280 FEENOH FISHING VILLAGE. 



The port of Esnandes is very much like all other fishing- 

 villages, and the fisher-people like all other fishing-people. 

 As you enter the town, you feel that it has the usual ancient 

 and fish-like smeU; and you see, as you suppose, the same 

 little boys with the overgrown small-clothes that you meet 

 with in the fishing-vUlages of England or Scotland. After 

 passing a little way down the one street of the vUlage, you 

 observe all the way, right and left, the invariable mussel- 

 middens, the worn-out old fish-baskets, and the various other 

 insignia of the trade of the people, the like of which you can 

 also see at Whitstable or Cockenzie. The people waken up 

 the moment it is buzzed about that a stranger has arrived. 

 At first, I thought the population were all out at sea, but I 

 was so quickly surrounded by an inquisitive little crowd, that 

 I speedily gave up that idea ; and as soon as I had explained 

 my errand to the buxom landlady of the village cafd, I was 

 provided with a guide, who kindly escorted me to the bouehots 

 (fishing hurdles), or rather to. the ddp6t of the boucholiers, 

 which is about a quarter of a mile from the village. 



Having alighted from the carriage, I looked around me with 

 some curiosity ; but I saw no farm of mussels, no appearance 

 even of there being a common fishery. About a mile away to 

 the right there was moored a small fleet of the common flat- 

 bottomed fishery-boats peculiar to the coast. A few miles to 

 the left lay the He de E^, famous for its oyster-beds; but 

 where was the object of my search — the mussel-farm ? WeU, 

 to make a long story short, the farm was at that particular hour 

 covered with water ; but, as the tide was on the ebb, I speedily 

 obtained a viepw of the vast mud-flelds to which the people of 

 Esnandes are indebted for their peculiar fish-commerce. The 

 story of the translation of these vast sloughs of mud into fertile 

 fields of industry, productive of comfort and .wealth, is short and 

 simple, for the discovery of the bouchot was purely accidental. 

 An Irish vessel, laden with sheep, having been wrecked in the 

 bay, so long ago as the year 1235, only one oui^of all the crew 

 was saved. This man's name was Walton, and he became the 

 founder of the present industry by means of the bouchot system 

 of cultivation. On finding himself saved, he at once set about 

 finding a means of earning his own food, so that he might not 

 be a burden upon the poor fishermen who had rescued him from 

 the ravening waters, and who were themselves at the time well- 

 nigh destitute of every comfort of life. 



