44 
On Curing British White Herrings . 
actions of tlie Society for the Encouragement of Arts, 
&c. I feel anxious that a communication likely to be 
referred to by so many for information, should be intel- 
ligible and satisfactory. Under these impressions, and 
observing that the Society desire u that papers sent to 
them should be full, clear, and explicit, rather in the 
form of essays than of letters, I have stated more than 
perhaps may appear at first sight absolutely necessary, 
but I Hatter myself not more than may prove really 
useful. 
In the deep sea (which is the principal fishery for her- 
rings) the nets are cast from the busses by sunset, and 
they drive by them alone expecting the shoals, the ap- 
proach of which is generally indicated by small quantities 
of fish; and their arrival by immense fiigbts of sea fowl. 
The best fishing is with the wind off shore, for, when it 
blows in a contrary direction, the shoals are broken and 
dispersed, and the fishery is seldom successful while it 
continues in that point. 
Immediately after the nets are hauled in, (which is 
often performed with considerable difficulty, by means 
of a windlass, when they are full,) the crew begin to 
gyp the fish, that is, to cut out the gill, which is follow- 
ed by the float or swin, and divide the large jugular or 
spiral vein with a knife at the same time, endeavour- 
ing to waste as little of the blood as possible; — at this 
work the men are so expert, that some will gyp fifty in a 
minute. 
Immediately after they are gypped, they are put into 
barrels, commencing with a layer of salt at the bottom, 
then a tier of fish, each side by side, back downwards, 
the tail of one touching the head of the other, next a 
layer of salt, and so alternately until the barrel is fill- 
ed ; they are thus left, and the blood which issues from 
the fish, by dissolving the salt forms a pickle infinitely 
Yon, IT F 
