ON THE ECONOMICAL USES OF FISHES. 173 



not merely British, but even Dutcli and French 

 fishermen, bringing fresh fish, such as cod for in- 

 stance, from a distance of many hundred miles, as 

 from the coasts of Scotland, and even from Nor- 

 way. 



From the class of fishes are procured not only 

 articles of food within the reach even of the poorest, 

 but luxuries and delicacies to be seen only at the 

 tables of the rich, although few would now-a-days 

 be inclined to go the length of some Roman epi- 

 cures, who are known to have given upwards of 

 £80 for a single fish, one too of no great size, and 

 held in light esteem at the present day. Besides 

 these, isinglass or fish glue, as well as the caviare 

 of commerce, are both obtained from the sturgeon, 

 and a kind of shagreen is prepared from several 

 fishes of the shark family. The scales of some 

 species are used in the manufacture of artificial 

 pearls, and excellent oil is got from the liver of 

 many others. Fishes are sometimes used by the 

 farmer as manure, but only when very abundant, 

 and besides, those which are generally employed for 

 this purpose, are from their small size unfit for food, 

 and would otherwise be useless. Lastly, among the 

 economical uses of fishes it will be proper to include 

 the pleasure afibrded by angling, although both Dr. 

 Johnson and Lord Byron have denounced this pur- 

 suit as at once absurd and cruel, and would fain 

 condemn all its votaries from the days of Isaac Wal- 

 ton downwards, as at best but cold-blooded mortals, 

 devoid of the better feelings of our nature. Yet it 



