31 



that food, no particular exertions had been made 

 for forwarding it thither by land carriage. The 

 steps which the Committee have taken for promo- 

 ting this object they proceed to mention. 



It may,, perhaps, be useful to premise, that, the 

 first attempt made for the conveyance of fish bj 

 land carriage, was by Captain Blake, at the com- 

 mencement of the reign of his present Majesty. 

 That active persevering friend of the fisheries 

 caused several fish machines to be constructed at 

 his own expense, and shops to be opened at all the 

 principal markets in London, to which fish from 

 Torbay, and various sea-ports, were conveyed for 

 sale. The undertaking was, however, too consi- 

 derable for a single individual ; and he was com- 

 pelled to resign the measure. But he had established 

 ils practicability and value ; and from that period 

 to the present, large quantities of fish have con- 

 stantly,, from time to time, been conveyed to Lon- 

 don, on the plan which he had arranged, from sea- 

 ports, where the industry of the fisherman is pro- 

 portionably excited by this additional facility of 

 sale. The Committee have endeavoured to extend' 

 the like measure to the supply of the interior with 

 fresh fish. 



They have offered to towns within a circuit of 

 about one hundred miles from the metropolis, to 

 afford them a supply of fresh and corned fish, by 

 carriages which contain from about 20 to 30 ewt. 



