FISHEEIES AND SBAL-HUNTING. 51 



the whole sum. At tirst sight, it might be thought that the masters make 

 a considerable profit, and that the laborers are working at a disadvan- 

 tage. This, however, is not the case ; for the sum which the laborers 

 receive is the actual pay for their labor, while the master must deduct 

 from his portion a large amount for the boats, fishing-implements, salt, 

 &c. These expenses are seldom less than 250 "roubles," ($175 gold,) 

 so that, as a general rule, the laborers work on favorable conditions. 



The trade with Noncay. — The bartering-trade with Norway has been 

 going on since the second half of the last century, and is increasing from 

 year to year. The Russian vessels, laden with rye -flour, wheat-flour, mil- 

 let, and oat-meal, are obliged to put into one of the four Norwegian 

 ports of Wardoe, Wadsoe, Hammerfest, and Tromsoe, to declare their 

 cargoes and to pay the duty ; rye-flour, oat-meal, and building-materials 

 alone being free of duty. The Russian government, upon its part, au- 

 thorizes the citizens and peasauts inhabiting the coast of the White Sea 

 to export rye-flour and oat-meal to Norway, while the merchants of the 

 first guild have the right to trade in other articles. The Norwegian 

 authorities are very strict in their watch over the coast. As soon as 

 the Russian sailors have been authorized to commence their bartering- 

 trade, they sail for the different bays of the coast, where they have least 

 competition to fear, and there exchange their cargoes of rye-flour and 

 oat-meal for fish. 



The Norwegian government allows the inhabitants of Finnmarken, 

 during six weeks, viz, from the 1st of July to the 15th of August, (new 

 style,) this bartering-trade with the Russian fishermeu, who are also 

 allowed to sell their goods for cash only to merchants. But when a 

 Russian vessel has been in Norwegian waters for six weeks, it can also 

 sell rye-flour to the inhabitants for cash, on condition that the regular 

 terms of the bartering-trade are not exceeded, and not less than three 

 bags to one buyer. The Russiau fishermen find it much to their advan- 

 tage to barter their cargoes for fish. They usually receive, for one 

 "poud" (30 pounds) of rye-flour, from three to five "pouds" (108 to 

 180 pounds) of cod-fish, or four to eight "pouds" (144 to 2S8 pounds) 

 of saida, (a small kind of cod-fish.) The Russian fishermen usually 

 exchange a portion of their rye-flour and their oat-meal for fish, and the 

 other portion for walrus- skins. 



From 400 to 500 Russian ships, manned by more than 2,000 men, 

 devote themselves every year to this bartering-trade. It may be safely 

 asserted that they export annually from Norway about 700,000 " pouds" 

 (25,200,000 pounds) of fish. In 1800, the export amounted to a million 

 of " pouds," (30,000,000 pounds,) because the cod-fisheries, and especially 

 that of the " saida," had been particularly rich. 



The average prices at Archangel during the years from 1852 to 1800 

 w T ere as follows : Salt cod, GO to 75 " kopecks " (42 to 52 cents) per 

 "poud," (3G pounds ;) dried cod, 1 "rouble " to 1£ "roubles," (70 cents 

 to $1.05 gold ;) salted " saida," 20 to 30 " kopecks/(14 to 21 cents gold ;) 



