162 THE HERRING FISHERY 



The revival of the herring fishery, which 

 produced 500,000 barrels of herrings annually, 

 therefore provided an invaluable supply of 

 cheap and wholesome food at a time when the 

 price of bread was exorbitant. Not only was 

 the south of Scotland supplied, but fast sailing 

 smacks from Berwick carried fresh herring to 

 the London market, some packed in ice and 

 some salted. It was found in London that the 

 latter, when the salt had been washed away 

 from them, were perfectly fresh, and of a 

 quality equal to those usually sold in London, 

 though inferior to those of Loch Fyne and 

 some other parts of the west coast of Scotland. 

 Great quantities of these herring, as well as 

 red herrings, were exported to the West Indies 

 for the use of the plantation negroes, and 

 Stornoway herrings sold in Hamburg at £2 per 

 barrel, while those carried to Hamburg and 

 cured in the Dutch manner actually sold for 

 £5 per barrel. Herrings from Leith, however, 

 only fetched about one- third of that price 

 owing to the inferior methods of curing prac- 

 tised on the east coast of Scotland. 



An attempt to develop British fisheries was 

 made by the Society of Arts. In 1805 a 

 reward was offered for ** curing herrings by 

 the Dutch method." For some years this 

 does not seem to have had much result, but 

 in 1819 and 1820 two rewards of fifty guineas 

 and £50 respectively were paid to J. F. 

 Denovan, of Leith, for his success in the 



