OUR SEA FISHERIES. 237 



of Siberia, as readily as though they were hard cash. 

 It is needless to . say that the doing away with the 

 brand, and abolition of this supervision, which has 

 existed for so long a series of years beneficially, 

 would not only open the way to frauds of all kinds, 

 but the very change of system would shake the faith 

 of these distant merchants, and would create sus- 

 picion, and would in a short time destroy both our 

 position and our trade. I mention these points, as it 

 has been proposed to abolish the brand. 



Very apropos to this subject we have a review 

 from the pen of Mr. Lowe, in the Field of September 

 24th, which gives further insight into the " brand " 

 question, and, singularly enough, shows the exceeding 

 value of it in the many attempts made to remove it. 

 The work under review is " The Herring; its Natwal 

 History and National Importcmce. By John M. 

 MitcheU. With Illustrations. Edinburgh: Edmon- 

 ston and Douglass. London: Longman, Green, 

 Eoberts and Green." The origin of the work was a 

 medal offered by the Eoyal Scottish Society of Arts 

 for the best essay " On the Natural History of the 

 Herring, considered in connexion with its Visits on 

 the Scottish Coasts." And admirably indeed has 

 Mr. Mitchell fulfilled his tesk, 1 eSEtlact the follow- 

 ing passages from the review refesrred to :— ^ 



