The Sun.
London, England, 1859-09-24 00:00:00

THE HERRING FISHERY.

The Moniteur ds Flotte gives some details con-
cerning the herring fishery :—" The common her-
ring, which is so abundant in all markets, is taken
generally on the coasts of Europe from the extre-
mity of Scandinavia as far as Normandy, and
sometimes even lower down, but never so low as the
Bay of Biscay. Swedes, Norwegians, Russians,
Danes, Germans, Dutch, English, Scotch; Irish and
French, all take part in the herring fishery. The
number of men employed is about 100,000, and that
of vessels 3,ooo—not counting a number of small
boats. Herrings breed with remarkable rapidity.
The females are in number upwards of two-thirds
more than the males, and some of them contain as
many as 60,000 eggs. The abundance of herrings
is such that it is not diminished either by the fishing
or by by the destruction committed by large fish
and by innumerable birds. The herrings move in
shoals, which are sometimes from eight to ten miles
long, by two to four wide, and of unknown depth.
These immense masses, which advance very rapidly,
are distinguished by the presence of birds flying
above them, and by the agitation of the sea, and at
night the place which they occupy is phosphores-
cent. In 1781 herrings came in such large quanti-
ties to Buscoe, on the coast of Gottenburg, that they
were caught by the hand. In 1784, 1,400,000 f.
worth of herrings were caught in the space of a
fortnight in Loch Urn. In 1773 there was such an
invasion of herrings in Loch Torridon that 150
fishing beats naught from 12 to 20 casks each in the
space of a single night. In some cases 50,000 her-
rings have been caught by a single cast of the nets,
and it is also said that the fishermen of Dunkirk,
Calais, Dieppe, and Boulogne have frequeitly taken
280,000 herrings in a night. The Dutch take great
interest in the herring fishery, and the arrival of
the first herrings of the season in one of the ports
of Holland is celebrated with public rejoicings. In
the 15th century the Dutch had 700 large vessels
employed in the fishery, and the quantity of fish they
caught may be estimated at 30,000,000 a-year ; in
the 17th century the qnantity rose to 50,000,000 ;
but it has since greatly declined. The English fisher-
men take at present about 7,000,000 tons annually,
and the Dutch not more than 35,000 tons. In France,
180 vessels of 8,000 tons burden are employed in
fishing herrings for salting, and take about
8,500,000 kilogrammes a-year. Of these vessels
about 100 belong to the port of Boulogne•sur-mer
alone; the rest to Dieppe, Fecamp, Saint-Valery-
en-Caux, Calais, Treport, and Gravelines. The
number of vessels employed in fishing herrings
which are sold fresh is 470, of about 10,000 tons
burden, and they catch about 13,000,000 kilo-
grammes annually. They belong to the aforesaid
ports and also to those of Barfleur, Berck, Dun-
kirk, Etape, Le Hourdel, Port-en-Bessin, and Saint
Valery-sur-Somme. At Boulogne the fishery is
better organised than anywhere else in France, and
is carried on by means of associations composed of
the owners of the boats and the crews."

A NOVELTY IN A SCOTCH DIVINITY HALL.—
Several students belonging to the evangelical churches. of
France and Italy are at present prosecuting their studies in
Edinburgh, in the theological seminary of the United Pres-
byterian Church. Oa Monday last one of these gentlemen,
M. Antonio Cresi, was called upon to deliver a discourse in
the Junior Hall, before Professor Lindsay. M. Cresi entered
the pulpit, and, to the astonishment of professors and stu-
dents alike, preached an eloquent and animated sermon in
French, and of which it is only just to say that it was cha-
racterised not merely by much felicity of diction and acute-
ness of argument, but by a thorough soundness of evangeli-
cal sentiment alike pleasing and refreshing. The surprise
excited by the sermon had scarcely ceased, when to com-
plete the novelty, the learned Professor proceeded to deliver
his criticism upon it in the same language, amid loud bursts
of cheering from Cresi's fellow .students, who seemed highly
gratified at the " innovation." Professor Lindsay charac-
terised the discourse as one of rare excellence, stating that
in his opinion the preachp. had handled the important
truth contained in histext in a most masterly manner, and
concluding by expressing the hope that Mons. Cresi him-
self would yet live to see the day when, by the preaching
of such truth, his native Italy would enjoy, in their fullest
extent, the blessings of civil and religious liberty. Mons.
Cresi, we believe, has studied for some time at the Evan-
gelical School of Geneva, and is about to proceed to Jersey
as a Protestant pastor,-scoteith press.

