CHRONOLOGICAL HISTORY OP THE HERRING-FISHERY. 215 



Scottish, coasts, no progress of any importance had hitherto 

 been made. Although abundance of herrings might have 

 been caught, the ignorance or dishonesty of the fish-curers 

 in preparing inferior fish, packed in unfit or inferior 

 packages, with inferior salt, prevented herrings from being 

 received with favour either at home or abroad ; and at 

 this time it is extremely gratifying to find one of the most 

 scientific and patriotic of our Scottish nobles suggesting 

 the adoption of measures, which, having been adopted 

 about a quarter of a century afterwards, have raised the 

 herring-fishery to the highest state of prosperity. After 

 fully discussing the difi"erent modes of making salt, and 

 comparing the Dutch herring-fishery laws with our then 

 existing laws, the Earl of Dundonald, in his able pamphlet 

 " On the Manufacture of Salt and on the Herring-Fisheries," 

 published 1784, says, ' The Dutch, in supplying the diffe- 

 ' rent markets, seem to pay attention to the condition the 

 ' fish are in, to the purity and size of the salt, and to the 

 ' season of the year. No such attention is paid in Britain ; 

 ' the season of the year, condition that the fish are in, 

 ' purity of the salt, all are disregarded, and, as the say- 

 ' ing is, " all is fish with us that comes to the net ;" and 

 ' this will always be the case until proper regulations be 

 ' made and strictly enforced, and until by an alteration 

 ' in the mode of granting, and by a diminution of the 

 ' present extravagant and absurd, bounties, adventurers 

 ' shall be obliged to catch and cure fish in earnest, and not 

 ' to go fishing for the bounties.' 



The wisdom of these remarks has been fully proved and 

 established, the abolition of all bounties and duties hav- 

 ing taken place, both wise and salutary laws and regula- 

 tions having been made, and " strictly enforced," under 

 the directions of a board of gentlemen acting gratuitously. 



