Middlemen in English Business 195 



" By an authentic list — there passed through Islington turnpike for 

 Smithfield in 1754-5, oxen 28,692, sheep, 267,565; and in 1757-8, 

 oxen 30,952, sheep 200,180."' The total annual sales at Smithfield 

 in quinennial averages during the last quarter of the century 1660- 

 1760 were as follows: 



Year Sheep Black Cattle 



1731-5 568,000 94,000 



1736-0 599,000 98,000 



1741-5 531,000 86,000 



1746-0 656,000 81,000 



1751-5 681,000 81,000 



1756-0 617,000 92,000 



Two corrections, among others, should be gi\en to these statistics.- 

 The first is the increase^ in the size and weight of the animals during 

 the century through breeding: in the years 1700 1800: 



1700 1800 



lbs. lbs. 



Bullocks, at an average, weighed 370 800 



Calves, at an average, weighed 50 140 



Sheep, at an average, weighed 28 80 



Lambs, at an average, weighed 18 50 



It is ob\aou5 that the weight of the animals had nearly trebled and 

 a part of this increase came before 1760. The second correction relates 

 to the double counting resulting from tolls paid twice on the same ani- 

 mals.'' The statistics are based on the tolls' register. The marshmen 

 bought sheep and took them away from the market and fed them again 

 for sale, paying tolls again. But this reduction was more than bal- 

 anced by others that escaped being registered. Tabular displays-' of 

 the animals sold at Smithfield on each market day indicate that the 

 Monday business was much larger than the Friday business, these 

 being the two days of the market. 



The Smithfield salesmen were commission factors at this market. 

 They bought and sold for the small commission of Is. 6 d. per bul- 

 lock or 3 d. per sheep.*"' The cattle and sheep were consigned to the 



'Gent. Mag., 1758:92. 



2 The table is taken from Moore, Considerations on Price, 12; like statistics lor 

 each year, 1732-67, are given in Middleton, View of Middlesex, 538-9; and in 

 .\nderson, Origin, IV, 156 (1732-72). 



' Middleton, View of Middlesex, 541 . 



*Gent. Mag., 1743:259. 



*lbid., 1741:86, for the years 1735, 17,i8; MaiUand, H, 756-7 for the year 1725. 



* Moore, Considerations on Price, 16. 



