V. whether the herrings were cured with foreign or CHA P. with Scotch falt, only one fhilling the barrel is paid up. It was the whole Scotch duty upon a bufhel of falt, the quantity which, at a low eftima, tion, had been fuppofed neceflary for curing a barrel of herrings. In Scotland, foreign falt is very little used for any other purpose but the curing of fish. But from the 5th April 1771, to the 5th April 1782, the quantity of foreign falt imported amounted to 936,974 bufhels, at eighty-four pounds the bufhel: the quantity of Scotch falt delivered from the works to the fishcurers, to no more than 168,226, at fifty-fix pounds the bufhel only. It would appear, therefore, that it is principally foreign falt that is ufed in the fisheries. Upon every barrel of herrings exported there is, befides, a bounty of 28. 8d. and more than two-thirds of the bufs caught herrings are exported. Put all these things together, and you will find that, during thefe eleven years, every barrel of bufs caught herrings, cured with Scotch falt when exported, has coft government 178. 11d.; and when entered for home confumption 14s. 31d.: and that every barrel cured with foreign falt, when exported, has coft government 17. 78. 51d.; and when entered for home confumption 17. 38. 9 d. The price of a barrel of good merchantable herrings runs from feventeen and eighteen to four and five and twenty fhillings; about a guinea at an average*. * See the accounts at the end of the volume. Secondly, BOOK Secondly, the bounty to the white herring fishery is a tonnage bounty; and is proportioned to the burden of the ship, not to her diligence or fuccefs in the fifhery; and it has, I am afraid, been too common for veffels to fit out for the fole purpose of catching, not the fish, but the bounty. In the year 1759, when the bounty was at fifty fhillings the ton, the whole bufs fishery of Scotland brought in only four barrels of fea fticks. In that year each barrel of fea fticks coft government in bounties alone 1137. 158.; each barrel of merchantable herrings 1591. 78. 6d. Thirdly, the mode of fifhing for which this tonnage bounty in the white herring fishery has been given (by buffes or decked veffels from twenty to eighty tons burthen), feems not fo well adapted to the fituation of Scotland as to that of Holland; from the practice of which country it appears to have been borrowed. Holland lies at a great diftance from the feas to which herrings are known principally to refort; and can, therefore, carry on that fishery only in decked veffels, which can carry water and provifions fufficient for a voyage to a diftant fea. But the Hebrides or weftern iflands, the iflands of Shetland, and the northern and north-western coafts of Scotland, the countries in whofe neighbourhood the herring fishery is principally carried on, are every where interfected by arms of the fea, which run up a confiderable way into the land, and, which, in the language of the country, are called fea-lochs. It is to thefe fea-lochs that the herrings principally refort during the fea fons V. fons in which they vifit thofe feas; for the vifits CHAP. of this, and, I am affured, of many other forts of fish, are not quite regular and conftant. A boat fishery, therefore, feems to be the mode of fishing beft adapted to the peculiar fituation of Scotland: the fishers carrying the herrings on fhore, as faft as they are taken, to be either cured or confumed fresh. But the great encouragement which a bounty of thirty fhillings the ton gives to the bufs fishery, is neceffarily a discouragement to the boat fishery; which, having no fuch bounty, cannot bring its cured fish to market upon the fame terms as the bufs fifhery. The boat fishery, accordingly, which, before the eftablishment of the bufs bounty, was very confiderable, and is faid to have employed a number of feamen, not inferior to what the bufs fishery employs at prefent, is now gone almost entirely to decay. Of the former extent, however, of this now ruined and abandoned fishery, I must acknowledge, that I cannot pretend to speak with much precifion. As no bounty was paid upon the outfit of the boat-fifhery, no account was taken of it by the officers of the cuftoms or falt duties. Fourthly, in many parts of Scotland, during certain feasons of the year, herrings make no inconfiderable part of the food of the common people. A bounty, which tended to lower their price in the home market, might contribute a good deal to the relief of a great number of our fellow-fubjects, whofe circumstances are by no means affluent. But the herring bufs bounty contributes to no fuch good purpose. It has ruined the boat fishery, which is, by far, the best BOOK beft adapted for the fupply of the home market, IV. and the additional bounty of 2s. 8d. the barrel upon exportation, carries the greater part, more than two thirds, of the produce of the bufs fishery abroad. Between thirty and forty years ago, before the establishment of the bufs bounty, fixteen fhillings the barrel, I have been affured, was the common price of white herrings. Be tween ten and fifteen years ago, before the boat fishery was entirely ruined, the price is faid to have run from feventeen to twenty fhillings the barrel. For thefe laft five years, it has, at an average, been at twenty-five fhillings the barrel. This high price, however, may have been owing to the real fcarcity of the herrings upon the coaft of Scotland. I muft obferve too, that the cask or barrel, which is usually fold with the herrings, and of which the price is included in all the foregoing prices, has, fince the commencement of the American war, rifen to about double its former price, or from about three fhillings to about fix fhillings. I muft likewife obferve, that the accounts I have received of the prices of former times, have been by no means quite uniform and confiftent; and an old man of great accuracy and experience has affured me, that more than fifty years ago, a guinea was the ufual price of a barrel of good merchantable herrings; and this, I imagine, may ftill be looked upon as the average price. All accounts, however, I think, agree, that the price has not been lowered in the home market, in confe quence of the bufs bonnty. When V. When the undertakers of fisheries, after fuch CHA P. liberal bounties have been beftowed upon them, continue to fell their commodity at the fame, or even at a higher price than they were accuftomed to do before, it might be expected that their profits fhould be very great; and it is not improbable that thofe of fome individuals may have been fo. In general, however, I have every reason to believe, they have been quite otherwife. The ufual effect of fuch bounties is to encourage rafh undertakers to adventure in a bufinefs which they do not understand, and what they lofe by their own negligence and ignorance, more than compenfates all that they can gain by the utmost liberality of government. In 1750, by the fame act which firft gave the bounty of thirty fhillings the ton for the encouragement of the white herring fishery (the 23 Geo. II. chap. 24.), a joint ftock company was erected, with a capital of five hundred thoufand pounds, to which the fubfcribers (over and above all other encouragements, the tonnage bounty juft now mentioned, the exportation bounty of two fhillings and eight pence the barrel, the delivery of both British and foreign falt duty free,) were, during the fpace of fourteen years, for every hundred pounds which they fubfcribed and paid into the flock of the fociety, entitled to three pounds a year, to be paid by the receiver-general of the cuftoms in equal half-yearly payments. Befides this great company, the refidence of whofe governor and directors was to be in London, it was declared lawful |