56 THE FISHERIES. 



Highlands, where the preparations made were on a 

 scanty and insufficient scale, much loss resulted. The 

 urgency was so great, that salt, and empty barrels, 

 were hurried forward by steamers at high freights, 

 in hopes they might arrive in time ; and, on the fish- 

 ing-grounds, fishermen might be seen rowing their 

 boats, over-loaded with fish, and vainly endeavour- 

 ing to efi'ect sales at the curing-houses. The curers 

 refused to accept the cargoes, not having a sufficient 

 stock of salt or barrels, and quantities of the finest 

 fish were, consequently, thrown out as manure ; and 

 finally, although the fish remained abundant on the 

 coast, the operations were brought to a stand-still 

 from the want of markets for an immediate sale of 

 the fish, or the requisite materials for preserving and 

 barrelling them. The proceeds, however as we have 

 already said, amounted to 1,151,979 barrels. 



So confident do the Commissioners of British 

 Fisheries appear to be, that this catch of 1849 

 forms no exceptional case, but that the produce of 

 those fisheries may be regarded as illimitable and 

 inexhaustible, that they have embodied in their Re- 

 port to Parliament a very important document — 

 namely, an application made by them to the Board 

 of Trade to procure for them foreign markets to 

 take off all this increasing produce. Previously to 

 the famine, the export of Scotch herrings to Ireland 

 exceeded that to the whole of Europe put together ; 

 but the Irish market having declined, the Board of 

 Trade is solicited by the Commissioners to obtain 

 for them from Continental Governments some reci- 



