HERRING FISHERIES. 195 



fi&eries of the kingdom in general, I propofe to 

 fpeak hereafter. One circumitance however, re- 

 quires to be mentioned in this place. Though the 

 arrival of the great body of herrings on the coafb of 

 Shetland be certain, and almoft to a day, yet the 

 movements of the leffer bodies or detachments, and 

 their arrival on the ibuthern fhores, are, as before ob- 

 ferved, extremely uncertain. Some years they feern 

 to forfake the coafl almoft entirely ; other years they 

 arrive in fuch quantities as to occupy a fpace of feve- 

 ral miles ; but the time and place afford matters 

 for fpeculation only* During this fufpenfe, a few 

 fmall boats venture out, in all kinds of weather, to 

 explore the (hore -they return unfuccefsful fet out 

 again on the fame defign and an* again unfortunate 

 in having feen no herrings. The towns on the 

 coaft begin to defpair frelh attempts are made 

 with no better fuccefs the fifhermen having loft 

 much time in thefe fruitlefs purfuits, return cha- 

 grined to. their ftarving families, and finally aban- 

 don the bufinefsfor thatfeafon. 



But thefe difappointments of the poor fifhermen 

 are comparatively trivial to the diftrefies of thofc 

 perfofis who have provided a (lock of fait and 

 calks, in the fanguine hope of a fuccefsful fifhing. 

 Great, alfo, is the lofs fuftained by the labouring 

 people, efpecially in feafons of fcarcity, which are 

 frequent in that country. At fuch times, herrings 

 and potatoes would be a'feafonable relief to thou- 

 iands of numerous families, whole joint earnings 

 at the wheel and the loom, do not exceed 6 or j 

 ihillings weekly, upon an average of the whole year. 



Here therefore> the community,, the merchant, and 

 the flate, fuftain a negative lofs, not from natural 

 caufrs, but an ill-judged parfimony by which a few 

 hundred pounds are faved at the cxpencc of tens of 

 thoufands. 



The herrings, though frequently undifcovered by 

 the poor people who paddle along the fhores, con- 



N a tinue 



