191 



over and above all expenses, besides giving remunerative employment 

 to the men engaged in them. 



The mode by which the fisheries, as a trade, may be placed on a 

 firm basis, is by the establishment of curing stations. The fitting out, 

 and hiring out, deep sea boats, by persons who could exert a local 

 attention, would often prove remunerative. Nets and gear should be- 

 long to the seamen. 



Before forming a fishing establishment in any district, the first point 

 to be ascertained is what sorts of fish principally abound there; for a 

 different kind of boat, gear, and skill, are required for each. It is the 

 want of paying due attention to this point, that has caused so many 

 attempts to improve this branch of industry to prove abortive. See The 

 Deep Sea and Coast Fisheries of Ireland, by W. Brabazon, esq. 8vo, 1848. 



Colonel Solomon Richards, governor of Wexford, in a brief history 

 of the County, written in 1682, attributes the decayed state of that 

 town two-thirds being at that date in ruins to the decline of the 

 herring fishery, 'which was so great, that about the year 1654, there 

 were made, and entered into the custom-house, above 80,000 barrels of 

 herrings, and 'twas thought above 40,000 more were made that were 

 not entered. Which trade is so decayed, that about the yeare 1678, 

 there was not above 200 barrels made in the whole towne, nor is there 

 above 200 made this present year.' 



A vast quantity of cured fish is annually imported into Ireland, 

 although the use of this food may be said to be limited. By the Re- 

 ports of the British Fisheries, there were imported during the years 

 1844 arid 1845, 248,063 barrels of herrings, and 30,559 cwt. of cods, 

 ling, and hake. The value of the former, at a late average price paid 

 by the importer to the curer, would be 17s. per barrel; and of the 

 latter, 12 per ton. According to this calculation, the curers received 

 from this country in two years, for herrings, 210,853; and for cod, 

 ling, and hake, 18,335 making together, 229,188. Therefore, in 

 these items alone, a sum of 114,594, annually, was paid out of Ireland, 

 for food which is abundant on its own shores. This is according to 

 the cost price as paid to the curer; but when the expense of freight, 

 and the profits of importers and traders are added, the consumers have 

 been calculated to pay yearly the sum of about 161,062. 



" Fish heads and bones are carefully preserved in Nordland, Finmark, 

 and in Bergen's Amt, and are boiled down to a soup, of which cows 

 are exceedingly fond. In Bergen's Amt, where more herrings or 

 sprats are caught in any particular spot than there are barrels and salt 

 to preserve, the fish are spitted on sticks, and hung up to dry; they 

 are then generally devoured by the cows, which in many places sub- 

 sist very much on this diet. If fish make a diet nutritive enough for 

 a man, there seems no very good reason why they should not suit a 

 cow, if she can be got to like them. It appears to be the plan here, 

 not to wait until the cattle are starving, before giving them any of 

 those articles in the room of hay or straw, but in all years, good or 

 bad, to give them one or two of these warm feeds, weekly or daily. 

 The animal at first has probably been driven by hunger to such food; 

 but imitation would induce a whole stable of cattle to eat what one 

 appears to relish. It is not likely that substitutes can be brought so 

 far that the horse and his rider will sit down to a beef steak together, 



