THE COUNTIES OF FORFAR AND KINCARDINE. 173 



even at the commencement of the present century. In 1856, 

 when wooden shipbuilding had reached its height, there were 

 six firms engaged in this work at Dundee. Iron shipbuilding 

 began at Dundee in 1838, the building of wooden steamships 

 havini? commenced in 1823. Durino- 1878 twelve vessels were 

 built at Dundee, three being sailing vessels (two of iron and 

 one of wood) and nine steamers of iron. Their gross tonnage 

 was 8094. In the same year a wooden sailing vessel of 104 

 tons was built at Arbroath, and one iron steamer of 50 tons at 

 Montrose. The number of sailing vessels registered at Dundee 

 on the 31st December 1878 was 150, and their tonnage 69,132, 

 there being also fifty-one steamers with a gross tonnage of 

 23,934. At Arbroath there were at the same time fifty-three 

 sailing vessels and two steamers registered, the gross tonnage of 

 the former bein^ 10,009 and the latter 247. At Montrose sixty- 

 seven sailing^ vessels and nine steamers w^ere re^-istered, the 

 tonnage of the former being 12,532 and the latter 2233. In 

 1878, 1308 British vessels, with a gross tonnage of 364,721, 

 and 247 foreign vessels, having a gross tonnage of 61,293,. 

 entered Dundee harbour ; while there cleared out 1261 British 

 vessels, with a tonnage of 344,228, and 215 foreign vessels, with 

 a tonnage of 54,469. In Arbroath 330 British and 47 foreign 

 vessels, with a respective tonnage of 36,561 and 8306, arrived -^ 

 while there sailed 328 British and 47 foreign vessels, with a 

 respective tonnage of 36,940 and 8345. At Montrose 588 

 British, with a tonnage of 64,110, and 92 foreign vessels,. 

 with a tonnage of 28,516, arrived; while there sailed 576 British 

 and 95 foreign vessels, with a respective tonnage of 60,766 and 

 25,952. 



At the various villages and towns along the Kincardineshire 

 coast a large number of boats are employed at herring and other 

 fishing. The salmon fishings of the county are valuable, yield- 

 ing, as they do, a rental of £7000 on the coast, £700 on the 

 North Esk, and £450 on the Dee. The fishing-boats number 

 in all about 524, and with the nets and lines are valued at 

 £28,000. There are about 116,000 cod and ling taken, and of 

 herrings about 27,000 barrels. Forfarshire derives much value 

 from tlie sea. The Montrose district stands seventh in Scotland 

 in regard to the number of boats. In 1878 the number of boats 

 in the Montrose district was 684, the number of fishermen and 

 boys 1218, the number of fishcurers 41, the number of coopers- 

 109, the value of the boats £26,389, the value of the nets 

 £22,770, and the value of the lines £7249, making a total 

 estimated value of £56,408. The barrels of herring cured or 

 salted in the same year numbered 29,936, while there were 

 93,034 cod and ling taken partly l)y vessels and partly l)y open 

 boats. 



