The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1879-11-20
PurtSiun Fish Market.

Over the paving stones thunder the heavy
| railway vans that bring the "tide"--thc
| sole that you shall cat uu pin bl0nc at
your dejcMncr, the turbot which shall fig
urc q rhOh0nduisc ON the club carte at
dinner this evening. The "tdc" is pune
tual this morning. TO day, at all events,
no modern Vatcl will be dishonorcd or
need to run himself through, like the Prince
de Condos celebrated cook, when, as Nine.
dc Scvigne tells us in one of her most
! sprghtly letters, the "titlc" was not forth
coming during the Grand Monarque's's stay
| ut Chantilly. But observe the crammed
railway vans drawn up in front Of the pa
vilion. Sec how Il hundred are stretched
out to ASST st in removing the heavy basket
fuls of fish. The grated gates are thrown
widely open by a score Of subaltcrn func-
tionarcs. In the twinkling of an eye the
fish is transferred into the market, and
soon will be unpackcd and laid out OH
large flat baskets, in which it will be offered
for public auction. The noisy, animated
scene offers striking contrast to the aspect
presented by the lIullcs in the days when
Paris was blockadcd, and when three little
goldfish or solitary gudgcon from the
Scinc-'thc only specimens of the pscinc
species offered for auction-oflcrcd the oc-
cason of lively competition. The sale
docs not ordinarily begin till or 7 in the
morning, but we may now step down into
the Halle cellars, where all the ,lnsold cdi-
blcs are stored; where all the fresh water
fish, coming not merely from the home
rivers and lakes, but also from those of
Holland, Prussia, Switzerland and Italy,
is preserved in grated tanks provided with
running water; where poultry is killed and
mol lyT,
in large wire cages; where butter, cheese
and eggs arc piled up in so-callcd ''pigcoa
holes" that hold their tons, and placed as
far rs possible out of the reach of the giant
rats who stalk abroad nj dead of night.
Each fish basket bears tho name of its SCH
der and of the .f1ctcUr, or salesman, who
is to dispose Of it. And here be il men,
toned that the Belgian and English waters
supply by far the largest proportion of the
salt water fish which comes to the Paris
Italics; half the mussels, too are sent by
Belgium; while, rs for oysters, now that
those Of Essex and Ostcnd are bought ND
for Vienna, st. Petersburg and Berlin,
Paris mainly relies on Coursculcs and st.
Waasl for hcr supply-thc Marcnncs beds
sending nowadays but few of their
small, green bvalvcs, and the ''Portugo"
and tho "Amcrican," though plentiful,
being at Il discount. You have heard much
of the Paris tshwives, no doubt-insolcnt
women of tho .dng0t type, as their rcputa-
tion gocs-and, in truth, they are not Mt
all refined females. In the old DAYS, rs
now, their language was distinguished by
| rather too much force of expression, and
Il SPECIAL cdict was enacted hundred and
forty years ugo, making all ladies of the
Halle convicted of insulting purchasers or
| pnsscrs-by liable to n fine of five hundred
| livrcs. Here, where the fish mart stands,
once stood the Kings pillory, sign of his
| jurisdiction over the market folks. Olfcn-
dcrs sentenced to public exposure were
shown to the crowd on Il platform revolving
round conical-cappcd tower, nigh towhicE
was the residence of IN. De Paris" TIL.
| Rcd-handcd Man of the Axe, who, more
over, derived his maintenance from Il tax
levied on the good people OF the Hallcs.
When Jacques D'Armagnnc was bchcadcd
on the markct-placc, in l477, before mount
ing the scaifold he prayed for the last time
in the fish, which, out Of honor for his
rank, was washed and perfumcd with vine
gar. Still, the aspcrsions, however liberal,
failed to rob the spot of its piscatory odor,
| inhaling which, the noble mscrcant passed
ont of the world There Is an old, but cr-
roneous legend to the effect that his children
were stationed underneath the scaffold
during the execution, SO that, by refine
ment of cruelty, they might be baptized
with his blood.