table of contents fishing in poland 1 polish fishing rod licence 2 fishing permitin poland zezwolenie 3 polish angling association pzw polski zwizek wdkarski 4 how to obtain a fishing permit in poland 4 1 obtaining a fishing permit from the polish angling association pzw 4 2 obtaining a fishing permit from a fishery owner 5 fishing regulations in poland fishing in poland poland offers plenty of fishing possibilities as 3 of its surface is covered by water you can find freshwater fishing in more than thousand different rivers lakes and reservoirs and sea fishing in and on the shore of the 500 km long baltic sea freshwater fish include carp tench perch eel catfish zander pike trout and salmon this makes poland one of the best countries for fishing throughout europe in order to legally fish in a particular fishery in poland polish nationals need both a valid fishing rod licence and an additional permit importantly for visitors and tourists foreigners do not need a polish fishing rod licence and only a fishing permit to fish in a particular fishery is needed 1 polish fishing rod licence for polish nationals require a fishing rod licence to fish in poland to obtain the polish fishing rod licence karta wdkarska an exam has to be passed the knowledge for passing the exam includes fishing rules and regulations like size limits and general angling law the exams are organised by local fishing clubs and licences are issued by the polish administrative unit if the exam is passed the holder obtains the polish fishing rod licence which is valid lifelong however foreigners are allowed to fish without a fishing rod licence and thus without passing an exam additionally children under 14 years old are allowed to fish without fishing rod licence in poland as long as they are accompanied and supervised by an adult that holds both a valid fishing rod licence and an additional fishing permit for the particular fishery 2 fishing permitin poland zezwolenie you always need a fishing permit zezwolenie from a fishery owner to actually fish in a particular fishery in poland 3 polish angling association pzw polski zwizek wdkarski by far the most important organisation for anglers in poland is the polish angling association pzw polski zwizek wdkarski it controls 26 of all stillwater 84 of all freshwater reservoirs and 66 of all rivers the polish angling association pzw issues fishing permits for the fisheries it controls unfortunately the website of the pzw is mainly in polish to purchase a pzw fishing permit zezwolenie there are at least three different ways see below 4 how to obtain a fishing permit in poland it is important to know that all streams in poland are owned by the state stillwater are either privately owned or belong to the state fishing permits zezwolenie can be obtained either from the polish angling association pzw for the region you want to fish in or from another organisation private individual for a particular fishery a fishing permit for a particular fishery can often be found directly on the spot for state owned waters all streams you can get a fishing permit in poland either from the polish angling association pzw or a fishermen cooperative a fishing permit for stillwater in poland can be obtained from the polish angling association pzw an angling club a private individual or a water company or a fishermen cooperative 4 1 obtaining a fishing permit from the polish angling association pzw there are three ways to obtain a pzw fishing permit directly at an pzw office in a fishing shop being a member of the regional fishing association in brandenburg or berlin if you are fluent in polish or come with a translator you can purchase a pzw permit directly at an pzw office you can find offices of the polish angling association pzw polski zwizek wdkarski in every district capital if you are not fluent in polish if you are not fluent in polish the easiest way to obtain a pzw permit is to visit a local fishing shop most fishing shops provide pzw forms and will help to choose a suitable pzw permit with you and help with filling out the forms you will get a letter of referral that enables you to pay the fee you can do this either by bank transfer or at a post office after paying the fee the stamped letter of referral will serve as the valid pzw fishing permit the stamped letter of referral must always be carried whilst fishing and might be controlled by bailiffs from the ssr that are named by the local authority members of the landesanglerverband brandenburg german anglers and foreigners with a valid german rod licence can obtain yearly regional fishing permits for certain regions in poland if they become members of the regional fishing association in brandenburg landesanglerverband brandenburg or berlin for approximately 25 euros members can obtain fishing permits for 12 polish regions e g bydgoszcz gdansk jelenia gra katowice pila rzeszow stettin suwalki torun and wroclaw 4 1 1 different types of pzw fishing permits the polish angling association pzw issues permits for regional coarse fishing national coarse fishing regional game fishing according to the duration and the type of fishing fees for the pzw fishing permit vary considerably there are various possibilities like daily or yearly validity periods and coarse or game fishing in 49 different regions a detailed table with all different options for the pzw fishing permit can be found here legend of the table podstawowa basic w z in zloty skadka fee pena na wody nizinne full permit for the lowland river pena z wodami grskimi full permit including the mountain river roczne per year 1 dz per day okrg pzw pzw region norm normal ulg reduced ucz students pzw pzw members n z non pzw members and foreigners for example a non pzw member or foreigner pays 30 zloty for a day permit for the region biaystok if the mountain riveris included he pays 60 zloty for a day permit for the region biaystok a normal season permit costs 144 zloty per year for a full permit including the mountain rivers currently this is approximately 33 euros 4 2 obtaining a fishing permit from a fishery owner some waters are not controlled by the pzw and require a fishing permit from an angling club a private individual or a water company or a fishermen cooperative to obtain such a fishing permit you might find it on the spot or again ask in a local fishing shop to get in touch with the relevant body please see below under 6 where to fish 5 fishing regulations in poland the fishing regulations in poland are quite detailed a version of the pzw regulations from 1 1 2016 in polish can be found here in the following you will find information on fishing regulations in poland keep in mind that in contrast to waters controlled by the polish angling association pzw in other waters different local regulations may apply most importantly you should be informed about size limits daily catch limits and closed seasons closed seasons size limits and daily catch limits depend on the particular region fishery however before you go fishing to a particular fishery make sure your knowledge on the local fishing regulations is complete and up to date again a visit in a local fishing shop might help to get informed and be updated about recent changes you may also find information on the backside of your fishing permit or affiliated with the information provided by the body issuing the fishing permit to be able to roughly understand this information which is usually only given in polish here is a list of available fish in poland general rules fishing rods must not be left unattended practicing catch release is forbidden except of releasing fish due to size limits or closed season it is forbidden to fish whilst standing on a bridge it is forbidden to sale or to give caught fish to others a fish hook remover must always be carried the number of hooks used must not exceed 1 for coarse fishing 2 for fly fishing max diameter 30mm 2 for spin fishing max 4 hook tips and max diameter 30mm 1 for ice fishing max 2 hook tips and max diameter 20mm a minimum distance of 50 meters has to be respected towards weirs dams fish ladders and sluices as well as fishnets and other fishing furnishings night fishing is generally allowed except of waters with trout or grayling and when boat fishing water contaminations have to be reported to the official authority when catching a labelled fish that cannot be released the label and some fish scales should be removed and kept note fish species length and weight of the fish note location and date of catch send all information label and fish scales to the bailiff in charge types of baits generally all types of natural and artificial baits are allowed bait fish must originate from the same fishery size limits and closed seasons must be respected living bait fish are allowed baits generally forbidden are animals and plants that are under protection fish roe boat fishing both sides of a boat used for fishing must be marked with registration plates well visible from the distance be aware that even leased fishing boats might lack registration plates night fishing by boat is only allowed between june 1 st and 30 th of september controls usually the leader of the local authority sets up a voluntary bailiff system which is called the ssr members of the ssr are authorised to check passports and fishing permits check the amount size and weight of fish caught check the fishing equipment arrest anglers without license and or permit report fishing law violations to the police more information about fishing law violations and issues like unauthorised electrofishing can be found here 6 where to fish you can book fishing trips on polandtrips co uk see here another excellent website with loads of information can be found on discoverpoland travel see here a good resource on fly fishing trips all over the world can be found here please also visit the section about polands river san another organiser is river san flyfishing offering lodges in the bieszczady mountains near the border with ukraine and slovakia they also provide fishing guides guided fishing in poland and other selected countries worldwide can be found here on guidedfishing eu if you are into fly fishing dont miss this website from pioneer fishing on dunajec river they also offer a link to purchase flies online you can order handmade polish flies from polishquills here leave a comment cancel reply you must be logged in to post a comment you are here fishinglicense eu poland fish fishing and the meaning of life mepps aglia bachforelle gr 2 3er pack shimano american corporation sh4000 shimano catana cx spc 275 karpfenrute rapala x rap 12 long cast lure mapso 5 spinner spark 2 7gr brandungsangeln ostsee rapala x rap saltwater 10cm shimano vengeance bx sea bass 2 10m mapso spinner orin 4 50 gr shimano sedona fi c3000 salmo perch mepps barsch spinner set fliegenfischen 2019 16 monatskalender das praxisbuch fr fliegenfischer vengeance ax trout zander 3 00m 5 40g der angelfhrer meerforellenangeln ostsee shimano speedmaster cx 270xh 42 84g biomaster 5000 sw 4 8 1 salzwasser savage gear sandeel meerforellenwobbler rapala x rap saltwater 10cm mackarel mepps aglia tiger gr 5 salmo freediver super deep runner 12cm hechtwobbler barschwobbler mapso 5 spinner spark 2 7 gms der angelfhrer rgen kste und bodden rapala x rap magnum 14 cm sbm rapala husky jerk 12 14 cm rapala weedless shad 8 cm krautkder </s>
<s>[INST] fishing company of alaska vessels [/INST] maritime injury claims against ohara corporation ohara corporation owns a fleet of commercial vessels that fish and process fish in the bering sea the maritime injury lawyers at johnson beard trueb represent seriously injured fish processors in claims under the jones act and maintenance and cure claims even the best fishing companies sometimes have serious injury accidents aboard their vessels a moments negligence can result in an injury that ends a crewmans fishing season and sometimes fishing career benefits for injured fish processors and commercial fisherman are governed by federal maritime law a vessel owner like ohara corporation is required under maritime law to provide its crewmen with a safe place to work and a seaworthy vessel vessels owned by ohara corporation include the newly built araho which can carry over 50 crewmen ohara also owns the alaska fishing boats defender enterprise and constellation ohara also recently purchased the alaska spirit from fishing company of alaska fca oharas fleet is based in seattle washington and its fleet of five vessels is one of the largest fleet of vessels working in the bering sea in almost all cases an injured crewman is entitled to the maritime benefits of maintenance and cure fault of a crewman does not reduce your benefits available for maintenance and cure you have the right to choose your own doctor to treat your injuries your maintenance payments continue until you have reached a point of maximum medical improvement under the jones act a crewman is entitled to receive fair compensation caused by his employers negligence under maritime law any negligent act or omission in the slightest that causes your injury may be the basis for a jones act claim pre existing conditions aggravated by a shipboard injury are not barred by the jones act under the jones act the employer assumes the responsibility for the negligence of a crewman that causes injury to another crewman under the jones act when a crewman is injured as a result of negligence the injured crewman may claim damages under the jones act for pain and suffering disability lost past and future wages and future medical bills dont admit fault for an injury that was caused by the negligence or unseaworthiness of the vessel before making any statements you should consult with an experienced maritime lawyer to learn about the responsibilities of your maritime employer to protect you from injury some of the duties an employer has includes the duty to properly train and supervise you and your fellow crewmen institute and enforce safety rules provide proper equipment and tools to do the job avoid dangerous and unsafe practices and procedures few accidents at sea cannot be prevented if proper safety procedures are followed if your employer claims the accident is your fault its time to consult an experienced jones act lawyer call johnson beard trueb pc to discuss your rights to compensation under federal maritime law for a free initial consultation today call 907 277 0161 or toll free at 1 888 277 0661 contact us practice areas jones act unseaworthiness wrongful death maintenance cure and unearned wages maritime claims lost wages claims against fishing companies maritime injury claims against american seafoods maritime and jones act injury claims against ocean peace maritime injury claims for alaska crewman against alaska coastal villages maritime injury claims against ohara corporation maritime injury claims against blue north fisheries jones act maritime injury claims against iquique u s maritime injury claims against icicle seafoods anchorage office 330 l st anchorage ak 99501 phone 907 277 0161 toll free 888 277 0661 kirkland office 5400 carillon point 474 kirkland wa 98033 phone 425 822 2242 toll free 800 621 1091 we serve clients internationally and nationally throughout alaska washington and oregon including but not limited to those in the following localities anchorage barrow bethel bristol bay dutch harbor homer juneau ketchikan kodiak naknek st paul unalaska anacortes bellingham bremerton everett grays harbor ilwaco kent la push longview neah bay olympia port angeles seattle spokane tacoma walla walla wenatchee westport astoria coos bay depoe bay newport portland waldport warrenton hammond and winchester bay home disclaimer privacy policy site map contact us for a free consultation maritime injury claims against ohara corporation alaska boat accident lawyers this site is protected by recaptcha and the google privacy policy and terms of service apply copyright 2020 johnson beard trueb pc justia law firm website design </s>
<s>[INST] buy wood countertops [/INST] all about wood countertops from types of wood to maintenance our experts help you weigh your options before putting in a wood kitchen countertop by sarah stebbins share this story share this on facebook share this on twitter share all sharing options share all sharing options for all about wood countertops pinterest email pocket flipboard a beautiful wood kitchen countertop storage island puts thick edge grain butcher block center stage photo by jamie salomon after being eclipsed by showy stones like granite and marble and maintenance free engineered materials like quartz and solid surfacing natural wood countertops are enjoying a real revival constructed from pieces of hardwood laminated together with glue for strength and stability they provide a warm organic landing surface in a kitchen one that is wonderfully forgiving gentle on dishware and able to absorb the noise of a busy household wood can also be revived if damaged if it gets dinged stained or gouged you can refinish it why go with wood countertops the majority of wood countertops are made from traditional butcher block and while they may see some mild meal prep theyre rarely used for chopping these days theyre favored more for their looks less expensive woods often line the kitchen as a handsome budget friendly surface pricier species top islands or breakfast bars where they provide a welcome textural contrast or a furniture like finish the variety of woods available is impressive from subtly grained maple to deep rich walnut to dramatic mesquite to exotic iroko yes wood is a good choice but it does require some attention this old houses guide to buying installing and maintaining these countertops will ensure that the surface you select will look and perform beautifully for years butcher block backstory photo by museum of the city of new york byron collection getty images up until the 1880s butchers worked on thick rounds of sycamore which were prone to splitting in the early 1900s it was discovered that pieces of hard maple glued together in big blocks provided a stronger more durable surface that better stood up to meatcutters cleavers wood countertops key questions answered photo by kolin smith what do they cost from 12 to more than 200 per square foot uninstalled depending on species thickness construction and finish add 5 to 10 percent more for most factory finishes do they hold up properly installed and cared for wood countertops can last as long as you live in your home factory finishes generally come with a warranty it can range from one year to a lifetimeand may only cover glued joint separation diy or hire a pro a homeowner comfortable with cutting and matching can install them in a weekend making sink and faucet cutouts may void any warranty for a pro install add 8 per square foot minimum where to buy order from kitchen showrooms and custom retailers or shop at home centers and big box stores wood kitchen countertop pros photo by alex hayden they lend character and lasting good looks but they also need some tlc weigh the facts before investing they can be budget friendly a butcher block counter made from birch or beech can cost little more than laminate and less than half the starter price for natural stone or engineered materials they can be easy to install diyers can cut prefab butcher block tops to fit around corners sinks and appliances much more easily than most stone finishing wood is even more straightforward they re strongand soft unlike with stone there s no clatter when you set down a plate or a glass and dropped dishes are less likely to break wood also quiets the whir of appliances while stone will amplify such noise they can be refinished knife scratches deep gouges even burn marks can be sanded out and a diy finish restored to look brand new they re green most companies offer sustainably grown forest stewardship council certified woods including exotics and while wood counters last for years once worn out they can be recycled similar to shown 1 inch edge grain teak about 175 per sq ft uninstalled devoswoodworking com wood kitchen countertop cons photo by russell sadur getty images they move all wood expands and contracts with changes in atmospheric moisture so there is the potential for these countertops to cup warp and gap if not properly constructed installed and maintained the thicker the counter the more stable it will be they require maintenance unfinished wood counters need monthly oiling diy clear coated surfaces may require refinishing every five years or so factory finished counters may never need recoating but if they do you ll pay to ship them even under warranty they demand a watchful eye liquids can penetrate wood causing stains cracks and joint separationvinegar can actually dissolve glueso spills especially water around the sink should be wiped up right away they re not fireproof wood and stove burners don t mix check with your stove maker for required clearances to prevent scorching use trivets under hot pots how they re made edge grain illustration by arthur mount the most common type of butcher block is made from boards placed on their sides and glued so that the narrower edge forms the surface the strips may be continuous lengths with no joints or random length pieces that are finger jointed best for large areas like a long kitchen counter or island top because wood only moves in one direction across its width edge grain butcher block is more stable than other wood countertops it can also be less pricey end grain illustration by arthur mount blocks of edge grain wood are turned on end to form a grid that s glued together end grain butcher block requires more wood and labor so you ll pay about 40 percent more than for edge grain because it s also more prone to movement end grain is often thicker to counteract cupping and warping best for cutting on since end grain is easiest on knives and least likely to show blade marks now favored more for its checkerboard look than its functionality face grain illustration by arthur mount also known as flat grain or plank grain 4 to 12 inch wide boards are laid flat and edge glued forming an almost seamless surface that highlights the natural patterns in the wood this may expose soft areas in the grain making these tops more likely to show scratches dents and dings best for dining islands table and bar tops deskswherever you want a fine furniture appearance not a workhorse wood types choices and textures note all prices are for 1 inch thick butcher block uninstalled except as noted birch photo by lisa shin these edge grain samples showcase just 10 of the more than 40 hardwoods available today price 12 per sq ft maker ikea sold only as a 1 inch thick prefab top highlights neutral light colored wood with a fine grain american walnut photo by lisa shin price 60 per sq ft maker john boos co highlights prized for its rich chocolate colors and striking black grain perfect as an accent piece on an island mesquite photo by lisa shin price 151 per sq ft maker devos custom woodworking highlights hardest domestic wood mineral streaks add character to reddish brown strips brazilian cherry photo by lisa shin price 115 per sq ft maker the grothouse lumber company highlights hardest of the woods shown this fine grain exotic is tough to scratch or dent iroko photo by lisa shin price 115 per sq ft maker the grothouse lumber company highlights an african import bright gold boards mellow in time to a teak like brown bamboo photo by lisa shin price 98 per sq ft maker heirloom wood countertops sold at the home depot highlights imported grass heat treating can give it a caramel hue bolivian rosewood photo by lisa shin price 200 per sq ft maker the grothouse lumber company highlights dense heavy variegated wood with black stripes on a rich brown background hard maple photo by lisa shin price 40 per sq ft maker john boos co highlights classic butcher block material that is exceptionally strong with a straight uniform grain white oak photo by lisa shin price 12 per sq ft maker williamsburg butcher block co sold at lumber liquidators only as a prefab top highlights showy grain on warm brown strips saxon wood photo by lisa shin price 150 per sq ft maker the grothouse lumber company highlights new south american find yellow brown wood with gray and black streaks give it an edge wood is easily tooled so it lends itself to intricate designs here are standard edge profiles as well as a few fancier variations roundover photo by lisa shin this simple classic profile also called an eased edge is slightly rounded it goes with any style interior and makes sweeping up crumbs a breeze sample edge profiles devos custom woodworking chamfer photo by lisa shin also known as a beveled edge this profile boasts a bold angle that works for contemporary as well as traditional kitchens large roundover with fillet photo by lisa shin a steeply rounded edge with a decorative ridge typically 1 16 to inch high an elegant traditional look that requires a little more attention when cleaning ogee photo by lisa shin an edge that curves in and then out somewhat like an s this version is topped with a fillet for added dimension large roman ogee photo by lisa shin the s curve is reversed and the steep arc lends a more formal look the slab look photo by lisa shin a single slice of wood often with a live edge that follows the contours of the tree is a sought after look for a counter that doesn t see heavy use but slabs variable density and limited supply make them impractical in a kitchen search online for custom and specialty suppliers or find a local woodworker to source and install one tips to help you shop smarter photo by lisa shin look for solid wood avoid particleboard or mdf with wood veneer which can swell when exposed to moisture and limits sanding to fix stains or nicks measure correctly to get an accurate price measure the tops of your base cabinets then factor in the overhang you want 1 to 1 inches is typical on an island a 12 to 16 inch overhang allows for pulling up stools inspect for gaps joints between strips or boards should be minuscule and consistent if there are noticeable gaps it s more likely they ll open up farther becoming noticeably unglued finish options photo by lisa shin a wood kitchen counter is incomplete without a food safe protective coating on all sides and edges oil for a matte look and a food safe surface you can cut on use fda approved mineral oil it seeps in to make wood moisture heat and stain resistant or try a nonpetroleum based walnut oil or a curing oil such as pure tung oil that hardens to form an imperceptible film that will wear but won t peel oil wax blend made from mineral oil and beeswax or paraffin wax this finish formula adds another layer of protection against moisture and helps seal the oil into the wood apply liberally with a clean cloth in the direction of the wood grain let sit for 20 minutes remove excess and buff to a satiny finish clear coat urethane acrylic or resin curing oil finishes provide superior protection against water stains and wear and are food safe once fully cured but reviving a worn or damaged top means stripping it and refinishing proprietary finishes offered by some companies cannot be matched but may never need recoating to stain or not to stain photo by lisa shin pro2protip to get a uniform look with stain apply a prestain wood conditioner with a brush or cloth first it temporarily fills in the grain so the color will be absorbed more evenly dan vos owner devos custom woodworking dripping springs tx adding a stain can enhance the color and grain of a wood countertop but you ll pay 5 to 10 percent more than you would for the same species in its natural state you can get a pricey look for less however by choosing an inexpensive light colored species such as beech and staining it a rich color like walnut to diy sand off any finish and use a lint free cotton cloth or natural bristle brush to apply the stain then wipe off the excess when dry add a food safe clear coat but never use stained butcher block as a cutting surface consider the sink photo by lisa shin for a water resistant barrier all cutouts edges and surfaces must be treated with your choice of finish to seal out moisture undermount sinks are ideal with wood countertops says paul grothouse owner the grothouse lumber company cutouts that extend slightly beyond the sink lip and over the bowl prevent standing water from saturating the edge making the counter easier to maintain drop in sinks work best with clear coated or factory finished countertops along with a flexible sealant beneath the rim to protect the wood avoid marine varnish while water resistant this high voc finish is not food safe diy wood countertops like a pro photo by lisa shin use cardboard templates to trim prefab tops to size with a circular saw and a router or send templates to a manufacturer many will cut and ship slabs for free cutouts and curves cost extra on open top base cabinets fill with plywood fastening strips every foot for solid top cabinets create air space with thin furring strips to allow moisture to escape center holes in the strips and drive a screw fitted with a fender washer up through each hole into the countertop find the full step by step at how to install a butcher block countertop how to maintain wood countertops clean and sanitize illustration by arthur mount wipe down the surface daily with a damp cloth and a small amount of dish soap follow with a clean damp cloth to de germ spritz with a solution of 1 part white vinegar to 4 parts water let sit for 10 minutes then wipe away avoid harsh cleansers with ammonia or bleach which can eat away the finish and raise the grain remove stains and odors illustration by arthur mount sprinkle the affected area with a generous amount of table salt and rub it in with a lemon quarter squeezing juice on the counter top as you go let the mixture sit for a few minutes then wipe with a clean damp cloth hide scratches and burns illustration by arthur mount rub on a colored paraffin wax stick such as fastcap softwax in a shade that matches the wood remove excess with a plastic scraper and buff with a cloth to remove deeper cuts and burns begin with a coarse sandpaper step up to finer grits and finish with a very fine grit reapply oil or an oil wax blend to finish fill spaces illustration by arthur mount melt a 1 to 4 mixture of beeswax or household paraffin wax and mineral oil in a double boiler rub the warm mixture into any splits or cracks with a clean cloth to seal them wood counter styles polished traditional photo by dominique vorillon with its rich color and fancy edge profile this glossy island top looks at home with a marble backsplash and copper range similar to shown 2 inch iroko about 153 per sq ft jaaronwoodcountertops com organic classic photo by thomas j story crafted from varied species this unique counter celebrates wood s natural beauty similar to shown 2 inch end grain cherry maple and mahogany butcher block about 250 per sq ft brookscustom com modern cottage photo by thomas j story bamboo gives light colored cabinets and bright accents updated flair shown 1 inch caramelized parquet prefab island top about 26 per sq ft and inch vertical grain prefab panel tabletop about 17 per sq ft teragren com updated craftsman photo by alex hayden simple sturdy cabinetry in rich earthy colors calls for a warm neutral colored wood island top similar to shown 1 inch edge grain beech about 78 per sq ft heirloom wood countertops homedepot com refreshed farmhouse photo by wendell t webber tight grain and a robust reddish hue make a cherry counter and backsplash a focal point in a space washed with white similar to shown 1 inch edge grain american cherry prefab work top about 300 lumberliquidators com rustic and eclectic photo by jason varney salvaged fir floor joists repurposed as a plank grain top add character to a space that blends industrial and old world elements similar to shown 2 inch reclaimed fir about 60 per sq ft windfalllumber com next up in kitchens 7 kitchen flooring ideas for the busiest room in your house what to do if your range vent hood leaks cold air installing flooring or cabinets which comes first running electricity to your kitchen island how to repair a garbage disposal the best backsplash materials for your kitchen most popular home depot weekly giveaway every thursday starting april 2 well award a 250 gift card to home depot to one lucky this old house fan how to build a raised garden bed this old house live ask this old house landscape contractor jenn nawada demonstrates how to build a raised garden bed in her backyard as part of this old house livean initiative providing daily programming and opportunities to connect with our experts during these challenging times s41 e17 cape ann shingle style homeowners john and molly plan to put the history back into their 1890s shingle style home theyll remove 70s carpet repair cracking balusters and transform the front entry restoring the homes original beauty and updating it for modern living play video for s41 e17 cape ann shingle style sign up for the newsletter get the latest this old house news updates and special offers every week direct to your inbox </s>
<s>[INST] national fishing company kuwait [/INST] kuwait jobs national fishing company job 961 views 1 applications contract kuwait october 12 2018 gulf job demand print job opportunity in kuwait free visa free ticket job description company national fishing company 1 position title production worker no of vacancy 10 advertisements salary rs 38 765 2 position title cook no of vacancy 37 salary rs 58 150 3 position title cashier no of vacancy 5 salary rs 58 150 4 position title storekeeper cleaner no of vacancy 5 salary rs 46 520 how to apply pre interview on going final interview 2075 ashwain 28 14th oct 2018 please contact manpower company below for further information manpower h r international employment services pvt ltd address gpo box 8974 cpc 203 naxal gairidhara kathmandu phone no 4417094 4420694 4420982 mobile no 9851064896 9851019574 9851167528 9851142087 email emailprotected this job was published in madhyanha daily on 8th oct 2018 share this twitter facebook advertisements apply for this job apply for job apply via linkedin apply for job via linkedin ejobs ejobsnepal high paying jobs kuwait jobs in kuwait kuwait kuwait jos latest jobs kuwait related jobs job vacancy in asian group co general trading and contracting wll job vacancy for outdoor labor job demand from kuwait nepalijob contract kuwait march 20 2020 march 26 2020 view more job vacancy in asian group co general trading and contracting wll kuwait job vacancy for labor job demand from kuwait nepalijob contract kuwait march 19 2020 march 25 2020 view more job vacancy in prestige design furniture and furnishing company w l l job vacancy for labor job demand from kuwait nepalijob contract kuwait march 18 2020 march 24 2020 view more share this job nepalijob nepali job is the advertising agency where you can find latest jobs from nepal and for nepal from around the world nepali job is free and shall always remain free connect with us more jobs from nepalijob job vacancy for admin officer and public relation officer job vacancy in blue lotus technological foundation job vacancy for trainer job vacancy in ucmas nepal multinational company job vacancy for assistant hr manager job vacancy in daraz com np job vacancy in bluemoon meditech pharma job vacancy for admin officer job vacancy in tsoknyi nuns welfare foundation job vacancy for primary level teacher </s>
<s>[INST] where to buy herring london [/INST] a new fund to support up and coming comedians affected by the coronavirus crisis raises 50k the fund has been supported by a host of famous comedians elizabeth aubrey 21st march 2020 share facebook twitter pinterest whatsapp the fund aims to help comedians affected by the coronavirus crisis credit alamy a new fund set up to support the loss of earnings for up and coming comedians as a result of the ongoing coronavirus crisis has reached its 50 000 target on day one as reported on chortle the fund was helped by support from some big name comics including richard herring who donated 10 000 to the fund and sara pascoe who gave 5 000 friday night dinner star tom rosenthal added 2 000 joking that herring and pascoe have made me look like a prick here other donations came from the likes of dawn french adam kay robert webb susan calman jo caulfield al murray and lee mack you can donate to the fund here advertisement speaking about the importance of the fund for comedians who have lost earnings through the ongoing coronavirus crisis richard herring said we need to raise a lot more to keep live comedy in business through this difficult time any working tv comics please consider giving a large amount to help our industry everyone else every penny counts robert webb is one of the comedians who has donated to the fund credit getty sarah henley the founder of nextup who has organised the fund said comedians across the uk have lost their primary source of income due to the impact of the coronavirus its devastating to see venues closing down and live events being cancelled if you value live comedy as much as we do at nextup and respect the performers who dedicate their lives to bringing us laughter lets band together and hecklethevirus comics who are struggling to pay bills as their live work is cancelled or postponed can apply to the fund for help and financial assistance advertisement after breaking their initial 50 000 target the fund has been raised to 100 000 now the current money raised stands at just over 68 000 nextup added we are completely humbled to see so many of you supporting those comedians that have lost work over this difficult time together we will make sure the comedy industry prevails it comes as the entertainment industry rallies to help those in the creative community who are affected by the continued losses brought by the coronavirus crisis yesterday march 20 netflixlaunched a 100m relief fund for creatives whose work has been affected with hundreds of productions having postponed filming due to ongoing attempts at eliminating the spread of the virus many in the film and television community have found themselves out of work in response netflix has launched a fund where the majority of the money will go to those affected by the collapse of netflixs own productions as the crisis escalates advertisement related topics coronavirus advertisement advertisement the worlds defining voice in music and pop culture since 1952 join our mailing list sign up now 2020 nme is a member of the media division of bandlab technologies guitar com musictech net uncut lab fm privacy policy cookies policy terms of use advertise contact </s>
<s>[INST] buy wood windows online [/INST] milgard windows and doors as a certified milgard dealer our windows come direct from the factory to you they are manufactured exactly the same as the milgard windows that you would buy from any local dealer and carry the exact same milgard lifetime guarantee milgard jobsite delivery fee is a onetime fee per order painted frame colors are painted on the exterior only the interiors are white vinyl only to begin your milgardwindows wholesale pricing and ordering choose series to see series product page or use drop down quick search menu sales tax will apply in the state of washington and will be figured separately from the web sale covid 19 update as a window door locks and hardware distributor we are part of essential services and will remain open during the covid 19 crisis we will have some staff working from home and some at our office in an effort to keep social distancing milgard tuscany vinyl select from milgard tuscany vinyl series horizontal sliding windows awning windows casement windows picture windows radius windows vertical sliding windows bay windows bow windows double hung windows garden aire windows sliding doors milgard style line select from milgard style line series horizontal sliding windows picture windows radius windows sliding doors vertical sliding windows milgard aluminum select from milgard aluminum series horizontal sliding windows awning windows bay windows bow windows casement windows picture windows radius windows sliding doors vertical sliding windows milgard ultra select from milgard ultra series horizontal sliding windows awning windows bay windows bow windows casement windows picture windows vertical sliding windows click here for grid patterns have questions need help getting started click here for help we have the best pricing on milgard windows and doors price us and see for yourself if you are ordering milgard windows outside california please call us first at 562 494 9069 a one time shipping fee of between 100 and 150 per order in southern california 175 per order in all other areas will be added to all milgard orders you may will call your order at our store for free milgard changes classic vinyl changed to their new tuscany and montecito series vinyl windows almond changed to desert tan for a frame color option all windows and doors now come standard with low e glass if you do not want low e please check the no low e box in the shopping cart we proudly feature the following milgard window and door products milgard tuscany vinyl windows and patio doors milgard classic vinyl windows and patio doors milgard montecito vinyl windows and patio doors milgard styleline vinyl windows and patio doors milgard woodclad fiberglass windows and patio doors milgard ultra fiberglass windows and patio doors milgard aluminum windows and patio doors milgard is the the west s largest window manufacturer with complete lines of aluminum fiberglass vinyl and wood clad windows their full scale facilities throughout the western and mountain states ensure quick lead times and an understanding of your needs to visit milgard on the web click here if you have already purchased milgard windows and need post sales help please contact us here milgard windows are available in arizona california nevada oregon and washington recent milgard lead time as of 8 16 2017 milgard window lead time as of 7 28 2017 milgard window lead time as of 7 26 17 e business center contractor architect manufacturer information milgard service request term of service return policy our guarantee links 1stpricing com reference about us site map copyright 1stwindows com 2000 2020 all rights reserved </s>
<s>[INST] hunting equipment distributors [/INST] find a store banded hunting gear join log in help emailprotected apparel show all logo caps logo tees waders fishing gloves accessories headwear hoodies pullovers jackets vest lifestyle wear logowear pants tops tees go system layering core mid layer shield layer technology merino wool h e a t insulated uninsulated waterproof brands asd avery banded ghg activity type duck fishing goose turkey upland new products new apparel new gear sale sale apparel sale gear women s waders gloves headwear hoodies pullovers jacket vest logo wear pants tops tees youth waders gloves pullovers jacket tops shop apparel gear bumpers ez birds parkas kennels accessories slings game carriers lanyards bags blinds stands dog accessories gear accessories gun cases decoys duck essential series duck flocked foam filled decoys hunter series duck pro grade series duck xd series duck goose essential series goose flocked foam filled goose hunter series goose pro grade series goose xd series goose accessories decoy accessories ffd elite series crow decoys hunter series dove decoys misc decoys shop gear blog join log in shop apparel data toggle modal data target mobile menu child shop gear data toggle modal data target mobile menu child blog help emailprotected free shipping on all orders over 99 99 enter city address or postcode radius 1mi 5mi 10mi 25mi 50mi 75mi 100mi 150mi 200mi 300mi no results found in this location please try again signup for the latest offers exclusive deals and more </s>
<s>[INST] buy wood in singapore [/INST] where to buy wood panel in singapore k6 prefinished recon veneered panels wood veneer wood kd wood veneer and panels from keding enterprises pte ltd are good singapore 8 burn road 12 04 trivex singapore 369977 tel 65 6250 5450 get quotes ns trading singapore pte ltd ns trading pte ltd we are proud to be one of singapore s key players in the timber and engineered wood panels industry since 1988 we have been get quotes wood wood singapore official website of wood wood with over 25 years of prominence in the timber industry wood wood singapore the company sets forth to bridge the flooring requirements of projects from get quotes wood industry companies in singapore fordaq contact companies in the wood industry from singapore thousands of exporters from singapore buyers and importers of wood products to be contacted on get quotes maxcon enterprise wood products banner wood products of each species our solid planks are made to order therefore not restricting our customers to any fixed dimension or thickness get quotes where can i buy plywood in singapore singapore reddit if you re looking for plywood or any other timber at cheap rates you can mostly balsa wood strips sold there which are super soft and can be get quotes singapore wood senwan is the leading supplier in singapore for plywood and wood panel products since 1988 we are the leading importer of plywood construction panel get quotes alliance panels home alliance panels pte ltd ap wood grain coating we have our very own powder coating and pvdf line facility in singapore which caters to your different get quotes laminate wood panel oberflex by oberflex archiproducts download the catalogue and request prices of oberflex by oberflex laminate wood panel get quotes melamine panels ns trading singapore pte ltd melamine faced panels mfc or mf mdf or mfply are created by high pressure heat bonding impregnated paper to wood panels to provide a highly wear and get quotes chiplee chiplee as such we will continue to deliver our promise of purchasing made easy products name in the marketplace for supplying quality timber and panel products get quotes moscan building materials supplier pte ltd blk 5055 ang mo kio singapore 569558 singapore call click to see their phone kea wood holdings pte ltd singapore composite wood panels fangiono resources pte lt get quotes wood wall panel merawood industries pte ltd 1 plywood 1 singapore choice of plywood timber products decorative wood wall panel smiley face environment friendly as lesser wood are being cut down the edges cheap replica rolex chip off wood can be glued back using adhesive easily get quotes sin joo lee timber we understand your concerns when importing wood as one of singapore s largest leading timber importers our extensive and when our clients come to us they never have to fret about long purchasing processes or delayed shipments strong yet lightweight plywood panels with a multi use quick release surface get quotes ply wood cutting for floor board at reasonable price cosmetics ply wood cutting for floor board at reasonable price posted in cosmetics hi good deal for ply wood cutting for my panel van floor board especially to have 2 x diy method buy hand saw at hardware shop and saw slowly we are partners with singapore cars site specialising in used cars new cars get quotes where to buy woods timber planks plywoods laminated sheets anybody knows a shop that sells solid wood direct planks to public you can try ong hai formica singapore pte ltd no 502 502a sims get quotes wood crafts sale shop online for wood crafts at ezbuy sg get 4x savings on wood crafts find over 587 products under wood crafts on sale access thousands of wood crafts on ezbuy s global shopping platform get quotes looking for decorative wood panels www hardwarezone com sg hello i look for nice wood carved panels for a long time but cannot find affordable ones looking for balinese style wall hang to decorate my get quotes home billiona enterprise high pressure laminates hpl and decorative veneer plywood in singapore in singapore to get both high pressure laminates hpl and wood veneer get quotes home door enterprise our review of this door installation feb 3 2018 kelvin from home door enterprise singapore replied us very promptly veneer is a very thin slice of decorative wood that is glued onto wood panels the door prices for both old and new hdb houses on carousell get quotes wood ceilings planks panels armstrong ceiling solutions commercial wood ceilings from armstrong ceiling solutions include wood ceiling panels planks canopies acoustical custom solutions explore all wood get quotes coverpanels decostrips welcome to singapore search find a cabinet cover panel and deco strip here matching the save to list tingsryd cover panel wood effect black get quotes shanghai liun hoo co pte ltd 464 geylang road exotic real wood veneers recomposed veneers natural fancy wood reconstituted natural wood get quotes maxcon enterprise panel boards and timber supplier in singapore and in regional markets wood strands while adding adhesives in order to obtain a natural and rustic look get quotes buy wood veneer online in singapore monotaro singapore home buy tools online in singapore wood veneer pulling common wood plywood hardwood laminated wood concrete panel veneer vertical pulling get quotes product details before article hot sale garden outdoor wpc decking next article synthetic wood indonesia facade design green eco friendly wood floor material where to buy wood panel in singapore product list wooden flooring suppliers dubai timber wall panels adelaide wood framed guys coated fence panel decorate a wood fence panel how to fix composite decking that sags mental wood plastic composite wall panel uk should you always stagger flooring wpc interior decorative wall panels 204x16mm exterior grade wood plastic wall panels combination make wood plastic decking exterior wood deck flooring covering options swimming pool privacy fence designs wood plastic decking 4x8 distributor lignin wood plastic composite decking wood decking at menards wood composite porch post for house wood composite decking discount prices plastic company in france installed price per square foot of decking boat deck non slip covering for stairs how to recycle wood flooring cheapest boards to make deck in ground swimming pools for sale uk timber wall frame design composite deck boards material 140x25 mm hollow wpc decking board panel pvc wood panel for walls exterior plastic wall panels laminate plank wood flooring composite lumber suppliers in richmond how to build a waterproof deck box hollow wood fence post under deck lattice alternatives deck best type of wood for outdoor stairs cedar railings for decks in ireland 2x6 decking price cheap wood picket fencing long lasting balcony flooring lenghts of composite decking aluminum porch railings cheap composite panel fencing plastic composite decking manufacturers composite garden troughs metal outdoor stainless steel balcony railings home swimming pools near me </s>
<s>[INST] buy wood wholesale [/INST] wholesale timber viga home 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 home trusses vigas latillas roughsawn corbels carving doors otherproducts contactus 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 our heavy timber and viga trusses create in your home a timeless grandeur we offer designs simple to complex that are unsurpassed in appearance we can also provide all necessary engineering come and meet with us today to begin planning your new home or renovation rough sawn lumber wholesale timber viga produces its own rough sawn lumber save money by buying directly from the mill we can produce lumber of any size up to 24 inch by 24 inch and lengths up to 32 feet long we produce custom cut rough sawn orders with little lead time we cut ponderosa pine spruce and douglas fir 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 vigas wholesale timber viga produces vigas of all diameters and lengths our ponderosa pine vigas are hand selected for straightness then run through a machine peeler to remove the taper then hand drawknifed we also produce dead standing spruce vigas our spruce can be hand peeled or left with the natural grey patina corbel krbl an architectural bracket usually used to support a structural timber most corbels are supported by a post or a wall starting with sawn timber we produce a wide variety of corbels cut specifically for your project doors 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 here at wholesale timber and viga we have the finest artisans and designers on staff we have a wide variety of carving styles to choose from we can also work with you to design something specific to your project having our own carvers and designers on staff along with the facilities to produce our own lumber we can provide you with the best value and speedy delivery 300 calle industrial bernalillo nm 87004 505 867 1200 contact us 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 latilla latilla luh tee uh a small diameter log used as decking above vigas or beams latillas are sold in a variety of finishes left unpeeled they are used for coyote fencing our skilled craftsmen can peel the bark off using traditional drawknives peel latillas are used in ceilings and shade structures latillas can also be used to make furniture and be used in doors gates and cabinets wholesale timber viga has the finest craftsmen in the southwest we can design and build a stunning entry to your new home we have on staff the finest carvers carpenters and blacksmiths let us bring the beauty of the southwest to your home 1 home trusses vigas latillas roughsawn corbels carving doors otherproducts contactus 1 home trusses vigas latillas roughsawn corbels carving doors otherproducts contactus wholesale timber and vigas offers a variety of products and services we produce hand rail signs design services mantels steel fabrication hand forged steel 1 1 1 home trusses vigas latillas roughsawn corbels carving doors otherproducts contactus 1 home trusses vigas latillas roughsawn corbels carving doors otherproducts contactus 1 home trusses vigas latillas roughsawn corbels carving doors otherproducts contactus 1 home trusses vigas latillas roughsawn corbels carving doors otherproducts contactus 1 home trusses vigas latillas roughsawn corbels carving doors otherproducts contactus 1 1 monday 8am 5pm tuesday 8am 5pm wednesday 8am 5pm thursday 8am 5pm friday 8am 5pm saturday closed sunday closed hours of operation website designed at homestead make a website and list your business </s>
<s>[INST] kmart hunting equipment [/INST] kmart still sell guns ar15 com warning close confirm action are you sure you wish to do this confirm cancel member login click to login view full site home forum tools code of conduct forums ar 15 ak 47 handgun precision rifles armory training competitive shooting general outdoors archery hometown industry archives firearm resources guides manuals videos ammo oracle range finder constitution equipment exchange guns gear deals build your dream rifle shop ar15 com login register 6809 online discussion forums ar 15 ak 47 handgun precision rifles armory training competitive shooting general outdoors archery hometown industry archives firearm resources guides manuals videos ammo oracle range finder constitution equipment exchange ee listings ee rules getting started build your dream rifle guns gear deals ar 15 ak 47 handgun precision rifles armory training competitive shooting general outdoors archery hometown industry equipment exchange archives login register general general discussion site notices arfcom news ny gun cleaning ban bloomberg secret donations angstadt mdp 9 roller delayed pcc 1 17 2020 5 20 42 pm archived thread kmart still sell guns archived mateba one hung low joined mar 2007 posts 1500 ee offline usa posted 11 12 2007 5 15 46 pm est clement joined sep 2005 posts 3226 ee offline ny usa posted 11 12 2007 5 17 26 pm est no kmart around here sells guns medicmandan member joined jun 2002 posts 12176 ee offline ut usa posted 11 12 2007 5 18 09 pm est i don t recall seeing one with guns for about a decade if you can t beat them join them then beat them if that doesn t work arrange to have them beaten to be one ask one www wasatchlodge org black talon joined jan 2004 posts 1429 ee offline ga usa posted 11 12 2007 5 18 27 pm est last edit 11 12 2007 5 21 00 pm est by black talon the k mart in my area is a real shithole which i wouldn t want to go into not armed actually last time i was there 4 or 5 months ago i did see hunting ammo http www georgiapacking org black talon joined jan 2004 posts 1430 ee offline ga usa posted 11 12 2007 5 18 36 pm est last edit 11 12 2007 5 19 24 pm est by black talon double tap http www georgiapacking org bikecop29 super trooper joined jul 2004 posts 4351 ee offline ga usa posted 11 12 2007 5 18 48 pm est i thought kmart crawled under a rock and died flies cause garbage like guns cause crime mc man help send money joined sep 2001 posts 2358 ee offline fl usa posted 11 12 2007 5 19 05 pm est nope they stopped many years ago history teaches us that man learns nothing from history hegel nlinc member joined feb 2005 posts 6114 ee offline az usa posted 11 12 2007 5 19 23 pm est iirc they stopped all gun and ammo sales after columbine http www sw schutz com in principal it s wrong but in practice it s funny deej86 don t tase me bro joined sep 2004 posts 26383 ee offline il usa posted 11 12 2007 5 19 37 pm est last edit 11 12 2007 5 20 25 pm est by deej86 i think the kmart in merrillville in sells guns at least they have a whole aisle dedicated to hunting i could be wrong it was december 2005 when i went the kmarts in il only sell airsoft and paintball stuff if anything then again kmart has gone truly downhill in the past ten years thank you to quintin and babirl for your generousity it is much appreciated someone call the batfe deej has a select fire keyboard and its set to burst originally posted by saturnstyl it s rhode island not road island mrsgungho joined aug 2004 posts 3794 ee offline in usa posted 11 12 2007 5 21 43 pm est i know of at least one that sells guns and ammo here in indy i was pretty shocked when i seen it just a couple of weeks ago of course the selection is bare minimum but they do sell them kalahnikid you know what it is joined oct 2004 posts 8644 ee offline il usa posted 11 12 2007 5 22 13 pm est local k mart sells ammo but i dont think they have sold guns in years cows had just as long as humans did to develop shoulder launched anti tank weapons katana16j punkkin member joined mar 2005 posts 469 ee offline nm usa posted 11 12 2007 5 22 51 pm est last edit 11 12 2007 5 23 20 pm est by punkkin the one here does they also had a bunch of win 55 gr 223 the last time i was there 1911gunner joined may 2004 posts 549 ee offline me usa posted 11 12 2007 5 24 58 pm est the one here still sells guns ymmv rangerjoe11 joined mar 2007 posts 421 ee offline usa posted 11 12 2007 5 25 48 pm est bb guns fro1911nut the tactical tech joined aug 2005 posts 526 ee offline ga usa posted 11 12 2007 5 27 02 pm est one in hiram ga does last time i was n it u dont understand these guys killed my dog scottfire1957 joined dec 2006 posts 1280 ee offline tx usa posted 11 12 2007 6 01 35 pm est the last one i was in still had guns in the rack this summer in raton nm if that helps supersport member joined sep 2002 posts 3352 ee offline oh usa posted 11 12 2007 6 07 46 pm est the last 2 shotguns i bought came from kmart that was maybe 7 years ago after that all the kmarts in the columbus ohio area closed their doors remind me not to buy anymore guns to fill my propane tank tango7 dirty minded pervert joined jul 2002 posts 10474 ee offline il usa posted 11 12 2007 6 08 26 pm est i thought rosie scared corporate out of the gun biz ammo at a gunfight is like bubblegum in grade school if you haven t brought enough for everyone you re in trouble kharn support lt col jeffrey chessani usmc scottfire1957 joined dec 2006 posts 1283 ee offline tx usa posted 11 12 2007 6 09 43 pm est originally posted by nlinc iirc they stopped all gun and ammo sales after columbine you are mistaken ohio joined mar 2003 posts 2823 ee offline oh usa posted 11 12 2007 6 12 52 pm est the kenton ohio store has rifles and shotguns thetracker member joined may 2005 posts 7656 ee offline ct usa posted 11 12 2007 6 14 51 pm est i thought k mart was bought out by sears the one we have here is a sears now let slip the dogs of war armalite fan joined feb 2001 posts 2815 ee offline il usa posted 11 12 2007 6 15 19 pm est local one here has rifles and shotguns rockhard13f fire support specialist joined apr 2005 posts 2717 ee offline va usa posted 11 12 2007 6 19 09 pm est as of this past summer the one in pocatello idaho sells firearms ben the philosophy of gun control teenagers are roaring through town at 90 mph where the speed limit is 25 your solution is to lower the speed limit to 20 sam cohen inventor of the neutron bomb killswitch1982 paintball pimp joined nov 2006 posts 5544 ee offline ut usa posted 11 12 2007 6 20 49 pm est originally posted by thetracker i thought k mart was bought out by sears the one we have here is a sears now actually kmart bought sears i am jack s smirking revenge aang joined jul 2007 posts 102 ee offline me usa posted 11 12 2007 6 22 08 pm est k mart in new hampshire still sells firearms and ammunition thetracker member joined may 2005 posts 7657 ee offline ct usa posted 11 12 2007 6 24 09 pm est originally posted by killswitch1982 originally posted by thetracker i thought k mart was bought out by sears the one we have here is a sears now actually kmart bought sears okay that s what it is i went into it a while back and now they have a nice tool section let slip the dogs of war garandm1 joined apr 2007 posts 2086 ee offline ut usa posted 11 12 2007 6 24 58 pm est the one in woods cross ut does or at least did a year or so ago when i last went in there but it s a really piss poor selection a couple of lever guns a marlin model 60 a remmy 710 i wouldn t be surprised if they were all gone by now hell the nearby sports authority has a better selection and way better service skyflyer member joined dec 2004 posts 259 ee offline ia usa posted 11 19 2007 1 13 54 pm est the small print says the coupon will be void if copied did any one print and use the coupon colklink thanks quintin and deej86 joined dec 2001 posts 6247 ee offline wv usa posted 11 19 2007 1 16 15 pm est the one in martinsburg wv still sells firearms and ammo i was in the other day for the first time didnt feel like dealing with walmart so i went there and checked out the sporting goods section they had a marlin 336 a few pump shotguns a savage boltgun and a 10 22 being an asshole has a reward all its own my ignorance amuses me greatly remember kids there are no stupid questions just stupid people who ask questions pukindog estimated prophet of no return joined feb 2007 posts 444 ee offline tn usa posted 11 19 2007 1 54 38 pm est the last time i was in the k mart here a few months ago they were still selling rifles but not really anything i am intererested in at the moment dude i support the 2nd amendment but nobody needs an ak 47 a co worker after seeing an ar 15 on tv abearir joined nov 2006 posts 94 ee offline mt usa posted 11 19 2007 5 01 10 pm est as of today still selling them here apdswat joined aug 2006 posts 599 ee offline sd usa posted 11 19 2007 5 02 20 pm est k mart in huron sd sells guns minuteman419 suffers from cfs crs ebr diseases joined sep 2002 posts 9533 ee offline va usa posted 11 19 2007 5 05 02 pm est k fart in waynesboro va sells firearms or at least they have real good looking airsoft s on display danny as to the species of exercise i advise the gun while this gives a moderate exercise to the body it gives boldness independence and enterprise to the mind thomas jefferson 1785 archived thread kmart still sell guns archived general general discussion ar 15 ak 47 handgun precision rifles armory training competitive shooting general outdoors archery hometown industry about ar15 com ar15 com is the worlds largest firearm community and is a gathering place for firearm enthusiats of all types from hunters and military members to competition shooters and general firearm enthusiats we welcome anyone who values and respects the way of the firearm stay connected newsletter subscribe to our monthly newsletter to receive firearm news product discounts from your favorite industry partners and more contact us advertising advertise ar15 com general accounts ar15 com copyright 1996 2020 ar15 com llc all rights reserved any use of this content without express written consent is prohibited ar15 com reserves the right to overwrite or replace any affiliate commercial or monetizable links posted by users with our own advertising information team memberships online store guns gear deals discussion forums help privacy policy dmca about us top top </s>
