FISHING STATIONS— ENGLAND. 241 



imlly consisting of 10,000 fish, but actually of 13,200. 

 The following is the mode of computation : — 



4 herrings = 1 warp, 

 33 warps = 1 hundred =132 fish, 

 10 hundred = 1 thousand = 1320 fish, 

 10 thousand = 1 last = 13,200 fish. 



A "hundred" of mackerel, however, only contains 

 30 warps, or 120 fish. 



The herrings in the wholesale market are sold by the 

 last^ and are disposed of by ordinary auction, the sales- 

 man often expatiating on the good qualities of the fish 

 in language worthy of a more suggestive subject than 

 the one before him. It is the practice with most of the 

 curers to make an arrangement at the beginning of 

 the season with their own crews to pay them a fixed 

 price for every last of fish they bring in. This is 

 instead of paying a regular sum of money monthly as 

 wages ; and it induces the men to do their best, as a 

 considerable catch of fish is necessary to enable the 

 curers to pay the expenses of their vessels and esta- 

 blishments before they can make any profit. In very 

 abundant seasons, however, the market for cured fish is 

 so overdone that prices fall very low, and then heavy 

 losses may be incurred. We believe that this was the 

 case in 1871, and a large stock of that season's fish 

 remained unsold for many months afterwards. The 

 prices in the fresh market fluctuate very much from 

 day to day, depending not only on the abundance or 

 otherwise of the herrings, but also on the state of 

 the weather allowing the fishing to be carried on with 

 regularity, or causing interruptions. 



On the arrival of the herrings at the curing house 

 they are all washed to get rid of the salt put upon them 



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