To prepare the silver bath, chloride of silver is necessary. The best general direction for obtaining this is to purchase the crystallised nitrate of silver, the price of which is now more moderate than formerly; dissolve it in water, just sufficient, in a decanter, and then fill up the decanter with strong salt and water. This will precipitate the chloride in a white sediment. Let it settle, and carefully pour off the water. The same result, so far, may be obtained a little cheaper, by dissolving bits of old silver, or small silver coins, in nitric acid, and precipitating the chloride from the solution as above. For this purpose, the acid must not be chemically pure; and it is best to dilute it with water-about 1 of water to 4 of acid-and put, say one ounce of silver to four ounces of the diluted acid in a large bottle or decanter; and apply a little heat by placing it in a sauce-pan of hot water. As a certain effervescence takes place at times, it is well to have good room in the bottle, to prevent loss by overflowing. Avoid the fumes which arise from it, and let it stand until all bubbling from the metal has ceased. If all the silver is not dissolved, add more acid, and so on until it is so; then fill up with salt and water, to obtain the chloride, which must be washed six or eight times with fresh water. We think, on the whole, that the former of these methods-that with the purchased nitrate-is, in general, preferable; but, being accustomed to it, we ourselves adopt the latter method. An ounce of silver dissolved, we consider about equivalent to one and a half ounce of bought nitrate; and the chloride from either will take twelve to sixteen ounces of yellow prussiate of potash, and about three or four common bottles of water. They should be put together as soon as possible, and boiled gently in a clean tin vessel, for about twenty minutes to half an hour. Extreme accuracy in these details is not important. The object is to get potash enough to dissolve the silver; but no harm is done by having more; and, when desired, an ounce of silver will make a gallon of bath, as well as a smaller quantity. When the boiling is over, the liquid must be allowed to settle in pigs or bottles, and the clear liquor poured off for use. We recommend keeping it in bottles. The dregs must be put together, a little water added, allowed to settle again, and poured off; and a third washing of the dregs may be made in this way, to prevent loss of silver; and all articles should be carefully washed before being returned to domestic use. In a former article, we entered slightly upon the important subject of the bath itself; we suggested a common delf foot-bath, such as are found in most houses; and since then, we have used one ourselves with great satisfaction. But we found that the liquid penetrated the delf, the salt rising in crystals on the outside; so that, while we know nothing better as a Take two parts-say ounces-of resin, one of yellow bees-wax, two of finely pulverised (washed) yellow ochre; beat these together in a pipkin; let your bath be quite dry, and give it several thin coats of the mixture with a brush. This will render also common crockery, and even wooden or tin vessels, as good for the purpose as delf; but care must be taken to renew the coating of tin vessels, if it should happen to be rubbed off. An ingenious person might make an excellent bath of sheet gutta-percha, but we have not tried it ourselves. Also our attention has lately been drawn to an array of earthenware vessels of the common glazed sort, which would answer admirably as baths, if properly prepared with the above composition. As this ware is very cheap, we should be disposed to recommend its use, so prepared, for all the purposes for which a bath is required on the large scale. It is best to have plenty of room for the complete immersion of large objects. A practical difficulty is, how to suspend the articles in the liquid, when they are large; and we shall overcome it. endeavour to describe a contrivance by which to Supposing the bath established on a shelf or table. Set up at each side of it an upright piece of board, secured to the table by an 'angle bit' of wood or tin, some inches higher than the bath itself. Each piece should have a hole, through which a strong iron or brass wire may be passed, so as to overhang the bath. From this wire, at one end, suspend the tube of the pile, either by cords or as follows: take a common lamp chimney-glass, and tie strongly a bit of wet bladder on one end of it; tie to the other end, outside, a strong slip of tin or zinc five or six inches long; bend this so as to hook on to the wire, and allow the bladder-end to be immersed, some inches at least, in the liquid bath. The zine of the pile itself should consist of strips of sheet zinc, so long as to go down be suspended, of course, in this glass tube, and should nearly to the bottom of the tube, and to hook on also to the iron wire; or