FISHING STATIONS— ISLF. OF MAN. 343 



The Manxmen are a thriving set of people, and are a 

 good example of what may be done by fishermen who 

 work hard, are enterprising and thrifty. For many 

 years past habits of sobriety have been general amongst 

 them, and the effects have appeared in their having 

 better houses and a generally improved condition ; 

 whilst their surplus money has been put into the 

 savings bank, or profitably employed in providing 

 better boats and gear. The change has been gradual 

 but steady ; and they have been indebted for it to no 

 exceptional circumstances of a constant abundance of 

 fish on their coasts, or freedom from the dangers or 

 difficulties to which all seagoing fishermen are liable; 

 for they have been subject to years of scarcity like 

 other people, and their fishing grounds are in as stormy 

 seas as will be found on any part of our coasts. The 

 improvement is the more striking from the apparent 

 association of these islanders with their less thrifty 

 Irish neighbours, implied by their former use of flaxen 

 nets, and the still general employment of the Irisli 

 expression, a " mease of herrings," equivalent to 500 

 fish. 



