NEWFOUNDLAND FISHERY. 
for their boats being able to come clofe to difcharge their fifh. As foon as they 
come on the ftage a boy hands them to the header, who ftands at the fide of a 
table next the water end; whofe bufinefs it is to gut the fifhh and cut off the 
head, which he does by prefling the back of the head againft the fide of the table, 
which is made fharp for that purpofe; when both head and guts fall through a 
hole in the floor into the water. He then fhoves the fifh to the fplitter, who ftands 
oppofite to him ; his bufinefs is to fplit the fifth, beginning at the head, and open- 
ing itdown to the tail; at the next cut he takes out the larger part of the back- 
bone, which falls through the floor into the water. He then fhoves the fifh off the 
table, which drops into a kind of hand-barrow, which, as foon as filled, is car- 
ried off to the falt-pile. The header alfo flings the liver into a feparate bafket, 
for the making of train-oil, ufed by the curriers, which bears a higher price than 
Whale-oil. 
“Tn the falt pile, the fifh are fpread upon one another, with a layer of falt between. 
Thus they remain till they have taken falt; and then are carried, and the falt 
is wafhed from them by throwing them off from fhore in a kind of float called 
a Pound. As focn as this is completed, they are carried to the laft operation, of 
drying them ; which is done on ftanding flakes made by a flight wattle, juit ftrong 
enough to fupport the men who lay on the fifth, fupported by poles, in fome 
places as high as twenty feet from the ground: here they are expofed, with the 
open fide to the fun; and every night, when it is bad weather, piled up five or 
fix ona heap, witha large one, his back or fkinny part uppermoft, to be a fhel- 
ter to the reft from rain, which hardly damages him through his fkin, as he refts 
flanting each way to fhoot it off. When they are tolerably dry, which in good 
weather is in a week’s time, they are put in round piles of eight or ten quin- 
tals each, covering them on the top with bark. In thefe piles they remain three 
or four days to fweat ; after which they are again fpread, and when dry put into 
larger heaps, covered with canvas, and left till they are put on board. 
‘‘ Thus prepared, they are fent to the Mediterranean, where they fetch a good 
price; but are not efteemed in England: for which place another kind of fith is 
prepared, called by them Mud Fifh ; which, inftead of being fplit quite open, 
like their dry fifh, are only opened down to the navel. hey are falted, 
and lie in falt, which is wafhed out of them in the fame manner with the others; 
but inftead of being laid out to dry, are barrelled up in a pickle of falt boiled in 
water. 
“ The train-oil is made from the livers: it is called fo to diftinguifh it from 
Whale.or Seal oil, which they call fat oi], and is fold at a lower price (being only 
cc ufed 
Cxcvil 