shorter bits may be hung from a brass or copper wire, which should itself be twisted round the principal wire. It may be well to add, that the glass tube should be nearly filled with salt and water. It will be seen that the main wire is thus in con nection with the pile; and that any object hung from it into the liquid bath will be so as well. It is only necessary, then, to suspend by wires from it whatever is to be plated; and for this its strength and position afford great facilities. It must be recollected that all the wires to be used should be kept free from rust, which may easily be done by using a little sand or emery paper. It is important to understand the principle on which the regulation of the electricity depends. The effect produced in a given time will depend upon the relations to each other of three different agencies: these are the surface of zinc exposed in the pile, the strength of the saline solution in the tube, and the metallic strength of the bath. By attending to one of these only, we can retain entire command over the whole process-that is, by exposing more or less zinc in the tube, we can regulate inch wide, we should say that a slip of four inches, the electric current. Taking the slips of zinc at one immersed in the tube, will suffice for a gallon of bath; and so on in proportion either way. One tube will do for several gallons, but it may be necessary to use several bits of zinc. The usual fault of beginners is, that they go too fast, using too much electricity, when employing the simple pile. We have found, on further trials, that on the principle we are now explaining, the current may be so weakened that the work may be left for many hours without injury, with this as well as with Daniell's pile. Thus, we should expose, not four, but one inch of zinc per gallon in such a case; and if, after leaving it all night, there was much deadness in the plating done, we should expose less another time; but we should not venture to leave it so long without first ascertaining, by practice, what four, five, or six hours would effect. It must not be forgotten that, when a stronger current is used, the objects should be taken out frequently, and rubbed clean and bright. It is impossible to say beforehand how often; but it may easily be known by observing when the surface assumes the dead-white or frosted look. A word about metals and their preparation. We gave, formerly, a mode of making the acidulated mercurial preparation. It may also be made by purchasing a little nitrate of mercury at the chemist's, and dissolving it in water, adding a few drops of nitric acid. When enough of acid is added, the liquid gives a bright silvery colour to any metal on which it is laid. It is the result of our experience, that, while the substitutes, known under various names, may be plated thinly without this preparation-and, of course, require renewal frequently-it would be impossible to lay on them a strong coat of silver without it. It is, therefore, in our opinion an invaluable substance in connection with our art, and its cost is quite inappreciable. With this preparation, any one of the metals alluded to may be plated to any thickness desired; but we still object strongly to the use of albata and all the inferior sorts. Their points and edges will, sooner or later, come through even the thick and expensive coating given by the great houses, and then the contrast of colour spoils the whole. By using the best nickel silver or argentine, the goods will wear out evenly to the last; but for the benefit of those who possess albata-a veritable lucus a non lucendo-and do not wish to sell it as old metal, and purchase the better sorts for plating upon, we have recently experimented upon the subject of nickelisation, under the impression that if a strong coating of nickel itself is given in the first instance, it will, at small cost, add greatly to the durability of the plated goods afterwards. After various trials, we have succeeded in our object: our difficulty was to obtain a good adhesion, for the precipitation of nickel from a solution of one of its salts is easy enough. The salt employed is the ammoniacal sulphate of protoxide of nickel,' dissolved in water, to which we add about a tenth of silver bath. In this way, and by not using too strong a current, we have obtained a good and adhesive coating of the nickel. Its use, previously to plating, must remove, so far, the objection to the yellower metals. We use the above mercurial preparation even for brass and copper; not that it is necessary for adhesion, but we think that it preserves the purity of the bath, and prevents the metals being dissolved when first immersed. Of course, the nickelised goods must be prepared in the same way before plating. We would remind our readers that vast quantities of handsome Sheffield ware are annually broken up for the sake of the metals it contains; the copper surfaces being quite exposed, while the