_........,...,_
STATE OF EUROPEAN AFFAIRS

-w____
(From the Spectator of this day.) •
The letter of our Paris correspondent
found to contain information of great interest in
connection with the
we
at Biarritz, on the
accuracy of which we believe our readers may rely.
We refer to the statement that there has been no
important movement in politics since I last wrot!
to you; a rumour emanating I believe from a goo!.
source, and which has produced a favourable effect
win be
on the Bourse, leads us to expect an amicable settle-
on
of the Italian question. n appears that qa:
Emperor accepts the plan of the Icing of ta,
Belgians ; which is, to give the fortresses oi
Peschiera and Mantua, and the States of pa!:
me, and Modena, to Sardinia, to reinstate tias
House of Lorraine in Tuscany, and to restore
the Legations to the Pope after le
0
varietyd of necessary reforms. Very few
ivine the real intentions of his Imperial Marl);
but it is believed in the highest quarters that.
;.does not desire to obtain Tuscan), for his conslui
nor is there any foundation for the report, which
has circulated lately, that the Count de Flanders la
to be put forward as a candidate. It is also con:
fidently expected that the first part of the rea_t9
people os
of Zurich, which concerns the cession of Lornbardy:€:
will be signed in the course of next wek. 111,111. n
just heard, on the best authority, that, included 1,
the arrangement I have communicated to you,
the stipulation that Venetia shall have a Govedrn;
ment, institutions, and an array of its own on._
the Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian, with Tun
tohas
b et he
heldc
onactuißTreunscseetlsf,. ofustria.
which
title of Grand Duke of Venetia; this stipulati.oso
AsiC37gressia a,1,,
to be the President. The Bourse is .very foul.
-- \
Leopold is

MINING INTELLIGENCE.

------ -
(From the Mining Journal of this day.) . ,
particul?roll_
The Mining Share Market is in a
active state, not from mere • speculation, but fr ~e':
bona fide business • the public, during the
having purchased largely for investment ii-dlyr,.
end and other mines, and in consequence of the .1:t
creased demand and the limited supply of stocic:
good rise has taken place in several. Progresll,
mines, too, have had a large, amount of atteetle,.,,''
and the state of the market is such as to lead On':
expectd a still further rise in msny off hem. Among
dividend concerns' mostly sought er ,have '-
Wheal Clifford, Margaret, Herodsfoot, West C!lr3-
don, Tincroft, Mary Ann, Providence Mines,}ll,l:
ston Down, Rosewarne and Herland, Wheall7_,
lawny, &Te„ Progressive : Wheal Grenville,Trelow.t?,
Tamar Consols, Tolcarne, North Robert, Great Ala
Bre ,
fred, North Downs, Great Crinnis, South Cara
Wheal Unity, East Russell, West Alfred, Strei
Park, and several other shares. we do tiotteT„
much change in the metal market, but there. al:
been a slight improvement in the copper there.
The Government and the East India CaP031,7 h is
vvaanneceedinatththe
purchased largely of late, and a demand .vm.:e ad.
thought likely to arise in France may cans!. 'll., ad-
vance off
and le/tve de,
estntderard.
part Wofhtehael
wCelieffko,rd
at 260 to 265. Herodsfoof have been in greato;
mand during the week, and leave off at 19 to 'de-
no change noticed at the mine. Cook's Kitchen iet.l,,,
mand, and have risen to 11, 12 ; the mine is h;`,.2,1
very soon to pay dividends,as we are in ,I,_-17e-4.
Consols, 31 to 3-4, and mine said to be looking,ee,'" to
Bedfordl United, 71 to '73; Calstock. Consols, dealt
3. . Treloweth shares have still been largelY ata7eo
in, and leave off' at 4-,3,-- to 5 ; the latest rePert(eii to
the lode in the engine-shaft continues wort%fis a
12 tons of copper ore per fm. • the 110 easit,t;iing
littleT improved. West Alfred Consols, ae.lielneo..
. reloweth, have advanced to 20 ; the raille i: ci're of
ing out well; the 75 west continues in a haledcoarse to
ore worth £3O per fm. ; a winze has been ing
the back of this level, and six men areAsAt°Poon
aw ay good ore ground, which wills:wari. le,
siderably to the next sampling.
durrow,. 17s. to 18s. ; the lode has been cut 1/13 is
4engine-shaft, and the latest advices state, it
spar,
to. 5 ft. in width, composed of mu etc' hrhesl
par, and a little grey and black copper ore. „„a
Grenville shares have been in good request,. tile
leave off at 4 to 41; the lode is improving al ido,
engine-shaft below the 90; the 90 west is
2 ft loot
and on Wednesday was worth £2O per flue ~ `"/
eas tera
now so rich, though again improving; roe
the
stopes in the 80 are yielding 1 ton per fei• ;row
western stopes producing 1 to 11 ton per iftei.k cal'
ibednore
oletaknhte,eend3.9,3it
ot orels
et hl7llBlootso. r t
hoef
mineorc s ahalasPlenViov ean
;4,awf,tehrertehinissoasmkaeempvpreloirifiyigtsri.tchhegtoretyieefise
ellzasrrebeeteea
to pay cost, and
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