No. 5. 



S/nithfJeld, London. 



139 



Sniithficld, London. 



The great market for cattle, in England, 

 perhaps the greatest in the world, is at 

 Smithlield, in London. This market is prin- 

 cipally for fat cattle and sheep, and for cows. 

 It is held weekly, in the centre, and in one 

 of the most crowded parts of this great me- 

 tropolis. Monday is the day of general sale 

 for fat cattle and sheep; Tuesday for hay 

 and straw; Thursday is again a day of sale 

 for hay and straw; and Friday for cattle, 

 sheep, swine, and particularly for the sale 

 of milch cows, and at 2 o'clock for scrub 

 horses and asses. This day is not so large 

 a market as Monday, and embraces the cat- 

 tle that were left over on the Monday's 

 market. 



The market opens at daylight, at all sea- 

 sons of the year, and closes at 3 o'clock in 

 the atlernoon, at which time every thing, 

 sold or unsold, must be removed. The sheep 

 and swine are enclosed in pens, railed in 

 with wood, and containing seldom more than 

 fifteen sheep in a pen. The cattle, as far as 

 the accommodations will admit, are tied by 

 the horns or neck, to long railings, which 

 extend on the outride of the market-place, 

 and likewise down the centre of the area. 

 Between the rows of animals tied to these 

 rails and facing each other, there is a pas- 

 s:ige-way; and there are, likewise, open 

 spaces behind them and between them, so 

 as to enable the purchasers to see the stock. 

 In respect to the supernumerary animals, or 

 those for which, for want of room, no tying- 

 place is to be had, they are often driven into 

 <!nall circles, and, by a great deal of severity 

 and cruelty, they arc made, after being dread- 

 fully beaten over the head and eyes, to stand 

 with their heads turned in towards the cen- 

 tre of the circle. The poor animals, finding 

 themselves in so novel a situation, stunned 

 with a din and noise which no language can 

 describe, and exhausted by fatigue and ter- 

 ror, are often glad to be let alone, and to re- 

 main quiet in situations into which they may 

 be forced, which would otherwise be scarcely 

 endurable. Man is almost sure to be a ty- 

 rant, when possessed with absolute power; 

 and there is good reason to believe that he 

 will have a heavy account to settle hereafter 

 with the brute animals which he has most 

 cruelly abused.* 



* It is said that much of the cruelty which was 

 formerly practised in these cases, is now prevented by 

 the influence of the Animal's Friend Society, an Asso- 

 ciation quite numerous, whose exclusive object is to 

 prever.t cruelty to dumb beasts, and thus to protect 

 those who are unable to protect themselves. They 

 have numerous agents, and prosecute, without fear or 



It is obvious that it would be difficult to 

 make any exact assortment, or classification, 

 of the animals in the case, according to their 

 different breeds. The sheep are placed in 

 one part of the market. The cattle occupy 

 another. The cows, and calves, and swine, 

 occupy other separate positions. But no 

 classification of the beasts into the different 

 breeds of Short-horns, Herefords, Devons, or 

 West Highlanders, or Scots, is attempted, 

 although, from the fact that individual farm- 

 ers generally limit themselves to one species 

 of stock, the contributions of different indi- 

 viduals, standing by themselves, present a 

 sort of classification; and so give a better 

 opportunity to an intelligent observer to 

 compare the difTerent breeds with each 

 other. 



Forms of business in Smithfield. — It is 

 not here, as it is with us, that a drover goes 

 through the country collecting, on his route, 

 cattle from the different farmers, as he may 

 chance to find them; but usually the farmer 

 himself sends them to Smithfield, where 

 they are put for sale into the hands of an 

 accredited agent, whose commission for sale 

 is established and understood. This com- 

 mission is not a percentage upon the amount 

 of sale, but so much per head. These, of 

 course, are persons well known, and whose 

 shrewdness and skill are undoubted. In the 

 most extensive transactions of buying and 

 selling, no paper is passed ; but the price of 

 the stock on sale being inquired, if the bar- 

 gain is struck, the buyer and seller merely 

 touch each other's hand, and there is no re- 

 traction. It is highly creditable to the com- 

 mercial character of the country, and to the 

 general integrity which prevails among the 

 persons concerned in this great market, that, 

 as I am informed by an individual familiar 

 for years with the most extensive transac- 

 tions in this place, a failure to fulfil these 

 engagements, thougji no paper is passed be- 

 tween the parties, is of very rare occur- 

 rence. 



In the sale of sheep and cattle, the busi- 

 ness is always transacted through an accre- 

 dited and established salesman, who has his 

 regular commissions upon every animal sold. 

 The sales are always for cash, unless the 

 salesman himself chooses to assume the re- 

 sponsibility of giving credit, and there are 



favour, every case of inhumanity — for it is a great 

 misnomer to call such cases brutality — which comes 

 under their notice, deserving censure or punit-hment. 

 It is, undoubtedly, greatly owing to their exertions, 

 that the odious practices of cock-fighting and dog- 

 fighling are now not practised; or, if practised, con- 

 ducted in the most secret manner. 



