THE SCOTCH EAST COAST HERRING FISHING. 35 



that. For some time past the North of Scotland Bank, 

 Limited, has been fully alive to this important industry, 

 and to their credit they have been the means at various 

 centres notably Fraserburgh by their monetary assist- 

 ance to curers, of furthering the development, encouraging 

 its continuance, and of making by its extension a prosperity 

 so plainly discernable. A sufficient compensation is found 

 against the risk in the excellent interest charged by the 

 banks for their accommodations. 



The foreign export trade has now assumed an astonishing 

 magnitude. It is not my intention to write regarding the 

 trade in tinned herrings with Australia, or in red herrings 

 with the Mediterranean countries, both of which are oi 

 considerable importance, but are comparatively insignifi- 

 cant as compared with the export of pickled herrings to 

 Germany and Russia, of which I endeavour to make a 

 few observations of interest. 



In the early part of this century the demand for our 

 herrings in Germany was very limited indeed. For in- 

 stance, up till 1850 the Danzig market was sufficiently 

 supplied with a yearly import of about 10,000 barrels of 

 Scotch herrings. We must remember, however, that 

 Germany was the great emporium of Norwegian herrings, 

 and it was only on the Scotch cure and catch attaining 

 the supremacy over all other herring fisheries that the 

 demand in Germany increased. For, as the demand and 

 favour for Scotch herrings increased, the prices gradually 

 did the same, and to counterbalance which we have ample 

 evidence that the prices and favour for all other kinds 

 of herrings imported gradually decreased in a corresponding 

 ratio. 



There are four great herring centres in Germany, viz. 

 Hamburg, on the Elbe ; Stettin, on the Oder; Danzig, on 



