64 THE FISHERIES. 



fish is poured in, the bulk of it is on board a steamer 

 in three hours afterwards on its way to Liverpool, 

 Not to waste time in details, those fish next day are 

 exposed for sale in Manchester, Birmingham, and 

 other inland towns, " bleeding fresh," to use a mar- 

 ket phrase, in which state the commercial value is 

 greatest, and thus the most remunerating price is 

 obtained. Such is Howth, and such are its natural 

 advantages. No town in Great Britain, neither 

 Yarmouth, nor Wick, nor Stornoway, nor Helms- 

 dale, nor any other fishing locality, in situation or 

 natural advantages will be found to surpasss Howth 

 in all the requirements of a great fishing-station. 



There are about 150 resident fishermen in the 

 town — a hardy and stal worth race of industrious 

 men; they occupy their time in the long line fishery, 

 and when not fishing, prepare their hooks and lines. 

 There is not a net in the town, nor has there been a 

 net made in it these forty years. 



We shall now take a view of another of our fish- 

 ing-stations — we mean Ardglass ; but we may here 

 cursorily observe, that our whole coast, at intervals 

 of a few miles, is thickly studded with well-circum- 

 stanced fishing-villages, containing each an industri- 

 ous though distressed population, who are compelled, 

 like Tantalus, to see abundant store spread out be- 

 side them, although beyond their reach. Several 

 years ago, before famine or potato-rot, we had an 

 opportunity of witnessing the neglected and dilapi- 

 dated state of the locality we have just mentioned — 



