286 EXTRACTS FROM NOTE-BOOKS. CH. XXXVII. 



entangle, but run out with as great certainty and 

 ease as a ship's cable. 



The haddock-fishing on the coast is carried on in 

 smaller boats than the herring-fishing ; each boat 

 has, however, more hands on board, partly for the 

 sake of rowing, and partly of working these long 

 lines, or " shooting " them, as it is called. 



The boats frequently run forty or fifty miles to 

 set their haddock and cod lines ; going from Nairn 

 and the adjacent fishing villages over to Wick, 

 where they are almost always sure of a plentiful 

 supply of fish. 



Trawling for flat fish has not yet been tried to 

 any extent, but I have no doubt that it would be a 

 most profitable and useful speculation. At present 

 we get no soles, but occasionally some turbot are 

 caught : for these, however, the demand is confined 

 to a few of the neighbouring gentry; and, conse- 

 quently, this kind of fishing is not much practised. 

 A boat's crew does occasionally go out to fish for 

 turbot, using a very simple and small kind of hang- 

 net, and generally brings home a good supply. 



Looking at the state of British sea-fisheries in 

 general, it appears to me undeniable that the ad- 

 vantage derived from this great and inexhaustible 

 source of wealth is as nothing compared to what it 

 might and ought to be. It is true that of late 



