122 THE FISHERIES OF THE UNITED STATES. 



Early laws. — The law of 1715, quoted above, was the first legal enactment desifrned to protect the oyster-beds 

 of the harbor, after the Dutch ordinance of 1G58, heretofore quoted. It was instigated by the common people of 

 the city, to whom these moUusks afforded a very important means of subsistence, both for themselves and as an 

 article of sale to the well-to-do, for the classing of oysters among luxuries was the device of a far later day. The 

 law of 1715 was limited, in its effect, to five years. For ten years after freedom, which amounted to license, was 

 had for New Yorkers, and then came the protective law of 1730. In the colonial documents there is found a note 

 under the record of this law, which explains its necessity, as follows : 



There was an act of this kind formerly past in this province, during the continuance whereof the Oysters encreased to that degree 

 that the City of New York was constantly supplyed in the pioper season at easie rates, but since the expiration of it, the people heing under 

 no restraint, the Banks are almost destroyed. To preserve what is left, and to procure an increase is the design of this Act, which will he 

 greatly to the advantage of this City, if it he duely observed. 



That the theory of this preaml)le, if such it was, was not wrong, is shown by the testimony of Kalm, who wrote 

 in 1748. Eeferring to the great quantities of fish in New York harbor, Kalm says : 



Nor ought our vast plenty of Oysters to pass without particular Observation. In their Quality they are exceeded by those of no Country 

 ■whatsoever. People of all Ranks amongst us in geueral prefer them to any other Kind of Food. Nor is any Thing wanting save a little 

 of the filings of copper to render them equally relishing (!ven to an English Palate, with the best from Col'-hciter. They continue good Eight 

 Months in the Year, and are for two Months longer the daily Food of our Poor. Their Beds are .nth u view of the Towu, and I am 

 informed that an Oystermau industriously employed may clear Eight or Ten shillings a Day. Some Geutlemen, a few Years ago, were at 

 the pains of computing the Value of the Sliellfish to our Pro\-ince in general. The Estimate was made with Judgment and Accuracy, and 

 their Computation amounted to Ten Thousand Pounds per Annum. Their Increase and Consumptiou are since very much enhanced, and 

 thus also their additional Value in Proportion. I confess it has often given me great Pleasure to reflect how many of my poor countrymen 

 are comfortably supported by this Article, who without it could scarcely subsist, and for that Reason beg to be excused for the length of 

 this Reflection on so humble a subject, tho' it might justly be urged, to the honour of our Oysters, that considered in another View they 

 are serviceable both to our King and Country. 



Kalm on abundance of oysters in 1748.— In another place Kalm returns to the snbiect in a way for which 

 we ought to be grateful, for information upon our theme is rarely to be had from the early writers. He says : 



About New York they find innumerable quantities of excellent oyfters, and there are few places which have oyfters of fuch an 

 exquiiite tafte, and of fo great a fize: they are pickled and fent to the West Indies and other places; which is done in the following 

 manner : As soon as the oyfters are caught, their fhells are opened and the fifh wafhed clean ; fome water is then poured into a pot, the 

 oyfters are put into it, and they muft boil for a while ; the pot is then taken off from the fire again, the oyfters taken out and put upon a 

 difh, till they are fomewhat dry; then you t.ake fome mace, allfpice, black pepper and as ranch vinegar as you think is fufticient to give a 

 sourifh tafte. All this is mixed with half the liquor in which the oyfters were boiled, and put over the fire again. While you boil it, 

 great care is to be taken in fcummiug oil' the thick fcum ; at laft the whole pickle is poured into a glafs oi earthen vessclf, the oyfters 

 are put to it, and the veffel is well ftopped to keep out the air. In this manner oyfters will keep for years together, and may be sent to the 

 moft diftant parts of the world. 



The merchants here buy up great quantities of oyfters about this time, pickle them in the above-mentioned manner, .and fend them 

 to the We/t Indies: by which they frequently make a confider.able profit: for the oyfters, which coft them five fhillings of their currency, 

 they commonly fell for a piftole, or about fix times as much as they gave for them ; and foraetimes they get even more : the oyfters which 

 are thus pickled have a very fine flavor. The following is another way of preserving oyfters : they are taken out of the shells, fried with 

 butter, put into a glafs or earthen vefsel with the melted butter over them, fo that they are quite covered with it, and no air can get to 

 them. Oyfters prepared in this manner have likevrife an agreeable taste, and are exported to the Weft Indies, and other parts. 



Oysters are here reckoned very wholefome ; some people affured us, that they had not felt the lealt inconvenience after eating a 

 confiderable quantity of them. It is likewife a common rule here, that oyfters are beft in thofe months which have an »■ in their name, 

 fuch as September, October, etc. ; but that they are not fo good in other mouths ; however, there are poor people, who live all the year long 

 upon nothing but oyfters with bread. 



The fea near New York, affords annually the greateft quantity of oyfters. They are found chiefly in a muddy ground, where they lie 

 in the flime, and .are not fo frequent in a fandy bottom : a rocky and a ftony bottom is fcldom found here. The oyfter-fhells arc gathered 

 in great heaps, and burnt into lime, which Ijy fome people is made ufe of in building houfes, but is not reckoned fo good as that made of 

 limeftone. On our journey to New York, we faw high heaps of oyfter-fhells near the farm-houfes, upon tho fea fhore ; and about New York 

 •we obferved the people had carried them upon the fields, which were fown with wheat. However, they were entire and not ernfhed. 



The Indians, who inhabited the coaft before the arrival of the Europeans, have made oyfters and other fhell fifh their chief food ; and 

 at prefent, whenever they come to fait water, where oyfters are to be got, they are very active in catching them, and fell them in great 

 quantities to other Indians, who live higher up the country: for this reafbu you fee immenfe numbers of oyfter and mufcle fliells jiiled up 

 near fuch places, where you are certain that the Indians formerly built their huts. This circumftance ought to make us cautious in 

 maintaining, that in all places on the fea fhore, or higher up in the country, where fuch heaps of fhells are to be met with, the latter 

 have lain there ever fiuce the time that thofe places were overflowed by the fea. 



Oysters in New York in 1755-'68.— An intelligent writer gives a good article on fish and oysters, which 

 is found in TJie Independent Reflector, November 22, 1753, a few years after Kalm : 



The' we abound in no one kind of fish sufficient for a staple, yet such is our hiippiness in this article, that not one of the colonies 

 affords a fish-market of such a plentiful variety as ours. Boston has none but sea-fish, and of those Philadelphia is entirely destitute, 

 being only furnished with the fish of a fresh-water river. New York is sufficiently supplied with both sorts. Nor ought our vast plenty 

 of oysters to pass without particular observation; in their (piality, etc. 



Oysters were still .sold from vessels at Broad street, though the ancient canal was gone, up nearly if not quite 

 to Eevolutionary days, and perhaps later. In 1703 I find they are given as worth two shillings a bushel in New York, 

 clams at the same time selling for ninepeuce per hundred. The favorites were "Blue Points'' and "Sounds." The 



