CHRONOLOGICAL HISTORY OF THE HERRING-FISHERY. 211 



And, as is remarked by an able writer, " the patience and 

 abilities of most of the adventurers being now completely 

 exhausted, and the old bounties for a number of years still 

 unpaid, the distress which existed amongst all classes so 

 employed exceeded that of any former period."* 



However, the bounties seem to have been subsequently 

 more regularly paid in Scotland, for in one year the sum 

 of L.31,396 was paid for bounties to the herring busses ; 

 but in the year 1771 the bounty was again reduced to 

 30s. per ton. 



Much information as to the herring-fishery in 1778 is 

 given byMrDavidLoch, General Inspector of the Fisheries, 

 in a work in three volumes, on the " Trade Manufactories 

 and Fisheries of Scotland." In that year he made a tour 

 to the west and south-east coasts of Scotland, and from 

 him we learn that the herring-fishery was at this time, in 

 some of the districts, of considerable extent and import- 

 ance, and which had been brought into this state from the 

 wise encouragement given by the nation to this important 

 fishery. The following were the numbers of busses fitted 

 out from the different ports on the west coast of Scotland 

 in 1777 :— 



From Port-Glasgow 21 busses 873 tons 



„ Eothesay 20 „ 880 „ 



„ Campbelton 62 „ 2,780 „ 



„ other ports 138 „ 5,520 „ 



241 busses 10,053 tons 



carrying about 3000 mariners, and bringing back con- 

 siderable cargoes of herrings ; and its importance may 

 be seen from the fact, that from the west coast 

 alone the following numbers of barrels of herrings 



* Knox's Observations, p. 46. 



o2 



