FISHERY. 
prevailing all over the two kingdoms, and 
fishing busses fitted out from almost every 
port, in order to repair to the Shetland 
islands, where the herring fishery is carried 
on with an ardour becoming so important a 
branch of trade. Scotland, which suffered 
.incredibly from the neglect of this valuable 
and natural produce of the seas, has not 
been backward to join in a scheme that 
tends so evidently to its own advantage; 
for the cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow, 
the towns of Montrose, Dundee, Perth, 
Inverness, and some other boroughs, have 
raised the proper sum, and chambers have 
been erected in each of them ; the gentle- 
men of estates adjoining to the respective 
places above-mentioned, liberally contri- 
buting with merchants towards the prose- 
cution of an undertaking so visibly tending 
to the good of their country in general. 
Fishery, anchovy. Anchovies are fished 
on the coast of Provence, in the months of 
May, June, and July, at which season 
shoals of this fish regularly come into the 
Mediterranean through the Streights of 
Gibraltar. They are likewise found in 
plenty in the river of Genoa, on the coast 
of Sicily, and on that of the island of Gor- 
gone opposite to Leghorn; these last are 
reckoned the best. It is remarkable that 
anchovies are seldom fished but in the night 
time. If a fire be kindled on the poops of 
the vessels used for this fishing, the ancho- 
vies will come in greater numbers into the 
nets ; but then it is asserted, that the an- 
chovies taken thus by fire, are neither so 
good nor so firm, and will not keep so well, 
as those which are taken without fire. 
When the fishery is over, they pull off the 
heads of all the anchovies, gut them, and 
afterwards range them in barrels of differ- 
„ ent weights, the largest of which do not 
weigh above twenty-five or twenty-six 
pounds, and they put a good deal of salt 
' in them. Some also pickle them in small 
earthen pots made on purpose, of two or 
three pounds weight, more or less, which 
they cover with plaster, to keep them the 
better. 
Fishery, cod. There are two kinds of 
cod fish, the one green or white cod, and 
the o tiler dried or cured cod, though it is 
all the same fish differently prepared ; the 
former being sometimes salted and bar- 
relled, then taken out for use ; and the lat- 
ter having lain some considerable time in 
salt, dried in the sun or smoke. We shall 
therefore speak of each of these apart, and 
first of 
Fishery, green cod. The chief fisheries 
for green cod are in the bay of Canada, on 
the great bank of Newfoundland, and on 
the isle of St. Peter, and the isle of Sable, 
to which places vessels resort from divers 
parts both of Europe and America. They 
are from 100 to 150 tons burthen, and will 
catch between 30 and 40 thousand cod 
each. The most essential part of the fish- 
ery, is to have a master who knows how to 
cut up the cod, one who is skilled to take 
the head off properly, and above all, a good 
salter, on which the preserving them, and 
consequently the success of the voyage de- 
pends. The best season is from the begin- 
ning of February to the end of April ; the 
fish, which in the winter retire to the deep- 
est water, coming then on the banks, and 
fattening extremely. What is caught from 
March to June keeps well, but those taken 
in July, August, and September, when it is 
warm on the banks, are apt to spoil soon. 
Every fisher takes but one at a time ; the 
most expert will take from 350 to 400 in a 
day, but that is the most, the weight of the 
fish, and the great coldness on the bank, 
fatiguing very much. As soon as the cod 
are taken, the head is taken off ; they are 
opened, gutted, and salted, and the salter 
stows them in the bottom of the hold, head 
to tail, in beds a fathom or two square; 
laying layers of salt and fish alternately, 
but never mixing fish caught on different 
days. When they have lain thus three or 
four days to drain off the water, they are 
replaced in another part of the ship, and 
salted again; where they remain till the 
vessel is loaded. Sometimes they are cut 
in thick pieces, and put up in barrels for 
the conveniency of carriage. 
Fishery, dry cod. The principal fishery 
for dry cod, is from Cape Rose to the Bay 
des Exports, along the coast of Placentia, in 
which compass there are divers commodious 
ports for the fish to be dried in. These, 
though of the same kind with the fresh cod, 
are much smaller, and therefore fitter to 
keep, as the salt penetrates more easily 
into them. The fishery of both is much 
alike, only this latter is more expensive, as 
it takes up more time, and employs more 
hands, and yet scarce half so much salt is 
spent in this as in the other. The bait is 
herrings, of which great quantities are taken 
on the coast of Placentia. When several 
vessels meet, and intend to fish in the same 
port, he whose shallop first touches ground, 
becomes entitled to the quality and privi- 
leges of admiral : lie has the choice of his 
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