silver edges are still perfect. We have at present a really beautiful cruetstand in use, which we purchased some months ago, in that state, for the price of the bottles, the seller throwing in the frame as a bonus. It may have taken five or six shillings worth of silver to give it a very strong coating, as it is a large article; and, with fair usage, it will now last a very long time. Most of the Sheffield ware is of fine design and pattern, and it is a great pity to allow it to be lost. This may be a good place to observe that servants appear to be in the habit of grossly misusing plated ware. We have seen handsome ware, which looked as if all the silver had been rubbed off with sand or coal-ashes. Housekeepers should remember that it is not enough that platepowders should not contain mercury; they should also be carefully prepared in impalpable powdersay, one part of tripoli to two of whiting-and very sparingly used. If plate is well washed with soap and water, and wiped dry, a very little cleaning with leather and powder will suffice. It may also be useful to observe that, in cases where a little copper appears on the angles of plated goods-and it may not be possible to replate them-they may be used by touching the coppery parts with a little of the mercurial liquid described above. Such is the famous 'silver solution,' sold at about two shillings the ounce bottle by vendors in London and Paris, at a profit of about 500 per cent., if not more. Its effect is only for a day or two, but it can be laid on again in a few minutes; and when 'made at home, costs almost nothing, and so may have its place as an economic agent. 'IN REMEMBRANCE OF DOUGLAS JERROLD.' Ar the death of Mr Jerrold in June last, it was understood that his surviving family were left in a condition far short of penury, but which yet scarcely reached that pitch of comfort in which the friends and admirers of the deceased were anxious to see them placed. In these circumstances, Mr Charles Dickens came forward, and, with the assistance of a number of literary and other friends, gave a series of amateur theatrical performances, readings, and lectures, as he delicately said, 'in remembrance of Douglas Jerrold.' These were so heartily patronised by the public, that been realised and expended in the purchase of a before the end of August two thousand pounds had government annuity for Mrs Jerrold and her unmarried daughter. Taking this pleasant little affair in connection with the similar exertions made by Mr Thackeray and others not long since in behalf of the widow of Angus B. Reach, we feel prompted to remark the increased power and influence of literary men in our day, and the greatly improved mutual feeling now existing amongst them. Forty years ago, there was neither this power for good, nor the inclination so to use it. In an earlier age, the descendants even of a Milton had to be sought for after a few years in the haunts of humble life. Now, a Dickens or a Thackeray comes in like an angelic messenger, and with the loving heart of one, to re-illume the desolated hearth of their less fortunate literary confrères. Nothing, we believe, could be further from the hearts of these men than the desire to see their acts of this kind noted; but it has appeared to us that the Jerrold Remembrance in particular was too remarkable a feature of literary life in our day to be passed over in silence. We, after all, use not a word of mere praise; we desire to raise no roll of applause. Dickens, that, in addition to all the results of his We only congratulate Mr well-earned literary fame, he can reckon on the power of effecting so much good to his fellow-creatures. Printed and Published by W. and R. CHAMBERS, 47 Paternoster Row, LONDON, and 339 High Street, EDINBURGH. Also sold by WILLIAM ROBERTSON, 23 Upper Sackville Street, Durin, and all Booksellers. OF POPULAR LITERATURE Science and Arts. CONDUCTED BY WILLIAM AND ROBERT CHAMBERS. No. 197. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10, 1857. IN THE NORTH AMONG THE HERRINGS. THE herring-fishery of Scotland presents aspects so picturesque and exciting, that from our own personal observation and experience, we would cordially recommend a view of its doings to the used-up: to any Sir Charles Coldstream, dying for a new 'sensation,' we would at once say: 'Go to Wick!' Although there are other large fishing-stations both in Scotland and England, such as Dunbar and Yarmouth, Wick is the true herring metropolis, the place where this capital fish with its belongings is the one staple article of commerce, and where, during the season, a nightly fleet of about twelve hundred boats, upon which some ten thousand human beings are dependent, proceeds to sea to engage in the lottery of herring-fishing. Both at Dunbar and Yarmouth, there are large fleets engaged in the fishery; but these places having been caught in the network of our railways, the produce of their boats is rapidly whirled