BRITISH, COLONIAL AND OTHER CORRESPONDENCE, ETC. 369 



9. It is only at the cruising period that purse-seines can be used 

 with effect. A description of the method of using these seines is 

 attached. 



10. Gill-nets can also be used at this period, but the herring have 

 to be followed about, which entails immense labour, weighing nets 

 and moorings in deep water, besides covering the long distances from 

 arm to arm. 



It is in the art of setting these nets that the Newfoundlanders 

 excel ; if the nets are not set skilfully they are useless. They are set 

 in fleets of two nets, each net varying from 16 to 22 fathoms in length 

 and from 8 to 10 fathoms in depth, the head ropes being sunk at a 

 depth below the surface of as much as 50 fathoms (in day time) and 

 the moorings being in 80 to 100 fathoms or more. At night time, 

 when the herring swim high, the nets may be only 2 fathoms below 

 the surface. These nets cost about $30 in the States, tarred and fitted, 

 in addition to which price the Newfoundland fisherman has to pay 

 20 per cent, duty and the carriage, which probably brings their cost 

 nearer $40 to him. All Newfoundland herring fishermen seem to 

 get their nets from the States, in spite of the duty, as they are of 

 such excellent quality. 



11. There are three ways in which a man may earn money at this 

 fishery. He may work for himself, selling his catch to local British 

 buyers (the more prosperous men using their own schooners, their 

 own boats, and barrelling their own herring) ; or he may hire himself 

 to an American schooner ; or he may hire himself to a British (i. e., 

 Canadian or Newfoundland) schooner. 



Under the first method a man may make $100 dollars in the season 

 (October, November, December, and the first few days of January) 

 by selling to the Atlantic Fish Company, a Canadian concern, or to 

 the Ilarlaw, a steamer owned in Canada ; or to the two local traders 

 who own or charter a schooner or schooners respectively and export 

 to the Gloucester market. 



Under the second method he may make as much as $200, although 

 naturally under a system of paying so much ($1.25 is the minimum) 

 per barrel actually put on board, some men make more than others, 

 either by working harder or by having more skill or more luck. 



Using the third method the earnings are probably less than under 

 the second, as it is mostly the ablest men who ship with the Ameri- 

 cans. 



It is a marvel to me how the men do the work at all in the sort 

 of weather one gets on the west coast of Newfoundland in the winter ; 

 blow high or blow low, it makes no difference to them, in hail, sleet, 

 frost, or snow they fish steadily on as if they were not made of flesh 

 and blood. Ice does not daunt them, if they cannot break it up they 

 make holes in it and shove their nets down through and fish that 

 way. Truly they are hardy folk, and deserve every cent they get. 

 I have seen fishing in Iceland, fishing in the North Sea, and in many 

 other parts of the world, but if I had a grudge against a man I should 

 send him to fish for herring in the Bay of Islands about Handsel- 

 Monday. 



12. The weather this season was rather milder and slightly less 

 boisterous than usual up to the end of November, though the freezing 

 over of the upper portions of the Goose and Penguin Arms so early 



