FISHING STATIONS— IRELAND. 375 



numerous fishing companies wbicli have proved unsnc- 

 cessfiiL The boats formerly used by this company are 

 now in private hands. 



A great step in the development of the mackerel 

 fishery has been made during the last few years by 

 establishing a system of steamers for the transport to 

 England of the fish landed at Kinsale ; many of these 

 vessels besides sailing carriers having been in regular 

 work during the seasons ; so that with these facilities 

 for disposing of the captures there has been a great in- 

 ducement to carry on the fishery with as much vigour 

 as possible. The fish thus transmitted are packed with 

 ice in boxes containing six score each, or what is called 

 a " hundred " according to fishermen's counting in the 

 case of mackerel. According to the Inspectors' Reports 

 there were about 60,000 boxes, equal to 6000 tons, 

 of mackerel sold at Kinsale in 1872, and a larger 

 number in 1871 and 1870. This was the produce of 

 native boats and strangers, but not including the French 

 fishing boats ; the French being in the habit of curing 

 their fish on board, and Kinsale not being one of the 

 Irish ports at which, by the Declaration annexed to the 

 Convention of November 11, 1867,^ French fishermen are 

 allowed to land their fish. 



The efforts to establish a regular fishery for pilchards 

 on the Irish coast have not been attended with much 

 success. These fish appear sometimes in very large 

 numbers on the south and south-west of the island, but 

 they are not in more favour with the Irish people than 

 they are genei^ally in England, except in the west, where, 

 as everyone knows, they are in great request in the 

 home market and for exportation to the Mediterranean, 

 An objection to catching pilchards is also made by the 



1 31 & 32 Vict., cap. 45, p. 357. 