away, fresh from the bosom of the deep, to the mighty metropolis. It is at Wick alone we can see the process of the cure in all its completeness; and here we find other sights and sounds of interest and excitement besides the herring drave and the death-cheep of the fish. On the sea-beaten cliffs that frame the coast, are traces of mighty convulsions of nature, and striking geological phenomena stud the shore. Further north, and easy of access from hence, there are the wonderful islands of Shetland, the primitive home of a primitive people, a hundred and fifty miles from the mainland, and nearly a thousand from London. And there, far away in the living waters of the North Atlantic, are to be seen men who perform wondrous feats on the face of the rocks-fowlers who peril their lives for the sake of a few eggs or a handful of feathers. Let the blasé Sir Charles bowl over to Shetland, and view men hanging to the slippery and crumbling rocks by their toes and fingers, the ravening waters surging hundreds of feet below them, and the mighty eagle flapping his wings round their head: and then let him say, if he can, there is nothing in it.' Some gentlemen who possess yachts have the pluck to venture among the icebergs of the high latitudes; and there are hundreds who annually 'do' the fiords of Norway, the isles of Greece, the Mediterranean, and Mount Vesuvius; but there be few who know thoroughly our own land of the mountain and the flood, its scenery and employments; who have fished for piltachs in Shetland, or fowled on lone St Kilda, ay, or seen Wick in the herring-season. Of the many chapters which compose the romance of natural history, there are none more interesting PRICE 1d. than those which treat of the manners and customs of the inhabitants of the great deep. It was only the other day our savans decided the parr question, a well-known branch of the great salmon controversy; and now we are in the very midst of speculation as to the natural history and proper habitat of the principal member of the clupea family. Only a few years ago, we still believed in wonderful theories as to the sources whence we were supplied with this multitudinous fish. We took it for granted, that the herrings were natives of far-away seas, and generated amid the icebergs of Greenland; and that, leaving their frozen home, in one gigantic shoal of hundreds of millions of fish, they turned their snouts to the south, and reaching Britain, delivered themselves up for the benevolent purpose of feeding the people of these islands. Even now, we know little more than this: although we suspect the herring to be a native of our own seas-that it comes into shallow water at certain seasons to spawn; and, having fulfilled this great purpose of nature, that it again retires to the nearest deep water. It is at this period we commence our onset; the 'full fish' being the most esteemed in the market; and here we must notice the strange anomaly, that during the spawning season we protect our salmon, and avoid all kinds of white fish, which is precisely the period we choose for rushing upon the herrings, and destroying them in myriads. As an instance of the very limited knowledge we possess of the natural history of even our most favourite fishes, we may state that at the recent meeting of the British Association, a member, who read an interesting paper 'On the Sea-fisheries of Ireland,' introduced specimens of a substance which the Irish fishermen considered to be the spawn of the turbot; stating that wherever this substance was found, trawling was forbidden; the supposed spawn being in reality a kind of sponge, with no other relation to fish except as being indicative of beds of mollusca, the abundance of which marks that fish is plentiful. It follows that the stoppage of the trawl on the grounds where this kind of squid is found, is the result of sheer ignorance, and causes the loss in all likelihood of great quantities of the best white fish. We have called the herring-fishery a lottery, and it will presently appear how it deserves this character. Some years the take is very large, and at other times it does little more than pay expenses. The present season has been considerably under the usual average at all the stations in Scotland. This, coupled with the fact of many places being now barren of fish that in former times yielded a good supply, has given rise to an opinion that we are killing our goose with the golden eggs. The originator and principal advocate of rewarded with fish; but most of the others had taken up this view is Mr John Cleghorn, who, being resident in their stations, and their partially furled sails denoted the place where our greatest fishing is carried on, has that the great business of the night had commenced: in had the most ample opportunities for observation and these the men having crept under the sail, were already research. The points of Mr Cleghorn's doctrine are the comfortably asleep, their boats drifting with the tide, and their trains filling rapidly with the glittering following: 1. That the herring is a native of the waters treasures of the deep. Now it became our turn; and in which it is found, and never migrates. 