670 SUPPLEMENT ON 



their fishing stations were Greeks, for as the Romans never 

 patronized speculative science, and seldom condescended to 

 mix themselves up with professions that did not imply a 

 connection with government, commercial industry was left 

 to Greeks, Gauls, and Africans. A few inscriptions and 

 notices remain connected with the fisheries of the Romans, 

 where Greek proper names predominate. At the time when 

 the empire flourished, and the population of the civilized 

 world was condensed around the shores of the Mediterranean, 

 almost every bay, creek, and channel, had fishing stations, 

 thousands of men were employed, and salt-fish was con- 

 veyed from distant ports on the ocean ; nor were these 

 measures sufficient. When fish had risen in estimation, and 

 the luxury of the rich demanded expensive dishes, ponds for 

 fresh water species, and river fish were despised. Lucullus 

 cut through a mountain near Naples to introduce salt water 

 into one of his preserves ; Licinius Mursena, Philippus and 

 Hortensius had similar stews near the shore. Some were of 

 such magnitude that Hirrius could lend Caesar two thousand 

 muraenae at one time. Mullets, doradoes, sciama?, turbots, 

 soles, and a variety of shell fish, had all separate compart- 

 ments in them. Immense sums were squandered in this pur- 

 suit, and great cruelty practised in feeding the fish. When 

 the species caught on the Italian coast were insufficient 

 to satisfy the pampered appetites of the great, an officer 

 of rank correspondingto a modern admiral was employed 

 with a fleet to stock the Etruscan sea with the scarus, 

 brought for that purpose from the coasts of Greece, where 

 it was then only found. We shall see in another place, 

 with what excessive refinement of luxury, mullets were 

 brought, by means of small pipes constructed for that purpose, 

 from the preserve alive into ' * apartments of the gourmands, 

 that they might enjoy the sight of them dying before they 

 were dressed for the table, and the excessive prices that 



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