218 CHRONOLOGICAL HISTORY OF THE HERRING-FISHERY. 



A State of Accounts between Government and the White Herring 

 Fishery, hy Mr Maxwell. 



By duty paid on materials for buss repairs annually, . L.416 



By do. do. hemp for repairing nets, . . . 320 



rum imported, in exchange for herrings, 12,236 



sugar do. do. do. 9,248 



salt used in curing herrings, . . . 162 



herrings consumed in Britain, . . 296 



To bounty paid on 160 busses, at 30s. per ton, L. 12,280 

 To debentures on 11,680 barrels exported, 



at 2s. 6d., 1,460 



To balance, being revenue arising annually 



from this fishery, . ... 8,938 



L.22,678 



L.22,678 



Besides this yearly profit, he stated that the herring- 

 fishery gave employment to eighteen different kinds of 

 tradesmen (which he enumerates), " affords freight for 

 shipping, prevents emigration, and raises hardy seamen 

 for the service of the state," 



In the year 1786 the bounties on tonnage had been 

 reduced to 20s. per ton ; but the bounty of 4s. per barrel of 

 cured herrings was continued with the understanding, 

 that both the tonnage and barrel bounty should not toge- 

 ther exceed 30s. per ton to each ship, unless the herrings 

 taken exceeded three barrels per ton, in which case Is. per 

 barrel was to be allowed on the additional quantity caught. 

 Encouraged by these bounties several vessels were fitted 

 out by various enterprising individuals from Yarmouth ; 

 and eight vessels were also fitted out there, as far as pos- 

 sible in imitation of the Dutch busses. They were from 

 fifty to eighty tons, and the value of each buss and its 

 nets was about L.600 ; but, from some imaginary error 

 or misconstruction of the Act, the payment of the boun- 



