PROTECTION OF DEEP SEA FISHERIES. 343 



given, and much money has been earned in this way. 

 This trade is now nearly extinct, as Closh (as the Dutch- 

 man is termed by our fishermen) is getting wide 

 awake to the value of his fish, owing to the increase of 

 harbours and railways on his coast. The herring fishery, 

 which they commence in June, is their principal fishery. 

 They employ in it nets with a larger mesh than is used 

 by any other country, the consequence being that all the 

 herrings caught are very fine. These are cured on board 

 the vessels as soon as caught, in the manner known as 

 pickling. The gills and gut are removed and the fish being 

 laid in barrels with salt, make their own brine or pickle. 

 There are some restrictive laws still retained in this country 

 as to the landing of herrings before a certain date, with a 

 view to keeping up good prices at the opening of the season. 

 Some of their vessels which belong to ports where there 

 is plenty of water, are somewhat similar in build and rig 

 to our own dandies, but those which belong to places 

 where they are obliged to run ashore on the beach are of a 

 most curious description. They are rather picturesque, being 

 clench built, perfectly flat-bottomed, beam two-thirds of 

 their length, in fact like an oblong box with just the angles 

 and under corners rounded off". It is an impossibility to 

 capsize them in the same way as our vessels, and the 

 only way they have ever been known to do so is by 

 turning stem over stern and going over lengthwise when 

 lifted by strong seas. The smell on board these vessels 

 is almost unbearable to any one not used to it, but it 

 may be accounted for in two ways : one is, that the crews 

 do not do much scrubbing down of decks, cabin, &c. ; and 

 the other that, it is impossible to get the bilge water out 

 of them, as it is spread all over the bottom and does not 

 n to any particular part. They last only about, eight 



