1^6 a voyage to the Hehrides. April 4. 



hartour is one of the finest in the Hebrides, about 

 half a mile in length, fhelving from eight to fourteen 

 feet, and from thence to the beach the ground is good 

 sand and clay, mixed. It is capable of containing 

 about fifty sail of all kinds of vefsels. It has an out- 

 let to the east and west, so that fifhers can go out in 

 all seasops. The sea round abounds with cod, 

 ling, and mullet ; herrings are frequent round it, 

 and a considerable quantity of fifh are actually 

 caught here now. Mr Macneal thinks a fifliing sta- 

 tion might be advantageously placed here, and would 

 have no objection to co-operate with the society in 

 establKhing one. Beside the larger fifli and herrings, 

 without the harbour, the harbour itself swarms with 

 a smaller kind of fifh, about the size of haddocks. 

 They are called scythes or whiting pollock, very use- 

 ful for the maintenance of the people. They are often 

 taken in small bag-nets ; and, after taking out the li- 

 vers for their oil, the rest of the filh are carried to 

 the dunghill. Two hundred of them verc taken 

 last night by the cutter's boat ; but the larger filla of 

 the aaine kind carried off all their hooks. Seaforth 

 strongly of opinion a society's filhing station fhould 

 be establifhed here, where a small embankment 

 would suffice for unloading boats, which, with a few 

 houses for holding salt, and huts for the fifliers, and 

 lots of land for farther building round the harbour, 

 would be all the espence the experiment would cost 

 the society. 



A great many sun-fifli or balking fharks are taken in 

 these seas. The liver is oily, and the only part of the fifh 

 that is nude use of. Went to see one which they said is 



