FISHERIES. 
which ‘they have for lightning, and for that luminous Fisheries. 
of a middle size, found the weight of the spawn to 
number of eggs 36,960. 
the heaviest salmon. are found in our large ri 
is LES 
geste 
ii 
g 
it 
cu 
# 
a 
3 
& 
i 
Z 
superior 
flavour to all others: from 650 to $00 fill a barrel. 
Friths of Forth and Tay require about 1000 
Murray Frith, it takes about 
af 
eet 
BE 
J 
been a matter of curious inquiry, how far to 
Ca resmeme sanennmnnnys erate shenienvin our 
shores.. We imagine that Liseupehasel.toueeniibes 
naturalists have mistaken the winter residence of the 
herrings, who say, “they return to their parental 
appearance in the sea, called by fishermen, waterburn. 
Abont the wadsetie or vely fi poonng Seay et the 
great shoal of i seemingly e 5 a 
pears towards the extremity of .the Shetland pigide 
Gulls and gannets, screaming andin flight ; whales and 
porpoises, rising and tumbling in the water, are the 
never failing harbingers of the-approach of this im- 
mense body of fish, forming a surface or extent of se~ 
veral hundred miles. A great rippling in the sea is al- 
so observed ; and sailors and fishermen aver, that they. 
can nose them from afar by their strong oily smell. 
Soon after they come near to Shetland, they separate 
into various large divisions, some taking to the western 
and others to the eastern shores of Great Britain and 
Ireland. A few of these columns likewise cross the 
North Sea, or German Ocean ; and the Swedes, ahout 
1730, discovered a valuable herring fishery near to 
359 
Herring 
fishery. 
Gottenburgh, and which, from its contiguity to the - 
Baltic, them to undersell both the Scotch and 
Dutch, who formerly the whole of that trade. 
From. their first arrival in July, they keep along both 
the east and west coasts.of Scotland, and in October, 
many erratic movements, they fix their residence 
where mean to spawn. In these places they con- 
tinue until the end of February, (sometimes, but rarely, 
longer, pond constitute what we call our winter fishery, 
In rith of Forth, for these several years past, this 
has been a very productive fishery; and during .the 
present winter, 1814-15, the numbers of herrings there 
taken, and ht to the .Edinburgh markets, have 
yielded a most t supply: of nutritious food for 
bourhood. 
nejghbourioed of the inhabitants. of the city and its . 
the states of- Holland became independent, 
(1579, ) the herring fishery was carried on to an amaz- 
ing extent ; indeed the accounts given of it by various 
writers appear at this day almost incredible, although 
they, upon the whole, seem to be well, authenticated. 
Sir Walter Raleigh was of opinion, that the Dutch made 
ten millions per annum of this fishery in his time. The - 
great statesman De Wit, assures us, that in the year 
1667, the Dutch employed no Jess than 2000 busses, 
and that upwards of 800,000 is were subsisted 
in the two provinces of Holland and West Friesland ~ 
alone by the herring fishery. The rise of. the united © 
provinces to their importance 
their being at one time rivals to the English in their 
marine, was entirely attributed to their perseverance 
and success in the herring fishery. The splendour and 
commercial consequence of their towns, sprung also 
from the same source, and it is acknowledged by them- 
selves ‘ that Amsterdam had its foundation on ing 
bones. : 
The wealth, which the herring fishery, at an 
early ht to the Dutch, induced the Scotch 
y into the same concern, and ac- 
great 
iod, 
Kk sori 
to em 
as a nation, and to . 
cordingly it was enacted, “ That certain lords spiritual 4 
and tem 
boats, with nets and other 
cap. 49. ¢ 
ships and. bushes, with all their 
be made in each burgh, in num 
substatice of the burgh, and the least of them to be of 
twenty tunn.” Par. 4. cap. 49. 5 
mapep instant avere genie 2d. Seem ne ae 
blish the Company of the Royal Fishery of E — 
it to be dissolved. , 
This erection was, however, rescinded by an act 
The first bounty for the exportation of herrings, was 
inents,” Jam. III. Par. 6. 
rtinents for fishing. 
liam and Mary, declari 
~ 
r according’ to the 
, and burrows, make ships, bushes, and = - 
This act was confirmed by James IV. “that . 
