These are for the most part Jews, who have made advances to the sailors of money, clothes, victuals, and lodgings, generally to a very small amount, taking care to charge an enormous price for every article.

The poor fellows, by these means, are placed under a sort of espionage, if not close confinement, till the ship is ready to receive them; and then they are conducted on board at Gravesend by the Crimp and his assistants, and a receipt taken for them.
In this process there is nothing very reprehensible--the men want births, and have no money--the Crimp keeps a lodging- house, and wishes to be certain of his man: he therefore takes him into the house, and after a very small supply of cash, the grand do, is to persuade him to buy watches, buckles, hats, and jackets, to be paid for on his receiving his advance previous to sailing.

By this means and the introduction of grog, the most barefaced and unblushing robberies have been committed.
With the same view of fleecing the unwary poor fellows, who "...

at sea earn their money like horses, To squander it idly like asses on shore," they watch their arrival after the voyage, and advance small sums of money upon their tickets, or perhaps buy them out and out, getting rid at the same time of watches, jewellery, and such stuff, at more than treble their real value.

Not only is this the case in London, but at all the out-ports it is practised to a very great extent, particularly in war time.
Happy would it be for poor Jack were this all; he is some- times brought in indebted to the Crimp to a large nominal amount, by what is called a long-shore attorney, or more appropriately, a black shark, and thrown into jail!!! There he lies until his body is wanted, and then the incarcerator negociates with him for his liberty, to be permitted to enter on board again.
~116~~eyes if he was not glad of it, and, with a sling of his arm, deposited an enormous quid he had in his mouth directly in the chaps of the Israelite, then joined the throng in pursuit; while the Jew, endeavouring to call Stop thief, took more of the second-hand quid than agreed with the delicacy of his stomach, and commenced a vomit, ejaculating with woful lamentations, that he had lost his bag mit all his propertish.
The old mackarel-woman, seeing her fish covered with brick-dust, set off in pursuit of the limping donkey-driver, and catching him by the neck, swore he should pay her for the fish, and brought him back to the scene of action; but, in the mean time, the Street-keeper had seized and carried off the basket with all its contents--misfortune upon misfortune! "D----n your ass, and you too," said the Fish-woman, "if you doesn't pay me for my fish, I'll _quod_{1} you--that there's all vat I ar got to say." "Here's a bit of b----dy gammon--don't you see as how I am lost both my ass and his cargo, and if you von't leave 1 Quod--A Jail--to quod a person is to send him to jail.
~117~~me alone, and give me my bags again, I'll sarve you out--there now, that's all--bl----st me! fair play's a jewel--let go my hair, and don't kick up no rows about it--see vhat a mob you're a making here--can't you sell your mackarel ready sauced, and let me go ater Neddy ?" "Vhat, you thinks you are a _flat-catching_,{1} do you, Limping Billy--but eh, who has run away with my basket offish ?" "Ha, ha, ha," cried Limping Billy, bursting into a horse-laugh at the additional distress of the old woman, in which he was joined by many of the surrounding spectators; and which so enraged her, that she let go her hold, and bursting through the crowd with an irresistible strength, increased almost to the fury of madness by her additional loss, she ran some paces distance in search of, not only her stock in trade, but her shop, shop-board, and working-tools; while the donkey-driver boisterously vociferated after her--"Here they are six a shilling, live mackarel O." This taunt of the brick-dust merchant was too much to be borne, and brought her back again with a determination to chastise him, which she did in a summary way, by knocking him backwards into the kennel.