Dr Hibbert on the D-iscovery of the Shetland Cod-hank. 14S 
er^. Thus in Sir Robert Sibbald’s description of Shetland, 
bearing the date of 1711, the following passage occurs : “ But 
the greatest advantages Shetland hath is from the fishing of 
herring and cod^ which abounds so, that great fleets of the Hol- 
landers come there, and begin to take herring upon St J ohn’s 
Day, with their busses. But,” the author adds, ‘‘ they at the 
same time employ hundreds of doggers for taking codT 
From what has been advanced, I am disposed to believe, 
that the ancient importance of the Dutch cod-fishery of Shetland 
has been much underrated, and overlooked, by confounding it 
with a fishery of a different kind ; that of ling being for the most 
part conducted through the medium of the natives of Shetland. 
The second remark which I have to make upon Captain Smith’s 
early narration, refers to the success of the Dutch doggers. It 
may be observed, that, previous to the cod-bank being found out 
in the year 1818, the fishery, which was conducted round every 
part of the Shetland coast, was highly desultory and uncertain ; 
and it rarely happened that vessels of only 10 to 30 tons, after be- 
ing employed a week in fishing, returned to their several har- 
bours, like the Dutch doggers described by Smith, ‘‘ so full 
laden as they could swim.” But Captain Smith tells us, that 
vessels capable of holding a much greater quantity of fish, and 
amounting to even 60 tons, came into the harbours, after an 
eight days cruise, full laden. For the reasons thus given, I 
am strongly inclined to suspect that the bank was, two centuries 
ago, well known to the Dutch, and that the knowledge of it was 
either carefully withheld from this nation in particular, or, which 
is more probable, regarded by us with such an indifference, that 
when the Dutch left our shores, owing to the interruption they 
experienced in our wars with them, it was soon forgotten that 
such a bank existed. In support of the latter opinion, a gentle- 
man in Shetland last 3 ?ear informed me, that he had a distinct 
recollection of formerly seeing in an old Dutch chart the notice 
of a bank to the west of Foula, corresponding to the observa- 
tions made in the year 1818. 
For nearly a century and a half after Captain Smith’s visit, we 
find that the Dutch still continued to prosecute the cod-fishing 
on the coast of Shetland. In a MS. tour of the late Reverend 
George Low, in my possession, made through Shetland in the 
