"placed very regularly in the centre of the coil. "Each line is furnished with two hundred and 66 eighty hooks, at the distance of six feet two "inches from each other. The hooks are fas"tened to lines of twisted horse hair, twenty seven inches in length.

"When fishing, there are always three men "in each boat, called a coble; and conse"quently nine of these lines are fastened toge"ther and used as one line, extending in length "nearly three miles, and furnished with above 66 two thousand five hundred hooks. An anchor "and a buoy are fixed at the first end of the “line, and one more at the end of each man's "lines; in all, four anchors, and four buoys "made of leather or cork. The line is always "laid across the current. The flood and ebb tides continue an equal time upon the coast; "and, when undisturbed by winds, run each way about six hours. They are so rapid that "the fishermen can only shoot and haul their

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lincs at the turn of the tide ; and therefore the "lines always remain upon the ground about six "hours. The same rapidity of tide prevents 66 their using hand lines; and therefore, two of "the people commonly wrap themselves in the "sail and sleep, while the others keep a strict "look-out, for fear of being run down by ships, ' and to observe the weather: for storms "often rise so suddenly, that it is sometimes with extreme difficulty they escape to the

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"shore, though they leave their lines behind

"them

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"The coble is twenty feet six inches long, "and five feet extreme breadth. It is about one ton burthen, rowed with three pair of and admirably constructed for the purpose of encountering a mountainous sea. They "hoist sail when the wind suits.

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oars,

"The five men-boat is forty feet long, fifteen "broad, and twenty-five tons burthen. It is so called though navigated by six men and a boy; because one of the men is hired to cook, "and does not share in the profits with the other ❝ five. All our able fishermen go in these "boats to the herring-fishery at Yarmouth, the "latter end of September, and return about the "middle of November. The boats are then laid

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up until the beginning of Lent, at which time "they go off in them to the edge of the Dogger, "and other places, to fish for turbot, cod, ling, "skates, &c. They always take two cobles "on board, and when they come upon their 66 ground, anchor the boat, throw out the cobles, "and fish in the same manner as those do who 66 go from the shore in a coble; with this differ"ence only, that here each man is provided "with double the quantity of lines, and, instead "of waiting for the return of the tide in the "coble, they all return to the boat and bait "their other lines; thus hawling one set, and "shooting another, every turn of tide. They

“commonly run into the harbour twice a week, "to deliver their fish. The five-men boat is "decked at each end, but open in the middle, "and has two long sails.

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"'The best bait for all kinds of fish, is fresh "herring cut in pieces of a proper size; and, "notwithstanding what has been said to the contrary, they are taken there at any time "in the winter, and all the spring, whenever "the fishermen put down their nets for that pur66 pose: the five-men boats always take some "nets for that end. Next to herrings are the "lesser lampreys. The next baits in esteem 66 are small haddocks cut in pieces, sand worms, "muscles and limpets; and lastly, when none "of these can be found, they use bullock's liver. "The hooks used there are much smaller than "those employed at Iceland and Newfound"land. Experience has shewn that the larger "fish will take a living small one upon the hook, 66 sooner than any bait that can be put on; "therefore they use such as the fish can swal"low. The hooks are two inches and a half "long in the shank, and nearly an inch wide be"tween the shank and the point. The line "is made of small cording, and is always tanned before it is used. All the rays and "turbots are extremely delicate in their choice

of baits: If a piece of herring or hadduck "has been twelve hours out of the sea, and "then used as a bait, they will not touch it."

Such is the manner of fishing for those fish

that usually keep near the bottom, on the coasts of England and Ireland; and Duhamel observes, that the best weather for succeeding, is a half calm, when the waves are just curled with a silent breeze.

But this extent of line, which runs, as we have seen, three miles along the bottom, is nothing to what the Italians throw out in the Mediterranean. There, fishing is carried on in a tartan, which is a vessel much larger than our's; and they bait a line of no less than twenty miles long, with above ten or twelve thousand hooks. This line is not regularly drawn every six hours, as with us, but remains for some time in the sea; and it requires the space of twenty-four hours to take it up. By this apparatus they take rays, sharks, and other fish; some of which are above a thousand pounds weight. When they have caught any of this magnitude, they strike them through with an harpoon, to bring them on board, and kill them as fast as they can.

This method of catching fish is obviously fatiguing and dangerous; but the value of the capture generally repays the pain. The skate and the thornback are very good food; and their size, which is from ten pounds to two hundred weight, very well rewards the trouble of fishing for them. But it sometimes happens that the lines are visited by very unwelcome intruders; by the rough ray, the firelare, or the

torpedo. To all these the fishermen have a great antipathy; however, they are not always so much upon their guard, but that they sometimes feel the different resentments of this angry tribe; and, instead of a prize, find they have caught a vindictive enemy. When such is the case, they take care to throw them back into the sea with the greatest expedition.

The rough ray inflicts but slight wounds with the prickles with which its whole body is furnished. To the ignorant it seems harmless, and a man would at first sight venture to take it in his hand, without any apprehensions; but he soon finds that there is not a single part of its body that is not armed with spines; and that there is no way of seizing the animal, but by the little fin at the end of the tail.

But this animal is harmless, when compared to the fireflare, which seems to be the dread of even the boldest and most experienced fishermen. The weapon with which Nature has armed this animal, which grows from the tail, and which is described as barbed, and five inches long, has been an instrument of terror to the ancient fishermen, as well as the moderns. It is fixed to the tail, as a quill is into the tail of a fowl, and is annually shed in the same manner it may be necessary for the creature's defence, but is no way necessary for its existence. The Negroes universally believe that the sting is poisonous; but they never die of