Edmond About, having exhausted Rome, and Athens, and Paris, is
trying, as a new excitement, to make himself use- ful. He says the French have not enough meat, while, from the subdivision of property, stock decreases. He pro- poses, therefore, to supply the deficiency by fish, and suggests that Government should stock all the canals in the country with eels. The expenses would be more than reiiaid by the sale of the privilege of netting the fish, and the people would have a new and very pleasant article of food. It is a clever suggestion ; but two points still remain to be proved. Is fish worth eating as nourishment, and will the people eat it ? They will not in England, and we strongly suspect the pre- judice extends to France, in which case M. About will have only the credit of a very brilliant idea, which is probably all he seeks.
Previous page
