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practice of setting nets in daylight, scares the animals, iiattirallytimid, and drives them out again to the open deep sea, puttingan end, of course, to the boat-fishing of the natives : That in theeagerness to have the nets placed in the most favourable position,they are often crossed, so as to prove mutually obstructive : Thatthe boats of the larger vessels, trusting to the superior strengthof their crews, often maliciously carry oft’ the buoys, and cut thenets of the boat-fishers, whilst the large vessels often steer acrosstheir nets, in order to obstruct the boat-fishing, and to monopo-lize the whole shoal to themselves. Complaints are also made ofthe want of a proper system of intelligence, to give warning ofthe arrival of the shoals of fish, &c. J
Regarding it as an extensive nursery for seamen, and a sourceof profitable occupation for the overflowing and unproductivepopulation of the Highlands and Islands, Government has at-tempted to push forward the herring fishery, at much expense,and, hitherto, to little purpose.
Smith, in his Wealth of Nations, (Book IV. Chap, v.) states,that in the eleven years, from the commencement of the winterfishing in 1771, till the termination of the fishing of 1781, theherring buss fishery (including the bounty on tonnage, the lossof duty upon the salt used in curing the fish, and the bounty of2s. 8d. on every barrel exported) has stood tire public, in expenseper barrel, of those cured with Scots salt, I7s. 1 i(d. on everybarrel exported, and 14s. 3jd. on each barrel entered for homeconsumption ; of those cured with foreign salt, 1/. 7s. 5-Jd. oneach barrel exported, and 1/. 3s. 9^d. on each barrel entered forhome consumption ; whilst the market price of herrings he statesat the medium of 1/. Is. per barrel; that is to say, Governmentbad paid about the whole market price of the commodity, as abounty upon its production. A tonnage bounty, he observes,proportioned to the burden of the ship, and not to her diligenceor success in the fishery, has, it is to be feared, made it too com-mon for vessels to fit out for the sole purpose of catching—-notthe fish, but the bounty. And accordingly, in 1739, when thebounty was so high as 50s. per ton, he states the whole buss fish-ery to have brought in only four barrels of sea-stickys, (that is,herrings salted at sea, but needing resalting and repacking be-fore being fit for the market); which cost Government, in themere bounty alone, at the rate of 113/. 15s. for each barrel ofsea-stickys; or 159/. 7s. fid. each barrel, when reduced in sizeby repacking, so as to become merchantable herrings, f
1 Survey of the Hebrides , by the late Air James Alacdonald; an excellentwork, giving by far the best account of those remote districts.
f The following quotation from the same author, (Kook IV. Chap, v.) showsof how little real advantage such extravagant bounties are to the undertakers,—particularly when bestowed on the mere undertaking, and not proportioned^®