148 THE HERRING FISHERY 



population of England then was about 

 7,000,000, so that the consumption of salt per 

 head was 33| lbs. per annum. The population 

 of Scotland at the same date was 1,500,000, 

 and whereas the estimated consumption for 

 household uses, salting fish, meat, etc., was 

 435,000 bushels on which duty was paid, 

 it was estimated that no fewer than 465,000 

 bushels from Ireland and elsewhere were 

 smuggled into Scotland every year. Like the 

 " joskins " of our own East Coast, the fishermen 

 on the firths and sea lochs of Scotland were 

 originally half fishermen and half farmers, 

 catching fish during the fishing season, and 

 cultivating their crofts when the fish left the 

 coasts. The salt question, both as regards 

 quality and cost, was of the utmost importance 

 to the herring fishery, and Lord Dundonald 

 appealed to Pitt himself on the subject, 

 deploring the indulgence granted to Ireland 

 by the export of rock salt duty free, and by 

 the trifling duty put upon coal exported to 

 Ireland. This he deemed a political bribe to the 

 Irish to enable them to refine Irish rock salt and 

 supply it at a high rate of profit to Britain. 



The favoured position of Ireland gave the 

 Irish manufacturers certain other preferences, 

 in the manufacture of gloves, for example. 

 Salt was used in large quantities in the dressing 

 of white leather, as well as in the making of 

 soap, sal ammoniac, Glauber salts, the manufac- 

 ture of glass and the glazing of earthenware. 



