Chap. YJII. 
ARTICLES OP FOOD. 
123 
Articles used as food were displayed in abun- 
dance in all the streets of the commercial quarter. 
The vegetables and fruits of the country, such as I 
have named elsewhere, were in profusion every- 
where, and apparently cheap. The bay supplies 
the good people of Yedo with excellent fish, and 
consequently the fishmonger was duly represented 
amongst the shopkeepers, where his wares could be 
purchased either dead or alive, fresh or salted. 
Butchers’ shops were also observed as we rode along, 
showing that the Japanese do not live on vege- 
tables and fish only. It is true that in these shops 
we did not observe any beef, for the Japanese do 
not kill their bullocks and eat them as we do ; and, 
as the sheep is not found in the country, we, of 
course, could not see any mutton. Venison, how- 
ever, was common, and monkeys were observed in 
several of the shops. I shall never forget the 
impression produced upon me when I saw the 
latter hanging up in front of a butcher’s door. 
They were skinned, and had a most uncomfortable 
resemblance to the members of the human family. 
I dare say the Japanese consider the flesh of the 
monkey very savoury ; but there is no accounting 
for prejudices and tastes, and I must confess that I 
must have been very hungry indeed before I could 
have dined off these human-looking monkeys. 
In our ride through the town we remarked a 
large number of fire-proof houses, or godowns, for 
the protection of money or valuable goods in case 
of fire. These have thick walls of mud and stone, 
