ABSTRACT
ThesceneswitnessedattheLondonDockswereofsopainfula description-thestruggleforoneday'swork-thescramblefor 24hours'extrasubsistenceandextralifewereofsotragica character-thatIwasanxioustoascertain,ifpossible,theexact numberofindividualsinandaroundthemetropoliswholiveby docklabour.AtoneofthedocksaloneIfoundthat1,823stomachs wouldbedeprivedoffoodbythemerechoppingofthebreeze. "It'sanillwind,"saystheproverb,"thatblowsnobodyanygood;" anduntilIcametoinvestigatetheconditionofthedocklabourer, Icouldnothavebelieveditpossiblethatnearupontwothousand souls,inoneplacealone,lived,chameleon-like,upontheair;or thataneasterlywind,despitethewisesaw,coulddeprivesomany ofbread.Itisindeed"anippingandaneagerair."Thatthesustenanceofthousandsoffamiliesshouldbeasfickleastheverybreeze itself;thattheweathercockshouldbetheindexofdailywantor dailyeasetosuchavastnumberofmen,womenandchildren,was aclimaxofmiseryandwretchednessthatIcouldnothaveimagined toexist;andsincethenIhavewitnessedsuchscenesofsqualor, andcrime,andsuffering,asoppressthemindeventoafeeling ofawe.
