Fulton Market is a large building, filling up a whole square, and is erected near the East River, opposite the town of Brooklyn, and close to the ferry that crosses over to that thriving village.
Now the first object that caught the sight of the children, were the Butchers' Stalls, hung full of beef, pork, veal, mutton, all for sale for ready pay to whoever will step up to buy. The little visiters saw the men and boys busy whetting their long knives, and cutting and sawing up the meat in suitable pieces for the buyers. The noise was something like a company of mowers whetting their scythes, and their voices and motion might be compared to a hive of bees.
Their mother having got of the butcher, her supply of meat, they next visited the fish stalls.—"O mother! mother!" said the lively little boy, "see the fish all jumping alive. O look there! there!" Sure enough, here were fish, just out of the river, where the fishermen keep them in wooden cars or boxes, under water, till wanted to be put on the stall. See here is a picture of a Salmon.
The children took a walk around, to see the different kinds of fish, displayed on the stalls. Here were to be seen the Sea-Bass, Black-fish, the Sheep's-Head, the Pike, the Flounder, and a number of others, so many that it would fill a good part of this little book, just to print the pictures of them all. But we will give them one; this is the Flounder.
Then passing along they came to the Oyster and Clam stands. "Mother, I do want one oyster," said little modest Susan. "Only look what a big pile. Mother, may I have a clam?" said the boy. The men would quickly wait on them, by giving each what they asked for as a taste, and then add fifty or a hundred more to fill the tin kettle, for the family's supply. We will now print a picture of an Oyster opened.
