246 The Commercial Products of the Sea. 



investigation was commenced into this subject. He ascer- 

 tained that from one village, six miles south-east of Calcutta, 

 from 800 to 900 maunds yearly, valued at from Rs. 25* to 

 40 the maund, were exported. Lord Auckland, when 

 governor-general, sent some specimens to England as a 

 new export, and, according to Dr. Royle, gave " a general 

 view of Indian fisheries, and the propriety of attending 

 more extensively to the curing of fish." Dr. Royle, in 1842, 

 in a pamphlet " on the production of isinglass along the 

 coasts of India," gave a resume of what had been previously 

 accomplished, as well as some very interesting figures and 

 experiments on the value of this article, as received in 

 London, both in an economic and financial point of view. 

 " The sounds, when received fresh, are opened and stripped 

 of the vascular covering and internal membrane, washed, 

 and at once made into any form the manufacturer finds 

 most convenient for packing. . . . When dry, before it 

 reaches the manufacturer (which is commonly the case, the 

 fish being caught at a distance towards the sea), the sound 

 has to be opened, and as much of the lining membrane as 

 possible removed by the hand. A large earthen vessel is 

 then filled with sounds, and water poured into it, and the 

 whole covered up for 12 hours, when the sounds will have 

 been brought back to their original soft state, in which they 

 may be as perfectly cleaned as if they had been obtained 

 fresh." It seems more than probable that this will account 

 for the fishy odour of this isinglass, as the sounds should be 

 quite fresh when prepared. Dr. McClelland bleached his 

 specimens in alum water (one ounce to four or five gallons), 

 soaking them a short time, and, when saturated, removing 

 them to a linen or cotton cloth, likewise saturated with 

 alum water. In this they were tightly rolled up and set 

 aside for 12 hours, the process being repeated until they 



