272 FISHES I HAVE KNOWN 



the Poultry, at Sweeting's next to the General 

 Post Office, and at Greenwich (sacred to white- 

 bait), the finest fish in the world can be enjoyed 

 for a consideration. 



I dread going near Sweeting's when accom- 

 panied by a certain gentle relation of mine, who, 

 once having there partaken of salmon and lobster- 

 sauce, always manages to inveigle me into the 

 establishment, whence I seldom emerge without a 

 considerable depletion of half a sovereign. The 

 fact is that fish is unreasonably dear in London, 

 and attempts to cheapen it seem doomed to failure. 

 Commission after commission has sat to inquire 

 into the cause and to suggest a remedy, but with- 

 out success. The Baroness Burdett-Coutts built 

 the costly Columbia Market at Bethnal Green 

 expressly for the purpose of cheapening fish for 

 the poor East Enders, but the scheme collapsed. 



The big inland cities and towns take a great 

 proportion of the sea-fish that at one time came 

 exclusively to the Metropolis. In other words, 

 the market for fish has considerably widened, 

 and the use of ice enables it to be as readily 

 stored as most other produce. 



The existence of the middleman is said to be 

 one cause of the dearness of fish, and doubtless 

 he has much to do with it. 1/ consumers and 



