318 CHRONOLOGICAL HISTORY OF THE HERRING-FISHERY. 



notice being given, and the trade left to depend on its 

 own merits alone. I cannot conclude this subject with- 

 out bearing my estimony to the merits of the officers of 

 the British Fishery as a body. It is highly creditable to 

 them, that out of the large number of witnesses examined 

 privately, many of course opposed to the officers, and 

 some few annoyed, because at one time or other their fish 

 had been rejected for the brand on what they considered 

 too slight grounds, not one failed to do justice to the 

 strictly honourable conduct of every ofiicer they had met 

 with." 



Captain Sullivan also gives his opinions on measures, 

 size of barrels, and the other heads of inquiry. 



Considering that these gentlemen had no previous 

 knowledge of this important national fishery, it must be 

 admitted that they seem to have endeavoured to make 

 themselves masters of the important interests involved ; 

 but while examining as to facts connected with the brand, 

 they seem to have forgotten — Captain Sullivan particu- 

 larly — that besides the quality of the fish, the fishery 

 (jfficers attend to the size and strength or the barrels, 



THE efficiency OF THE SALT AND PICKLE, SIZES OF NETS, the 

 MEASURES FOR FRESH FISH, SEES THAT THEY ARE PROPERLY 

 PACKED, PACKED WITHIN THE PROPER TIME, and VARIOUS 



OTHER DUTIES, amounting to at least seventeen branches. 



In 1858, the Fishery Commissioners of Ireland seeing 

 the advantage of restricting river trawling, ordered that 

 the following localities on the Irish Coast be subjected 

 to the fence law, pointing out to us the propriety of 

 following such a wise example : — 



" Dublin Bay. — Prohibiting trawling inside lines drawn 

 from the Bailey Lighthouse at Howth to the easternmost 

 point of the rocks called the ' Mugglins ;' thence by a 



