ENGLISH HERRING FISHERIES. 



after fhooting the nets, they heave the warp by the 

 capftern, and thus draw the net to the verlel, and if 

 few or no fifh are perceived, they wear the net out 

 again and drive two hours longer; the fame is 

 repeated till morning, unlefs they get their quantity 

 of fifh fooner; or unlefs the dog-fifh ihould rife, in 

 which cafe they draw their nets in as quick as pofii- 

 ble, fet one mail and one fail, and go about a 

 mile or two from this deflroyer of nets, by whom 

 50!. or upwards is fometimes loft in one night. 



Rough weather, if not a mere hurricane, is pre- 

 ferred by the Yarmouth fifliers, which gives them an 

 advantage over the Dutch, who decline the bufmefs 

 when the fea is greatly agitated. 



Each veflel is furnifhed with an apartment called 

 a well, into which the fifli are conveyed by a fort of 

 machine, as foon as they are difengaged from the 

 nets. The bottom of the well is full of holts, 

 through which the blood and water runs out, and is 

 pumped overboard. 



There are two apartments called wings, one on 

 each fide of the well, into which the men throw the 

 herrings with fcoops ; 'a third throws in the fait, 

 while a fourth and fifth man throws up the herrings 

 to the furtheft part of the wings. 



By this means the herrings are preferved, until the 

 veiTel hath got in 10 or 12 lads, when fhe returns to 

 Yarmouth road, fends the Hfh afhore in fmall boats, 

 from whence they are carted to the fifli-houfe. Here 

 they are faked on the floor, in which ftate they lie 

 t\vo days ; they are then walhed in large vats of frefh 

 water, put on the fpits, and dried with many tires of 

 billet- wood. If the herrings are intended for ex- 

 portation, they are kept in this ftate from four to fix 

 weeks, when they are packed in cafks of 3^ gallons ; 

 cadi cafk containing 1000 herrings. One laft of 

 fait cures three laft of herrings. A bounty or draw- 

 back of 7^. per cent, is allowed on account of bar- 

 rels, 