2. That having selected a spot-a rather difficult task amid distinct races of it exist at different places. 3. That the crowd of boats-we commenced our labours. twenty-seven years ago, the extent of netting employed Away flew net after net, over the side, till a train in the capture of the fish was much less than what is was formed, like some great sea-serpent, floating in now used, while the quantity of fish caught was, generour wake-the corks and bladders dancing up and down ally speaking, much greater. 4. There were fishing- almost as far as the eye could reach; in fact, our train stations some years ago which are now exhausted; a there could not have been less than 1000 miles of must have been fully a mile long-and on that night steady increase having taken place in their produce netting floating around us. Having hauled down our up to a certain point, then violent fluctuations, then sail, we waited patiently for some token of success; final extinction. 5. The races of herrings nearest our but wearied at last, after an interval of about four large cities have disappeared first; and in districts hours, we hauled our nets, and were rewarded with where the tides are rapid, as among islands, and in one solitary fish! Although much disheartened, we lochs where the fishing-grounds are circumscribed, the resolved to try again; but before doing so, we pulled fishings are precarious and brief; while, on the other up and down among our neighbours, peering into hand, extensive sea-boards having slack tides, with fortunate. At last we found some with fish in them; their nets, to ascertain whether they had been more little accommodation for boats, are surer and of longer and again we threw out our marking-buoy-over went continuance as fishing-stations. 6. From these pre- the first sinker, and away flew the net, breadth after mises it follows that the extinction of districts, and breadth, till again our whole train was floating far the fluctuations in the fisheries generally, are attribut- upon the sea. Fortunate neighbours were by this able to overfishing. In 1818, with 2,000,000 square time hauling in and filling their boats with herrings. yards of netting, we caught 116,000 barrels; and this Hark! in the distance there is a mighty noise, as year in Wick, with nets to the amount of 22,000,000 if ten thousand thunder-showers were rattling down square yards, we have only some 82,000 barrels. Upon on the ocean; and see, the distant flashing of the the whole, Mr Cleghorn's statements deserve attention; waters-they are bright with light, and vivid with life and under present circumstances, the controversy may-for a 'spot' of the herring-shoal has risen to the be expected to go on with warmth. 'Herrings,' says surface, and the waves are flashing in their brilliant one of the belligerent journals, 'will very soon be as phosphorescence. A stone is thrown from a boat right rare a fish as the salmon, and found only on the tables into the centre of the fiery tumult, and in a moment of the wealthy.' the spot has disappeared; the light has vanished, and the waters are again dark and still. It was a brief but beautiful sight; an ample reward of itself for the night's labour. The information which even our most intelligent fishermen can impart as to the natural history of the fish is so scanty, as to be of no practical value. They go out in their boats to catch them, not to observe and note their habits. Of course, they have in general acquired a certain knowledge of the places where their prey most do congregate; but even in this respect, the falling in with the shoal is quite a chance affair. The usual mode of determining the whereabouts of the fish is very primitive, consisting principally of observations as to where the gulls are roosting. If these are found high on the rocks, then the herrings are supposed to be out at sea; if, on the other hand, the birds are low down, or at the water's edge, then the shoal is thought to be close inshore. However, our business for the present is with the actual modus operandi, and a night or two at sea, and a long and interested gaze at the land operations, have made us somewhat familiar with the subject. It was about half-past four when we left the harbour of Wick, a little speck upon the waves, dancing along with 1100 other little specks, all on the same errand. When we got fairly out of the harbour, the question was how to turn, to the east or the west; after a consultation, we bore away to the right hand -why I cannot tell-our brown sail well filled, and our boat in full career before the spanking breeze. Soon we passed the little harbour of Sarclet; and in about an hour and a half were off Lybster, streams of boats pouring like bees out of