314 AUCHMITHIE. 



herring-fishery was a kind of lottery, but that, on an average 

 of years, each boat would take annually something like a hun- 

 dred crans — the produce, in all cases where the crew were part 

 owners, after deducting a fifth part or so to keep up the boat, 

 being equally divided. "When I was a younker, sir," said 

 this person, " there was lots o' herrin', an' we had a fine winter 

 flshin' as well, an' sprats in plenty. As to white fish, they 

 were abundant flve-an'-twenty years ago. Haddocks now are 

 scarce to be had ; being an inshore fish, they've been a' ta'en, in 

 my opinion. Line-fishin' was very profitable from 1830 to 1840. 

 I've seen as many as a hunder thoosand fish o' ae kind or 

 anither ta'en by the Buckhyne boats in a week — that is, countin' 

 baith inshore boats an' them awa at the Dogger Bank. The 

 lot brocht four hunder pound ; but a' kinds of fish are now sae 

 scarce that it taks mair than dooble the labour to mak the same 

 money that was made then." 



I will now carry the reader with me to a very quaint place 

 indeed, the scene of Sir Walter Scott's novel of The Antiquary 

 — Auchmithie. The supposed scene of Sir Walter Scott's novel 

 of The Antiquary, on the coast of Forfarshire, presents a con- 

 junction of scenic and industrial features which commends it to 

 notice. At Auchmithie, which is distant a few miles from 

 Arbroath, there is often some cause for excitement ; and a real 

 storm or a real drowning is something vastly different from the 

 shipwreck in the drama of The Tempest, or the death of the 

 Colleen Bawn. The beetling cliifs barricading the sea from the 

 land may be traversed by the tourist to the music of the everlast- 

 ing waves, the dashing of which only makes the deep solitude 

 more solemn ; the sea-gull sweeps around with its shrill cry, and 

 playful whales gambol in the placid waters. 



The village of Auchmithie, which is wildly grand and 

 romantic, stands on the top of the cliffs, and as the road to it 

 is steep, a great amount of labour devolves on the fishermen in 

 carrying down their lines and nets, and carrying up their pro- 

 duce, etc. One customary feature observed by strangers on 

 entering Auchmithie is, that when met by female children they 

 invariably stoop down, making a very low curtsey, and for this 

 piece of polite condescension they expect that a few halfpence 

 will be thrown to them. If you pass on vidthout noticing them 

 they will not ask for anything, but once throw them a few 

 halfpence and a pocketful will be required to satisfy their 

 importunities. There are two roads leading to Auchmithie 



