Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1871-10-18
shrimns and shrlmner.

What - shumperf A shf1mpcr n
an individual whose daily occupation Il
is 10 wait the tides on the sea-shore and
a. soon as the water retreats till no more
than two feet or ~ covers the sAzd and
mud, he sets out with his catching appa-
ntus, which is a net attached 10 a stick.
He wades through the shallow surf.
pushing his net before hin, occasionally
pausing 10 raise il above his bead, that
he may ascertain whether he has vet
caught any Of the hopping, shiny grey
creatures Of many legs. II so, he trans
fers them TO the basket slung by his side.
When he has filed his basket he takes
them home and boils them. Then he
brings them out agin and cries them for
sale. This is the shrimper. Thousands
OF visitors 10 Ramsgate, Hastings, aud
Brighton are prepared 10 stand forth
and prove il but they are correct only
in the limited sense, Just as is one who
styles 4 dealer in spills a timber ner-
chant Pooh ! what does Margate or
Brighton know about the shrimps Next
to nothing. The shrimps that find their
way TO the aforementioned and few
other places, are but the wayward stragg-
lers that escape from the main shoal
Gravesend is the headquarters of the
shrimp. Everywhere in and about that
favored town, from the landing-place 10
the outlying hamlets and lonely taverns,
the legend meets the eye" Teas Cd.
shrimps ineluded." Gravesend, through
out its entire length and breadth, and
tar out ON the waters beyond, must be
regarded as " "shrimps included" Every
steamer that plies between Gravesend
and London Bridge brings duly its load
of excursionists. The dealers, with their
enormous basket meet them at the very
landing-stage, with quarts and pints
already measured in snowy white cotton
bags; and, before the pier-end is reached
five hundred pairs of human jaws are
champing q crisp and delicious chorus in
praise of the tiny appetiser. The cock
ney is not ignorant of propriety. He
knows that he should wrench off the
head of every shrimp, and divest it of its
armour, before he proceeds to devour it.
He tries it with half dozen or so. 1t is
tedious'process. He compromises the
matter by twealSing the head off, and
crunching up the remainder, body and
bones. Otherwise, how would he con-
trive to get through couple of quarts in
the five hours that are allowed him on
shore ? How many shrimpers of the
Brighton breed would be required to
provide against so enormous a demand +?
Observation-Disclosures be insult
ficient. No; the Gravesend shrimp has
a fleet at its command. Not toy fleet.
A squad of from thirty-five to forty ves-
sells of considerable tonnage, each with
its weatherbeaten crew-berry- brown
strapping fellows in blue guernseys-and
with nautical legends hieroglyphically
tatooted on their hairy arms. In the
evening they lie close inshore, all in
row, extending good streets length,
taut and trim, to face the dangers of the
lower beaches as soon as the tide serves.
The catch" is always uncertain. Some
mes the nights cruise will not yield
more than the captain and crew could
conveniently dispose of at breakfast
time while the next vessel that comes
in may have an enormous take. II is no
uncommon thing for the vessels to land,
in a single morning, upwards of two
thousand gallons of the little fish, for
which the cauldrons are already bubb-
ling So important is the shrimping
interest, at Gravesend, that special and
substantial efforts have been made of late
years as regards the spiritual welfare of
the sEimper. II is all work and no play
with the shrimp feet. Sunday brings in
no rest. The temptation to dredge Sun
days as well as week days sorely beset,
the various crews of the feet, and it re-
quires the utmost diligence and tact to
get them to church. They won't go to
the sacred editice, so the only way is to
take the sacred edifce to them. 1t has
been brought so close that, when the sun
is in a favorable part of the heavens, the
little church tower throws its shadow on
the brown sails. 1t used to be humble
makeshift church attached to the st.
Andrews Misssion-house, but year or
so since a good Christian, plying the
benighted condition of the shrimpers,
came down with q magnificent sum with
which to build the prettiest little church
that was ever beheld. tt will hold only
a hundred and fifty worshippers ; but,
when the windows are open, the music of
the organ, nay, the voice of the preacher,
may be distinctly heard where the feet
lies. telegraph.