HERRING FISHERIES. 215 



There was alfo an inland fifhery on this fide 

 the Mull of Cantire, promifcuoufly called die Clyde, 

 or Lochfine fifhery, becaufe thefe copious waters 

 communicate with each other, and with fundry in- 

 ferior lakes, as Loch Long, Loch Strevan, Gare 

 Loch, the Hele Loch ; the whole being the occa- 

 fional refort of fmall detachments of the herrings 

 from the main body in their fouthern courfe. 



This inland fifhery was chiefly carried on by the in- 

 habitants of Glafgow, t)unbarton and Airfhire, till the 

 reign of Charles II. when the royal Britifh company, 

 of which the king was a partner, built a large houfe 

 and cellars at the bay of St. Lawrence, now called 

 Greenock, fituated 22 miles below Glafgow, which 

 they made the feat of their trade and exports. 

 When the company diflblved in 1684, their build- 

 ings at Greenock were purchafed at public fale by 

 the magiftrates and town council of Glafgow, who 

 were profecuting the Clyde fifheries with great 

 fpirit and perfeverance, by boats built after the man- 

 ner of little galleys : each boat had four men, and 

 twenty-four nets, every net being fix fathoms long, 

 and one and a half in breadth, which nets being joined 

 together, made a confiderable length for fuch narrow 

 waters. Of thefe boats 900 were frequently em- 

 ployed. The fifhing began on the 25th of July, when 

 the herrings were obferved to come from the fea, and 

 continued till the 25th of December. The boats or 

 draves, being under no reftridions whatever, generally 

 made three fifhings in the feafon. A part of the her- 

 rings were fold to the inhabitants, fome were made 

 into red herrings ; but the greateft quantity was ex- 

 ported to different parts of Europe, particularly to 

 France, the antient ally of the Scottifh nation. In 

 1674, there were exported to Rochelle 1700 Lifts, or 

 20,400 barrels; befides confiderable exports to other 

 towns in France, to Sweden, Dantzick, and different 

 parts of the Baltic. One Gibfon, a merchant at Glaf- 

 gow, cured and packed in one year 3600 barrels, 



o 4 which 



