194 HISTORY OF SEA-FISHERIES. 



That this alteration of the system has not been 

 productive of any serious evil to the herring 

 fishery will appear from the reports of the Com- 

 missioners of the British Fisheries, wherein was 

 stated the number of barrels cured, branded, and 

 exported in each of the years ending the 5th of 

 April 1815 to 1837. The average annual number 

 of barrels of herrings cured and exported respec- 

 tively in the five years that preceded the altera- 

 tions, was 349,488 and 224,370. 



In the five years from 1825 to ] 830, while the 

 bounty was proceeding to its annihilation, the 

 average numbers were 336,896 cured, and 

 208,944 exported ; and in the five years ending 

 the 5th April, 1837, the average numbers were 

 396,910 barrels cured, and 222,848 exported. 



The number of boats and fishermen and other 

 persons employed in taking, gutting, curing, and 

 packing cods and herrings in each of the six 

 years to April, 1837, were as follows: average of 

 six years, number of boats, 11,272; of fishermen, 

 49,441 ; of coopers and curers, 33,366 ; total 

 number employed 82,807. 



The impolicy of the bounty system has been 

 placed in a very striking light by the evidence of 



