453

The boat was steamed from Enfield Lock to Ware, a distance of 14 miles and back, and proceeded with hardly a ripple in her wake, whilst a small boat towed by a powerful horse which followed her caused so much surge and commotion that her gunwale was frequently within an inch of the water. When the horse-drawn boat was made fast to the Jane, the surge and commotion ceased. The Jane remains at Enfield waiting a special general meeting of gentlemen interested in canal navigation, from all parts of England, which is to be shortly held there, to take the applicability of the Blaxland Propeller to Canal purposes, as well as other matters, into their consideration.

ON EELS AND EEL LINES-BY COL. MACERONE.

There is some confusion in the Latin terms for eels; Anguis, Anguilla, Muræna, being often applied to the same animal.

To avoid technicalities, I will observe, that in this country we have two kinds of eels; the small dark blue eel found in canals and muddy rivers, and the large silver eel abounding in the Thames, &c.

The Murena is called in England lamprey; it is of a bright yellow brown with black streaks, much after the fashion of some serpents, and is thicker, in proportion to its length, than the common eel. In lieu of gills, it has seven holes on each side, which answer the purpose of separating the air from the water, like the gills of other fish. The only difference is in the division of the openings for the water into the gills.

The greatest supply of these Murenæ, or large lampreys, is about Puzzuoli, eight miles from Naples, where, it is said, that Lucullus had his marine fishponds, into which he cast the flesh of his offending slaves! I have never caught any lampreys of more than four pounds each. Like the smaller lampreys they have no bones, but only cartilage, and are exceedingly nutritious food. They have never been known to reside permanently in fresh water.

But the common eel is only generally known during its residence in our rivers,

is very curious, and but little understood. The salmon, shad, grey mullet (cefalo), smelt, and some other fish, reside mainly in the sea, and only frequent the rivers for the purpose of spawning; but the eel brings forth its young in the sea, which soon ascend the rivers, wherein they remain until the age of propagating maturity. This age is about four years, when, in large rivers like the Thames, they have acquired the weight of from two to three pounds. At this period, upon the first autumnal floods, they hasten to the sea, never more to return into fresh water. Thus it is that they are then taken in such numbers, and all nearly of the full grown size, in certain wicker or reed apparatus placed across the streams.

The

In large lakes and waters that have no communication with the sea, eels are often found of a far greater size than in any river, because they are compelled to remain therein, and continue to grow. In the lakes of Albano and Nemi, near Rome, there are eels of ten to fifteen pounds weight. In the year 1827, an eel was caught in its attempt to escape from a lake in the centre of the island of Mauritius, which weighed twenty-seven pounds, and was presented to the governor, Sir Lowry Cole. On the coast of the Adriatic, is the city of Comacchio, in the Papal States. It is surrounded by extensive lakes and swamps, with several estuaries to the sea. staple article of trade at Comacchio consists of eels. It is in October and November that the great migration of eels takes place. The class of mature ones, i. e., from three to five pounds, hasten to quit the lakes for the sea. In order to intercept them, meandering labyrinthlike constructions of slender reeds are established at the estuaries, into which the eels freely enter, but cannot find their way out. No small ones ever attempt this departure. The quantity thus taken is prodigious. The entire population of Comacchio and its dependencies subsist mainly on the produce. The labour is divided into sections. One set of men build the labyrinths, and take the eels. Another section, including many women, chop them into pieces and roast them. Others make barrels for their package. Another set pack them up with bay-leaves, salt, and vinegar.

Lastly, another class collect the oil which falls from the roasting eels, of which a large quantity of good soap is made. A number of clerks and exporting agents keep the accounts, the amount of which is equitably divided amongst the community. I have been told that the value of the eels of Comacchio exceeds 40,000l. per annum, which appears to me not overrated, when we know that there is scarcely a town or village in Italy that does not consume scores and scores of barrels of them every year, especially in Lent. Many millions of persons make a point to sup upon these eels on Christmas-eve. They call them "Capotini." Spain and Portugal also consume a large quantity.

Such is the anxiety of the eel when mature to quit the brooks and rivers for the sea, that I have often taken them when crossing a field of wet grass, which they can accomplish to a great distance.

Near Naples is the celebrated lake of Agnano, in which no fish existed when I first knew it, in 1806. Its banks are generally covered with reeds and rushes. Close to this is the lake Astroni, at the bottom of an extinct volcanic crater. The crater itself is about four miles in circumference, filled with the finest oak and chestnut timber. A strong wall crowns the summit of the bowl or "crater," to keep in the numerous wild boars, deer, and hares which inhabit it. The beautiful little lake in the centre teems with carp, roach, and eels. Of these, I transferred many hundreds to the lake of Agnano. Observing that the banks of the latter lake swarmed with myriads of frogs, I procured many pails full of young eels about as big as a straw, and cast them into the lake. Frogs are the favourite food of eels, and here each eel might, in summer, eat a thousand a day. The eels thrived prodigiously, as did also the carp and roach. These young eels I procured from Patria, the ancient Liturnam, and, including carriage, they cost me about a shilling a thousand. I have no doubt but that with such abundant frog food, and such an extent of water with no escape to the sea, there are now thousands of eels of very large dimensions. Six years after my colonising operation, I caught several that weighed three and four pounds each. The carp had grown to ten pounds; the roach to above a pound. Pike and perch

would have thriven wonderfully in this lake, but I could not easily obtain any.

