782 OYSTERS, AND ALL ABOUT THEM. 



take tip or bring to the market any oysters whatever, under 

 the penalty of twenty shillings for every offence, to be 

 recovered before any of His Majesty's Justices of the Peace, 

 who are hereby authorized and required to hear, and finally 

 determine the same, one-half thereof to turn to him or 

 them that shall bring the same to effect, and the other half 

 to the poor of the place where the offence shall have been 

 committed. And it shall not be lawful for any negro, 

 Indian, or mulatto slave, to sell any oysters in the city of 

 New York, at any time whatsoever, under the penalty of 

 twenty shillings for every offence, to be paid by the master 

 or mistress of such slave or slaves, to be recovered and 

 applied as aforesaid." 



Ingersoll says this is the first oyster law which was 

 passed in this country. 



Many of the natural beds in these waters have been 

 entirely exterminated, but notwithstanding the great drain 

 upon them which has followed the growth of the city of 

 New York, many of the beds in East River, and upon the 

 south shore of Coney Island, are still in a prosperous con- 

 dition, and continue to yield fine oysters for food, as well 

 as a valuable supply of seed oysters for planting. The 

 preservation of these beds is no doubt due in part to the 

 prohibition of dredging, but chiefly to the fact that for the 

 last fifty years their fertility has been increased by the 

 practice of shelling them just before the spawning season, 

 and thus securing the attachment and growth of a great 

 number of young which would be lost without this artificial 

 aid. 



The methods of oyster farming which are employed 

 by the cultivators of New York are fully described in our 

 chapter on oyster farming, and it is only necessary to say 

 here that these efforts have resulted in the preservation of 



