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poultry. About half of the whole amount was
diseased, a tenth of it was from animals that had
died from accident or disease, and the rest was
putrid. Besides this, there have been condemned,
by the officers at Billingsgate Market, 1,312,651
fish, 2,412 gallons of shrimps, 265 bushels of shellfish,
230 lbs. of eels, and many barrels and casks of
anchovies and cods' sounds; all of which was at
once destroyed.
The law relating to the offence of exposing
unsound and diseased meat and unwholesome food
for sale in the markets, has been amended during
the year, and the penalty for the offence is now
more severe than it was ; besides which, the inquiry
concerning it can be pursued more easily before the
magistrate, who has summary powers to inflict a
fine of £20 on the offender, and to imprison him
for three months. We have, therefore, been able
to bring many offenders to justice; and have,
during the year, caused twenty persons to be fined
or imprisoned. Their names and addresses are
fully set forth in the Appendix. One thing, however,
is yet wanted to put a final check on the
practice of sending unwholesome food to the City
markets: and that is, the cordial co-operation of the
meat salesmen—many of whom, at present, will
not give us the names of the persons who have sent
the diseased meat to the markets. Until this is