ndred oysters, only one
hundred breed during the season, and if the spat of only one of this
latter number is shed, notwithstanding the great loss, the yield will be
ten thousand young oysters.

The oyster has many enemies besides man. There are creatures in the sea
which are very fond of them; among these are the sea urchin, the "five
finger," and the "whelk-tingle." This creature sticks to the shell,
through which it pierces a small hole, and sucks out the delicate
morsel. One thing, however, is very certain--that the supply of oysters
has very greatly fallen off of late years; but whether the fishermen are
answerable for this, it is difficult to say.

Besides the numerous oyster-beds in shallow waters, there are deep-sea
beds both off the English and Irish coasts. Upwards of three hundred
vessels, each of about twenty-five tons, and carrying six men, hail from
Colchester, Rochester, and Jersey, engaged specially on these deep-sea
beds. One is ten or twelve miles off Great Grimsby, and others exist in
the English Channel. Most of the owners of the beds of the shallow
estuaries have a large capital invested. One company alone spends three
hundred pounds a month in wages, besides rent and other expenses, and
six hundred a year in watching against poachers. It sends fourteen
hundred bushels to a single dealer in London, seven thousand to Kent,
and ten thousand to Ostend and Dunkirk.

This gave us some notion of the vast trade carried on in oysters alone.
We were told that they sell retail for the sum of twopence each. I
wonder people can venture to eat them.

We had a look at Dovercourt, filled with visitors, and with a brand-new
aspect, contrasting with venerable Harwich. We also managed to pull up
a narrow creek to Felixstowe, which I should describe as consisting of a
long row of Swiss-like cottages, with a few more substantial-looking
residences perched on the cliffs above.

Our stay at Harwich was short, though we had no longer any fear of not
getting round to the Isle of Wight before the equinoctial gales
commenced. We sailed early in the morning, papa being anxious to get
across the mouth of the Thames, either as far as Ramsgate or Deal, to
avoid the risk of being run down by vessels standing up or down the
river during the night.

"But would they dare to do it?" asked Dick, when papa made the remark.

"They would not intend to do so; but should the wind fall light, we
might not be able to get o