836 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1804. 



are then, and to the beginning of 

 July, fattest; after which time, the 

 nearer thcyapproacli the coast, the 

 leaner and worse they are. 



It redounds no less to the hononr 

 of tl)c Diitcli tlian to their advan- 

 tajTc, that they pay the utmost pos- 

 sible aUeiition to these rules : ac- 

 cording to which the fish must be 

 taken at the proper season, proper- 

 ly salted, well assorted, and rigiitly 

 packed ; to do all which, the cap- 

 fain and sailors are by several laws 

 obliged to bind themselves by oath, 

 before they sail. There arc also 

 overseers well paid, that they may 

 not betray their trust, but watch 

 and enforce every the minutest re- 

 gulation ; to which circunist^.Tice, 

 Jilso, the pre-eminence of Dutch 

 herrinss throughout the world may 

 pardy be ascribed. 



As soon as the herrings are taken 

 out of the water, they arc thrown 

 either upon the end of the deck, 

 which has been cleared and made 

 ])errec(Iy cleiin for the purpose, or 

 into baskets ; and then (gipped) 

 the gills and guts taken out with a 

 knife, by some of the crew, who 

 are soiely employed therein, having 

 been brought up to that pra6tice. 

 The milt, or roe, however, is al- 

 ways left in the fish,* What are 

 taken during one night, are, before 

 the following sun-set, neatly and 

 Kkilt'tilly laid in oaken barrels, cparse 

 Spanish or Portuguese bay salt being 

 strewed betweey. This the lisher- 

 men of other countries cither entirely 

 neglect, or less carefully perform, 

 being less scrupulonsjy nice: because 

 f hey either go out to sea later, or, 

 like the Scotch, commence fishing 

 too soon ; or only navigate small 

 boats near the coast; do not kill 



the fish with a knife, or gut, salt, 

 or pack them down in a boat, and 

 when fully laden, go on shore, pro- 

 ceed at their leisure, cast the fish on 

 the sea-coast in considerable heaps, 

 where they are even sufi'ered to lie 

 sometimes several days, before they 

 are gutted, salted, and packed, in 

 consequence of which they grow 

 stdc and ferment. The Dutch, on 

 the contrary, indefatigably pursue 

 their method day and night, during 

 twenty, twenty-four, or twenty- 

 six -weeks, be the weatlier what it 

 may.' Hence, their fish are usually 

 more tcjider, better flavoured, and 

 not so very salt as the English and 

 Scotch. 



There are two methods of salting 

 and preserving Iierrings for a con- 

 siderable length of time. The one 

 is called white salting, the other red. 

 The former is thus performed. — Im- 

 mediately on being taken, the fish 

 are gutted, as above described, and 

 washed in clean water ; then salt is 

 sprinkled onthi-.m, cither internally 

 or both witliin and without, and the 

 fish being thrown into large baskets 

 ■with handles, arc will roused (or 

 .shaken about a few times), that the 

 salt may the better diffuse itself, and 

 penetrate : or lastly, which is the 

 best method, they are thrown into 

 a tub filled with strong brine, made 

 with bay salt and fresh water, in 

 which an egg will swim. In this 

 pickle they are left upon deck in 

 the open air, provided the weather 

 be good, during twelve or fifteen 

 hours ; but, if circumstances require, 

 a good deal longer, and are well 

 stirred (especially if pickled on shore) 

 with shovels, several times, that the 

 salt may the better and more gene- 

 rally penetrate every where. Lastly, 



* Mr. M'Cul loch's treatise Cfce note, pn(:!;c S38) says, they should also be kept 

 «l«anlv, and out of the sun, as well as frost or nuu. 



to 



