200 BRITISH INDUSTRIES. 



quantity of ice imported for the purpose of packing the 

 fish in was 3157 tons. The mackerel are placed with 

 layers of broken ice in boxes holding a " hundred " of 

 fish each, which, in the case of mackerel, is equal to six 

 score, or 120. I find from the Inspectors' Returns, 

 that in 1875 there were 121,533 boxes of fish sold at 

 Kinsale as the produce of the fishery for that year ; 

 the prices per " hundred " ranging from 3Z. 10s. at the 

 beginning of the fishery to Is. %^d. at the close ; the 

 total amount realized by the various fishermen who 

 landed their fish at Kinsale being 73,523Z. Pilchards 

 are abundant every year along the south coast of Ire- 

 land ; but notwithstanding the exertions made by the 

 Inspectors and others to establish a fishery for them, 

 little has been done by the fishermen to second their 

 good intentions, and I fear it will be long before 

 advantage is taken of the profitable opportunities year 

 after year thrown in their way. 



Bantry and Dingle bays are both good fishing 

 grounds, and much profitable work has been done in 

 the last-mentioned locality. Trawling and line fishing 

 have been especially successful there. At Dingle par- 

 ticularly, and on part of the coast northwards, a 

 remarkable kind of fishing boat is in common use. 

 This is the " Curragh," or canvas canoe. The con- 

 struction of these curraghs is very simple, consisting 

 of a light wooden frame for the top sides, strengthened 

 by a keelson curved slightly upwards at each end to 

 form the stern and sternpost. The ribs are pieces of 

 cask hoop, cut to such a length as to give the requisite 

 curve to the bottom, and outside these are nailed long 



