THERE are yet other cards, the sale of which is carried on in the streets; of these, the principal traffic has lately been in "gelatines" (gelatine cards). Those in the greatest demand contain representations of the Crystal Palace, the outlines of the structure being given in gold delineation on the deep purple, or mulberry, of the smooth and shining gelatine. These cards are sold in blank envelopes, for the convenience of posting them as a present to a country friend; or of keeping them unsoiled, if they are retained as a memento of a visit to so memorable a building. The principal sale was on Sunday mornings, in , and to the visitors who employed that day to enjoy the sight of the "palace." But on the Sunday in February—as well as my informant could recollect, for almost all street-traders will tell you, if not in the same words as patterer used, that their recollections are "not worth an old button without a neck"—the police "put down" the sale of these Exhibition cards in the Park, as well as that of cakes, tarts, gingerbread, and such like dainties. This was a bitter disappointment to a host of street-sellers, who looked forward very sanguinely to the profits they might realise when the Great Exhibition was in full operation, and augured ill to their prospects from this interference. I am inclined to think, that, on this occasion, the feelings of animosity entertained by the card-sellers towards the police and the authorities were even bitterer than I have described as affecting the costermongers. "Why," said man, "when I couldn't be let sell my cards, I thrust my hands into my empty pockets, and went among the crowd near the Great Exhibition place to look about me. There was plenty of ladies and gentlemen—say about o'clock at Sunday noon, and as many as could be. Plenty of 'em had nice paper bags of biscuits, or cakes, that, of course, they'd bought that morning at a pastrycook's, and they handed 'em to their party. Some had newspapers they was reading—about the Exhibition, I dare say—papers which was bought, and, perhaps, was printed that very blessed morning; but for us to offer to earn a crust then—oh, it's agen the law. In course it is."

Some of the gelatine cards contain pieces of poetry, in letters of gold, always—at least, I could hear of no exceptions—of a religious or sentimental character. "A Hymn," "The Child's Prayer," "The Christian's Hope," "To Eliza," "To a Daisy," "Forget-me-not," and "Affection's Tribute," were among the titles. Some contained love-verses, and might be used for valentines, and some a sentimental song.

In the open-air sale, nearly all the traffic was in "Exhibition gelatines," and the great bulk were sold in and near . For or months, from as soon as the glass palace had been sufficiently elevated to command public attention, there were daily, I am told, persons selling those cards in the Park and its vicinity, and more than twice that number on Sundays. man told me, that, on fine bright Sunday, the sale being principally in the morning, he had sold dozen, with a profit of about On week-days dozen was a good sale; but on wet, cold, or foggy days, none at all could be disposed of. If, therefore, we take as an average the sale of dozen daily per each individual, and dozen on a Sunday, we find that was expended on streetsold "gelatines." The price to the retailer is a dozen, with or for a dozen of the larger-sized envelopes, so leaving the usual profit—cent. per cent. The sellers were not a distinct class, but in the hands of the less enterprising of the paper-workers or patterers. The "poetry gelatines" were hardly offered at all in the streets, except by a few women and children, with whom it was a pretext for begging.

Of "engraved" Exhibition-cards, sold under similar circumstances, there might be as many sold as of the gelatines, or an expenditure of

The sale of playing-cards is only for a brief interval. It is most brisk for a couple of weeks before Christmas, and is hardly ever attempted in any season but the winter. The price varies from to , but very rarely ; and seldom more than the pack. The sellers for the most part announce their wares as "New cards. New playing-cards. a pack." This subjects the sellers (the cards being unstamped) to a penalty of , a matter of which the street-traders know and care nothing; but there is no penalty on the sale of -hand cards. The best of the cards are

Playing cards are more frequently sold with other articles—such as almanacks—than otherwise. From the information I obtained, it appears that if dozen packs of cards are sold daily for days, it is about the quantity, but rather within it. The calculation was formed on the supposition that there might be street playing-card sellers, each disposing (allowing for the hinderances of bad weather, &c.), of dozen packs daily. Taking the average price at a pack, we find an outlay of The sale used to be far more considerable and at higher prices, and was "often a good spec. on a country round."

There is still another description of cards sold in the streets of London; viz., conversationcards; but the quantity disposed of is so trifling as to require no special comment.