INTRODUCTORY. 17 



chased by the fishmongers, who have a stock of ice at 

 home ready to receive it ; and there it remains till it is 

 wanted, only a certain quantity, sufficient to make an 

 attractive disj^lay, being laid out at one time for sale. 

 The fishmonger is no longer disquieted by any doubts 

 about the fish which is unsold to-day being sound and 

 j^resentable to-morrow ; if his cellar be in proper order, 

 there need be no cause for anxiety. The use of ice, of 

 course, adds to his expenses, which he makes the public 

 pay for, but it is a real and great saving to him in fish ; 

 were it not so, we may be quite sure he would have 

 little to do with it. The wholesale dealers benefit by 

 the use of ice only so f^ir as it brings a larger quantity 

 of fish into their hands for sale. They cannot lay by 

 what is not at once disposed of. Overburdened Bil- 

 lingsgate must be cleared out to-day, or there will be 

 no room for what will certainly be brought there to- 

 morrow ; and if the suj)ply be more than is required by 

 regular London and country customers, the rest must 

 be got rid of at a price which attracts another class of 

 buyers — the costermongers. There is always a very 

 large quantity of " ofFal " fish purchased by these 

 itinerant dealers, and their business lies at the east end 

 of the town, in poor districts, and back streets gene- 

 rally. Plaice are in particular request by their cus- 

 tomers, and notwithstanding the immense supply of 

 this fish daily sent or brought in by the trawlers, there 

 appears to be always a sale for it. But it not unfre- 

 quently happens that there is a glut of some of the 

 better kinds of fish, and, as we have said, the market 

 must be cleared ; then the costermongers may be seen 

 going with their barrows into more select neighbour- 

 hoods than they usually visit, and hawking soles, 

 haddock, and whiting fresh from the market, as well as 



c 



