$30 
boufes for the keeping of falt, and at the 
fame time depending upon the faid fithery 
for their fubfiftence,* &c. The claule 
goes on to ftate ‘* that the Commiffioners 
of Excile fhall be authorized’ to permit 
fale to be delivered free of duty for the 
curing and preferving of fifh, to any per- 
fon or perfons intending to take and to 
fale fifh, and refiding at any place or 
places, the inhabitants of which have 
ulually been, before the paffing of this 
A&, allowed to receive falt as aforefaid, 
altnough fuch perfons be not provided 
with a Rorehoule.”” hefe claufes in the 
Act very fufficiently point out the evil: 
the remedy they provide is very inade- 
quate; the benefit of them being extend- 
ed only to thofe places the inhabitants 
whereof have, berezefore, been allowed 
to receive the {alt free of duty. The in- 
habitants of no other places can engage in 
this employment, without firft previding 
themielves, with fuch ‘* good and fecure 
torehoufe’” as the Officer of Excife fhall 
approve of. 
The mitchief, however, arifing from 
the regulations which the Salt Ac&t im- 
pofes, is not confined to limiting the num- 
ber of thofe who engage in the taking and 
curing of filh. They occafion infinite 
difappointment and inconvenience to thofe 
whom the poflefion of a larger capital, 
and-the hope of increafing it, “has led to 
engage in this employment. Not being 
allowed to have any falt, except in fach 
good and fecure ftorchoufe as the Officer 
of Excife fhall approve of, they are pre- 
vented trom having it diftributed in fimall 
quantities, or at various places on the 
coait ; and are confequently obliged, when 
they go out with their sal By either to 
confine themfelves within a {mall diftance 
oi the fhore, near to the part where their 
falt-ftorehoule is fituated; or, by ventur- 
ing out, run the rifk of having the pro- 
duce oi their labour fpoiled before they 
can make their own port, if any contrary 
winds or any accident fhould occur to pre- 
_vent their {peedy return. “They are -not 
aiigwed to ran into any creek or port on 
the coat, that might be near at hand; 
2 neres did not the duty on falt Cull 
t ight at once meet with a fuppl ly of 
his necef ffary, article: but whatever 1s the 
wind or weather, or whatever their dif- 
tance, mufi fail for thew own forehoule. 
The fituation of their forehoufe, at the 
ein ped sercction, might have been well 
chefen ; but, ‘fit is well known tbat her- 
ie ‘sand many tea fith are extremely 
"je1gUS mM tb er vihts. Somatimes 
he 
e 
= "5 
Obfervations on. the Salt-Duties, 
they frequent one bay or creek, fometimes 
another. They have been known to vifit 
one bay or lake for a great number of 
years; then to defert it for a feafon, and 
afterwards return again to it:”” fo that a 
ftorehoufe for falt, well fituated at one 
time, is at another very ill adapted to the 
convenience of the fifh-curer. In an ex- 
cellent paper by Mr. Williams, of Gil- 
merton, on the improvement of the 
fifheries, it is ftated, that the fupe- 
riority of the Dutch herrings over 
thofe cured here, is probably owing to 
their “‘ufing good falt, and curing imme- 
diately after the herrings are caught.’’—~ 
“Our herrings are generally {poiled in 
the boats, before they are landed and 
falted : cured they cannot be after ue | 
are half rotten.”” 
It is certainly by) particular attention 
to the early curing of the herrings, that 
thofe cured by the Dutch are, in general, 
fo much fuperior to ours. .They have 
their fupply of falt at hand: and {o anxi- 
ous are they to retain the character they 
have acquired for fuperior excellence in 
curing fifh, that, ‘¢ if it ever happens that 
the fifhing of the day cannot be al! falted. 
up in the cafks before fun-fetting, the re- 
mainder is thrown over-board. "ine this 
they bind themfelves by an oath, which 
is literally oblerved.”” While the prefent 
reftrictions impofed by the Salt Aé con- 
tinue, it is not to be expected that we 
fhould ever prove rivals to them in the , 
curing of ffh. 
At the fame time, that infinite advan- 
tage would be obtained from the oppor= 
tunity, which the removal of the reftric- 
tions relative to the ufe of falt, would give 
the fifh-curers of curing their fith almoft 
immediately on their being taken ; it is, 
no doubt, of much importance to attend 
to the goodnels of the falt. The good- 
nefs of marine-falt is eftimated by the fize 
and compactnefs of the cryftal. The 
larger and firmer this is, and the nearer 
it approaches to a cubical form, the bet- 
ter, The falt made. by a very flow eva- 
poration, and by the manufaéturers of it 
called the iarge-grained fifhery-falt, is of 
this kind. It is the pure muriate of 
foda 5 and it is certainly much fuperior 
to the Portugueze or Mediterranean bay- 
fait for prelerving any ahimal food. It 
wold be well if the ufe of this were en= 
couraged in the fouth of Ireland for the 
curing cf beef. If the prejudice in favour 
of the St. Ube’s falt, which is the fale at 
prefen t chiefly ufed, could be done away, 
and the large orainsd ifhery of our own 
manu- 
[May 1, 
ee 
