314 CHRONOLOGICAL HISTORY OF THE HERRING-FISHERY. 



The short fishing, or the small quantity caught as 

 compared with the fishing of 1855, does not prove that 

 there were fewer herrings on the coast, but that the shoals 

 may not have been discovered. At Fraserburgh, the same 

 year, the average fishing of each boat was 151 crans, while 

 it was only 90 crans the previous year. 



In the year 1856, in consequence of objections by some 

 members of the House of Commons to the expenditure 

 in supporting the Fishery Board and the system of super- 

 intendence and branding, and notwithstanding the elabo- 

 rate and carefully prepared report of the Eight Hon, J. G. 

 S. Lefevre on the subject, which went fully into the ques- 

 tion, and proved the advantage and propriety of con- 

 tinuing the system, and which we give in a preceding part 

 of this work, a second Commission of Inquiry was aijpointed, 

 consisting of two English gentlemen, Bonamy Price and 

 Frederick St John, Esq., and an Irish gentleman, Capt. 

 Sullivan, R.N., whose opinions, although exjDected to be 

 otherwise, did not agree, and the members of the Com- 

 mission therefore gave in separate reports, the majority 

 in number having reported in favour of the continuance 

 of the brand and of the system. To exhibit the opinions 

 of the different members, we give the following extracts 

 of the report of Messrs Price and St John, a remarkably 

 well written and elaborate report, going over all the argu- 

 ments for and against the inspection of the officers and 

 the system of branding, which is too extensive to give at 

 length, but the most striking remarks furnished by them 

 are the following : — 



" The first argument pleaded by the defenders of the 

 brand, states, we conceive, the real issue to be tried. 

 We have to deal with an established and flourishing trade. 

 It employs an immense capital, draws out of the sea a 



