The street-trade in shells presents the characteristics I have before
had to notice as regards the trade in what are not necessaries, or an
approach to necessaries, in contradistinction of what men must have to
eat or wear. Shells, such as the green snail, ear shell, and others
of that class, though extensively used for inlaying in a variety of
ornamental works, are comparatively of little value; for no matter
how useful, if shells are only well known, they are considered of
but little importance; while those which are rarely seen, no matter
how insignificant in appearance, command extraordinary prices. As an
instance I may mention that on the 23rd of June there was purchased
by Mr. Sowerby, shell-dealer, at a public sale in King-street,
Covent-garden, a small shell not two inches long, broken and damaged,
and withal what is called a “dead shell,” for the sum of 30 guineas. It
was described as the _Conus Glory Mary_, and had it only been perfect
would have fetched 100 guineas.
Shells, such as conches, cowries, green snails, and ear shells (the
latter being so called from their resemblance to the human ear), are
imported in large quantities, as parts of cargoes, and are sold to
the large dealers by weight. Conch shells are sold at 8_s._ per cwt.;
cowries and clams from 10_s._ to 12_s._ per cwt.; the green snail,
used for inlaying, fetches from 1_l._ to 1_l._ 10_s._ per cwt.; and
the ear shell, on account of its superior quality and richer variety
of colours, as much as 3_l._ and 5_l._ per cwt. The conches are found
only among the West India Islands, and are used principally for garden
ornaments and grotto-work. The others come principally from the Indian
Ocean and the China seas, and are used as well for chimney ornaments,
as for inlaying, for the tops of work-tables and other ornamental
furniture.
The shells which are considered of the most value are almost invariably
small, and of an endless variety of shape. They are called “cabinet”
shells, and are brought from all parts of the world--land as well as
sea--lakes, rivers, and oceans furnishing specimens to the collection.
The Australian forests are continually ransacked to bring to light new
varieties. I have been informed that there is not a river in England
but contains valuable shells; that even in the Thames there are shells
worth from 10_s._ to 1_l._ each. I have been shown a shell of the snail
kind, found in the woods of New Holland, and purchased by a dealer for
2_l._, and on which he confidently reckoned to make a considerable
profit.
Although “cabinet” shells are collected from all parts, yet by far the
greater number come from the Indian Ocean. They are generally collected
by the natives, who sell them to captains and mates of vessels trading
to those parts, and very often to sailors, all of whom frequently
speculate to a considerable extent in these things, and have no
difficulty in disposing of them as soon as they arrive in this country,
for there is not a shell dealer in London who has not a regular staff
of persons stationed at Gravesend to board the homeward-bound ships at
the Nore, and sometimes as far off as the Downs, for the purpose of
purchasing shells. It usually happens that when three or four of these
persons meet on board the same ship, an animated competition takes
place, so that the shells on board are generally bought up long before
the ship arrives at London. Many persons from this country go out to
various parts of the world for the sole purpose of procuring shells,
and they may be found from the western coast of Africa to the shores
of New South Wales, along the Persian Gulf, in Ceylon, the Malaccas,
China, and the Islands of the Pacific, where they employ the natives in
dredging the bed of the ocean, and are by this means continually adding
to the almost innumerable varieties which are already known.
To show the extraordinary request in which shells are held in almost
every place, while I was in the shop of Mr. J. C. Jamrach, naturalist,
and agent to the Zoological Society at Amsterdam--one of the largest
dealers in London, and to whom I am indebted for much valuable
information on this subject--a person, a native of High Germany, was
present. He had arrived in London the day before, and had purchased on
that day a collection of shells of a low quality for which he paid Mr.
Jamrach 36_l._; to this he added a few birds. Placing his purchase in
a box furnished with a leather strap, he slung it over his shoulder,
shook hands with Mr. Jamrach, and departed. Mr. Jamrach informed me
that the next morning he was to start by steam for Rotterdam, then
continue his journey up the Rhine to a certain point, from whence he
was to travel on foot from one place to another, till he could dispose
of his commodities; after which he would return to London, as the great
mart for a fresh supply. He was only a very poor man, but there are
a great many others far better off, continually coming backwards and
forwards, who are able to purchase a larger stock of shells and birds,
and who, in the course of their peregrinations, wander through the
greater part of Germany, extending their excursions sometimes through
Austria, the Tyrol, and the north of Italy. A visit to the premises of
Mr. Jamrach, Ratcliff-highway, or Mr. Samuel, Upper East Smithfield,
would well repay the curious observer. The front portion of Mr.
