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FIS

434

F I S

Extending the same. All ranks of men were elevated w ith an ideaof the boundless riches that would flow into the kingdom fromtins source. A subscription of 500,000/. w r as immediately filledin the city, by a body of men who were incorporated for twenty-one years by the name of The Society of the Free British Fishery.Every encouragement was held out by government, both to the so-ciety ancl to individuals, who might embark in this national business.A bounty of 36s. per ton was to be paid annually out of the'custonisfor fourteen r ears, to the ow ners of all flecked vessels or busses,from twenty to eighty tons burden, which should be built afterthe commencement of the act, for the me of, and fitted out andemployed in, the said fisheries, whether by the society or anyother persons. At the same time numerous pamphlets and news-paper-essays came forth ; ail pretending to elucidate the subject,and to convince the public with what facility the herring-fisheriesmight be transferred from Dutch to British hands. This provedhowever, a more arduous task than had been foreseen by superfi-cial speculators. The Dutch were frugal in their expendituresand living ; perfect masters of the arts of fishing and curing, whichthey had carried to the greatest height and perfection. Theywere in full possession of the European markets; and (heir lisl),whether deserving or otherwise, had the reputation of superior |qualities to all others taken in our seas. With such advantages 'the Dutch not only maintained their ground againrt this formi-dable company, but had also the pleasure of seeing the capital gra-dually sinking, without having procured an adequate return to theadventurers; notwithstanding various aids and efforts of govern-ment from time to time in their favour, particularly in 1757, whenan advance of 20s. per ton was added to the bounty. In 1736 thepublic attention was again called to the state of the British fish-eries, by the suggestions of Mr. Dempster in the house of com-mons, and by different publications that appeared upon the sub-ject : in consequence of which, the minister suffered a committeeto be named, to inquire into this great source of national wealth.To that committee it appeared that the best wav of improving thefisheries was, to encourage the inhabitants living nearest to theseat of them to become fishers. And it being found that thenorth-western coast of the kingdom, though abounding with fishand tine harbours, w as utterly de-titute of towns, an act was passedfor incorporating certain persons therein named, by the style of“ The British Society forextending the fisheries, and improvingthe sea-coasts of this kingdom and to enable them to subscribea joint stock, and therewith to purchase lands, and build thereonfree towns, villages, and fishing-stations, in the Highlands, andislands in that part of Great Britain called Scotland , and for otherpurposes. 'File Isle of Mull, Loch Broom, the Islrs of Sky andof Ganay, have already been m il ked as proper situations for someof these towns. The progress of such an undertaking from its na-ture must be slow, but still slower when carried on with a limitedcapital arising from the subscriptions of a few public-spirited indivi-duals. But it is not to be doubted that it will ultimately tend to theincrease of our fisheries, ami to the improvement of the Highlandpart of this kingdom. Its tendency is also to lessen the emigrationof a Irrave ancl industrious rare of inhabitants, too many of whomhave already removed with their families to America .

As’t.nov v-Fishkry. The anchovy is caught in the months ofMay, June, and July, on the coasts of Catalonia, Provence , &rc.at which season it constantly repairs up the straits of Gibraltarinto the Mediterranean . Collins says they are also found in plentyon the western coasts of England and Wales . The fishing for themis drietly in the night-time; when a light being put on the stern oftiieir little fishing-vessels, the anchovies (lock round, and arecaught in the nets. But then it is asserted to have been found byexperience, that anchovies taken thus hv fire, are neither so good,so firm, nor so proper for keeping, as those that are taken withoutfiie. When the lifiiery is over, they cut otf the heads, takeout their gall and guts, and then lay them in barrels, and saltthem. The common way of eating anchovies is will) oil, vinegar,&c. in order to which they are first boned, and the tails, fins, &c.slipped off. Being put on the fire, they dissolve almost in anyliquor. Or they are made into sauce by mincing them with pep-per, ke. Some also pickle anchovies in small debt or earthenpois, made on purpose, of two or three pounds weight, more orii-.-s, which they cover with phister to keep them the better. An-chovies should be chosen small, fresh pickled, wliify on the out-

side and red within. If genuine, they have round hacks; forthose which are fiat or large are otlen nothing but sardines. Be-sides these qualities, the pickle, on opening the pots or barrels,should be of a good taste, and not have lost its flavour.

