16 THE IMPORTANCE OF 



and zeal ; and it bids fair to become one of our 

 chief and most permanent sources of prosperity. 

 So rapid has been the increase of the business, 

 that the eagle-eyed friends of retrenchment can 

 scarcely keep pace with its progress, in order to 

 prune off any extravagant allowance which a pros- 

 perous year of fishing might bring to the Inspector 

 General. 



In 1803, Massachusetts passed a law providing 

 for an inspection of fish. In the following year, 

 the number of barrels of mackerel packed in Mas- 

 sachusetts, was 8,079. The number gradually 

 increased until 1808, when after a temporary de- 

 clension, the business extended, and in 1811 the 

 number of barrels packed was upwards of 19,000. 

 The war almost entirely destroyed the business. 

 In 1815 it revived, and the returns of the next 

 year show that 16,000 barrels were packed. In 

 1820, the increase was so rapid that the number of 

 barrels packed amounted to 236,243. This was 

 before the separation of Maine. The number 

 packed in Massachusetts the subsequent year, was 

 111,009, but in 1825 it was again increased to 

 an amount exceeding that of the whole state at the 

 time of the separation, and in 1831 there were 

 packed in this State 348,750 barrels ; and the 

 mere increase from the preceding year, amounted 

 to a greater number than were packed in the sev- 