Jamrach’s house is taken up with a wonderful variety of strange birds
that keep up an everlasting screaming; in another portion of the house
are collected confusedly together heaps of nondescript articles, which
might appear to the uninitiated worth little or nothing, but on which
the possessor places great value. In a yard behind the house, immured
in iron cages, are some of the larger species of birds, and some
beautiful varieties of foreign animals--while in large presses ranged
round the other rooms, and furnished with numerous drawers, are placed
his real valuables, the cabinet shells. The establishment of Mr. Samuel
is equally curious.
In London, the dealers in shells, keeping shops for the sale of them,
amount to no more than ten; they are all doing a large business, and
are men of good capital, which may be proved by the following quotation
from the day-books of one of the class for the present year, viz.:--
Shells sold in February £275 0 0
Ditto, ditto, March 471 0 0
Ditto, ditto, April 1389 0 0
Ditto, ditto, May 475 0 0
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Total £2610 0 0
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Profit on same, February £75 12 0
Ditto, ditto, March 140 0 0
Ditto, ditto, April 323 0 0
Ditto, ditto, May 127 0 0
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Total £665 12 0
Besides these there are about 20 private dealers who do not keep
shops, but who nevertheless do a considerable business in this line
among persons at the West End of London. All shell dealers add to that
occupation the sale of foreign birds and curiosities.
There is yet another class of persons who seem to be engaged in the
sale of shells, but it is only seeming. They are dressed as sailors,
and appear at all times to have just come ashore after a long voyage,
as a man usually follows them with that sort of canvas bag in use among
sailors, in which they stow away their clothes; the men themselves
go on before carrying a parrot or some rare bird in one hand, and in
the other a large shell. These men are the “duffers” of whom I have
spoken in my account of the sale of foreign birds. They make shells a
more frequent medium for the introduction of their real avocation, as
a shell is a far less troublesome thing either to hawk or keep by them
than a parrot.
I now give a description of these men, as general duffers, and from
good authority.
“They are known by the name of ‘_duffers_,’ and have an exceedingly
cunning mode of transacting their business. They are all united in some
secret bond; they have persons also bound to them, who are skilled
in making shawls in imitation of those imported from China, and who,
according to the terms of their agreement, must not work for any other
persons. The duffers, from time to time, furnish these persons with
designs for shawls, such as cannot be got in this country, which,
when completed, they (the duffers) conceal about their persons, and
start forward on their travels. They contrive to gain admission to
respectable houses by means of shells and sometimes of birds, which
they purchase from the regular dealers, but always those of a low
quality; after which they contrive to introduce the shawls, their real
business, for which they sometimes have realized prices varying from
5_l._ to 20_l._ In many instances, the cheat is soon discovered, when
the duffers immediately decamp, to make place for a fresh batch, who
have been long enough out of London to make their faces unknown to
their former victims. These remain till they also find danger threaten
them, when they again start away, and others immediately take their
place. While away from London, they travel through all parts of the
country, driving a good trade among the country gentlemen’s houses; and
sometimes visiting the seaports, such as Liverpool, Portsmouth, and
Plymouth.”
An instance of the skill with which the duffers sometimes do business,
is the following. One of these persons some time ago came into the
shop of a shell dealer, having with him a beautiful specimen of a
three-coloured cockatoo, for which he asked 10_l._ The shell dealer
declined the purchase at that price, saying, that he sold these birds
at 4_l._ a piece, but offered to give 3_l._ 10_s._ for it, which was
at once accepted; while pocketing the money, the man remarked that
he had paid ten guineas for that bird. The shell dealer, surprised
that so good a judge should be induced to give so much more than the
value of the bird, was desirous of hearing further, when the duffer
made this statement:--“I went the other day to a gentleman’s house,
he was an old officer, where I saw this bird, and, in order to get
introduced, I offered to purchase it. The gentleman said he knew it was
a valuable bird, and couldn’t think of taking less than ten guineas. I
then offered to barter for it, and produced a shawl, for which I asked
twenty-five guineas, but offered to take fifteen guineas and the bird.
This was at length agreed to, and now, having sold it for 3_l._ 10_s._,
it makes 19_l._ 5_s._ I got for the shawl, and not a bad day’s work
either.”
Of shells there are about a million of the commoner sorts bought by the
London street-sellers at 3_s._ the gross. They are retailed at 1_d._
apiece, or 12_s._ the gross, when sold separately; a large proportion,
as is the case with many articles of taste or curiosity rather than of
usefulness, being sold by the London street-folk on country rounds;
some of these rounds stretch half-way to Bristol or to Liverpool.