CRAN, BAHREL, LAST, AND MAIZE OF HERRINGS. 119 



McDonald states that the shoal was a solid mass of 

 herrings. There were far more herrings in this shoal 

 alone than are taken in a year throughout Scotland. 



The method of salting herrings, as practised by the 

 Dutch, is said to have been invented, about 1486, by 

 "William Beuckel or Beukels, a native of Biervliet, in 

 Flanders, hence the word '^pickled" herring. This 

 great benefactor to mankind, a humble but very 

 observant fisherman, may be said to have laid the 

 foundation of the Dutch herring fishery, which after- 

 wards proved to these people a source of great wealth. 



MEASUREMENTS OF HERRINGS. 



A Cran contains 37^ imperial gallons, or 800 to 1,000 

 herrings, according to condition. 



A cran of immature herrings would contain about 

 1,000 fish. 



A cran full of herrings would contain about 800 fish. 



A Barrel contains 700 to 1,000 herrings, according to 

 condition. 



A Last nominallv contains 10,000 fish, and 132 

 herrings are given for every ] 00 ; therefore at Yar- 

 mouth a last representing 10,000 herrings contains in 

 reality 13,200 fish. 



A Maize or mease contains 500 herrings. 



A cran of garvies contains 4,000 fish. A cran of 

 fresh herrings yields a barrel of cured fish : the cran 

 holds more than a barrel, as it contains the herrings 

 afterwards rejected as too small for curing. 



During the course of our Herring Inquiry in Scot- 

 land my friend and colleague, Mr. Spencer Walpole, made 

 the original observation, that nearly if not quite all the 



