Of the Herring Fishery, 1 7 



of the canal j if not, this is done in the store-room, but al- 

 ways as soon as the fish has been delivered, whether fresh 

 or salted. The herrings are poured into vats ; the fresh 

 ones are dressed, the bad ones arc thrown aside : in short, 

 the whole process is the same as that which is used ia 

 France, witli this only difference, that in France women 

 are employed in it, and in Holland men, who, being 

 strojiger, pack up the herrings more close together and 

 more equally. 



Tiieir herrings should be Salter than the French ones, 

 liccause they throw a little white salt between every bed of 

 herrings ; but they use white salt, which, as we have said 

 elsewhere, is thought to be weaker than that of Erou::ge : it 

 is for this reason, and because the herrings c f the North Sea 

 are fat and oily, that some intelligent salters mix some 

 Brouage salt with the v/hite, which makes the Hesh of those 

 herrings firm. Some people find fault with the Dutch her- 

 rings for not being as free from liquor as the French ones : 

 but let them say what they will, the Dutch herrings are of 

 an excellent quality when hale salted and ca 'ed imme- 

 diately after they are taken ; and there are none amone them 

 of two or three nights standing. The while Spani'ih and 

 Portuguese salt they uso makes their herrings appear to 

 advantage : it is true, that such salt gives a certain sharpness 

 to them, but they kno'v how to correct it by adding some 

 Brouage salt. In barrelling, they often make use of apress- 

 ing machine, and it is supposed that tht hrini- which they 

 add after the herrings are barrelled makes them look well, 

 because they use new brine clarified by precipitation, and 

 passed through a sieve. 



Of some Defects particular to JVIiite Herri/ias. 



Such herrings as have been too much cut in the neck, 

 sides, or belly, in dressing, arc considered detective. 



Burnt or msty herring.s are those that are too ;>,uch dried 

 up by the salt, which happens eitiier when new salt or too 

 much salt has been used, or when the herrings are salted 

 soon after spawning. On the contrary, they are soft and 

 flabby when salt has been used too sparin«;ly. '!'his imper- 

 fection, if !t has not gone too far. is reniedied by pulling 

 some strong brine, or a small quantity of larffe saltj into the 

 barrel-, or, if there are but few of them, by making them 

 up together with herrings that have been properly cured. 



There are sonic shoals of herrings of a bad quality, either 

 because thev are near their spawning time, or because they 



Vol. XVm. No. 69. B have 



