11 



fishery were asked for, both in those places where it was admitted 

 that the fishery was falling off, as well as in those where no 

 failure could be traced. 



The evidence which we thus obtained was of such importance 

 that we have printed our notes of it in an appendix to this 

 Report. As we had not the advantage of the services of a 

 shorthand writer, the evidence, of course, appears in less detail 

 than is usual in similar documents. 



We are now in a position to make the following report : — 



English The English markets are mainly supplied with lobsters from 



TOp r pliidwhh Cornwall and the south coast of England; from the Orkneys 



shell fish. and Hebrides in Scotland ; and from the west coast of Ireland. 



Lobsters are also imported from Norway, France, and Sweden. 



The first of these countries sends annually about 600,000, the 



second of them 200,000, lobsters to Billingsgate. 



Crabs are caught on the south and east coasts of England, in 

 nearly every part of Scotland, and in Ireland. We exclude 

 from this report all reference to Scotland and Ireland, which 

 form the subjects of separate reports. 



Billingsgate used formerly to be the great centre of the supply 

 to all inland towns. Since the construction of railways the 

 great towns, which used to be supplied from London, are sup- 

 plied direct from the coast. Crabs and lobsters used in former 

 years to be brought to London in welled smacks. The welled 

 smacks were long ago superseded by steamers ; the steamers 

 have since been superseded by the railways. 



Crabs and lobsters are sold in different ways in different parts 

 of the country. In Billingsgate crabs are sold by the barrel or 

 the "kit;" lobsters by the "turn." A turn of lobsters consists of 

 different sized fish. The smallest fish are called "Worst Nancy/' 

 the slightly larger fish " Best Nancy ;" * these are small lobsters 

 9f and 8 inches in length respectively. 80 fish — 40 Best Nancies, 

 and 40 W T orst Nancies — make a turn. A turn may also consist 

 of '' Best Doubles ;" these lobsters are larger than the best nancy ; 

 40 of them make a turn. A score and a half of large lobsters 

 also make a turn, which in this case consists of 20 large and 

 10 still larger lobsters. A fishmonger, however, who requires 

 10 of the largest lobsters is obliged to take (according to the 

 custom of the trade) a turn of " Nancies," and " Best Doubles " 

 as well. In another sense, therefore, a turn may be said to 

 consist of 40 Best Nancies, 40 Worst Nancies, 40 Best Doubles, 

 and a score and a half of large lobsters. 



On the coast, crabs and lobsters are usually sold by number or 

 by the " dozen." All fish under a certain gauge (the gauge vary- 

 ing in different localities, and being fixed by the local merchants,) 

 go 2 for 1. In some parts of Cornwall a " dozen " consists of 26 fish 

 over the gauge, or 52 fish under the gauge. In Bognor, how- 



* We are unahle to ascertain the origin of the word " nancy ;" hut small lobsters 

 are known as "nintycocks " on the north-east coast of England, and the name is 

 evidently a corruption of the same word. 



