GRAND PEACE DEMONSTRATION IN OUR NURSERY!

_"Punch," May 24, 1856._]

* * * * *

A BALLAD OF EELS.

["Lord Desborough has just been reminding us of the neglected
source of food supply that we have in the eels of our rivers and
ponds. He stated, 'The food value of an eel is remarkable. In food
value one pound of eels is better than a loin of beef.... The
greatest eel-breeding establishment in the world is at Comacchio,
on the Adriatic. This eel nursery is a gigantic swamp of 140 miles
in circumference. It has been in existence for centuries, and in
the sixteenth century it yielded an annual revenue of £1,200 to
the Pope.'"--_Liverpool Daily Post_.]

When lowering clouds refuse to lift
And spread depression far and wide,
And when the need of strenuous thrift
Is loudly preached on every side,
What boundless gratitude one feels
To DESBOROUGH, inspiring chief,
For telling us: "One pound of eels
Is better than a loin of beef"

Of old, Popes made eel-breeding pay
(At least Lord DESBOROUGH says they did),
And cleared _per annum_ in this way