176 HISTORY OF THE 



but very unequal to the wants of 20,000 inhabi- 

 tants, who in bad feafons experience all the diftref- 

 fes of poverty, and famine. Nature^ however> hath 

 been more liberal to their- fhores, not only in 

 herrings, but in various fpecies of white fifh, 

 the conftant attendants of the herrings in their an- 

 nual migrations from north to fouth. 



The principle town on thefe iflands is called 

 Lerwic, .fituated upon a narrow channel of the 

 mainland, called BraiTa Sound. Here the Dutch 

 and other foreigners refort to the fifheries at the 

 appointed feafons, when Lerwic hath all the ap- 

 pearance of a continued market or fair. 



We have, in the annals of Scotland, traced the 

 origin of the Dutch fifheries on the fhores of that 

 kingdom, which have proved fo beneficial to the 

 latter, that the relation thereof would be confidered 

 as fabulous or chimerical, were it not fully authen- 

 ticated by the joint teflimony of Dutch and Britifh 

 writers, as well as by the ftatutes and archives of 

 both countries. 



Sir Walter Raleigh relates, That, in 1603, the 

 Dutch .fold to different nations as many herrings as 

 amounted to 1,759,000!. That, in 1615, they at 

 once fent out 2000 buries, and employed in them 

 37,000 filhermen. That, in 1618, they fent out 

 3000 bufles, with 50,000 men, to take the herrings, 

 and 9000 more veflels to tranfport and fell the 

 fifli; which, by fea and land, employed 150,000 

 men, befides thofe firft-mentioned. All this wealth 

 fays he, was gotten on our coafts ; while our atten- 

 tion was taken up in a diftant whale fifhery. 



Sir William Monfon, after taking a review of the 

 great commerce carried on by the Dutch, in various 

 parts of the world, which he afcribes chiefly to their 

 fifheries, proceeds thus > <c There needs no repetition 

 of any former relation ; for truth has fpoke it, which 

 is fo glorious of hcrfelf, that it needs no fhade to 

 give it better glofs : in what follows I will demon- 



ftrate 



