<2nd the Places <iuhere found. 103 



plump, and the fliells are thin and almoft tranfparcnt. The 

 bcft kind, however, even at Colchefter, are fo dear that a peck 

 cnfts five or fix fhilHngs ; and as, the London fiflnnongers hny 

 almoil all their oyfters from the fifiiermen or dredgers Ininje- 

 diately after they are caught, tliey all, of courfe, pafs through 

 their hands. But they are accufed of mixing frefli with ftaleoyl- 

 ters, and of felling thofe of the wcRerncoaft for Colchefteroy Iters. 

 ]\fany, however, prefer tliofe oyfters v\hich are colletlcd 

 on the coaft of Dorfetfliire, and particularly thofe found near 

 Pool. They are faid alfo to contain fometimes pearls of larger 

 fize than thofe found in other places. The greater part of 

 the Englifli oyfters, wdiich the Dutch carry away every year 

 with more than a hundred veiTcls, are fold by the fifiiermen 

 at Feverfliam, a fmall town in Kent, to the north-weft of 

 Cauterburv, and which, like the neighbouring fmall towns 

 of INIilton and Middleton, is known on account of this trade. 

 There are a great many oyfter banks alfo in the Ifie of 

 Wight : thofe, likewife, are well known which are found 

 near Tenby on the coaft of South Wales, and near Wilford- 

 Haven : but the largeft, and perhaps the word:, are thofe of 

 i31ackrock, near Liverpool. 



It appears that the Englifli have taken more trouble than 

 other nations, not only to maintain their oy'ier banks, but to 

 form new ones. Since the year 1712, a great many oyfters 

 have been found in the fmall channel of JMeneu or Menai 

 \\hlch feparatcs Anglefey from Caernarvonfl^.ire, and where 

 about the year 1700 none were to be fecn. It is known, 

 however, that foon after that period fcnie perfon threw into 

 the above channel about a hundred oyfters, which have now- 

 extended foveral miles, fo that at preient a great many vefTels 

 are employed in this fiihery *. It would appear that the waves 

 carry tlie iced along with thorn, as it is known that on the 

 coaft of HoUtein the banks are dcftroycd by violent Ilornis 

 about the time the oyfters fpawn. 



[To be coiuinued.] 



* Some account of the Eiiglidi oyfter bav.ks may be found in the Tjkinf- 

 aftions of the Swedifli Ac;i<Jc-!P.y, Vol. V. p. izi. and V'a). V'l. p. ii6. 

 Alfo in the Journul FionomiijUe 1733, Dec. p. 166 and 179; and 1757» 

 p. 177, See alfotht Hiftory and Antiqui'.its of Colchcftcr, by Phil. ?vlo- 

 ranr, Ljnd. 174^^, foi. Vol.1, p. £7 ; and Sjj'at's Ilift. of the Royal So- 

 tictv, Land. J /2.2, [i- •i7. 



n. lUJlorr 



