University of Virginia Library

OF THE CONVEYANCES OF THE COSTER-
MONGERS AND OTHER STREET-SELLERS.

We now come to consider the matters relating
more particularly to the commercial life of the
costermonger.

All who pass along the thoroughfares of the
Metropolis, bestowing more than a cursory
glance upon the many phases of its busy street
life, must be struck with astonishment to observe
the various modes of conveyance, used by those
who resort to the public thoroughfares for a live-
lihood. From the more provident costermonger's
pony and donkey cart, to the old rusty iron tray
slung round the neck by the vendor of black-
ing, and down to the little grey-eyed Irish boy
with his lucifer-matches, in the last remains of
a willow hand-basket — the shape and variety of
the means resorted to by the costermongers and
other street-sellers, for carrying about their
goods, are almost as manifold as the articles
they vend.

The pony — or donkey — carts (and the latter
is by far the more usual beast of draught),
of the prosperous costermongers are of three
kinds: — the first is of an oblong shape, with a
rail behind, upon which is placed a tray filled with
bunches of greens, turnips, celery, &c., whilst
other commodities are laid in the bed of the cart.
Another kind is the common square cart with-
out springs, which is so constructed that the
sides, as well as the front and back, will let
down and form shelves whereon the stock may
be arranged to advantage. The third sort of
pony-cart is one of home manufacture, con-
sisting of the framework of a body without
sides, or front, or hind part. Sometimes a cos-
ter's barrow is formed into a donkey cart merely
by fastening, with cord, two rough poles to the
handles. All these several kinds of carts are
used for the conveyance of either fruit, vege-
tables, or fish; but besides those, there is the
salt and mustard vendor's cart, with and with-
out the tilt or covering, and a square piece of
tin (stuck into a block of salt), on which is

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painted "salt 3 lbs. a penny," and "mustard
a penny an ounce" Then there is the poultry
cart, with the wild-ducks, and rabbits dangling
at its sides, and with two uprights and a cross-
stick, upon which are suspended birds, &c.,
slung across in couples.

The above conveyances are all of small
dimensions, the barrows being generally about
five feet long and three wide, while the carts
are mostly about four feet square.

Every kind of harness is used; some is well
blacked and greased and glittering with brass,
others are almost as grey with dust as the donkey
itself. Some of the jackasses are gaudily capa-
risoned in an old carriage-harness, which fits it
like a man's coat on a boy's back, while the
plated silver ornaments are pink, with the cop-
per showing through; others have rope traces
and belly-bands, and not a few indulge in old
cotton handkerchiefs for pads.

The next conveyance (which, indeed, is the
most general) is the costermonger's hand-bar-
row. These are very light in their make,
with springs terminating at the axle. Some
have rails behind for the arrangement of their
goods; others have not. Some have side rails,
whilst others have only the frame-work. The
shape of these barrows is oblong, and sloped
from the hind-part towards the front; the bot-
tom of the bed is not boarded, but consists of
narrow strips of wood nailed athwart and across.
When the coster is hawking his fish, or vending
his green stuff, he provides himself with a
wooden tray, which is placed upon his barrow.
Those who cannot afford a tray get some pieces
of board and fasten them together, these answer-
ing their purpose as well. Pine-apple and
pine-apple rock barrows are not unfrequently
seen with small bright coloured flags at the
four corners, fluttering in the wind.

The knife-cleaner's barrow, which has lately
appeared in the streets, must not be passed
over here. It consists of a huge sentry-box, with
a door, and is fixed upon two small wheels, being
propelled in the same way as a wheel-barrow.
In the interior is one of Kent's Patent Knife-
cleaning Machines, worked by turning a handle.
Then there are the cat and dog's-meat barrows.
These, however, are merely common wheelbar-
rows, with a board in front and a ledge or shelf,
formed by a piece of board nailed across the
top of the barrow, to answer the purpose of a
cutting-board. Lastly, there is the hearth-stone
barrow, piled up with hearth-stone, Bath-brick,
and lumps of whiting.

Another mode of conveying the goods through
the streets, is by baskets of various kinds; as
the sieve or head basket; the square and oval
"shallow," fastened in front of the fruit-woman
with a strap round the waist; the hand-basket;
and the "prickle." The sieve, or head-basket,
is a round willow basket, containing about one-
third of a bushel. The square and oval shallows
are willow baskets, about four inches deep, and
thirty inches long, by eighteen broad. The
hand-basket is the common oval basket, with
a handle across to hang upon the arm; the
latter are generally used by the Irish for onions
and apples. The prickle is a brown willow
basket, in which walnuts are imported into this
country from the Continent; they are about
thirty inches deep, and in bulk rather larger
than a gallon measure; they are used only by
the vendors of walnuts.

Such are the principal forms of the coster-
mongers' conveyances; but besides carts, bar-
rows, and baskets, there are many other means
adopted by the London street-sellers for carrying
their goods from one part of the metropolis to
another. The principal of these are cans, trays,
boxes, and poles.

The baked potato-cans sometimes are square
and sometimes oval; they are made with and
without legs, a lid fastened on with hinges, and
have a small charcoal fire fixed at the bottom
of the can, so as to keep the potatoes hot, while
there is a pipe at top to let off the steam. On
one side of the can is a little compartment for the
salt, and another on the other side for the butter.
The hot pie-can is a square tin can, standing
upon four legs, with a door in front, and three
partitions inside; a fire is kept in the bottom,
and the pies arranged in order upon the iron
plates or shelves. When the pies at the bottom
are sufficiently hot they are taken out, and
placed on the upper shelf, whilst those above are
removed to the lower compartments, by which
means all the pies are kept "hot and hot."

The muffin and crumpet-boy carries his
articles in a basket, covered outside with oil-
cloth and inside with green-baize, either at his
back, or slung over his arm, and rings his bell
as he walks.

The blacking boy, congreve-match and water-
cress girl, use a rusty tray, spread over with
their "goods," and suspended to the neck by a
piece of string.

The vendors of corn-salve, plating balls, soap
for removing grease spots, paper, steel pens,
envelopes, &c., carry their commodities in front
of them in boxes, suspended round the neck by
a narrow leather strap.

Rabbits and game are sometimes carried in
baskets, and at other times tied together and
slung over a pole upon the shoulder. Hat and
bonnet-boxes are likewise conveyed upon a pole.

Door-mats, baskets and "duffer's" packs,
wood pails, brushes, brooms, clothes-props,
clothes-lines and string, and grid-irons, Dutch-
ovens, skewers and fire-shovels, are carried
across the shoulder.