634 



A HISTORY OF 



are fixed at the first end of the line, and one 

 more at each end of each man's lines ; in all, 

 four anchors, and four buoys made of leather 

 or cork. The line is always laid across the 

 current. The tides of flood and ebb continue 

 an equal time upon our coast; and, when un- 

 disturbed by winds, run each way about six 

 hmir.s. They are so rapid that the fishermen 

 can only shoot and haul their lines at the turn 

 of the tide ; and therefore the lines always 

 remain upon the ground about six hours. 

 The same rapidity of tide prevents their using 

 hand-lines ; and, therefore, two of the people 

 commonly wrap themselves in the sail and 

 sleep, while the other keeps a strict look-out, 

 for fear of being run down by ships, and to 

 observe the weather : for storms often rise so 

 suddenly, that it is sometimes with extreme 

 difficulty they escape to the shore, though they 

 leave their lines behind them. 



" The coble is twenty feet six inches long, 

 and five feet extreme breadth. It is about one 

 ton burden, rowed with three pair of oars, and 

 admirably constructed for the purpose of 

 encountering a mountainous sea. They hoist 

 sail when the wind suits. 



" The five-men-boat is forty feet long, fifteen 

 broad, and twenty-five tons burden. It is so 

 called, though navigated by six men and a 

 boy ; because one of the men is hired to cook, 

 and does not share in the profits with the other 

 five. All our able fishermen go in these boats 

 to the herring fishery at Yarmouth, the latter 

 end of September, and return about the mid- 

 dle of November. The boats are then laid up 

 until the beginning of Lent, at which time 

 they go offin them to the edge of the Dogger, 

 and other places, to fish for turbot, cod, ling, 

 skate, &r. They always take two cobles on 

 board, and when they come upon their ground, 

 anchor the boat, throw out the cobles, and fish 

 in the same manner as those do who go from 

 the shore in a coble ; with this difference only, 

 that here each man is provided with double 

 the quantity of lines, and, instead of waiting 

 the return of the tide in the coble, return to 

 the boat, and bait their other lines ; thus haul- 

 ing one set and shooting another, every turn 

 of tide. They commonly run into the harbour j 

 twice a week, to deliver their fish. The five- j 

 men-boat is decked at each end, but open in 

 the middle, and has two long sails. 



" The best bait for all kinds offish, is fresh 



herring cut in pieces of a proper size ; and, 

 notwithstanding what has been said to the 

 contrary, they are taken there at any time in 

 the winter, and all the spring, win-never the 

 fishermen put down their nets for that pur- 

 pose : the five-men-boats always take some 

 nets for that end. Next to herrings are the 

 lesser lampreys, which come all winter by 

 land carriage from Tadcaster. The next 

 baits in esteem are small haddocks cut in 

 pieces, sand-worms, muscles, and limpets ; 

 and, lastly, when none of these can be found, 

 they use bullock's liver. The hooks used 

 there are much smaller than those employed 

 at Iceland and Newfoundland. Experience 

 has shown that the larger fish will take a liv- 

 ing small one upon the hook, sooner than any 

 bait that can be put on ; therefore they use 

 such as the fish can swallow. The hooks are 

 two inches and a half long in the shank ; and 

 near an inch wide between the shank and the 

 point. The line is made of small cording, 

 and is always tanned before it is used. All 

 the rays and turbots are extremely delicate in 

 their choice of baits : if a piece of herring or 

 haddock has been twelve hours out of the 

 sea, and then used as a bait, they will not 

 touch it." 



Such is the manner of fishing for those fish 

 that usually keep near the bottom on the 

 coasts of England ; and Duhamel observes, 

 that the best weather for succeeding, is a half- 

 calm, when the waves are just curled with a 

 silent breeze. 



But this extent of line, which runs, as we 

 have seen, three miles along the bottom, is 

 nothing to what the Italians throw out in the 

 Mediterranean. Their fishing is carried on in 

 a tartan, which is a vessel much larger than 

 ours ; and they bait a line of no less than 

 twenty miles long, with above ten or twelve 

 thousand hooks. This line is called the para- 

 sina : and the fishing goes by that of the pitla- 

 go. This line is not regularly drawn every 

 six hours, as with us, but remains for some 

 time in the sea, and it requires the space of 

 twenty-four hours to take it up. By this 

 apparatus they take rays, sharks, and other 

 fish ; some of which are above a thousand 

 pound weight. When they have caught any 

 of this magnitude, they strike them through 

 with a harpoon to bring them on board, and 

 kill them as fast as they can. 



