CHKONOLOGICAL HISTORY OF THE HERRING-FISHERY. 261 



and would thus lessen what is, in effect, a bounty on the 

 export white-herring trade, at the expense of the other 

 classes of the community. It would likewise encourage 

 the enterprising curer to rely on his own brand, as the 

 saving of this fee or duty might counteract the disadvan- 

 tage of his contending against the Government brand, 



" I have confined myself hitherto to the discussion of 

 the system of branding herrings only, because the punch- 

 ing and branding of cod, including in that term ling, tusk, 

 and hake, which form another part of the duties of the 

 fishery ofiicers on the East Coast, is a system of comparatively 

 small importance. Cod are punched by an instrument 

 which cuts out a small defined portion of the tail of each 

 fish which appears to the ofl&cer to be prepared according 

 to the regulations and directions of the Fishery Board. 

 The brand for cod is applied to barrels of cod properly 

 pickled. 



" The quantity of dried cod ofiicially punched has, since 

 1843, been gradually diminishing ; and in the year ending 

 1st January 1848, only 8145 cwt. were ofiicially punched 

 out of 86,624 cwt., being less than one tenth, and only 

 955 barrels of pickled cod received the official brand. 



" If these small amounts are compared with the total 

 quantity of cod taken in the fisheries of Great Britain 

 only, as ascertained by the fishery officers, and set forth 

 in the account of the Fishery Report for 1847, the total 

 caught will be found to amount to 413,730 cwt. ; the total 

 branded or punched, 9100 cwt. 



" Moreover, out of the 8145 cwt. officially iDunched, 

 5800 cwt. were from the Shetland Fisheries, and 1850 

 cwt. from the Orkney Fisheries ; so that, of the remainder 

 of the Scotch Cod Fisheries, only 1000 cwt., out of 40,000 

 cwt. of dried cod, received the punch. 



