THE DOCKS AND PRIVATE WATERS. 103 



are witnessed among them every fishing season, would scarcely 

 be credited by ^ anglers in the rural districts of the kingdom, 

 where the sport is so easily and readily obtained and enjoyed. 



The docks in and about London are so large and numerous, 

 that they contain immense quantities of fish of all kinds, but 

 particularly such as suit the bottom-fisher. They are likewise at 

 a commandable and limited distance, and can consequently be 

 visited without any serious loss of time or money. All these con- 

 siderations weigh with the rod-fisher, and naturally induce him to 

 consider these still waters to be a valuable adjunct to the general 

 stock of piscatory recreation. 



A day at the Bocks, to many a tradesman in London, is what a 

 stag-hunt, or the Derby Day, is to the aristocratic loungers of 

 St. James's. The piscatory citizen talks of it for weeks before, 

 and the pleasure from anticipation is, doubtless, were we in a state 

 to make a fair comparison, greater than from actual realization. 

 But this is something like his usual mode of procedure. He 

 leaves his business for a day, and betakes himself to the New 

 River, or some other spot, to obtain a stock of gudgeons for 

 live-bait. These he places in a proper vessel for careful preser- 

 vation. He is very anxious his bait should preserve all their 

 native vitality and sprightliness ; and he manifests the most sedulous 

 care to supply them, at regular intervals, with fresh water. When 

 he arrives at his home, he is generally tired and worn out ; but still 

 his family must be immediately summoned to look at the finny 

 strangers, ere they take their departure to the wars at an early 

 hour of the morning. The sight is cheering, and full of novelty. 

 The angler pays his gudgeons a visit before he steps into bed, and 

 concludes that the water will keep fresh and invigorating till the 

 appointed hour of rising. His slumbers are broken from the 

 thought of having to rise at such an early hour. He jumps out of 

 bed to see his bait. Perchance some of them seem rather dull and 

 sickly. He tries to procure them another supply of fresh water, 

 but fails. He throws his clothes loosely about him, and off he sets 

 to the street pump in the neighbourhood, and revives_the drooping 

 energies of his captives. He starts at three o'clock in a fine June 

 morning, and walks hurriedly to the scene of action at the East or 

 West India Docks. He gets himself prepared, looks at his live 

 gudgeons, which seem pert and lively, and then he throws in his 

 first bait. In a short time he succeeds in killing some perch of 

 great weight- and ^ then some jack, and bream. If he has fair 

 luck, he will have, in the course of a couple of hours, fifty or sixty 

 pounds weight of fish, of one kind and another. He now takes his 

 breath, and dines ; sometimes in a sportsman's fashion, and some- 

 times he goes to a convenient place of refreshment, and leisurely 

 enjoys himself. He comes home delighted, and all his family are 

 delighted too ; and thus ends one of the long-looked for and joyous 

 days of his city life. 



Now all this is very healthful, pleasant, and socially improving. 



