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 2½d. 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 now cite some of the titles of this street-sale: “Le Petit Tambour. Sujet d’un Grand Rondeau pour le Piano Forte. Composé 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 5s.” “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 4s. a week each, the year through—which I am assured is the extent—we find upwards of 40l. 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 children’s books; 40 dealers in pictures in frames; 30 vendors of engravings in umbrellas, and 4 sellers of manuscript music—making 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, 4s. each; 80 boxes, 3s. 6d. each; and stock-money for 120 sellers, 10s. each8200
Street-sellers of Pocket-books and Diaries.
Stock-money for 20 vendors, 10s. each1000
Street-sellers of Almanacks and Memorandum-books.
Stock-money for 50 vendors, 1s. per head2100
Street-sellers of Account-books.
12 baskets, 3s. each; 12 waterproof bags, 2s. 6d. each; stock-money for 12 sellers, 15s. each1260
Street-sellers of Cards.
Stock-money for 20 sellers, 1s. 6d. each250
Street-seller of Stenographic-cards.
Stock-money for 1 seller016
Street-sellers of Long-songs.
20 poles to which songs are attached, 2d. each; stock-money for 20 sellers, 1s. each134
Street-sellers of Wall-songs (“Pinners-up.”)
30 canvass frames, to which songs are hung, 2s. each; stock-money for 30 sellers, 1s. each4100
Street-sellers of Ballads (“Chaunters.”)
2 fiddles, 7s. each; stock-money for 200 chaunters, 1s. each10140
Street-sellers of “Dialogues,” “Litanies,” &c. (“Standing Patterers.”)
20 boards with appendages “for pictures,” 5s. 6d. each; 20 paintings for boards, 3s. 6d. each; stock-money for 20 vendors, 1s. each1000
Street-sellers of Executions, &c. (“Running Patterers.”)
Stock-money for 90 sellers, 1s. each4100
Street-sellers of “Cocks.”
Stock-money for 8 sellers, 1s. each080
Street-sellers of Conundrums and Nuts to Crack.
Stock-money for 15 sellers, 1s. each0150
Street-sellers of Exhibition Papers, Magical Delusions, &c.
Stock-money for 15 sellers, 1s. each0150
Street-sellers of Secret Papers.
Stock-money for 6 vendors, 1s. each060
Street-sellers of Play-bills and Books of the Play.
Stock-money for 200 vendors, 2s. each2000
Street-sellers of Back Numbers.
Stock-money for 40 sellers, 5s. each1000
Street-sellers of Waste-paper at Billingsgate.
Stock-money for 4 sellers, 5s. each100
Street-sellers of Tracts and Pamphlets.
Stock-money for 40 sellers, 6d. each100
Street-sellers of Newspapers (Second Edition).
Stock-money for 20 sellers, 2s. 6d. each2100
Street-sellers of Newspapers, &c., on board Steam-boats.
Stock-money for 12 sellers, 5s. each300
Street-sellers of Books by Auction.
Stock-money for 2 sellers, 2l. each; 2 barrows, 1l. each; 2 boards, for barrows, 3s. each660
Street-sellers of Books on Stalls and Barrows.
20 stalls, 4s. each; 50 barrows, 1l. each; 50 boards, for barrows, 3s. each; stock-money, for 70 sellers, 2l. each201100
Street-sellers of Guide-books.
Stock-money, for 16 sellers, 5s. each400
Street-sellers of Song Books and Children’s Books.
Stock-money, for 30 vendors, 1s. each1100
Street-sellers of Pictures in Frames.
40 stalls, 2s. 6d. each; stock-money, for 40 sellers, 5s. each1500
Street-sellers of Engravings in Umbrellas.
Umbrellas, 2s. 6d. each; stock-money for 30 sellers, 2s. each300
Street-sellers of Manuscript-music.
Stock-money, for 4 sellers, 1s. 6d. each060
Total Capital invested in the Street-sale of Stationery, Literature, and the Fine Arts411510

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 3d. per quire; 149,760 doz. envelopes, at 1½d. per doz.; 37,440 doz. pens, at 3d. per doz.; 24,960 bottles of ink, at 1d. each; 112,320 black lead pencils, at 1d. each; 24,960 pennyworths of wafers, and 49,920 sticks of sealing-wax, at ½d. per stick; amounting altogether to£4,992
Street-sellers of Pocket-books and Diaries.
During the year 1,440 pocket-books, at 6d. each, and 960 diaries, at 6d. 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 1d. each, and 4,800 almanacks at 1d. 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 1s. 9d. 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 1d. each, and 3,360 packs of playing-cards, at 3d. 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 1d. each, amounting to£314
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 9s. in a week, and to clear that took 15s., we find there is expended in long songs in the streets annually£180
Street-sellers of Wall Songs (“Pinners-up.”)
On fine summer days, the wall song-sellers (of whom there are 30) take 2s. 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 10s. 6d. weekly (7s. 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 3s. per day; altogether amounting to£4,680
Street-sellers of Executions, &c. (“Running Patterers.”)
Some represent their average weekly earnings at 12s. 6d. the year through; some at 10s. 6d.; and others at less than half of 12s. 6d. Reckoning, however, that only 9s. weekly is an average profit per individual, and that 14s. 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 10s. weekly, each, the year through, and take 15s. 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 ½d. per copy, or altogether, during the year, 179,712 copies, amounting to£3748s.
Street-sellers of Conundrums—“Nuts 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 10s. 6d. weekly, per individual. The cost of the “Nuts to Crack” (when new) is 5d. 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 2s. to 2s. 6d. It may be calculated, then, that to realize the 10s. 6d. above-mentioned 15s. 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 6s. weekly, we find expended yearly in the streets on this rubbish£93
Street-sellers of Play-bills and Books.
Taking the profits at 3s. 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 ½d. 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 “waste”—about three-fourths being newspapers—is supplied to Billingsgate market and its visitants. The average price is not less than 2½d. a pound, or from that to 3d. A single paper is 1d. Reckoning that 85 pounds of waste-paper are sold a day, at 2½d. 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 1s. 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.)
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) 1l. 5s.; 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 15s. weekly; calculating that twelve carry on the trade the year through, we find that (assuming each man to sell at thirty-three per cent. profit—though 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 10s. 6d. each. Calculating their profits at 250l. per cent., their weekly receipts will amount to 35s. 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 9d., 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 4s. weekly, at 25 per cent., hence the takings must be 20s.; thus making the annual expenditure in the street-sale of such books amount to£832
Street-sale of Song-books and Children’s books.
There are 30 street-sellers who vend children’s books and song-books, and dispose of, among them, 2 dozen each daily, or during the year 224,640 books, at 1d. each; hence the sum yearly expended in the street-sale of children’s books and song-books is£936
Street-sellers of Pictures in Frames.
If we calculate 40 persons selling pictures in frames, and each taking 10s. 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 12s. 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 4s. 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£33,446 12s.