300 The Herring 



is assured, they will rush for it in hundreds of thousands, 

 while at the same time remaining loyal to their old 

 loves. And perhaps some day they will appreciate 

 fresh Pilchards as much as they now do fresh herrings, 

 and bloatered Pilchards also. 



A great deal of capital and energy has also been 

 expended in the attempt to utilise the Pilchard as 

 a * Cornish sardine,' which is retailed at a very modest 

 rate, but has certainly not been able to do any harm 

 by its competition to the sale of sardines at nearly 

 double the price. They are good and very whole- 

 some, the utmost care is taken in their preparation 

 — but even the most careless person would never 

 take them for sardines, the delicacy of flavour, scarcity 

 of bones and succulence of flesh being altogether 

 in favour of the sardine. A much better idea has 

 been that of preparing Pilchards in oil as Pilchards, 

 putting them on the market under their own name 

 and trusting to their own good qualities to make a 

 lucrative sale for them. They can be obtained at 

 nearly all respectable grocers, and I am sure only 

 need a trial to become favourably known. 



Whether a largely increased sale for them or for 

 any other fish that can be sold very fresh is likely 

 under the present market conditions of England 

 generally I do not know. But I fear not. It is a 

 thing to be remembered in this free trade country, 

 how coolly, how frequently, the price of necessaries of 

 life is raised, how persistently the cheapening of food 

 is opposed by the dealers in these commodities, and 

 how utterly helpless the consumer is to alter this 

 tyrannical state of affairs. Nowhere is this more 

 marked than in the distribution of fish. But for the 

 costermongers and their energy in clearing away a 

 * glut ' of fish from the market, when by some un- 



