42 Fisheries of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, 



coast about the 20th August, and remains in-shore for a month ; 

 these are fat and in good condition, furnishing excellent food, and 

 a valuable commodity for export. It is admitted, that when first 

 caught, these "Fall Herrings" are fully equal in every respect to 

 the best Scotch Herrings ; and if they were cured in the Dutch 

 manner, this Fishery, from the increased price, and demand, would 

 become one of the most important and valuable Fisheries of the Gulf. 



The Herring is the animal delicacy of Holland, and there enjoys 

 a very different reputation, from that of the common salt Herring 

 of Britain or America ; yet the fish of both Holland and Britain 

 are the same, being caught on the same fishing grounds, and those 

 of North America are in no respect inferior. 



The Dutch mode of curing Herrings is thus described by Mr. 

 Chambers, in his "Tour in Holland in 1838." " Immediately on 

 being caught, the Herrings are bled, gutted, cleaned, salted, and 

 barrelled. The bleeding is effected by cutting them across the 

 back of the neck, and then hanging them up for a few seconds by 

 the tail. By being thus relieved of the blood, the fish retain a 

 certain sweetness of flavour, and delicacy of flesh which unbled 

 Herrings cannot possibly possess, The rapidity of the process of 

 curing, must likewise aid in preserving the native delicacy of the 

 animal, for the Herring lies salted in the barrel, in a very few 

 minutes after it has been swimming in the water. I was assured 

 that the superiority of the Dutch Herrings is solely ascribable to 

 this mode of curing." 



The greater mercantile value of the Dutch Herrings, on the Con- 

 tinent of Europe, being found to arisesolely from this modeof curing, 

 the Commissioners of the British Fisheries (in Scotland) were 

 induced to devote great attention to it, and to urge its general 

 adoption by every means in their power. Their officers and 

 inspectors were directed to brand every barrel of Herring, cured 

 according to the Dutch mode, with the figure of the Crown. In 

 their official Report for 1844, the Commissioners state that — " the 

 unprecedented demand from the Continent for Crown brand Her- 

 rings, is a sufficient proof of the care with which the integrity of 

 the brand is preserved, as well as of the high value which is set 

 upon it, in all the Continental markets. It was the strong conviction 

 impressed upon the minds of the Commissioners, of the vital import- 

 ance of preserving the integrity of the brand, which compelled 

 them to exercise the painful duty of dismissing from the service, 

 one of the Board's oldest officers. As he had branded a car°ro of 



