52 MR. T. J. WIGG ON THE HERRING FISHERY. 
“ What becomes of all this mass of fish is doubtless of interest 
to a wide circle immediately beyond the confines of trade circles. 
The great bulk travels abroad, and the Continent is unmistakably 
Yarmouth’s best customer. The Herrings cross the seas in two 
forms, principally “pickled,” that is soaked in brine, in which 
condition they form an acceptable article of winter diet among the 
poor of Russia, Germany, Belgium, and Holland at a period of the 
year when fresh vegetables are scarce. In other forms, that is 
lightly salted and smoked, they take another direction and go 
further afield to the Italian ports of Genoa, Leghorn, Naples, &c., 
to Venice and the Adriatic, to Malta, and beyond to the Levant. 
Some this year even went to Jericho. We also learn that 
a consignment of about 2,000 barrels crossed the Atlantic to 
New York, a destination to which about the same quantity has 
been sent for several years past, and this is some evidence that 
Yarmouth Herrings are finding favour, and a certain vogue even 
with Brother Jonathan. The table of figures appended shows the 
quantity despatched to foreign ports from Yarmouth direct, and 
what a stupendous development this trade has had in the past year 
is seen in the fact that the increase upon the figures for 1S98 is 
only 4,000 barrels short of 100,000. The number of steamers 
required to convey all this fish must have benefited the port 
revenues of Yarmouth substantially, and also all the trades 
dependent upon supplying and providing for shipping. The 
total direct export for 1899 is accompanied by the figures for 
the past eight years for the sake of comparison : — 
1891 . 
. 8,800 barrels. 
1896 
.. 13,565 
barrels. 
1892 
. 11,744 „ 
1897 
.. 61,677 
9J 
1893 
7,500 „ 
1898 
.. 45,872 
)> 
1894 
. 15,911 „ 
1899 . 
.. 141,585 
)) 
1895 . 
23,119 „ 
“ In addition to all these thousands of barrels shipped direct from 
Yarmouth, there is the coastwise trade. There are two steamers 
on the Hull station running in each direction twice a week during 
the fishing, and from Hull radiate the long and short sea routes 
of the famous Wilson Merchant Fleet. A big proportion of these 
vessels, all ot whose names end in an “ o,” carry Yarmouth Herrings, 
and the bulk of the figures given below are probably Wilson liner 
shipments from Hull, but in addition a few cargoes also went to 
