a season of bountiful entertaining in prospect. The seine would be
taken to a likely spot and hauled ashore. Or a boat would go out and
load up with oysters. The fish had to be eaten right away or salted
down. But oysters stored in a dark cellar, especially in cool weather,
would keep for weeks if moistened from time to time.

One diarist, James Gordon, lived near the Rappahannock river in a
section affording a variety of seafoods. Note these typical entries:

Sept. 20, 1759. Fine weather. Went in the afternoon and drew the
seine. Had very agreeable diversion and got great plenty of fine
fish....

Sept. 26. Went with my wife in the evening to draw the seine. Got
about sixty greenfish and a few other sorts.

Sept. 28. Sent in the morning to have the seine drawn. They made
several hauls and got good fish, viz: three drum, one of them
large, trouts, greenfish, etc....

Oct. 6. Went with my wife to see the seine drawn. We dined very
agreeably on a point on fish and oysters....

Jan. 22,--Bought about 70 gallons of rum. Got fine oysters there.

Feb. 12. Went on board the New England man and bought some pots,
axes and mackerel.

Feb. 22. Drew the seine and got 125 fine rock and some shad.

July 14. Drew the seine today and got some fine rock.

Feb. 9, 1760. Went with my wife and Mr. Criswell to draw the seine.
We met in Eyck's Creek a school of rock--brought up 260. Some very
large; the finest haul I ever saw. Sent many of them to our
neighbors.

The term "greenfish" is unknown among Virginia Tidewater fishermen.
Here again we have a British name brought into Virginia by a colonist
not long removed from that country. There "greenfish" is applied to the
bluefish, of which there were and are at times plenty in the
Rappahannock river.

Another diarist, who lived only a few miles away from Gordon, also on
the Rappahannock river, was Landon Carter, son of the famed Robert, or
"King," Carter of Corotoman in Lancaster County. There is no doubt
about it: he was an oyster lover. He not only knew a way to hold
oysters over an extended period--one wishes one knew what it was--but
he had the courage and originality to eat them in July, contrary to a
widely respected superstition:

Jan. 14, 1770. My annual entertainment began on Monday, the 8th,
and held till Wednesday night, when, except one individual or two
that retired sooner, thing