FISHERY. 



discovered. As this great shoal passes be- 

 tween the shores of Greenland and the 

 North Cape, it is necessarily probably con- 

 fined, and as it reaches the extremities of 

 Great Britain, is divided into two parts. 

 For we find one part of the herring 1 steer- 

 ing west, or south-west, and leaving the 

 islands of Shetland and Orkney to the left, 

 pass on towards Ireland, where, being in- 

 terrupted a second time, some keeping 

 the shore of Britain, pass away south, 

 down St. George's channel; while the 

 other part, edging off to the south-west, 

 coast the western ocean, till they reach 

 the south shore of Ireland, and then steer- 

 ing south-east, join the rest in St. George's 

 channel. The other part of the first divi- 

 sion made in the north, parting a little to 

 the east and south-east, pass by Shetland, 

 and then make the point of Buchan-ness, 

 and the coast of Aberdeen, filling, as they 

 go, all the bays, firths, creeks, &c. with 

 their innumerable multitudes. Hence 

 they proceed forward, pass by Dunbar, 

 and rounding the high shores of St. Ab- 

 be's Head and Berwick, are seen again 

 off Scarborough ; and even then not di- 

 minished in bulk, till they come to Yar- 

 mouth-Roads, and from thence to the 

 mouth of the Thames, after which, pass- 

 ing down the British channel, they seem 

 to be lost in the Western Ocean. 



The vast advantage of this fishery to our 

 nation is very obvious, when we consider 

 that, though herrings are found upon the 

 shores of North America, they are never 

 seen there in such quantities as with us, 

 and that they are not to be met with in 

 considerable numbers in any of the south- 

 ern kingdoms of Europe, as Spain, Por- 

 tugal, or the southern parts of France ; on 

 the side of the ocean, or in the Mediterra- 

 nean, or on the coast of Africa. There are 

 two seasons for fishing herring, the first 

 from June to the end of August, and the 

 second in autumn, when the fogs become 

 very favourable for this kind of fishing. 

 The Dutch begin their herring-fishing on 

 the 24th of June, and employ no less 

 than 2000 vessels therein, called busses, 

 being between 45 and 60 tons burden, 

 and carrying three or four small cannon. 

 They never stir out of port without a con- 

 voy, unless there be enough together to 

 make about 18 or 20 cannon among them, 

 in which case they are allowed to go in 

 company. Before they go out, they 

 make a verbal agreement, which has the 

 same force as if it were in writing. The 

 regulations of the admiralty of Holland 

 are partly followed by the French, and 

 other nations, and partly improved and 



augmented with new ones, as, that no 

 fisher shall cast his net within a hundred 

 fathoms of another boat .- that while the 

 nets are cast, a light shall be kept on the 

 hind part of the vessel: that when a 

 boat is obliged to leave oft' fishing, the 

 light shall be cast into the sea : that whe;i 

 the greater part of a fleet leaves off fish- 

 ing and casts anchor, the rest shall do the 

 same, &c. By the late act of parliament 

 in Great Britain, the regulations are, that 

 every vessel entitled to the bounty must 

 carry twelve Winchester bushels of salt 

 in new barrels, for every last of fish such 

 vessel is capable of holding; and as many 

 more new barrels as such vessels can 

 carry, and two fleets of tanned nets ; that 

 is, a vessel of seventy tons shall carry 

 one fleet of 50 nets, each net to be 30 

 yards full upon its rope, and seven fa- 

 thoms deep ; and so in proportion for 

 greater or smaller vessels ; and be pro- 

 vided with one other fleet of 50 like nets, 

 on board a tender, or left on shore in a 

 proper place, for the use of the said ves- 

 sel, &c. 



There is nothing particular in the mun- 

 ner of fishing. The nets wherein the fish 

 are drawn should regularly have their 

 meshes an inch square, to let all the lesser 

 fry go through. 



Curing and preparing herring. The com- 

 merce of herring, both white or pickled, 

 and red, is very considerable. The white 

 Dutch herrings are the most esteemed, 

 being distinguished into four sorts, accord- 

 ing to their sizes ; and the best are those 

 that are fat, fleshy, firm, and white, salt- 

 ed the same day they are taken with good 

 salt, and well barrelled. The British her- 

 rings are little inferior, if not equal, to 

 the Dutch ; for in spite of all their en- 

 deavours to conceal the secret, their me- 

 thod of curing, lasting, or casking the 

 herrings, has been discovered, and is as 

 follows: After they have hauled in their 

 nets, which they drag in the sterns of 

 their vessels backward and forwards in 

 traversing the coast, they throw them up- 

 on the .ship's deck, which is cleared of 

 every thing for that jaurpose ; the crew is 

 separated into sundry divisions, and each 

 division has a peculiar task : one part 

 opens and guts the herrings, leaving the 

 melts and roes : another cures and salts 

 them, by lining or rubbing their inside 

 with salt : the next picks them, and be- . 

 tween each row and division they sprinkle 

 handfuls of salt ; lastly, the cooper puts 

 the finishing hand to all, by heading the 

 casks very tight, and stowing them in the 

 hold. It is customary with us to wash 