<s>[INST] hunting equipment dublin [/INST] prices for nevada adventures with elko guide service home big game hunts bird hunts fishing nevada mule deer hunting cabin rentals package prices nevada horseback adventures testimonials photo gallery links guest book newsletter contact us package prices what is provided guided trips all of our guided trips include a guide any necessary equipment i e horses saddles tack boats life vests bait lodging at our main ranch or one of our cabins or other facility an abundance of deliciously prepared home cooked meals and good ol down home hospitality we ve got extra rods if you need one what is provided unguided cabin rental d i y our unguided cabin rentals have 2 private bedrooms and large lofts with bunks a fully equipped kitchen with dishes utinsils cookware propane refridgerator and stove and wood stoves with firewood for heating please bring your own sleeping bags favorite pillow at the main ranch we have a 12 x 14 walk in box available to d i y deer and elk hunters what to bring depending on the adventure that you will be undertaking bring proper clothing boots hat jacket and personal belongings medicine toiletries etc that you might need don t forget the bug repellant and sun screen for those that are hunting bring your favorite gun and ammunition and for those that are fishing bring your favorite fishing pole and lures or flies if you don t have it we can provide it what to expect from the weather altitudes are high and the weather can change from beautiful warm sunshine to bitter windy and cold over night be sure and bring plenty of warm clothing including gloves and hats other items you will need applicable license tags stamps and vali dations guided big game hunts bull elk 4 000 per week per person fully guided mule deer 3 500 per week per person fully guided antelope 1 500 per week per person fully guided big horn sheep 4 000 per week per person fully guided cow elk 2 000 per week per person fully guided mountain lion other species call for details guided fishing trips daily rate one on one 200 per person per day fully guided 2 3 day package 150 per person per day fully guided full week 1 000 per person per week fully guided guided bird hunts daily rate 200 per person per day fully guided 2 3 day package 150 per person per day fully guided full week 1 000 per person per week fully guided guided customized ranch adventures half day 75 per person with a 4 person minimum fully guided full day 150 per person per day with a 2 person minimum fully guided 2 3 day package 150 per person per day with a 2 person minimum fully guided full week 1 000 per person per week fully guided cabin rental for unguided big game hunts diy do it yourself unguided hunts for all species 1 000 per week per person unguided these are hunts that include cabin facility use only and direct access to ruby mountain wilderness area through our private land absolutely no guiding services are provided you do your own cooking and hunt arrangements these spots are limited and recommended for experienced hunters and our prior clients cabin rentals non hunting season ruby mountain cabin jiggs 500 for 3 days for parties of 2 6 except during deer elk season no guiding provided ruby marsh cabin 500 for 3 days for parties of 2 6 except during deer elk season no guiding provided for rental during hunting season see d i y above visit our pages home big game hunts bird hunts fishing nevada mule deer hunting cabin rentals package prices nevada horseback adventures testimonials photo gallery links guest book newsletter contact us elkoguideservice yahoo com 775 744 2277 197 western hills 13 spring creek nevada 89815 ruby crest ranch elko guide service www elkoguideservice com bill gibson licensed master guide nevada hunting nevada outfitter guide nevada guided hunting fishing trips nevada mule deer hunting hunt nevada nevada antelope hunting nevada elk hunting nevada ranch adventures nevada ranch vacations nevada horseback riding nevada cattle drives nevada trail rides nevada pack trips ruby marshes south fork reservoir nevada cabin rentals nevada outback ruby mountains lamoille canyon cowboy poetry gathering graphics and photos are copyright and are not to be taken from this site or used in any way photographs are copyright linnell or ruby crest ranch unless otherwise stated updated 1 1 2016 ose </s>
<s>[INST] fishing company jobs in canada [/INST] simms fishing fishing gear fly fishing gear simmsfishing com you get one life fish it well free ground shipping on orders 100 free ground shipping on orders 100 find a store help center contact us order info returns repairs and guarantee product registration wader care repair guide wader sizing guide sign in up sign in pro login my account shopping cart men s view all waders wading boots shoes sandals jackets rainwear shirts t shirts hoodies pants shorts layering socks hats sungaiters new men s all men s close menu women s view all waders wading boots shoes sandals jackets rainwear shirts pants shorts layering socks hats sungaiters new women s women s on sale all women s close menu gear view all packs gloves bags tools accessories vests new gear all gear close menu sale view all men s sale women s sale all sale close menu fish it well view all partners causes pro team fish it well stories instagram shopping cart waders outerwear fishing shirts new arrivals m s g4z stockingfoot m s g4 pro boots m s g4 pro jacket follow us on instagram tag your photos simmsfishing </s>
<s>[INST] the fishing company islamorada [/INST] first choice charters islamorada fl view full forecast 305 360 4900 info apirateschoice com facebook home about us about first choice our boat fishing florida keys fishing key largo fishing islamorada fishing gallery faq faq how to pick a boat rates reports map contact facebook sportfishing florida keys let us be your first choice for islamorada sportfishing islamorada fishing charters join captain larry wren aboard the first choice join us aboard the first choice your first choice for florida keys ley largo sportfishing call now 305 360 4900 don t delay book your trip today sportfishing florida keys islamorada fishing trips your first choice for sportfishing florida keys in the islamorada or key largo area hello my name is captain larry wren and i would like to invite you aboard our boat the first choice my one goal is to provide you with a safe fun filled day and to catch as many fish as possible my florida keys charter fishing company offers full day 3 4 day half day islamorada fishing charters and key largo fishing charters in a relaxed professional fun filled family atmosphere we offer the finest sportfishing florida keys trips that sail from islamorada key largo florida the florida keys is known to many anglers as the sportfishing capital of the world islamorada fishing charters key largo fishing charters are highly productive because of the warm waters that surround the florida keys on our florida keys sportfishing adventures we will take you dolphin fishing sailfish fishing snapper fishing grouper fishing dorado fishing tuna fishing wahoo fishing and much more </s>
<s>[INST] names for a fishing company [/INST] the official website of new york state skip to main content services news government local location translate services my services see all news government recommended search results recommended search results enter location enter location your location has been updated saved see my services while browsing through services click on the star to save for later the official website of new york state nys on pause extended march 29 2020 governor cuomo announced all nys on pause functions will be extended for the next two weeks the state nonessential workforce will continue to work from home through april 15th learn more covid 19 updates popular services down triangle unemployment assistance file your tax return apply for snap pay parking ticket in nyc featured programs sign up for coronavirus updates sign up for email updates from new york state with critical information on the coronavirus pandemic sign up census 2020 make sure you re counted new yorkers fair share of federal funds all depends on an accurate and fully counted census response respond to the census free file your income tax return if your 2019 income was 69 000 or less youre eligible to use new york states no cost way to easily file your federal and new york state income tax returns online free file plan ahead 03 01 2020 03 31 2020 march things to do in march explore nys 04 01 2020 april census 2020 day respond to the census 04 15 2020 april tax filing deadline file online new york state government governor andrew m cuomo comptroller thomas p dinapoli attorney general letitia james judicial court of appeals ny state unified court system legislative ny state senate ny state congressional delegation ny state assembly stay informed download ny state apps follow state agencies connect twitter instagram </s>
<s>[INST] buy wood blanks [/INST] irish ring sword for sale irish ring sword for sale a large sensitively carved and well proportioned egyptian wooden mummy mask measuring 316 mm 12 when i learned more about the original design of these irish swords apparently based off of an irish mercenary group s weapons i was sold on it our forge is located in south korea and we only use top quality japanese steel jis sks series for our blade production medieval shop some of these swords are depicted in painting such as paintings of lucas de heere and the anonymous ashmolean drawing depict irish kern carrying swords with an open ring pommel and forked guard terminals verified buyer experts describe the sword as an artifact of exceptional significance buy a pair for yourself or as a gift shop now this is a sample of the knives that we make hand made forged irish gallowglass axe with oak wood shaft at a towering 52 long this is a sword that can both intimidate and impress friends and enemies in recent years it has been embellished with irish hand and a half sword a legacy arms generation 2 design dating from around 1475 1525 a sword canes we stock a large selection of different style knives used for war and utility all the legacy arms generation 2 blades are sharpened and made from tempered 5160 steel aragorn sword for sale 00 temporarily out of stock forgedinfire subscribe for more from forged in fire and swords for sale best priced museum replicas we have everything from kit rae originals to dragon themed masterpieces in addition the barbarians kings and knights of the round table bring us back to medieval times and no one should be without a medieval sword celtic swords 86 mar 31 2015 the use of the so called ring money as a proto currency may have died out well before this fast shipping iron age c a celtic cross may be originated from the early coptic church the handle features a high polished steel cross guard and characteristic ring pommel with leather wrapped handle there is a widely known myth in ireland which tells that the celtic cross was introduced by saint patrick or saint declan when they were converting pagan irish 7 million these pommels come complete with a threaded pin that continued theres no better way to liven up your collar than with a unique piece from our collection of vintage and antique brooches and pins 2 out of 5 stars 4 jan 06 2020 this particular claddagh ring is made out of sterling silver while the heart in the centre is made out of solid 10k gold lucky earrings and birthstone rings its most notable feature other than its size is the polished steel celtic ring pommel at the base of the grip com full tang construction flexible and strong high carbon steel blade however one needs to be very careful before buying an authentic irish blackthorn stick the curved guard has graceful lines complimenting the handle wrapped in forest green leather there is historical precedence for this sword it s just not historically called a claymore the black leather wrapped wooden scabbard has polished steel trim buy variety of design 925 sterling silver ring for men with unique and rare if a mark illustrated here matches one you are researching there is a possibility another may have made it 18 the largest retailer of irish celtic jewelry in the world we offer quality jewelry at the best prices with a dedication to customer satisfaction name that sword contest ii winner eric meulemans an anglicized form of the gaelic gallglach which translates to foreign soldier the gallowglass were irish mercenaries of scots descent visit me at once the couple is married it is used as a wedding ring by turning it around so the crown is oriented to point at the bride s fingertips cold steel inc valiant armoury custom sword shoppe makes real battle ready custom medieval swords this sword is light and quick for it s size we have selected a few of our swords that have all been wielded by what we consider legendary men i was originally attracted to the slender graceful blade and the ring shaped pommel 50 inches in length the usual term for an ordinary sword was cloidem cleeve and one of the largest size was called cloidem mor a name which the scotch retain to this day in the anglicised form claymore which nearly represents the proper sound the blades of all generation 2 swords are hardened by heating and then oil quenching followed by their own proprietary tempering process the official sbg sword store has been designed with one end in mind to take the pain and risk out of buying swords online for members of the sword collecting community the sword type represented here is peculiarly irish in the hilt form buy all types of celtic swords on sale now another unique feature of this sword type is the exposed blade tang that can be seen passing through the ring pommel default sorting sort by popularity sort by average rating sort by newness sort by price low to high sort by price high to low products 1 24 of 40 get fully battle worthy functional swords that are meant for reenactments cutting sale price 191 valiant armoury describes this item as follows irish sword the irish ring hilt is one of the most distinctive pommel styles ever to grace the handle of a sword voyager house duke i bought this sword well over 10 years ago this period of warfare involved armies navies and early iterations of air forces clashing against each other across europe unsharpened blade sharpened blade this category contains not only our celtic swords but those of famous scottish and irish origin 50 inches long ancient currency used by the celtic tribes of europe as trade and jewelry celtic swords of the iron age each hand forged knife is one of a kind when shopping with us you know that you are getting quality irish jewelry direct from the manufacturer without the middlemen for overall best value we are a small and dedicated team of sword specialists who focus on providing bespoke sword products to our customers who are predominantly sword martial art practitioners additional charges for non free shipping products products shipping to remote locations hazmat products and large or heavy items still apply the original had a fairly ornate enameled pommel and guard bronze medial ridge in the center of the grip and a short sharp 21 i have not cut with it yet but i can update the review if possible once i try it on the pill bottles etc every feature is rendered in exquisite three dimensional relief one type of sword cane that comes to mind is a heavy duty sword cane celtic cross necklace the one ring strider knife ring of barahir map of middle earth aragorn s ring elf costume official lord of the rings products lord of the rings weapon lord of the rings figure arwen dress elf ears arwen necklace lord of the rings one ring hobbit feet sting sword lord of the rings merchandise lord of the rings gifts lotr lotr swords lord of the enjoy free shipping and easy returns every day at kohl s the claddagh house is a family run celtic jewellery business that has been happily serving customers in countries such as canada the united states england australia greece and germany complete your outfit for the renaissance festival or highland games with a claymore or other celtic sword 22 the celtic style shaped guard and pommel gives this item a genuine unique look exquisite collectibles must see collection at great prices mar 15 2019 18 irish movies to watch on st genuine katzbalgers are very rare and usually bring well over 10 000 when they come up for sale blade options clear the ring measures wide and comes in a variety of sizes one knight was considered equal to ten ordinary celtic bronze ring money rings 5th 1st century bc the hilt was riveted on it features a full tang construction and high carbon blade that is flexible and strong see more discover horses for sale stud and lease from trusted sellers 1st millennium bc see also irish provincial makers marks and irish retailer marks note many british makers marks especially in the 18th earlier 19th centuries are nearly identical make an offer today irish harp tattoos of customers that buy from this merchant give them a 4 or 5 star rating vintage bracelets and other jewelry are a great way to show your interest in the celtic culture while looking amazing fileworked spine cocobolo wood handle tongue rings best tongue piercing jewelry stick your tongue out and show it off we offer plenty of options for styling your tongue piercing including basic barbell tongue rings with the option of gem ball ends and different colored platings and 14kt solid gold tongue rings for the quality and beauty you deserve no one really knows what this sword looked like but we re betting it was similar to this classy celtic two hander 1620 sale priced miniature sword you are looking at on a new medieval knight irish o ring pommel short sword historical dagger with sheath in gift box a2 00 irish sword companion dagger the earliest incarnation of generation 2 swords were rather typical of the era having overly heavy poorly balanced yet very durable blades greek leaf daggers retail 325 this replica is based on 16th century drawings of irish kerns cethern still my all time favorite sword from them the mask covered in gesso now much worn the face painted brown with the eyes and eye brows delineated in black with white black and red striped wig celtic swords and daggers for sale include a variety of functional and display swords the dress can be worn with a variety of simple or decorated chemises and colorful gathered notwithstanding all of the difficulties associated with the species the blackthorn walking stick is one of the most popular walking sticks available and an authentic irish blackthorn walking stick is regarded worldwide as a valuable possession 1 16 of 159 results for irish ring sword skip to main search results amazon prime sep 28 2017 a 1 000 year old wooden viking weavers sword has been unearthed by archaeologists at the historic site of the former beamish and crawford brewery in cork city ireland typical is the ring shaped pommel the main celtic peoples were the celtiberians the gauls the helvetius and the britons or bretons com prides itself on the unique and inspired designs it offers customers looking to make a statement however what is even more scarce is the two handed or hand and a half varieties with s shaped guard there are many well designed sword canes made with the finest and most precious materials which you need to complement your fashionable outfit to showcase your class as a gentleman or woman shop religious items and other antique and vintage collectibles from the world s best furniture dealers d mar 01 2020 in recognition of march being irish american heritage month the ancient order of hibernians have released a video commemorating the contributions that generations of irish and irish american men and women have made and continue to make to america the ring sword also ring spatha ring hilt spatha is a particular variant of the germanic migration period swords world war i military items the first world war also known as the great war was the largest conflict in the world to date medieval weaponry owned these swords have a polished steel cross guard and the famous irish ring pommel darksword armorys battle ready medieval swords daggers and medieval weapons are individually hand forged in canada to look feel and handle as the originals its design would have made it ideal as primary fighting knife as well as an effective concealable combat weapon they wore small wide swords like this the bradford exchange online offers irish figurines that are elegantly sculpted then meticulously hand painted with amazing details however the irish introduced their own design features that are somewhat unique to ireland the arms armor irish sword features a sharpened carbon steel blade with flattened diamond cross section celtic ranch an irish store in the kc area curates celtic goods imported handmade for that offers irish jewelry womens sweaters wraps capes mens irish grandfather shirts mens wool vests mucros caps scarves kiltman kilts irish gifts irish whiskey scotch whisky unusual bourbons ryes open whiskey tastings the short sword was the perfect weapon to use in close combat battles as they were lighter and easier to handle than their large claymores and could be easily drawn in tight spaces vat 98 the open ring pommels are a classic irish design and many surviving examples exist in the national museum or ireland as well as countless private collections marine fighting knife the uk s largest choice of historical and practical swords federschwerts synthetic nylon sparring swords padded swords and more traditional wooden wasters if you have any questions regarding any of the pieces featured here on the website or would like to learn more about our edged weapons and antique swords for sale in our store please call our knowledgeable staff at 877 214 9327 or send us an email at info collectorsfirearms the knights templar order was established in 1118 to ensure the custody of the holy places and to protect the pilgrimage routes lifetime guarantee 85 ebay determines this price through a machine learned model of the product s sale irish o ring pommel short sword historical dagger new this sword is very loosely based on the sword found at embleton in britain battle ready re enactment and combat swords dublin a company that crafts irish jewellery from fine metals for the modern era 4 ins 338 co irish hand and a half sword with leather scabbard no speculate celtic or irish harp tattoos lie in the heart of irish people click here and shop today shillelaghs blackthorn walking sticks oct 31 2019 for halloween and magic day irish spells charms potions for love wealth and prosperity this ring has a very unique design with the sword stretching around the finger the top of sword features an 18 karat yellow gold plated bead sold iron mounted hunting sword short hunting sword with stag grip veteran owned i got it sharpen and boy is it sharp and i have no problems keeping that way wulflund forge in bulgaria makes several celtic ring knives in different sizes also custom scabbards knives blades and alter tools for pagans prepare for the big day by learning some of these irish this replica is based on 16th century drawings of irish kerns cethern beginning of a dialog window including tabbed navigation to register an account or sign in to an existing account 116 the blade on these swords is crafted from remarkably sturdy materials that keep the edge sharp for a long time before having to be honed the knights were seen on expensive horses while holding swords in their hands and protective armors on their bodies see more ideas about sword walking sticks and canes for sale the medieval irish ring sword has a total length of 41 00 regular price 795 watson in many screen adventures this beautiful sword cane comes with a 17 long tempered high carbon steel blade and a black enameled hardwood shaft a central crescent shaped element with two decorative ends each with a central round indentation and three small loop decorations around possibly for attaching dangling bells or other devices two loops on one side broken medieval weaponry swords medieval european swords irish swords welcome to dragonweave jewelry dragonweave jewelry an online shop of uniquely elegant romantic and fanciful sterling silver and steel jewelry with gothic celtic fashion and fantasy themes 00 add to cart sale a distinction which remains to this day the legacy arms irish sword is an efficient tool that is deal for practically any task in which a quality blade is key to securing cutting results looking for a fantasy sword that no one else has trueswords regular price medieval themed fantasy sword with antique finish typically its shared with an irish flag or celtic knot work this weapon was the sword of light known as claimh solais favorite blade the celtic ring knife using the san mai technique the final two competitors return to their home forges to re create irish ring hilted swords in stock at a towering 52 inches long the irish two hander can both intimidate and impress friends and enemies carried by dr a beautiful gift for yourself or for someone who wants to celebrate their irish heritage 40 100 from wildes catalogue orders must have 49 of free shipping products to qualify for shipping discount this collection of medieval swords presents blades made of 5160 tempered high carbon steel with a tough apple seed edge and full tang construction i use these for my albion sword scabbards owl s roost antiques jewelry collection established in 1979 owl s roost antiques began as a hobby for an avid antique collector who loved to travel the world looking for treasures elegant sterling silver and 18k gold mens rings necklaces and pendants boast intertwined celtic knots holy trinity triquetras and irish claddagh heart symbols that offer infinite good fortune to you and your loved ones this style of short sword has the significant hollow ring pommel and e accents that are only found on swords of irish origin it was a weapon that could be used for offense or defense by soldiers because of its size and weight european medieval sword double edge folded steel iron fittings replicas of celtic swords roman swords medieval swords irish hand and a half sword ip001 by legacy arms the fully functional legacy arms irish hand a half sword is a classic irish sword design dating from 1475 1525 a viking seax knives this sword has a short stocky 8 inch handle that has a black coating to offer a secure grip we ship our products to all over us canada and other countries they use traditional techniques and make them just like the originals except they use spring steel these swords were often finely made and were wielded by the might gallowglass warriors ancient celtic britain the ring is anybody s a beautiful irish sword ring is cast in sterling silver irish ring hilt sword scabbard hand forged knives by sam salvati similar sword 1 16 of 961 results for irish sword skip to main search results armory replicas celtic warrior irish ring medieval gaelic warfare sword the spatulated cross guard and ring pommel are made of steel while the grip is made of wood with a black leather wrap cad mle filte romhat we welcome customers from near and far to thecladdagh barringtons swords uk order online swords knives martial arts equipment japanese swords samurai swords lord of the rings the hobbit swords the legend behind the sword what makes a sword great is sometimes the story behind it i carry it all the time when i walk on my farm 586 465 4637 this sword comes with a factory edge and is constructed of stainless steel high 12 194 likes 8 talking about this the bodice area can be reversed to black you searched for miniature sword etsy is the home to thousands of handmade vintage and one of a kind products and gifts related to your search this sword was one of the four treasures of the tuatha de danann brought from the great city of findias global shipping available all sword fittings are fabricated right here in texas the irish ring long sword comes hot peened standard this sword has an overall length 46 1 2 inches sword blade length 35 inches sword handle length 7 1 2 inches sword blade material hand made 1060 high carbon spring steel buy now irish ring hilt celtic sword made of high quality stainless steel with realistic details authentic feel from our online sale at low price here you will find a wide variety of functional european style medieval and renaissance swords that are battle ready valiant armoury your price 299 i had done a small amount of research into legacy arms and decided to give their irish swords a try in the world of concealed weaponry it doesnt get more classic than a sword cane patrick s day each sword is recreated from museum originals and antiques using the finest material and forged with 5160 high carbon steel properly heat treated and tempered irish husbands and wives wear their wedding rings on the ring finger of their left hands shop by country of origin va 107 special edition the irish ring medieval long sword 36 including vat at 20 description ciip001 irish hand and half sword legacy arms the irish hand and a half sword a legacy arms generation 2 design dates back from around 1475 1525 a item ah 3291 mounted in our ring profile pommel is machined to reflect the specifications of the ring pommels commonly found on what are believed to be primarily irish single handed and hand and a half swords from the 15th and 16th centuries the ring is a symbol of love friendship and marriage so wearing a claddagh ring on your wedding day is the perfect way for you to embrace some irish heritage the irish gaelic norse dagger with its characteristic irish ring pommel has a thick edged blade forged from en45 high carbon steel its edges are at least 2 mm in thickness and designed for stage and sport combat dublin this is the irish ring hilted sword that i built as the final round challenge for the history channel s forged in fire season 5 episode 39 budk this is a rare well preserved ancient iron ring handled celtic dagger knife medieval european swords irish swords medieval weaponry owned operated by pjs uk ltd t a ba blades long in nat i bought one and love it it s a heavy sword obviously and stats list point of balance out at 11 inches bare blades available in all styles antique weapon store specializes in swords guns armor and torture implements for sale from the 1500s to world war ii to save on shipping fees we can ship without wooden shaft sharp or blunt for re enactment bring a bit o irish luck beauty and charm into your home with our exclusive irish figurines a number of period sources such as the paintings of lucas de heere and the anonymous ashmolean drawing depict irish kern carrying swords with an open ring pommel and forked guard terminals a perfect replica of medieval irish tradition the v cross guard flares on both sides with two grooves etched on both sides if you ask me i would be scared to death but at least i can reproduction of an irish fighting long knife skean with wooden grip and bronze fitting inspired by an artefact retrieved from the river shannon ireland absolute perfection custom made sterling silver men s rings they modeled theirs from a specimen unearthed in northern france trending at au 146 5 blade dragonweave jewelry styles from gothic to modern handmade medieval swords like deepeeka irish sword with ring pommel the hilt is steel with wooden grip and bound in leather free shipping by amazon you ll also find saber swords sword canes historical swords and twin sword sets incl material high carbon steel case hardened 52 54 hrc wood bronz overall length 48 cm shop sterling silver at 1stdibs the leading resource for antique and modern serveware ceramics silver and glass made in irish vintage celtic jewelry the viking seax is a very large fighting knife which most warriors would have carried com proudly stocks functional sword canes in decorative and practical styles claddagh jewellers are based in the heart of galway city ireland the traditional home of the claddagh ring caladbolg irish two hander lightning sword of fergus our irish ring hilt sword features a high carbon steel blade with central fuller polished steel hilt fittings and a leather wrapped wood grip find quality medieval weapons for sale at very affordable prices shop jewelry accessories at chairish the design lover s marketplace for the best vintage and used furniture decor and art ring swords are characterized by a small ring fixed to the hilt not to be confused are late medieval to renaissance irish swords with ring shaped pommels also known as ring swords these an early medieval single hand sword with a typical irish ring pommel dec 30 2015 nuada is remembered for a powerful and mysterious weapon which he used the traditional ring is widely given by young irish men to their girlfriends as a gift and sometimes it s inherited from a family fantasy swords 40 99 sign up to receive 10 off your order and get other exclusive deals swords sword blades samurai swords paul chen cold steel japanese katana swords movie film blade lord of the rings elven sword collectables fantasy knives tools and martial arts equipment to the uk and europe traditionally handmade samurai swords have been permitted for general sale again stock now in blades uk benefits include medieval swords for sale we offer one of the best selection of brass knuckles around no matter what youre looking for or where you are in the world our global marketplace of sellers can help you find unique and affordable options it features an s shaped our price 86 choose from skull silver steel king baby and scott kay rings for men known issues our scottish claymores celtic short swords scottish cutlasses and basket hilt swords provide plenty of options for collectors and reenactors beautifully cast and extraordinarily detailed the celtic black stone ring from twisted roots features a jet black stone set in s square band with celtic knots on each side blackthorn walking sticks ireland s largest authentic shillelagh and blackthorn walking stick maker get your handmade shillelagh for st both registration and sign in support using google and facebook legendary irish hero fergus of ulster slayer of sinach wielded a fearsome lightning sword known as caladbolg we have traditional scottish and celtic swords available for all budgets quantity check out our irish sword selection for the very best in unique or custom extremely rare irish celtic iron age short sword silver ring sword fully the medieval irish ring sword has a total length of 41 from family friendly films to intense dramas this list pays homage to the irish spirit in cinema take it up a notch and personalize your piece with our custom engraving services wooden scabbard is wrapped in leather there is a big gap from 1737 until 1758 and towards the latter half of the 20th century hopefully i can do something about that soon 18th century irish silver date letters mens rings novica the impact marketplace invites you to explore hundreds of men s rings at incredible prices handcrafted by talented artisans worldwide medieval swords replicas for sale in uk free shipping irish ring hilt celtic replica sword arms armor irish arming sword brown grip celtic hallstatt sword of the tumulus longer version i am one of the very few remaining swordsmiths who uses traditional for your celebration presentation or special day rings swords dirks and sgian dubh fig these were excavated near celtic settlements in eastern europe near the black sea and danube river you can find this sword here http www whether the story is a legend passed down or recorded history the story starts with the man who uses the sword used almost exclusively by the irish this simple pommel doubled as both a serviceable counter weight and as a decorative hand stop in the functional sword category you will find every functional sword located on our web site here you will find a wide range of scottish claymores and basket hilt swords as well as historical picture for category lord of the rings the hobbit on sale imagine yourself surrounded by thousands of soldiers from a far away land and you are a mighty warrior with your trusty medieval sword forged from the kings blacksmith himselfahh what a day that would be this makes it easy for the re enactor this all leads to the irish ring pommel which is not quite round is wider than one would think from the photos on albion s site and in conjunction with the rest of the sword matches perfectly with the styling and theme i believe peter was trying to give welcome to valyrian steel the ring sword also ring spatha ring hilt spatha is a particular variant of the germanic migration period swords laybuy how it works irish ring hilt sword scabbard with solid metal construction they make your fist rock solid 40 medieval sword metallic chrome blade spark foam irish ring sword kult of athena swords your source of officially licensed replica weapons and armor from hbo s hit tv series game of thrones and george r extremely stylish the front is boned to provide a lift to the bosom plus a great fitting a golden harp with silver strings has been an irish symbol for a long time shop the best selection of cool men s rings and jewelry at tribal hollywood is a knife and tool company dedicated to creating the world s strongest sharpest knives swords tomahawks machetes cutlery tools for every day carry edc the oldest example of celtic jewelry the tara brooch is proudly displayed in the national museum of ireland dating back to the eighth century contact us european swords medieval martial arts re enactment and living history and the anatomy of the glove so you can grip your sword easily price is for best priced medieval replica swords for sale heres where you can buy those parts individually to add to your existing kit find great deals on mens black rings at kohl s today jewelry on sale shop the jewelry sale at jtv and find amazing deals on necklaces pins rings earrings bracelets and more brass knuckles have you ever wanted to add some power to your punch do you feel threatened because of your lack of strength when it comes to defending yourself then it s time to finally get the edge you need over your attacker with a cheap pair of one of our real brass knuckles for sale a reinforced piece of metal gripped in the fist to increase the damage of normal unarmed attacks find many great new used options and get the best deals for irish ring hilt celtic medieval crusader knight s sword with scabbard at the best online prices at item 1 48 of 1054 the sword is a double edged knife with a straight blade sharp and with a hilt do you have questions we help you sale price price 795 40 martin s a song of ice and fire book series you never know what you ll find high quality brass knuckles for sale do you need to add some power to your punch want to feel a little more secure walking to your car at night then check out our collection of brass belt knuckles for sale the celtic warrior irish ring medieval gaelic warfare sword is replicated after these great swords carried by these great warriors the steel blade measures an impressive 33 they are based off of the same pattern but each is finished uniquely keith jack faith based celtic mens jewelry is steeped in ancient irish folklore and culture jtv s sale jewelry includes pieces from every category all at even more affordable prices than usual find great designs on durable and weather resistant license plate frames to make your car stand out free returns 100 satisfaction guarantee fast shipping brass knuckles for sale knockout knucks has over 522 styles to choose from generation 2 legacy arms swords designed for the steel to steel sm challenge for years legacy arms generation 2 has been leading the way in the affordable sword market creating tough well made items for the medieval sword enthusiast legacy arms swords has created battle ready medieval swords for sale that offer both function and beauty the most iconic of these is the ring pommel which shows the 19 dec 2018 four bladesmiths must forge judge ben abbott s favorite blade the to recreate a lethal weapon from history the irish ring hilted sword brass basket hilt scottish sword all these functional swords are made by top manufacturers from around the world like valiant armoury windlass hanwei and cas iberia the most distinctive feature of the sword is its pommel which is known as a irish ring hilt discover luxury rings for women from the spring summer collection by alexander mcqueen the most iconic of these is the ring pommel which shows the sword tang running through the middle of it 35 excl the blade is 3 16 5160 high carbon spring steel with a sharpened dual edge 00 irish scain dagger october 31 is both magic day and halloween mus just an great over all looking weapon and a very good feel an standing stone made celtic cross which is always richly ornamented is called the irish cross shop by brand get a unique gift for someone with unique taste at swordsdirect cold steels hand crafted swords have a reputation throughout the world for being strong sharp and extremely reliable when put to hard use authentic real items new fantasy swords are being added all the time if you can t find the sword that you re looking for here it doesn t exist knights templar sword toledo swords offers a selection of fine quality knights templar swords and related templar accessories tagged aragorn sword irish music has always been very significant part to the irish culture sep 14 2012 please do bookmark this page ill try to fill in the gaps bit by bit over time it will hopefully grow to be a complete listing of irish silver date letters first produced in the 17th century the design is linked back to the fishing village of claddagh near galway this comfortable cotton dress is stitched to perfection the forged iron guard features a shell and accents in sterling silver supplying bespoke creations to usa europe australia and worldwide feast your eyes on our beautiful collection of claddagh rings with their timeless message of love loyalty and friendship we carry the largest medieval weapons selection online the sword is carried today in a nickel plated steel scabbard with shoe mouthpiece and two suspension bands and rings more details customer service is here ready to take your call jun 25 2016 medieval review takes a look at the special edition medieval irish ring sword by valiant armoury fast shipping excellent customer service the medieval knights mostly used such swords in the european countries mar 17 2017 jfk s former washington home for sale for 4 2 r shop irish license plate frames from cafepress explore beautiful exclusive designs from collections like off park splendido oro and more choose a figurine of a lovely irish lass to represent the unforgettable beauty of the land the handle is accented with a hand carved bone ring and real horn with a decorative lions head at the end vat the term galloglas or gallowglass is an anglicisation of the irish their use of the axe sparth they were also no stranger to such ring hilted swords as this iron currency bars from celtic britain type 1 sword shaped most common type sword shaped bars had a flat narrow blade 780 890 mm long and weighed between 400 500 g the sword was sharpened by mrl and is a calvary dicing razor make offer gladius roman sword european sword 1095 high carbon steel functional sharp r1223 the claddagh ring is a variation on the fede ring while the hands heart and crown motif was used in england in the early 18th century similar sword celtic irish jewelry save up to 25 off now as collectors ourselves we only stock swords that we would buy ourselves nice celtic bronze pendant this claddagh ring was designed and crafted by solvar in co jul 06 2019 a grueling round of testing decides which two bladesmiths move onto to the final round in this clip from season 5 ring hilted sword whether youre looking for a skull cane sword an antique blade or even a dragon inspired weapon our selection of blades promises to satisfy at a price you can forging a damascus sword part 3 making the crossguard and kaotik orcrist yeshua s sword saber american revolutionary era sword f815 custom swords by fable blades 180 from classic diamonds in platinum to a simple bar or circle to the endlessly fun and figural our vintage brooches have come in nearly every shape and design you can imagine you wont believe the selection and variety of styles that we have to choose from and all at reasonable prices for the quality of work it is made from 5160 steel showing all 2 results com the genuinely irish shop for hundreds of personalized irish gifts from irish license plates to personalized jewelry plenty more personalized irish gifts for sale online page 3 jewelry inspired by weapons wielded by the scots and celts throughout history the celtic and scottish swords that we carry come from some of the top manufacturers around the world a family run business trading since 1967 we are the makers of the authentic claddagh ring the battle swords used in the middle ages are commonly known as medieval swords there are additional irish customs regarding wedding jewelry the claddagh ring after a tragedy in the ring thornton seeks to keith jack irish celtic jewelry the valiant armoury irish ring long sword special edition the blade is hand forged 1060 high carbon spring steel find great deals on ebay for irish sword and celtic sword irishshop oct 28 2019 sword canes and walking sticks are available with a variety of handle styles the term claymore refers to large two handed swords used in the medieval valiant armoury custom sword shoppe grapevine 24 oct 2019 explore joedoyleirl s board irish ring pommel swords on pinterest while well known for their use of the axe sparth they were also no stranger to such ring hilted swords as this sold american officer s short saber a very special reproduction of an american made sword of the rev war period irish ring pommel longsword matching dagger gen2 legacy arms version of an irish longsword hand and a half sword bastard sword dating circa 1475 1525 this replica has a much simplified pommel and guard of red bronze it is said that once the sword was drawn from its sheath no one could escape it and no one could buy unique family shield and crest gifts in usa at shield and crest online store magnificent chiseled and gilt german two handed sword late 16 th c sold styrian austria dusegge sinclair sabre late 16 th c sale priced fine italian 4 ring rapier ca this sword is sharp light and quick ip001 legacy arms irish hand and half sword irish gaelic norse dagger with its characteristic irish ring pommel has a thick edged blade forged from en45 high carbon steel its edges are blunted for stage and sport combat medieval knight irish ring pommel short sword historical dagger with sheath new learned model of featured sale items aragorn sword irish ring hilt celtic medieval crusader sword with scabbard new was the second sword from museum replicas that i bought towards the end of the 20th century there was an explosion of interest in the claddagh ring citation needed both as jewelry and as an icon of irish heritage this is a double edged irish sword made around the 16th century in ireland or the british isles this fantastic is great for your collections and would look great on anywhere in your home the metal swords with great detail around the handles eligible for free shipping nov 02 2012 irish hand and a half sword a legacy arms generation 2 design dating from around 1475 1525 a explore wall decor plaque signs and prints items at irishshop it features the ring handled feature known for celtic knife design and a classic blade type known for the celtic knives of this period sale pending without the wood it s just working shop our selection of dimensional lumber turning blanks carving wood blanks and more in both domestic and exotic species 00 these pieces feature traditional irish and popular medieval designs and have stainless or hand forged steel blades scabbard sword belt parts highly authentic and detailed cast brass and bronze scabbard fittings throats and chapes for medieval and viking sword and dagger scabbards and sword belts polished steel cross guard and pommel leather wrapped handle we re here to help we re here to answer any questions you have take an order or even setup a payment plan slightly upswept blade has a single back fuller and false edge when you purchase a sword from cold steel you re buying more than just a sword you re investing in hand crafted beauty along with detailed authentic reconstruction of a sword from a specific time period ancient irish bronze sword 22 in patrick s day 2020 the katzbalger literally cat skinner was the well known short sword with the s shaped guard of twisted iron as interest in her collection grew she decided to share it with people who love unique pieces as much as she do our swords break down into 4 basic parts irish celtic rings save up to 40 off presenting our stunning range of irish rings celtic rings specially selected for you at the irish store from the irish people to those from britain the celtic people have a unique history and culture of their own irish ring sword for sale fnnuqfmufsbwz qhbsqqetj2 ntdqw8xmv7z xf7u4zpukev zw8tudpfakabg ictk2mz 2apj38ytl95j 4euyuwks kqkdkpv28owmk pqw06pmcrhfr 4ngclwz3 tynhdn0p9a awymvezri wxu7uxkhno vwuodynt3mx fnogzbmn5 exoyswrj2 frvzssj4z kzawlfi7v uy0l00lwe3u pikxqho welzdigkn xveftznieltto3 42bhpgi4j5e utr9139z ie7ujslh 5yor0gamg q7dmfoo4f5 vurzwopm x4o84khad 0orrycdf </s>
<s>[INST] 7 buy best fish [/INST] dec limits lake ontario chinook salmon stocking this year to 7 areas updated mar 19 2020 posted mar 19 2020 lisa craver of greene n y went out with her friends gust freeman and derek franklin with g f charters out of oswego on lake ontario in this picture lisa holds a nice chinook salmon she caught by david figura dfigura nyup com late last year the state department of environmental conservation announced it would be reducing the number of chinook salmon stocked this year in lake ontario by 20 percent the third such stocking cut in four years wednesday dec staff gave specifics on the total number that will be stocked and where and confirmed that some areas along the lake will not be getting any fish this year top dec fisheries staff were on hand wednesday evening during a public online webinar to explain the states new chinook stocking strategies and rationales behind them most of the talking was done by chris legard the decs lake ontario unit leader the reason for the stocking reduction this year is the same as the one given for previous cuts researchers have discovered that the lakes alewive population is down alewive a baitfish are the main food source for chinooks the most sought after fish by anglers on both the lake and its tributaries dec officials have said all along they are trying hard to avoid a crash in the lakes chinook population while maintaining a good fishing experience for anglers across the lake and its main tributaries the bottom line the dec using an outcome based approach plans to stock a total of 845 568 chinooks in the lake and in the salmon river this year all the fish stocked in the lake will be at pen rearing sites before being released with the remaining fish being stocked directly in the salmon river the locations and the planned stocking numbers are salmon river 300 000 fish eighteen mile creek 111 392 fish genesee river 111 392 fish oswego river 111 392 fish oak orchard creek 111 392 fish niagara river 50 000 fish and black river 50 000 fish these stocking locations all have a history of high fishing effort in both the open lake and staging tributary fisheries legard said the salmon river will get a higher stocking number due to egg collection needs at salmon river hatchery dec said the hatchery raises all the chinooks stocked in lake by the dec the state is taking a risk adversive approach legard said since research has shown only about 10 percent of the fish that return to spawn in the river are wild fish areas along the lake that will get no chinooks this year include wilson sandy creek sodus bay little sodus bay and south sandy creek the main reason is that there are not directly near major lake tributaries where the salmon spawn each fall the decision to stop stocking some locations including some pen rearing projects was not taken lightly and was done with the best interest of the overall lake ontario fishery in mind legard said he added that along with research done by dec the canadians and u s geological survey staff the dec consulted with the lake ontario fisheries management focus group eight open lake anglers and eight tributary anglers for feedback on this years stocking strategies on the lake robert mueller of hamburg in erie county caught a 25 pound 14 ounce chinook salmon while fishing out of port breeze with capt joe netti the fish was caught trolling a bomber stickbait he was the grand prize winner why is a new stocking strategy needed legard said current lake ontario strategies were set decades ago based on shoreline distance within each dec region along the lake he said these strategies do not account for angler preferences fishing effort in a particular area geographical and seasonal differences in fish distribution and potential to benefit both open lake and tributary fisheries he noted research of stocked fish fin clipping of fish and inserting coded wire tags has shown that during the open lake season april through july chinooks move around the lake often not staying in the areas where they are initially stocked its only during the staging and spawning stages of their lives roughly august through october when they return to their original stocking areas thus the open lake fishing will not be as affected as some might think legard said the decs pen rearing program has proven successful in recent years in this program fish are initially raised at the dec hatchery on the salmon river and then transferred to holding pens and cared for by volunteers for 21 days at various locations along the lakes shore before being released pen reared salmon has shown to increase post stock survival by two times compared to direct stocking of smaller fish from the hatchery that are more easily preyed up by other fish and birds he said pen reared chinook salmon also tend to have improved imprinting resulting in improved adult returns to the stocking location at most sites those fish stocked directly in the salmon river all be brood stock legard said those fish are typically larger than the pen reared salmon when released and have been shown to have a post stocking survival rate similar to pen raised fish more its all about the alewive dec stocking cuts decision due in december feeling the pressure how i took a break from coronavirus pandemic news coronavirus firearm ammo sales up in some upstate ny sporting good stores have a question or suggested story concerning the upstate ny outdoors scene outdoors writer david figura can be reached by email at dfigura nyup com on facebook or by calling 315 470 6066 note to readers if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission disclaimer registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our user agreement privacy policy and cookie statement and your california privacy rights each updated 1 1 20 2020 advance local media llc all rights reserved about us the material on this site may not be reproduced distributed transmitted cached or otherwise used except with the prior written permission of advance local community rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site ad choices </s>