both of these places. Tacking about, we made a run back to what we thought a suitable place; and as the sun in gilded majesty was retiring into the bosom of the waters, we commenced preparations for the shooting of our nets. A few cautious persons were still rowing anxiously about, not inclined to be at the trouble of shooting till they saw whether or not their neighbours were Not one of us had spoken during this little scene, but at last one of the Harris people, taking the pipe from his mouth, exclaimed: Och, och, but she 'll get plenty of fish the next haul!' And he proved to be a true prophet. At the next haul, we had great luck, and the fish came splashing over the side of the boat as thick as hailstones. It took us two good hours to haul in the nets, and then we had time to look round, and observe the operations of our neighbours. The sea for miles around was one mart of industry; and as the early village cock in distant barn-yards was proclaiming the advent of morn, the fleet was on the move, and all making harbourwards. Some, high out of the water, took the lead, and dashed gallantly home with great rapidity-empty. Others, deep sunk in the sea, heavy laden with their miraculous draughts, crept slowly along, joyously dipping an occasional oar to speed them on their way. Such were the results of the Lottery. The herrings, it would appear, do not swim in an unbroken mass, but in tribes or nationsor at least in regiments and divisions-and the luckless boat between any two of these aggregations, fishes only the empty waters. One of our neighbours had not even a single fish, whilst another, more fortunate, was laden to the gunwale. About six o'clock, we made the harbour, and found hundreds of boats already berthed, and commencing operations for landing their freight. We are now at a point where the herring ceases to be an object of natural history, and becomes an article of commerce; and we must, as we have said, resort of necessity to Wick, in order to see all the business operations of the fishery brought into a focus. Here, during the heat of the season, that is, from the end of July to the first week in September, when the local fishermen are assisted by hired hands, are congregated all who have an interest in the fishing; and the coup d'œil is full of animation. The herring fleet, when the weather is favourable, begins to move out of harbour about four o'clock, and, as it is some hours before the whole fleet are dispersed on the waters, before this is accomplished perhaps some are already returning laden with fish. And again, it sometimes happens, that as the last boats are coming in, those who like to start early are pushing away for a new campaign. From six o'clock A.M. till about three in the afternoon, the bustle is at the thickest; and strangers visiting the hillside which overlooks the harbour, will see the sight in all its glory. Viewing the harbour and quays from this vantageground, which commands the greater portion of the scene, the spectacle is striking, as all the hurry and bustle incidental to the cure is here concentrated. Scores of boats are already in, and the various crews have begun the process of carrying ashore the fish. Men clad in picturesque oilskin leggings and originallooking overcoats, and boots that might be coffins to ordinary humanity, are busy with great wooden spades shovelling the herrings into the baskets, four of which make a cran. These are rapidly carried-for everything is done in a desperate hurry-by the gangs of hired men to the gutting-places, which are of the dimensions of an ordinary-sized room, but with low sidesand the glittering contents of the baskets poured in like a torrent; then a person who is on the watch to keep an account of what is brought, rushes like a madman to a barrel containing salt, and spreading out the herrings with a spade, scatters large handfuls over them. If the take has been large, this goes on for hours; the quay-roads then become ankle-deep in brine, the men are dripping herring-water all the way from the boats to the troughs; and the atmosphere is laden with the wersh perfume of the fresh fish. Upon the arrival of each boat, the same routine has to be gone through, till all the fish have been brought on shore. By this time, the operation of gutting and packing is in full force, and constitutes a highly curious element in the picture. For some time before, we had seen lounging about the curing-yards, and wandering among the piles of empty barrels, a rather incongruous but not uninteresting portion of the assemblage: groups of Highland girls dressed in white short-gowns and black petticoats, and with uncovered hair in smooth and glittering braids. They had a bright independent look, which was very piquant, and seemed to observe, with a sort of careless curiosity, the coarse labours of the men. But where are they now? A sound as if of the slap of Harlequin's sword, and short-gowns, petticoats, and girls are suddenly