602 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES. 



like those at Ostend and St. Nazaire. In bis preliminary report he advanced the theory that in 

 the case of persons having more bodily than mental exercise, the eating of shell-fish produced 

 emotional insanity. His principal illustration is derived from what he saw in America. With a 

 seriousness that precludes all suspicion of caricature the learned professor says : 



"While I was in America I saw the excitements caused by immoderate indulgence in shell-fish 

 violently illustrated. They have there a sort of political assemblage called a clam-bake, where 

 speeches and music and songs are interspersed with profuse feasts upon a species of oyster called 

 the clam. Vast crowds attend these celebrations, and no sooner are they gorged with the insid- 

 ious comestible, than they become full of excitement and furores ; swear themselves away in fealty 

 to the most worthless of demagogues ; sing, fight, dance, gouge one another's eyes out and conduct 

 themselves like madmen in a conflagration." 



But enough of this joking. 



In Northern New Jersey they call small young quahaugs, only an inch or so in breadth, " tea" 

 clams. These are often served at an evening meal, two or three being opened and set in a row on 

 each one's plate with a slice of lemon as an appetizer. One item in trade is pickling, and for this 

 purpose the tender small clams are always reserved. For this sort the dealers generally depend 

 on the mud-catchers, or rakers, who work in shallow water, and often orders are given to Shrews- 

 bury men for this kind. They pass as " Little Necks," however, by the market-men. 



U. THE PRINCIPAL MARKETS. 



The principal depots for the sale of quahaugs are Nesv York and Philadelphia. All the coast 

 towns south of Providence use them, but Boston sells comparatively few. In the scrap books 

 preserved by Mr. Thomas DeVoe, of New York, I find a long account of the clam-trade of that 

 metropolis in 1855. The wholesale and retail trade at that time was estimated at $600,000, but 

 this included both hard and soft clams ; still the vast majority were quahaugs. There were one 

 hundred sail- vessels carrying clams to Oliver street and to Washington market in summer; in 

 winter they brought oysters. To these must be added twenty others supplying North River towns. 

 Besides the large boats, about two hundred small boats, handled by one or two men, were engaged, 

 and the value of all the crafts, big and little, was given at $50,000. The largest vessels were of 

 about 50 tons-burden. They were usually owned by two partners, and manned by two men and a 

 boy. The average tonnage was 30, and the average cargo 100,000 clams. Including all from the 

 diggers to the retailers and hawkers, eight thousand persons were supposed to be dependent on this 

 trade centering at New York, during a large portion, at least, of the year. The principal fisheries 

 at that time were in Atlantic County, New Jersey New Inlet, Absecom, and Egg Harbor being 

 the best; in the Great South Bay and in Cow and Little Neck Bays, Long Island. A few came 

 from the Chesapeake. Then, as now, there were no exclusive clam dealers, but all the oyster mer- 

 chants sold them. Fulton and Catherine markets were the main depots, and the colored people are 

 noted as particularly fond of them and were large buyers. The business was thus conducted : 



" The wholesale dealers enter into a contract to supply their customers with a certain amount 

 at appointed times. The agreement is signed by both parties, each of whom is liable to a forfeit- 

 ure of $100 in the event of non-fulfillment. The captain owning the boat sails for the fishing- 

 grounds, where he purchases the clams indiscriminately among the small boatmen, and having 

 loaded his vessel within the time prescribed by the contract, returns to the specified place. Here 

 he finds his customer, with his wagons ready to receive his freight and to transfer it to the hands 

 of the retail dealers, who generally purchase by the thousand. When a delay is caused by unavoid- 



