324 CHRONOLOGICAL HISTORY OF THE HERRING-FISHERY. 



sized ships fish herrings under a special treaty on our 

 coasts ; and about 300 or 400 large ships proceed annually 

 to the cod fisheries of Newfoundland, while the French 

 local fisheries in the Mediterranean and in the Channel 

 employ a great number of fishermen. 



" What may be considered the most important coast 

 or local fisheries of France are those of the tunny, the 

 herring, and the anchovy. The tunny is taken in con- 

 siderable quantities by nets in the Mediterranean, on the 

 coasts of Provence, and weighing sometimes as much as 

 120 lb. each. At the fish-market of Marseilles, in Sep- 

 tember, I found that the tunny was the principal fish 

 consumed. On the coast of Bayonne there is also a con- 

 siderable fishery of this fish by the line from April to 

 October, one boat taking as many as 150 at a time. It 

 is used fresh, or in oil, and sent to considerable distances 

 for sale. The herring is caught sometimes in large quan- 

 tities off the French coast in the Channel, in the end of 

 the year. Off the coast of Brittany, the sardine employs 

 about 1200 boats from June to October, and, when it is 

 preserved in oil, is exported in vast quantities from 

 France, and is well known and much esteemed in this 

 country. It will therefore be seen that France is much 

 better supplied with sea fish than is generally supposed. 

 In addition to the supply of fish from the sea, the fish- 

 markets of France are generally well supplied wdth fresh- 

 water fish ; and one of the finest sights in Paris is the 

 admirably constructed and extensive fish-market in that 

 city, where several of the different kinds of fresh-water 

 fish are kept at every stall alive, such as tench, dace, pike, 

 eels, &c., in pure water, without the slightest ofi'ensive 

 odour. The march of civilisation as to fish-markets in Paris 

 is certainly much superior to ours in this country. Our 



