44 Of till' Htrr'ivg Fishcri/. 



the net.-!, as also to entice them by the light of the lanterns, 

 of which thev arc fond, and towards which they make. 

 Mr. Spon, in his Travels throngh Italy, makes mention of a 

 similar artifice used by the fisher? on the coast of Dalmatla; 

 they carry lanterns in order to entice the sardines, which arc 

 there in great abundance. 



The nets are very long, consistino; of fiflv or sixtv webs, 

 fortified with narrow net meshes, in order that the herriiig 

 may be entangled bv his gills. The mouth of the net may 

 be fortified with good hemp, or strong Persian silk, as being 

 more durable tlian hemp, being capable of liolding good 

 three years : moreover thev are tanned, or coloured brown 

 with smoke, that they may be the less perceptible by the 

 fish. The nets are thrown out at sun-set, betwixt two 

 busses, which, on account of their size, require much time 

 and labour. Thev arc fastened, and buoyed up with casks 

 to prevent sinkincr, which serve as a distinguishing mark, 

 and also, bv reason of their weight, instead of an anchor. 

 To prevent them from getting entangled in one another, 

 the busses should be so arranged that each mav preserve its 

 nets free. During night the fishes run into the nets spread 

 out for them, and about five or six in the morning thev arc 

 hauled up. This labour will a;ive full employment ibv 

 three hours, as the take is commonly from three to ten 

 lasts, and sometimes even fourteen lasts. The day is taken 

 up in dressing the fish : thev begin the operation by cutting 

 out the gills, as those parts are liable to speedy putrefaction : 

 thev are then put into barrels and salted : all that are taken 

 under five lasts are thus prepared for the market. The 

 overplus, 'which thev call stahcrs, are also gilled, lightly 

 salted, and thrown into boats to be sent ashore after the 

 first salting. The herrings are left on deck throughout the 

 foUowins; night. On the second morning they are pro- 

 perly packed, and the barrels, being filled up, are placed in 

 the hold. In the beginning a part of the take is sent ashore 

 jn the lighters calletl jaagers. When the herrings are fully 

 cured, the buss herself goes towards land, discharges her 

 freight, and lavs in provision for a seccmd expedition. As 

 experience has taught, that herrings cauoht at certain sea- 

 sons keep lonffi^st and are best for use, the time for begin- 

 ning the fishery is fixed bv law. Before the 25th of .Tune, 

 all masters of fishing smacks, previous to their departure 

 from Holland, are bound over not to trespass this ordinance, 

 and at their return are obliged to declare upon oalh, that 

 they have not, by their own deeds or by the ministry of 

 otjiers, contravened the law, Testimouials of this arc given 



to 



