$72 HISTORY OF THE 



The perfons engaged intheHebride and eaft country 

 fifheries feemed totally unacquainted with it. Others 

 alfo who had refided in Shetland differed widely 

 from each other in their reports 3 And evert natives 

 bf Shetland, two of whom were examined before: 

 the committee of the Houfe of Commons, feemed 

 imperfect on that fubjedt The firft perfon exa- 

 mined, faid, he lived on a remote ifland* at a' confi- 

 derable diftance from BrafTa Sound ^ that he was 

 folely engaged in the white fifhery, and could give 

 no account of the herring bufmefs. The fecond per- 

 fon refided at Lerwic> and was more intelligent, but 

 being alfo engaged in the white fifhery, his account 

 of the herring bufmefs fell fliort of my expectations, 

 though I fpent fome hours with him privately on 

 that head. Sdon after, I was feafonably favoured 

 with the following important particulars^ by two 

 different channels ; which, with the informations 

 communicated in the courfe of this work^ lays operi 

 the whole myfbery of the bufmefs as practifed by the 

 Dutch j with fuch benefit to individuals/ and the 

 ftate. 



of a Letter from Lerwic, Capital of the Shetland 

 IJles, March 9, 1785. 



The Dutch buffes, of all nations, are the beftcori- 

 ftrucled for the herring fifhery in the open fea, as 

 they are long round veffels, with a waifte about 30 

 inches high, which not only makes them warm and 

 comfortable, but fafe for the fimermen, while em- 

 ployed in gutting and curing the herrings. A pro- 

 per yeffel for the herring fifhing on the coafl of Shet- 

 land, in fummer, if new, fhould not eoft,* with her 

 new cafks and every other fifhing implement, under 

 loooL of which the nets cofl a very large iliare. 

 The lize of the Dutch veffels run from 50 to 70 tons. 

 They have what is called a fleet of 50 nets to each 

 bufs. The nets, -when fining or made faft to the 

 rope to which they are fixed, meafure about o fa^ 

 thorns long, and 7! deep. What they call the bufs 



rope, 



