Honest old Stowe says of the Thames in his day, "What should I speak of the fat and sweet salmons daily taken in this stream, and that in such plenty (after the time of smelt is past) as no river in Europe is able to exceed it. But what store also of barbels, trouts, chevens, perches, smelts, breams, roaches, daces, gudgeons, flounders, shrimps, eels, &c., are commonly to be had therein, I refer me to them that know by experience better than I, by reason of their daily trade of fishing in the same. And albeit it seemeth from time to time to be as it were defrauded in sundry wise of these her large commodities, by the insatiable avarice of fishermen, yet this famous river complaineth commonly of no want, but the more it loseth at one time it gaineth at another." The immense traffic carried on in the winding Thames will never allow of its being stored with "fat sweet" fish as in Stowe's time; but still we hope the great changes which are in progress will at least turn this mighty common sewer into something more like the ancient "silver Thames" which our old poets sang about, and prevent so many dead and dying eels being baked up into pies, and devoured by the poor purchasers of these dangerous dainties, as there now are. Mr. Simon's report to the City Commissioners of Sewers will, if we mistake not, do more towards arousing the inhabitants of London to agitate for pure air and sweet water, than any other remonstrance has hitherto done. It is clearly, ably, and powerfully drawn up; and done in such terse and simple language, that a child can understand it. The following graphic description of the Babel of sounds heard at Billingsgate, is from Mayhew's _London Labour and the London Poor_, a work revealing more of the real life in London in the streets, courts, and alleys, than was ever before made known: