MK. T. SOUTHWELL ON THE HERRING FISHERY, 
213 
wlicro they are sohl to the highest bidder, counted with marvellous 
celerity, and despatched hy carts to the curing houses, or loaded 
upon the rail,* — all this to an incessant How of racy chaff in 
the broadest vernacular of the district, varied hy an occasional 
eruption of cipially pronounced nautical Scotch, which it 
would he as impossible as it is perhaps undesirable to transfer to 
paper. 
Tlie commencement of the season was a very anxious time for 
all concerned, as another year like that of 1881 would have been 
attended with most disastrous consetpiences to all. There was, at first, 
no cause for complaint, some of the Yarmouth boats making fine 
hauls, and the prices averaging well ; but ns time went on the 
prospect became less bright, and complaints of the excessive 
competition on the part of the Scotch boats began to make them- 
selves heard. At Yarmouth there ajipeared to have been nearly as 
many Scotch as there were home boats engaged in the fishery, and 
the question of the size of the mesh in the nets used by the 
former lias become a serious one. I last year explained how very 
sensitive the market is, and how rapidly a large delivery of small 
Herrings causes it to decline ; and some remarkable instances of 
extreme variation in prices have occurred during the past season, 
as much as .£25 per last having been paid for fish in the morning, 
which in the afternoon, in consequence of glut, were not worth 
more than £7 or £8 for the same quantity. It is said that the 
Scotchmen use a much smaller mesh than our men, and that in 
fine Aveather they flood the market with their undersized fish, 
greatly to the detriment of all concerned ; and this is borne out 
by the fact that in bad weather, when the home boats, which are 
larger and better manned than their neighbours, have it all to 
themselves, the quality of the fish is much better, and the market 
is not flooded, as is too frequently the case when all the boats can 
go out The Yarmouth men therefore regard a spell of roughish 
weather now and then as anything but an unraixed evil. No 
doubt these complaints Avill continue so long as every man is 
allowed to do what seems good in his OAvn eyes, and no sort of 
control is exercised over the mode in which the fishery is 
conducted. 
• At Yarmouth the Herring arc counted on board the boats, and placed 
on the wharf in wicker ba.skets called " swills.” 
K 2 
