326 PLEURONECTID.E. 



being drawn along the banks, brings up various kinds of 

 Flatfish, as Soles, Plaice, Thornbacks, and Turbots; but 

 when the warm weather has driven the fish into deeper water, 

 and upon banks of a rougher surface, where trawling is no 

 longer practicable, the fishermen have then recourse to their 

 many-hooked lines. The hooks are baited with the common 

 Smelt, and a small fish resembling an Eel, called the Gore- 

 bill.* Though very considerable quantities of this fish are 

 now taken on various parts of our own coasts, from the Ork- 

 neys to the Land's End, yet a preference is given in the 

 London market to those caught by the Dutch, who are sup- 

 posed to have drawn not less than 80,000/. a year for the 

 supply of this market alone ; and the Danes from 12,000/. to 

 15, GOO/, a year for sauce to this luxury of the table, extracted 

 from one million of lobsters, taken on the rocky shores of 

 Norway, though our own shores are in many parts plenti- 

 fully supplied with this marine insect, equal in goodness to 

 those of Norway." 



About one-fourth of the whole supply of Turbot to the 

 London market is furnished by Dutch fishermen, who pay 

 a duty of 6/. per boat, each boat bringing from one hundred 

 to one hundred and fifty Turbot. A very considerable 

 quantity is also purchased of the Dutch fishermen at sea on 

 the fishing stations near their own shore by English fisher- 

 men, and is brought by them to our market in their own 

 boats, paying no duty. 



Along our southern coast many Turbot are caught by the 

 trawling vessels, and long-line fishing at particular seasons on 

 the Varne and on the Ridge, two extensive banks of sand, 

 the first about seven miles, and the second about twelve 

 miles, from Dover, towards the French coast. On these 

 banks French fishermen also lay their long-lines ; and when 

 they do not succeed in selling their Turbot at sea, which 



* Vol. i. page 44'2. 



