CHRONOLOGICAL HISTORY OF THEHERRING- FISHERY. 267 



and have given you the desired information regarding the 

 herring trade of our port, had I not been unwell since my 

 arrival here ; but, having recovered so far, I take this 

 opportunity of stating that the official brand of Scotch 

 Crown and Full branded herrings obtains the greatest 

 confidence, not only in our market, but also in the interior 

 of Germany, where the meaning of that brand is under- 

 stood ; and my firm belief, and also that of other people 

 engaged in this branch of business is, that it would be 

 injurious to the trade should the brand cease to exist, for 

 Scotch herrings are only sold in small quantities in this 

 market and the neighbourhood ; they are chiefly sent 

 great distances of from 100 to 800 miles English, into the 

 interior of Germany and Poland, either by orders or offers, 

 without the assistance of commission merchants, for the 

 great expense of forwarding them does not permit any 

 commission to a third party. The great distance prevents, 

 likewise, dealers from inspecting the herrings on the spot 

 here, who therefore make their purchases solely on their 

 trust in the official brand, knowing that the fish must be 

 selected well and properly cured — that the barrels be of 

 the legal size — and that they require to be well and 

 tightly made before the brand can be affixed. 



" These herrings are generally forwarded by crafts, 

 which are often six to eight weeks on their passage, and 

 it frequently happens that a great fall in the market takes 

 place during that time, and, should the official brand be 

 removed, dealers in the interior might easily take advan- 

 tage of such falls, for it would not be difficult to find com- 

 plaints, — such, for instance, that the fish were not properly 

 selected or well cured, that the fish had too much or too 

 little salt, or that the barrels were of a smaller size (for 

 no one can then say of what size the barrels require to 



