46 Of the llerruig Fishcnj, 



and Ireland, being of an inferior quality, are less ilt for 

 preservation or satting; for which reason it i.s forbidden by 

 an ordinance, dated FfiSO, to take any herrings at the fore- 

 mentioned places. -Among the regulations that have been 

 made for the support of the herring fishery, the following 

 are the principal ones. 



The appoinUnent of a hearmeester, or overseer, at all 

 the landing places where herrings are brought in, to talce 

 strict care that the herrings should get a second salting and 

 packing : to him is also intrusted the inspection of the salt 

 and coopers' work, or barrels in which they are packed. 

 Their province is in a special manner to prevent foreign 

 herrings beli^g mixed with our own (in case any foreign 

 cargoes arrive), and to have the barrel branded with such 

 marks as may prevent a mistake on this head, that our 

 trade may not suQer from the quality of such fish. 



2dly.— He is to take care that all damaged herrings or of 

 bad quality, e. g. such as take sick after having cast their 

 fry, or on the eve of doing it, in a word, unmerchiuitable,- 

 be thrown aside in tlie packing, lest sucli bad fish corrupt 

 the sound, or give them a bad flavour. That, moreover, 

 tire fish be properly salted and packed. — sdly. That the 

 masters and crew of one buss do not put any hindraiice in 

 the w^ay of another. In case they w ere unlucky, or could 

 not succeed where they had cast nets, they must not re- 

 move to the ground of others to disturb their operations, 

 nor diunage their nets, boats, or other implements : in case 

 they do, ihev nmst make good the damage. No buss cm- 

 plovcd in the fisherv can be sold to foreigners, or hired out 

 to them for the purposes of fishing. 4thly. — That the said 

 ovcrSeer do inspect all the barrels liefore they are taken on 

 board tlie busses, reject sucl^ as sh;dl appear unfit, and 

 mark such as he approves with the name of the cooper, and 

 his place of residence ; after having examined the quality 

 of the timber, construction, hoops, ifcc. i!cc. 5liily. — He 

 shall not sutler anv buss out on the fishery before the 24th 

 of June, and he sliall require a declaration upon oath, be- 

 fore ,anv of thi; herrings are landed, that there are none 

 abroad taken before that period. 



Gthlv. — He must take care that in salting herrings a di- 

 stinction should be made. Thus, for example, tlie herrings 

 taken between St. John's and St. James's day shall be 

 salted with coarse and chosen salt. Those taken from St. 

 James's day to the 14th of September nuist be packed up 

 with the best fine sah. No herrings can be packed except 

 such as are taken from the 1 ith of Julv to the 1st of Janu- 



