472 



HISTOKY AND METHODS OP THE FISHERIES. 



More than ordinary care was taken in packing the first two or three cargoes, which met with 

 a ready sale ; but the fishermen soon became negligent, and not only gave little attention to their 

 preparation, but even bought and shipped fish of inferior quality. The result was that the Swedes, 

 who have always surpassed us in the methods of preparing herring, and who not only know good 

 fish, but will use no others, on seeing the condition of the herring offered for sale, refused to buy 

 them, and our vessels were obliged to seek a market in other countries at a greatly reduced figure. 



The parties interested lost heavily, and as the American brands had come to be regarded with 

 suspicion, the business was suddenly terminated, and for over a year no one ventured to make a 

 shipment. In March of 1879, however, the Babson Brothers chartered the British brig Lapwing 

 and loaded her with herring for Sweden. Again in the fall of 1880 the same parties chartered the 

 Norwegian brig Triton and shipped by her 3,000 barrels of herring to Queenstown, Ireland.* 



As already stated, on account of the limited extent of our own herring fisheries most of the 

 stock for shipment necessarily comes from the Provinces, and our vessels have as frequently 

 loaded in the Provinces as in our own country. Mr. Clark informs us that in the spring of 1880 

 Mr. Horatio Babson visited Newfoundland and bought several cargoes of herring for the European 

 trade, chartering vessels in that locality for the work. 



It is difficult to say just how fully this trade can be developed, but it is perhaps safe to assume 

 that until our fishermen give more attention to the capture of the species and take more care in 

 salting their catch the home business cannot become important, and if carried on to any consid- 

 erable extent our merchants must either go to Newfoundland, New Brunswick, and tbe Magdalen 

 Islands to buy and ship the fish, or they must import them from those regions and ship by their 

 own vessels. 



Those caught at Fortune Bay in-paid 75 cents (gold) per barrel; at Port Hood, $1 per barrel; Magdalens, 75 cents 

 per barrel; and at Bay of Islands, Newfoundland, $'2 per barrel. These prices include what is paid for the fish, and 

 does not include the barrels, salt, labor, &c. 



All the herring which we put up in the provinces, as stated herein, we bought from the fishermen and paid them 

 at prices as stated, and in no case whatever did we catch any in nets or seines, but always purchased the fish from 

 the natives. 



The above number of barrels does not include any herring which our vessels bought in the provinces during 

 the year for bait. 



We have taken from our books the number of barrels packed. 



D. C. & H. BABSON. 

 Witness: CHAS. H. BROWN. 



GLOUCESTER, MASS., IT. S. A., October 17, 1877. 



Documents and Proceedings of the Halifax Commission, 1877, Vol. Ill, pp. 3344, 3345. 



* Mr. G. Brown Goode has kindly furnished data from which we are enabled to compile the following list showing 

 vessels engaged in the export trade, exclusive of those sent from Newfoundland by Gloucester parties in 1880: 