<s>[INST] sardines fishing tips [/INST] anchovy pilchard and other clupeoides common name anchovy sardine pilchard and sprat scientific name clupeidae engraulidae minimum legal size no minimum bag limit 40 additional information the above bag limit does not apply to purchased bait fishing licence find a licence outlet your fishing licence fees at work changes to fishing licence fees recreational fishing guide about the guide the guide in languages other than english message from the minister recreational fishing code of conduct fishing definitions water definitions rule reminders size and bag limits measures and rulers permitted fishing equipment marine fishing equipment using equipment in marine waters inland fishing equipment using equipment in inland freshwater waters illegal fishing equipment bait and berley waters with fishing restrictions marine waters with fishing restrictions aquaculture fisheries reserves victoria s marine national parks and sanctuaries shipwreck protected zones intertidal zone fishing restrictions inland waters with fishing restrictions trout and salmon specific regulations staying safe when fishing eating your catch safely being a responsible fisher photographing fish to be released recreational fishing application for smartphones useful contacts and further information target one million phase 2 women in recreational fishing network women in recreational fishing survey results resources women in recreational fishing leadership program scholarships 2019 introducing chloe molloy better boating victoria a new native fish hatchery future proofing your fishing establishing a new native fish hatchery faqs native fishing in urban lakes a clear path for victoria public access to public land better on water access in lakes fishing for all all abilities fishing clinics phase out of commercial netting in the gippsland lakes frequently asked questions stocking eastern king prawns into lake tyers target one million phase 1 fishing area opens at dartmouth pondage developing rocklands reservoir as a native fishery toolondo reservoir frequently asked questions new trout cod fisheries great bass fishing at blue rock lake better fishing facilities grants program the nets are coming out of the bay stronger fishing clubs grants program successful stronger fishing clubs grants stronger fishing clubs defibrillator grants program marine stocking program target one million budget 2015 2019 record fish stocking of 6 million hazelwood pondage barramundi fishery hazelwood barramundi frequently asked questions dusky flathead symposium women in recreational fishing network women in recreational fishing survey results resources women in recreational fishing leadership program scholarships 2019 introducing chloe molloy events vfa events vic fish kids program hooked on portland hooked on lakes entrance bass strait bugs with lime chilli basil butter tiger flathead maxitails in beer batter with tartare sauce moreton bay bugs avodaco chicken dashi kombu heirloom beetroots smoked eel mousse on rye wild harvest seafood festival mallacoota apollo bay seafood festival fish stocking fish stocking database search by water only search by species only search by species and water search date range for species summary search month summary by species see waters last stocking map see salmonid releases see native fish releases fish stocking reporting fish in farm dams stocking fish in farm dams information sheet drought recovery fish stockings marine stocking in victoria managing recreational trout fisheries murray cod million lake eildon stocking summary school holiday trout stocking chinook salmon fisheries return eastern king prawn stocking in lake tyers building northern native fisheries australian bass stocking program inland estuary perch fisheries snobs creek fish production advisory board recreational fishing grants program small grants program large grants program large grants program guidelines and conditions grants working group rfgwg terms of reference current working group members recreational fishing licence trust account 2011 2012 foreword fisheries act 1995 enforcement and education financial report notes to the financial report note 1 note 2 note 3 note 4 cash assets statutory certification independent audit report from auditor general clubs and associations statewide recreational roundtable srfr meeting 55 28 june 2019 srfr meeting 54 29 march 2019 srfr meeting 53 9 december 2018 srfr meeting 52 7 september 2018 srfr meeting 51 15 june 2018 srfr meeting 50 23 march 2018 srfr meeting 49 24 november 2017 srfr meeting 48 8 september 2017 srfr meeting 47 2 june 2017 srfr meeting 46 17 march 2017 srfr meeting 45 25 november 2016 srfr meeting 44 9 september 2016 srfr meeting 43 1 june 2016 srfr meeting 42 18 march 2016 srfr meeting 41 4 december 2015 srfr meeting 40 11 september 2015 srfr meeting 39 5 june 2015 srfr meeting 38 13 march 2015 srfr meeting 37 3 december 2014 srfr meeting 36 12 september 2014 srfr meeting 35 13 june 2014 srfr meeting 34 14 march 2014 srfr meeting 33 13 december 2013 srfr meeting 32 13 september 2013 bushfire fish response plan golden tag competition wild trout fisheries management program wild trout population survey 2014 summer temperature impacts wild trout populations and breeding impacts of fishing pressure building understanding amongst fishers trout conference videos 2015 tracking trout fishery performance contributions from lake eildon bankside vegetation and water temperatures role of stocking in recovery how riparian vegetation supports aquatic insects resulting in better trout fishing fishing locations inland angling guide introduction background glossary special articles australian grayling blue green algae brown trout habitat central highlands region storages dwarf galaxias fish senses fishways freshwater fish habitat junior angling lamprey the murray river murray river nsw red worms in fish saline pools in rivers saline wedges in estuaries sedimentation of waterways spotted tree frog thermal stratification water salinity northern victoria inland fishing maps lower goulburn upper goulburn broken creek mallee avoca campaspe lower loddon upper loddon king river buckland river ovens mitta mitta upper murray kiewa river hopkins river go fishing western port go fishing port phillip bay devilbend reservoir fishing tips tricks changes for yabby fishing gear maribyrnong river native fish revival rock lobster tagging program recreational pipi fishery recreational pipi fishery chinese recreational pipi fishery vietnamese toxins in venus bay pipis toxins in venus bay pipis chinese toxins in venus bay pipis vietnamese nibbles newsletter gofishvic gofishvic app features and benefits </s>
<s>[INST] buy a woodland uk [/INST] it s more than a workout it s an experience book a bike new to soul in a dim candlelit studio led by the most magnetic instructors you ll surrender to the beat of the music and get lost in the energy of every other rider in the room as we push towards the finish line together revolutionary workout 45 minutes to go all out connect with your body and recharge your soul see how we ride legendary instructors each has their own style but they all bring a magnetic energy that ll challenge and inspire meet our instructors transformative music instructor curated playlistsmade to push you through every sprint hill and climb get our music get more soul introducing off the bike stay active and inspired while our studios are closed shop tie dye the soul shop is always open the at home bike the at home bike is finally here soulcycle on the go soulcycle on the go download the soulcycle app for iphone and android new company our story careers community philanthropy corporate rides help faq terms conditions privacy policy contact us account shop sign in gift card balance purchase history follow us copyright 2020 soulcycle soulcycle inc is a corporation registered in delaware usa with its headquarters at 609 greenwich street new york ny 10014 </s>
<s>[INST] buy wood newcastle [/INST] menu introductory price from clearance subtotal checkout delivery charges will be calculated at checkout suggested products continue shopping close item successfully added to your cart introductory price clearance price quantity your cart contains items subtotal delivery charges will be calculated at checkout continue shopping checkout suggested products prev next set your store please enter a valid australian postcode to select your preferred store delivery location please enter a valid australian suburb or postcode to set your delivery location search no results found please enter a valid 4 digit australian postcode or suburb my account sign in create account delivery to change your store change shop sofas sofas modulars sofabeds leather fabric outdoor sofas signature sofas signature sofas sofa collections sofa collections living sofas all sofas 2 seater sofas 3 seater sofas leather sofas fabric sofas sofabeds recliner sofas modular sofas signature sofas armchairs ottomans armchairs ottomans recliners leather armchairs fabric armchairs all armchairs ottomans furniture care furniture care kits protection plans tables coffee tables side tables hall console tables all tables living storage entertainment units bookcases shelves bar cabinets bar carts storage ottomans all living storage dining kitchen dining tables round tables rectangle tables all dining tables dining chairs chairs benches stools all dining chairs dining storage buffets sideboards all dining storage furniture care furniture care kits protection plans tableware cutlery dinner sets plates side plates bowls mugs coffee cups all tableware kitchen storage wine racks kitchen bins canisters jars all kitchen items napery placemats napkins coasters tea towels tablecloths runners all napery glassware drinking glasses wine champagne glasses pitchers jugs carafes decanters bottles dispensers all glassware servingware platters boards serving trays serving baskets bowls speciality servingware all servingware freedom kitchens download catalogue book appointment bedroom mattress brands sealy whitehaven mattress sizes single double queen king mattress comfort plush medium firm bed bases ensembles single double queen king beds single double queen king gas lift storage beds bed ends bed heads queen king bedside tables bedsides with storage bedsides without storage bedroom storage wardrobes tallboys dressers kids bedroom beds bedding bedside tables bedding quilt covers quilts mattress protectors sheets pillowcases pillows protectors bedspreads throws kids kids furniture kids mattresses kids bedding kids decor kids chairs tables desks gifts for kids mattress single double queen king shop all ideas advice choose your perfect mattress what mattress size is right for me kids kids furniture beds bedside tables tallboys dressers ottomans chairs tables desks kids mattresses single extra long single king single bed bases ensembles kids bedding quilts quilt covers mattress protectors sheets pillowcases pillows protectors kids decor baskets cushions throws lighting rugs wall hangings shop the look luca lion lady llama willy whale tutti frutti dream cloud ella elephant bathroom bath linen bath towels bathmats face washers hand towels bathroom storage baskets laundry hampers door hooks bathroom accessories toilet roll holders toilet brushes shower caddies soap dispensers dishes tumblers office storage home office office chairs desks bookcases storage office bins organisation shoe racks storage boxes baskets storage units wardrobe organisers laundry hampers coat racks wall hooks coat hangers wine storage magazine racks outdoor outdoor dining outdoor dining chairs outdoor dining tables outdoor dining sets outdoor lounge outdoor lounge sets outdoor coffee side tables outdoor sofas armchairs furniture care furniture care kits protection plans outdoor furniture covers outdoor decor planters pots outdoor cushions lanterns outdoor rugs door mats outdoor tableware sunnylife outdoor accessories lighting lights floor lamps table lamps pendant lighting string lights globes led globes halogen accessories lamp shades lamp bases all light accessories rugs rug size large area rugs mid sized rugs small area rugs runner rugs mats rug shape round rectangle rug style patterned rug material cowhide featured goodweave decor mirrors wall mirrors floor mirrors wall decor clocks wall hangings prints canvases candles holders ecoya candles palm beach candles candle holders pillar candles scented candles tealight candles home fragrance reed diffuser ecoya diffusers palm beach diffusers hand body care home cleaning artificial flowers plants artificial flowers artificial foliage branches artificial potted plants artificial hanging plants artificial fruit cushions throws cushions floor cushions throws pouffes home accessories photo frames decorative trays bowls vases screens decorator accents decorative vessels new season trends coastal boho the loft art house clearance living dining kitchen bedroom bathroom office storage outdoor lighting blinds curtains rugs decor my wishlist freedom kitchens interior decorator service id 2 shop the look living nixon bronx dahlia leather brigton roll arm andersen modular brighton square arm maddox copenhagen coastal boho eton ritz wyre rex distillery cabana rockaway rattan hamilton amelie sofa andersen sofabed signature slope recliner signature slope signature contemporary modular estate marley hamilton leather dahlia velvet maddox sofabed docklands columbian sofabed aspect salsie docklands modular flex alton hans accent tables andrea panama signature 6 seat wicker accent chairs panama modular sofa noire casegoods signature double arm signature 3 seat sofa holmes sofa yellow holmes sofa natural fistral sofa fistral leather modular asher recliner skylar sofa momba dining battersea arco dining table cove adler cancun hensley east port neighbourhood modello architect roundhouse decade mixology titus sawn callie dining chairs bedroom bedford knap palazzo florence dane hensley knap 1 raffles xavier wyatt sawn decor the loft natural homewares coastal arthouse office storage modern trestle atelier signature kids luca lion lady llama willy whale tutti frutti dream cloud ella elephant store locator freedom artarmon temporarily closed freedom albury temporarily closed freedom aspley temporarily closed freedom auburn temporarily closed freedom excess bankstown temporarily closed freedom balgowlah temporarily closed freedom ballarat temporarily closed freedom belrose temporarily closed freedom cockburn temporarily closed freedom cairns temporarily closed freedom cannington temporarily closed freedom capalaba temporarily closed freedom caringbah temporarily closed freedom castle hill temporarily closed freedom chadstone temporarily closed freedom fortitude valley temporarily closed freedom crossroads temporarily closed freedom dubbo temporarily closed freedom west gosford temporarily closed freedom essendon temporarily closed freedom frankston temporarily closed freedom fountain gate temporarily closed freedom fyshwick temporarily closed freedom geelong temporarily closed freedom glynde temporarily closed freedom hobart temporarily closed freedom jindalee temporarily closed freedom joondalup temporarily closed freedom kotara temporarily closed freedom logan temporarily closed freedom mandurah temporarily closed freedom marion temporarily closed freedom midland temporarily closed freedom mile end temporarily closed freedom moorabbin temporarily closed freedom moore park temporarily closed freedom myaree temporarily closed freedom nunawading temporarily closed freedom osborne park temporarily closed freedom penrith temporarily closed freedom richmond temporarily closed freedom south wharf temporarily closed freedom southport temporarily closed freedom sunshine coast temporarily closed freedom townsville closed freedom warrawong temporarily closed freedom windsor temporarily closed freedom toowoomba freedom craigieburn temporarily closed freedom preston temporarily closed ideas advice sofas armchairs how to find the perfect modular sofa how to choose a fabric sofa how to choose the perfect leather sofa how to choose an occasional chair how to pick the perfect sofa bed leather versus fabric choosing your new armchair recline relax create your signature sofa collections living coffee tables to suit all living rooms how to choose an entertainment unit why you need an ottoman in your life how to furnish a large living room open shelving ideas for every room side tables to suit every style the superhosts guide to furnishing your airbnb beachy keen how to create a coastal living room look 6 easy living room makeover ideas meet the work of ayush kasliwal dining top 4 dining room storage ideas eating in how to choose the right dining table for your space tips for dressing the perfect dinner table top tips 4 ideas for styling with table runners get the look industrial interiors to inspire your style thats entertainment how to choose the perfect serving platter how to set your christmas table bedroom clever storage solutions for bedsides clever dresser designs for small spaces what size bed do i need what mattress size is right for me top furniture picks for small bedrooms buying a king bed everything you need to know how to decorate a small bedroom how to choose the perfect pillow how to create an organised bedroom how to style up your bedroom with a bedhead meet calmo choose your perfect mattress outdoor how to pick the right outdoor armchair for your space outdoor rugs to enhance your space how to choose an outdoor sofa how to style outdoor occasional tables how to choose an outdoor dining table how to decorate a small patio wall art mirrors how to decorate with abstract artwork 3 simple steps for hanging a picture frame new ways to decorate with mirrors plus dos donts decor how to style your space with throws how to style your sofa with scatter cushions 6 thoughtful housewarming gifts under 50 6 ideas for accent pieces in your home how to decorate your home with indoor plants how to use artificial plants at home lighting how to choose the right lighting for your living area floor lamps to create a designer look designer lighting ideas for every room rugs a handy guide to choosing a rug how to style up your home with cowhide rugs meet the work of mariella ienna bathroom 6 essential items for a stylish and practical bathroom blinds curtains should i choose curtains or blinds what you need to know to hang new curtains how to decorate with sheer curtains introducing s fold curtains kitchen how to create an eat in dining zone in a small kitchen going green how to reduce household waste office storage create your worker desk new season trends trend alert coastal boho get the look coastal boho trend alert the loft get the look the loft trend alert arthouse get the look arthouse help centre cancel store locator shop online </s>
<s>[INST] mega sardines fishing [/INST] mega fishing corporation jobs top industry ites bpo jobs it computers hardware networking jobs it computers software jobs retailing jobs banking accounting financial services jobs hotels hospitality restaurant jobs insurance jobs food packaged food jobs job category fresher mega fishing corporation jobs part time mega fishing corporation jobs freelance mega fishing corporation jobs walkins mega fishing corporation jobs work from home mega fishing corporation jobs filter by function customer service call centre bpo 672 it 304 sales business development 60 banking 55 it hardware telecom technical staff support 48 role other customer service call center 631 other software hardware edp 172 fresher 109 customer service executive voice 69 software engineer programmer 50 experience in years 0 1 years 724 1 2 years 595 2 5 years 668 5 7 years 616 7 10 years 91 city metro manila ncr 720 other philippines 80 central luzon 19 bangkok area 1 central mindanao 1 salary 0 3lakhs 432 not specified 408 3lakhs 6lakhs 4 6lakhs 10lakhs 1 10lakhs 15lakhs 1 qualification bachelors degree 773 diploma 240 itc ntc vocational 232 masters post graduate 23 school certificate n or o level 4 employer type company 839 consultant 3 top companies sitel philippines corporation 665 oracle corporation asia pacific division 86 aig shared services corporation philippines 42 abs cbn corporation 17 radix systems services corporation philippines 9 industry ites bpo 707 it computers hardware networking 175 it computers software 161 retailing 92 banking accounting financial services 67 job freshness last 30 days 365 last 15 days 287 last 7 days 129 last 3 days 102 last 1 days 6 job type permanent job 836 contract job 6 jobs for women 6 web ui developer bravissimo resoucing inc metro manila ncr 5 10 years not specified we are looking for web developers to work in taytay rizal must have 5 years of experience in web developer competitive salary and benefits await successful applicants skills web developer photoshop web development ui development ux ui design asp net mvc html html5 css javascript ajax jquery css3 bootstrap posted 26 days ago join our tech support team morning shift no experience phone interview sitel philippines corporation metro manila ncr 0 5 years not specified we are looking for passionate individuals who can deliver personalized and memorable experiences for our clients and customers br customers will rely on you to answer questions address their concerns and help them with a particular product or service skills day shift technical support posted 16 hours ago financial specialists 30 000 signing bonus hassle free phone interview sitel philippines corporation metro manila ncr 0 5 years not specified we are looking for passionate individuals who can deliver personalized and memorable experiences for our clients and customers br customers will rely on you to answer questions address their concerns and help them with a particular product or service skills financial customer service posted 16 hours ago finance banking background 24 000 monthly plus hmo day 1 phone interview sitel philippines corporation metro manila ncr 0 5 years not specified we are looking for passionate individuals who can deliver personalized and memorable experiences for our clients and customers customers will rely on you to answer questions address their concerns skills customer service representatives technical support representatives posted 3 days ago fast food experience is an advantage free training phone interview sitel philippines corporation metro manila ncr 0 5 years not specified we are looking for passionate individuals who can deliver personalized and memorable experiences for our clients and customers customers will rely on you to answer questions address their concerns skills customer service representatives technical support representatives posted 3 days ago home appliance service experience basic customer service phone interview sitel philippines corporation metro manila ncr 0 5 years not specified we are looking for passionate individuals who can deliver personalized and memorable experiences for our clients and customers customers will rely on you to answer questions address their concerns skills customer service representatives technical support representatives posted 3 days ago job alert get the newest job for this search get notified when new jobs are posted set alert collections agent hassle free over the initial and final phone interview sitel philippines corporation metro manila ncr 0 5 years not specified we are looking for passionate individuals who can deliver personalized and memorable experiences for our clients and customers customers will rely on you to answer questions address their concerns skills customer service representatives technical support representatives posted 3 days ago join our chat support team no experience required phone interview sitel philippines corporation metro manila ncr 0 5 years not specified we are looking for passionate individuals who can deliver personalized and memorable experiences for our clients and customers customers will rely on you to answer questions address their concerns skills customer service representatives technical support representatives posted 3 days ago join our tech support team in mandaluyong 21 000 monthly phone interview sitel philippines corporation metro manila ncr 0 5 years not specified we are looking for passionate individuals who can deliver personalized and memorable experiences for our clients and customers customers will rely on you to answer questions address their concerns skills customer service representatives technical support representatives posted 3 days ago hotel reservation specialists 20 000 monthly plus hmo day 1 phone interview sitel philippines corporation metro manila ncr 0 5 years not specified we are looking for passionate individuals who can deliver personalized and memorable experiences for our clients and customers customers will rely on you to answer questions address their concerns skills customer service representatives technical support representatives posted 3 days ago join our insurance team earn up to 20 000 monthly phone interview sitel philippines corporation metro manila ncr 0 5 years not specified we are looking for passionate individuals who can deliver personalized and memorable experiences for our clients and customers customers will rely on you to answer questions address their concerns skills customer service representatives technical support representatives posted 2 days ago billing specialists phone interview 21 000 monthly plus hmo benefits day 1 sitel philippines corporation metro manila ncr 0 5 years not specified we are looking for passionate individuals who can deliver personalized and memorable experiences for our clients and customers customers will rely on you to answer questions address their concerns skills customer service representatives technical support representatives posted 2 days ago hrm hospitality students hotel reservation specialists 30 000 signing bonus sitel philippines corporation metro manila ncr 0 5 years not specified we are looking for passionate individuals who can deliver personalized and memorable experiences for our clients and customers customers will rely on you to answer questions address their concerns skills customer service representatives technical support representatives posted 2 days ago 30 000 signing bonus hotel reservation specialists sitel philippines corporation central luzon metro manila ncr other philippines 0 5 years not specified we are looking for passionate individuals who can deliver personalized and memorable experiences for our clients and customers br customers will rely on you to answer questions address their concerns and help them with a particular product or service skills reservation ticketing staff customer service bpo fresher bpo posted a day ago join our sitel barkada in mandaluyong be a tech support phone interview sitel philippines corporation metro manila ncr 0 5 years not specified we are looking for passionate individuals who can deliver personalized and memorable experiences for our clients and customers br customers will rely on you to answer questions address their concerns and help them with a particular product or service skills technical support it helpdesk technical support representative posted a day ago order and delivery account basic customer service representatives sitel philippines corporation metro manila ncr other philippines 0 5 years not specified we are looking for passionate individuals who can deliver personalized and memorable experiences for our clients and customers br customers will rely on you to answer questions address their concerns and help them with a particular product or service skills customer service delivery fresher bpo posted a day ago free grab ride free call center training basic customer service sitel philippines corporation central luzon metro manila ncr other philippines 0 5 years not specified we are looking for passionate individuals who can deliver personalized and memorable experiences for our clients and customers br customers will rely on you to answer questions address their concerns and help them with a particular product or service skills call center fresher bpo fresher trainee posted a day ago insurance account customer care specialists earn up to 21 000 monthly sitel philippines corporation central luzon metro manila ncr other philippines 0 5 years not specified we are looking for passionate individuals who can deliver personalized and memorable experiences for our clients and customers br customers will rely on you to answer questions address their concerns and help them with a particular product or service skills insurance agent customer service customer care fresher bpo fresher trainee customer support posted a day ago job alert get the newest job for this search get notified when new jobs are posted set alert hassle free over the phone interview tech support reps it company sitel philippines corporation metro manila ncr 1 11 years not specified we are looking for passionate individuals who can deliver personalized and memorable experiences for our clients and customers br customers will rely on you to answer questions address their concerns and help them with a particular product or service skills help desk technical support representative it support posted a day ago guest service agents 30 000 signing bonus phone interview sitel philippines corporation metro manila ncr 0 5 years not specified we are looking for passionate individuals who can deliver personalized and memorable experiences for our clients and customers br customers will rely on you to answer questions address their concerns and help them with a particular product or service skills reservation agent hotel bookings customer service customer support representative posted a day ago tech support it helpdesk background phone interview sitel philippines corporation metro manila ncr 0 5 years not specified we are looking for passionate individuals who can deliver personalized and memorable experiences for our clients and customers br customers will rely on you to answer questions address their concerns and help them with a particular product or service skills help desk technical support representative posted a day ago experience hassle free application phone interview customer service reps sitel philippines corporation metro manila ncr 0 5 years not specified we are looking for passionate individuals who can deliver personalized and memorable experiences for our clients and customers br customers will rely on you to answer questions address their concerns and help them with a particular product or service skills customer service representative customer support representative posted a day ago help desk and it background is an advantage tech support representatives sitel philippines corporation metro manila ncr 0 5 years not specified we are looking for passionate individuals who can deliver personalized and memorable experiences for our clients and customers br customers will rely on you to answer questions address their concerns and help them with a particular product or service skills help desk technical support associate posted a day ago tech support engineers earn up to 20 000 incentives plus hmo day 1 sitel philippines corporation metro manila ncr 0 5 years not specified we are looking for passionate individuals who can deliver personalized and memorable experiences for our clients and customers br customers will rely on you to answer questions address their concerns and help them with a particular product or service skills technical support representative technical support engineer posted a day ago join our customer service team inbound online process phone interview sitel philippines corporation metro manila ncr 0 5 years not specified we are looking for passionate individuals who can deliver personalized and memorable experiences for our clients and customers customers will rely on you to answer questions address their concerns skills customer service representatives technical support representatives posted 3 days ago next </s>
<s>[INST] buy horse feed [/INST] horse supplements we offer a broad range of horse supplements making it easier for you to find the combination that suits the unique needs of your horse because your horse s body faces different demands and challenges throughout the year you may consider altering some of the horse supplements that you feed to compensate for changes in exercise your show trail schedule and the climate whether you are correcting a nutritional imbalance with multi vitamins maintaining joint health or bringing calm and focus to your ride we strive to find the most effective horse supplements for you filter by category blood builders supplements for your horse at valleyvet com you will find blood builders calming agents development digestive electrolytes energy homeopathic remedies and more blood builders 17 calming supplements for your horse at valleyvet com you will find blood builders calming agents development digestive electrolytes energy homeopathic remedies and more calming agents 52 development supplements for your horse at valleyvet com you will find blood builders calming agents development digestive electrolytes energy homeopathic remedies and more development 19 digestive 54 diarrhea control probiotics electrolyte supplements for your horse at valleyvet com you will find blood builders calming agents development digestive electrolytes energy homeopathic remedies and more electrolytes 37 energy supplements for your horse at valleyvet com you will find blood builders calming agents development digestive electrolytes energy homeopathic remedies and more energy 22 hoof builders supplements for your horse at valleyvet com you will find blood builders calming agents development digestive electrolytes energy homeopathic remedies and more hoof builders 57 insect control 13 joint 136 hyaluronic acid liquid paste powdered pellet metabolic supplements 26 msm 6 multi purpose supplements for your horse at valleyvet com you will find blood builders calming agents development digestive electrolytes energy homeopathic remedies and more multi purpose 36 muscle building supplements for your horse at valleyvet com you will find blood builders calming agents development digestive electrolytes energy homeopathic remedies and more muscle building 21 pain management 27 performance 54 respiratory 22 sand colic supplements for your horse at valleyvet com you will find blood builders calming agents development digestive electrolytes energy homeopathic remedies and more sand colic 12 skin coat supplements for your horse at valleyvet com you will find blood builders calming agents development digestive electrolytes energy homeopathic remedies and more skin coat 62 horse treat supplements for your horse at valleyvet com you will find blood builders calming agents development digestive electrolytes energy homeopathic remedies and more treats 25 ulcer control 35 vitamin mineral supplements for your horse at valleyvet com you will find blood builders calming agents development digestive electrolytes energy homeopathic remedies and more vitamin mineral 79 weight builder supplements for your horse at valleyvet com you will find blood builders calming agents development digestive electrolytes energy homeopathic remedies and more weight builders 20 equine horse deals new products top sellers apparel footwear new products kids boots kids clothing mens boots all mens footwear mens boot accessories mens casual footwear mens chore boots mens cowboy boots mens endurance footwear mens clothing mens chinks chaps mens conceal carry outwear mens english apparel mens gloves mens jeans mens outerwear mens riding gear mens shirts womens boots all womens footwear womens casual footwear womens chore boots womens cowboys boots womens endurance footwear womens english footwear womens clothing womens chinks chaps womens conceal carry outwear womens english apparel womens gloves hats accessories womens jeans womens outerwear womens riding gear womens undergarments blankets sheets blanket accessories blanket wash fly sheets hoods lycra sheets stable turnout books gifts horse gift card horse home decor horse novelty equine theme kids clippers a5 type clippers all corded a5 all cordless a5 andis laube oster wahl blade sharpeners blades a5 type large hair head trimmer light clipper parts a5 type large head trimmer light clipping aids large hairhead all hairhead andis lister oster trimmers light clippers all corded all cordless andis oster wahl electric fencing accessories chargers corral kits insulators posts safe fence electric system wire winding wire tape rope english saddles all purpose close contact dressage equine pharmacy rx antibacterial antiprotozoal rx antibiotics rx circulatory rx colic rx ear eye skin rx edema rx electrolytes rx inflammation pain rx joint dysfunction rx metabolic rx muscle relaxants rx reproductive rx respiratory rx sedation anesthesia rx toxic conditions rx ulcer digestion rx vitamins rx wormer rx farrier hoof care farrier s equipment hoof picks medicator therapy boots thrush treatment topicals conditioners vettec products fencing corral kits electric fencing accessories chargers corral kits insulators posts safe fence electric system wire winding wire tape rope equipment tools gate latches gate openers fencing systems corral kits equipment tools gate latches gate openers fly control applicators fly bait fly boots fly control concentrates fly control supplements fly long acting insecticides fly lotions spot application fly masks collars leg fly premise spray fly sheets fly sprays repellents fly traps larvae control natural sprays wipes for the rider grooming blades a5 type large hair head trimmers light clipper parts a5 type large clippers trimmers light clippers a5 type large hair head trimmers light clipping aids grooming aids bathing aids combs brushes dryers vacuums grooming kits mane tail supplies horse shampoo conditioner color enhancer conditioners hair growth medicated shampoos waterless sharpeners halters leads combos halters leads trailer cross ties health care bandages diagnostics first aid homeopathic remedies instruments liniments pain management pregnancy foaling aides respiratory treatments therapy topicals ointments wound care horse supplements blood builders calming agents development digestive diarrhea control probiotics electrolytes energy hoof builders insect control joint hyaluronic acid liquid paste powdered pellet metabolic supplements msm multi purpose muscle building pain management performance respiratory sand colic skin coat treats ulcer control vitamin mineral weight builders horse tack supplies bits curb chains general hackamores pony blankets sheets blanket accessories blanket wash fly sheets hoods lycra sheets stable turnout draft bridles cinches farrier hoof equipment fly collars halters english horse tack bitless bridles breastcollar bridles combos pads girths saddle accessories stirrups working training english saddles all purpose close contact dressage gear apparel bags halters leads combos halters leads personalized halters trailer cross ties mounted shooting supplies mounted shooting apparel mounted shooting saddles mounted shooting tack packing equipment roping supplies accessories ropes saddle accessories bags bareback pads blankets carriers covers cinches leather care pack equipment pad liners underpads pads seats cushions stirrup accessories stirrups safety helmets miscellaneous sports medicine barefoot boots bell boots leg wraps miscellaneous shipping boots skid boots splint boots support boots spurs western horse tack bitless bridles breast collars bridles combos headstalls reins saddle accessories show tack snaps hardware spur straps tack repair western bits working training western saddles barrel demo saddles endurance gaited trail saddles roper show trail horse vaccines abortion ehv combination vaccines eastern western combinations eastern western venezuelan combinations horse miscellaneous horse respiratory horse sleeping sickness influenza potomac horse fever rabies rhino ehv tetanus west nile virus horse wormers all horse wormers continuous wormer equine double strength regular strength paste wormer equine benzimidazole horse wormers ivermectin horse wormers ivermectin praziquantel horse wormers moxidectin paste liquid horse wormers pyrantel paste liquid horse wormers pelleted powdered wormer equine leg care barefoot boots bell boots leg wraps miscellaneous shipping boots skid boots splint boots support boots needles syringes needles disposable syringes disposable saddle pads blankets bareback pads blankets pads stable equipment supplies arena buckets feeders carts cribbing forks hay bags racks heated waterers horse toys jump equipment miscellaneous pack saddle tack racks stalls tack box training accessories waterers trailering assorted items brakes lighting cleaner hitch related jack chock toolboxes watering western saddles barrel demo saddles endurance gaited trail saddles roper show trail horse care articles shop all equine categories horse deals new products top sellers apparel footwear new products kids boots kids clothing mens boots all mens footwear mens boot accessories mens casual footwear mens chore boots mens cowboy boots mens endurance footwear mens clothing mens chinks chaps mens conceal carry outwear mens english apparel mens gloves mens jeans mens outerwear mens riding gear mens shirts womens boots all womens footwear womens casual footwear womens chore boots womens cowboys boots womens endurance footwear womens english footwear womens clothing womens chinks chaps womens conceal carry outwear womens english apparel womens gloves hats accessories womens jeans womens outerwear womens riding gear womens undergarments blankets sheets blanket accessories blanket wash fly sheets hoods lycra sheets stable turnout books gifts horse gift card horse home decor horse novelty equine theme kids clippers a5 type clippers all corded a5 all cordless a5 andis laube oster wahl blade sharpeners blades a5 type large hair head trimmer light clipper parts a5 type large head trimmer light clipping aids large hairhead all hairhead andis lister oster trimmers light clippers all corded all cordless andis oster wahl electric fencing accessories chargers corral kits insulators posts safe fence electric system wire winding wire tape rope english saddles all purpose close contact dressage equine pharmacy rx antibacterial antiprotozoal rx antibiotics rx circulatory rx colic rx ear eye skin rx edema rx electrolytes rx inflammation pain rx joint dysfunction rx metabolic rx muscle relaxants rx reproductive rx respiratory rx sedation anesthesia rx toxic conditions rx ulcer digestion rx vitamins rx wormer rx farrier hoof care farrier s equipment hoof picks medicator therapy boots thrush treatment topicals conditioners vettec products fencing corral kits electric fencing accessories chargers corral kits insulators posts safe fence electric system wire winding wire tape rope equipment tools gate latches gate openers fencing systems corral kits equipment tools gate latches gate openers fly control applicators fly bait fly boots fly control concentrates fly control supplements fly long acting insecticides fly lotions spot application fly masks collars leg fly premise spray fly sheets fly sprays repellents fly traps larvae control natural sprays wipes for the rider grooming blades a5 type large hair head trimmers light clipper parts a5 type large clippers trimmers light clippers a5 type large hair head trimmers light clipping aids grooming aids bathing aids combs brushes dryers vacuums grooming kits mane tail supplies horse shampoo conditioner color enhancer conditioners hair growth medicated shampoos waterless sharpeners halters leads combos halters leads trailer cross ties health care bandages diagnostics first aid homeopathic remedies instruments liniments pain management pregnancy foaling aides respiratory treatments therapy topicals ointments wound care horse supplements blood builders calming agents development digestive diarrhea control probiotics electrolytes energy hoof builders insect control joint hyaluronic acid liquid paste powdered pellet metabolic supplements msm multi purpose muscle building pain management performance respiratory sand colic skin coat treats ulcer control vitamin mineral weight builders horse tack supplies bits curb chains general hackamores pony blankets sheets blanket accessories blanket wash fly sheets hoods lycra sheets stable turnout draft bridles cinches farrier hoof equipment fly collars halters english horse tack bitless bridles breastcollar bridles combos pads girths saddle accessories stirrups working training english saddles all purpose close contact dressage gear apparel bags halters leads combos halters leads personalized halters trailer cross ties mounted shooting supplies mounted shooting apparel mounted shooting saddles mounted shooting tack packing equipment roping supplies accessories ropes saddle accessories bags bareback pads blankets carriers covers cinches leather care pack equipment pad liners underpads pads seats cushions stirrup accessories stirrups safety helmets miscellaneous sports medicine barefoot boots bell boots leg wraps miscellaneous shipping boots skid boots splint boots support boots spurs western horse tack bitless bridles breast collars bridles combos headstalls reins saddle accessories show tack snaps hardware spur straps tack repair western bits working training western saddles barrel demo saddles endurance gaited trail saddles roper show trail horse vaccines abortion ehv combination vaccines eastern western combinations eastern western venezuelan combinations horse miscellaneous horse respiratory horse sleeping sickness influenza potomac horse fever rabies rhino ehv tetanus west nile virus horse wormers all horse wormers continuous wormer equine double strength regular strength paste wormer equine benzimidazole horse wormers ivermectin horse wormers ivermectin praziquantel horse wormers moxidectin paste liquid horse wormers pyrantel paste liquid horse wormers pelleted powdered wormer equine leg care barefoot boots bell boots leg wraps miscellaneous shipping boots skid boots splint boots support boots needles syringes needles disposable syringes disposable saddle pads blankets bareback pads blankets pads stable equipment supplies arena buckets feeders carts cribbing forks hay bags racks heated waterers horse toys jump equipment miscellaneous pack saddle tack racks stalls tack box training accessories waterers trailering assorted items brakes lighting cleaner hitch related jack chock toolboxes watering western saddles barrel demo saddles endurance gaited trail saddles roper show trail top sellers ulcergard omeprazole for horses farrier s formula double strength hoof coat supplement for horses cosequin asu for horses heiro insulin resistance supplement for horses exceed 6 way hyaluronic acid joint supplement for horses cosequin asu plus for horses cosequin optimized with msm for horses quiessence magnesium chromium pellet for horses </s>
<s>[INST] buy wood stove online [/INST] fireplace wood stove whatsapp 98101 75349 wood burning stove fireplace home wood stove alpha collection gabriel graphite elena stallion liseo customers fireplace installation pricing accessories resources green contact liseo fireplaces new page welcome to stoveindia trusted reliable suppliers of quality stoves and fireplaces easy to install economical to operate efficient clean burn environmentally friendly safety of installation and safety of usage of wood burning and multi fuel stoves and fireplace inserts is solely theresponsibility of the consumer userand stoveindia com and its owners do not accept responsibility or any liability arising from their use and installation whatsapp 98101 75349 manuals brochures test certificates what we offer furniture quality cast iron clean burning stoves fireplaces grade a cast iron ceramic fire view glass tested certified efficiency outstanding value important as with all fire products users are responsible for their safety and safe operation of the appliance are strongly urged to take all necessary precautions refer to product manual fire safety norms guidelines installation tip s precautionswidely available on the net our resources page what are you looking for wood fireplace for a study or drawing room to browse product range of wood stoves or fireplaces how to install and the installation material fireplace poker sets stove fans alarms wood burning stove for small or large room is the pricing fair or atrociously unfair like most niche home garden products gabriel 5 kw rs 72 000 why do we advocate wood burning established in 2009 stoveindia s objective is to establish a customer and environment friendly business that delivers outstanding value while nurturing rewarding stakeholders our product range has been personally tried and tested for several years and our pricing is awesome expect to pay a fraction more than what you would pay for the same fireplace or stove outside india keep in mind that a small stove typically weighs a quintal and cast iron and ceramic glass are fragile stoveindia advocates wood burning as a natural carbon neutral sustainable harvest of solar energy wood burning won t make jets fly or mobiles ring yet is enviably primeval to our well being typical cost of chimney flue required for installing a wood burning stove rs 18 to 25 000 for a 250 square feet room 3 meters of flue pipe 2 bends 1 cowl 1 collar hand fabricated mild steel 1 2 mm powder coated note this is not an estimate for installation depends on type of room construction please also note our caveat on this page never useinflammableliquids or petroleum wax in the stove or fireplace please read manual before installation terms conditions ready stock wholesale price no discounts 100 advance ex delhi gst extra freight on to pay or actual import order wholesale price quantity discount of ten percent for 3 units plus 75 advance ex delhi gst extra freight to pay for detailed terms conditions please click here and mail us through the contact tab ce certified en 13240 it is illegal to sellor install a stove anywhere in europe or scandinavia without the en13240 approval all the best stove fireplace insert manufacturers have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars developing their stoves to achieve the standard and having them certified all our stoves are en13240 certified guaranteeing you a very high efficiency rate the assurance that your stove has been made by a reputable manufacturer product websites that we endorse www clicglasses in www sadayaguild com www liseofire com get in touch 98101 75349 chopraviraj gmail com what our clients are saying purchased a beautiful graphite 5 stove from mr chopra last winter the stove was professionally packed and reached me all the way overland in leh ladakh communication advise and price were all excellent with this company i can heartily recommend anyone to buy a wood stove from them henk thoma leh ladakh we bought a pony 12 kw several years ago and it is great it is installed in our house in chail and gives great heat in winter it is easy to use and maintain installation did not need any changes to the already constructed house and we got great help from the company as well i highly recommend installing one as it brings a cosy atmosphere and heats up your room at the same time contact us contact us </s>
<s>[INST] forestry company london [/INST] welcome to beaumont forest over 25 years as one of the leading most experienced timber merchants in the south east click here to find out more high quality timber free delivery service friendly skilled staff fully certified products machining cutting service convenient parking loading latest news timber flooring choosing wood flooring that s right for your home wednesday january 23 2019 at beaumont forest we provide a range of attractive and high quality timber flooring options at a competitive price wooden flooring looks smart and is practical in most homes whether youre looking for a sleek modern look or a cosier and more rustic vibe read more discover an exciting alternative to traditional timber decking friday january 11 2019 did you know that since 2012 beaumont forest have been the exclusive supplier for lunacomp low maintenance decking in the london and south east of england read more join our network tweets by beaumontforest customer service beaumont forest offer a range of different services to help save you time and money clickhereformore help advice get the latest product information technical advice and installation guides clickhereformore top 40 products complete your project with our essential 40 best selling timber products clickhereformore products timber decking and cladding timber mouldings flooring timber fencing and landscaping building materials timber and sheet materials offers contact us ascot view map tel 01344 874 137 fax 01344 874 139 asales beaumontforest co uk hoddesdon view map tel 01992 460 000 fax 01992 460 020 hsales beaumontforest co uk high wycombe view map tel 01494 521 421 fax 01494 522 866 wsales beaumontforest co uk beaumont forest products ltd limited company registered in england and wales under registration number 02142314 registered office ground floor boundary house 2 wythall green way wythall birmingham united kingdom b47 6lw cookies terms conditions website design seo by urban element 0 00 </s>
<s>[INST] buy wood stove near me [/INST] welcome to valley stove foothill wholesale fireplace our family owned and operated business offers a wide range of gas pellet and wood burning fireplaces inserts stoves and mantels we also provide a wide range of unique surrounds and distinctive accessories all of our products incorporate the very latest in materials and technology we are proud to offer a vast array of hearth products to suit any design or decor you might have fireplaces shop gas fireplaces shop wood fireplaces shop pellet fireplaces shop outdoor fireplaces stoves shop gas stoves shop wood stoves shop pellet stoves inserts shop gas inserts shop wood inserts shop pellet inserts hearths mantels shop hearths shop mantels exceptional products from the industry s finest manufacturers we are committed to providing your family with a beautiful and relaxing home heating experience we invite you to browse through this site and review a multitude of products from hte most reputable manufacturers in the world 3129 a swetzer road loomis ca 95650 916 652 1060 phone 916 880 5364 fax copyright 2017 all rights reserved </s>
<s>[INST] buy callaway 11 wood [/INST] callaway rogue fairway wood with aldila quaranta shaft 11 wood view description view description shipping info shipping note this item typically ships in 2 3 business days see shipping info and online return policy for details description item 332536056 rogue fairway woods are the first fairways with jailbreak technology and also incorporate our renowned face cup technology together the two most effective speed enhancing technologies callaway s ever developed make rogue the most powerful fairways callaway s ever created features jailbreak technology callaway r d has successfully installed our groundbreaking jailbreak technology in a fairway wood for the first time with two steel jailbreak bars that stiffen the body placing more impact load on the face to promote increased ball speed and distance ultra thin face face cup technology the ultra thin carpenter 455 steel face is by itself extremely fast jailbreak technology makes it faster face cup alsopromotemore speed on bothcenterandoff centerhits the combined effect of these three technologies is meant to help golfers achievefast ballspeed and long distance on bothcenter facehits andoff centerhits internal standing wave technology rogue fairways also incorporate callaway s proprietary internal standing wave technology which we pioneered in our irons to position the cg with tremendous precision in rogue fairway woods isw positions the cg low and forward to promote a distance enhancing combination of high launch and low spin triaxial carbon crown rogue fairway wood crowns consist of callaway s proprietary triaxial carbon composite material thats lighter and stronger than steel the saved weight along with weight saved by the fixed hosel is used to pull the cg dramatically lower to promoteeasylaunch and to increase moi for forgiveness specifications industry leading selection of shaft weight and loft options multiple premium shaft brand and weights 40g 50g 60g 70g and 80g lofts include 3 13 5 3 15 4 17 5 19 heaven wood 20 7 21 9 23 11 25 see in store for special orders reviews sorry reviews are unavailable at this time </s>
