fish. 667 



Canaanitish and other shepherd tribes of Syria, were of them- 

 selves averse to maritime adventures. They had laws which 

 originally forbad or restricted the use of fish. Moses pro- 

 hibited the eating of all species without scales and without 

 fins, which evidently referred to the siluri of the Nile and of 

 the Lake of Tiberias, and was also applied, though incorrectly, 

 to eels. As they were not a seafaring people, the Phoenicians 

 supplied them with fish, in exchange for wheat, pannay, honey, 

 oil and balm \ The denunciations of the Prophet, that nets 

 would be spread at Tyre, show the abundance of fish on that 

 part of the coast also ; and the spreading of nets, that the de- 

 mand for them was greater than a mere littoral population 

 would require. It is true no mention is made in Ezelriel of the 

 art of curing fish; but the commodities received in exchange, 

 show that the markets in the interior, and of Jerusalem, were 

 supplied from thence with that article, and the distance and 

 climate are sufficient proofs of the necessity of some artificial 

 preparation to retain it fit for sale. A people whose attention 

 was wholly directed to marine affairs, and whose original pros- 

 perity was derived from the abundance and excellent quality 

 of the fish on their coast 2 , could not remain long ignorant of 

 the arts necessary to make their gains greater and more certain, 

 and it is likely that they extended their fisheries, as their com- 

 mercial spirit was increased by success. If the Phoenicians 

 did not form the fisheries in the western extremity of the 

 Mediterranean, Carthage, a colony of theirs placed on a spot 

 abounding in fish, either maintained those already established 

 or begun their formation ; such were Leptis Minor, Malaga, 

 Portus Magonis, Carteia within the straits ; Gades, Portus 

 Hannibalis, and even Clunia on the Atlantic 3 . 



1 Leviticus xi. 9- Nehem. xiii. 16. Ezek. xxvii. 17- 



See Clarke's travels. 

 3 Leptes minor, said to be Leinta or Tripoli, paid a talent per day 

 port duties to Carthage. Portus Magonis, Port Mahon ; Carteia, Alge- 



