32 By Stream and Sea. 



may be supposed from its general appearance, but one of 

 the swift carriers running between the fleets and the Yar- 

 mouth beach with the produce of their trawling. The 

 signalman caught sight of her through his telescope some 

 time since, and long before the cutter brings up as near the 

 shore as is consistent with, safety the carts will be drawn up 

 along the shore and the men standing by to ply the " ferry- 

 boats " — the heavy black barges to which reference has 

 been previously made. 



The cutter brings a variety of fish, carefully packed for 

 the distant markets to which they are to be despatched, 

 To appear on the fishmonger's slab in good condition fish 

 should be taken from the water alive— not battered, to 

 ■death in the trawl-nets— and immediately packed. Fish 

 caught in the trawl are known in the trade as either "prime" 

 or "offal," the former comprising soles, turbot, brill, and 

 dorys, and the latter gurnards, plaice, haddocks, skate, 

 etc.; and the /'prime'' are honoured with better packing 7 

 cases than their coarser brother captives. 



The carrier, arriving by night or day (in the darkness he 

 announces his coming by the useful flare-up, and with such 

 accuracy that the signalman at once knows the particular 

 vessel challenging his attention), will certainly find every- 

 thing ready for the reception of his cargo, and in a couple of 

 hours the fish-train, a special, if necessary, will be on its 

 way to Billingsgate. The cutter, therefore, which we have 

 this afternoon watched tearing through the waves at ten 

 knots an hour, will have been the means of supplying fresh 

 stores of fish to the London retail dealers by breakfast time 

 to-morrow morning. Some of the carriers run straight from 

 the fleet to London, and there is a London steamer engaged 

 in the D,ogger-bank trade. A steamer tried, however, in 

 Yarmouth for the same purpose a year or two since, was nojt 



