Two kinds of sand only are sold in the streets, scouring or floor sand,
and bird sand for birds. In scouring sand the trade is inconsiderable
to what it was, saw-dust having greatly superseded it in the
gin-palace, the tap-room, and the butcher’s shop. Of the supply of
sand, a man, who was working at the time on Hampstead-heath, gave the
following account:--“I’ve been employed here for five-and-thirty years,
under Sir Thomas Wilson. Times are greatly changed, sir; we used to
have from 25 to 30 carts a day hawking sand, and taking six or seven
men to fill them every morning; besides large quantities which went to
brass-founders, and for cleaning dentists’ cutlery, for stone-sawing,
lead and silver casting, and such like. This heath, sir, contains
about every kind of sand, but Sir Thomas won’t allow us to dig it. The
greatest number of carts filled now is eight or ten a day, which I fill
myself. Sir Thomas has raised the price from 3_s._ 6_d._ to 4_s._ a
load, of about 2-1/2 tons. Bless you, sir, some years ago, one might go
into St. Luke’s, and sell five or six cart-loads of house-sand a week;
now, a man may roar himself hoarse, and not sell a load in a fortnight.
Saw-dust is used in all the public-houses and gin-palaces. People’s
sprung up who don’t use sand at all; and many of the old people are too
poor to buy it. The men who get sand here now are old customers, who
carry it all over the town, and round Holloway, Islington, and such
parts. Twelve year ago I would have taken here 6_l._ or 7_l._ in a
morning, to-day I have only taken 9_s._ Fine weather is greatly against
the sale of house-sand; in wet, dirty weather, the sale is greater.”