CHRONOLOGICAL HISTORY OF THE HERRING-FISHERY. 223 



great, and the inhabitants of London and all the large 

 towns participated in the addition of a cheap supply of 

 wholesome food, and a great accession of wealth and 

 prosperity flowed into the towns and villages on the 

 shores of the Firth. The fishing commenced in Octo- 

 ber, and the fish were sold then to be used fresh ; and 

 the curers only began to salt or cure in November. The 

 shoals formed an oblong square, from Burntisland to 

 several miles westward on the north side of the Firth ; and 

 the herrings were caught in considerable quantities, the 

 fishermen fishing day and night. The herrings returned 

 in sufficient quantity to afford an abundant fishing for 

 some years, until the middle of March ; and several boats 

 continued to fish until the middle of April, encouraged 

 by the prices obtained for the herrings in a fresh state, 

 which were sent by fast sailing vessels in boxes packed 

 with ice to London. They were then of the size of from the 

 eighth to the tenth class until January ; after that month 

 they became smaller and inferior, and the curer ceased 

 curing about the end of that month in consequence of their 

 inferiority. There were fishery officers attending to the 

 efficiently curing of the herrings. 



At this time the law enforced the packing of white 

 herrings in oak barrels, wdiich were then considered the 

 best material, and by many it is still considered so, — but 

 a heavy duty w^as then paid on foreign oak, which im- 

 peded its use ; and as to salt, so ignorant were the legis- 

 lators of those days that, notwithstanding repeated ap- 

 plications and remonstrances, although English rock salt 

 was found necessary for the purpose of being used to cure 

 the herrings, it was then not allowed to be imported into 

 Scotland ; and the exactions in the form of fees to officers 

 of customs and excise were exceedingly heavy, amount- 



