166 BRITISH IND US TRIES. 



or, properly speaking, the Board of British White 

 Herring Fishery. This mode of cure, now, I believe, 

 entirely confined to Scotland, is required by Act of 

 Parliament to be carried out under inspection ; and if 

 the result of the cure come up to a certain standard 

 of excellence, the curers can have, on payment of four- 

 pence per barrel, a Government brand placed on each 

 barrel so approved. The branding is quite optional on 

 the part of the curer; but in either case the curing 

 must be open to inspection, and barrels of a particular 

 size must be used for packing the fish in. It is one of 

 the anomalies of the system, however, that although 

 it is absolutely forbidden to use barrels of other than 

 a certain size, there is not the slightest restriction as to 

 the quality or condition of the fish to be packed in the 

 barrel, so long as the Government brand is not desired 

 for it. Any refuse fish may be cured and packed, but 

 the barrel must be of a certain size. There are four 

 distinct brands in common use, denoting the quality 

 and description of fish cured; but the Crown Full 

 brand, given only to " full " fish properly cured, is the 

 one mainly in request. The advantages and disad- 

 vantages of the branding system have been often 

 discussed, and I need say nothing more on the well- 

 worn subject, except that it appears to greatly facilitate 

 the sale of " white herrings " in the Continental mar- 

 kets, where there is always a large demand for fish 

 cured in this manner. On the other hand, a Govern- 

 ment certificate of the quality of any particular article 

 of commerce is opposed to the policy of free trade now 

 adopted in this country. Branding is, however, in 