Cod-Fishery. There arc two kinds of cod-fish; the one greenor white cod; the other dried or cured cod; though itisalj the samefish differently prepared ; the former being sometimes salted andbarrelled, then taken out for use; and tiie latter having lain for acompetent time in salt, and then dried in the sun or smoke. Thechief fisheries for green cod arc in the bay of Canada , on the greatbank of Newfoundland , and on the isle of St. I’eter, and the isle ofSable; to which places vessels resort from many parts both of Europe and America . They are from 100 to 150 tons burthen, and willeatcli between 30,000 and 40,000 cod each. The most essentialpart of the fishery is, to have a master to know how to cut up thecod, one who is skilled to take off the head properly, and aboveall a good sailer, on which the preserving of them, and conse-quently the success of the voyage, depend. 'Flic best season isfrom the beginning of February to the end of April ; the fish,which in the winter retire to the deepest water, coming then on thebanks, and fattening extremely. \\ hat are caught from March toJune keepwell; but those taken in July, August, and September,when it is w arm on the banks, are apt to spoil soon. Each fishertakes but one at a time, yet the most expert w ill take from 350 to400 in a day ; but that is the most, the weight of the fish and thegreat coldness on the bank fatiguing very much. As soon as thecod are caught, the heads are 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; pulling layers of saltand fish alternately, but never mixing fish caught on differentdays. Whi'ii they have lain I bus three or four days to drain offthe water, they are placed in another part of the ship, and saltedagain, where they remain till the vessel is loaded. Sometimesthey are cut in thick pieces, and put in barrels for the greater con-venience of carriage. The principal fishery for dry cod is, fromCape Bose to the Bay des Exports, along the coast of Placentia,in which compass there are several commodious ports for the fishto be dried in. These, though of the same kind with the freshcod, are much smaller, and therefore fitter to keep, as the salt pe-netrates more easily into them. The fishery of both is muchalike; only this latter is most expensive, as it takes up more timeand employs more hands, and yet scarcely half so much salt isspent in this as in the other. The bait is herring, of which greatquantities are taken on the coast of Placentia. When severalvessels meet and intend to fish in the same port, he whose shallopfirst touches ground, becomes entitled to the quality and privi-leges of admiral : he has the choice of his station, and the refusalof all the wood on the coast at his arrival. As fast as the mastersarrive, they unrig all their vessels, leaving nothing but the shroudsto sustain the masts ; and in the mean time the mates provide atent on shore covered with brandies of trees, with sails over them,with a scaffold of great trunks of pines, twelve, fifteen, sixteen,and often twenty feet high, commonly from forty to sixty feetlong, and about one-third as much in breadth. While the scaiiold ispreparing, the crew arc fishing; and as fast as they catch, theybring their tisli ashore, and open and salt them upon moveablebenches; but the main salting is performed on the scaffold. Whenthe fish have taken salt, they wash and hang them to drain on rails ;when drained, they are laid on a sort of stages, which are smallpieces of wood laid across, and covered with branches of trees,having the leaves stripped off for the passage of the air. On thesestages they are disposed a fish thick, head against tail, with thehack uppermost, and are turned carefully every twenty-four hours.When they begin to dry, they are laid in heaps ten or twelvethick, in order to retain their warmth ; and every day the heapsare enlarged, till they become double their first bulk ; then twoheaps are joined together, which they turn every day as before ;lastly, they are salted again, beginning with those first salted ; andbeing laid in huge piles, tbev remain in that situation till they arecarried on board the ships, where they are laid on the branches oftrees disposed for that purpose, upon the ballast, and round thediip, with mats to prevent their contracting any moisture. Thecod supplies four kinds of commodities, viz. the sounds, thetongues, the roes, and the oil which is extracted from its liver. 'The first are salted at the fishery, together w ith the fish, and put

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