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smacks, while most of the cod vessels from Greenwich, 

 Harwich, and also from Holland, trade here regularly during 

 the long-line season. The population of Grimsby has during 

 the same period increased from 10,000 to about 40,000. 



This great development of the line-fishing at Grimsby 

 has not been without its effect on the other fishing towns 

 which I have named. Barking and some of the other places 

 referred to have retired from the trade altogether, and 

 Greenwich and Harwich are now the only other places from 

 which cod vessels take part in the line-fishing, and that only 

 to a small extent. 



A number of yawls or luggers from Filey, Scarborough, 

 Hartlepool, and the Tyne, engage in deep sea lining during 

 the spring of the year, but they are not vessels with wells, 

 and can only be said to be partly engaged in the trade. 



A cod smack is a fore-and-aft dandy rigged vessel, with 

 foremast and mizen-mast. Those built of late years vary 

 from seventy to eighty- five tons, and we have some of 

 over 1 20 tons register. The usual dimensions are sixty- 

 five to seventy feet length of keel, twenty to twenty-one feet 

 beam, and eleven feet to eleven feet six inches depth amid- 

 ships ; in ordinary ballast trim they draw about eleven feet 

 of water aft, and from seven to seven and a half feet forward. 

 They are as a rule fast sailers, and their seagoing qualities 

 cannot be surpassed. I make no doubt that Christopher 

 Columbus and Captain Cook would have rejoiced to have 

 had such vessels for their expeditions. They are built 

 principally of oak, and fitted with cabin and forcastle ; 

 the master and five men occupy the cabin, and four to six 

 boys the forecastle. 



In the centre of the vessel a space of nearly one third of 

 the length of the keel is set apart for the well; this is 

 divided off by strong bulkheads, or well-heads as they are 



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