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these villas become larger,—some of them assuming
the appearance of English country seats; and evidently,
the residences of persons of some considerable
fortune.
The environs of St. Peter’s Port have nothing of a
foreign aspect about th em ; they are decidedly English
: and greatly resemble the outskirts of some of
the English cathedral cities. It is evident at a glance,
that the houses have not been put down as a speculation
for letting, wherever a man chanced to have a
few square yards of land; but that the sites have been
selected; and that the proprietor, or architect, has not
been compelled to cut his coat according to his cloth:
he has evidently had a few yards to c-pare. But I
have been led insensibly from the town, to its environs
; and so reserving for another chapter, some
more detailed account of the latter, I return to Peter’s
Port, to speak of all that is deserving of notice in it.
The town of St. Peter’s Port, contains, like every
other town, better and worse quarters; but until we
get to the outskirts, bad is the best. I have no intention
of giving any detailed description of the town;
but there are some of its public institutions, and a few
of its buildings, deserving of particular notice, and of
high commendation. It is probable, that if a stranger
were to ask a Guernseyman, what he ought especially
to see,—the answer might be “ our fish market;” and
it is unquestionably true, that the fish market of
Guernsey, is not only an object worthy of being seen,
but both in its conveniences, and in the abundance of
its supplies, is not excelled, if indeed equalled, by
any metropolitan market of Europe.
GUERNSEY.
A stranger entering the Guernsey fish market on a
Saturday morning, at a good fish season, would set
down the people of Guernsey, as a fish-eating people;
for he finds himself in a spacious arcade, no less than
a hundred and ninety feet in length, and broad, and
lofty in proportion ; and sees the double row of marble
slabs, which extend the whole length of the building,
covered with fish : and it is probable, that if he visit
the market on the afternoon of the same day, the immense
display of the morning, Avill have dwindled
into a few solitary whitings, and shell fish, scattered
here and there. The consumption, therefore, seems
quite equal to the supply ; but indeed, an abundant
supply, and cheap prices, necessarily create consumers.
This building is entirely new; the interior is light
and airy; the slabs,—chiefly of variegated marble,—
are each supplied with abundance of fresh water ; and
the whole arrangements, as well as the variety, abundance,
and excellence of the fish displayed, at once
impress the stranger with high, and I believe, just
notions of the public spiritedness of a people, who
have taken so much pains to provide a fit receptacle
for one single article of human sustenance. The fish
generally found in the Guernsey market, are nearly
the same as those which I have enumerated when
speaking of Jersey, with some kinds of shell fish superadded
; but the difference consists in the abundance
of the supply,—especially of the finer sorts of fish,—
turbot, cod, mullet, and bass. The price varies much
with the season ; but at tolerably plentiful times, the
following prices are not much wide of the truth. Red
mullet from Ad. to 6d. a piece ; grey mullet Sd. to 5d. ;
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