DEFENCE OF THE BUSS FISHERY. 367 



fioner of the cuftoms, as will occur to any reader 

 who hath perufed the foregoing fheets. Who pre- 

 vented the bufies from clearing out at an early pe-* 

 riod, by which the fummer fifhery was entirely lo(t ? 

 Who prevented the adventurers from going to Ire- 

 land and the I He of Man, where the herrings were 

 plenty, tho' the Hebride filhery had failed ? 



To lay an embargo, as it were, upon the veflcls, 

 and afterwards to fpeak of the want of fuccefs, as an 

 argument for withdrawing the parliamentary aid, and 

 abolifhing the bufs eftabliftiment, does the doctor 

 no great honour. Confidering thefe circumftances, and 

 the various impediments formerly enumerated, it is 

 a matter of furprize that fo many herrings were taken, 

 and that the bufmefs hath not been totally aban- 

 doned. 



Befides, the quantity of fifh was not the principal 

 motive that induced government to adopt this mode 

 of extending the fifheries. The great object of the 

 bounties was the training a hardy race of fearnen, and 

 that is effected whether the fifhery be fuccefsftil or 

 otherwife, proportioned to the number of veflels fit- 

 ted out. Were fome hundred vefiels to fail from 

 Clyde to Loch-Broom, and from Loch-Broom to the 

 Clyde, without throwing a net, the main view of go- 

 vernment would be gained ; and itill more effectual- 

 ly, if the bulTes had been permitted to make two 

 voyages every year, inftead of keeping them idle in 

 harbours till the firft of Auguft or October. 



The doctor is rather filent on this head in his 

 writings; but I have been well informed that he la- 

 bours, in converfation, to depreciate the importance 

 of the bufs fifhery, confidered as a nurfery of feamen. 

 Though it hath already been my endeavour to (late 

 that matter in a true light, to the conviftion of evety 

 reader who will allow himiclf the free excrciie of his 

 reaibn, I ihall take my leave of the doctor and his 

 logical powers, by dating a few inftances, which, 



were 



