The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-04-14 00:00:00

The neglect of this valuable branch of commerce, with which Sir
Walter Raleigh reproached the British nation, has continued to
prevail from his time to the present; and at this day the whole of
the Deep Sea Herring Fishery is monopolised by the Dutch.
Round the coast of the Shetland Isles, from 5 to 600 of the Dutch
busses assemble annually in the month of June, under a Commo-
dore of the Dutch Navy. Each of these busses contains a crew of
from 15 to 20 men and boys, making an aggregate of nearly 10,000
sailors This is selected but as a single instance of the magnitude
of our loss, and of the extent to which we are surrendering to fo-
reigners a source of trade, which, by our own exertion, industry, and
surplus capital, might be made incalculably profitable to ourselves.
Second in importance to the Herring is the White Fishery, which
is at present carried on to so limited an extent as scarcely to deserve
the name; whilst the Americars, who have to import their salt
from Spain and Portugal, contrive to render the supply of European
markets with their salted Cod, a highly valuable branch of commerce.
In order, therefore, that the great commercial advantages to be
derived from the liming and Cod Fisheries may be no longer lost
to the British Capitalist, it is proposed to establillh a Joint Stock
Company, with a Capital of Five Hundred Thousand Pounds, di.
vided into Five Thousand Shares ; and that the operations of the
Company should extend principally to the Scottish Coast and Deep
Sea Fisheries ; and it is contemplated, that by the great practical
skill and knowledge of the persons employed, and more especially
-a the individual whose superior mode of curing Herrings the So-
ciety of Arts has publicly recognized and rewarded, this Company
will be enabled to render their Herrirp in every respect equal, if
not superior, to the Dutch ; so that by timely arrangements in each
season for the early Fishery, they may not only anticipate the Hol-
landers., and obtain a preference in favour of our own produce, but
establish a new and very extensive demand for British Herrings on
the Continent of Europe, and in foreign parts generally.
The present moment is, perhaps, the most auspicious that could
be chosen for the prosecution of this great nations! undertaking ;
for all the ports in the world are now open to us, the Deep Sea
Act is repealed, and the Salt Laws, with their complicated enact-
ments, are abolished.
It may be important to add, that one essential result of the ope-
rations of the Company will be—to furnish the means of employ-
ment to the Coast population, particularly in the Northern and
Western Highlands of Scotland,—to prevent the necessity of emi-
gration, by enabling them to support themselves at home by their
own exertiona,—and thus to extend to those valuable districts of
the United Kingdom, the greatest and most permanent benefit that
can be conferred upon them.
Applications for Shares, addressed to Messrs. Knight and Fyson,
solicitors, Basinghall-stmt, will be received from Persons resi-
dent in England to the 211th, and from Scotland and Ireland to the
'3oth instant.