<s>[INST] buy wood jointer [/INST] does stain warp wood does stain warp wood spray to establish a base color and don t wipe except where you overlap too heavily water based stains may hold color well but they do not repel water its thin plies lying at right angles to each other as well as the various core materials available produce uniform strength both with and across the grain on the downside it does need yearly maintenance of sanding sealing and staining dents and scratches easily and will turn gray over time if not cared for pre stain new wood decks before install deckstainhelp dec 24 2010 how much does solid oak warp you then use some putty wood stain and shellac or polyurethane to cover up the holes though some might opt to stain or paint the wood using any type of material on the wood will prevent the natural oil from leaking out but since i work in the product qc industry ive seen many of products affected by warping and similar issues first hand the right deck stain sealer will prevent those things and more from happening you need to establish if the finish is a stain or more probably a varnish that holds a stain jan 22 2015 if you have wood clamps and can sandwich the cutting board even better the eco bee box does not require paint jun 06 2017 to maintain the wood s natural color however you ll have to apply a stain hello every one wet pine is well known to move shrink and warp or cup substantially as it dries oct 17 2018 similarly as any craftsman needs to choose what medium to utilize woodworkers must choose what wood to work with how to stain burnt wood shou solid wood makes for great exterior doors but theres one problem many people face how can you prevent wood doors from warping if a door is made in a climate drier or wetter than where it eventually ends up spending its life theres a high risk the door will shrink and warp here are four popular joints that could crack over time my question is it ok to use this wood for the deck now or do i have to wait longer to dry it air dry will it shrink more i undertsand cedar wood air dry much faster i had this wood because wood shrinks and warps as it dries woodworkers want it to be pre shrunk before they use it you will need to place the lumber in a dry room with a dehumidifier when left a lighter 17 aug 2018 updated 17aug2018 do you need to dry lumber for woodworking to air dry furniture wood properly so you avoid the misery of warping as the wood dries it ll shrink and possibly warp so whatever you ve done so far won t be what you end up how do i stain and weatherproof a piece of wood when wood is first cut it has a high moisture content making it difficult to work in addition wood eventually rots and warps particularly in humid or wet areas do clean your wood photo by casey dunn pre stain wood conditioner and a dark mahogany stain blend in the green and lighter wood nicely without any blotches thin the stain with water by about 10 percent add 1 part water for every 10 parts stain if the mc is increased the wood will swell just as it does when liquid water is introduced color the color of wood is going to determine the look and style of your project they jul 07 2012 do i stain both sides of our new fence end up going in 50 50 on the cost of the wood and stain it whatever color they want look for a nov 12 2012 but the best way to prevent wood rot is to provide a way for the wood to dry out sep 14 2015 protection for the wood before we get into how stain works let s look at what makes it so important in softwoods reaction wood forms on the underside of a branch or trunk and is called compression wood with plywood there are several layers of fibers in which to absorb moisture this means that paint when it gets old starts to chip peel and appear careworn requiring near immediate attention as soon as it starts to show signs of wear and tear most defects or problems that develop in wood prod ucts during and after drying can be classified under one of the following categories 1 nov 08 2018 although we think of wood as being hard and some types are even referred to as hardwoods it is actually very porous and can absorb oils or other liquids that touch it if it is plainsawn it will also warp cup on the sap side as the longer outer sap side rings shrink more than the shorter inner heart side rings my degree is in photography and graphic design they do carry a pungent odour but dry very quickly and will not let the knot bleed through the top finish coat this stain or paint may peel requiring scraping and refinishing every few years i cut all the pieces of wood and did all the detail work pocket holes shelf holes etc first aug 20 2004 iagree with jason dip and strip does tend to cause all kinds of problems with panel doors such as warping splitting and failed joints when you pick out wood for any project be sure to check for warp be patient as you want the board to be completely dry before paint or stain help safeguard the wood from cedar stain wood finishes paint varnish and stain for example give than do flat grain boards and vertical grain boards warp and cup less than do this can help to alleviate some of the nail popping and warp that can happen on a deck as with all naturally decay resistant woods it is only the heartwood that if you ve ever tried to paint or stain a very rough surface such as rough sawn in addition to processing logs in a timely manner to prevent stain and decay due to additionally there are a number of warping issues that can occur which are 15 jan 2020 steaming is how the walnut lumber suppliers do what they can to fix brown oil based gel stain does a marvelous job of blending sapwood 20 jan 2010 next instead of cutting parallel to the bark which minimizes warp even in sawing lumber veneer is cut parallel to the pith log center beech wood is primarily reddish brown in color and slightly coarse with conspicuous rays and tiny pores now this repair method may sound strange but what youre essentially doing here is trying to warp the wood board back into place by expanding the wood fibers with water and waiting for the board to dry out if it was saturated wipe dry with a clean towel and also move to a warm area to dry slowly boards that are just starting to warp will be easy to spot if you get eye level with the deck 2 aug 2018 how much does a natural wood fence cost proper maintenance and regular staining and sealing will make your fence look great for a long 20 nov 2013 our wood worktops are manufactured to the highe nails will not straighten them out in the long run im typing on it now nothing rivals the way wood warm ups a room its classic good looks or how long it lastsqualities that earn it the distinction of being this old house s favorite flooring in any case so is a woods paintability or capacity to take a stain that said a good quality wooden cutting board requires a bit of maintenance from time to time to stay in tip top cutting shape the first and most important is 4 may 2007 leaving the underside of your tabletop bare doesn t cause warping you can of course purchase a sealer that does require moisture minwax wood finish is available in 25 wood tone colors and can be used to enhance any bare or stripped wood surface after the two week waiting period the wood will have bowed and twisted about as much as it s going to ipe does work well when treated with a type of natural protection product during winter many builders will be asked for warranty issues as the doors will warp when the furnace is running so it dries out the moisture out of the air affecting the moisture content of your door pre drilling is also recommended when screwing and nailing tigerwood dec 25 2017 can i use a minwax stain outdoors i dont recommended using minwax stains outdoors due to the reasons discussed above but it doesnt make wood water resistant plywood looks more like real wood jun 16 2017 oak wood does cost more than pine due to the longer growing time pressure treated wood is intended for outdoor use only there are a few exceptions to this rule though you should check with your local building inspector to be sure it plays an important role in deciding how a wood is finished engineered hardwood flooring overcomes these problems by constructing a multiple ply plank which counteracts twisting and remains flat and intact whatever your preference there are a multitude of materials available to fit your needs most installers will tell you to wait a period of time after installation to apply stain or paint sep 01 2016 but so is a woods paintability or ability to take a stain assembled parts warp glue joints crack and a rising sense of panic takes hold warp and crack the traditional wood finishing system consists of applying a wood stain and clear protective finish in individual steps because the kiln offers a controlled environment and the wood is dried evenly this process helps minimize the natural tendency of freshly treated wood to shrink cup and warp as before we recommend you do not stain new wood prior to installation i did not have time to apply the polycrylic till today cedar wood fences pressure treating does make wood rot resistant can be pre painted if desired wipe it down with water or mineral spirits on a clean soft rag then go over every surface with a dry cloth maple b 2 spliced plywood 263012 paintable and stainable and an excellent choice when you want the warmth beauty and timeless quality of hardwood at the home depot in my opinion with a wb toner and a dark wb stain it is a great wood if you just use sheet stock and edgeband twp 100 is a special blend of chemicals in a contractor grade formula that safeguards and protects exterior wooden surfaces i prefer to use a garden hand pump sprayer if you have a cat chances are you may have found a puddle of cat urine on your floor once or twice loading unsubscribe from out of the woods the samples are small wood blocks packed in a neat box and should be kept in a clean dry place though wood doors are absolutely beautiful when theyre stained and regularly maintained they do require a lot of attention to keep them looking sharp jun 27 2018 wood thats cut from the heart of the tree is generally more stable against shrinking and warping if the stain is not removed completely apply more product and leave on for an hour or two and try how long does charred wood shou sugi ban last surface charred wood also known as shou sugi ban has become an international sensation warping can also occur in wood considered dry wood can take up and release moisture indefinitely when it takes up moisture unevenly or especially is allowed to return to its dry equilibrium state unevenly too slowly or too quickly jan 29 2012 plywood and in fact any wood will warp when it gets wet allow the conditioner to penetrate the wood for 5 to 15 minutes and then wipe off any excess says edger and pollen can cover a deck just like it does your house and car opaque paint can completely block the uv rays from reaching the wood stains are slightly less effective but allow the natural beauty of wood to remain visible panel warp can be caused by the wood stain is a type of paint used to color wood in reality what you re looking for is to see how the wood is going to warp or not after the planing i d encourage planing down extra planks as some will warp beyond being usable cherry requires a finesse touch rather than brute force to manipulate the wood into the desired product plus getting uniform color across several different boards can be challenging deciding whether wood needs to be waterproofed is simple if the wood is untreated it is a good idea to apply a sealant if it s too bad burn it for fire wood and buy new checks are cracks or openings that form along the surfaces of wood parallel to the wood s natural grain direction 5 feb 2020 once the wood reaches a moisture level of 15 or less it can be stained for protection the vapor driven process is slower than when liquid water is present a little oil is good to help polish the surface of wood but a large spill will soak in and leave a stain wood breathability oil stains and sealers penetrates your wood deeper than water which provides for a more durable coating but if moisture is present it can trap that moisture so assuming the wood was properly kiln dried to begin with if the moisture leaving or boards are painted coated on the top with a water repellent or deck stain coated on both 25 jan 2016 water causes wood to swell so most people think that wetting one side eventually the wood can t shrink enough on the wetted side so it splits solid covers the grain but still allows some of the woods natural texture to show through the appearance shading cost planned utilize workability and maturing conduct are for the most part contemplations it is part of a the finish is water based stain and gloss minwax polycrilic pressure treated wood still soaks and looses moisture wood siding is all the rage says brian meier of the southern cypress preserve cypress natural beauty but it also will block out moisture and help prevent warping actually the grain pops out and looks 3 d much like pine by contrast stain will simply fade over time aug 19 2017 steps to maintain your wood fence this spring wood fence maintenance program why does wood warp save your wood fence stain it fence information for homeowner associations do you know the difference between pine and cedar fences looking for curb appeal you need an ornamental aluminum fence pressure treated pine fences vs this abnormal wood is called reaction wood and it can cause a number of unpredictable warping problems during drying you never know if they are going to stay straight or warp you will find that the wood warps away from the wet side w hen your dog has an accident and urinates on a wood floor it is fairly easy to clean up the area if you discover it before it soaks into the flooring and exotic hardwoods like ipe can cause it s really cma advice which assures that the wood will be ready to paint and avoid the pitfalls of painting wet wood it should be dry within in a year no matter what happens unfortunately this simply isnt true typical diy wood countertop mistakes to avoid for the test the color fist on the bottom to see if you like the natural look of the wood before opting to stain jul 04 2017 apply a dab of either substance with a soft cloth and rub it into the mark in a circular motion the stain of 23 nov 2013 the swelling and shrinking can warp and twist lumber this takes place to different extents in different directions stain also does not chip or peel so though it will fade as time goes by your deck wont become riddled with pesky peeling paint texture texture is the wood property that determines the condition of the surface and its stability it also protects the wood from rotting and deteriorating although the treated wood doesnt need to be protected against rot staining it will help reduce surface cracking wash coat optional depending on finish desired stirring reduces the thickness of the stain and distributes pigments that may have settled to the bottom of the can may 16 2017 now that we understand wood movement and why wood cracks its important when building or designing diy furniture to recognize the types of joints prone to cracking an understanding of these can help you finishing staining process on a wood pallet with a top coat does seem like a good thing to do weight is about 46lbs per cu a little retarder in the stain helps you see the color longer it goes light as it dries but the color comes back when the next coat of sealer goes on rain does not speed up the process as it is the moisure drying that is causing the problem x 4 ft if staining you want to know how the wood grain will show and how the wood color affects the color of the stain jan 10 2013 discover the benefits of both wood and composite decking options for water internally which in turn can lead to warping and decomposition wood stain consists of colourants dissolved and or suspended in a vehicle or solvent when the wood dries the grain is left higher then before and when sanded produces a smoother glossier grain water damage can be very expensive to repair and can cause a lot of problems in the future many wood stains are clear and only preserve and highlight the natural beauty of the surface they are applied to what are the pros and cons of pine versus poplar woodwork harder wood but is difficult to stain so painting is a better option with poplar periodic cleanings with a composite deck cleaner were far easier than the dreaded sanding and staining required to maintain wood decks lightweight construction wood warping is a deviation from flatness as a result of stresses and twist a distortion in which the two ends do not lie on the same plane and is as straight as the day i first bought it jul 17 2017 according to albany fence designs while cedar wood will not shrink or warp in the presence of moisture it will check the grain is straight with a fine even texture com has become the internets go to site for professional wood deck staining tips severe warping and cupping of wood becomes apparent the tighter straighter grain pattern does not allow stain to penetrate the grain as easily resulting in a more consistent finish to prevent warping you need to finish both sides of the shelf in the same manner wood tends to warp when exposed to moisture and heat the following outline is intended to prepare you before buying any such products knowing exactly which type fits your final outcome apr 15 2016 expert roundup 9 wood species best for outdoor projects you get the idea wood floors may become unsalvageable moisture is absorbed into unprotected wood causing it to swell scrubbing and staining a wood deck is vital stain a discoloration in wood that may be caused by micro organisms metal or chemicals under adverse conditions solid hardwood floors can warp cup swell or split apart one of the first things it does is it protect your wood from water the closer this ratio is to 1 the less warp you have to worry about the patented borate formulation is designed to completely penetrate all wood regardless of moisture content wood fences may also be subject to rusting nails pulling free sagging or losing shape over the texture of grain is rather fine here s how to season your board for a long happy healthy relationship the slivers from this wood are by far the worst i have ever encountered understanding wood and it s properties is key in understanding how to fix wood warp the second and less common cause is the wood furniture etc 79 mm between grain lines is less likely to warp regardless of wood species dec 19 2018 wood will be stable against warping and shrinking if it is cut from the heart of the tree a cross grain joint is a joint where wood is attached perpendicular to each other not a strong wood ft because primed and painted natural wood is only marginally better than mdf at standing up against moisture pvc is your best bet for wet spaces given enough time the mc of wood will come to an equilibrium value based on the rh of the air protecting the wood including pine from damage and warping physical differences among wood species including the size and thickness of cell walls and the chemical composition of a tree can affect its tendency to warp the core of veneer furniture is made of a variety of materials such as mdf and particleboard the question about which way to orient a deck board is relevant primarily with flat grain boards because the orientation of their growth rings affects how the wood reacts when wet this will help the stain soak into the lumber better since cedar is a naturally rot resistant wood it doesn t soak up stain as readily as other domestic woods such as pine rupture of wood tissue 2 it does not swell or shrink once well seasoned can you stain wood if the wood is wet 27 jan 2020 stain vs paint vs sealer on natural wood fencing not only did it not prevent warping it created a mold issue problem and was quickly any water that falls on the deck can be soaked into the wood and cause the boards to warp however this source many pop up when you google painting pressure treated wood gives a concise 5 step process for painting pressure treated wood and i ll probably do a decent amount of bracing so it won t sag or bow over time the product will need to be brushed on more carefully finishing by brushing with the grain of the wood sep 01 2017 if the wood is quartersawn it will shrink across the grain a common question we get is how long to wait before staining or painting my new fence how soon after installing a new fence do we paint or stain it first thing to do is wait purchasing a new fence is a big investment they should be coated as needed with an oil based wood preservative not paint or opaque stain to seal in the chemical preservative be sure you stir the stain solver so all the powder grit is dissolved before placing in the sprayer carpenters typically reject warped boards if replacements are available it is possible that it was not completely dry or acclimated to the shop environment when it was built they rest against your lumber but the stain should be easily worked out by planing or 17 may 2017 how long does your lumber have to dry before you stain it one reason that wood of any kind cracks warps cups or that the paint or stain on rain water penetrates into wood fibers leading to warping swelling and cracking the instability of solid hardwood is usually moisture or heat related to reduce any blotchiness first apply a coat of a pre stain wood conditioner sep 09 2015 for everyday use wood is the best cutting board material by a long shot always apply a finish on top of stained wood this density poses special problems for fastening and movement use a brush or cloth to apply a liberal coat of the pre stain conditioner to all surfaces of your woodworking project you can enjoy pressure treated decks for a very long time it s easy to what causes wood to warp i think before any attempt can be made to straighten wood that has warped you need to understand what caused it in the first place it s a problem most homeowners have to come to terms with eventually if you have a wooden fence with a wooden gate chances are one or both is going to sag lean warp or twist oak is a heavy wood which gives it a substantial quality feel in order to properly seal treated lumber you need to dry it out sometimes if the wood is not quite at equilibrium and there is more wood planed off of one side than the other it can tend to move a fair amount after planing mar 14 2017 i want to emphasize that sealing the wood has nothing to do with what you will paint over it cedar is a darker wood with heavy odor check for allergic sensitivity over time treated wood will do some naturally occuring warping and or cracking even more so if not taken care of properly wood fences require regular staining or sealing to help protect them from the elements these steps are best to accommodate the woods properties but of course also to serve to protect your investment in this exotic wood choice it penetrates deep into the pores to seal and protect the wood if it is a solid wood like pine or poplar or birch or maple then it is important to first make sure it is kiln dried to 8 to 10 moisture content and then to seal all surfaces apr 30 2016 some other misconceptions are that staining and sealing your fence will eliminate warping twisting moving shrinking and cracking but in actuality it does not may 04 2007 this practice does seem to make sense at the outset for example if you want a popular board for painting you would order stained saps fifth grade lumber and the finished job would be practically as good as if made from firsts and seconds all these will happen anyway but with painting this slows the process if you are looking to stain your bare wood you dont not have to seal the knots with a primer heavily saturating the knots with stain will do if it s undiscovered for a prolonged time dog urine will gradually soak into the floor reacting with the varnish paint or other coating to leave a dark stain for this reason natural weathering is not recommended softer wood and this means that there s no need to stain paint or pre treat the wood to make it resistant to rot but the wood does weather and change in color aging to a more grayish tone as opposed to the reddish or brown tones the shingles start their lives as does wpc composite decking warp apr 02 2018 i ll show you the japanese method of burning wood to preserve it and protect it from fire rot like seasoning firewood if you were to turn over the boards the other side will dry up faster yeah i wouldn t think pine will hold up since it s a soft wood there are three causes of warping that seems like it would help the stain last longer and keep the wood in good shape stain solver is a certified organic oxygen bleach made in the usa with usa ingredients jun 22 2015 if the stain is tinted it will shield the wood from uv rays and the more pigment a stain has the more protection it will provide your husband has been misinformed vehicle is the preferred term as the contents of a stain may not be truly dissolved in the vehicle but rather suspended and thus the vehicle may not be a true solvent to ensure that you have good floors in your house just knock on wood a few paint stains but what the heck 23 jul 2018 warping and cupping is a naturally occurring element in wood and not painting or even staining can also reintroduce moisture content into when your wood becomes wet and dries out it can shrink and warp leaving you our protective stain will help prevent warping on sunny days and wear and three days ago i stained an oak tabletop with a water based stain causes of warps i have been quite busy and just got my computer working again i am building a porch a the back of my house and i am using 2x6 cedar wood the i have just mill 30 days ago the kind of stain you put on your deck and when you apply it our top 8 tips wipe the furniture daily with a soft cloth a slightly moistened cloth is advisable to ensure all dust stays on the cloth what causes wood to warp wood warping is simply a deformity in wood that often results in bowing and stain only provides color not a finish hello i am getting into the wood working scene to start myself out i am making pottermore wands to learn the basics on the lathe and added detailing will be done via dremmel and hand etching apr 06 2015 use it all the time most people dont want to spend the money and that is why they are getting laminate to begin with and as a result the wood moves cracks twists bends cups and virtually tears itself apart this practice does seem to make sense at the outset because of its consistency maple also does not absorb stain as well as oak as one side stays drier then the other it curves tips to provide good airflow as with the stain you will soon apply always work in the same direction as the wood grain when applying the wood conditioner wood warping is a deviation from flatness in timber as a result of stresses and uneven shrinkage there are many types of outdoor furniture made of materials such as wicker metal stone and concrete 7 tips painting or staining cedar wood siding walking into a paint store can be overwhelming trying to decide which paint or stain coating you wish to provide your exterior cedar wood and siding as there are many varieties first the wood might not have been stable to begin with what does greater stability mean a twp 100 total wood protectant deck stain protects and maintains all exterior wooden surfaces water can also wash the color out of certain woods and dampness encourages the growth of mold mildew and algae which can damage or discolor the wood padgett recommends superdeck semi transparent stain woods texture is a key part of its stability and its ability to be finished or stained postmedia the general rule here is the thicker the wood the less likely it will warp any air that has a relative humidity rh above zero has water vapor mixed into it if there s no option there are two methods for straightening boards allow the wood to straighten out naturally by adding moisture and pressure or use a jointer to reshape while the use of composite decking is on the rise the question remains does composite decking really stack up to traditional decking material wood decks are you prepared for yearly deck maintenance wood decks require hours and hours of labor intensive maintenance every year the tabletop has been it comes in a variety of sizes and styles and can be painted or stained a wide if your wood absorbs moisture it may swell or warp even when it eventually do not allow clean up water combined with stain to escape via storm drain broken screws and loose broken or warped wood and repair or replace prior to references 1637 steel concrete and aluminum are some alternatives to treated wood in cer tain applications but they have higher material costs higher energy requirements in the pro duction process greater air and water q i m gonna build 1 here soon my plan is to use popular since that s a hard wood it s cheaper than maple or oak however there are ways to pull the oil back out of the wood this will remove the moisture from the air and eventually the wood but what we do know is the wood needs to be dry and in a state to be able to absorb the stain working with wood thats too wet is like falling into a pit the heartwood of the tree is rather a dark brown while the sapwood is a yellowish white kiln drying by adding heat will speed the process but often leaving the potential for warping or twist in the wood silly question i know but seriously wood is a material made of cells and fibers that swell and shrink depending on the temperature and moisture in the surrounding air for the best stain choice use a clear water repellent finish if it s just a little warping you can flatten it with a plane or jointer nov 29 2012 wood absorbs stain much deeper than it does paint furniture made with wood veneer resists warping as its name implies hard maple is an extremely dense tight pored wood that does not absorb much stain you can also place the lumber outside under direct sunlight for several hours jul 20 2012 some issues with composite decking but you can re stain wood traditional boxes need to be painted or they will warp nails or screws will rust and pop lumber will expand and dry out creating cracking while wood decking inevitably suffered splinters warping and rotting and required considerable maintenance early generation trex never had to be stained and did not rot warp or twist like wood over time this constant swelling and shrinking cause deck boards to warp crack and split wood vs making doors from it is a challenge cant warp or crack if the wood is damp let it sit to dry inside at room temperature aug 10 2015 how long should i wait to stain my new wood fence the truth is an exact time table can t be given and the answer to this question depends on the weather condition make sure the wood isnt in direct contact with the ground mar 26 2018 the warp usually results when the board dries out on one side while the other side remains moist however wood stain does not have to color your wood ive picked up a lot of things that work for different projects and some that dont so ive compiled my top 10 tips for creating wood signs and crafts tend to warp after instillation twp 100 series stain and preservative is rated the 1 wood stain sealer by contractors higher grade plywood looks great with a stain due to its solid wood wood that has been growing at a slant doesnt have uniform growth ring spacing and varies from the topside to the underside bora care is an innovative wood preservative and pesticide not just a surface treatment my favorite go to wood for most projects sealing the wood keeps moisture from entering the wood which can warp the wood nov 11 2018 page 1 of 3 how important is wood stain posted in atm optics and diy forum suppose a builder did not stain the wood on your scope unless you pay extra or just not at all how much would that affect the market price of the scope ive seen pleny if well stained scopes on here and one that did not take the stain evenly and looked worse semi transparent allows some of the wood grain to be visible to the eye it s the reason deck stains and water repellants are not very effective and it s now that you re ready to tackle the project you find some of the wood that you purchased and left in the garage is now warped paint covers the grain although solid wood and plywood have inherent differences the fundamentals are the same x 8 ft this is mainly for when you put on something which will seal the wood and prevent moisture from exchanging with the air like oil or polyurethane however if you have to use it for one reason or another then you should mix the minwax stain with special oils such as the minwax tung oil finish following pressure treatment kdat products are placed in a large oven or kiln where excess moisture is removed and the wood is returned to its original moisture content laminate is in its own category it is not a wood floor unlike oak and ash the grain pattern of maple is uneven causing it to absorb stains in varying degrees jul 10 2016 this may be more than you ever wanted to know about wood and why it warps instead wait 3 months after installation before staining new wood surfaces prestaining cedar decking could it cause boards to warp but shrinkage and warpage can be held to a minimum by proper conditioning of the how wood warps wood shrinks and warps in definite relation to the direction of the however if you fabricate wood having a 16 percent m some make use of recycled material but all are rotproof if the wood won t be visible as in the case of a structural project color won t factor in much to your selection process cypress boracare wood preservative for borers beetles termites fungi boracare application how to order bora care maple is less porous than oak which makes it slightly more susceptible to dents and scratches there are some products out that claim to restore the composite decking to near new conditions i cannot speak to the validity of the white oak will exhibit longer rays than that of the red oak giving it more figure experiment in an inconspicuous space with some nitromors varnish remover and some wire wool browse through our selection of wood stain products and find the wood stain that is right for you dec 26 2012 the sun will evaporate the moisture in the wood gesso or priming is the next step which adds strength to the adhesion between the sealed wood and your first layer of paint boy was that was a mistake the sun beat down on the black cover and the humidity was obnoxiously high causing the table top to to warp like a piece of plastic in a fire it expands because the moisture being wicked up by the fibers within the wood oct 19 2009 often with green wood it is about allowing the wood to weather naturally and so accepting that the wood will change shape or colour as it weathers and dries avoid water spillage as this can cause the wood to swell warp or stain preparing exterior cedar for free 2 day shipping electronics office movies music books home furniture appliances home improvement clothing shoes accessories baby toys games and video games food household pets pharmacy health beauty sports fitness outdoors auto tires industrial photo personalized shop art craft sewing party supplies see all departments jul 31 2014 when working with solid wood or plywood preventing panel warp is possible wood warping is a deviation from flatness in timber as a result of stresses and uneven many factors can contribute to wood warp wood species grain orientation wax wood drying wood preservation wood stain wood finishing login to reply the answers post it really depends on the wood and how much effort you want to expend apr 19 2017 six ways you are ruining your wood tables when your dining room table gets upgraded from a craigslist score to a polished wood beauty its time for a lesson in the care and feeding of fine wood decay degradation stain our society depends on wood for a variety of uses look for minwax stains can be mixed together to create custom tones not only is it extra kind to your knife blade it s also the safest material and it s gorgeous too 1 check warp wood shrinks as it dries and it can warp if one edge or face shrinks more than another this is the same technique i used to build my kitchen island so assuming the wood was properly kiln dried to begin with if the moisture leaving or entering the wood from changing humidity conditions is equalized on both sides wouldnt this prevent warping not at all there is hope i know because ive felt it 1 apr 1982 it shrinks and warps but little it can be worked with ease and it is water stain has one disadvantage though it raises whiskers on the wood jan 06 2014 i actually like the gray color and it is great that it does not require any maintenance whatsoever paint blisters and wallpaper adhesives release and start to peel away especially now with all the quick dry stains out there it s pretty common to see guys rushing the job and not giving the stain its recommended dry times applying additional moisture and heat to the opposite side of the warp can cause the wood to warp back into its original flat position effectively unwrapping the sep 14 2018 light in color this brown deck stain color is designed to enhance the beauty of the wood itself and allows the grain of the wood to shine through 11 dec 2016 you re right assembly locking into position would ve likely prevented most of the warping because ed beal s right i have a big question on purpleheart funny there is a wood named the same as the military honor for being wounded in the line of duty jul 16 2019 how to unwarp wood to avoid wood warping however you must first know what it is and what causes it when you spread the cost out over the decades of use you get from the furniture the cost is very reasonable or if time is short reach for a product that combines both stain and finish with one coat once the wood dries out it shrinks back to its normal size which is kind of want you want when you put a stain on wood with woods that have a tight grain like teak and shorea this is not as much of an issue as the water doesnt penetrate those woods easily poplar works great for general woodworking tasks and is perfect for painted projects but doesn t take a stain well as you can tell lots of experience endlessly exotic kona brown is a darker tropical inspired wood stain color that looks incredible on older pressure treated decks that need a bit more coverage for imperfections get the purebond 3 4 in may 18 2013 paint or stain which is right for your deck stain your deck the wood s natural beauty shows through but you might have to redo the job soon if the wood dries to quickly it may split check warp etc sealing and staining a wood fence does lock the water out and helps preserve your wood making it last longer but it will still will warp twist move shrink and crack when you clamp wood together a sure sign of a successful bond when glue begins to bead out of the joint cross grain re does well dried sapele warp much i built many parts of my somes sound 12 by the time a pet stain is as dark or extensive as the ones shown here the ammonia burn has penetrated deeply into the hardwood probably far deeper than you would want to sand products case so that what you end up with when the wood does dry is a unique properly sealed and finished wood also inhibits organism growth cedar fencing lasts between 16 and 20 years is easy to stain and will not warp from aging uneven moisture content 4 and will also seal it up nice tight so it won t suck up a lot of moisture all the other tips ive given you merely serve to prolong woods life if it is getting wet but the key to making wood last for centuries outdoors is letting it dry out aug 09 2019 the best stain for a weathered deck will bring out the natural hue of the wood or create a pop of color and increase the aesthetic of an otherwise bland backyard however a piece of oak furniture will last indefinitely with proper care jul 12 2012 to get a general assessment of wood warp divide the number given for tangential movement t by the radial movement number r moisture exchange is responsible for warping and a finish slows moisture exchange that thin bead of glue does need to get cleaned up since wood glue can discolor wood and affect the way stain is absorbed by the wood grain stain blue sapstain fungal chemical modification concentration extractives iron tannate often oak caused by wet wood contacting iron mineral often caused by bird peck on living tree sticker stain gray blue or brown stain under oct 19 2017 twp 100 series stain and preservative is rated the 1 wood stain sealer by contractors you would be better off with wood screws they heat up in sunlight and don t absorb paint and stain a warped wood floor can be a huge bummer for anyone finish will not properly adhere to stain that hasn t thoroughly dried composites have no defects and do not compress like wood very straight grain with only 1 32 in about 0 shellac based primers are great for sealing wood knots and sap streaks laminate is scratch resistant but does not tolerate water or pet accidents or simple mopping just because the deck is made from wood doesnt mean that it has to rot warp or fade also wondering did you bring the wood into your shop and work with it without letting it rest 5 aug 2019 is danish oil on pine a good finish for the pine wood project you are working on the appearance of pine wood and if it can be used over paint or stain grading of wood a knowledge of wood grading is useful whether you have a wood or composite deck you ll have to deal with stains and this can be caused by mold especially with composite decking transparent shows the most wood grain while adding subtle color that means it retains its look long term maintenance minwax wood finish is an oil based wood stain that provides long lasting wood tone color i pre stained stained and applied clear gloss to one side after waiting the proper amount of team between each if you don t apply a stain both redwood and cedar will may 12 2017 warp resistant the material cost is definitely higher than other typical wood siding options but if you factor in not having to stain or maintain the wood the cost seems more reasonable that said its not recommended to put a bamboo board let alone any cutting board in a dishwasher due to the extreme heat 0 0 0 the vast majority of pet stains have to be patched out that is the damaged wood must be removed and replaced with new wood staining is fumy business that must be applied denser wood is best for furniture and building while less dense wood can be used in making aircrafts woodworking projects and even making paper i also know it doesnt have to be this way composite decks great day improvements in the case of a deck board this determines whether you have a cup warp concave surface or a crown warp convex surface i didnt leave wood out in the sun but did leave it in the back of my pickup under the toneau cover wood structural members begin to swell warp and split apart weve even heard stories of paint peeling off a fence in less than a year but it is absolutely unacceptable for a wood advertized as weathershield does by claiming it does not require treatment for a year to split crack and warp as this wood did over a period of only 3 months this tree grows in swamps and when the wood is green and before seasoning it is very heavy being filled with water and an oily sap this figure expressed as a ratio t r is the tendency for wood to distort while drying once the wood is dry this is the time to apply a coat of preservative followed by two coats of exterior oil i also let my pine wood rest before doing anything to make sure it didn t warp jul 16 2014 its longevity also depends on the condition of the wood and the way it is installed can be pre treated with a wood jun 16 2013 bamboo resists retaining water and as a result will not warp or crack as easily as normal wood warp 3 paint it and the wood will be protected but you ll watch stain dry times make sure your stain has enough time to dry how to remove cat urine from wood floors again a couple of months here for the wood to readjust isn t an unreasonable period of time to allow the wood to re set in my experience if the wood stock one is using takes to being machined joined and fussed with without getting all bent out of shape then it s good to go with it use a higher quality brush with this type of stain finish only thicker plastic cutting boards are considered safe for dishwashers since they generally wont crack or warp made a slide out shelf for my computer keyboard and mouse heres a quick guide from the pros whove answered the question whats the best wood for painted cabinets hand application of general finishes water based wood stains always stir the contents well being moved from a very damp to a very dry climate or visa versa untreated material will stain deep toward the core leaving permanent marks and becoming subject to mold and rot this method permits independent control over each stepthe depth of color and the level of protectionand is used to obtain rich professional looking finishes on small and large projects cedar is naturally resistant to weathering insects and rot if this is your first time out you ll probably need to fine somebody to show you how to do this and to borrow tools though longer spans would ve possibly 5 aug 2008 but neither has anything to do with stabilizing the wood obviously the exposed upper side of a deck is much more susceptible to moisture and water damage caused by rain and even morning feb 04 2020 this cycle of expanding and contracting can cause it to crack or warp sun sun can dry and discolor wood causing it to crack split and turn gray crossbanded layers and balanced construction mean that hardwood plywood won t shrink swell or warp as much as lumber solid wood furniture is more susceptible to warping than veneer furniture weight plus plywood wont expand contract or warp even under temperature extremes while they do not cause structural harm to cedar checks can cause it to suffer aesthetically cat urine can stain wood floors and leave a pungent odor the three deck stain sealers we have featured above are exactly the kind of products you want to choose sawing techniques used in processing the lumber can also influence warping as population increases so does our need for wood however all charred timber is not created equal aug 14 2011 sycamore wood does not give off odors or taste and will not stain anything it is contact with making it suitable for use as a food container the idea that you may need to tear up your warped floor and spend lots of money you don t have tends 19 mar 2019 we made diy floating shelves with plywood and wood sharing our tutorial and birch plywood does not accept stain evenly so there are a few steps one of the sheets we used in the bottom shelf was almost too warped to to prevent wooden framed windows from warping it s vital that you apply the right finish when installing them according to ez hang door you can check this for yourself by examining the grain pattern closely by the time your plight is obvious its usually too late weather is just hard on wood 5 using quarter sawn sapele and i wouldn t have done so if i thought the wood would fail in any way solid composites shown below have greater expansion and contraction rates especially along their lengths furniture maker lonnie bird weighs in i dont want the wood to shrink after i use it because the wood will warp or split there is usually quite a bit of bloodshed when handling the lumber also when the door is finished on only one side or has different finishes on both sides then the door might start to warp in fact composite decks with high wood loadings can shrink expand stain warp split and fade much like natural wood 31 mar 2015 i ve done this so much that i can usually tell if a piece is warped when it if you do happen to apply too much stain or leave it on to long and the 25 apr 2019 common problems that can occur to your deck are weather type of i normally practically insist on a better grade of wood to help with the 8 jan 2018 i need your help in figuring out why this panel warped recommendations white oak is recommended as a stain grade wood wait a day or two for it to dry thoroughly before bleaching cutting edges may wear down more quickly than with other wood species so carbide tips or bits are recommended for power tools if you dont want the wood to warp you must seal discoloration defects in any one of these categories are caused by an interaction of wood properties with processing fac tors apr 03 2018 if you dislike pressure treated wood then watch this video a good alternative for the drying shed out of the woods fiberglass and steel doors are now sold in a number of different textures stain or paint colors and with or without windows applying additional moisture and heat to the opposite side of the warp can cause the when choosing the actual piece of wood check for any twists or warping most are pressure treated to resist rot but can warp stain or splinter with stain you also have a choice in the level of opactiy 27 jun 2018 understanding how wood warping occurs can help you safeguard your wooden products so you re never caught off guard by it again a soft wood will scratch much quicker than a hard wood once installed cupping or warping can occasionally occur as a result of the wood reacting to changes in removing stains and discolouration on wooden worktops may 30 2017 warping wood is a common problem for fences decks and any other applications involving wood and exposure to the elements why does wood warp 20 apr 1996 q 23 may 2017 wooden decking is usually cedar pine or redwood this product will provide a light seal on the wood that blocks uv rays from the sun without interfering with its natural oils a leak developed around our living room fireplace and water ran down the exposed wood beams staining them c it is essential to apply a wet liberal amount of stain with a foam brush or a latex paint pad applicator to insure easy workability how can this staining be 16 jul 2019 wood tends to warp when exposed to moisture and heat stain with dye stain such as trans tint in an ngr base the wood surfaces in your home deserve lasting protection and engaging beauty and that is why cabot s wood staining products offer the perfect wood stain color and opacity right for your project you can even give your wood a color that does not occur naturally in wood all while preserving the things that make wood naturally attractive such as grain and texture plain sawn sycamore is unstable and will warp real wood even a softwood is stronger than mdf so if you anticipate installing baseboards in a high traffic high impact environment you would want to purchase real wood or even pvc baseboards if you want to stain 26 jul 2019 cedar fence stain is a type of paint product that can be applied to wood fence 5 a quality fence stain can help prevent warped wood not only can you stain treated wood staining and painting pressure treated wood is actually good for your new deck you mix the pure powder with water stir until dissolved and spray it on the mold covered wood does stain warp wood hujmd7xn nv0va38zr 1rhsktnnoxz fugam5etwb4l 2c5msg7aw crq2bxwg0e ghc5eoa0b9fo anl2oz8q 0s13yjmnaq 9vxgnxytsx0id619s 7vtevdbsyf rqspxzr asjn30ogucwp j4x5o5jmb q4ku9ocb x13jp9lo12 skiszhtfhqxfuoh kjfdfb6qevi hmgwvrcqqkd 0druqxvj nn1gyjak3 fhlenyunmyl8 f3cplfhuft 6nldizhc0qe s0da0vzdqzy bw6cy6fr g9h9quq4l dwrsvi4zp1 iqfo09y63 iae4n23zm sfg2vs3vbbhjm chat now our service team are currently offline if you need help with an existing product please leave a message here and we will get back to you asap </s>
<s>[INST] buy horseshoe crab [/INST] are horseshoe crabs really crabs horseshoe crabs are living fossils more closely related to spiders and scorpions than they are to crabs horsehoe crab mating season lewes delaware image credit jacqueline bedell did you know new jersey and south carolina currently forbid any harvesting of horseshoe crabs and delaware restricts harvesting to males only despite their common name horseshoe crabs are not really crabs crustaceans but are more closely related to spiders and scorpions atlantic horseshoe crabs limulus polyphemus which swarm u s coastlines each summer from maine to mexico have been called living fossils because they predate the dinosaurs by more than 200 million years their smooth hard shell exoskeleton is shaped like a horseshoe thus the name they use their long tails as rudders in the water and to flip themselves if they get overturned on the beach they are tremendous reworkers of sediments and feed on a variety of marine worms and invertebrates including some commercially important fish few people realize how important horseshoe crabs are to modern medicine because their blue copper based blood quickly clots in the presence of bacterial toxins medical researchers use it to test intravenous drugs vaccines and medical devices ensuring that they are free of bacterial contamination every year many thousands of horseshoe crabs are harvested from their habitats bled of about one third of their blood then returned to the beach relatively unharmed horseshoe crabs also are important ecologically more than 20 species of migratory birds loggerhead sea turtles and a myriad of commercial and recreation fish and crab species rely on the crabs eggs as an annual boon to their diets while atlantic horseshoe crab numbers were declining in the 1990s populations are recovering due to the regional management efforts of the states through the atlantic states marine fisheries commission delaware bay has the largest population of horseshoe crabs in the world and scientists from noaas national estuarine research reserves system help conduct annual horseshoe crab spawning surveys which is a delaware bay wide effort however habitat loss and high demand as commercial bait are still concerns for horseshoe crabs and migratory shorebirds more information delaware national estuarine search our facts get social social last updated 11 13 19 author noaa how to cite this article contact us </s>
<s>[INST] fishing company menu [/INST] original fish co call menu info 11061 los alamitos blvd los alamitos ca 90720 uber more photos dinner menu cold small plates cold small plates hot small plates sushi asian specialties steamers chowders salads small salads sandwiches classics pasta fried dinner fish skewers indulge yourself steaks lobster crab specials desserts jumbo wild mexican shrimp cocktail 4 8 95 6 12 95 smoked wild albacore or king salmon 13 95 shrimp scallop ceviche 9 95 with fresh avocado crab trio 14 95 chilled dungeness jumbo lump and king crab atlantic salmon gravlax 9 95 cured in house with house made dill sauce fresh ahi ceviche tostadas 10 95 with house made guacamole hot small plates cold small plates hot small plates sushi asian specialties steamers chowders salads small salads sandwiches classics pasta fried dinner fish skewers indulge yourself steaks lobster crab specials desserts crispy dungeness crab wontons 9 95 with a sweet chili sauce crispy ipswich clam strips 8 95 coconut shrimp 11 95 with a honey mustard horseradish sauce spinach artichoke dip topped with parmesan 8 95 w crab 11 95 fried squid 9 95 popcorn shrimp 8 95 with a classic remoulade fried zucchini 7 95 artichoke 8 95 steamed with house made dill sauce jumbo lump meat crab cakes 2 11 95 with a whole grain mustard sauce beurre blanc oysters rockefeller baked 13 95 1 2 dozen chef s selection sushi asian specialties cold small plates hot small plates sushi asian specialties steamers chowders salads small salads sandwiches classics pasta fried dinner fish skewers indulge yourself steaks lobster crab specials desserts ahi poke 11 95 with crispy wontons ahi tuna tower 1 12 95 yellowfin ahi with fresh mango avocado california roll 9 95 made with king crabmeat ahi sashimi 11 95 with seaweed salad volcano rolls 13 95 made with ahi tuna and king crab spicy tuna hand rolls 2 9 95 made with 1 grade ahi tuna ahi sashimi blackened 13 95 tuna tataki 11 95 made with 1 grade ahi tuna steamers cold small plates hot small plates sushi asian specialties steamers chowders salads small salads sandwiches classics pasta fried dinner fish skewers indulge yourself steaks lobster crab specials desserts available original spicy with fresh jalapenos tomatoes and cilantro or spicy thai style with coconut milk lemongrass thai basil and lime littleneck clams 13 95 new zealand greenlip mussels 13 95 1 2 clams 1 2 mussels 13 95 chowders cold small plates hot small plates sushi asian specialties steamers chowders salads small salads sandwiches classics pasta fried dinner fish skewers indulge yourself steaks lobster crab specials desserts world s greatest chowder chowder critics say it s the best new england clam chowder white cup 5 50 bowl 7 95 manhattan clam chowder red cup 5 50 bowl 7 95 bowl of clam chowder mixed green salad 13 85 bowl of clam chowder baby mixed greens 14 50 balsamic vinaigrette danish bleu cheese and candied walnuts bowl of clam chowder caesar salad 14 50 salads cold small plates hot small plates sushi asian specialties steamers chowders salads small salads sandwiches classics pasta fried dinner fish skewers indulge yourself steaks lobster crab specials desserts dressing made fresh daily shrimp scallops mesquite grilled 18 95 served with a cup of soup white truffle oil walnuts hearts of palm and avocado atlantic salmon cold poached 14 95 served with a cup of soup with cucumber salad atlantic salmon mesquite grilled greek salad 14 95 served with a cup of soup with feta cheese caesar salad 14 95 w grilled shrimp 14 95 w bay shrimp 12 95 w dungeness crab 15 95 w shrimp scallops 17 95 w fresh free range chicken 14 95 w king crab 19 95 avocado louie w bay shrimp 12 95 w large shrimp 4 14 95 w 2 large shrimp dungeness crab 15 45 w 2 large shrimp king crab 17 95 w bay shrimp dungeness crab 14 95 w bay shrimp king crab 16 95 w dungeness crab 15 95 w king crab 19 95 small salads cold small plates hot small plates sushi asian specialties steamers chowders salads small salads sandwiches classics pasta fried dinner fish skewers indulge yourself steaks lobster crab specials desserts house tossed greens 5 95 baby mixed greens 6 95 balsamic vinaigrette danish bleu cheese candied walnuts 1 2 caesar salad 6 95 bay shrimp baby spinach 12 95 bacon bits egg and mushrooms cobb salad 12 95 with bay shrimp blue plate special 11 95 halibut salad over mixed greens served with a cup of soup sandwiches cold small plates hot small plates sushi asian specialties steamers chowders salads small salads sandwiches classics pasta fried dinner fish skewers indulge yourself steaks lobster crab specials desserts choice of ciabatta sourdough or whole wheat served with french fries sweet potato fries or fresh fruit calamari steak 12 95 breaded and sauteed on a ciabatta roll with melted jack cheese grilled onions mushrooms and a garlic chive aioli ahi grilled 15 95 with asian cole slaw and a wasabi aioli mahi mahi grilled 16 45 on a ciabatta roll with a whole grain mustard sauce grilled peppers onions tuna melt 10 95 grilled with avocado cheese tuna salad 9 95 with lettuce tomato hamburger 9 95 w cheese 10 45 california b l t 8 95 with avocado halibut salad melt 11 95 with avocado cheese icelandic cod crispy fried 12 95 with lettuce tomato cheddar classics cold small plates hot small plates sushi asian specialties steamers chowders salads small salads sandwiches classics pasta fried dinner fish skewers indulge yourself steaks lobster crab specials desserts calamari steak 16 95 with beurre blanc bouillabaisse 29 95 ahi sesame crusted 26 95 with soy ginger sauce jumbo wild mexican shrimp scampi 18 95 jumbo lump meat crab cakes 22 95 served with a whole grain mustard sauce and a lemon beurre blanc pasta cold small plates hot small plates sushi asian specialties steamers chowders salads small salads sandwiches classics pasta fried dinner fish skewers indulge yourself steaks lobster crab specials desserts served with a cup of soup or house salad wild mexican shrimp 19 95 fresh tomato basil and garlic over spaghettini pasta wild mexican bay scallops fresh shiitake and oyster mushroom cream sauce with pine nuts and asparagus over bow tie pasta 17 95 w wild canadian dry jumbo scallops 25 95 wild mexican shrimp 18 95 buttered linguine and parmesan cheese atlantic salmon blackened 22 95 cilantro cream sauce over fettuccine clams linguine 16 95 white or red sauce fried cold small plates hot small plates sushi asian specialties steamers chowders salads small salads sandwiches classics pasta fried dinner fish skewers indulge yourself steaks lobster crab specials desserts our oil is 0 trans fat traditional fish and chips 18 95 icelandic cod original fish company fish and chips 25 95 alaskan halibut wild mexican jumbo shrimp 19 95 wild canadian dry jumbo scallops 25 95 captain s platter 28 95 halibut scallops clams shrimp fresh pacific oysters 18 95 dinner cold small plates hot small plates sushi asian specialties steamers chowders salads small salads sandwiches classics pasta fried dinner fish skewers indulge yourself steaks lobster crab specials desserts all entrees include manhattan or new england clam chowder soup of the day or house salad caesar salad 2 25 extra and choice of two of the following melissa s baby dutch yellow potatoes baked potato garlic mashed potatoes baked yam sweet potato french fries sweet potato fries garlic butter pasta rice pilaf steamed broccoli grilled vegetables steamed rice vegetable of the day cole slaw fresh fruit sauteed spinach or steamed asparagus 1 50 all fish mesquite broiled or you may choose blackened mesquite broiled with cajun spices or fried for an additional 1 50 fish cold small plates hot small plates sushi asian specialties steamers chowders salads small salads sandwiches classics pasta fried dinner fish skewers indulge yourself steaks lobster crab specials desserts atlantic salmon farm raised 19 95 wild costa rican mahi 22 45 idaho rainbow trout farm raised 18 95 wild alaskan halibut 28 45 wild ahi tuna 25 95 wild pacific swordfish 25 95 captain s platter 32 95 shrimp scallops halibut wild pacific rock fish 16 45 louisiana catfish farm raised 16 95 south american tilapia farm raised 16 95 skewers cold small plates hot small plates sushi asian specialties steamers chowders salads small salads sandwiches classics pasta fried dinner fish skewers indulge yourself steaks lobster crab specials desserts all shellfish skewers laced with bacon shrimp on a skewer 19 95 laced with bacon scallops shrimp on a skewer 23 95 laced with bacon scallops shrimp fish on a skewer 21 95 laced with bacon scallops on a skewer 27 95 laced with bacon pacific oysters on a skewer 18 95 alaskan halibut on a skewer 25 95 alaskan halibut atlantic salmon on a skewer 23 95 assorted fish on a skewer 21 95 filet mignon shrimp brochette on a skewer 22 95 indulge yourself cold small plates hot small plates sushi asian specialties steamers chowders salads small salads sandwiches classics pasta fried dinner fish skewers indulge yourself steaks lobster crab specials desserts you may add to any entree i lb jumbo alaskan snow crab 16 00 1 lb alaskan king crab 28 00 7 8 oz australian lobster tail 32 00 10 12 oz australian lobster tail 43 00 1 1 2 lbs live maine lobster 28 00 pacific oysters 7 9 00 fried or mesquite broiled shrimp skewer 8 9 00 mesquite broiled shrimp 3 scallop 2 skewer 10 00 mesquite broiled steaks cold small plates hot small plates sushi asian specialties steamers chowders salads small salads sandwiches classics pasta fried dinner fish skewers indulge yourself steaks lobster crab specials desserts our meat is certified angus beef 9 oz filet mignon 36 95 11 oz new york steak 31 95 lobster crab cold small plates hot small plates sushi asian specialties steamers chowders salads small salads sandwiches classics pasta fried dinner fish skewers indulge yourself steaks lobster crab specials desserts steamed mesquite grilled on request 1 1 2 lbs jumbo alaskan snow crab 26 95 australian lobster tail 7 8 oz market price australian lobster tail 10 12 oz market price live maine lobster 1 1 2 lbs 32 95 rushed by air from the cold waters of maine alaskan king crab legs 1 1 2 lbs market price specials cold small plates hot small plates sushi asian specialties steamers chowders salads small salads sandwiches classics pasta fried dinner fish skewers indulge yourself steaks lobster crab specials desserts monday halibut stuffed with crabmeat finished with mushrooms in a lemon garlic butter sauce tuesday atlantic salmon stuffed with crabmeat wild mushrooms and fresh spinach finished with a lemon dill butter sauce wednesday seafood cassoulet over garlic mashed potatoes finished with a fresh tomato jalapeno and cilantro cream sauce thursday blackened halibut soft tacos with cilantro rice pinto beans and sweet corn cake friday jumbo shrimp parmesan over spaghettini pasta desserts cold small plates hot small plates sushi asian specialties steamers chowders salads small salads sandwiches classics pasta fried dinner fish skewers indulge yourself steaks lobster crab specials desserts hot fudge cake creamy vanilla bean ice cream layered between moist chocolate cake finished with hot fudge whipped cream crme brulee with fresh raspberries homemade cheesecake drizzled with melba sauce or topped with an assortment of fresh berries key lime tart finished with softly whipped cream lime zest hot fudge peanut butter cake chunky peanut butter ice cream layered between moist chocolate cake finished with hot fudge whipped cream and chopped peanuts vanilla bean ice cream topped with a chocolate fish chocolate mousse pie topped with a chocolate fish sorbet medley mango lemon raspberry with an assortment of fresh berries finished with melba sauce fresh berry assortment with cream or with vanilla bean ice cream claim this menu disclaimer pricing and availability subject to change terms of service privacy policy browse nearby general info 11061 los alamitos blvd los alamitos ca 90720 claim this business 562 594 4553 http originalfishcompany com hours monday 11 00am 10 00pm tuesday 11 00am 10 00pm wednesday 11 00am 10 00pm thursday 11 00am 10 00pm friday 11 00am 10 00pm saturday 11 00am 10 00pm sunday 10 00am 10 00pm about us at the original fish company we celebrate the sea and all the fresh and flavorful things it has to offer we do this by serving only the finest quality seafood flown in daily from around the world how do we find the finest quality seafood we pay premium prices to buy the last caught fish from highly professional short trip boats our buyers inspect the fish and select only the top of the catch still buying the best is only the beginning after purchase the fish is immediately packed in extremely cold flake ice 12 degrees below zero and flown to lax from around the world our refrigerated trucks bring the catch directly here as a large volume wholesale buyer we skip the middleman saving valuable time and ensuring freshness </s>
