Fish is well supplied here in quantity but not in variety: it has hitherto chiefly consisted of a coarse kind called _Sea Bass_, but now the Shad fishery is just commencing; these fish come up the large rivers in shoals, and are caught in hundreds at each haul with the seine; they are a very oily fish and weigh from two or three to ten pounds and perhaps more; being a plentiful season they are just now bought of the fishermen at the price of five dollars a hundred, and have been lately as low as three dollars. In the season of 1818, they sold at sixteen and seventeen dollars a hundred. Many parties are formed during the season to see them caught and to partake of them fresh from the water; one of these being made we took a boat, which carried us under a pleasant breeze down the river to a place called Gloucester Point, here the shore suiting we saw several seines hauling, and upon the beach caravans {212} waiting to convey the fish, as quick as caught up the country, where they are cut open, cleaned, salted down, and many of them smoked, contributing very largely to the winter food of the Americans. The Herring season comes on here immediately after that of the Shad, but it is not near so much reckoned upon. Out of the produce of one of the hauls two fish, of about seven or eight pounds each, were taken, and quickly brought to table in excellent order;--the mode of dressing is to open the fish, nail it to a board and place it before a fire; it is thus _toasted_, and being brought in upon the board quite hot proves very good eating. In the room where we dined were hung up a printed set of rules of a fox-hunting club; but how the chase can be followed on horseback through a country so uncleared and undrained, it is to me a mystery--must too often prove like that of Caliban and his companions following the music of the invisible Ariel, "through toothed briars, sharp furzes, pricking gorse and thorns," and ending "i' the filthy mantled pool;" dry clothes and a cigar the best enjoyment of the day. By the way we had a specimen here of the early initiation into the habit of smoking; a fine child of only about three years old was very coolly walking about and puffing a cigar, while he looked on at our pastime {213} at shuffleboard, an obsolete English game, it is said, though new to our party. The day had been delightfully fine; but, tempted by the game, we lingered too long at the amusement, and on the return encountered one of those violent squalls of wind and rain which are so common here in spring; it suddenly blew tremendously, and our little sail was with difficulty taken in--the party luckily all sat steady, or we might not have escaped with the inconvenience alone of a thorough wetting and spoiled finery.