G A L W A Y. 393 



nets are of hemp, tanned with bark. There 

 are five or fix men to a boat ; they fifh by 

 fhares, dividing into fixty : they have had this 

 fifhery time immemorial. The plenty of filh 

 has decreafed thefe 15 years. A middling 

 night's take is 5000 fifh ; all they get is fold 

 into the country, and the demand is fo far 

 from being anfwered, that many cargoes are 

 brought in from the north. The fifh fell at 

 is. 4d. to 2S. 2d. a hundred j but the men 

 are far from being induftrious in the buiinefs : 

 fome weeks they do not go out twice. 



On the coaft of Conna Marra there is, from 

 the iothof April to the iothof May, a fifh- 

 ery of fun-fifh, which is done by the herring 

 boats. It is not by fhares, but the owners of 

 the boats hire the men for the fifhery. One 

 fifh is reckoned worth 5I. and if a boat takes 

 three fifh in the month, it is reckoned good 

 luck. There are 40 or 50 boats employed on 

 this. Along the whole bay there is a great 

 quantity of kelp burnt ; 3000 tons are annu- 

 ally exported from Galway : the prefent price 

 is 40s. to 50s. a ton. The more is let with 

 the land againfl it, and is what the people pay 

 their rent by. They ufe a great quantity of 

 fea weed, drove in by ftorms for manuring 

 land. In November they carry it on, the field 

 being ready marked out in beds for potatoes, 

 and leaving it on them, it rots againfl the 

 planting feafon, and gives them great crops. 

 They alio do this with fern, cutting it in au- 

 tumn, and laying it on to the beds, get good 



crops. 



