78 THE UNAPPRECIATED FISHER FOLK. 
sketchy and unfilled up, as it may appear ; the building of 
new boats, and the repair of those now in use, the weaving 
of nets and the manufacture of sails afford remunerative 
labour to hundreds of persons. The bringing of salt and 
barrel-wood to the curing stations, and the exporting of the 
fish to foreign places, also affords employment to those en- 
gaged in that line of business. Nor is the money earned by 
our fisherman hid away in a napkin; it is at once put in 
circulation, and all manner of tradespeople feel the benefit 
thereof, the owners of their cottages and houses,—many of 
these, and we regret to have to state the fact, being ina 
most unsanitary condition—derive their rent, whilst the 
baker, the butcher, and the clothier, find their tills swelled 
by the money of the fisher-folks. There are few, indeed, 
who do not directly, or indirectly, derive some benefit from 
the “ Harvest of the Sea.” 
In penning these remarks we have no idea of going 
against the usual dictates of political economy. We know 
that men are not “forced to fish” against their wills. But, 
as has been shown, many of these men know no better, 
having been born to the business—never in fact having had 
an opportunity of trying their fortunes at another trade. 
It has been asserted by public writers and economists that, 
fish being so dear, fishermen must earn a great deal of 
money ; but that reasoning does not avail with those who 
are behind the scenes. It is too often but a very scanty 
share of the price which the public pay for the produce of 
the sea that actually falls to the share of the fishermen, 
who incur all the dangers incidental to its capture. Still 
the public are the gainers; they derive a large amount of 
wholesome food from the unfathomed caves of ocean, the 
sale of which helps in some degree to keep down the price 
of butchers’ meat. And to some extent the fishing interest 
