Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1860-08-02


through. When such is the ordinary fare
in palace, it may be Imagined what it
must be among the poor, and one can well
understand the enormous benefit bestowed
on them by the tnnny-fishery.
The Mon, as it is called in French, or
funny, is fish but little known in this coun-
try, as it never visits our shores. In Paris
it may be seen exposed for sale in small
quantities, preserved in oil, but never fresh,
for even with the aid of the Marseiles Rail
way it could scarcely reach Paris before
spoiling-the season of the fishery being
principally in the hot Months Of May and
June This fish, whose flesh is very solid.
some say resembling veal, forms in Sicily
the chcffood of the lower classes during the
summer, and is a source Of wealth to- some
of the richest Siclians. 1t is migratory,
proceeding in shoals like it's smaller breth-
ren, the herring and mackerel. In the
early part Of April It begins to leave the
ocean, entering the Mediterranean by the
Strait of Gibraltar. The thon, notwith-
standing its great size, is a timid fish, and
likes smooth water for this reason, and fer
the facility Of finding the small sardlnes,
anchoyies, and nlarine-plants on which they
feed, they coast along the shore, taking
refuge in rough weather in the numberless
gulfs and bays formed by the sinuosities of
the land, and where 'tle sea is often unruf-
fed when it is agitated outside. They thus
proceed on their journey, and are caught IN
great numbers On the coast Of Sardinia and
on the Ligurian shore; but where man makes
the greatest havoc in their ranks is on the
coast of Sicily.
I should premise that it is the intention
of the funny to coast along the shores of
Italy, 90 throucla~the Strait of Messina, and
pass the Simmer in the Black Sea. It often
happens. however, that when they arrive at
the strait, the agitated state Of the water,
cansed by the meeting of the current from
the Adriatic and that coming through the
strait-the ScylIa and Charybdis Of the an
cients-frightens them so much that it in
duces them to change their route, and coast
round Sicily, intending to reach the Black
Sea by that longer but calmer voyage this
is the reason they fall prey in such num-
bers to the Sicilians, who have their prisons
Of network ready to receive them.
Neither time nor expense is spared in
getting these ready for sea, and the amount
of beth required may be inferred fEoaa tbs.
following figures: the nets are 400 or 1900
feet long, nearly 800 wide, Gin parts and
from 50 to 100 feet deep; in fact, for three
months before the fishery begins, hundreds
of men are employed in repairing the boats
and other gear, land in making new nets. In
many parts Of these, very great strength is
required, for the fish they are to inclose
measure from five to seven feet long, and
their girth is nearly as great.
! In this country, where there are no rope
manufactures, the proprietor Of the tonnara
has to procure ship-loads of sJoGrto or Span
sh grass from Valencia and hemp from the
Naples market, and then to make his own
ropes, afterwards to be converted into nets !;
SO that the courtyard Of one Of the most an
cient and magnificent palaces of Palermo is
seen to serve all the purposes of arope-walk,
whence the produce is conveyed to Solanto,
where the making of the nets begins.
Solanto is promontory covcredzEith
small cottages, the dwellings, of the fisher
men engaged in the tonnara, and which clus-
ter round an ancient Norman castle, the
residence Of Blanche Of CASTLE during her
sojourn in these parts, and now the summer
habitation Of the proprietor Of the fishery
It stands on a projecting point Of rock, in a
highly picturesque situation from its bal
comics, the fish may be seen swimming in
-the waters below, and the view stretches far
over the sea, away to the Lipari Isles, and
along the coast to the point of Cefalu
This settlement is in full activity from
/ March till July The men enter into an
engagement with the proprietor of the tonna-
ra in the month Of February; they agree for a
certain amount of daily wages, and, after
all expenses have been paid, and certain
profit secured by the owner, they get a per-
centage on the extra profits; they are thus
deeply interested in the success of the affair
AS soon as the heat sets in, they no longer
sleep in their houses, but lie down on the
open beach, and start up to their work at
: the first break Of dawn. About the first
week in April, the nets being completed,
are put into large boats or barges, with an
abundant supply Of large stones and anchors.
1t is necessary that the water should be COM
paratiyely still for the letting down of the
.nets. There are strong under-currents in
the Mediterranean, called in the Sicilian
dialect, yc1aa and as it is absolutely neces-
sary the nets should stand perpendicularly
in the water, and form acaNs of network,
/ it would be useless to sink them while these
currents prevail, as they would be forced
into slanting position, and the chambers
could not be formed. Watchers, whose
duty it is to look constantly down into the
water, are therefore set to announce when
the rema ceases ; and as-it is quite uncertain
at what moment it may terminate, the boats
and men are kept in readiness from the break
of day to evening, in order to put off at any
instant, and profit by the favorable moment
for lowering the nets until this be accom-
plished all is at a stand still Sometimes
delay of many days takes place, for these
currents are Of most uncertain duration and
return, and many anxious eyes are bent on
the shining surface Of the sea, when troops
kof fish are beginning to pass by, and no pri-
sons are ready to receive them