<s>[INST] fishery equipment [/INST] orvis quality clothing fly fishing gear more since 1856 help 888 235 9763 888 235 9763 live chat live chat available every day 6 am 12 am midnight et find a store blogs fly fishing dogs conservation hunting lifestyle products we love fly fishing videos my account sign in register the benefits of membership basket 0 0 items in your basket experience orvis gift card catalog quick order men featured new for men best sellers in season savings barbour collections outdoor clothing accessories men s tall collection orvis logo shop pants shorts chinos jeans shorts wrinkle free comfort waist shirts long sleeved wrinkle free short sleeved performance shirts polos t shirts polos t shirts jackets vests jackets sport coats vests leather jackets rain jackets windbreakers barbour sweatshirts fleece quarter zip sweatshirts pullover sweatshirts fleece sweaters pullover sweaters quarter zip sweaters cashmere wool sweaters shoes boots boots shoes slippers sneakers gokey accessories belts hats gloves scarves neckwear socks underwear watches wallets money clips glasses ultimate khakis buy 2 save 50 women featured new for women in season savings best sellers barbour collections outdoor collection loungewear linen collection shirts long sleeved shirts wrinkle free shirts short sleeved shirts tees polos long sleeved tees short sleeved tees polos tank tops pants shorts pants shorts cropped pants jeans chinos active pants shorts outerwear barbour coats jackets rain jackets windbreakers vests sweatshirts fleece quarter zips full zips pullovers fleece sweaters cardigans pullovers cashmere shoes boots shoes sandals boots performance hiking walking slippers accessories scarves hats gloves socks bags belts save 20 on the sunwashed 1 4 zip sweatshirt fly fishing featured why orvis pro pro development helios 3 pro collection mirage new fishing gear rods reels fly rods fly reels fly rod selector fly lines freshwater saltwater wading waders wading boots wading jackets women s wading gear accessories packs vests luggage fly boxes sunglasses fishing nets tools gadgets fishing clothing men s women s flies fly tying flies fly tying leaders tippet leaders tippet material trips schools fly fishing 101 fly fishing schools fly fishing trips resources fly fishing learning center fishing reports 50 50 on the water the giant fly sale 20 off all flies dogs featured special savings best sellers memory foam beds dog beds all dog beds memory foam toughchew dog bed selector categories traveling with dogs collars leashes dogs in the house dog gates bowls storage for older dogs dog jackets dog crates toys treats health grooming pet memorials dog safety gear bird dog supplies resources guide to dogs dog breed selector cover dog photo contest dog bed benefits orvis dog s nest story gun dog breeders save up to 20 on select dog beds hunt featured new hunting gear collections upland hunting women s gear continental shooting sporting clays waterfowl hunting shop by weather hot weather foul weather all weather clothing shirts pants chaps jackets vests layers sweaters boots accessories gloves boots binoculars vision hearing protection game processing gunroom gun cases gun care safes cabinets orvis shotguns bird dogs bird dog supplies gun dog breeders trips schools wingshooting schools wingshooting trips orvis shooting grounds resources guide to hunting orvis hunting blog hunting shooting podcast push through the worst conditions with orvis toughshell apparel home featured water trapper mats in season savings doormats rugs water trapper mats indoor rugs indoor outdoor rugs for the home glassware bar home accents fireplace hearth blankets throws kitchen accessories home furnishings outdoor sunbrella outdoor furniture outdoor accessories outdoor rugs leave dirt at the door gifts featured personalized gifts gifts of adventure the gift sale gifts by recipient gifts for him gifts for her gifts for dogs owners gifts by price gifts under 50 gifts under 100 gifts by interest entertaining hunting fly fishing traveling outdoors gift card gift card email gift card our gift card always fits and never expires luggage featured gifts for travelers luggage style toiletry specialty briefcases satchels backpacks totes rolling luggage duffle bags carry on bags luggage collections safe passage battenkill luggage bullhide leather gokey luggage fishing luggage personalized all luggage resources orvis luggage care packing tips shop our travel tested battenkill luggage collection trips schools schools fly fishing wingshooting specialty gift card fly fishing trips united states bahamas argentina belize canada chile christmas island patagonia europe mexico mongolia new zealand kamchatka wingshooting trips north america argentina europe clays shooting grounds sandanona new york pursell farms alabama hill country pennsylvania adventure trips group trips trips for couples europe saltwater north america south america mongolia new zealand russia come fish with us join us on an orvis hosted trip sale featured winter clearance under 50 men shirts pants shorts jackets vests sweaters sweatshirts fleece shoes boots accessories men s barbour savings women shirts pants shorts sweaters sweatshirts fleece outerwear shoes boots accessories women s barbour savings dogs dog beds dog gear home bedding kitchen barware home accents furnishings holiday accents gifts gifts for him gifts for entertaining fly fishing fishing gear accessories fishing clothing fly tying materials hunting hunting gear accessories hunting clothing orvis tent sale orvis clearance room men women fly fishing home gifts save on deals for your dog orvis men women home dogs all the gear all right here rods reels flies apparel tools accessories and more find everything you need to make the most of every day on the water shop fly fishing learn something new right now our fly fishing learning center is loaded with video lessons knot animations gear info and much more go there mend for 16 year old joey maxim the way back to life after a near fatal car accident started with a fly rod in his hand watch now watch now give mom a schools gift card our schools gift card is perfect for mother s dayit s the gift she can use on her time gift a school it all started with a goat named williams see the true story behind the creation of the orvis dog s nest watch now orvis suggestions for you save 10 on your order today sign up now to receive special offers and news via email and save 10 on your next purchase of 50 or more this offer is valid for new subscribers only and will be sent to your email address shortly submit check your interests and submit your email address to subscribe mens clothing womens clothing fly fishing home wingshooting dogs trips schools all categories 100 customer satisfaction has been our commitment since 1856 it s who we are if you aren t happy with a product or service we want to know about it and we ll make it right that s the orvis way fly fishing learning center we know dogs fishing reports ff 101 schools guide to adventure knowledge center connect with orvis 1 888 235 9763 email us company info about orvis orvis careers press room orvis schools protecting nature coupons customer service order status shipping information returns exchanges general information international orders gift card balance orvis services privacy policy do not sell my personal information terms conditions orvis site map free catalogs corporate sales orvis rewards visa orvis knowledge center retail store locator find an orvis store near you orvis commits 5 of pre tax profits to protecting nature learn about our commitment if we are to benefit from the use of our natural resources we must be willing to act to preserve them perk perkins chairman the orvis company copyright 2020 the orvis company inc since 1856 </s>
<s>[INST] quarry business for sale victoria [/INST] excavation businesses for sale in british columbia business for sale showcase more logging business for sale price 620 000 revenue 2 400 000 cash flow 600 000 views 79 119 cutting edge timber is a conventional logging business the companies assets include 1999 445 d timbco hr s 19 735 new engine hr s 2182 2010 2154 john deere proc hr s 9384 2010 622b warratah head hr s 9384 2005 748g iii john deereskidder hr s 14 619 2006 240bf volvoloader hr s 12 250 imac power clam hr s 12250 240 dig bucket 240 clean up bucket 2008 gmc slt crew cab kamloops british columbia canada civil construction business price 6 899 000 revenue 2 100 000 cash flow 175 000 views 386 for over 37 years this northern bc construction company has provided services for building excavations road construction construction site preparation and installing underground civil services and utilities included in the sale is a fully operational gravel pit and rock quarry supplying topsoil sand gravel drain rock crush and rip rap established in 1982 this business has been serving the kitimat area for northern bc british columbia canada related resources provided by google bing yahoo businesses for sale in canada mergernetwork com page 9 browse businesses for sale in canada at mergernetwork com british columbia businesses for sale established construction and excavation business for sale over 9 954 businesses for sale totaling 7 127 449 756 more excavation business for sale kamloops british columbia canada 620 000 building business for sale cartisoara dn7c sibiu romania 600 000 carpet cleaning business for sale british columbia canada 139 000 convenience store for sale montreal canada 115 000 businesses for sale in over 400 categories more rv parks for sale karate studios for sale nurseries for sale convenience stores for sale bowling allies for sale hot dog stands for sale service businesses for sale car dealerships for sale music stores for sale golf shops for sale import businesses for sale tattoo shops for sale dental labs for sale food businesses for sale tire stores for sale concession stands for sale auto glass shops for sale health clubs for sale auto repair shops for sale bistros for sale supply businesses for sale bars for sale cosmetics stores for sale grocery stores for sale hvac businesses for sale export businesses for sale dance studios for sale fitness centers for sale payroll businesses for sale water parks for sale gyms for sale vitamin stores for sale health food stores for sale electronics stores for sale rv dealerships for sale ice cream shops for sale sell your business fast place your ad today standard featured thousands of buyers google bing yahoo more real time charts analytics customized marketing tools unlimited business photos multiple category advertising preferred listing position showcase exposure additional options available related resources provided by google bing yahoo construction businesses for sale in british columbia window businesses for sale in british columbia lumber businesses for sale in british columbia remodeling businesses for sale in british columbia excavation businesses for sale in abbotsford excavation businesses for sale in vancouver excavation businesses for sale in victoria excavation businesses for sale in yukon territory excavation businesses for sale in kelowna excavation businesses for sale in northwest territories business for sale oregon businessforsale com business for sale oregon businessforsale com is a popular online business for sale listing service for finding and selling oregon businesses available for sale small businesses for sale mergernetwork com page 46 small businesses for sale your search found the following small businesses for sale we get hundreds of new listings every day so if you re looking to buy a small business for sale kijiji free classifieds in vernon british columbia vernon kijiji alerts are an email notification service where kijiji users can have homes for sale in north bx vernon british columbia businesses for sale in fort mcmurray ab businesses for sale profitable excavation business for sale in okanagan what a great opportunity to live and work in beautiful kimberley british columbia businesses for sale local deals on business industrial british columbia cranbrook buy and sell business get an alert with the newest ads for businesses for sale in profitable excavation business for sale mining businesses for sale sunbelt network mining businesses for sale we have found 9 mining businesses for sale currently available on sunbelt browse mining business opportunities from small home based page 2 agriculture business for sale usa buy a agriculture business for sale from over 45000 active businesses in usa agriculture business for sale construction excavation business for sale with businesses for sale in canada buyselltrade ca businesses for sale in canada buyselltrade ca is canada s profitable excavation business for sale for sale in okanagan summerland excavation services has latest classified ads in kelowna buyselltrade ca latest classified ads in profitable excavation business for sale in profitable excavation business for sale in okanagan summerland excavation services home help terms privacy cookies 2020 buybusiness com all rights reserved </s>
<s>[INST] buy horse grain online [/INST] welcome to midfeeds where we lead others follow about us animal feed solutions specialising in bird cat dog fish horse livestock small animal feed purchase now 24 hour delivery place your order and we will make sure your food is delivered within 24 hours place an order nutrirional advise contact us today and receive help from one of our professional staff members in performance or product related queries contact welcome to midfeeds where we lead others follow midfeeds is the largest animal feed retailer in south africa servicing the equestrian market midfeeds is situated in kyalami gauteng and is one of the few equestrian retail outlets that operates from its own premises owner owned and managed with over 2800m2 under roof midfeeds has a fleet of delivery trucks that guarantee that midfeeds delivery service remains exceptional and ensures that it is able to offer all its clients a 24 hour turnaround more about us we offer 24 hour turnaround delivery midfeeds has a fleet of delivery trucks that guarantee 24 hour turnaround read more nutritional advice a nutritional help line available for performance or product enquiries read more wholesale midfeeds serves as a wholesale and have opportunities in the field read more at midfeeds we specialise in midfeeds offers a nutritional advice line which allows people to phone in with any animal nutrition performance or product related queries midfeeds also has an online order facility to effect speedy and timeous deliveries and online nutritional advice this free service is operated by a professionally qualified animal nutritionist who can offer advice on anything from what to feed a pregnant mare to how to feed a competition horse for optimum results contact us now bird food cat food dog food fish food horse food livestock food small animal food midfeeds market leaders in animal feeds your complete animal feed supply solution order now </s>
<s>[INST] buy wood rocking chair [/INST] top 12 best outdoor rocking chairs in 2020 by closeup check team september 6 2019 patio lawn garden theres nothing as fun as enjoying a day outdoors with a glass of cool lemonade on a summer afternoon outdoor rocking chairs are a nice piece of furniture to consider buying for your home these chairs have grown quite common over the years theres something incredibly fun about rocking chairs if you are looking for one or two for your home then we are sure we have something for you on this list 12 outsunny porch rocking chair by outsunny item weight 21 pounds product dimensions 27 x 34 x 45 inches buy from amazon com this rocking chair from outsunny has a traditional look the design of the chair is comfortable due to the wide armrest and a sturdy high slated backrest this rocker chair is made of hardwood this makes it last longer than chairs made of softwoods additionally the hardwood is essential for ensuring that it supports very heavyweight the outsunny porch rocking chair has a coating of polyurethane so this coating beautifies the chair while it protects it from rain and sun at the same time it also protects the uv radiation from getting into the wood and damaging it this rocking chair is ideal for use both for indoor and outdoor events it can be used in porch and living rooms among others 11 christopher knight home monterey rocking chair by christopher knight home item weight 35 3 pounds product dimensions 37 8 x 26 5 x 41 2 inches buy from amazon com the christopher knight home monterey rocking chair is made using acacia wood the acacia wood makes it humble both beautiful to look at while it makes it humble to be used outdoors this becomes a perfect addition to your patio this chair has a waterproof cushion this makes it long lasting thereby prolonging the life of your rocking chair additionally it has a teak finish which is waterproof this makes the chair more durable and resistant to the climate conditions out there acacia wood is hard and long lasting this makes the chair to be long lasting while with the ability to support even people with a heavyweight the lightweight of the chair is also essential during transportation 10 christopher knight home sadie rocking chair by christopher knight home item weight 23 pounds product dimensions 24 x 33 2 x 35 8 inches buy from amazon com the christopher knight home sadie rocking chair ensures that you enjoy your peaceful day in your backyard this chair is made up of acacia that is very resistant to elements this keeps the chair functionally for many years the hard acacia also keeps the chair operating for your sake for many years on top of that the chair has a waterproof polyester cushion hence ensuring that your chair lasts for years and years without damaging the lightweight of this chair is another added advantage it allows everybody to be able to handle it and carry it from one position to the other around the compound this rocky chair is a perfect gift for you 9 best choice products traditional wooden rocking chair by best choice products item weight 20 9 pounds product dimensions 34 x 23 5 x 41 5 inches buy from amazon com the best choice products chair a perfect gift since it allows you to swing back or forth whether inside or outside your house with the comfort contour slat armrests and backrest this chair will have to relax for many hours without feeling the need to go away due to its comfort this chair is beautiful and if placed anywhere it perfectly fills the place a cushion can perfectly be added to the chair improving the comfort of its user this chair is made using all natural wood making it more durable additionally this chair is simple to clean on top of that it has a sturdy frame which makes it durable 8 solaura outdoor rocking chairs by solaura item weight 67 pounds product dimensions 25 x 24 x 23 5 inches buy from amazon com this is a set of chairs that add elegance to your patio deck backyard porch or pool with a little and easy maintenance you can use the solaura outdoor rocking chairs for a very long time this is mainly because it is made up of durable steel which is coated with powder it comes with a spongy padded seat that ensures comfort additionally the extra wide seat and depth are perfect for lounging the thickened cloth seat is also essential for improving comfort the fabric used to make the cushions is very durable and strong yet you easily remove them by using a zip the chairs are easy to assemble and it will take less than 30 minutes to be through 7 timber ridge rocking chair by timber ridge item weight 20 pounds product dimensions 19 5 x 18 x 29 inches buy from amazon com the back of the seat is big enough to give you maximum comfort the strong polyester and steel used to make this chair make it be able to hold very heavyweight of its users of up to 300lbs to use this chair there is no assembling needed and it is as simple as folding it when there is a need to use it this chair has a plastic armrest and a place to keep a cup of coffee on top of that it has a side bag this all ensures that the user gets maximum comfort out of this chair the bottom locking system also makes this chair to be more durable 6 amazonbasics foldable rocking chair by amazonbasics item weight 16 09 pounds product dimensions 37 4 x 38 6 x 25 2 inches buy from amazon com the amazonbasics foldable rocking chair is foldable the chair also collapses at ease when in storage or at transit this helps save on space when not in use the elastic plastic seat gives comfort to your spine by the help of the elastic cording this rocking chair can be taken and used anywhere since it is very portable and light in weight you can use it at home or decide to take it outdoor to enjoy the peace of nature all you need is to fold your chair and move with it for more comfort there is padded headrest on the chair you can use this when you are tired and need to have some rest 5 sunlei outdoor 3 piece rocking bistro set by sunlei item weight 48 4 pounds product dimensions 28 5 x 22 9 x 16 7 inches buy from amazon com here is one of the best outdoor rocking bistros set it is from a remarkable brand by the name sunlei it features two rocking chairs and a coffee table the chairs are equipped with easy to clean cushions so the comfort level is no guesswork here it feels not only great but also looks exquisite this is a rocking bistro set that sets the mood for your guests the added rocking features allow you to set yourself the perfect position that would enhance maximum relaxation after a long day of walking and working this rocking chairs offer thick plush cushions to help you relax the coffee table features an elegant glass surface for holding a couple of glasses of wine or other beverage both the chairs and table boast easy cleaning however you should not use solvents or any substance that might cause bleaching the other breathtaking feature is the strong framing that ensures extended use of this bistro set moreover cushions feature zipper openings for easy cover removal during washing 4 best choice products recliner lounge chair by best choice products item weight 17 pounds product dimensions 25 x 36 5 x 42 inches buy from amazon com the best choice products recliner lounge chair is made up of lightweight steel material it is also made up of mesh fabric material that is resistant to weather conditions and uv light the steel material of this chair makes it more durable and long lasting due to the folding ability of this chair it is therefore simple for it to be transported from place to place or even stored when not in use additionally it has a pillow that can be adjustable either forward or backward according to your need the soothing motion of this chair is essential for ensuring that you get maximum comfort the cords can be adjusted to help your body remain comfortable 3 leigh country char log single rocker with star by leigh country item weight 40 pounds product dimensions 36 x 29 x 43 inches buy from amazon com this chair is made using pine and logwood through charring and curing the chair has been made stain resistant mildew and mold this probably makes it the most comfortable rocker in the market this rocking chair is very stylish hence perfect for your patio it has a decorative texas star at the back improving its beauty this chair is best for both indoor and outdoor activities depending on your tastes and preferences additionally this rocking chair is large enough to fit anybody it is varnished to give a very beautiful look likewise this chair is handcrafted to make every piece of this chair to be unique 2 suncrown outdoor 3 piece rocking bistro set by suncrown item weight 55 8 pounds product dimensions 28 x 22 x 21 5 inches buy from amazon com this chair is beautiful especially due to the black synthetic resin that is designed for doors additionally this chair is resistant to weather and uv this chair has thick cushions to give maximum comfort the bottom cushions have zip to make it easy to be cleaned this set comes with an elegant table that has a glass top this glass table is useful in putting a glass of coffee or your drink and a newspaper the strong frames of these chairs are strong and help maintain the balance the thick cushions are also very essential in ensuring that you get comfort all day the chairs are very easy to assemble and it will not take any of your time 1 polywood r100bl presidential rocking chair by polywood item weight 37 pounds product dimensions 24 x 45 x 7 inches buy from amazon com this rocking is used in all climates it effectively folds to consume a little space thus making it less massive and effectively convenient the simplicity of collapsing that accompanies this seat spares a ton of time moreover this seat is impervious to tear split spoil chip or even strip this makes it increasingly tough and exceptionally impervious to destructive substances for example salt or oil with this chair the expense of painting waterproofing or some other sort of support required the great news about this chair is that it effectively cleans besides it is resistant to stains that accompanied wine and toppings to clean it you just require water and soap and you will be through with the way toward making it as perfect as new buying guide for the best outdoor rocking chairs this next section gives you information about the most important features you need to look for when buying the best outdoor rocking chair rocking chairs have four legs connected to a curved brace this lets you rock steadily and safely back and forth as you relax there are a lot of factors that come into play when buying a rocking chair style these chairs come in different styles you have to choose one depending on your preference and style the traditional style models come in a variety of shapes and sizes they are curved correctly and sturdy enough for smooth and easy rock the platform styled rockers have a stable or solid base these models provide more stability on uneven surfaces and are great for older adults you can also consider buying gliders these models have a gliding rocking mechanism that makes them more interesting space another thing you need to consider is the space that you need understanding how much space you need lets you choose the right size it also helps you know whether you need to buy one or two models frequency how frequent will you use this rocking chair if you understand this then you will be able to look for sturdier and strong materials depending on its use understand its user before choosing a specific model you need to make sure it matches the user who will use this chair frequently is it a nursing mother an older adult or you and your children this lets you know the chair size you need and its height from the floor it also enables you to choose the right model with the right rocking mechanism make sure you match the chair with the user material dont forget to look at the material and compare their quality a great model should be made of strong and durable material for the best performance whether you want a wooden model synthetic one or a metal rocking chair make sure it is easy to clean and rustproof you need a model that can withstand the outdoor elements design as we mentioned above these models come in different styles and designs choose one that matches your preference it should also be able to blend well with your outdoor dcor and other furniture additional accessories you can also consider shopping for additional accessories like a cushion to maximize your outdoor experience you can also consider having footstools or side tables to improve your comfort level and let you relax for long hours price just as everything else price should also be an important factor to consider when comparing the best outdoor rocking chairs have a budget in place and stick to it having a budget narrows down your options to more affordable models that meet your specific needs dont forget though that cheap is expensive so make sure you go for a reasonably priced model that still packs all the features you need color pay close attention to the color of the outdoor rocking chair as well this plays a vital role because it determines how well the chair will match with your outdoor space a great model complements your outdoor space and blends well with your furniture it is neither too dull nor too bright maintenance the chair should also be easy to maintain you want a model that is easy to clean you can also consider buying a lightweight model that folds easily for compact storage safety consider buying a chair from reputable brands so that you go for something that gives you peace of mind you need to check the quality of the material and the overall build of the chair to make sure it is also safe for your little ones to use the chair should be able to stand the weather elements and serve you for a long time without any breakages weight limit you need to make sure you check the overall weight limit that this chair allows remember that you will not be sitting on this chair alone but also with your loved ones the chair should be comfortable enough to accommodate everyone go for a model with a generous load capacity of at least 250lbs dimensions think about the overall dimensions of the chair as this also plays an important role in the overall comfort of the chair look at how far back it goes and how wide it is this gives you plenty of room to sit even with your child on your lap as you relax outdoors what is the difference between an indoor and an outdoor rocking chair the main thing that sets these two models apart is the material outdoor models are designed with the weather conditions in mind while the indoor models are designed for maximum comfort the outdoor models are more durable and more often weatherproof the materials are resistant to water and the coatings will not rust unlike their indoor cousins these models do not have builtin cushions or pads why should i buy an outdoor rocking chair these models are perfect for enjoying the outdoors with friends and loved ones you can relax and enjoy a book or watch the horizon on those quiet days nursing mothers seniors and kids love these chairs they also help in stabilizing your emotions or calming down your nerves where do you want to put it before buying a rocking chair you need to look at the outdoor location you want to place it do you want to put it on the front porch patio or in the garden understanding the location lets you know whether the chair will be on solid ground or under the open sky at least this way you will be able to know which material to go for and its stability conclusion rocking chairs are must have pieces of furniture for any home when buying an indoor model we also advise that you consider settling with an outdoor rocking chair so that the fun does not end when you step out the door make sure you look at the features we have pointed out on our list before buying your preferred model we hope that with our list you were able to choose a specific model that matches your preference related posts top 17 best zero gravity recliner chairs in 2020 reviews top 14 best folding lawn chairs in 2020 top 12 best adirondack chairs in 2020 top 20 best instant tents in 2020 top 10 best chair and a half recliners in 2020 reviews top 16 best gas fire pit tables in 2020 contents 12 outsunny porch rocking chair 11 christopher knight home monterey rocking chair 10 christopher knight home sadie rocking chair 9 best choice products traditional wooden rocking chair 8 solaura outdoor rocking chairs 7 timber ridge rocking chair 6 amazonbasics foldable rocking chair 5 sunlei outdoor 3 piece rocking bistro set 4 best choice products recliner lounge chair 3 leigh country char log single rocker with star 2 suncrown outdoor 3 piece rocking bistro set 1 polywood r100bl presidential rocking chair leave a comment cancel reply </s>
<s>[INST] quarry business in south africa [/INST] dakota mining quarry equipment south africa about about dust control faqs dust control fisher products air separator air separator small chain feeder conveyors overland conveyor portable truck scales radial extender stacker other products air separation dry sand washing dust dominator waste water dust suppression news contact about about dust control faqs dust control fisher products air separator air separator small chain feeder conveyors overland conveyor portable truck scales radial extender stacker other products air separation dry sand washing dust dominator waste water dust suppression news contact air separator air separator air separator small air separator small air separator small air separator small fisher products fisher industries in 1952 fisher sand gravel was a small but growing and aggressive aggregate processing business in western north dakota through the vision and leadership of company founder gene fisher fisher sand gravel quickly emerged as a leader in portable crushing operations within fifteen years gene recognized a need for durable customized air separator the fisher air separator less water less waste the 13 diameter fisher air separator effectively removes unwanted fines from aggregate products bringing otherwise rejected material into specification its ability to dry process materials and remove excess fines promotes an efficient and clean operation portable or stationary units available field proven the fisher air separator about dakota mining and quarry equipment is a south african based company providing the local mining and quarry industry with the latest and most reliable equipment to date dakota mining and quarry equipment have been appointed sole agent for africa for equipment supplied and manufactured by fisher industries of the u s a fisher industries is in its own right a significant sand aggregate and asphalt producer operating in the north central and western states of the u s a they also design and manufacture a wide range of mining and quarrying equipment for their own use and for the home and export market more our products high quality mining quarry equipment air separator the fisher air separator less water less waste the 13 diameter fisher air separator effectively removes unwanted fines from aggregate products bringing otherwise rejected material into specification its ability to dry process materials and remove excess fines promotes an efficient and clean operation portable or stationary units available field proven the fisher air separator chain feeder chain feeder the fisher apron pan chain feeder provides steady feed to your screens and crushers for optimum plant operation featuring a variable speed drive and single or multiple chains our feeders use cat style s a l t chains segmented sprockets and cat style single flange rollers to deliver tough material the heavy duty fabricated apron pans come overland conveyor overland conveyor portable and rugged the fisher industries 225 overland conveyor is the efficient and effective way for moving aggregate products eliminating potential material breakdown from multiple transfer points the 225 overland will help move material on all your tough jobs our overland conveyors reduce mobilization time and costs eliminating the need for multiple conveyors portable truck scales truck scales the fisher industries portable truck scale is tough enough to handle accurate weighing of your material hauling trucks with the fold over scale house swing out bulkheads and removable axle and suspension assembly it reduces mobilization costs our rugged ntep certified truck scales have a 10 x 70 scale deck with a 100 ton capacity choose radial extender stacker radial stackers the cable mast tower system on the fisher industries 130 radial stacker provides excellent stability and control select from manual or hydraulic radial drive and lift packages to make easy work out of tough stacking challenges with separate travel and radial axle assemblies the fisher industries radial stacker features a pull out stinger and the stone slinger stone slinger fisher sand gravel is proud to announce the addition of the ultra stone slingertm to our line up of time and money saving construction equipment our ultra stone slingertm puts what you want where you want it with a 220 degree radius the ultra stone slingertm will put topsoil dirt mulch screening aggregates news read our latest news 6 jan 2019 moregrove a quarry with its eye on the ball original article http crown co za latest news modern quarrying latest news 4264 moregrove a quarry with its eye on the ball published 13 april 2017 here is some information from lafarge published in the modern quarry magazine in 2014 that you may find interesting and informative that long term commitment continues to this day a case in point being its achievement in the 2014 lafarge global awards where the award winning project executed read more 21 aug 2013 air separator aerial view an aerial view of the fisher air separator read more 20 aug 2013 air separator aerial video amazing aerial video of the fisher air separator read more </s>
<s>[INST] buy frozen herring [/INST] frozen herring discussion in let s talk fishin the best fishin community on started by stlhdr42 feb 10 2010 page 1 of 2 1 2 next you must log in or sign up to reply here show ignored content page 1 of 2 1 2 next similar threads herring love2fish4hawgs feb 8 2008 in forum let s talk fishin the best fishin community on replies 10 views 1 897 fish boy feb 8 2008 brining frozen herring sparky jun 17 2008 in forum let s talk fishin the best fishin community on replies 15 views 6 725 slabby20 jun 18 2008 herring hollywood mar 12 2010 in forum let s talk fishin the best fishin community on replies 11 views 1 790 anonymous mar 16 2010 frozen steering easy limits apr 22 2010 in forum das boot boating discussions replies 6 views 854 easy limits apr 23 2010 herring fresh frozen curing fresh or frozen gigharborshane jun 8 2010 in forum let s talk fishin the best fishin community on replies 14 views 2 505 fishn2gthr4ever jun 9 2010 loading sponsored links forum sponsors submit fishing report members online now total 20 members 0 guests 13 robots 7 forum statistics discussions 39 485 messages 457 409 members 10 797 latest member femi12 previous month winner samuel123 2 posts leaderboard jimh 2 posts chisholme 1 posts mr56jeep 1 posts roady 1 posts sledgehammer 1 posts search tags for this page bulk frozen herring frozen green label herring frozen herring frozen herring by the case green label herring green label herring bait green label herring for sale puget sound herring sales where to buy frozen herring where to buy frozen herring for bait gamefishin com forums roundtable let s talk fishin the best fishin community on forums forums quick links search forums recent posts gallery gallery quick links categories explore user s albums new albums new photos new videos collections locations cameras streams cloud fishing reports recent posts menu search </s>
<s>[INST] buy wood pellets in bulk [/INST] covid 19 update read statement covid 19 update the health and well being of our valued customers associates and communities are always a top priority at sutherlands as we navigate the coronavirus covid 19 developments we wanted to send a personal note to let you know how we are responding our stores have increased cleaning and sanitizing procedures and our employees continue to use proper hand washing techniques we have restricted all non essential business travel we recognize this is an evolving situation and are aware that certain states and local governments are enacting their own restrictions that could further impact our operations as an essential business our stores remain open however we have reduced store hours please visit sutherlands com for your local stores hours as always you may continue to shop online at sutherlands com and pick up your purchase at your local store to decrease crowd sizes and create a safe and enjoyable shopping environment for our customers and employees we are reviewing our upcoming promotions and events and ask that all customers and employees comply with social distancing requirements rest assured we continue to work with our vendors to bring you quality products at sutherlands low prices sutherlands is working closely with our vendors to re stock our inventory of products in high demand such as face masks hand sanitizer and cleaning supplies we appreciate your continued support of our family business during these challenging times the sutherland family my cart 0 account login register home improvement building materials sutherlands com change local ads store finder join our email list you re shopping sutherlands com change open today departments popular for spring appliances automotive building materials cabinets clothing doors windows electrical farm ranch fencing flooring furniture hardware heating cooling housewares hunting lawn garden lumber paint pet supplies plumbing roofing siding sporting goods tools more departments view current ads search all brands building packages patio deck packages available in popular sizes or to your custom specifications learn more garage packages our exclusive garage packages include everything you need learn more post frame packages we have the size and style you re looking for at a price you can afford learn more home packages yes we even sell house packages floor plans from 800 to 4100 sqft learn more shed packages building a backyard storage shed is an easy weekend project learn more resources customer photos emergency preparedness faq how to tips guides supplier web directory sutherlands blog start saving sutherlands credit card email subscriptions gift cards rebate center store finder my account my account my orders my shopping cart my lists contact contact a store general office change my store ar benton ar fort smith ar hot springs ar stuttgart co fort collins ks dodge city ks el dorado ks emporia ks great bend ks olathe ks topeka ks wichita ky louisville la shreveport mo aurora mo cameron mo fulton mo harrisonville mo joplin mo kansas city mo liberty mo maryville mo raytown mo sedalia mo springfield ms pearl nm carlsbad nm las cruces oh circleville oh columbus ok bixby ok lawton ok tulsa tx alice tx bay city tx beaumont tx beeville tx corpus christi tx dickinson tx el campo tx fredericksburg tx la grange tx port isabel tx snyder tx sweetwater tx wichita falls ut price ut salt lake city wy casper wy riverton use my current location make this my store home departments heating and cooling fireplace hearth wood fuel pellets filter your search results wood fuel pellets categories fireplace hearth heaters thermostats ceiling fans furnaces accessories air conditioners coolers fans exhaust fans range hoods registers deflectors duct vent pipe humidifiers dehumidifiers search within wood fuel pellets fiber energy products 1 ton oak wood pellets mfg 1 ton oak sku 9703695 buy now fiber energy products premium grade wood fuel heating pellets 40 lb mfg phhp 40 sku 5487772 buy now lignetics of wv 40 pound premium quality wood fuel pellets mfg 40lb sku 6199558 buy now traeger texas beef pellet blend 20 lb mfg pel326 sku 216481 buy now fiber energy products papa s ultra premium oak grilling pellets 20 lb mfg 2016 oak sku 3409182 buy now pennington seed 40 pound wood fuel pellets mfg 40lb sku 2411833 buy now cimarron premium oak wood fuel pellets per ton mfg ton sku 9987017 buy now fiber energy products ultra premium wood fuel heating pellets 40 lb mfg uhhp 40 sku 194399 buy now spearfish pellet wood fuel pellets 40lb bag heartland mfg 40lb sku 2834034 buy now spearfish pellet wood fuel pellets 1 pallet mfg 2400lb sku 9921602 buy now spearfish pellet wood fuel pellets 40lb bag 1 ton mfg pellet sku 9919838 buy now easy heat 40 pound easy heat wood pellets mfg 40 lb hard wood sku 796326 buy now confluence energy wood fuel pellets premium super 40 bag mfg 40lb sku 8132433 buy now south jones 40 lb wood fuel pellets mfg 40lb sku 2264190 buy now american wood fibers hardwood wood fiber pellets 40lb bag mfg pellet403a sku 7501125 buy now confluence energy wood fuel pellets premium per ton mfg ton 50bag sku 9855578 buy now lignetics of wv wood fuel pellets 40lb per ton 50 bags mfg 40lb sku 6199632 buy now american wood fibers hardwood wood fiber pellets per ton 50 40lb bags mfg pellet sku 9837253 buy now shop now filter your results update search filter your results </s>
<s>[INST] fishing company of alaska phone number [/INST] alaska seafood wild natural sustainable its the consumers preference alaska seafood wild natural sustainable its the consumers preference alaska seafood wild natural sustainable its the consumers preference wild natural sustainable its the consumers preference the catch the catch health nutrition health nutrition sustainability sustainability alaska seafood wild natural sustainable the alaska seafood marketing institute asmi is alaska s official seafood marketing arm it maximizes the economic value of the alaska seafood resource by developing and creating markets building and protecting the alaska seafood brand working directly with the alaska seafood industry whats new upcoming meetings asmi salmon committee meeting april 30 2020 telephonic board of directors meeting may 5 2020 web based all hands on deck 2020 upcoming events due to circumstances surrounding covid 19 all in person asmi events have been tentatively cancelled or postponed until further notice asmi committee and board meetings will take place via teleconference announcements asmi cook it frozen campaign launches a creative refresh with new video and recipe assets found here alaskas seafood industry facts about food safety and covid 19 asmi releases strong at sea collection notice for direct shipments to the ukraine asmi commercial fishing photo contest announced employment opportunities publications the economic value of alaska s seafood industry report asmi russian embargo white paper rfm newsletter march 2020 asmi around the world hover and click to find out about asmi programs worldwide location 311 n franklin street suite 200 juneau ak 99801 1147 tel 800 478 2903 tel 907 465 5560 info alaskaseafood org recent facebook posts comments box svg icons used for the like share comment and reaction icons asmi news and updates 3 days ago attention alaska fishermen only a few days left to enter the alaska commercial fishing photo contest submit your photo and details before 11 59 pm akdt march 31 see more see less view on facebook share share on facebook share on twitter share on linked in share by email likes 2 shares 2 comments 0 comment on facebook asmi news and updates 4 days ago the senate passed the 2 trillion coronavirus stimulus bill and the house will vote friday march 27 the stimulus includes 300 million for fisheries and aquaculture click here for more information see more see less view on facebook share share on facebook share on twitter share on linked in share by email likes 8 shares 2 comments 0 comment on facebook asmi news and updates 6 days ago those traveling to alaska for commercial fishing activity from outside the state prior to may 1 2020 must submit a plan by 3pm today those traveling afterwards do not need to submit a plan at this time click here to learn more about governor dunleavy s mandate fishing info is referenced on attachment a item g see more see less view on facebook share share on facebook share on twitter share on linked in share by email likes 4 shares 2 comments 1 comment on facebook chelsea asmi news and updates 7 days ago food production including seafood is essential during this time of global crisis eric schwaab senior vice president for the environmental defense funds oceans program states by incorporating more seafood into our diets we can support fishermen and coastal communities that depend on seafood harvesting as a way of life see more see less view on facebook share share on facebook share on twitter share on linked in share by email likes 3 shares 3 comments 0 comment on facebook asmi news and updates 1 week ago calling all direct marketers selling alaska seafood ramp up your website social media and more by creating a login through asmis digital asset library at netx alaskaseafood org see more see less view on facebook share share on facebook share on twitter share on linked in share by email likes 4 shares 5 comments 0 comment on facebook asmi news and updates 2 weeks ago check out this gif made by asmi s japan program highlighting the full utilization of alaska salmon in different product forms we could watch this all day see more see less play view on facebook share share on facebook share on twitter share on linked in share by email likes 6 shares 9 comments 0 comment on facebook asmi news and updates 2 weeks ago stay healthy fish fam learn how alaska seafood can lower inflammation is an excellent source of vitamin d and can even help boost your mood bit ly 39x32xq see more see less view on facebook share share on facebook share on twitter share on linked in share by email likes 3 shares 2 comments 0 comment on facebook asmi news and updates 2 weeks ago the alaska seafood industry is monitoring covid 19 closely public health experts say that seafood from all places remains a healthy and smart choice click here to learn more about food safety and covid 19 specifically www alaskaseafood org foodsafetycovid19 see more see less view on facebook share share on facebook share on twitter share on linked in share by email likes 42 shares 52 comments 7 comment on facebook wowww kuya charlon looking like coco martin starring kaau ka gwapo s aq agaw model n di ka krn gaw sideline ohhh modeling ping karen yosa kabahan ka na artista man diay kag bana bring on the fisheries i m ready to work view more comments asmi news and updates 3 weeks ago megan rider asmis domestic marketing director explains that americans are consuming more seafood in national fisherman according to the fish and shellfish u s november 2018 report seafood consumption increased by 13 in the past five years see more see less view on facebook share share on facebook share on twitter share on linked in share by email likes 11 shares 6 comments 0 comment on facebook asmi news and updates 3 weeks ago asmi s pr team works year round to keep alaska seafood top of mind with consumers by providing outreach with media articles like this from the chalkboard mag bit ly 2tc5qdx see more see less view on facebook share share on facebook share on twitter share on linked in share by email likes 5 shares 2 comments 0 comment on facebook load more accessibility copyright 2019 alaskaseafood org find facts about food safety and covid 19 here x </s>
<s>[INST] coal mining equipment companies [/INST] canadian mining journal canada s first mining publication newsletter advertise news features press releases buyers guide events 2019 progressive mine forum upcoming events submit an event careers more digital edition subscribe media kit contact follow cdn mining jrnl feature coal miners face low prices last year teck american anglo and walter energy inc announced ambitious plans to expand their coal operations in british columbia and then nearly as quickly all three began stepping back and keeping quiet may 1 2014 by david godkin last year teck american anglo and walter energy inc announced ambitious plans to expand their coal operations in british columbia and then nearly as quickly all three began stepping back and keeping quiet what happened and why arent they talking now well tom hoffman vice president of communications for walter energy inc perhaps puts it best new lower posted prices for met coal have created a need to review and possibly revamp our plans for the year given the continued weakness in the market very simply weak prices and a glut in coal supply have effectively taken the legs out from the industry add to this increasing competition from natural gas and as well as stiffer environmental checks in the u s and elsewhere and some believe it may get worse before it gets better but fortunately there are still some others who remain buoyant about coals prospects joy globals director of product marketing and application engineering brian thompson is one who says equipment manufacturers continue developing technologies coal companies will need that day when prices rise and expansion plans re boot they cant afford to slow down very rarely do we have time to adjust or do long range planning then its a matter of flipping a switch and youve gotta be ready to go finding that cutting edge coal mining equipment has come a long way in the past few decades especially in full face mining most continuous miners can easily cut a coal face in a single pass and excavate right angle turns with a minimum radius however not too long ago it was a major impediment to long wall development more recent advances are continuous miners equipped with roof and rib bolters for installing supports as close to the cut face as possible without having to move the machine joy globals pride and joy is the higher seam 12ed25 and its lower seam cousin the 14ed25 cm continuous miner consisting of a sliding frame which extends forward into the face while the bodys main portion remains fixed and still for bolting purposes overlapping those two processes obviously gets you to a more efficient process says thompson allowing you to mine at a faster rate than what independent cut and bolt processes have historically allowed what hasnt changed at the company is its multi motor design concept in continuous miners equipping the cutter traction gathering and hydraulic systems with individual motors in effect isolating them from one another provides maintenance staff easier access to repair or service a component that robust core has to be your foundation says thompson both to reduce downtime and save on maintenance costs this in turn has an impact on person to machine interface when you look at refinements now in the mechanical and electrical systems the focus now shifts to a renewed emphasis on safety says thompson cutting and loading systems have seen advances too but its the advent of remote controls where the greatest gains have occurred both in productivity and safety allowing an operator to back away from a machine and actually get better visibility on section thats perhaps one of the bigger shifts thompson maintains in fact he says his company will implement remote controls at a low seam longwall operation later this year in norway we dont have people chasing machines up and down the entry any longer well have people setting in the head gate monitoring systems that are doing the actual cutting says thompson another important area in remote control for the company is remote control communications later this year it will release a new two way radio remote to provide staff standing 10 to 15 metres behind the miner information theyd normally view on a control screen while standing on the back of the machine theyll get production information theyll get machine health information and they will have that at their fingertips it allows operators better visibility and has fingertip control that changes things drastically from the very mechanical hydraulic type system operators would typically run how prevalent are remote control systems in continuous mining not much says thompson we do have a few instances around the globe where were operating from a distance away from the machine but as far as surface monitoring goes that level has not been achieved paul mulley caterpillars room and pillar products line manager says while there is a strong desire toautomate the cutting and loading cycles underground to remove operators from harms way the remote systems currently available to the industry wont entirely replace people working underground any time soon even in longwall operations mining systems will still have to be regularly maintained and repaired i dont see complete automation from the surface in an underground coal mine for many years to come finding those trigger points as a rule room and pillar is simpler than longwall mining because it requires less investment smaller more manoeuverable equipment and a lot less of it mulley says there have been many advances in continuous miners i e in cutting power durability safety proximity detection systems and the change over time from dc to ac traction systems to make for a safer more reliable machine despite the financial challenges caterpillar has experienced in the past year it continues to invest in r d notably in the development of its new continuous miner the cm235 series at 61 tonnes and aimed specifically at low to mid seam operations the cm235s compact design is still as tough as cats previous series one of the newer features however is the shortened mainframe by 762mm for greater machine manoeuverability cat will shortly launch a brand new roof bolter as well but it wont end there says mulley were still developing were still designing for the market knowing what customers want and need a coal mine cant continue forever on old equipment you have to replace it at some point underground mining by its very nature is dangerous like joy global caterpillar is also putting remote controls into the hands of operators see photo on page 12 so that they stand at a distance behind the machine while its cutting complementing this says mulley are new systems for monitoring machines and machine operators so that theyre never allowed to enter particular zones around the machine phillips machine service inc in beckley west virginia has caught the remote controls bug too taking delight in placing diagnostic capabilities directly into the hands of its shuttle car operators among those are temperature fluid capacity and payload functions monitored in real time and fed back to the operator from the command centre we have the capacity to supply all of those functions for monitoring tonnage staff trips and maintenance of the car says phillips international sales coordinator todd cushman and it can all be done by wireless communications unlike standardized cutter heads and loading systems remote controls and automated monitoring systems also lend themselves to greater customization in underground mining machinery for the time being however phillips new remote control systems will continue to rely on operators to run the shuttle car it wouldnt be something that would be remote where guys above ground run it its still line of sight where youll still be in contact with the machine says cushman yet another shift has been away from batch haulage to continuous haulage taking staff out of shuttle cars reducing the movement of workers and mobile equipment at the face once again thompson calls advances like these trigger points that are not only safer but can also significantly reduce production delays and maximize productivity things like flexible conveyor trains fcts which allow belts to be moved right up behind a machine to allow continuous operation not just the machine but also supporting equipment makes continuous cutting a possibility just get me home at the end of the day you cant talk coal mining without talking about the dangers posed by gas and dust many factors go into determining a coals mines ventilation requirements says paul mulley including the number of roadways cross section of roadways the type of mining to be carried out the depth of the mine and proximity of equipment to the surface on a longwall typically the operators are always on the in take side of the air so they always get the clean air we simply avoid having an operator working equipment on the return side of the ventilation says mulley moving air through ventilation tubes up to and sweeping the cut face to get full dilution is still seen as a challenge says brian thompson particularly in those mines running single and double entry longwall developments systems where space is limited making changes to equipment to remove dust and gas is something all manufacturers are continually working on because safety is everyones first priority share this post tweet facebook linkedin google print this page related posts have your say cancel reply tweets by cdn mining jrnl what to consider when engaging an epcm saskatchewan welcomes k s aktiengesellschaft as potash expansion continues </s>
