First 15,000 lbs. Reached market alive 4000 lbs. Second 14,000 " " " 4000 " Third 13,000 " " " 3000 " Fourth 14,000 " " " about 4000 " And so on in proportion, but little more than a fourth of the cargo being marketed alive." Mr. Butcher stated to the commissioners, that in 1815 (or twelve years before), "one of these vessels seldom lost more than thirty pounds weight of eels in a night in coming up the river; but that the water had become so bad, that as it flowed through the wells in the bottom of the vessels it poisoned the eels, and the quantity which died was more than three times the quantity marketed." Another witness (James Newland, master of a vessel, and sixteen years in the trade,) says: "Eels have not lived in Thames water as they did formerly. First observed the difference five or six years ago (before 1827), and find it gets worse every summer. Other fish are also affected by bad water, and will endeavour to get out of it on pieces of floating wood." Another witness says, "An hour after high water, eels will die in so short a time that I have had 3000 lbs. weight dead in half an hour." "I have seen flounders," says Thomas Hatherill, "put up their heads above the water; and if there was a bundle of weeds in the river, they would get on it out of the water." Mr. John Goldham, the yeoman of Billingsgate, deposed, that, "as clerk of the market, it was his business to ascertain the quality of fish, and seize and condemn that which was bad; that, twenty-five years ago (1802), above and below London-bridge, between Deptford and Richmond, 400 fishermen, each having a boy and a boat, gained their livelihood by fishing in the river; that he had known them take 3000 smelt and ten salmon at one haul; the Thames salmon were then the best, and frequently sold for 3_s._ or 4_s._ a pound; now the fishery is gone." As early as 1307, the Earl of Lincoln complained before Parliament that the river of Wells (Walbrook, Clement's Well, Skinner's Well, Clerk's Well, Holy Well, &c.), running into the Thames, was obstructed by "filth of the tanners, and such others." On this complaint being made, the river was ordered to be cleansed.