The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1842-04-23
SHELL FISH FOR THE LONDON MARKET

Not long ago, after boat voyage in the south west,
where well wooded banks dip their boughs into a
broad, brimful, winding river that opens out from
point to point into the sembance of chain OF lakes
as it approaches the sea- landed at village cee-
brated for its "crabs"spacous perforated trunks in
which crab Holsters, and crawhsh are kept alive
for the market. large smack was lying at this
village; and as the tide receded the men began 70
discharge her freight. We went on board the craft
Her hold was divided transyersely; in one apart
ment were hundreds Of Holsters and sea crawfsh
and there were as many crabs next door. The tide
had left the wretches heaped on each other, and
among them a scramble was going on, literally for
life. The view of the struggling mass was more than
painful the convulsve motion of the long antenn9
of the sea crawfsh as they bristled up among the
crowd and the erkings of the Holsters tails in vain
endeayour to swim away from their misery without
water. There was basket with a whip on boom,
and into these crowded black holes descended booted
fishermen. Presently one of these famiars sang out
"Dead crabs !"-and up came the basket An ex-
perenced glance was thrown over 1t by some on deck,
and the best were picked out and carried to the
boiler-thence to be hawked about the country as
fresh crabs but numbers were thrown away as past
all culinary help. After while there was cry
from below Of Give crabs "(males and up came the
basket with its living load, and down It was lowered
the side reversed, and the contents pitched
n,asse into the carb. Here at first misery
but at last the wrestling animals became disenanged
and there almost an air of composure about the
there to breathe freely after the torture The females
were treated in the same way.
The more mercurial lobstes occasionally rushed
upon their fate when basket of them was hoisted
up, particularly vivacious one would every now and
then spring out with sort of demivolte and, falling
the deck, split his cuirass just about the point
where the heart is situated no sooner was he down
and lying all abroad than off he hurried to the
pot. 1t at first puzzle to think how it happened
that they had not torn each other to pieces in the
melee for they were neither pegged tied it
turned out that the leading muscles Of their claws
had been cut, ''that they might not quarrel" AS in
every deep there is generally lower STILL upon the
removal Of the crustaceans there appeared tessel-
lated pavement of oysters, and we almost fanced
that we could hear them sigh their thanksgiving when
the mass that had trampled on them was removed.
Not that an oyster is much an object Of pity under
such circumstances, for he make himself tolera-
bly, comfortable il. his closed SHE'LL the suffering of
the Holsters, and crawfsh must have been terrible
for in them the nervous system is highly developed.
A very little would have spared the greater
part of this agony and saved considerable part of
the cargo. If the well Of the vessel had been fitted
with iron gratings made to ship and unshp tier above
tier and a proper number had been allotted to each
shelf the crabs and Holsters would have been COM
partiyely at their ease with enough of moisture
about their bronchi to enable them to breathe com
fortably when left by the tide till they were trans
ferred to the CARDS. 1t must have been asphyxia
consequent the budding together of such con-
geries that killed so many.-Qua'terly Rerietc