Now a few words on the generation of the eel, which I believe is a point still unsettled amongst naturalists. One hot summer's day, in June, 1820, as I was proceeding up the river Thames from Ditton to Hampton, my attention was much excited by an extraordinary appear. ance of the water on each margin of the river. For a yard or two in breadth it had all the appearance of soap suds. On investigation I found the phenomenon to be caused by countless millions of young eels, about as thick as a straw, wriggling their way up the stream, where they had to contend with the least resistance of the

current.

On arriving at Hampton Court, a vast dense column of these young eels diverged from their course, and passed up the river Mole. In the lock it was difficult to say whether there was more water than eel! Hundreds of boys and women were busy with cullenders, saucepans, sieves, &c., taking out thousands at a dip, with which they told me they made most excellent pies and cakes, with batter. Arrived as far as Hampton-common, I found a vast crowd assembled to witness a prize-fight between Scroggins and Turner, and there I met with my old acquaintance Captains Bastard and Horner, of the R. N., to whom I pointed out the eel phenomenon. My fisherman and others called it Eel-fair, and told me that it only occurred once in three or four years. Any pond might have been well stocked by one dip of a bucket. I had occasion to stop at Hampton to dinner, when I took leave of the Eel-fair, which still pursued its course.

I have above remarked that when eels arrive at a certain breeding size, they quit the river and hasten to the sea. This takes place in the autumn, after rain. The Thames' fishermen place certain large baskets, called "bucks," across the side waters, into which the eels are conducted by the stream, and captured. It is my perfect conviction, founded on much and long observation, that the eels which get to the sea never return to fresh water, but therein breed, and, supplied with most abundant food of small fish, become what are called congers. Congers agree with the river-eel in the number of their vertebræ, their teeth, fins, and every particular except

about near the surface of the water with frantic activity. The feeder throws the frogs into the water with a shovel. Two or three eels catch hold of the same frog and tear it to pieces. In a few minutes the whole are devoured. These eels are much larger than any found in European rivers, by reason of their confinement, as above alluded to. The largest eel I ever saw taken in fresh-water, came from the lake of Nemi. It measured ten of my feet in length.

I had not

at the moment any means of weighing it, but I think it must have weighed from twenty-five to thirty pounds. I bought a piece of four pounds, which was very fine eating. I had it roasted, and treated with spiced vinegar.

All that I have further to say about the eel appertains more to the art of angling than to the natural history of the fish. But I will conclude this article with an anecdote that will be acceptable to antiquaries as well as to naturalists. Fishing one day in the Lake of Nemi, I prepared some eel-lines, baited with parts of frogs, to lay previously to retiring home. I asked my boatman which was the best place to lay them? He replied, "Close to the old palace." "Old palace," said I; "I see nothing of the sort near the water. Only a few white cottages in the shelving-wood, and some villas on the hills around." "I mean, sir, the old sunken palace constructed by the Emperor Claudius (or Nero) which, floating on the lake, was transferred from one side to the other, according as it might be protected from the wind by the high crater margins." Being taken to the spot, surely enough I saw under the crystalline water a barge-like building, apparently about 200 feet long at least, and in seemingly good preservation. This, it appears, was the resort of the eels and fish alluded to by my fisherman. It may be well conceived how ardently I then wished for a diving-bell! I determined to have one constructed, but military and political events fell so thick around me as to put the affair out of my power and contemplation. I have given the same account of the sunken palace, in the first volume of my Memoirs, published by Cunningham, of No. 1, St. Martin's-place, Trafalgarsquare. Several reviewers turned my account into ridicule, quasi, accusing me of romancing. But there is balm in

Gilead." Twelve months after the publication of this my account, the Penny Magazine gave a lengthened history of this sunken palace, and of two Italian literati having dived to inspect it. They describe it as 200 yards long, fifty feet broad, and twenty high. It appears that their diving apparatus was very imperfect. They could not penetrate into the interior, and their skins were sadly wounded, by myriads of those little fish called "stickle backs." Were our celebrated diver Dean, or those employed on the Royal George to be employed, who can tell what very important and valuable pieces of antiquity might not be found?

When eels are cooked they should not be skinned, but only well scoured with sand and salt to free them from the slime. F. MACERONE.

HUNT'S PROPELLING AND STEERING APPARATUS.

The Infant Prince, a small steamer, of about fourteen tons, and 12-horse power, which has been fitted up with this apparatus, has been making several experiments in the river during the present week. The peculiarity of this apparatus, which was fully described in No. 880, (June 20, 1840,) consists in its combining the means of propelling and steering in one, and thus dispensing with the usual rudder entirely. Mr. Hunt applies his propellers at the stern, and under water, in the same way as Mr. Blaxland, whose invention we have noticed in a preceding page, but claims no particular form. The power is communicated from the engines to the propeller by toothed wheel-work, while Mr. Blaxland makes use of drums and straps. The usual rate of speed of the Infant Prince is, we are informed, about eleven miles an hour. On Tueslast it performed the distance between Gravesend and Blackwall in one hour and thirty-five minutes.