250 CHRONOLOGICAL HISTORY OF THE HERRING-FISHERY. 



" At or previous to the commencement of my inquiries, 

 various representations reached me, both from individuals 

 and bodies of fish-curers, which led me to believe that the 

 continuance of the system of branding was deemed to be 

 objectionable by a considerable portion even of those who 

 are in the habit of availing themselves of it ; and some 

 anxiety was expressed by the more distant fish-curers 

 that I should personally visit Wick, and other places in 

 the extreme north of Scotland, with a view to inform 

 myself as to the opinions entertained on this subject. 



" The lateness of the season, and my other public en- 

 gagements, prevented me from acceding to this sugges- 

 tion ; but in order to give all the fish-curers on the East 

 Coast of Scotland, who alone used the brand, the oppor- 

 tunity of bringing their view^s before me, I addressed to 

 them a circular letter which will be found in the Appendix 

 hereto, containing certain queries, framed for the purpose 

 of eliciting their opinions. 



" From the answers to these queries, and from the oral 

 replies of a considerable number of fish-curers and fish- 

 merchants, whom I examined when in Edinburgh, I be- 

 lieve myself to have procured a body of information with 

 respect to the effects of the branding system, sufiacient to 

 justify me in the statement and suggestions I am about 

 to submit to their Lordships on that subject. 



" I will first endeavour to give a brief account of the 

 mode of curing herrings for the brand, and of the difi'erent 

 kinds of brands applied. 



" Mr Mitchell, the Belgian consul at Leith, in an essay 

 published in the ' Quarterly Journal of Agriculture,' in 

 Edinburgh, in June 1839, which was considered worthy 

 of a medal, gives a succinct description of the mode of 

 cure. I subjoin the following extracts : — 



