258 THE COLNE OYSTEE-BEDS. 



vated, and are generally public and free to all comers. The 

 Colne beds, however, are an exception : they are natural beds, 

 but are held by the city of Colchester as property. Whenever 

 a new bed is discovered anywhere nowadays, the run upon it is 

 so great that it is at once despoiled of its shelly treasures ; and 

 the native beds would soon become exhausted i£ they were not 

 systematically conducted on sound commercial principles, and 

 regularly replenished with brood. 



As regards the oyster-cultivation of the river Colne, some 

 interesting statistics were a few years ago made public at Col- 

 chester by Councillor Hawkins. That gentleman tells us that 

 oyster-brood increases fourfold in three years. The quantity 

 of oysters in a London bushel is as follows : — First year, spost, 

 number not ascertainable ; second year, brood, 6400 ; third year, 

 ware, 2400 ; fourth year, oysters, 1600 ; therefore, four wash of 

 brood {i.e. four pecks), purchased at say 5s. per wash, increase 

 by growth and corresponding value to 42s. per bushel, or a sum 

 of eight guuieas. The quantity of oysters obtained from the 

 river Colne by the company bears but a small proportion to the 

 yield from private layinjgs, which are in general only a few acres 

 in extent. " The private layings," however, we are told, " can- 

 not fairly be made the measure of productiveness for a large' 

 fishery ; as th6y may be compared to a garden in a high state 

 of cultivation, while the fishery generally is better represented 

 by a large tract of land but partially reclaimed from a state of 

 nature." The difference in cost of working a big fishery and a 

 little one seems to be great. One of the owners of a private 

 laying states that, wheil the expense of dredging or lifting the 

 oysters exceeded 4s. per bushel, he gave up working, while in 

 the Colne Fishery diedgermen are never paid less than 12s., and 

 sometimes as high as 40s. a bushel. The Colne Company is 

 managed by a jury of twelve, appointed by the water-bailiflf, 

 who is under the jurisdiction of the corporation of Colchester. 

 Whenever it is time to begin the season's operations, the jury 

 meet and take stock of the oysters on hand, fix the price at 

 which sales are to be made, and regulate the charge for dredging, 

 which is paid by the wash. Under direction of the jury, the 

 foreman of the company sets the daily stint to the men ; and so 

 the work, which is very light, goes pleasantly forward from 

 season to season. 



At Faversham, Queenborough, and Eochester, there is a 

 large commerce carried on in this particular shell-fish. In 



