University of Virginia Library

OF OTHER CAKE-SELLERS IN THE STREETS.

The street cake-selling of London is not alto-
gether confined to the class I have described;
but the others engaged in it are not regular
pursuers of the business, and do not exceed
thirty in number. Some stock their trays with
flare-cakes, which are round cakes, made of
flour and "unrendered" (unmelted) lard, and
stuck over freely with currants. They are sold
at a farthing and a halfpenny each. Others,
again, carry only sponge-cakes, made of flour
and eggs, packed closely and regularly toge-
ther, so as to present an uniform and inviting
surface. Others carry only gingerbread, made
of flour and treacle. These small trades are
sometimes resorted to for a temporary purpose,
rather than a street-seller's remaining in com-
pulsory idleness. I learned also that cake-
sellers in the regular line, when unable to
command sufficient capital to carry on their
trade in the way they have been accustomed to,
sell "flayers," so called from being made with
pig's or sheep's "flay," or any other cheap
cakes, and so endeavour to retrieve themselves.
The profits on these plainer sorts is 1d. in 1s. more than that on the others, but the sale
rarely exceeds half as much. I heard, how-
ever, of one man who deposited in pence, in
eight days, 1s. 10d. with a wholesale pastry-
cook. He had saved this sum by almost
starving himself, on the sale of the inferior
cakes, and the dealer trusted him the 10d. to make up eight dozen in the regular cake
business. To commence the street sale of
cheap cakes requires a capital of less than 5s.; for tray, 1s. 6d.; cloth, 6d.; strap, 6d.; and
stock-money, 1s. 6d.

Three or four men are occupied in selling
plum-cakes. These are generally sold in half-
penny and penny lots. The plum-cake is made
by the same class of pastrycooks whom I have
described as supplying the tarts, puffs, &c., and
sold on the same terms. The profits are fifty
per cent. — what cost 4s. bringing in 6s. One
man who travels to all the fairs and races, and
is more in the country than town in the summer
and autumn, sells large quantities of plum-cake
in Smithfield when in town, sometimes having
2l. worth and more on his stall. He sells cakes
of a pound (ostensibly) at 4d., 6d., and 8d., according to quality. He sometimes supplies
the street-sellers on the same terms as the
pastrycooks, for he was once a baker.

From the best data at my command, it appears
that the sale of these inferior cakes does not
realise above a fifth of that taken by the other
sellers, of whom I have treated, amounting to
about 450l. in all.