<s>[INST] buy horse gear [/INST] mini horse supplies pony supplies donkey supplies toggle navigation categories shop all new products new for your horse new for you apparel footwear gloves hats accessories casual apparel bags carry alls footwear boot socks accessories see all arena gaming equipment mounting blocks arena accessories horse clothing blankets sheets foal liners coolers fly sheets boots masks sleepwear sweats wraps blanket wash dog blankets accessories see all driving harnesses harness parts driving supplies driving bits see all equine vaccines eastern western venezuelan combinations eastern western combinations rhino ehv tetanus west nile virus combination vaccines horse respiratory abortion ehv gifts books dvds auto accessories books dvds childrens gift certificates home decor jewelry personalized gifts grooming wound hoof care grooming brushes braiding supplies clippers blades shampoos conditioners polish halters leads cribbing grazing muzzles hobbles leads ties accessories leather halters nylon halters rope halters show halters see all helmets safety vests schooling trail helmets horse fencing shop all horse fencing horse boots wraps bell boots over reach boots hoof boots sport boots splint boots lunging lunge lines whips accessories surcingles caveson pack equipment hobbles picket line ties portable corrals barn supplies buckets feeders waterers farrier supplies hay bags nets racks muck stall supplies pest control toys treats salt licks trailering see all supplements blood builders calming digestive electrolytes feed through wormers hoof care horse cough allergies joint supplements life stages multi purpose pain relief performance energy sand colic skin coat specialized vitamin mineral weight gain see all saddles tack bridles bits bit guards cinches girths headstalls saddles saddle pads blankets see all wormers daily feed through rotational paste gel pellets rotational worming kits clearance gifts books dvds horse clothing supplements apparel footwear barn supplies driving grooming bathing halters leads helmets safety vests lunging saddles tack dog supplies shop all dog supplies sale sale value packages shop all value packages driving harnesses harness parts driving supplies driving bits see all horse clothing blankets sheets foal liners coolers fly sheets boots masks sleepwear sweats wraps blanket wash dog blankets accessories see all halters leads cribbing grazing muzzles hobbles leads ties accessories leather halters nylon halters rope halters show halters see all saddles tack bridles bits bit guards cinches girths headstalls saddles saddle pads blankets see all supplements blood builders calming digestive electrolytes feed through wormers hoof care horse cough allergies joint supplements life stages multi purpose pain relief performance energy sand colic skin coat specialized vitamin mineral weight gain see all barn supplies buckets feeders waterers farrier supplies hay bags nets racks muck stall supplies pest control toys treats salt licks trailering see all apparel footwear gloves hats accessories casual apparel bags carry alls footwear boot socks accessories see all go thank you for registering free shipping on orders over 129 check out these best sellers shop now previous next trending items previous next about us ozark mountain miniature tack equine supplies welcome to minitack com your online source for products designed specifically to meet the unique needs of miniature horses ponies and donkeys and their owners too from vaccines and supplements to equipment and of course tack you can find everything you need right here from top brands and at value prices were passionate about our minis and we understand how special they are we love your enthusiasm for minis and ponies and thats why our priority is to provide the best and widest assortment of solutions for you accessible with just a click if you need to speak to an expert our customer service professionals are here to help keep an eye on our site as we grow and be sure to sign up for our mailing lists and follow us on social mediathat way you wont miss out on the latest products deals sales and events minitack com resources sign up for all the latest deals news and more sign up order support order status tracking shipping delivery international shipping return policy customer service best price guarantee catalog request corporate info about minitack terms conditions email signup privacy policy shop dog com quick links horse clothing driving supplies mini horse saddles halters leads shop by brand mini library </s>
<s>[INST] forestry mulching company names [/INST] mulchers mulchers are ideal for efficient cutting and mulching of vegetation and overgrowth filter by filter list cancel and return to results filter by clear all equipment type machine type apply filters models us metric this product may not be available near this location please contact your local dealer for assistance attachments mulchers us price listed is manufacturer s suggested retail price this price does not include shipping and handling expedite charges taxes dealer installation costs or other dealer charges dealers set actual prices including invoicing currency the msrp displayed is for the region selected related content the cat rental store rent from the cat rental store and try out different machine technologies features sizes and more to learn what works best for you and your operations select up to 3 models to compare model cancel product title model cancel product title model cancel product title compare textsms chat with an expert chat requires cookies by clicking i accept continue to chat you consent to the use of the cookies that enable the chat function products attachments equipment parts portable generators power systems services support financing insurance maintenance operations safety services technology solutions how can we help contact us find rental equipment find used equipment find your dealer shop merchandise company info careers company corporate press releases investors industry solutions industries news and events customer stories press kits product service announcements trade shows events connect with cat caterpillar foundation social media visitors center museum public north america english edit facebook linkedin twitter youtube instagram caterpillar brands cat cat lift trucks hindustan mwm turner powertrain systems cat financial anchor hypac m2m progress rail yellowmark cat reman asiatrak kemper olympian sem the cat rental store fg wilson mak perkins solar turbines caterpillar com site map cookies legal privacy us english caterpillar 2020 all rights reserved warning internet explorer users may experience issues with certain features of our site please try a current version of an alternate browser i e google chrome microsoft edge mozilla firefox for the full cat com experience </s>
<s>[INST] o'neill fishing company limited [/INST] julie k oneill partner 508 416 2406 email linkedin vcard framingham framingham overview experience insights news blogs print save overview julie oneill focuses her practice on business corporate and securities law and counseling individuals and entities at all stages of the corporate life cycle on a wide variety of sophisticated transactions in the u s canada and abroad julie regularly handles entity selection and formation private placements including angel and venture capital equity financings limited liability company operating agreements and shareholders agreements mergers and acquisitions recapitalizations private equity fund formation secured transactions employment issues and partnership disputes licensing arrangements and general contract matters trademark and copyright registrations julie has extensive expertise representing start up businesses including helping entrepreneurs in selecting the right legal structures for their businesses securing debt and equity financing and handling ongoing operational matters she frequently represents clients from the formation stage through multiple rounds of financings and finally to liquidity events in addition julie represents multiple family offices wealth managers and high net worth individuals and families with planning investing and structuring matters clients appreciate that im fast efficient and make their lives easier julie notes things that have come to me with 30 plus years of doing what i do clients also know that im very detail oriented a great strategist and an excellent issue spotter julie also gets high marks from her clients for her responsiveness and accessibility qualities that are especially appreciated when everyone is under the gun to keep a deal on track and to get it closed before anyone gets cold feet besides work julie is an avid photographer and gardener in her spare time she is especially proud of her irises which bloom spectacularly each year in the beginning of june smell like bubblegum and earn her delightful accolades from her neighbors and passers by affiliations professional community first vice chair board of directors the united way of tri county previous former member task force for a comprehensive revision of the massachusetts business corporation law former member board of directors techsandbox articles talks books co author of the entrepreneurs internet handbook your legal and practical guide to starting a business website the second edition of which was entitled the business owners guide to the internet and was published in 2008 how to start a business in massachusetts 1996 articles the new crowdfunding rules will they really help startups xconomy november 15 2016 author of the article rule 144 and restricted stock which appeared in international securities law and regulation editors dennis campbell and robert a solomon published by transnational publishers inc in 2000 under the auspices of the center for international legal studies in salzburg austria talks formation financing start me up legal conference worcester regional chamber of commerce and bowditch dewey worcester massachusetts march 27 2019 bar admissions massachusetts new york education j d cum laude boston college law school b a yale university experience julie has years of proven experience helping clients in many industries including life sciences medical devices web based retailing software healthcare and mobile applications she has handled equity financings and m a transactions ranging from 100 000 to 30 million other experience entity formation and corporate structure financings and m a creators of a dating website starting with formation of the entity through the entitys lifespan including four rounds of equity financing a round of venture debt financing and a sale of the entity to match com distributor of genomic based reagents and fluorescent in situ hybridization fish probes for aiding the study and understanding of numerous cancers from formation of the entity through its lifespan including two rounds of equity financing a debt financing and a sale of the entity an insurance risk compliance solution provider in its conversion from a new jersey limited liability company to a delaware corporation and a subsequent series a financing a custom wine creator and distributor in its conversion from a california s corporation to a delaware c corporation a subsequent preferred stock financing and multiple trademark filings other financings creators of a mobile application that recognizes consumer products on a television screen or other visual medium and directs the consumer to websites where the products can be purchased the founders had initially set up a german entity to hold the intellectual property julie helped them set up a delaware corporation to become the parent entity and negotiated strategic partnering arrangements with german and swiss media companies with julies help the company is currently raising 6 million in a series a financing a company whose founders are the inventors of wearable technology designed to improve workplace safety in a 30 million equity financing the lead investor was a major insurance firm that simultaneously entered into a strategic partnership with the company julie handled the documentation for the financing filings and closings owner and operator of several mexican restaurants in manhattan and montauk in its first and second rounds of equity financing craft brewery start up entity raising funds for its brewery buildout including negotiation of a complex operating agreement addressing competition conflicts and other issues of concern to the founders and the investors insights news events february 4 2019 start me up legal conference publications november 15 2016 xconomy publishes the new crowdfunding rules will they really help startups news march 18 2019 press release bowditch worcester chamber team up for start me up legal conference june 20 2018 julie oneill to serve on board of directors of the united way of tri county august 8 2016 press release bowditch deweys growing business finance group adds two attorneys blogs at the bar with bowditch march 3 2020 legos robots and beer oh my june 18 2019 craft brewers experiment with community supported farm share model september 6 2018 is crowdfunding for you assistant christina m bonney 508 416 2489 cbonney bowditch com related practice areas business succession planning commercial lending finance corporate m a licensing trademark copyright ownership structuring restructuring bankruptcy workout related industries craft brewers hotel hospitality manufacturing professional services real estate developers owners start ups emerging companies back to top </s>
<s>[INST] white logging company [/INST] a short history of logging and lumber in enumclaw when pioneers first came to the enumclaw plateau huge trees stood in the way of farming they were felled by hand and most were burned because they were too big to deal with by john anderson neighbor feb 21 2013 5 32 pm pt updated mar 26 2013 3 18 pm pt when pioneers first came to the enumclaw plateau huge trees stood in the way of farming they were felled by hand and most were burned because they were too big to deal with settlers hand split cedar for boards and shingles william mcmillan was celebrated when he built the first house here out of sawn boards hauled from the nearest mill in wilkeson johannes mahler s lumber wagon which also delivered the stevensons and many of the other early settlers on the final leg of their journeys was one of the most useful vehicles of the plateau at the time besides dealing with the massive trees in clearing land for farms the pioneers had countless thousands of smaller logs to dispose of but they soon discovered a use for them under the forest cover lay a flat wet plateau with very little drainage when the first roads were cut through the mud made them impassible throughout much of the year miles of puncheons logs laid perpendicular to the direction of travel allowed uncomfortable but all season travel when the northern pacific first came to town frank stevenson even felled a cedar tree across railroad street so people could walk across the swampy thoroughfare to his hotel because of the heavy forest cover and the need for lumber sawmills got an early start around enumclaw the first one built by nelson bennett supplied timbers for the northern pacific bridge to buckley and later for other railroad bridges boise was the site of a mill using water power to turn the saws boise also boasted a shingle mill capitalizing on the abundant and accessible cedar in the area elijah goss built the white river lumber and shingle company in enumclaw 1889 and within three years he was producing 200 000 shingles a day 1 his sawmill was located at the site of the future weyerhaeuser mill with rough cut lumber floating down a three mile flume fed by boise creek to his planing mill at the edge of town but in 1896 a fire destroyed the planing mill and goss sold out what was left to several partners carl hanson and his sons swedish immigrants who already operated other mills in the area louis olson head of hanson s logging operations and alex turnbull a black diamond mine mechanic once the burned out mill was rebuilt the company grew quickly shipping most of the product across the country by rail but in 1902 fire struck again this time burning the sawmill and all the surrounding support buildings even the top halves of logs in the millpond burned the fire spread down the hill to the edge of the plateau but because of the townspeople s efforts and a shifting wind the planing mill was saved the white river lumber company rebuilt right away and by the end of its first ten years in enumclaw it employed 500 people 2 although others had used oxen the wrlc s first logs were pulled out of the woods by horses these were replaced soon by donkeys giant steam powered winches as capacity increased and demand for logs grew the company bought a small wood burning locomotive to get it from the northern pacific tracks in town up the roadless three miles to the mill workers removed 50 feet of track from behind and relayed it to the front they had it up there in six days 3 at first the locomotive just dragged logs out of the woods right on the new tracks but that made life short for the ties so flatcars were hauled up from town one by one behind wagon teams finally the missing rail link between enumclaw and the white river lumber mill was completed in 1909 the early winching of logs used pulleys on stumps but in 1912 the spar pole was introduced a man would climb a giant tree on a hilltop saw the top off and install rigging to yard the logs for loading then the train brought the logs to the sawmill a hundred train carloads of lumber left enumclaw each month 4 many of the mill workers came directly from sweden to work for the hansons where others understood their language and cultural background most lived in camps in the woods or at ellenson the company housing complex up at the mill named after axel hanson s daughter ellen many local farmers also worked second jobs at white river lumber company to supplement uncertain incomes with steady wages with greatly increased production capacity at the mill and demand for its products the hansons needed timber they eventually increased their holdings to 50 000 acres meanwhile weyerhaeuser bought 900 000 acres from the northern pacific railroad and became the white river s major competitor they two companies began merging in 1909 with white river lumber company retaining its brand and management final acquisition was not completed until 1949 5 japanese were also employed in the logging camps and at the sawmill where they lived in their own segregated housing complex at ellenson they continued working for the company until the start of world war ii when they were suddenly removed to internment camps none returned afterwards with the shortage of men at the time the war also brought women into the mill workforce and older men returned to the woods only the high riggers were exempted from the draft since few had the skill for this dangerous and essential job a housing boom after the war also meant boom time in logging and not all loggers worked for white river weyerhaeuser even though the big company continued to use its railroads into the 1950s improvements in logging trucks gave gyppos small independent operators mobility to reach other mills well beyond enumclaw some had timberland of their own but most bid on sales from the u s forest service or on state lands where rail transport of logs was not allowed with a tower steel spar pole and winch a skidder a loader and a small crew these entrepreneurs were able to move easily from one location to another some used their own log trucks others subcontracted with individual owner operators the tree farmer skidder a unique invention by dwight garrett of enumclaw made life a lot easier for the loggers son of a black diamond coal miner dwight had a fascination for machinery early while still a student he drove the school bus there later opening his shop in enumclaw he developed the articulated four wheel drive tractor that became the most efficient means worldwide for getting logs out of the woods 6 the lumber industry in washington peaked in the latter half of the 20th century but its days were numbered with most of the virgin timber gone public lands were closing down to preserve the few old growth trees that were left the large companies began looking for cheaper and easier places to farm trees such as the southern states and developing countries and with much larger reserves canada became a major competitor for local mills however another global trend softened the impact of these changes for weyerhaeuser and the gyppos a burgeoning asian market first it was japan followed by china the surviving but greatly reduced local industry was kept afloat by the export market and then by the domestic housing bubble of the early 2000s until it crashed in 2008 that was the final blow and in april of 2009 the white river mill closed its doors for good after more than a century as an integral part of our community 7 but even that did not end logging in enumclaw a yard on highway 410 in buckley still stuffs local logs into containers bound for china brought to them by persevering enumclaw gyppos and log truck drivers today the history of enumclaw area logging is celebrated with a bronze sculpture of an oxen team pulling a huge log out of the woods located in front of the library this locally sponsored piece is testament to the 125 year role of loggers in our community notes 1 nancy irene hall in the shadow of the mountain the courier publishing enumclaw 1983 and republished by heritage quest press orting 2004 p 107 2 white river lumber company historylink org essay 414 3 louise poppleton there is only one enumclaw 1995 p 43 4 poppleton there is only one enumclaw 1995 p 45 5 final logs roll through weyerhaeuser mill kevin hanson enumclaw courier herald april 30 1990 6 use of articulated wheeled tractors in logging current discussion of the garrett tree farmer forestry forum 7 final logs roll through weyerhaeuser mill kevin hanson enumclaw courier herald april 30 1990 enumclaw centennial blog series the histories of enumclaw introduction enumclaw the first 6020 years early enumclaw 6000 years ago to the mid 1800s early enumclaw the first european americans arrive the adventures of allen porter s wagon enumclaw s early plateau neighbors schools and districts franklin enumclaw s railroads enumclaw becomes a town 1879 1913 enumclaw cooperatives historic houses in and around enumclaw incorporation through world war ii enumclaw from 1913 1945 logging and lumber enumclaw s affair with alcohol and tobacco tom smith enumclaw town marshall growth and prosperity enumclaw from 1945 2008 history of the garden searching for a town s identity recent past to the present enumclaw from 2008 2013 a history of banks in enumclaw enumclaw news over the years picnics parades fairs and festivals enumclaw s next two decades 2013 2033 the limits of growth alternative futures subscribe back to the enumclaw patch the views expressed in this post are the author s own want to post on patch register for a user account more from enumclaw up next on enumclaw patch local news 5h washington nears 6 000 coronavirus cases at least 247 dead 5h local news 6h enumclaw businesses open or closed let your customers know 6h local news 18h best midweek deals fans nespresso coffee machines toys more 18h read more local news from enumclaw what are featured events featured events are paid listings by users and receive priority placement on patch on our social pages and in our daily newsletters to promote your local event on patch click here feature your event on patch now featured events add your event apr 2 see more events near you what are featured classifieds featured classifieds are paid posts promoted by patch community members to promote your local classified on patch create an account and start posting here feature your classified on patch now featured classifieds add your classified enumclaw community calendar latest news nearby seattle wa news washington nears 6 000 coronavirus cases 247 dead enumclaw wa news open or closed let your customers know seattle wa news inslee calls on companies make protective gear seattle wa news 2 496 coronavirus cases in king county 164 dead enumclaw wa news emumclaw police announce pistol licenses changes get tickets nearby camila saturday aug 01 at 8 00pm foreigner kansas europe saturday jul 18 at 7 00pm disturbed staind bad wolves saturday sep 12 at 7 00pm get tickets near you </s>
<s>[INST] fishing company business plan [/INST] global fresh fish and seafood market 2020 by segment forecasts 2025 grupo freiremar hiro lee fishing company leigh fisheries marine harvest etc husain march 27 2020 overview of fresh fish and seafood market 2020 2025 the global fresh fish and seafoodmarket research report provided by reports monitor is a detailed study of the global fresh fish and seafoodmarket which covers all the essential information required by a new market entrant as well as the existing players to gain a deeper understanding of the market the global fresh fish and seafoodmarket report is divided in terms of regions product type applications key players and other important factors the report also covers the global market scenario providing deep insights into the cost structure of the product production and manufacturing processes and other essential factors the report also covers the global market scenario highlighting the pricing of the product production and consumption volume cost analysis industry value barriers and growth drivers major market players demand and supply ratio of the market the growth rate of the market and forecast till 2025 the top leading players operating in the market covered in this report grupo freiremar hiro lee fishing company leigh fisheries marine harvest morrisons seattle fish company tesco true world foods all seas wholesale austevoll seafood group faroe seafood fresh catch fujian yingfeng foods group grieg seafood metro seafood midseas ocean fresh seafoods ocean develop seafoods pescafresh pj s seafood surapon foods tassal group trident seafoods tropic star seafood zhuxian seafood processing more to download pdf sample report with 30 mins free consultation click here https www reportsmonitor com request sample 843432 with this global fresh fish and seafoodmarket research report all the manufacturers and vendors will be aware of the growth factors shortcomings threats and the lucrative opportunities that the market has to offer in the next few years the fresh fish and seafoodmarket research report also highlights the revenue industry size types applications players share production volume and consumption to gain an understanding about the demand and supply chain of the market product type coverage market size forecast major company of product type etc fresh fish seafood others application coverage market size forecast different demand market by region main consumer profile etc surper market distributor on line shopping others global fresh fish and seafoodmarket regional segmentation north america united states canada and mexico europe germany france uk russia and italy asia pacific china japan korea india and southeast asia south america brazil argentina colombia etc middle east and africa saudi arabia uae egypt nigeria and south africa grab your report at an impressive discount please click emailprotected https www reportsmonitor com check discount 843432 years that have been considered for the study of this report are as follows history year 2014 2018 base year 2018 estimated year 2020 forecast year 2020 to 2025 what does the report offer a comprehensive study of the global fresh fish and seafood market including complete evaluation of the parent market a complete analysis of the market providing an understanding of the market size and its commercial landscape the global fresh fish and seafood market evaluation by upstream and downstream raw materials present market dynamics and subsequent consumer analysis analysis providing the driving and restraining factors of the global fresh fish and seafood market and its impact on the global industry a comprehensive study providing the driving and restraining factors of the global fresh fish and seafood market and its impact on the global industry a complete understanding about global fresh fish and seafood industry plans are now increasingly being adopted by leading private businesses value chain analysis of the market providing clear understanding of the key intermediaries involved and their individual roles at every phase of the value chain porters five force analysis of the market highlighting the efficiency of purchasers and sellers to develop efficient growth strategies competitive landscape analysis highlighting the leading competitors in the market so as to understand the strategies adopted by them click to view the full report details reports toc figure and emailprotected https www reportsmonitor com report 843432 fresh fish and seafood market contact us jay matthews direct 1 513 549 5911 u s 44 203 318 2846 u k email emailprotected tags fresh fish and seafood forecast fresh fish and seafood industry size fresh fish and seafood industry trends fresh fish and seafood market data analysis fresh fish and seafood market growth fresh fish and seafood market overview fresh fish and seafood market share reports monitor facebook twitter google linkedin stumbleupon tumblr pinterest reddit vkontakte share via email print husain related articles january 3 2020 9 latest study explores the boat quick links market witness highest growth in near future march 30 2020 2 info graphic view of advanced energy storage systems market viewpoint trends and predictions 2020 2025 december 19 2019 8 know about total station market influencing factors by top companies like hexagon ab topcon corporation trimble inc etc november 20 2019 6 pid controller market to witness comprehensive growth by 2024 eurotherm gefran omron wachendorff automation calex electronics durex industries recent news march 30 2020 ceramic dielectric capacitors market improvement status 2019 2025 by analyzing the performance of various competitors kemet murata walsin darfon nased yageo aoxun and more march 30 2020 atx desktop computer motherboard market share forecast to witness considerable growth from 2019 to 2025 by top leading vendors like asus gigabyte asrock msi biostar colorful group and more march 30 2020 short arc xenon lamps market opportunity assessment 2019 2025 growing with major key player osram philips ushio advanced specialty lighting caiz optronics luxtel and more march 30 2020 portable media players market report 2019 acute analysis of global demand and supply 2025 with major key player apple samsung creative technology sandisk cinepal more march 30 2020 organic light emitting diode oled displays market 2019 2025 with major key player samsung electronics acuity brands konica minolta pioneer oled oledworks lumiotec more march 30 2020 naval sensor market outlook 2019 witnessing enormous growth with recent trends demand airbus group bae systems plc textron inc thales group ultra electronics holdings plc united technologies corporation and more march 30 2020 movement sensors market with competitive analysis new business developments and top companies bosch sensortec kionix freescale semiconductor memsic stmicroelectronics and more march 30 2020 microfilm and microfiche equipment supplies market by major players 3m company usa acmis nv belgium agfa gevaert nv belgium anacomp inc usa docharbor usa blipchip products company usa and more march 30 2020 advance driver assistance systems market has huge growth in industry magna international inc autoliv inc continental ag robert bosch gmbh valeo march 30 2020 supersonic business jet market outlines the growth factors and current state of market by 2025 aerion lockheed martin spike aerospace </s>
<s>[INST] forestry company near me [/INST] wood milling companies near me wood milling companies near me we specialize in architectural woodwork casework and millwork products we sell slabs mantels cookies xl cross sections as well as end cuts by the pallet 259 millman lumber is a family of four independent companies each of which specializes in the distribution or manufacture of building materials com a pack of lumber bearing the cersosimo logo is recognized around the globe as a our operations include five sawmills grading and milling facilities extensive from milling wood to create furniture to designing decorative wood moulding we do it all at our state of the art lumber mill in houston tx cnc routing az high capacity production and prototype cnc routing services ask your sales representative about other custom milling options that we offer located in the tampa bay fl we operate a modern fabricating facility utilizing state of the art equipment that allows us to individually create and meet our customers uniq steves woodworking is a custom parts manufacturer using cnc routers manufacturing goods in wood poly plastic and is located in myerstown pa get wood milling services now and after the wood is up to our standards we create one of a kind works of art that preserve the beauty and story of your lumber we have found a lot of locations related to lumber mill near and close to you with lumber mill open hours and location details you can find them by selecting your state and then city from the list above or typing your nearest city name in search bar sawmills in spokane on yp com dan wieland danielwieland 26 jan 2013 experienced competent wood products veterans also became available the protective paper wrapped around lumber shipments was purchased from a company that it s important to me to have a blue collar mentality we sell premium air and kiln dried rough lumber harvested from local lashway lumber in williamsburg massachusetts is a custom sawmill that offers custom kiln drying and a wide range of logging services and serves stimson lumber company with roots dating back to the 1850s is one of the oldest continuously operating integrated wood products companies in the united our expert milling team can create custom moulding profiles and millwork services that west wind hardwood is your one stop source for lumber and value added building furniture has come as a natural progression of our business for us that s at least 3 times through the machine hinman sons in 1912 d whidbey woodworks custom milling is a family owned sawmill that offers wood to construction hardwood companies as well as wood workers fulton we utilise our wide range of cnc machining centres and computerised production control to provide a service that is second to none a ton costs between 7 and 60 depending on the amount of recycled asphalt pavement in the mixture start your woodworking projects off right with quality tools supplies and expert advice from rockler st we have a on site facility to accommodate most of your milling services you need milling machines equipment rental air tools air drills air paving breakers air percussion air saws miscellaneous material handling genie lifts roust a bouts elenbaas hardwood inc m provides a directory of mills or primary forest product companies which produce lumber plywood pulp paper and other wood products using roundwood logs as yoder lumber is one of america s most trusted top quality hardwood distributors and lumber mills the four companies are forest products supply great central lumber millwork broad building supply and great western lumber gray assumed operations of the sawmill only in 1981 while a company our assets include a unique system by which all of our 130 plus employees participate in management and production standards assuring hmi hardwoods llc s customers the value and service they come to depend on qualify evaluate shortlist and contact wood cutting services companies on our free supplier discovery and product sourcing platform because of bohnhoff s generosity and community spirit we are able to provide people living in poverty or homelessness with the opportunity to work with their hands learn a skill and change their lives please call 956 457 2173 for directions to set up an appointment before coming out to make sure i am available for you quality lumber we can manufacture any and all types of wood siding patterns tongue and groove flooring beaded ceiling patterns and some moldings with our eight inch molder in our mill business council whiteman lumber company inc whether you have a tree that you want turned into lumber or youre looking for that perfect slab of wood for your next project capital sawmill has you covered we can mill on location or even ship slabs all across the united states we ve listed the top 10 based on number of companies above find the top 100 most popular items in amazon home improvement best sellers we are a dynamic modern cnc subcontract milling company which employs modern attitudes methods and equipment to produce quality components at competitive prices 8540 fax 843 while tart lumber company serves all of northern virginia s lumber and hardware needs we are proud to offer custom millshop services at our sterling va location weve had a trusted name for 151 years in addition we produce metal components and fixtures using manual machines as well as cnc milling and turning centers in addition to its timber you must consider everything that it contains wildlife habitat water resources opportunities for recreation and aesthetic values the home of wonders in wood federal millwork corporation the home of wonders in wood home about us mission statement virtual tours products product search aug 23 2019 companies that buy trees for lumber eastern white cedar big red sawmill is the foremost source of quality rough cut lumber milling and kiln drying in eastern nebraska we are an urban sawmill and woodshop in san antonio that takes pride 4 feb 2020 mill location 926 nh route 11 farmington nh business type no sawmill lumber yard only planing mill lumber company sep 03 2013 they also said they see curly figure very often and just burn their burls i talked to them and asked what they get for their wood pieces but we also order quality doors like these solid core cherry wood and poplar doors behind every successful business is a great team custom design and build available on premises we will be closed may 16th saturday and october 24th i have been milling logs since 2002 welcome to wieland sons lumber co there were others who would do the sod installation for less but they hadn t included many of the steps that would insure the sod would survive mcgoldrick milling company inc our niche is the local grown hardwoods that this area is famous for we also supply miscellaneous building products including wood and composite columns fypon shutters and gable vents our company supplies all the lumber building materials tools and expertise required to complete your job website n britton lumber company llc expert service timely manfred master craftsmen use our fixtures for lean manufacturing one piece flow which can smooth out your production woodcrafters looking for a local source of custom milled wood we are a family run business that takes great pride in providing quality great lakes region hardwood lumber sawmilling kiln drying and millwork services all of our lumber graders are certified by nhla inspectors we re a premier lumber manufacturer that offers a wide variety of lumber for urban lumber company specializes in creating large natural edge slabs and fine handcrafted furnishings from sustainably salvaged city trees our furniture 30 apr 2019 one community of such builders revolves around bickford lumber in lisbon i asked bickford what the satisfaction is in operating a small saw mill you got to go by the hour when there is more than 20 30bf we repurpose urban trees into exciting new products he explained in detail his job proposal and why each step was important we can also can cut your logs at your place or ours our portable sawmill will go anywhere in central ohio visit the design center to browse architectural millwork mantels and our 40ft suwanee lumber company is a specialty hardwood supplier for custom cabinet and furniture makers as well as the general public m c lumber company inc american grown american made double eagle saw mill 4800 palm ave cocoa florida 32926 321 631 2361 cw doubleeaglesawmill 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 expert advice service to do the job right the first time oak cedar walnut cherry etc a forester prepares an inventory of the wood the buyer examines it and places a bid here you will find what we do what we carry in stock and prices our inventory changes by the minute so always call ahead we specialize in furniture grade lumber e k vintage wood offers the finest reclaimed wood including lumber flooring hand hewn beams slabs barn siding and custom milled furniture p find a local portable sawmill service and get your logs cut into lumber join the pro sawyer network and get your business listed type categories profiling stumptown cnc provides high precision cnc routing and milling for your custom designs from prototyping to large production runs we are here to help state of the art milling facility california urban lumber has the ability to mill these beautiful logs into lasting hardwoods 7610 47th avenue ne marysville wa 98270 phone 425 our website contains only a small portion of our product offerings and we invite you to contact us at any time with any additional needs or questions at jay gee wood products company jgw we have a long tradition of providing high quality wood products and this is strongly evident in our custom cnc wood machining and sanding services we offer stock and custom patterns for residential and commercial molding and paneling projects our selection of retail and wholesale top grade lumber is unsurpassed and our product knowledge and customer service make every purchase a pleasant experience the reclaimed barnwood company portable custom sawing services oh we specialize in reclaimed lumber and custom milling david e welcome to the bagdad lumber website com shelly johnson sheljohn netins gray took over operations in 1952 they said it is almost all green sawed and they get 47 cents per board foot we even operate our own lumber mill to perfect all of canyon lake gorge coleto creek park lake wood park laboratory services bids notices contact us email subscriptions employment transparency primary wood processing companies that participated in a recent timber mill find the best wood mill near you on yelp see all wood mill open now t g mesquite wood that is destined to be mesquite flooring is ripped and the surfaced plained with a double headed surface plainer everything about their operation is top notch wall lumber company 0895 our mill carries a rich and storied history and has survived the great depression a fire and being struck by lightning in the first half of the 1900s better price marysville parr lumber back women men blankets home accessories kids babies view all new remnants of old railroad bed near fenton lake woodsaver milling is a family owned and operated business exemplifying this is our complete rough update your home with the mill work lumber experts of st pete and let us customize a counter top moulding doors windows and more we deliver superior custom hardwood products and solutions thank you bohnhoff lumber masons mill and lumber is a leading supplier of premium hardwood lumber architectural millwork and plywood creative millwork llc de c no endorsement is implied nor intended for any business listed here nor is exclusion from this list intended to be can haul logs and mill at or below portable rate austin hardwoods holds several events yearly keep an eye out for our next one we are a southeastern wisconsin sawmill and dry kiln company producing quality hardwoods for sale to all we can saw at our barn or can bring the sawmill to you the wood itself is a reddish brown with grey or light brown rays which result in a lace pattern when quartersawn 84 lumber is your source for building supplies building materials and all your construction needs we can match moulding and siding profiles no longer available for purchase custom milling it is available in the following hardwood species ash butternut cherry hard j w lumber is your one stop shop for all your outdoor building materials needs celebrating 151 years citywood produces high quality furniture as well as lumber supply a different kind of lumber mill we harvest only the finest big red sawmill is the foremost source for quality lumber milling kiln drying rough cut lumber and firewood in ne welcome to hickory oak sawmill and lumber company millman lumber teague lumber co we also do welding fabrication in 1938 a planing mill was added discover the best power wood lathes in best sellers you dream it we make it j w lumber has the experience and infrastructure that will allow you to set no limit on your outdoor project we have bandsaws that can handle anything from large structural baulks down to small joinery sections as well as ripsaws and multirips which are ideal for fast elliott s custom sawmill is a full time operation with 15 years of operation cedar welcome to the woodery lumber co sign up for email updates 8 mar 2018 i mill sell and work with lumber from mostly suburban settings with lots read the article about missouri hardwoods prompted me to put into writing i expect trees i pick up to have metal in them and i will work around it but bud hampton purchased his first sawmill in willamina oregon in 1942 initially to supply his lumber business in tacoma washington hobby hardwood alabama is a full time small friendly family owned lumber operation specializing in producing furniture grade lumber located in new market alabama just north of huntsville we even offer custom corian and formica countertops our core values and our people make us who we are sign in register store locator new starting with carbon fiber and nylon metalmite will soon be able to print aluminum tool steel stainless steel and hsla as well bohnhoff can custom mill lumber to the desired thickness width and length for your project we will be closed may 16th saturday and october 24th eastern pa trusted source of north american hardwood lumber standing timber buyer and premium much supplier in lancaster county pa call 717 442 4116 architects builders and designers we produce and distribute extensive lines designed to meet the needs of your clients n for gorgeous wood flooring siding and stair treads call tallon lumber in north canaan connecticut is dedicated to superior quality wood mouldings and our reputation is built on excellence in quality service and on the relationships we have with our customers hunt lumber in mid coast maine provides sawmill operations retail hardware power tools paint and extensive building materials for residential and company name province city domestic and exotic lumber kiln dried slowly down to around 6 on toronto the wood mill 519 735 8008 on windsor cnc machining is ideal for wood component manufacturing ready seal is find sources of lumber veneer wood specialties and sawmill services these enable to shape individual wood work pieces from a small scale series into the desired form sign in register we take pride in producing the highest quality kiln dried natural and live edge slabs and furniture grade lumber available bartlett milling produces a full line of commercial patent flours and animal feeds at our mills in the mid atlantic states and the midwest the urban lumber company is a kansas city based hardwood lumber retailer our sawmill is fast and saws logs up to 21 feet long and up to 34 in diameter g 1 million bf kiln capacity pagliacco pronounced poly ahko turning and milling is your source for wood columns fiberglass columns royal corinthian columns and balusters wood porch posts turncraft pvc posts wood balusters and newels railings corbels and more portable sawmill services logs to lumber we saw logs to your specifications youll have a lot more hardwood options to choose there are over 76 cities in south carolina with companies in the sawmills and planing mills general category suppliers join woodfinder log in boerema michigan rail storage inc a we sell premium air and kiln dried rough lumber harvested from local neighborhoods dependable and professional commercial residential we offer a full range of milled redwood and cedar products making tongue and groove shiplap hill ndale beveled siding molding and fascia just to mar 19 2013 do you need to find a portable sawmill service near you of milling lumber at local sawmills only if you know where to find them creating new business opportunities many companies find that 5 axis milling increases the types of products and services they can offer to their customers and prospects woodview is a canadian family owned and operated sawmill and lumber yard in lindsay ont for over 25 years j locate a mill near you or many will ship lumber if you find they have access to exotic or hard to find species you might be interested in we have many species in stock including traditional native and tropical exotic woods we are a custom cnc machining shop located in myerstown pa we work with you to accomplish your project according to your specs and we bring our experience to every project we undertake apply now wood mizer c 746 we wood love to make you a customer we reuse repurpose recycle 0 waste everything that comes into the mill goes out as a product mill logs into lumber for wood projects or profits with wood mizer portable sawmill equipment including portable sawmills and band sawmill blades made in usa visit our partner contact woodfinder precision cnc machining china factory offers wide range of plastic machining cnc milling turned parts milling parts cnc prototyping cnc parts manufacturer and production plants in china the harvestable wood on a 10 acre lot probably yields some 40 to 50 000 board feet he says and it is usually sold at auction explore center hardware supply company most reviewed wood mill near me payable by the results 1 34 of 34 jan lumber company limited we green wood milling company san antonio texas we also mill a variety of architectural moldings 612 781 3333 i will also say that with a planer of that type to do 100bf will take you an hour with a person on both sides of the planer one feeding and one stacking and let s say the wood has to be finished at 3 4 we run mouldings for some of the largest moulding houses throughout california however we can also run 10 feet of moulding for someone who may need to replace a piece in their home cypress today all daybooks and ledger for a lumber and building supply business in green the records of the show me state chapter of the american business the papers of the anchor milling company contain some correspondence the records of the big creek mill contain transaction ledgers for the big creek mill company near d b hoovers provides sales leads and sales intelligence data on over 120 million companies like oasis latinoamrica s you tell us what the specifications are and well produce it with high quality and low cost lumber mill in los angeles on yp although not ideal for sound isolation wood absorbs and reflects sound making it a good acoustic device all products made with perfectly preserved old growth timber reclaimed wood from the penobscot river we can also process larger logs please call for more information like other woods that exhibit the strongest figure in quartersawn pieces such as sycamore logs to lumber kiln dried hardwood lumber domestic and exotic lumber live edge slabs table tops i have been building a database of sawmills and put it together as a sawmill locater where you can search by state to find sawmills that provide custom cutting services and sell specialty lumber is a custom woodworking company located in st treated kiln dried pine treated or stop by mcgee lumber company talk to john davis the owner and take a guided tour through our lumber yard and wood milling operations 7277 fax 425 in 1902 the company completed the large serving building distributors in bexar guadalupe comal counties for 30 years our timber milling and cutting capabilities are almost endless so whether you want a few simple cuts or need complex curved cuts and drilling call us we are proud to be a unique and local resource of lumber for green building projects corint industries llc milling when you are ready to up your woodworking game its time to start buying wood straight from a distributor instead of the big box retailers minimum of 1 hour charge per order creative millwork specializes in everything from custom windows and custom entry doors to custom mantels and fireplace surrounds our on site mill works band saw facility and wide selections of wood trims in our warehouses make nichols lumber 20 dec 2019 rutland lumber is a lumber business in collins mississippi raw and it boasted a post office company store locomotive repair shop and small lumber mill in addition our machines are all american made by a company that goes above laser engraved wood conference and event badges cnc milling service a small business milling selling hardwoods mainly from urban logs we have an onsite production facility that can dimension your choice to your specifications complete woodworking cnc working centres are used for shaping wood work pieces into all kinds of forms special order ash cherry lyptus oak walnut and teak are also available kiln drying we offer many different lumber species rough or milled wood veneered plywood as well as other sheet goods the wood mill it has been a family owned operated woodcrafters looking for a local source of custom milled wood com truss manufacturing 863 225 3360 pallet lumber manufacturing 800 952 1605 poppert milling kiln dries alaska birch cottonwood and spruce for use as tongue and groove flooring paneling and cabinet stock welcome to architectural millwork your stock and custom wood molding and paneling specialists homeadvisor is the simplest way to find and book concrete cutting services near you our customers have learned we are committed to providing the very best quality forest products available anywhere we specialize in custom cutting for woodworking and building needs for your projects hmi hardwoods llc is a sawmill and kiln drying operation located in clinton mi forest products has been sourcing wood for flooring moulding decking custom furniture to make your home stand out from the rest it s our goal for the story to live on in the things we make with the wood kretz lumber is a global wood products company specializing in premium northern hardwood lumber wilkins lumber is a small family owned lumber mill located in milford new hampshire charles il milling facilities custom molding trim carries hardwood and softwood lumber in a variety of dimensions is ready to help you out additional charges may occur if foreign objects such as bolts nails concrete and rocks are present in the wood marlin wood provides 3d routering for prototypes check fixtures precision gauges to measure your precision components since acquiring our new state of the art 3d printers we here at metalmite have been discovering more applications for it every day buyer of hardwood lumber for sale near me 1 jul 2019 lewis lumber products along with dwight lewis lumber company manages produces and distributes we re ready for fast turn around our mission is to provide our clients with the very best material for their on site service lets you be a part of the process prototype the rich beauty of hardwood and the comfort of wood flooring over radiant heat is an unsurpassed luxury your home deserves v turn your logs into hartford wi companies that buy trees exist we offer bodyguard wood products poplar western red cedar african mahogany and misc the thoughtful renovation of the mill valley lumber yard site honors the property s century old heritage and provides a place for shopping dining and foster planing mill in los angeles specializes in custom mouldings in business since 1922 foster planing mill has become known for our high quality products with dependable standards work with us press uk act on modern slavery uk tax strategy and approach 12 jun 2010 sign me up on november 28 1850 the county court met at clinton near the county josiah taylor s dewitt guerella sic company h we now have over 100 000 square feet under roof dedicated to our sawmill operations quality grade is assured for what type of wood is right for your project special wood offers a range of quality woods in a multitude of lengths and widths com got wood we do custom milling hard soft woods gravois planing mill the following is a comprehensive list of cnc machining companies that serve michigan at anderson lumber of st pete we carry a full line of lumber and wood products for everyone from the do it yourselfer to the building professional let your imagination run wild and build a family heirloom seacoast hardwood is a retail supplier of solid wood products to the building trades industry we are a favorite destination for hobbyists artist designers woodworkers and architects wood bundles continued the retail for a few years read millions of reviews and get information about project costs events community r our routers are the highly touted industrial onsrud brand panel pro 5 x 12 table and mate series 4 x 8 table connect with the best concrete sawing drilling contractors in your area my wife an i just bought a house in danville which needed lots of tlc we are everything you have come to expect from a lumber and building materials supplier and so much more mason s mill and lumber is a leading supplier of premium hardwood lumber i went in with questions and they were 10 steps ahead of me on how to help call us or stop by today this enables them to capture a larger segment of the market and take their entire business operation to a whole new level frost hardwood lumber company stocks maple butcher block tops bbb business review custom slab milling of your logs can be done on our new 60 lucas mill so i told them to save me anything figured they find and any burls they cut off building products plus offers custom milling services to create wood and timber products based on your specifications at knotheads wood services we love the story behind everything we do and this one has a wonderful story that goes back many years it was a pleasure to log at boys town in omaha here s a huge oak metalmite now offers 3d printing in return baker s company transferred the sawmill s development rights to a large commercial center it was building in southern commack thereby enabling more structures to be constructed there leaflet map data google locations map locations listing count on our company for quality wood mouldings in appleton wi email admin southernmilling we specialize in custom wood primary wood mahogany and secondary wood is poplar browse our catalog of molding profiles or contact us in eugene oregon for a project quote we have beautiful high quality wood for all of your project needs in some areas cut timber ends up in a landfill or is simply used for mulch and wood chips department architect information about we also offer chainsaw milling for trunks up to 60 in kettle moraine hardwoods inc better grade better selection an incredible selection of paneling we have been providing native wood products to the souhegan valley since 1808 these are available in a range of simple 3 axle systems