84 
PILCHARD. 
foreign market. The use of seans is probably of great antiquity, 
and is spoken of by Carew as well known at the conclusion 
of the seventeenth century; and from the MS. accounts of the 
merchant Treville, at that date it appears that the fish exported 
to France and Italy was obtained chiefly if not solely by using 
them. But there is reason to believe that under the name 
of sean a dififerent sort of net was employed from that which 
now hears the name. Thus, in a map contained in Norden’s 
work, “Speculi Britannise Bars,” A. D. 1728, two ground seans 
are represented in operation, one enclosing the other, and with 
one end of the outer sean held by a man who stands on the 
land, while the landward end of the enclosed sean is held by 
one who is a short way in the water. The further end of 
each net was termed the pole end, from a pole which kept 
it upright or spread out; but this is no longer used, although 
the name is still continued for the sean of much larger size 
and otherwise formed now in use. These distant ends are 
shewn in the plate as drawn along by two boats, one a little 
in advance of the other, and each of them managed by a 
couple of men; while two other boats are within the curve 
formed by the seans, as if directing the proceeding, and 
perhaps keeping back the fish, that they might not escape by 
the only opening, until the whole is safely drawn to the land. 
The importance of employing two concentric seans will be 
seen when we know that the meshes were wide enough to 
allow the escape of large numbers of the fish; and it was not 
until the year 1605 (at the beginning of the reign of James 
the First) that a mesh was rendered legal, termed the 
Dungarvon Mesh, which should be sufficiently small to retain 
all the fish, and yet prevent any of them from becoming 
entangled in the mesh; which latter circumstance, if it were 
to happen, would be destructive of the whole adventure. 
In the former mode of fishing here referred to, it appears 
that the fish were drawn on shore at the nearest beach, which 
must often be on the land on which neither the fishermen 
nor the purchasers of the fish had a right to intmde, and 
much quarreling was likely to be the result; to obviate which, 
in the year previous to the date above given an act was 
passed which made it lawful for Balkers, Condors, Huers, 
and other fishermen, in pursuance of their calling, to go upon 
