Great Britain Clasd III. Commercial and Economic. 65 



mously extended within comparatively recent years. Many people will be surprised to hear 

 that hardly more than thirty years ago, when trawling was beginning to be systematically 

 carried on in the North Sea, haddocks were caught in such vast numbers that there was 

 hardly any market for them, and the fishermen were ordered to bring only a certain 

 number ashore. Tons of them were then thrown overboard again ; but the plan of smoking 

 these fish was suggested and proved so successful that quite a new industry resulted from it, 

 and now smoked haddock is so abundant that it comes within the reach of almost the poorest 

 of the population. The preservation" in tins of everything which may be roughly included 

 under the head of fish forms another very important industry, especially on the other side 

 of the Atlantic, and large supplies are sent to this country, much of it to be again exported 

 all over the world as well as for consumption on board ship ; and this in addition to the 

 well-known productions of our own manufacturers. The universal demand for fish in some 

 shape, whether fresh or preserved, is constantly increasing; and when it is remembered 

 that really good fish is only found in any abundance in temperate or cool climates, and that 

 comparatively few countries are fortunate enough to possess a favourable coast under such 

 conditions, the advantages of being able to preserve fish in a fit state for food for long 

 periods so as to bear carriage all over the world cannot fail to be properly appreciated. 



In addition to the various kinds of cured or preserved fish, numerous articles coming 

 under the head of fish products deserve some attention. Such are medicinal oils, roes, 

 sounds, gelatine and isinglass. These are for the most part the productions of northern 

 climates, and wherever the cod fishery is carried on with the object of curing the fish, the 

 livers and roes are carefully kept, and form an appreciable item in the results of the fishery. 

 It is a matter of some interest that the success of the sardine fishery in the Bay of Biscay is 

 largely dependent on the fishermen being supplied with plenty of cod-roe. It is used as bait, 

 and after being broken up, the separated grains are plentifully scattered among the nets as 

 they float in the water, and the sardines in their eagerness to obtain this attractive food, 

 find their way into the nets and are caught. Caviare, one of the peculiar products of Russia, 

 is prepared from the roe of various species of sturgeon, and undergoes little preparation 

 beyond salting and pressing; but many examples will be observed among the productions 

 of other countries, especially of Sweden, of the roes of several kinds of sea fish prepared 

 in the same manner as the original Russian caviare. The refuse of fish is utilised to some 

 extent by being converted into manure or fish guano ; and sprats in this country during the 

 height of the special season when these fish are most abundant and the ordinary markets 

 are glutted with them, are sold in thousands of bushels direct from the fishing vessels, and 

 conveyed inland by the neighbouring railways to be thrown on the fields. The different oils 

 obtained from sundry kinds of fish, seals and whales, will attract attention from the many uses 

 to which they are applied, especially for lubrication, and the true fish oils have a special 

 value in the preparation of leather of various kinds. 



Pearls, mother-of-pearl and tortoiseshell being the special productions of warm climateB, 

 are best represented in the exhibits of some of our colonial possessions and countries near the 

 tropics. Ceylon pearls have been famous for centuries, and still take their place in the 

 market, although the supply is small compared with that from the Persian Gulf and a few 

 other localities. The shells of the pearl oyster are represented in various stages of growth and 

 showing the nacreous lining of the same material as that of which the pearl itself is entirely 

 composed. The mother-of-pearl, as this substance is called, is in these oysters too thin and 

 small to be useful for manufacturing purposes, and this beautiful material, so much used for 

 ornamental work, is obtained from a much larger oyster, the shell of which is thick and 

 massive, and whose value depends almost entirely on the shell itself, and not on the small 

 pearls produced in it. A large collection of objects will attract attention from their beauty 

 and the variety of purposes to which the skins of certain kinds of fish and reptiles are 

 applied, notwithstanding their unpromising nature; and much interest will be felt in the 

 beautiful display of coral, tortoiseshell and shell ornaments, and the several methods by 

 which they can be turned to account. 



Returning once more to the large subject of obtaining an abundant supply of fish as an 

 article of food, we find numerous appliances for keeping the fish cool during transport from 

 the sea to the market, and this section deserves careful examination, as the main principle of 



