ON THE THAMES. 307 



ON THE THAMES. 



WE have lately read and heard much of "Social 

 Science," and we have had it dinned into our ears 

 how necessary fresh air and exercise are to the well- 

 being of all good folks, be they inhabitants of town or 

 country ; but there is one outdoor sport which I 

 think has not been mentioned at all by any of the 

 professors of public health, yet which, to my mind, is 

 worthy of being seriously noticed I mean " angling," 

 or, if you please, " fishing." The impure air of London 

 necessarily creates a feeling of debility and oppres- 

 sion, and, as a remedy for this, the gin-shop is but 

 too often applied to. Fresh air, be 'it observed, is a 

 much cheaper and much more wholesome stimulant ; 

 and this can be obtained in abundance, and at a cheap 

 rate, by going out fishing. How, for instance, is the 

 poor artisan, by nature a Nimrod, by profession a 

 tailor, to gratify his instinct at a small expense of 

 time and money ? He cannot hunt ; he has no horse, 

 and if he had, quaere would he remain long on the 

 animal's back were he mounted ? He cannot shoot ; 

 he has no gun, and if he had he could get nothing 

 better than hedge-popping ; but he can fish. When. 



