mr. c. stacy -Watson on thk herring fishery. 
149 
markets, the experimental speculation of last year proving too 
disastrous to tempt curers to repeat their ventures in the 
Mediterranean markets again. 
The North Sea and Home fishings are so intimately connected 
that it is not possible accurately to define them separately, 1 shall 
therefore not divide them in the text. 
The Midsummer fishing was scarcely completed before a few 
venturesome spirits launched their craft and hied away to the 
far-off Scotch fishing-grounds, intent upon the capture of the 
silvery tribes of those clearer waters, where titles are strong and 
waters deep, producing a large fish, sound in flesh, fat, full-roed, 
the longed-for palate-tickler of the Germans and Russians. Other 
boats quickly followed, but shot their nets at less distant grounds ; 
thus this fishing, favoured by fine weather and favourable breezes, 
was in full activity at an early 'late, and Herrings were landed 
at Yarmouth in the middle of July, the quality, however, was not 
equal to the previous year. Nevertheless, the demand for the 
Continental market being good, sales were easily effected at good 
prices ; many of the boats sailing from Yarmouth, however, ran into 
Scarboro’, Grimsby, &c., and disposed of their catches whilst in 
a fresh state, bringing only their sea-salted Herrings to Yarmouth, 
as circumstances favoured them. 
The Scotch boats, of which 142 made Yarmouth their rendezvous, 
began to put in an appearance early in September; during their 
stay they landed 3900 lasts of good medium, bright, well-scaled 
fish, which realised, on days of heavy delivery, as low as £5, but 
average deliveries from £8 to £12. These boats made good 
catches during their short stay, some of them capturing as many as 
8 and 13 lasts a night; their best catches were made between the 
10th of October and the 8th of November, the heaviest delivery 
being on October 29th, when 117 boats landed 502 lasts. The 
prices obtained were from £5 to £11 per last; but, reckoning the 
average at £8, our Scotch friends earned about £4000 that night — 
a very fair night’s work. On the whole these boats did very well, 
and returned home well satisfied with the result of their southern 
venture. They did not, however, escape unscathed, many of 
them losing nets, and in one case the lives of the crew were 
in great jeopardy. On the 11th of October, a sight of desperate 
effort to regain the sheltering waters of Yarmouth Roads and 
