IN addition to the general and particular "swag-shops," or shops having a large of goods, of which I have spoken, there are establishments for the sale of crockery and china, which I heard styled by persons in the trade "swag-crocks," or "crock-shops." The principle on which the trade is conducted in these places is the same as that of the swag-shops, inasmuch as the sales are wholesale, to streetsellers, shop-keepers, and shippers, but rarely to private individuals.

The crock swag-shops are to be found in the streets neighbouring , and in and near to . As at the more general or miscellaneous swag-shops, the crockswags make no display. In of the most extensive, indeed, large windows are filled with goods. Here are spirit-stands, with the invariable bottles (invariable in the cheap trade), blue, green, or uncoloured; some lettered "gin," "rum," "brandy," but most of them unlabelled. Here, too, are cruet-stands, and "pot" or spar figures under glass shades; and a number of many-coloured flower-glasses, some of them profusely gilded; and small china vases; but the glass wares greatly predominate. Although there are glass and colour and gilding enough to make "an imposing display," the display is nevertheless anything but showy; the goods look dingy, and, if I may so speak of such things, faded. Some of the coloured glass seems to be losing its colour, and few of the wares have the bright look of newness.

The windows of these shops are, for the most part, literally to a certain height, so as almost to exclude the light, with pitchers, and basins, and cups, and jugs, and the sundry smaller articles of this multifarious trade, all undusted, and seemingly uncared for. In "large concern" I saw a number of glass salt-cellars wrapped severally in paper, which had changed from white to a dusty brown, and which from age, and perhaps damp, seemed about to fall to tatters.

The "interiors" of some of these warehouses are very spacious. I saw large and lofty shop, into which apartments and a yard had been flung, the partitions having been taken down, and the ceilings supported by pillars, in order to "extend the premises." It was really a hall of pots. On the floor were large crates, the tops removed so that the goods might be examined, packed, with cups, another with saucers, a with basins, and packed as only a potter could pack them. Intermixed with them were piles of blue-and-white dishes and plates, and, beside them, washing-pans, fitted into another like the old hats on a Jew's head. The pillars had their festoons of crockery, being hung with children's white and gold mugs "for a good boy," and with white metal-lidded and brown-bodied mustard pots, as well as other minor articles. The shelves were loaded with tea-services of many shapes and hues, while the unoccupied space was what sufficed to allow the warehousemen and the

The crockery of the swag-shops is made in Staffordshire; the glass principally in Lancashire. At none of these establishments do they issue circulars of prices, such as I have cited of the general swag-shops. The articles are so very many, I was told, that to specify all the sizes and prices "would take a volume and a half." I give a statement, however, of the prices of the goods most in demand, on the occasions when the street vendors sell them without barter, and the prices at which they are purchased wholesale: Blue-edged plates sold at each cost the dozen; this would appear to entail a loss of on every dozen sold, but in this article " is a dozen." Dishes are bought at the "swag-crocks" in "nests," which comprise dishes, or pairs, of different sizes. These the street crockman sells, if possible, in pairs, but he will sell them singly, for he can always make up the complement of his "nest" at the warehouse. The prices run, chiefly according to size, from to (sometimes ) the pair. "The a pair," said street crockseller, "costs me , not a farthing under, and the a pair—it's very seldom we can 'draw' —costs That's all, sir; and the profit's so small, it makes us keen to swop. I 'll swop for old clothes, or dripping, or grease, or anything. You see the profit, when you sells downright down, be small, 'cause there's so many pot-shops with prices marked on the plates and other things. They can buy better than us sometimes, and they're hard to stand up against. If a woman says to me—for I very seldom deal with men—'Why, they're cheaper at D——'s, in ,'—I answers, 'And worser. I 'll tell you what it is, ma'am. The cheapest place was in houses, painted all red, in the London-road. But fine morning them houses fell, and the pots was smashed as a matter of course. It was a judgment on their bad pots.' But it's a fact, sir, that these houses fell, about or years ago, I think, and I've seen goods, with or of 'em broken, offered for sale when the place was re-built, having been 'rescued from the ruins; and at less than half price.' Of course that was gammon. I've cracked and broke a few plates, myself, and sold them in the New Kent-road, and in and , at half price, from the ruins, and at a very tidy profit." A stone china tea-service, of pieces— cups, saucers, bread-and-butter plates, a tea-pot, a sugar-basin, a slop-basin, and a cream-jug—is bought for while is asked for it, and sometimes obtained. A "china set" costs, as the general price, , and for it is asked.

The glass wares are so very rarely sold—being the most attractive articles of barter—that I could hardly get any street-seller to state his prices. "Swop, sir," I was told repeatedly, "they all goes in swop." The glass goods, however, which are the most sold in the streets, I ascertained to be cream-jugs, those vended at each, costing the dozen; and flower-glasses, the most frequent price being a pair, the prime cost

I have estimated the sum turned over by the general swag-shops at each. From what I can learn, the crock swag-shops, averaging the whole, turn over a larger sum, for their profits are smaller, ranging from to per cent., but rarely . Calculating, then, that each of these swag-shops turns over yearly, we find expended, but this includes the sales to shopkeepers and to shippers, as well as to streetfolk.