21 
be untied in the usual way, and again a slit had to he made to 
liberate the fish. The ponds on deck were already pretty full, 
though the cod had been thrown into the hold, and as the fish ran 
out of the net they completed the filling of the ponds, reaching 
almost up to the top of the bulwarks, and escaping over the ponds 
they formed a living, seething, struggling mass on each side of the 
wheel-house. 1 never saw so many fish caught at once before. We 
had now to stop fishing for a couple of hours or so to gut the 
haddocks and clear the way a hit for the next haul. These had, more- 
over, to he made of shorter duration, and as night was drawing on it 
was a serious matter for the men. The short watches were all taken 
up in gutting and cleaning the haddocks, consequently they were 
working the whole night. The night's fishing, however, was so 
successful that in the morning the skipper decided on running into 
market. This was Wednesday, and we arrived in Aberdeen just 
before eleven that night. 
I went down to see the fish sold the next morning, and through 
the kindness of the Messrs. Irvin I am enabled to present the 
following account of the catch : — 
Turbot 
• • • • • • 
• • • 
10 
Hake... 
... ... 
. , . 
152 
Ling... 
. . . ... 
. . • 
77 
Cod 
• . • ... 
• . • 
... 1,140 
Cwt*. or Boxes. 
Lemons 
... 1 
• . • 
00 
Medium Plaice 
... x 
45... 
304 
Large do. 
2 x 
21... 
42 
Megrims 
••• x 
5 o ... 
180 
Large Haddocks 
...140 x 
00... 
... 12,870 
Medium do. 
... 12 x 
160... 
... 1,020 
Codlings 
... 10 x 
110... 
... 1,100 
17,075 
Tlie price the catch sold at was £145, and thus the voyage 
which threatened so badly at the beginning turned out to be a very 
profitable one indeed. The “ Ben Ledi ” completed another voyage 
to the same place before I left Aberdeen, and the fish were 
sold for £100. The favourable conditions for fish and fisher were 
evidently then continuing. In regard to the catch I have just 
enumerated, I have added approximate numbers per box for each 
