FISHERIES AND THEIR PRODUCE. 31 



only four barrels of sea-sticks, or herrings 

 cured at sea, each of which, in bounties alone, 

 cost the government 113. 155., and each bar- 

 rel of mercantile herrings cost 159. 7s. 6d. 

 Adam Smith, who records the fact, gives the 

 explanation thus, namely, that the bounty 

 being given to the vessels and not to the fish, 

 ships were equipped to catch the bounty and 

 not the herrings. 



In the reign of George in., (1786,) a different 

 regulation was appointed by act of parliament ; 

 a bounty of 4s. per barrel was given on fish, 

 the tonnage bounty was reduced to 20s., limit- 

 ing the whole payment to 30s. per ton, except- 

 ing when more than three barrels per ton were 

 taken, in which case Is. per barrel was given 

 on the excess. We learn that, on " an average 

 of ten years, 54,394 barrels were annually 

 taken, at a cost to the government, (or rather 

 the nation,) of about 7s. 6d. per barrel." 



In 1808, the bounty was again raised to 60s. 

 per ton, on decked vessels of not less than sixty 

 tons' burden, employed in the deep sea herring 

 fishery, with an additional bounty of 20s. per 

 ton to the first thirty vessels which should be 

 entered the first year. Besides this, a sum of 

 3,000 was granted in premium for boats of 

 not less than fifteen tons' burden. Various 