up to 7 axle systems niagara lumber is the premier hardwood lumber company in buffalo western new york wny and nationwide you can buy lumber online now or get a quote on larger quantities or species not listed on our site of current inventory we sell a variety of high quality kiln dried and planed hardwood lumber sawn from trees harvested locally in north alabama and southern tennessee as well baker a developer with pj venture llc bought the eight acre sawmill property from harned and then donated it to the town find a store or request a quote online today we have been producing the finest mill direct wide plank wood flooring on the most hardwood flooring companies mass produce their products from trees foster lumber is a locally owned and operated lumber yard and lumber mill in lodi ca were trying to log in such a way that wood is going to be there five years from now 10 years from now 100 years from now when it comes to construction materials wood is still the most popular for building manufacturing and crafting since 1962 ashley river lumber has provided local businesses and all of our timber is locally sourced from company owned lands and through we ll even mill your trees so you can feel a real personal connect to your diy project 4 flooring 2 7 8 face we understand that not all of our customers are production shops or fine woodworkers with the equipment necessary to transform rough wood into beautiful wood custom wood cutting milling services for small jobs no time tools or knowledge to do your own wood cutting planing or sanding let our woodshops in phoenix find trusted wood cutting services service providers in your local area with thomasnet this inexpensive bundle of lumber is quality defect free hardwood lumber chosen in random widths and lengths by badger hardwoods using cnc milling machines lexington creates wood door and window parts with precision one ton of asphalt millings covers 80 square feet at a few inches thick manufactured in house charleston sc 7225 peppermill pkwy n charleston sc 29418 office 843 no job is too big or too small boys town was and is a very special place for a lot of people near and far have a log that needs milling book some time on our mill 7 feb 2018 traditional sawmilling business in the north of england at anderson lumber of st business began as a sawmill in 1909 timbering 7 733 acres in the allegheny mountains b woodsaver would like to offer the valley an opportunity to transform trees into beautiful lumber beams and slabs in business since 1986 hardwood lumber company of dallas is a premium supplier of wood products and millwork for professional and hobby woodworking craftsmen advanced search type of mill lumber our milling company manufactures a variety of standard and custom patterns for moldings and siding many of our slabs come from locally harvested urban logs that were removed from homes streets or industrial areas needing space wieland sons lumber company is a family owned sawmill and hardwood lumber company serving domestic and international markets display wall our staff is ready to assist you with your millwork needs if you need mill work done we would be happy to do it for you areas we specialize in include the largest hardwood decking inventory in texas antique and reclaimed woods as well as cutting edge specialty wood products founded in 1880 we enjoy a rich history in the kansas city area and have long been recognized for our selection of timbers cedar siding and pattern profiles engineered wood domestic and specialty hardwoods and custom interior and decorative trim mouldings roadmap species quantities available can vary in sizes up to 20 wide 12 ft everhart continues a tradition of more than 100 years as a sawmill and lumber company in tellico plains tennessee we specialize in cypress and southern yellow pine for two decades dkp wood railings tampa bay millworks is a family owned and operated business offering a full range of custom woodworking services that include design construction delivery and installation grade certification j w lumber has the experience and infrastructure that will allow you to set no limit on your outdoor project he still gives me a hand from time to time getting the boards stacked on stickers from wood pallets and crates to lumber sourced directly from our operations and partner supply locations millwood provides the exact wood packaging products you need for the application at hand we also offer custom drying wood slabs and milling our lumber comes in a wide range of sizes including those hard to find louis 1 269 millwork companies in new york a sawmill or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber sawlogs standing timber they have plenty of wood varieties eastern white cedar siding distributor of hardwood lumber and other wood products such as butcher blocks door stiles edgebanding finished ends glue hardboard plywood live edge slabs we have all different types of lumber to suit your project needs com the on line information resource for the wood industry request a price quote on a woodworking project woodworkers list your company revise your listing asphalt millings cost per ton we have the largest selection in greater san diego and riverside counties and knowledgeable team members at six lumber yard locations to provide support and guidance the easiest way to find a buyer for your trees is to contact your states forestry department the economical bulk pack is a favorite of many woodworkers we also have cedar hardwood mulch best lumber around a fantastic mill with awesome quality lumber milling mesquite flooring based in olympia washington there is never a shortage of beautiful wood to create custom laser engraved key chains coasters pendants plaques portraits and novelties it s milling facility features a 12 000 board foot dehumidification kiln back our company calendar of events blog contact we control every part of the supply chain to provide you the finest northern hardwoods on grade and on time every time exemplifying this is our complete rough wood milling service companies that buy oak trees for lumber are the most common but there are lots of companies that buy pine walnut cottonwoods etc cnc machining is any method of production that employs a computer numerically controlled cnc system to control the machining process via instructions in form of alphabets digits and symbols generated by a processor milling parts out of wood mdf plastic composite nonferrous metals aluminum rigid foam solid surface and other specialty materials berdoll sawmill is a family owned and operated sawmill near austin texas back new products select your city state to quickly find lumber mill near me we offer a full range of milled redwood and cedar building products plus offers custom milling services to create wood and timber products based i have several trees on my land will you buy them from me find milling companies sawmills for portable or stationary sawmills to custom cut your fallen trees lumber logs choose from our standard patterns or give us a custom order we guarantee high quality materials and services a cnc milling machine can be used for shaping the wood cersosimo our company s on site mill cuts superior convenience of one company each one of our slabs can be crafted into furniture table tops counters and much more with three modern sawmills and manufacturing plants in the heart of amish country we deliver superior lumber and custom appalachian wood products to customers around the world southern yellow pine o fire struck in 1958 destroying the napoleon hardwood lumber company sells hardwood lumber custom built wood pallets natural mulch their handling of big timbers is just a few photos from around silverwood sawmill we love our customers and love talking about wood adam is fabulous at thomas lumber we offer a full range of material supply options backed by a combined experience of 150 years our wood engravers are are highly skilled in producing the highest quality laser art with washington wood with mann and burns are in business together as maine heritage timber company culture reclaimed building materials wood and flooring for use in commercial and residential projects our unique machine shop is equipped with a 5 x 12 cnc router able to process everything from engineered sheet goods to live edge solid wood pieces recycled asphalt is typically sold by the ton we are one of the last few sawmills around midland mi thank you for visiting steve s woodworking website wood s thermal properties are far greater than that of steel e k vintage wood fine reclaimed wood products email plywood mill back store info careers southern lumber millwork our mill specializes in supplying home and commercial builders and we take pride in our a rustic look and are capable of surfaced lumber in various dimensions i have been milling logs since 2002 it has its own milling and warehouse facilities to process and store reclaimed woods 745 contractors remodelers and do it yourselfers have relied on us for lumber and building materials and most of all service all backed by our personal guarantee of satisfaction feel free to visit during normal business hours our custom mill shop can accommodate most projects large or small including stair parts with willsie lumber company is a fully operational sawmill in freeland mi as a loyal business member in this turn wood otherwise wasted by rotting or burning wood into usable items generations of craftsmen seeking quality have turned to e com toll free 866 935 3936 peter solberg petersolberg51 gmail past events include annual lie neilsen tool events the katz roadshow festool demo days shop tours and more if you would like to improve your timber stand through selective harvest please go to our timber buying page for more information we offer custom s2s and straight line rip in our hickory location in a recent analysis funded by the illinois forestry development council forest dublin millwork produces and stocks a large variety of wood mouldings in a variety of profiles gray s sawmill was founded in 1936 by a owner larry malott is an isa certified arborist and served as whitman colleges arborist for twenty years production of high quality urban lumber live edge slabs and being we mill for both the general public other like minded businesses at the most competitive rates arrowhead milling facility custom mouldings are the backbone of what we do at cherokee wood products we offer custom milling providing quality wood and related products to the woodworking industry payable by the millie wood works dimensions 90 x 54 x 25 2 3 4 5 specializing in custom timbers pine hemlock and cedar lumber need large or small quantities of a special cut or sized wood products for crating rip strips form block outs or any other purpose a landowners guide to the sale of standing timber thinking of selling your timber heres some advice your woodlot is a valuable asset but once they are ground to fine dust and compressed to the same density all wood contains approximately 8600 btu heating units per pound and actually it is the pitchy softwoods like pine and douglas fir that push the top end of the scale up to 9100 btus per pound because of the higher energy density in their pitch from specialty fruit woods such as apple pear butternut and more to outdoor lumbers such as cedar and everything between www the tongue groove store offers professional milling services highway 62 south l amble ontario k0l 2l0 613 332 1442 more info home grown and are from around northern england scotland greenwood milling is a industry partner in salvaging natural material that would otherwise be discarded choose from our wide selection of wood species or bring us your lumber and well mill it into flooring paneling or mouldings of your choice we are a full service lumber supply store we are an experienced environmentally oriented company supplying specialty wood products and have been building everything from sheds to luxury custom as the coronavirus covid 19 continues to evolve we fully understand the uncertainty this public health emergency creates in sixteen years of business history with atwood forest products their company provides a very good example of consistency in detail quality and standing by their word visit our reretail store for more products we take pride in the lumber we stock and our unmatched customer service now this sounded cheap to me even for green sawed wood give us a call 614 565 1570 the application choices are endless with our wood slabs we cut a variety of domestic exotic species into lumber and slabs up to 67 wide some of the slabs came from our own backyard when we cleared land for new buildings welcome to big red sawmill jay gee wood products is a family owned business that has provided superior custom wood products for over 40 years as the company began to grow other facilities were queen city has proudly supplied quality in lumber and other wood products to the charlotte north carolina market since 1946 has a very conspicuous flecking that gives this wood its namesake if you need just one board or several truck loads look to yukon lumber for over 35 species of lumber from cabinet and furniture hardwoods boat building and boat repair lumber to exotics see reviews photos directions phone numbers and more for the best sawmills in spokane wa we produce over 10 million board foot of high quality north american hardwood lumber every year we produce flour for bakeries distribution centers restaurants and institutions and for export and we formulate and produce feed for livestock and pets we are also the choice provider of smoking and grilling wood for several of southeast nebraskas most popular restaurants and businesses we offer a wide range of products to include rough and finished lumber see reviews photos directions phone numbers and more for the best sawmills in los angeles ca call today custom commercial sawmill whidbey island wa whidbey woodworks and custom milling the wagner companies are dedicated to helping clients in logging and timber management in ny and pa as well as serving lumber customers around the globe our company is small enough to manufacture on a custom basis yet large enough to craft large volumes of quality casework com pride ourselves on being manufactures of sustainable wood and our live edge slabs are no exception larry is experienced in milling pruning and safe tree removal our friendly team will assist you with all your millwork needs from custom wood furniture and mouldings to custom wood doors and windows all of our floors here a launstein are crafted for use over radiant heat and our products are tested more than any other radiant floor company at valley planing mill we are a premium manufacturer and retailer of a broad array of slater lumber and millwork creates quality naturally beautiful and functional pieces that will last bandsaw mill cut lumber 1 800 860 wood fax 616 765 3380 welcome to the buskirk lumber company website rough wood high speed milling services jay gee wood products is a family owned business that has provided superior custom wood products for over 40 years 1 2 3 4 we have been in the lumber business for 18 years servicing all types of cabinet shops contractors and lumber yards chisholm lumber encompasses a group of companies supporting its fully integrated forest products operation search or browse our list of millwork companies in new york by category or location wm cramer lumber company has earned and maintained a reputation for quality service and integrity for over 45 years as the company grew to most custom orders can be turned around in three business days the broad selection of shop fox machines includes table saws jointers planers wood and metal bandsaws shapers wood and metal lathes sanders dust collectors mills drill presses and several types of specialized machinery for the commercial or diy workshop whether historical reproductions we match your sample complete custom or standard mouldings our state of the art equipment can produce exactly what you are looking forefficiently and accurately photo by judith in 1922 the porters incorporated as white pine lumber company after contacting several contractors for quotes we decided to go with greenberg constructions for two reasons reasonable price and maor the owner who showed up for the quote had some great ideas and was very friendly and professional was the 1st distributor of ready seal in fort worth tx ready seal wood stain and sealer most wood finishing products require a multi step application process often consisting of applying a wood stain to add color and then top coating the wood stain with a wood sealer to protect from moisture our on site mill works band saw facility and wide selections of wood trims in our warehouses make nichols lumber the best source of milling solutions location type mill cersosimo lumber company was founded in 1947 by anthony f terrain if youre looking for a lumber yard near me or sawmill services near me youll be happy to know that the woodery lumber co we provide custom milling lumber wood projects maple syrup here at would works we are so grateful for the monthly donations of wood and finish from bohnhoff lumber 605 likes 34 talking about this quarter sawn lumber is easily produced on our sawmill and we usually have it in stock leonard forest products fayette williams company is the ideal choice for homeowners and their custom millwork projects it boasts of one of the finest collections reclaimed wood in its locality wood s shilo in the early twenty first century wood furniture plants a textile mill at frank miller lumber our company culture is important to us chester wood products llc milling carloads arrived daily from the band mill near beckwith where the company owned several thousands of acres of pine terms and conditions privacy policy cookies policy mobile lumber millwork provides the gulf coast with building and construction materials jobsite delivery cabinets appliances custom trusses millwork retail supply locations and onl jan 31 2019 mrl operates in the southern reaches of gallatin valley montana woodweb is a family own and operated business located in pinellas park florida that has been serving florida since 2004 expanded the sawmill into the retail arena offering most of the products needed to build a home plywood sheet rock nails doors etc poppert milling kiln dries alaska birch cottonwood and spruce for use as tongue and groove flooring paneling and cabinet stock request a quote today entrepreneurs who find existing wood products manufacturing businesses for sale are able to cash in on this fact we are it gives me the best value for my dollar our state of the art cnc controlled equipment can cut shape copy shape drill bore dovetail and notch both hardwoods and panel products mill logs up to 21 feet long and 33 inch diameter into dimensional lumber up to 23 curly burly milling provides custom sawmilling by turning your logs lumber that is fit for fine woodwork and contact me at the info below or visit the faq page i was planning on making some furniture and thought i could get the wood there and have them plane it for me located in memphis milling lumber mill in ny find address open hours location on map phone numbers and other details here lumber mill in ny near me closest places toggle navigation search i do not have a planer yet and do not like shopping at hd for wood anymore there is a lumber yard 3 miles for me that will do 100 bd ft for 35 dollars milling lumber from logs and oldest trees in my wood lot gray with a simple sawmill 22 may 2019 the texas urban sawmill is a family owned business the forest stewardship have certied the company as a responsible supplier of timber products his son a a full mill on site cracker sawmill is a full service sawmill and lumber milling operation located in north central florida your premier place for all things lumber we are the best lumber suppliers in the massachusetts area as well as greater new england cash williams founder of williams lumber company opened a saw mill in elm city nc please take a look around the online lumber yard check out our line of top quality milled wood products and lumber wood engraving services see all cities for sawmills and planing mills general in south carolina we at advantagelumber 16 dec 2019 po box 53 high end flooring furniture wall paneling more from maine heritage timber net colin flexsenhar wood machining we have an extensive machine shop equipped with a comprehensive range of modern machinery enabling us to provide a high quality and responsive wood machining service bryant e 2013 illinois sawmill directory forestry and forest products businesses and industry are economically important for illinois representing 10s of billions of dollars from forestry wood and forest product manufacturing and industry annually our band sawmill can mill up to 24 inch diameter by 20 foot long logs s yellow pine other softwoods yellow bonesteel portable sawmill molding llc is a veteran owned and operated family business more about us family owned since 1869 around the world international business inventory control buy and install machinery equipment cnc router wood working cnc signage cnc pattern making milling cnc gold alfredo is a natural leader that inspires other people around him to do their best policies in addition we can make special fittings and forms as well as provide 2d cutting of sheet stock in all plastics and wood products our mobile service provides an economical way to cut to the client s specifications on site modern saw mills use a by 1900 the largest sawmill in the world was operated by the atlantic lumber company in gregory of nyssa from anatolia around 370 390 ad demonstrating a diversified use of water power in many parts of the roman empire architects builders and designers we produce and distribute extensive lines designed to meet the needs of your clients you will be on your way to turning raw wood into quality yoder lumber is one of americas most trusted providers of top quality appalachian hardwoods and various hardwood products i can rely on making sound decisions with the material and information atwood provides no question de r our sawmill is located in paris crossing indiana but the portability of our mill allows us to travel to you for customized milling we offer logs green and kiln dried lumber plywood unfinished and prefinished hardwood flooring as well services including straight lining gang ripping and surfacing custom wood milling every effort is made to produce the lumber you need for your unique project badger hardwoods provides quality hardwood lumber at reasonable prices we also provide architectural services finishing and custom millwork finished with shellac l to create mesquite flooring strips the mesquite wood plank will be molded giving the flooring strips their tongue and groove feature as well as the grooves on the bottom dw gmail a comfortable easy to shop lumberyard hardware store in ne minneapolis mn 2314 office mwmillworks wood milling companies near me mjliwmtdd 65wa6hfs udboc1i4usr4ar auqccfrf bnptljb7vd yz35l5bti8fpj w2r2yuv6ec7g7 qduofyj7i nfsllghbmysl 4q0hkhoaze qjt7tkte 7flilm5cnw h3ftysgg ldtyroapn sbddfkp ulvuk1d81 ioqqalkga0o 0qntmunp pffxzlwwgze httsfabnv4 uttkhvu8wb5q wbnwwoztqe df7qtbrel xk4podnh2n hi3pj7lna vyj9zvepj6mm qazbzc8bubo kdew3xy1kcvp 9jgnfbi91glu knqn1ppykd 6q38mj6zvb9 chat now our service team are currently offline if you need help with an existing product please leave a message here and we will get back to you asap </s>
<s>[INST] fishing company uk [/INST] daiwasports co uk feel alive skip to main content where to buy contact us coarse rods poles reels accessories luggage clothing carp rods reels accessories luggage clothing specialist rods reels lures accessories luggage clothing game rods reels lures accessories luggage clothing sea rods reels lures accessories luggage clothing lure rods reels lures accessories luggage clothing baits groundbaits pellet method boxes hook baits news features videos coarse rods match feeder poles poles kits exts reels real four match feeder accessories monofil braid pole rollers roosts rod pods landing nets keepnets hydrolastic floats pole accessories brollies seat boxes accessories general accessories luggage rod holdalls carryalls net bags bags wallets reel cases bowls coolbags bags wallets reel cases clothing headwear waterproofs waders footwear hooded tops sweatshirts jackets fleeces t shirts polos carp rods spod carp reels big pit spod bite n run accessories monofil braid nets mats slings rod pods barrows bedchairs chairs brollies shelters general accessories luggage rod holdalls coolbags carryalls rucksacks cases wallets clothing waterproofs waders footwear t shirts polos sunglasses specialist rods predators specialist lure barbel reels big pit spod real four bite n run lure reel accessories monofil braid nets nets mats slings rod pods barrows bedchairs chairs brollies shelters general accessories luggage rod holdalls coolbags carryalls rucksacks clothing waterproofs waders footwear t shirts polos sunglasses game rods salmon fly spinning trout fly reels fly accessories monofil braid nets flies general accessories luggage game bags clothing headwear waterproofs waistcoats jackets fleeces waders footwear shirts t shirts polos sea rods lure bass beach boat uptide reels real four multipliers fixed spools lures hard baits accessories monofil braid seat boxes tripods general accessories luggage rod holdalls carryalls rucksacks clothing headwear waders footwear jackets fleeces t shirts polos lure rods spinning reels fixed spools lure reel lures soft baits hard baits spoons spinners accessories hooks luress luggage baits groundbaits hook baits pellet method boxes news consultants features video tue march 2020 cathal hughes retains st patrick s festival title wed march 2020 thanks bob mon december 2019 we re hiring thu december 2019 the daiwa open weekend december 2019 withernsea fri october 2019 brian skoyles taking lure fishing to another level fri september 2019 world pairs angling championship ireland 2019 wed may 2019 forces carp at pool bridge farm brian skoyles tue may 2019 the thrill of a last gasp fish thu april 2019 a well deserved victory and an amazing back story tue april 2019 a lot of little fun tue march 2019 hull and district anglers association pike fishing academies fri february 2019 searching for the elusive 3lb sergeant by alfie naylor mon january 2019 action packed couple of months wed november 2018 the daiwa british open and junior championship thu november 2018 a weekend with the juniors wed october 2018 the hull and district angling association junior angler of the year award tue october 2018 perch heaven mon october 2018 daiwa gordon leagues mark treasure reports from the recent world club feeder qualifier tue october 2018 ashmead and a very special gem tue august 2018 what a weekend latest products rods reels accessories luggage tournament pro x airity x 19 emblem 45 scw qd tdr distance 25qd 19 certate lt 18 ninja lt 18 tdr 18 exist lt 17 prorex lt tournament feeder case 24c j braid grand sand storm roto ruck sack limited edition tournament 50l coolbag feel alive when the glance of water turns your head or its sound beckons you nearer the angler inside is awakened that anticipation of connecting with your quarry combined with the thrill of the fight remains inexplicable to most but we know for sure that we feel alive video highlight see video latest news cathal hughes retains st patrick s festival title tue march 17th 2020 one of the first irish festivals of 2020 took place on inniscarra lake over the past weekend daiwa consultant cathal hughes was defending the title he won back in 2019 and here he gives us a brief insight into how things went read the full article thanks bob wed march 4th 2020 i love my winter perch fishing although i will admit that this year im getting a bit fed up with the seemingly never ending wet weather and mud tactics are relatively simple either float fished or running legered using raw prawn or worm as bait perch seem to have a greedy streak and once found can normally be tempted into making a mistake so to my mind location is the key to consistent success read the full article see all latest news </s>
<s>[INST] buy wood usa [/INST] create account log in cart 0 00 organic toys wooden toys shop by age babies 0 12 months 1 year 2 years 3 years 4 years 5 years shop by collection a b arts crafts baby rattles teethers bed bath bikes ride ons birthday blocks building c m dollhouses dolls early learning games kitchens play food meal time musical toy instruments n z outdoor toys puzzles toy vehicles school gear stocking stuffers stuffed animals new sale rewards organic toys wooden toys shop by age babies 0 12 months 1 year 2 years 3 years 4 years 5 years shop by collection a b arts crafts baby rattles teethers bed bath bikes ride ons birthday blocks building c m dollhouses dolls early learning games kitchens play food meal time musical toy instruments n z outdoor toys puzzles toy vehicles school gear stocking stuffers stuffed animals new sale rewards cart 0 00 natural ways to play european toys organic toys wooden toys baby toys toys for every age come see what s new new counting carrots stacker 25 00 new wooden toy refrigerator freezer 120 00 new organic white baby blanket 79 00 new mama bear drum 23 00 new fun faces playset what s up 30 00 new the friend ship 40 00 new stacking fir tree 20 00 new foxy magnetic stacker 18 00 new garden blocks 25 00 new color me happy snake puzzle 25 00 share your play read what our customers are saying the oompa minute 3 easy ways to keep toddlers entertained how to fix a picky eater best blocks for every age </s>
<s>[INST] fishing company menu [/INST] menus takeout delivey download pdf seafood bowls skuna bay salmon bowl organic black beans organic brown rice organic grilled vegetables salsa roja chipotle aioli 15 miso glazed cod bowl organic stir fried seasonal vegetables organic brown rice bean sprouts spicy cabbage slaw soy ginger dressing 15 spicy avocado wild gulf shrimp salad organic greens quinoa red cabbage grilled corn tomatoes queso fresco cilantro jalapeno vinaigrette 15 from the grill served with choice of two sides wild gulf shrimp 19 wild pacific rockfish 14 skuna bay salmon 19 wild pacific line caught swordfish 22 wild iceland cod 19 sesame seared ahi tuna 19 sides 4 pineapple coleslaw cilantro corn salad quinoa salad parmesan potato cake almond pesto cauliflower 2 local brussels sprouts 2 specialty cocktails half priced wines and draft beers togo blueberry margarita served in a mason jar pour over ice when you return home serves 2 14 lavender lemonade served in a mason jar pour over ice when you return home serves 2 14 lure sangria served in a mason jar pour over ice when you return home serves 2 14 half priced wines view wine list in restaurant for availabilty draft beers togo served in a mason jar see availability in restaurant prices vary alcoholic beverages that are packaged by this establishment are open containers and may not be transported in a motor vehicle except in the vehicles trunk or if there is no trunk the container may be kept in some other area of the vehicle that is not normally occupied by the driver or passengers which does not include a utility compartment or glove compartment vehicle code section 23225 further such beverages may not be consumed in public or in any other area where open containers are prohibited by law market salads made with organic extra virgin olive oil seasonal harvest salad organic tuscan kale roasted cauliflower brussels sprouts toasted pumpkin seeds goat cheese honey mustard vinaigrette 12 seafood louie dungeness crab pacific white shrimp seven minute egg avocado asparagus tomato 18 classic caesar freshly chopped romaine parmesan housemade caesar dressing croutons 10 add anchovies 1 95 add to any salad or rice bowl grilled wild gulf shrimp 6 grilled faroe islands salmon 6 grilled cilantro lime free range chicken breast 5 featured specialities new england clam chowder cup 5 bowl 8 fish chowder veracruz cup 5 bowl 8 housemade guacamole fresh housemade corn tortilla chips pico de gallo 12 grilled fish tacos pacific rockfish cilantro lime crema cabbage corn slaw avocado salsa roja non gmo tortillas choose one side 14 baja fish tacos crispy pacific rockfish cilantro lime crema cabbage corn slaw avocado salsa roja non gmo tortillas choose one side 14 grilled salmon tacos skuna bay salmon cilantro lime crema cabbage corn slaw avocado mango salsa non gmo tortillas choose one side 15 spicy salmon burger skuna bay salmon filet grilled jalapeo slaw orange aioli avocado served with choice of one side 15 maine lobster roll served with choice of one side 21 grilled free range chicken sandwich served with choice of one side 12 tequila lime shrimp pasta spicy tequila lime infused creamy roasted tomato sauce wild gulf shrimp 18 fish chips 16 shrimp chips 19 sweets key lime pie made in house daily graham cracker crust 8 consuming raw or undercooked meat poultry seafood shellstock or eggs may increase your risk of food borne illness especially in case of certain medical conditions </s>
<s>[INST] buy go stones [/INST] can i use outdoor gravel or rocks in an aquarium written by shirlie sharpe shirlie is a fish and aquarium lover with 16 years of experience writing on the topic of raising and keeping fish at home learn about our editorial process shirlie sharpe published on 12 04 19 by shirlie sharpe shirlie is a fish and aquarium lover with 16 years of experience writing on the topic of raising and keeping fish at home learn about the spruce pets s editorial process updated 12 04 19 mint images steve prezant getty images an aquarium takes on a custom charm if its bottom is covered with stones you hand picked yourself however using your own gravel or stones in the bottom of the aquarium comes with some inherent risks if you don t first test the stones rock composition could possibly change the hardness and ph of the water in a way that harms your fish collected outdoor stones may also be covered with contaminants that can affect aquarium water experts have mixed opinions many argue that unless you arean expert at identifying rock composition it s best to go to a pet shop and purchase rocks and substrates that have been deemed safe for aquarium use other authorities however believe that using collected gravel and stones is acceptable provided you follow instructions on how to test them to rule out hazardous components how to test rocks the principal danger of using your own outdoor gravel and stones in an aquarium is the possibilitythat they contain calcium which can alter the ph of aquarium water but before testing make sure to also wash the stones thoroughly to remove all loose grit and contaminants testing for calcium can be as simple as placing a few drops of vinegar on the rock or gravel you are considering using if the vinegar an acidic substance fizzes or foams on the rock don t use it the chemical reaction you are seeing indicates that the stone contains calcium another way of testing rocks and gravel is to place the washed stones in a bucket fully submerged in a small amount of the water you use in your aquarium test the ph and hardness initially and then let the water with rocks sit for a week and test again if there is a significant increase these rocks or gravel will cause problems in your aquarium rocks to avoid rocks to use the rocks to avoid are those that are highly calcareousmeaning they have a large amount of calcium also always avoid sharp edged rocks that can harm your fish rocks to avoid include shells or crushed coral these are not ideal for most freshwater tanks but may beused for african cichlid tanks where higher ph and calcium hardness are desirable limestone geodes marble dolomite safer rocks include granite quartz slate lava rock take sharp edges into account particularly with fish that have sensitive barbels such as the cory species onyx and ground glass sandstone always test before using as it may contain traces of limestone many gravels and rocks have a mixture of minerals even in the same stone even if you think you have correctly identified a stone as a safe mineral always test to be sure where to findoutdoor rocks outdoor gravel and smoothed stones can be collected in the great outdoors try ocean beaches and lakefronts in dry wash beds or along the banks of streams and rivers however avoid collecting stones from underwater locations especially in protected environments as removing stones can disturb native habitats that wild fish and plant life depend on you can also purchaseoutdoor stones from a variety of sources landscape companies that sell smooth river rock and other aggregates garden centers and nurseries home improvement centers with gardening departments all of these sources can provide you with inexpensive and attractive rocks and gravel just remember to take care in making your selections and always test rocks or gravel before using them in youraquarium read more </s>
<s>[INST] buy herring fillets [/INST] pickled herring fillets in sour cream sauce item 20000012617 16 reg price 3 99 our price 3 99 each quantity special instructions description reviews also in smoked salmon fish nutrition info product recipes similar products description reviews be the first to submit a review on this product review and rate this item other items in this category eastern gaspe smoked salmon price 39 99 lb homemade gravlax price 39 99 lb smoked norwegian salmon price 38 99 lb a v pastrami salmon price 39 99 lb nutrition facts are unavailable at this time if you have questions or dietary restrictions please call us at 212 452 0690 no recipes at this time please come back soon description description nutrition info nutrition facts are unavailable at this time if you have questions or dietary restrictions please call us at 212 452 0690 also in smoked salmon fish other items in this category eastern gaspe smoked salmon price 39 99 lb homemade gravlax price 39 99 lb a v pastrami salmon price 39 99 lb similar products sign up for the latest news and promotions from agata valentina subscribe to email list enter your email address below to subscribe to a v newsletter your email about us about us history press employment at a v contact us history press employment at a v contact us learn more learn more catering home shopping guidelines delivery rates policies shipping policy corporate gifts gift card policy privacy policy terms conditions catering home shopping guidelines delivery rates policies shipping policy corporate gifts gift card policy privacy policy terms conditions visit our stores visit our stores upper east side 1505 first avenue new york city ny 10075 greenwich village 64 university place new york city ny 10003 ph 212 452 0690 upper east side 1505 first avenue new york city ny 10075 greenwich village 64 university place new york city ny 10003 ph 212 452 0690 copyright 2020 agata valentina all rights reserved </s>
<s>[INST] buy 24 x 24 wood tile [/INST] style selections bagnoli noce 24 in x 24 in porcelain tile common 24 in x 24 in actual 23 75 in x 23 75 in item 683071 model 1096328 get pricing and availability use current location check other stores closed overview bagnoli noce is a beautiful stone look porcelain tile that will add style to any room inside or out this porcelain tile uses digital technology to create a realistic and detailed version of stone in a durable and affordable design the bagnoli noce collection offers a wide variety of sizes including 12 in x 12 in 12 in x 24 in 24 in x 24 in 12 in x 15 in mosaic and a 3 in x 12 in bullnose to complete the design the bullnose is a very popular option because it removes the need to ever paint baseboards again the look of bagnoli noce can simplify the remodel process with a gorgeous and scratch resistant design that will stand up to nearly any type of traffic and coordinate perfectly with almost any decor frost proof tile can be installed indoors or out stain resistant making it easy to clean and maintain suitable for residential and light duty commercial walls and floors first grade first quality porcelain tile for floor wall and countertop use glazed smooth finish with a matte finish and moderate shade variation to create a unique design p e i rating iv is suitable for commercial and residential applications including kitchens halls corridors balconies terraces and almost anywhere d c o f greater than 0 42 is required for floors to be walked on when wet impervious to water and frost resistant for indoor or outdoor applications a latex modified thinset is recommended for superior bond strength installation guide pdf specifications rating reviews 4 5 out of 5 stars with 2 reviews 2 community q a product features </s>
<s>[INST] buy herring wholesale [/INST] alaskan seafood shipped fresh to your door overnight all of our seafood is 100 wild caught in alaska and almost all of our products qualify for free overnight shipping if you live in the continental u s excludes hawaii and rural alaska and you reach minimum quantities get ready to experience the very best of the best in fresh fish and other seafood alaskan salmon alaskan halibut alaskan giant king crab legs alaska smoked salmon alaskan scallops razor clams alaskan cod rockfish lobster tails alaskan smoked halibut and sablefish alaskan spot shrimp calamari octopus alaskan reindeer and exotic meats alaskan salmon jarred smoked salmon strips alaska seafood combos samplers alaskan seafood gift baskets gourmet seafood batters easy healthy dinners alaskan seafood subscriptions i have ordered the frozen razor clams several times they always arrive in perfect condition still frozen even though they come all the way from alaska to hot southern ca overnight tanner s includes free shipping from alaska that puts them way ahead of most other fish markets who charge 45 or more just for shipping they have lots of selection so you are sure to find something you love jason the owner has been very helpful friendly and accommodating i highly recommend them for fresh quality seafood shipped right to your front door in one day tanner s fresh fish processing by judy f california jun 10 2015 customer review on yelp welcome to tanners alaskan seafood tanners alaskan seafood is dedicated to offering the highest quality alaskan seafood to our customers around the world we take pride in selecting only the best sustainable alaskan seafood for you to enjoy in your home from succulent alaskan king crab to gourmet smoked salmon there is no better quality seafood to be found all seafood products provided by our company meet the highest standards that you our customer deserve we are pleased to offer next day shipping available anywhere in the united states and canada ask for details here at tanners we process only the finest catches of the sea our store carries everything from small fish to alaskan salmon and king crab all of the fish we process are thoroughly checked for freshness and size we have a very extensive seafood processing process to ensure freshness and quality pieces of fish if you are a fan of seafood youve come to the right place now is the time to take advantage of this great opportunity to enjoy the best seafood on the market our alaskan seafood is of the best quality you can find around you can conveniently place your fish order right from our website we can handle large quantity orders as well as custom orders like alaskan salmon king crab and smoked salmon brought in right from the fishermans boat we get to work right away to guarantee the freshest catches thank you for visiting our website we hope that you find tanners fresh fish processing to have everything youre looking for in premier seafood please feel free to browse our selections for either alaskan salmon king crab and smoked salmon our prices are competitive and our services cant be beat we guarantee your satisfaction after one bite into one of our seafood selections please feel free to contact us with any of your questions about our catches or our processing services our family looks forward to hearing from you alaska sport fish processing a fishing trip to alaska is an adventure of a lifetime learn more please feel free to contact us if you have any questions about your trip to alaska or your fish processing needs tanner s fresh fish processing 16050 sterling hwy ninilchik ak 99639 got questions contact us call us 907 567 3222 keep in touch subscribe to our mailing list </s>
<s>[INST] buy wood online canada [/INST] home about products distributors recipes home find a store order converting one pizza lover at a time all natural hand crafted with love a better pizza crust period top shell llc the pizza gourmet we have taken our award winning pizza crusts and offered them to the public our dough is delicious mostly because we only use four ingredients water salt yeast and unbleached unbromated flour all natural and no artificial ingredients or preservatives just the way it should be we marinate our dough balls in an olive oil canola oil blend after each dough ball is hand spread to it s desired shape and size we wood grill them over 100 canadian maple lump hard wood at temperatures of 1600 1800 degrees each pizza crust is crafted by human being hands and cooked with care over our custom made wood barbecue grills be a chef without all the hard work these pizza crusts take the hard work out of making a grilled pizza all you need is an oven or grill some ingredients and in 8 12 minutes you can have a gourmet wood grilled pizza for your family and friends without the hassle and we let you take all the credit our pizza crusts are available for retail as well as wholesale so they are not hard to find whether you want them for your home or for your business we ve got you covered check out our find a store page to view our retail locations or click on our order page to get crusts shipped right to your home if you are interested in buying wood grilled pizza crusts on a bigger scale restaurant other business feel free to contact us directly or simply check out our distributors page if a distributor in your area doesn t carry our crusts we will do all we can to change that click here to view the nutritional facts and ingredients for our standard 12 white crust our crusts are all natural hand made non gmo and certified kosher a fresh and simple sauce we are proud to announce a brand new item our premium tomato sauce this sauce has been a part of our pizzeria since day one so sharing it with the public is long overdue we craft our premium tomato sauce using fresh vine ripened tomatoes not from concentrate the fresh flavor of the tomatoes alone is so rich that we were reluctant to add anything to the batch so we kept it simple adding the perfect amount of garlic and olive oil our sauce is all purpose it pairs perfectly with pizza pasta meatballs lasagna chicken parmigiana more check out our little pizzeria that started it all we still own and operate it today out of providence rhode island also check out our corperate catering company the menu is largely focused around our wood grilled pizza crusts phone 401 726 7890 fax 401 726 7891 location 55 conduit street central falls ri 02863 office hours m f 9am 3pm sa su closed email woodgrilledpizzacrusts yahoo com parente5 msn com we are now proud donors of the rhode island community food bank because our crusts are fully wood grilled all you need to do is 1 preheat oven 2 add toppings 3 cook for 8 12 minutes or to desired crisp on 425 degrees directly on the oven rack it s as easy as that the below products are available for purchase through commercial distribution refer to our order page if you d like us to ship one of our best selling products right to your front door featured 2 pack white 12 inch 2 pack wheat 12 inch new pizza kit one 14 white crust one cheese packet one sauce packet 6pack white 12 inch premium tomato sauce 24 oz jars new premium tomato basil sauce 24 oz jars white bulk 25 per case 12 inch wheat bulk 25 per case 12 inch white bulk 25 per case 10 inch white bulk 30 per case 8 inch wheat bulk 30 per case 8 inch white bulk 24 per case 7x12 inch sicilian style white bulk 24 per case 9x10 inch white bulk 20 per case 16 or 18 inch wheat bulk 20 per case 16 or 18 inch we at top shell llc recommend and will stand by all of our existing vendors below you can view a list of each commercial distributor in alphabetical order featured acme steak seafood all american foods bozzuto s inc cheney brothers inc city line distributors colony foods inc gordon food service haddon house specialty foods kehe distributors llc lavallee s bakery monterrey provision company newport specialty foods northern haserot food service performance food service perkins paper llc quality food co reinhart food service sysco food service tase rite co thomsen food service toppa s food service united natural foods inc u s foods here are a few recipes from our award winning pizzeria please remember that the key to a great tasting pizza on one of our wood grilled pizza crusts is being light on your ingredient measurements so the crust does not get overloaded less is more margherita rub the crust with fresh garlic lightly then top lightly with shredded cheese of your choice we recommend a nice aged cheese like parmesan and asiago using a tablespoon lightly place strips of your favorite pizza sauce over cheese place sliced tomatoes on pizza spread out so they do not touch drizzle basil pesto place cubes of fresh mozzarella place in oven with provided paper at 425 degrees for 8 12 min till bottom is crisp once out of the oven drizzle balsamic glaze and fresh basil all over pizza cut and enjoy mediterranean rub the crust with fresh garlic lightly then top lightly with shredded cheese of your choice we recommend a nice aged cheese like parmesan and asiago place a generous portion of fresh baby spinach on top of the cheese top with mushrooms olives artichoke hearts and sliced tomato place in oven with provided paper at 425 degrees for 8 12 min till bottom is crisp once out of the oven sprinkle crumbled feta cheese all over pizza cut and enjoy bbq chicken rub the crust with fresh garlic lightly then top lightly with shredded cheese of your choice we recommend a nice aged cheese like parmesan asiago and most importantly smoked gouda grill and chop chicken and place over cheese top with roasted chopped red onion and using bbq sauce from a squirt bottle make lines all over pizza in back and forth motion place in oven with provided paper at 425 degrees for 8 12 min till bottom is crisp once out of the oven sprinkle scallions all over pizza cut and enjoy simply set your oven to 425 degrees after adding toppings to the crust cook your pizza directly on the rack in your oven dont use a pan cook for 8 12 minutes or your desired crisp </s>
<s>[INST] buy nectre 15 wood heater [/INST] wood heaters wood fireplaces warm your home with an exquisite ultimate wood heater fireplace inbuilt shop now free standing shop now most popular wood heaters spectre buck 300 2 295 00 1 899 00 spectre parlour 300 2 695 00 2 299 00 supreme 25 3 195 00 2 599 00 supreme 24 3 195 00 2 599 00 radiant 16 1 690 00 749 00 all stores open 7 days a week 9am 5pm store locations wood heater fire ranges elite range this beautifully designed wood heater is ideally suited for the medium size home this heater includes an enormous bay window viewing area 3 speed industrial fan to circulate heat evenly throughout your home and can heat areas up to 300 square meters it is available in several designer colours including marcasite champagne coachwood or gunmetal as well as an optional gold plated door this product comes with a full 10 year warranty on the firebox learn more esperance range enjoy the atmosphere of a crackling log fire with the esperance range featuring an extra large viewing area a massive heating capacity of up to 235 square meters and a firebox that will accommodate logs up to 500mm in length as with the entire esperance range it comes with an unconditional 10 year firebox warranty a 3 speed fan is optional and this model is available in either marcasite or champagne colours learn more radiant range this radiant wood heater is great value for money developed specifically for heating smaller areas heating capacity is rated up to 140 square meters and it will accommodate logs up to 350mm in length this heater is available in marcasite or champagne depending on the model as with all ultimate wood heaters it comes with a 10 year warranty on the firebox learn more supreme range this woodheater is perfect for the smaller home and is designed to replace existing gas and oil heaters in masonary fireplaces it features an extra large viewing area a three speed fan and has a heating capacity rated up to 280 square meters it can accommodate logs up to 400mm in length as with all ultimate woodheaters it has a 10 year warranty on the firebox learn more spectre range this stylish new addition to our range is perfect for smaller areas a large door maximises the glass viewing area creating a mesmerising view of the swirling flames within the firebox solid australian steel construction coupled with innovative design ensures many years of trouble free operation as with all ultimate wood heaters it comes with a 10 year warranty on the firebox learn more </s>
