"Here, this way—this way for splendid Skate—Skate O—Skate O."
"Currant and meat puddin's, a penny each and werry 'ot." "Here's food for the belly and clothes for the back, but I sell food for the mind" (shouts the newspaper vender). "Here's smelt O!" "Here ye are, fine Finney haddick!" "Hot soup! nice pea soup! a-all hot! hot! Ahoy! ahoy here! live plaice! all alive O! Now or never! whelk! whelk! whelk! whelk! Who'll buy brill O! brill O! Capes! waterproof capes! sure to keep the wet out! a shilling a piece! Eels O! eels O! Alive! alive O!" "Fine flounders, a shilling a lot! Who'll buy 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 way—this way—this way! Fish alive! alive! alive O!"
THE CAPITAL INVESTED.
"Fresh do you call these?" says one who finds the price of a lot of sprats too high for him. "Look a-how they rolls hup the vites of their heyes, as hif they vanted a little rain. I should say they hadn't a blessed smell of water for a week past."
"Think I've been a robbin' of somebody?" says another. "Vy, bless you, all the whole bilin' of my customers hasn't got so much among 'em as would buy the lot—no, not if they sold their veskits."
As many as two thousand persons breakfast at the coffee houses in the neighborhood of Billingsgate every morning, all of whom are engaged in the fish business.
The following estimate has been made of the gross amount of fish of different kinds, sold at Billingsgate market in the course of the year:
| Salmon | 750,000 |
| Live Codfish | 600,000 |
| Haddock | 3,000,000 |
| Flounders | 420,000 |
| Eels | 12,000,000 |
| Yarmouth Bloater | 200,000,000 |
| Red Herrings | 75,000,000 |
| Sprats | 1,200,000,000 |
| Crabs | 1,000,000 |
| Oysters | 500,000,000 |
| Periwinkles | 400,000,000 |
| Whiting | 60,000,000 |
| Mackerel | 30,000,000 |
| Shrimps | 600,000,000 |
| Soles | 120,000,000 |
| Lobsters | 2,500,000 |
The capital embarked in this trade is something enormous to think of. Salmon when scarce, have sold for twenty shillings a pound. The market is the property of the Municipality of London associated with the Company of Fishmongers, one of the most powerful and wealthy corporate societies in London. Fifty per cent. of the gross amount of fish received at Billingsgate market is purchased by the Costermongers and sold from carts in the streets, at a small profit to the pedlars.