388 A LOBSTER-STORE. [CHAP. ix. 



erected by Mr. Richard Scovell at Hamble, near Southamp- 

 ton. That gentleman informs me that his pond has been of 

 good service to him. It is about fifty yards square, and is 

 lined with brick, having a bottom of concrete, and was exca- 

 vated at a cost of about 1200. It will store with great ease 

 50,000 lobsters, and the animals may remain in the pond as 

 long as six weeks, with little chance of being damaged. 

 Lobsters, however, do not breed in this state of confinement, 

 nor have they been seen to undergo a change of shell. There 

 is, of course, an apparatus of pipes and sluices for the purpose 

 of supplying the pond with water. The stock is recruited 

 from the coasts of France and Ireland ; and to keep up the 

 supply Mr. Scovell has in his service two or three vessels of 

 considerable size, which visit the various fisheries and bring 

 the lobsters to Hamble in their capacious wells, each of which 

 is large enough to contain from 5000 to 10,000 animals. 



The west and north-west coasts of Ireland abound with 

 fine lobsters, and welled vessels bring thence supplies for the 

 London market, and it is said that a supply of 10,000 a week 

 can easily be obtained. Immense quantities are also pro- 

 cured on the west coast of Scotland. A year or two ago I 

 saw on board the Islesman steamboat at Greenock a cargo 

 of 30,000 lobsters, obtained chiefly on the coasts of Lewis and 

 Skye. The value of these to the captors would be upwards 

 of 1000, and in the English fishmarkets the lot would bring 

 at least four times that sum. As showing how enormous 

 the food wealth of the sea still is, notwithstanding the 

 quantity taken out of it, I may cite here a few brief par- 

 ticulars of a little experiment of a charitable nature which 

 was tried by a gentleman who took a warm interest in the 

 Highland fishermen, and the results of which he himself lately 

 made public. Commiserating the wretchedness which he 

 had witnessed among many, who, although anxious to labour, 

 were unable to procure work, and at the same time feeling 



