ON THE PRICE OF FISH. 425 



sequently. The first Winchester account is from 1640 to 

 1645 inclusive, the second from 1684 to 1693 inclusive. 



Within the last forty or fifty years, the muddy seashore in 

 Hampshire and Sussex, from beyond Christchurch in the 

 west to Selsey Bill eastward, swa'rmed with oysters. They 

 could be purchased, as I have often purchased them, at 

 the rate of a few shillings the bushel, and easily fattened on 

 barley or oatmeal, after being laid in natural or artificial sea- 

 water. They were similarly plentiful on parts of the coast 

 and most of the creeks of Kent and Essex, and were cheap 

 because they were so abundant that the cost of dredging or 

 even of collection was nearly all the charge which entered 

 into the price. Among the many projects of Sir Hugh 

 Middleton was one which he carried out at Brading in the 

 Isle of Wight, where he established oyster breeding-beds, 

 which are still in existence and still at work, affording as I 

 am told the greater part of the young oysters which are 

 transferred to Whitstable and elsewhere, and matured in 

 these localities. For some unexplained reason, the natural 

 breeding of oysters, except in some favourable localities, 

 seems to have been suspended or become abortive for many 

 years past. I have heard the fact or allegation explained by 

 the frequently chill weather of the early days of July, when 

 the oyster spawns. 



The records of Winchester seem to indicate a close time 

 for oysters, or at least one in which they were inferior or 

 unwholesome. Very few are purchased at other periods of 

 the year than the six months from September to March. 

 Thus in 1640 Winchester buys twenty-five pottles in the 

 first six months, and only one for the rest of the year; in 

 1641 thirty-seven for the first six months, nine in April, and 

 one in September. I conclude therefore that the old rule that 

 oysters should not be eaten in any of the months without the 

 letter r in it, i.e. in May, June, July and August, was 

 acknowledged and acted on in the seventeenth century. The 

 earlier domestic accounts of Winchester arc carefully kept by 



