146 THE HERRING FISHERY 



tion. This trouble had not been properly 

 dealt with in Britain, whereas the Dutch, who 

 learnt the secret at Cologne, could produce salt 

 of much better quality and purity than the 

 English. Their method was to melt rock salt 

 in pure sea water, taking care to obtain the 

 latter at a great distance from the shore, and 

 in this simple process lay not only the success 

 of the Dutch cured herring, but of Dutch 

 butter also. In modern times, however, chemists 

 have invented processes for the production of 

 British salt of greater purity. This salt has 

 completely superseded Spanish and other salts 

 used by the earlier curers in preference to 

 British salt made by boiling and evaporation. 



The analysis of the best " fishery salt " used 

 at the present day is as follows : — 



100 00 



A curious passage on the English salt industry 

 in the sixteenth century will be found in 

 " Brittain's Bulwarke of defence against all 

 Sicknes, Sornes, and Woundes, that do daily 

 assaulte mankinde. . . . Doen by Williyam 

 Bulleyn, and ended this Marche, Anno Salutis 

 1562." Onfoliolxxvofthe"Booke of Simples," 

 with which the work begins, we read : — 



