238 CHRONOLOGICAL HISTORY OF THE HERRING-FISHERY. 



the evening of the 22d and morning of the 23d August 

 1836, off the thriving town of Wick. This town may be 

 considered as the grand emporium of the Caithness her- 

 ring-fishing, and on this occasion it presented a scene of 

 anxiety, bustle, and activity, which a partial appearance 

 of improvement in the season's fishing, that hitherto had 

 been almost a failure, at this time created. The evening 

 of the 22d was just such a one as the most experienced 

 fisher could wish ; a stiff, but steady westerly breeze 

 slightly rufiled the waters, and occasional showers of rain 

 gave hopes that the fish would be plentiful in the bay. 

 Imagine, then, as the twilight settled in, trains of boats 

 silently leaving the harbour, and forming, as it were, into 

 line along the coast for the watchful toils of the night, and 

 the consequent hopes and fears of the ' coming morrow.' 

 Frequent and numerous as these trains w^ere, no adequate 

 ideas of their numbers could be ascertained, owing to the 

 distance and darkness that soon surrounded them; still 

 we were sure that their appearance on the morrow would 

 be striking when crowded together under the favourable 

 auspices of a morning sun. But no language can express 

 our astonishment, when beholding from the deck of our 

 ship, now moored outside the bay, the far extent of 

 waters literally darkened with fishing boats, now busy 

 in drawing the net, or pressing coastwards under the 

 tawmy sail. The aspect was at once novel and grand ; 

 and by no great stretch of the imagination, here was a 

 fleet, tiny in detail, but imposing in the mass, which by 

 a little magnifying power might be supposed to be some 

 vast armament assembled to sweep the seas, or hurl their 

 thunder on the devoted shores. From authority which 

 we afterwards found to be correct, the number of boats 

 proceeding to the shore was between seven and eight 