transmogrified into veritable witches, so withered and so wild in their attire,' that we start almost in terror, wondering what part they are to play in the drama. We have not long to wait, however, for they are at once seized with the tarentular phrensy of the men, and fling themselves headlong into their business. The operations performed by them are indeed carried on with singular speed and dexterity. Yonder woman with the blood-bespattered visage, a very fiend incarnadined, guts a herring every two seconds; and her neighbour at the barrel, when kept well supplied with fish, packs it in the regulation style in eleven minutes: that is, she rouses the fish in a large tub, takes them out in handfuls, and then arranges them in mathematical order in the barrel, sprinkling a portion of salt on each layer. And so they proceed till the trough is at last emptied; and then they forthwith resume their natural shape and costume; and with their white short-gowns, black petticoats, and braided hair, and with the flush of exercise and triumph on their cheeks and in their eyes, turn their backs upon the scene and return to their homes. This occupation being of the nature of piece-work, is very lucrative, and these nymphs of the herring-trough, being able to realise considerable sums of money, are among the gayest belles of the town; but when posted round the trough, dipping their brawny arms deep among the scaly treasures, seizing each a fish, ripping it up, heaving it into a basket, and throwing the viscera into a box, at the rate of thirty a minute, they form a group easier to imagine than describe. It is Saturday, and the quays are thronged with carts, busy carrying away the nets to be spread out and dried on the neighbouring fields, and there they remain till Monday, there being no fishing either on Saturday or Sunday nights. During the season, the brae of Pulteneytown, which adjoins Wick, is crowded with spectators looking down on the animated scene below, and in the afternoon, watching the going out of the fleet to sea. The commerce in herring is different from most other kinds of trading, inasmuch as the whole of the goods are bought months before they are brought to market. In some of the German or Prussian ports, there lives a merchant whose business consists in sending salted herrings into the far interior of the continent, where they are luxuries which sometimes only the rich are able to purchase: he knows the markets which are open to him, and the number of barrels he can readily dispose of. He is generally a person of some capital, and able to advance money to the curers when required. He corresponds with them, and bargains for a certain number of barrels at a certain price; and it is these curers who come in between the merchant and the fisherman to deal for the 'green fish.' Then the fisherman, having made his bargain, which is generally so much per cran, and a bounty to each boat in addition, proceeds to supplement his regular crew, which may consist only of himself and his two sons, by hiring two or three of the sturdy men who annually visit Wick from the islands for the purpose of assisting in the fishery. These hired men' receive perhaps L.5 or L.6 for the season, besides lodging and food; and as to bounties and prices, they vary considerably. Thus one of the local papers informs us, that the bounties paid last year ranged from L.20 to L.30 and upwards, besides perquisites. Those given for the present season's fishing, we were told, varied from L.30 to L.50, in addition to 14s. and upwards, per cran. The complement of fish agreed to be delivered to the curer, provided they are caught, is 200 crans. All beyond that quantity is at the fisherman's disposal, and the curer generally enters into a new contract for the surplus.' There is generally an influx of about five or six thousand of the hardy islanders of Skye, or the Lewis, accompanied by numerous female relations, who find employment at the troughs. The bargains with curers are made, perhaps, at the close of one season for the next. The curer has to bring home the billet-wood, get it sawn up into staves-for which purpose there are several water and steam mills at Wick-and then have it converted into barrels, of which many hundreds have to be kept in stock. Then he is obliged to have on hand a large stock of salt. A staff of coopers is also necessary to make up the barrels, and to head and hoop them when they are filled with fish, and have the various parcels ready to be examined and branded by the officer of the Board of Fisheries; after which they are ready for shipment to the various home and continental markets. The scenes presented, even at our smaller fishingstations in the herring-season, are well worth seeing; but to view the great picture in perfection, requires a visit to Wick, or a tour of the Moray Firth, where there are also a great number of harbours for the fisheries. Let tourists take our advice, and spend a |