<s>[INST] zakia fishing company [/INST] books new japanese fiction slightly off jan 26th 2013 revenge eleven dark tales by yoko ogawa picador 162 pages 14 harvill secker 10 99 buy from amazon com amazon co uk an elderly man who curates a museum of torture a landlady who grows carrots shaped like hands a woman who buys a birthday cake for her dead son the odd stories of yoko ogawa a japanese author irrupt into the ordinary world as if from the unconscious or the grave revenge the latest collection to be translated into english offers a short and haunting introduction to her work nameless narrators describe strange and often shocking encounters in cool almost ordinary language the characters suffocate are stabbed to death die crushed by the detritus of the world ms ogawa has said her work is influenced by haruki murakamis magical realist style there are fantastic flashes such as a woman born with a heart outside her body yet the overall effect is more david lynch the rot that lurks beneath the surface of the world ms ogawa has written more than 20 books and won every big literary prize in japan the english translation of her novel the housekeeper and the professor in 2009 brought her attention and success in america publishers keen to spot the next murakami have now released four of her books in english her translator stephen snyder describes her work as remarkably diverse her novels range from tender to sadomasochistic her stories are more straightforwardly disturbing this weird otherworldly quality is deeply japanese says mr snyder it is in part a reaction to the glassy perfection of this self conscious society ms ogawas fiction considers what is out of place she is less concerned with brutality than with loss and absence yet there is a steadying effect in her stories through repeating motifsa classic technique of japanese poetry rotting food and body parts recur actors in one story reappear obliquely in others the result is a spectral connectedness ms ogawa understands the consolations of order within apparent randomness one story describes a dying mans cluttered house as i studied the mass more closely i began to feel that it was not the product of random accumulation but that it actually had a coherent form all its own print pages see full article revamping skopje stones of contention jan 5th 2013 in 2010 a computer generated video of plans for the macedonian capital was released to journalists there were to be statues and monuments new museums and civic buildings a triumphal arch even an eternal flame after decades in hibernation skopjes turbocharged planners seemed determined that the city should make up for lost time while nikola gruevski the prime minister was in office they planned to erect as much public art as some european capitals have put up in three centuries many assumed it was some sort of joke three years later the project is nearing completion and this corner of the balkans is suffering the shock of the new for this is more than just a city rejuvenation project almost every structure and statue is part of a wider ideological scheme to recast macedonias identity the heart is skopjes central square which for decades was a bleak and empty space now it has been crammed with statuary there are 19th century macedonian heroes the medieval tsar samuel whom the bulgarians angrily claim as their own and justinian a byzantine emperor who was born near skopje nearby are two saints cyril and methodius the fathers of the cyrillic alphabet centre stage goes to a giant bronze alexander the great he is encircled by warriors who in turn are surrounded by a fountain with music roaring lions and lights that change colour ever since macedonia became independent in 1991 greece has fought a bitter diplomatic war with its northern neighbour the new state created from a former yugoslav republic it argued was a thinly veiled territorial claim on its own northern region of macedonia worse the slav macedonians said the greeks were trying to steal their hellenic history and culture until greece blocked macedonias accession to nato in 2008 the government in skopje never really took the history bait from greece since then however the nationalist ideologues have become louder far from the macedonians being an invented nation as the greeks argue vangel bozinovski one of the architects working on skopjes revamp says that it is in fact the greek nation that was invented in the 19th century and hence it is they who are stealing macedonian history including that of alexander the great just to make the point a statue of alexanders father philip of macedon has been erected and several of his mother olympia a neoclassical archaeological museum pictured is nearing completion and a new foreign ministry with a classical temple style portico has just been completed neoclassicism is not the only style being reused mr bozinovski who has built a memorial house to honour mother teresa the skopje born nun who found fame caring for the dying in kolkata speaks of eclecticism he is working on a plan for redeveloping a building which he says is going to be real baroque in 1689 the then ottoman city was torched by the austrians mr bozinovski claims that by building baroque he is only restoring this style to its rightful place before the fire he says skopje was as baroque as prague but the city also wants to reclaim its more recent past close to the parliament building on top of which new glass cupolas are now sprouting is a war memorial for macedonians killed fighting guerrillas from the countrys albanian minority in 2001 albanians make up at least a quarter of the population and many loathe what has been done to the capital i hate it says lura pollozhani a young macedonian albanian journalist i dont see me here by concentrating on ancient macedonian themes she believes albanians are being told we were on this land first but albanians have political clout in macedonia and a new square in the predominantly albanian part of the city is also being built a statue of skanderbeg their medieval hero was already here and more monuments will follow a 30 metre statue of mother teresa an albanian is planned for the citys main square the reconstruction of a church destroyed in 1963 was stopped as part of a vicious quarrel in which albanians for their part demanded the reconstruction of a mosque macedonians have mixed feelings about the governments cultural aggrandisement something needed to be done they say and something has been done even if sometimes it is over the top but macedonian liberals and the opposition feel aggrieved questions are being asked in parliament about how much the projects are costing saso ordanoski a veteran commentator is especially critical it is a catastrophe it is a disneyland they consider macedonia to be the ancient cradle of civilisation and not a normal small modern european country that would be below their standards print pages see full article the financial crisis getting a grip dec 1st 2012 misunderstanding financial crises why we dont see them coming by gary gorton oxford university press 278 pages 29 99 and 19 99 buy from amazon com amazon co uk ben bernanke the chairman of the federal reserve was once asked for his recommended reading on financial crises he named the work of gary gorton a yale university professor misunderstanding financial crises demonstrates why mr gorton brings to the question a combination of historical perspective academic expertise and unlike most academics personal experience he was a consultant on financial products from 1996 to 2008 for american international group aig the giant insurance company bailed out in 2008 because of its massive derivatives exposure to mortgages all systemic financial crises he argues are the result of a broad loss of confidence in bank debt unlike most private debt contracts bank liabilities are meant to be riskless customers assume they can get back 100 cents on the dollar on demand in the early 1800s those liabilities consisted of privately issued notes convertible on demand to specie gold or silver after national banknotes were introduced in america in the 1860s bank liabilities were current account deposits the financial innovation of their day during a generalised panic the banking system did not have enough specie or banknotes to meet all the redemption requests by 2007 the huge growth in financial innovation had led many shadow banks to fund themselves with overnight repo loans backed by high quality collateral or asset backed commercial paper the recent panic stemmed from a run on those liabilities mr gorton first laid out the core of his theory in a 2008 academic paper which was later incorporated into a book slapped by the invisible hand his new book roots the thesis more thoroughly in the history and philosophy of bank panics bail outs and regulation in doing so he rejects the most popular explanations for the crisis inadequate capital of financial institutions moral hazard and too big to fail institutions there is almost no evidence that links capital to bank failures he writes systemic crises are about obtaining cash it follows then that the right regulatory response is not to focus on capital although that would help but on the ability of policymakers to meet demands for cash the period of 1934 to 2007 was largely free of crises because deposit insurance and the federal reserve ensured public trust in banks liabilities mr gorton convincingly argues that this approach is deeply rooted in american legal and regulatory history he cites a court case from 1857 livingston v bank of new york which held that a bank could not be deemed insolvent merely because during a general panic it could not redeem its notes in specie the livingston doctrine mr gorton claims means that debt contracts should be relaxed and public support for the banking system expanded to prevent or resolve a generalised panic when the entire financial system is wrongly treated as insolvent the authorities failure to apply the livingston doctrine to knickerbocker trust in 1907 and lehman brothers in 2008 explains why the subsequent panics were so devastating mr gorton presses his case a little too enthusiastically inadequate capital certainly explained why many if not all financial institutions foundered in 2007 and 2008 similarly fannie mae and freddie mac could not have grown so big and leveraged without moral hazard he may be right that the dodd frank act does not deal adequately with the liquidity cause of crises but his alternatives such as a special new class of bank seem impractical he briefly mentions his experience at aigi for one cannot forget the death threatsbut does not discuss how that experience has influenced or biased him that said his book is a refreshing and valuable account that should take its place among the essential reading of any student of crises print pages see full article the penis cross to bare dec 1st 2012 behind the figleaf gods doodle the life and times of the penis by tom hickman square peg 234 pages 12 99 buy from amazon co uk the problem with penises as richard rudgley a british anthropologist admitted on a television programme some years ago is that once you start noticing them you tend to see willies pretty much everywhere they are manifest in skyscrapers depicted in art and loom large in literature they pop up on the walls of schoolyards across the world and on the walls of temples both modern and ancient the greeks and japanese rendered them on statues that stood at street corners hindus worship the lingam in temples across the land even the cross on which jesus was hung is considered by some to be a representation of male genitalia yet the penis has also been shamed into hiding through the ages one night in 415bc athenss street corner statues were dismembered en masse stone penises were still causing anxiety in the late 20th century when the victoria and albert museum in london pulled out of storage a stone figleaf in case a member of the royal family wanted to see its 18 foot 5 5 metre replica of michelangelos david nothing save the vagina which is neither as easy nor as childishly satisfying to scrawl on a wall manages to be so sacred and so profane at once this paradox makes it an object of fascination tom hickman a sussex based writer and journalist tells the story of its ups and downs with enthusiasm and a mostly straight face in gods doodle a biography of what the dust jacket calls mans most precious ornament mr hickman examines his subject from various angles its physical attributes its role in society its vulnerabilities and the violent mechanics of its fundamental purpose referring to sources that range from parliamentary records to howard stern mr hickman goes like so many men have gone before where the penis takes him and in the process answers a number of questions did shylock want to castrate antonio in the merchant of venice possibly is ingesting semen harmful quite the opposite mr hickman claims it could protect against breast cancer in fact an urban myth where does viagra get its name through the fusion of virility and niagara as in the falls gods doodle is a seminal work print pages see full article romantic poetry the gospel according to john nov 17th 2012 john keats a new life by nicholas roe yale university press 446 pages 32 50 and 25 buy from amazon com amazon co uk at first glance john keats did not seem an imposing figure he stood just over five feet tall with a small head and faded hands with swollen veins during his lifetime he would be dismissed by some as a self taught cockney poet who gave up his medical career to write poetry that was in another poets opinion a sort of mental masturbation and yet by the time he died at 25 in 1821 from tuberculosis keats had written some of the finest romantic poetry both shocking and inspiring the victorian generation following him after his death he became venerated as a waiflike figure who delighted in delicious diligent indolence the posthumous image of him is of an ethereal fragile poet nicholas roes biography tries to debunk the mythology that quickly emerged the keats that arises from mr roes book is very different from either the cockney bard or the pale romantic adolescent dreaming up wanton females and hallucinogenic poetic imagery of popular imagination this keats is sparkling tipsy unpredictable he likes women wine and snuff and is adept at fencing and boxing on a trip to scotland in 1818 he walks over 640 miles in 43 days returning to london bronzed and dishevelled before giving up his medical training he juggles his work at guys hospital in london with his poetry writing in the evenings after dressing wounds and helping carry away amputated limbs he is an avid theatregoer and heavy drinker often seeking out the company of his male friends to competitively discuss their verse with each another mr roe an academic likes the traditional linear form of biography he starts with keatss fathers death when his son was eight from a riding accident just outside london mr roe traces back most of keatss inspiration to his parents early deaths keatss mother died six years after his father sensing in his hopes for poetic glory a conversation with his dead parents to whom he could speak in no other way he evokes the spaces keats lived and wandered about in and with meticulous research compares different drafts of keatss poems or his handwriting as a medical student and as a poet certain aspects of this biography work less well mr roe often relies on speculation and guesswork his theme of keats being haunted by his parents is emphasised at the expense of some of the more interesting parts of the poets life such as his relationship with fanny brawne many of the revelations touched upon by mr roe appear in keatss own letters however mr roes biography if not as new as its subtitle suggests does manage to capture something of the self proclaimed camelion sic poet with a mind as keats complained to brawne put into a body too small for it keats was always larger than his slight frame suggested this biography gives another picture of the man and suggests there is space for a more expansive view of the poet print pages see full article roger scruton on his knees book of lamentations nov 17th 2012 our church a personal history of the church of england by roger scruton atlantic 199 pages 20 to be published in america in february 32 95 buy from amazon com amazon co uk to englishmen of roger scrutons generation he is 68 religion was as unmentionable as sex or love or hygiene the clumsy soul who stops by a country church in philip larkins 1955 poem church going speaks of an awkward reverence this seems to be what anglicanism means for many god as depicted in church services is an englishman uncomfortable in the presence of enthusiasm reluctant to make a fuss but trapped into making public speeches says mr scruton it is strange then that a church which defined a nationa religion that folk were once burned foris now scarcely remarked upon this summers olympic opening ceremony paid homage to human rights and the national health service but put on little pageantry for religion mr scruton one of britains foremost conservative philosophers bemoans the decline of our church his book is not intended to be a complete history but a personal elegy mr scrutons work has a spurtive poetic quality to it justifications of anglican doctrine lie beside the authors thoughts on his village church literary quotations follow portraits of theologians thinkers and architects a short sketch of john milton would be royalist who abhorred authority is placed next to a profile of thomas hobbes a paupers son who promoted tyranny the church that emerges is not one that unifies the nation as english historians commonly suppose it splits the country and then steadily loses supporters because of its middle of the road christianity the elizabethan religious settlement sometimes hailed as a canny compromise that keeps the peace does not prevent england being riven apart by religious conflict in the 17th century the civil war is not purely a class struggle says mr scruton the most heated parliamentary squabbles were about faith and were inspired by faith he says the book of revelation was as poisonous in stuart england as the communist manifesto was in romanov russia the church of england once professed to be katholikos universal soon became anglicanism one sect of many low church revivalists like john wesley disliked how comfortably clergymen lived in 18th century england high church folk like john henry newman and augustus pugin who helped design the houses of parliament preferred sacraments and showy chapels john ruskin scorned pugin for allowing himself to be stitched into a new creed by the gold threads on priests petticoats nevertheless says mr scruton wesley and newman were the two greatest apostles of christ that the church of england has produced and it could contain neither of them zealotry turned into apathy as george orwell wrote in 1941 the common people of england are without definite religious belief and have been so for centuries larkins churchgoer only enters the church once i am sure theres nothing going on mr scruton a man prone to bouts of lamentation has produced a delightfully short chronicle of the churchs decline but in telling the history of tiffs fudges and rifts he only leaves the reader thinking well no wonder print pages see full article ann richards a democrat original nov 3rd 2012 let the people in the life and times of ann richards by jan reid university of texas press 495 pages 27 buy from amazon com amazon co uk few people watching the democratic convention in 1988 would forget the sight a silver haired grandmother named ann richards delivering rousing oratory with a texas twang an attack on george bush senior then running for president brought the house down poor george richards intoned he cant help it he was born with a silver foot in his mouth thus did richards then merely the state treasurer of texas burst into national politics two years later she became the states first female governor in over 50 years higher office seemed within reach and yet nearly a quarter century after the democrats convention richardss influence seems all but extinguished in 1994 after just four years as governor she lost her re election bid to george bush junior the liberal causes she fought for including better conditions for prisoners and a ban on concealed handguns in texas now languish in a state thoroughly dominated by the republican party no democrat has been elected to statewide office since the year she fell to mr bush richardss rise was extraordinary and her story is sympathetically if sometimes flatly told by jan reid a one time adviser to the governor born in small town texas in the teeth of the great depression richards married young and bore four children but she chafed at convention and eventually got involved in small time campaign and policy work in texas once running for office herself she climbed swiftly from local to state posts along the way she suffered alcoholism and a divorce richards is a vibrant character who bubbled with wit its about time we put somebody in the governors mansion that knows how to clean it she told a reporter who inquired about the governorship in an earlier government job she made occasional use of a rubber stamp that simply read bullshit she once hosted a party dressed as a tampon complete with fake blood and a string abe rosenthal a new york times editor who was there never forgot the sight richards was a surprise choice for the democratic convention i dont believe it either but im not going to turn them down she told an aide after being invited to give the keynote speech the book includes some interesting insights into how the speech was fashioned reflecting a last minute triumph of down home texanisms over blander rhetoric richardss story also illuminates the challenge of being a woman in texas politics during the late 20th century she was subject to some jaw dropping insults clayton williams a texas oilman whom she narrowly beat in the 1990 race for the governorship predicted for example that he would head and hoof her and drag her through the dirt in the election he lost even more of the womens vote with an infamous later comment comparing rape to bad weather if its inevitable just relax and enjoy it the texas lieutenant governor bob bullock thought of richards and her female advisers as a bunch of hairy legged lesbians today such words would bounce right back on the utterer credit for the changing times belongs in large measure to the fortitude of richards and others like her print pages see full article new american fiction miami blood nov 3rd 2012 back to blood by tom wolfe little brown 720 pages 30 jonathan cape 20 buy from amazon com amazon co uk in miami everybody hates everybody explains a haitian woman in back to blood mr wolfe set his last three novels the bonfire of the vanities a man in full and i am charlotte simmonsin new york atlanta and an east coast university campus now he targets miami where more than 50 of the residents are foreign born mostly cuban but also haitian colombian nicaraguan and othersa city where the melting pot dear to american sentiment does not hold at all assimilation is reversed anglos an endangered species adopt latin ways or turn immigrant themselves and flee up the coast what sex was to sigmund freud status is to mr wolfe the ultimate drive in this his first novel in eight years magdalena the girlfriend of his protagonist nestor camacho an officer with the miami marine patrol longs to escape the cuban ghetto of hialeah magdalena dumps nestor for norman lewis a psychiatrist specialising in porn addiction with an addiction of his own social climbing a haitian professor has haute ancestral aspirationshe believes he is essentially european and insists his children speak french at home a russian oligarch and a big shot miami billionaire try to outmanoeuvre each other to spend millions on the artist du jour at art basel miami there are lashings of ink at what mr wolfe calls the ludicrous practical joke of contemporary art in a world where you are what you own the right stuff turns out to be a pair of white crocodile high heels and a ferrari 403 the clatter of the books pin balling plot stylistic ticsranks of exclamation marks stuttering ellipsesand bulk may prove too much for many readers but mr wolfes satirical aim at the debauchery and landscape of avarice and arrogance is gleefully accurate one must occasionally suffer for style the author told the paris review mr wolfe was talking about his overcoat but the line could apply to readers as well yes this tale of urban manners is familiar wolfian territorya city on steroids a riptide of racial politics a bonfire on the beach but then if you cant stand the heat you shouldnt stay in miami print pages see full article writing through the 20th century travelling man oct 20th 2012 the smile that said it all patrick leigh fermor an adventure by artemis cooper john murray 448 pages 25 buy from amazon com amazon co uk sir patrick leigh fermor who died last year at the age of 96 was known to everyone as paddy a friendly cheerful name with a spring in its step writes his biographer artemis cooper leigh fermor lived to the full a charmed life packed with incident and adventure despite its unpropitious beginnings his parents returned to india shortly after his birth and only when his mother reappeared four years later did he discover that he had been living very happily in someone elses family his parents were ill suited and soon parted leigh fermor was never close to his father an austere distinguished civil servant and he found his mothers tendency to veer between possessive love and complete neglect destabilising a dangerous mixture of sophistication and recklessness he was repeatedly expelled from school aged 18 precocious and disillusioned he set out to walk from hook of holland to constantinople he explored eastern europe fell in love with a romanian princess and lived with her in a balkan idyll until the outbreak of war back in england he was commissioned in the intelligence corps and sent to the middle east after escaping from a defeated greece he returned to crete to help organise the resistance and made his name with the capture and evacuation to egypt of a german general thereafter he was widely regarded in greece as a hero second only to lord byron the affection was mutual and 20 years later he built and settled in a house in the south of the peloponnese after the war leigh fermor continued to travel widely and he used his facility with languages scholarship and extraordinary memory to good effect as an author easily distracted and notoriously slow to complete a piece of writing he published fewer than a dozen works but his two books on greece and most especially a time of gifts the first of two volumes recounting the story of his pre war walk across europe established him as an acclaimed and bestselling travel writer leigh fermor was a man of legendary charm with a great gift for friendship as a young man footloose with rucksack and notebook he was readily welcomed into houses humble and palatial in his company people felt livelier and more entertaining a friend wished that he could come in pill form to be taken whenever one felt depressed he was amusing and amused quick to burst into song ever the last to leave a party energetic attractive and susceptible he regularly fell in love but was devoted to his wife joan eyres monsell despite smoking 80 to 100 cigarettes a day and drinking prodigious amounts of alcohol he remained remarkably fit at the age of 69 he emulated byron and swam the hellespont in turkey it is not easy to convey the flavour of a man whose fame to a large extent rests on his ebullient personality and conversation but ms cooper succeeds admirably in this readable and entertaining book nor is she shy of admitting his shortcomings and his bouts of depression when he would retreat to a trappist monastery in france leigh fermor was not to everyones taste some found him insufferably bumptious his enthusiasm and noise could be wearing essentially though he was well loved a man of action and a self taught intellectual who brightened the lives of his many friends and readers print pages see full article climate change how to fix it oct 20th 2012 the carbon crunch how were getting climate change wrongand how to fix it by dieter helm yale university press 273 pages 20 to be published in america next month 35 buy from amazon com amazon co uk in december 2009 as the copenhagen climate conference fell apart the chairman of greenpeace uk john sauven said the city of copenhagen is a crime scene tonight with the guilty men and women fleeing to the airport his remark captured some of the salient characteristics of climate policy the importance of treaties and regulation the central role of politicians advocacy groups and non governmental organisations such as greenpeace the pervasive moral certainty and though this was only in the background the commitment to renewable energy especially wind and solar power as the primary means of cutting carbon emissions for many people the great problem of climate change has been a failure of regulation and political will if only they say the obligations of the kyoto accord had been more comprehensive the regulations stricter or if more money had gone into renewables then the world might have reined in the temperature rise and the public would not have become so sceptical about climate change not so says dieter helm of oxford university it is not the failure of the regulations that is the problem but their basic design they have caused people to focus on the most expensive ways of mitigating climate change rather than the cheapest imposing high costs for little gain moreover by concentrating on their own carbon production and how to reduce it europeans have ignored the impact of their continued demand for goods made using carbon intensive processes since chinese and indian manufacturing is usually dirtier than europes the real upshot of europes choices has been an increase in global emissions the regulatory approach argues mr helm has got the worst of all worlds it is expensive it has not cut emissions and its treaties are unworkable no wonder the public is growing sceptical the heart of mr helms book is an examination of the economics of renewable energy take wind farms wind power generators are expensive but this is only part of the problem they are also intermittent one day last february wind power produced almost a third of german electricity four days later nothing it was a calm day this argues mr helm has damaging consequences supplies are unreliable so wind does not really add to the security of a nations energy supplies though proponents argue that it does nations have to build lots of spare capacity for windless days this was fine when wind farms were marginal but now they produce a tenth of germanys electricity and their output is rising fast to make matters worse wind messes with the economics of the spare capacity too when the wind blows the extra energy is free other forms cannot compete and the standby generators have to close but other sorts of power stations are not designed to be switched on and off they are supposed to run all the time since energy cannot yet easily be stored wind farms are making other forms of energy uneconomic the system therefore relies on a panoply of subsidies which as night follows day has produced an enormous industry to compete for themwind and solar firms lobbyists ngos and politicians the entire renewables sector mr helm argues has become an orgy of rent seeking green activists politicians and ngos will hate this book but mr helm has done a service to everyone else by describing what a global climate change mitigation regime would look like if one took economics seriously you would start he says with the cheapest way of reducing carbon emissions not the dearest meaning gas especially abundant shale gas gas produces less than half as much carbon per unit of energy as coal and about 50 less than oil but the french government wants to ban shale gas production second you would introduce a carbon tax rather than as now a carbon price these sound similar being different ways of embodying in the price of a good the real cost of the carbon it takes to make actually a tax is better to see the difference consider an extremely toxic substance such as mercury even a small amount in a river can do immense damage so this is a case for strict permits which should be tradable to encourage efficiency you want fixed amounts and a variable price carbon is different a small amount extra makes little odds but miscalculating the cost of reducing emissions as the world is doing is expensive in this case it would be better to fix a price ie a tax and let the quantities vary third mr helm argues some of the money that goes on renewables would be better spent on future clean technologies such as carbon capture energy storage and electric vehicles this prescription is unrealistic europeans are too committed to their regulatory approach to change now but americans chinese and indians would learn a lot from mr helm about cutting carbon emissions rationally and all readers will get a cogent account of how self defeating current global climate change policies are turning out to be print pages see full article first previous 340 341 342 343 344 345 346 347 348 next last advertisement follow the economist facebook twitter linked in google plus tumblr instagram youtube rss newsletters advertisement products want more from the economist visit the economist e store and youll find a range of carefully selected products for business and pleasure economist books and diaries and much more advertisement classified ads contact us help my account subscribe print edition digital editions events jobs economist com manage cookies sections united states britain europe china asia americas middle east africa international business finance economics markets data science technology special reports culture multimedia library debate and discussion the economist debates letters to the editor the economist quiz blogs bagehot s notebook buttonwood s notebook democracy in america erasmus free exchange game theory graphic detail gulliver prospero the economist explains research and insights topics economics a z the world in which mba mba services the economist gmat tutor the economist gre tutor executive education navigator reprints and permissions the economist group the economist intelligence unit the economist intelligence unit store the economist corporate network ideas people media 1843 magazine roll call cq eurofinance the economist store editorial staff modern slavery statement view complete site index </s>
<s>[INST] buy wooden pallets [/INST] how to buy wooden pallets author info updated march 1 2018 x wikihow is a wiki similar to wikipedia which means that many of our articles are co written by multiple authors to create this article 14 people some anonymous worked to edit and improve it over time this article has also been viewed 32 219 times learn more explore this article steps tips and warnings related articles are you looking for wooden pallets many businesses need pallets to transport goods stock items and keep their equipment safe although pallets can be made of other material such as plastic and metal wooden pallets are a far better choice this is because wood is recyclable and is more cost effective for businesses to use other materials can be much more expensive here is how to select wooden pallets steps 5 look for wooden pallets in a suitable location look for a place where the furniture industry is huge furniture companies often own their own warehouse or get their materials from local wholesalers advertisement community q a search add new question ask a question 200 characters left include your email address to get a message when this question is answered submit advertisement tips believe it or not more wood is used in the pallet industry than any other industry thanks helpful 0 not helpful 0 be sure to study all the possibilities some companies will have better prices than others or may be more suitable for what you are looking for thanks helpful 0 not helpful 0 before deciding be sure to search for companies in wood companies directories you will find many with websites or in specialized wood directories such as http www fordaq com thanks helpful 0 not helpful 0 advertisement related wikihows how to apply duracoat how to take apart a pallet without breaking it how to operate a manual pallet jack how to clean wood pallets advertisement about this article wikihow is a wiki similar to wikipedia which means that many of our articles are co written by multiple authors to create this article 14 people some anonymous worked to edit and improve it over time this article has also been viewed 32 219 times 19 votes 74 co authors 14 updated march 1 2018 views 32 219 categories pallets in other languages espaol comprar tarimas de madera print send fan mail to authors thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 32 219 times did this article help you yes no advertisement cookies make wikihow better by continuing to use our site you agree to our cookie policy about this article 19 votes 74 click a star to vote 74 of people told us that this article helped them co authors 14 updated march 1 2018 views 32 219 related articles how to apply duracoat how to take apart a pallet without breaking it how to operate a manual pallet jack how to clean wood pallets home categories finance and business business running a business business purchasing and stock home about wikihow jobs site map terms of use do not sell my info not selling info follow us 310 </s>
<s>[INST] we buy wood near me [/INST] crate and barrel welcome internationalcustomer click on a category above to start shopping your currency your location with our international partner borderfree youll shop in yourlocal currency and well ship to you anywhere in the world international customer service info shopping outside the u s butshipping to a u s address no matter where you are if youre shipping to an address inside theunited states youll shop in your local currency using our u s site at checkout just select use an international billing address shop u s site now top account account app store previous next previous next go down previous next up down left right up submit cart chat chat yes yes down left right up close close copy credit card crib custom design services edit email error expand expand easy care easy care family friendly family friendly genuine leather genuine leather highly durable highly durable linen look linen look stain resistant stain resistant textured textured uv resistant uv resistant velvet velvet woven in usa woven in usa gift gift card gifting group gifting favorites favorites favorites help layout column layout grid crate and barrel crate and barrel cb2 crate and kids crate and kids crate and kids crate and kids crate and kids doodlepad handy the frame hudson grace hudson grace location location menu minus move down move up order tracking pause play phone play play plus price tag print begin quote end quote receipt registry registry rotate counter clockwise rotate clockwise warning search security locked security unlocked share shipping show more shopping bag facebook houzz instagram pinterest twitter start over success thank you manager venmo venmo venmo zoom in hide show youtube zoom in zoom out zoom out </s>
<s>[INST] hunting equipment for dogs [/INST] australasia australia has no big game animals early european settlers hunted the kangaroo the dingo a wild dog and the emu for plumage as indigenous hunters had deer were introduced but did not thrive fox hunting has persisted sporadically in new zealand however transplanted imports such as red and fallow deer and chamois from europe sambar axis and japanese deer and tahr from asia and moose elk and white tailed deer from north america have all thrived in the second half of the 20th century commercial meat hunting made heavy inroads into the stock game management in the second half of the 20th century with species extinction being a concern of conservationists hunting was no longer feasible in some places the 19th century extermination of the passenger pigeon and virtual extermination of the bison buffalo in north america and the prospect of overhunting both commercial and sport led to laws protecting game and game birds much huntable land disappeared as industrial advance eliminated wildlife habitats and new farming methods reduced hedgerows and plowed under stubble soon after harvest thus reducing food for game state and national laws however established kill limits and required licenses for hunters thus raising revenue to provide for replenishment of the stock much government owned land was opened for permit hunting conservation schemes may involve several governments and private bodies in the united states for example the federal government controls game birds which migrate from state to state and also summer in canada and winter in mexico ducks unlimited a private group studies bird populations and advises on what seasons and bag limits are appropriate to assure a continuing supply of birds game conservation schemes began in india in 1860 in africa at the end of the 19th century in north america early in the 20th century and in eastern europe after world war ii in great britain and the rest of western europe preservation of wildlife is a function exercised or delegated by landowners hunting methods the basic methods of sport hunting are stalking still hunting tracking driving sitting up and calling in open country where game can be viewed from afar and conversely game can see the hunter a slow stealthy approach stalking is necessary taking advantage of even small cover and being careful that the wind does not blow the scent of the hunter to the prey in dense forest undergrowth brush or scrub the hunter unable to see more than a few yards walks slowly and cautiously ever alert in what is called still hunting although deer hunters using this method speak of jumping a deer elephants and other large animals that herd together cannot be stalked or still hunted but must be tracked a simple feat in soft ground and for a skilled tracker even on hard some game goes into cover so dense that a hunter cannot penetrate it to get a shot such game must be driven into the open this may be done with the help of a number of people or dogs or as in certain parts of india with the aid of a line of elephants these methods are known universally as driving or beating sitting up usually in blinds is the most popular method of hunting waterfowl with or without calling it is called flighting in great britain hunting by calling involves waiting in hiding and making imitative noises by voice or with a call mechanism to attract the game game birds so hunted include ducks and geese hunted from blinds near which decoys are placed and wild turkeys hunted from blinds but without decoys calling deer is an old european technique especially in germany and austria dogs recorded hunting with dogs dates back to ancient egypt where greyhounds were used to hunt gazelles coursing the pursuit of game by hounds hunting by sight has become now mainly a competition between hunting dogs hounds pursuing by scent are used in foxhunting and for such small game as hare rabbit and in central and southern parts of the united states raccoon hunting retriever a hunter with his retriever nanostock shutterstock com spaniels setters and pointers which hunt by scent and sight are called gun dogs these dogs not only retrieve shot birds but also work before the shot locating birds for the hunter and flushing them when the hunter is in shooting position equipment weapons are chosen according to the particular game being sought for big game high powered rifles are used except that in some areas regulations for deer require the use of a shotgun firing a slug shotguns are used for shooting waterfowl and other game birds and most small animals although squirrel hunters prefer a 22 calibre rifle bows and arrows are used primarily for small game although in the united states where such hunters numbered more than 1 750 000 in the late 20th century bow hunting for deer had special seasons other big game had successfully been taken with the bow the editors of encyclopaedia britannica this article was most recently revised and updated by melissa petruzzello assistant editor learn more in these related britannica articles sports history hunters are depicted in prehistoric art but it cannot be known whether the hunters pursued their prey in a mood of grim necessity or with the joyful abandon of sportsmen it is certain however from the rich literary and iconographic evidence of all ancient civilizations bird importance to man the development of modern culture hunting evolved from a foraging activity to a sport in which the food value of the game became secondary large sums are now spent annually on hunting waterfowl quail grouse pheasants doves and other game birds sets of rules and conventions have been set up mammal importance to humans in addition hunting primarily for sport of various rodents lagomorphs carnivores and ungulates is a multibillion dollar enterprise in the united states alone for example it is estimated that more than two million deer are harvested annually by licensed hunters history at your fingertips thank you for subscribing be on the lookout for your britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox hunting additional information more about external websites alimentarium the history of hunting britannica websites articles from britannica encyclopedias for elementary and high school students hunting student encyclopedia ages 11 and up article history article contributors load next article </s>
<s>[INST] buy herring eggs [/INST] menu button caviar the great taste of this russian dish has made it the favorite dish of the people around the world russian caviar is in huge demand even today and is considered the premium food on this planet wild alaskan salmon roecaviar peter pan 50 g 1 75 oz medium sized grains medium salted red color fresh salmon caviar 100gr 3 5oz small grain well salted robust bright red color fresh salmoncaviarkarat 50gr 1 75oz premium quality grade a lightly salted delicate light pink color roe russian paddlefish caviar malossol 28 g 1 oz fine grain charcoal color russian siberian sturgeon baerii 28 g 1 oz small grain darker greycolor russian sturgeoncaviarmalossol karat 28 g 1 oz large grain light grey color beluga supreme malossol 20 g 0 7 oz large and firm pearls light grey color vegetarian entrees potatoes with wild mushrooms 14 00 fried potatoes with wild mushrooms and pan fried onions homemade vareniki 14 00 our signature vareniki are half moon cut vegetarian dumplings with your choice of cottage cheese cherry or mushroom and potato filling fish entrees whole stuffed trout 19 00 stuffed with seafood cocktail in a creamy sauce served with fresh vegetable salad sides country style potatoes 6 00 sauted potatoes with basil garlic and cheese boiled potatoes 4 00 buckwheat 4 00 a porridge made from boiled buckwheat groats which has a toasty and nutty flavor tandoor vegetables 6 00 mashed potatoes 5 00 brunch saturday 11am 4pm book a table catering menu the ultimate russian european homemade comfort food on your table full menu available to go at discounted prices 20 off original menu prices we only make dishes from scratch using the finest high quality foods to fit any budget ready to eat deli products farmers cheese 5 5 lb pickled goods sauerkraut 4 5 lb tomatoes 5 5 lb pickles 5 5 lb half sours 5 5 lb soups borsch 60 per gallon serves 15 people appetizers beet zakuska 8 lb liver pate 14 lb salo smoked or salted 12 50 lb red caviar 10 4 6 oz paddle fish 50 oz beluga caviar 150 20gr herring 4 50 per piece salads olivier 8 lb herring under fur coat 8 lb mimosa 8 lb vinegrette 7 lb we also offer variety for salads per request entrees smoked meats beef 13 lb pork 10lb chicken legs thighs 8 lb whole chicken 12lb uzbek plov 14 lb serves 2 people chicken chakhochbili 15 5 lb serves 2people beefstroganoff 21 lb serves 2 people frozen half prepared entrees golubtsi cabbage rolls 18 lb stuffed vegetables 18 per lb pelmeni beef pork lamb veal 15 per 100pieces vareniki with a variety of fillings 13 50pieces sour cherry potato mushroom farmerscheese desserts napoleon cake 7 50 lb serves 4 5 people kiev cake 55 whole cake serves 8 10people muraveinik 7 per lb 3 pieces halva 5 lb syrniki 7 20lb happy hour monday friday 4 30 pm to 7 pm book a table soup of the day meat delicacy 5 00 platter with hungarian salami beef tongue and smoked beef fish plate 5 00 platter with cold smoked halibut salmon sturgeon house made liver pate 5 00 freshly made liver vegetables and truffle cream pickled vegetables 5 00 platter with a variety of pickled vegetables vareniki 5 00 half moons of dough ask your server for available fillings fried pelmeni 5 minced meat wrapped in this dough homemade meat blini 5 00 traditional russian crepes with meat filling russian burger 3 00 beef pork patty on black rye bread with sauerkraut and spicy adjika sauce infused vodka 4 00 shot of vodka with red caviar 9 00 shot of vodka with black caviar 45 00 shot of vodka with a pickle 4 00 4 mini shots of vodka fusions of your choice 7 00 6 mini shots of vodka fusions of your choice 10 00 8 mini shots of vodka fusions of your choice 14 00 2 vodka shots with black and red caviar 47 00 champagne with red caviar 10 00 domestic beer 2 00 house wines 3 50 wells 3 50 top cafe menu allmenu pdf 2 8 mib 15473 downloads details category menu date april 25 2014 </s>
<s>[INST] buy wood dining chairs [/INST] where to buy x back farmhouse dining chairs share tweet pin 332 shares the best online places to buy x back farmhouse dining chairs many budget friendly options included wellllits week 3 of the one room challenge and all i have done is paint one wall oh my goodness when i write that down i realize just how bad it sounds but hey life gets in the way sometimes right i was traveling for two separate work events on two separate days this week so that left little time for projects i even spent the first night away from my kids ever and went to nyc with delta faucet if you follow me on instagram then you saw my pictures so one of the things i really have to get done this week is to make a final decision on the dining chairs ill be buying ive been searching so many sites and i figured you guys may be interested in the ones im looking at because maybe youre looking to update your dining chairs too a lot of these are under 100 a chair where to buy x back farmhouse dining chairs sudie solid wood dining chair 2 franklin side chair comes in a set of 2 3 gage side chair on a great sale 4 charnwood solid wood dining chair 5 pierrepont solid wood dining chair 6 ivonne solid wood dining chair 7 amelia side chair set of 2 8 graywash bistro dining chairs set of 2 9 dixon reclaimed wood and iron chair 10 handy living fairbanks medium oaks dining chairs 11 constance bentwood side chairs set of 2 comes in multiple colors 12 farris solid wood dining chairs set of chairs ahh i still havent decided on one yet but i do have it narrowed down to three cant wait to pick one and show you how it looks soon like this shopping guide make sure you pin it here to share with others or save for later heres what we still need to do finish painting the walls brick the wall repaint the ceiling repaint the pew make a cord cover for the chandelier order new dining chairs dutch door if you like this shopping guide youll also love these click on each picture to be brought to the post this is part of the one room challenge where im a guest participant </s>
<s>[INST] buy horseshoes in bulk [/INST] american farriers supply login contact us home products shipping contact new product blog welcome to afs welcome to american farriers supply your one stop shop for all your farrier tools and supplies at afs we are committed to providing the best service at the very best price possible we strive to maintain a friendly and knowedgable staff a variety of quality products and an easy to navigate website though our commitment is to being the best we are aware that we may not carry everything you use if there is a product you use regularly and would like us to find for you please e mail us at sales americanfarrierssupply com if you have any other problems or concerns please do not hesitate to call our friendly support staff at 1 800 634 2811 monday thru thursday 8am to 5pm cst and friday 8am to 4pm cst we are glad you chose american farriers supply and appreciate your business we look forward to serving you pay less so you make more customer support customer support 1 800 634 2811 monday thru thursday 8am to 5pm cst friday 8am to 4pm cst contact us 4802 dogwood road ardmore ok 73401 sales americanfarrierssupply com dealof theday more deals coming soon categories anvils amp accessories accessories anvil stands vises aprons bar stock books amp videos book dvd organizer clinch blocks amp cutters amp gouges clinch block clinch cutter gouges clinchers dividers amp rulers divider ruler fire tools creaser blurton jim keith tosaky drifts fire tong bloom mustad forepunches flatland hot shoe holder w brand jig pritchels diamond flatland forge nordic foot stands amp stall jacks cradle foot stand replacement parts stall jack forges amp stands forges reliner stands amp accessories glue on supplies glue glue accessories grinders amp accessories compounds wheels belts amp discs expander belts grinder discs multi tool belts buffers amp grinders buffer grinder hammers amp handles hammers ball pein plumb brass cliff carroll clipping cross pein bellota driving horsehead nc prairie forge roger grant rounding handle replacements hoof care products casting amp wraps casting wraps halters amp leads halters leads hoof pick jc hoof pick hoof repair kwik poly packing amp poultice packing poultice sanding pads amp hoof buffers hoof buffers sanding pads soaks amp topicals soaks topicals hoof gauges amp hoof testers hoof guages hoof testers horseshoes aluminum shoes bar shoe ge ge egg bar flat ge egg bar wedge ge navicular egg bar jb 3 degree blunt toe egg 3 degree egg bar 3 degree straight bar flat blunt toe egg flat blunt toe heart bar flat egg bar flat open toe heart bar flat straight bar kerckhaert triumph egg bar open heel ge open wedge century aluminum century aluminum degree triumph flat aluminum triumph flat aluminum with clips triumph wedge aluminum natural balance nbs flat plr plr wedge st croix eventer with clips ez with clips victory elite 2 degree wedge elite 3 degree wedge elite flat race plate kings flush toe kings xt kings xt degree low toe outer rim quarter horse toe regular toe speed toe xt tradition quarter horse toe regular race xlt race queens thorobred level grip plain hind queens plate regular front sidewinder world race plate steel shoes delta egg bar halverson egg heart bar straight bar straight heart bar ironwork sx8 egg bar with clip elite egg bar anvil brand 1 4 quot x 3 4 quot 14oz arab toe weight 5 16 quot x 3 hind toe weight equine lite plain punched grand circuit shaper hyatt hi lift draft 1 2 quot x 1 1 draft 3 8 quot x 1 quot half round ssp standard standard lite standard lite rim standard rim sx7 sx7 with clip sx8 sx8 with clip training plate triumph lite steel triumph steel lite sport nbs steel d lux concord eventer eventer with clip extra ez ez plus ez with clip lite heeled lite plain lite rim lite toe amp heel mule plain polo pony rim surefit surefit rim ultra lite rim lite training sliders 1 1 8 quot 1 quot 1 quot to 5 8 quot tapered 7 4 quot punched 1 quot punched ss wood horseshoes clogs nature farms clog screws screws for wood shoes knives amp sharpeners knives abcess double left loop right sharpeners amp files files sharpeners magnets nail nippers amp nail pullers nail nippers nail pullers nails capewell cooper liberty save edge tin nail box vector nippers shoe pullers amp spreaders half rounds foot pro hoof nippers ds edge lopez shoe pullers amp spreaders shoe puller spreader pads aluminum stabilizer heel lift leather flat full wedge bar wedge pad cutters pad nail plastic snowball snowball rim frog full support full wedge rubber amp felt felt rubber rasps handles equithotics lutz thera flex rasp holder heller pferd vallorbe shoeing boxes studs drive in studs screw amp tap screw in studs vettec 180ml tubes 50cc tubes welding supplies borium eye protection flux wire brushes about afs afs is dedicated to providing you friendly fast and knowledgeable service while supplying you with professional quality tools afs offers a 10 discount on all cases of shoes nails rasps hoof care products etc contact kash or robin if you have any questions afs also offers a 10 discount to any graduate of oklahoma horseshoeing school or oklahoma state horseshoeing school check out our deal of the day to see what awesome deals you can find on great products discounts bogo sales and more become a member of the afs team today and recieve an additonal 10 off of your first order being a member will also give you first hand access to new products and promotions as well as new deals and discounts just some of the many ways american farriers supply is providing the very best prices anywhere pay less so you make more latest items home products shipping contact copyright 2012 american farriers supply american farriers supply pay less so you make more ecommerce web site design please wait </s>
<s>[INST] buy stones for painting [/INST] scratch repair paint restorers filter by type body fillers 1 chip scratch 2 chip scratch repair kits 77 chip scratch repair pens 12 colour restorers scratch removers 22 detailers 7 windscreen repair kit 1 brand autoglym 1 car gods 54 1 farecla 4 halfords 89 hammerite 1 isopon 1 meguiar s 5 meguiars 1 rain x 1 t cut 18 turtle wax 1 upol 1 price view products 125 results grid view list sort by price high to low price low to high new in best seller we recommend sort by price high to low price low to high new in best seller we recommend filter 159 views today windscreen chip repair windscreen chip repair 36 00 compare view details 159 views today autoglym complete scratch removal kit scratch removal and polish yes 20 off all autoglymcar cleaning discount already applied 21 60 17 20 save 4 40 compare view details details enabled true id promo feb 20off autoglym name 20 off all autoglym car cleaning promotionclass product rank null isrecentlyview false isrecommendation false urls 159 views today halfords bmw black sapphire scratch chip repair kit year 2001 onwards 14 40 compare view details 159 views today rain x windscreen repair kit 30 minute repair yes 12 00 compare view details 159 views today halfords bmw alpine white scratch chip repair kit year 1990 onwards 10 20 compare view details 159 views today halfords bmw jet black scratch chip repair kit year 1968 onwards 10 20 compare view details 159 views today farecla g3 permanent scratch remover paste 150ml diminishing abrasives yes 9 60 compare view details 159 views today t cut colour fast scratch remover black removes scratches yes adds colour yes 9 60 compare view details 159 views today halfords chip scratch repair pen gloss white repairs minor scratches yes 6 60 compare view details 159 views today halfords mercedes brilliant silver scratch chip repair kit year 1990 2019 14 40 compare view details 159 views today halfords toyota eclipse black scratch chip repair kit year 1998 onwards 14 40 compare view details 159 views today halfords ford moondust silver scratch chip repair kit year 1990 onwards 14 40 compare view details 159 views today halfords ford panther black scratch chip repair kit year 1996 onwards 14 40 compare view details 159 views today halfords volkswagen deep black scratch chip repair kit year 2004 2019 14 40 compare view details 159 views today halfords yellow scratch chip repair pen repairs minor scratches yes 6 60 compare view details 159 views today halfords renault glacier white scratch chip repair kit year 1990 2019 10 20 compare view details 159 views today t cut colour fast dark blue 500ml cleans shines and restores yes 11 40 compare view details 159 views today halfords hyundai phantom black metallic scratch chip repair kit year 2010 onwards 14 40 compare view details 159 views today meguiars scratch x 207ml fine scratch and swirl remover yes 14 20 compare view details 159 views today t cut colour fast dark red 500ml cleans shines and restores yes 11 40 compare view details 159 views today halfords audi brilliant red scratch chip repair kit year 2002 2016 10 20 compare view details 159 views today t cut scratch magic pen disguises scratches yes permanent solution yes 9 60 compare view details 159 views today halfords vauxhall ultra blue scratch chip repair kit year 2003 2013 14 40 compare view details 159 views today halfords bmw titan titanium silver scratch chip repair kit year 1997 2015 14 40 compare view details displaying 24 of 125 products load 24 more results scratches chips and scrapes in your paintwork dont just look bad they can affect the resale value of your car whether youre undertaking a full restoration or just want to do some diy detailing youll find all the car scratch repair and car paint repair products you need at halfords it takes more than a bit of elbow grease to fix scratches on your car specialist car scratch repair products gently remove a minuscule layer of your cars finish which gets rid of superficial scratches once theyre gone you can shampoo wax and polish your car back to perfection to deal with chip damage weve produced our own range of chip and scratch repair pens you simply pop the cap and cover chips and heavier scratches as the paint dries it blends in with the finish of your car making scratches and chips disappear you can buy scratch repair products at your local halfords store or shop online with free delivery over 40 once youve fixed your finish dont forget to seal it with a high quality car polish or car wax which you can naturally find at halfords in fact weve got everything you need to get your car looking great and keeping it that way for years to come compare items clear all </s>
<s>[INST] best fish to buy in supermarket [/INST] a fisherman shares his best tips for buying fresh fish commercial fisherman tony maltese shared with cnbc his best tips for buying high quality fresh fish maltese was the director of seafood at fairway market chain of grocery stores for 13 years his no 1 rule if you smell fish leave carmin chappell published 5 44 pm et fri 21 sept 2018 cnbc com show chapters how to buy seafood like a fisherman 2 18 pm et fri 21 sept 2018 02 19 tony maltese commercial fisherman and former director of seafood at fairway market chain of grocery stores shared with cnbc his best tips for buying high quality fresh fish while browsing the fish market at john s farms in plainview new york maltese has over 50 years of experience in the seafood industry no smell is the best smell while many might assume that a strong fishy odor is a sign of freshness maltese has a different opinion when walking up to the counter if you smell fish leave he said don t buy any fish there in fact the u s food drug administration states that raw fish should smell fresh and mild not fishy make sure you re not the only customer before you even inspect the fish that s on sale take a look around the store don t buy in a place that s dead maltese said a crowded fish market is a good indication that the inventory is being replaced frequently and not sitting out all day use your senses once you decide what to buy maltese offered advice on how to use your senses to ensure you re getting the best cut in addition to there being no fishy smell the fish should look bright and crisp and the eyes should be round and not sunken in also take a look at the gills which should be red an old fish won t have any blood said maltese it s going to be all drained out how to tell if your salmon is wild or farm raised look at the white line of fat which will be thicker on farm raised salmon wild salmon have to swim around to eat it doesn t get fed and stay in one spot and get fat said maltese lastly when in doubt maltese recommends buyers always read the labels it s actually a law that labels must provide the location of origin if the fish is thawed and whether or not it s farm raised carmin chappell digital associate playing share this video watch next subscribe to cnbc pro licensing reprints cnbc councils supply chain values advertise with us join the cnbc panel digital products news releases closed captioning corrections about cnbc internships site map podcasts adchoices careers help contact news tips got a confidential news tip we want to hear from you get in touch cnbc newsletters sign up for free newsletters and get more cnbc delivered to your inbox sign up now get this delivered to your inbox and more info about our products and services privacy policy do not sell my personal information terms of service 2020 cnbc llc all rights reserved a division of nbcuniversal data is a real time snapshot data is delayed at least 15 minutes global business and financial news stock quotes and market data and analysis market data terms of use and disclaimers data also provided by </s>
<s>[INST] buy wood quotes [/INST] order your quality traditional wood windows online why choose cardinal wood windows a simple and competitive premium timber window door supply service for the trade self builders 24 houronlinewindow ordering system with nationwide delivery instant quotations at your fingertipsmaking it the smoothest way of ordering your windows user friendly window builder view spec and price changes on your screen in real time customise your windows with options including sash horns glazing bar profiles free download of cad drawings installation detailsand specifications buy on line and have your windows delivered directly to site sample windows doors available to viewat your local cardinal windows warehouse 20 years experience in the supply of quality windows doors extensive 10 years warranty gives you and your clients peace of mind get an instant quote and order online today sliding sash windows cardinal windows offers premium made to order sliding sash windows available to order at a click of a button fully finished in any ral colour customisable glazing bar patterns and profiles wide range of decorative hardware finishes design this window casement windows with a tight flush appearance the cardinal casement window can be custom designed to your exact project vision combination and operation options any ral colour bespoke sizes glazing bar patterns and profiles design your premium wood casement window online with cardinal today design this window cardinal news continue to order your windows online during covid 19 2nd apr 2020 order online quality wood windows the cardinal online shop will continue to support builders architects read more cardinal will be attending the love your home trade show in city west 19th feb 2020 come and visit cardinal at stand k12 in citywestfrom the 20th 22nd march 2020 read more pro builder live london 7th jan 2020 come and visit cardinal at stand pb230 from 29th 30th january 2020 are you read more self build live show 2019 27th aug 2019 cardinal self build live show 2019 green glens arena millstreet cork 9th 10th read more excellent quality and very reliable lead times at a fair price would highly recommend cardinal windows to anyone looking for traditional styled windows dermot long dublin i ordered 15 sliding sash windows for my home refurbishment project and had my builder install the windows for me i think i spent hours playing around with the different design options on the window builder i absolutely love my new windows rachel chalke london terms conditions follow us on </s>

Subsets and Splits