the same period.  Within these few years, great quantities of salmon have been sent from Scotland to Billingsgate in summer-time, preserved in ice, which had been stored up in winter for that salutary purpose.  The ice, when taken from the fish, is sold to confectioners and pastry-cooks, for forming ice-creams in summer.

6.  The Scavenger.

I am glad to see this man, whose business it is to sweep up the mud and dirt from the streets, and collect it in a cart.  Surely, no part of London needs this work more than Thames Street and Billingsgate; for, even in a dry season, the narrowness of the streets, and great traffic of men and women, with fish in wet baskets, &c. keep the pavement constantly dirty.  When the cart is well laden, he empties it into some waste place in the outskirts of the town, or delivers it at some wharf by the water-side; and as it proves a very rich manure, he finds it a profitable and useful occupation.

“I’m very glad ’tis not my luck
To get my bread by carting muck;
I’m sure I never could be made
To work at such a dirty trade.”

   “Hold, little master, not so fast,
Some proud folks get a fall at last;
And you, young gentleman, I say,
May be a scavenger, one day.
All sober folks, who seldom play,
But get their bread some honest way,
Though not to wealth or honours born,
Deserve respect instead of scorn.
Such rude contempt they merit less,
Than those who live in idleness;
Who are less useful, I’m afraid,
Than this black mud that’s in my spade.”

7.  The Bellman.

Well, here is the Bellman and Crier, calling the attention of the people to a description of a child that has been lost.  The number of children who have at times been stolen from their homes, has caused great alarm to many parents.  It was not far from London Bridge that little Tommy Dellow was taken away, which caused the parish-officers to advertise a reward of one hundred guineas for his recovery; and the bills were the means of his being discovered at Gosport, in Hampshire.  It appeared that this little boy and his sister were enticed away by a decently dressed woman, who sent the girl home, but took the boy.  Having no children of her own, she contrived to take him to Gosport, and to present him to her husband, on his return from a long voyage at sea, as his own son.  The whole history of the distressing loss and happy recovery of little Thomas Dellow, has been published; and, in another account of him, [9] it is shortly described in verse.

The little boy and girl, who stand hand in hand, before the man with the basket on his head, are the portraits drawn from the life of little Thomas Dellow and his sister.

      “A sweet chubby fellow,
      Named little Tom Dellow,
His mamma to a neighbour did send,
      With a caution to stop
      At a green-grocer’s shop,
While she went to visit a friend.

      “The poor little soul,
      Unused to control,
O’er the threshold just happen’d to stray,
      When a sly cunning dame,
      Mary Magnay by name,
Enticed the young truant away.

      “At a pastry-cook’s shop
      She made a short stop,
And gave him two buns and a tart,
      And soon after that
      She bought him a hat
And feather, that made him quite smart.

      “Then a man they employ
      To describe the sweet boy,
Whom they sought with such tender regard!
      And soon you might meet
      Bills in every street,
Which offer’d five guineas reward!

      “They did not succeed
      To discover the deed,
Tho’ much all who heard of it wonder’d,
      Till at length they sent down
      Large bills to each town,
And raised the reward to one hundred!

The office of bellman was first instituted in 1556, for the purpose of going round the ward by night to ring his bell, and to exhort the inhabitants, with a loud voice, to take care of their fires and lights, to help the poor, and pray for the dead.  This custom, though once general, is used only at Christmas-time, when a copy of verses is repeated, instead of the admonition used in former days.

8.  A Wharf

Is a landing place by the side of a river, for the convenience of boats, barges, or ships.  At these wharfs many casks of fruit, plums, currants, figs, oranges, and lemons, are brought on shore, to be taken away in carts to grocers, fruiterers, and orange-merchants.  It is the business of a merchant to bring over these things for our use, and for which we are obliged to him.  The West and East India Docks receive now, most of the shipping used to and from those countries, and are considered more secure from robberies, than the open wharfs by the sides of the river Thames used to be.

9.  The Coal-ship and Barge.

This is one of the ships called Newcastle Colliers, laden with coals from the mines in Northumberland.  These vessels are too large to come close to the wharfs to unload; so the coals are emptied into barges, (which are a kind of large, flat boats,) and carried in them to the different wharfs where they are to be landed.

Drawn up from the dreary mine,
   See the black and shining coal;
Where the sun can never shine,
   Through the deep and dismal hole.

There the sooty miners stay,
   Digging at their work forlorn;
Or, to see the light of day,
   In a swinging bucket drawn.

Then along the roaring tide,
   Where the tempest bellow’d keen,
Did the laden vessel ride,
   Toss’d among the waters green.

Wide were spread her canvass sails,
   Tall and taper rose her mast:
Now, before the northern gales,
   She has reach’d her port at last.

10.  The Custom House.

Adjoining Billingsgate stands the New Custom House, which is the office where the duties are collected on goods exported or imported.  The