The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1881-02-05
EisJ, In Russia.

In st Petersburg, Russia, the ar
Eangements for the sale Of fresh-water
fab are admirable. On the prin cipal
canals and tributary rivers lowing
through the town you will find what
are called sadoks, or floating fish
stores. They consist Of barge, built
very much after the style of the toy
Noah's Ark, with dwelling-house
constructed on the deck for the accom-
mediation of the fshmonger and his
family. Around this are meored sew
eral welled barges, containing all kinds
Of fish from smelts to salmon, which
are brought in welled fishing boats
direct from the fisheries at tho estuary
of the Neva and In the Gulf Of FIN
land, and also from the lakes Of the
northeast Of Russia. Even the itfnel-
ant flshmonger carries the fish he sells
alive In a wide, rather shallow tub fill
ed with water, which he dexterously
balances on his head. Atthe restaur-
ant establishments humanity and
gastronomy seem to unite to prolong
the lives Of the fish to the Ia test possible
moment. In the entrance hall or ante
room th"re is usually q large glass
aquar' in which the fish swim
until t. "anted. This custom
Of prese lyo fish In Russia has
existed trom time immemorial. In the
household economy of the great boyars
Of ancient Muscovy, among the hcces-
saries Of the table, live and {generully
speaklng) fresh fish formed Il very i'm
portant item. The prolonged lasts, the
holiday feastings--which were con-
Quoted OH grand scale rs regards the
number Of dishes--consumed such fish
In Incredible quantities. The Russians
are distinctly good livcrs; they keep
no meagre nor inhospitable tables.
These banquets impressed Archdeacon
COKE favorably in the eighteenth cen
tury, and a traveller OF the sixteenth
century says he saw fish brought to
table which 1t required three men to
carry. Tho fish was probably gi-
gantic sturgeon. Every large house.
hold OF those days, IN their
solicitude Tor having constant
supply Of every kind of provision at
home, took great care that the live fish
they Nquiled was not purchased from
the 1ishmonger's sadoks or wells
at high prices, but that 1t should be
stored In their own ponds and caught
In the rivers on their own estates by
their own scrls, so that in this manner
1t ould be obtained as It was wanted
ior The table, ut any time, and almost
Tor nothing. With this view, on every
estate, however small, wherever the
locality was situate, were formed ponds
and wells, and OH The estates of the
great Or rich btyHrs, besides these,
we've established on the tish rivers
regular fisheries. We are told that the
great boyar Mor zof, who was kind
of Prince Minister III the reign Of the
Car AlcXay Mlhhailovich in tho be-
ginning of The seventeenth century.
ana who resided ut the court, Moscow,
mad number OF fish wells and ponds
on his estate near Moscow, which were
supplied with live fish from his estates
lar away III the interior OF the country,
where he owned II village, the inhabi-
tants OF which, instead OF the payment
Of o6r or, the usual tax, were compelled
to furnish for the boyar's use as much
fish as they could catch. 1t Is re-
markablc how conveniently situated
were Morczof's estates. From the River
Okla, In the Province OF RIazan. and
occasionally from the Volga, there
was not Tie least difficulty in convey
ing live fish to his estates near Moscow,
where the btynr had established what
one might term his chief pisciculturu
esta hlishment. These fish were carried
III specially constructed wellcd boats
up the river Okla into the Moscow
River, thence by the lstra to the VII
lage OF PayloVsky on the latter river.
The fish were usually sturgeon, ,sterlct,
Dream, tcnch, pike, crucian carp perch,
&c. At tho present dny the firm Of
Froloi- large Wholesale tlshmongers
OF Kazan and Moscow, who have owned
extensive fisheries on the Caspian Sea
and the Volga for the last century,
owing to their direct and constant
communication with their various fish
Ing stations, can supply any quantity
OF live fish to any part Of Russia where
there exists river communication.
The Griazi.Tsaritsln Railway Company
nave gone even further; they have
constructed special wagons with wells
Tor conveying live fish from the Volpa
to Moscow, each conveyance holding
about 13 hundredwcight Of fish.
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