84 . PILCHARD. 



foreign market. The use of seans is probably of great antiquity, 

 and is spoken of by Carew as well known at the conclusion 

 of the seventeenth century; and from the MS. accounts of the 

 merchant Treville, at that date it appears that the fish exported 

 to France and Italy was obtained chiefly if not solely by using 

 them. But there is reason to believe that under the name 

 of scan a different sort of net was employed from that which 

 now bears the name. Thus, in a map contained in Norden's 

 work, "Speculi Britannia Pars," A. D. 1728, two ground seans 

 are represented in operation, one enclosing the other, and with 

 one end of the outer sean held by a man who stands on the 

 land, while the landward end of the enclosed sean is held by 

 one who is a short way in the water. The further end of 

 each net was termed the pole end, from a pole which kept 

 it upright or spread out; but this is no longer used, although 

 the name is still continued for the sean of much larger size 

 and otherwise formed now in use. These distant ends are 

 shewn in the plate as drawn along by two boats, one a little 

 in advance of the other, and each of them managed by a 

 couple of men; while two other boats are within the curve 

 formed by the seans, as if directing the proceeding, and 

 perhaps keeping back the fish, that they might not escape by 

 the only opening, until the whole is safely drawn to the land. 

 The importance of employing two concentric seans will be 

 seen when we know that the meshes were wide enough to 

 allow the escape of large numbers of the fish; and it was not 

 until the year 1605 (at the beginning of the reign of James 

 the First) that a mesh was rendered legal, termed the 

 Dungarvon Mesh, which should be sufficiently small to retain 

 all the fish, and yet prevent any of them from becoming 

 entangled in the mesh; which latter circumstance, if it were 

 to happen, would be destructive of the whole adventure. 



In the former mode of fishing here referred to, it appears 

 that the fish were drawn on shore at the nearest beach, which 

 must often be on the land on which neither the fishermen 

 nor the purchasers of the fish had a right to intrude, and 

 much quarreling was likely to be the result; to obviate which, 

 in the year previous to the date above given an act was 

 passed which made it lawful for Balkers, Condors, Huers, 

 and other fishermen, in pursuance of their calling, to go upon 



