winter, it is very mortifying to see the London fishing smacks fitted with wells, carrying off numerous cargoes of cod to the southern markets, while our own fishermen only occasionally, while engaged in the herring-fishery, employ a line or two for that purpose with very indifferent success. To the westward of the town a salmon-fishery has been established, which has been carried on very successfully by its present tenant, Mr M'Queen. Stake-nets are employed, in which, particularly in the months of July and August, great numbers of salmon, grilses, and sea trout are caught. They are regularly sent to the Edinburgh market after supplying the demand in the neighbourhood. The herring-fishery is the principal employment of the inhabitants during the winter months. Masons, quarriers, with the regular fishermen, are occupied from the end of November to the beginning of March in this very useful and profitable branch of industry. It commenced in the year 1792, opposite to the town, in St Margaret's Hope, Inverkeithing Bay, &c. Since that time it has been carried on with various degrees of success. The early period of the fishery was more successful than in recent years. During the war, the prices were high, and several curers embarked in the trade, and so many as 600 barrels were cured at this port. In 1831, which was a very abundant fishery, perhaps 1500 barrels were cured; but the curers, unable to cope with the carters, who came from all quarters of the country to purchase the herrings, could take advantage of those days only when the supply exceeded the demand. Forty or fifty carts were frequently in attendance, carrying away from 6000 to 12000 each. The price varied from 6d. to 1s. 6d. per 100. The curers seldom purchased at a higher price than 7s. the cran or barrel. There are twelve boats belonging to the town, carrying each four or five men, and furnished generally with twelve nets, fifty yards long and thirteen yards deep. But the boats employed in the fishery from other places, Fisherrow, Prestonpans, Cellardykes, Buckhaven, &c. may amount to about 50 or 100; the greater part of these discharge their cargoes at this port. This occasions a considerable bustle in the town, and is a principal source of revenue, each boat paying 4d. and every cart 6d. When the curing goes forward briskly, about twelve women are employed in preparing the herring for the barrels, which pay a duty, when cured on the pier, of 4d., and in the port, 2d. Those who are expert in the business can easily earn 2s. or 3s. per day. Though this trade is most beneficial to the country at large, it is not favourable to the morality of the town. The use of ardent spirits is greatly increased, and the influx of carters, not generally of the most exemplary character, casts an influence round the herring season which is most injurious to sound morals. Since the year 1831, the fishery of herrings has been very irregular. Occasionally, some good seasons have occurred; but, in general, they have been very unproductive. For three or four years, in the herring season, immense shoals of garvies, mixed with young herrings, have appeared off the town and adjoining bays. They are an excellent article of food, and have amply rewarded the exertions of the fishermen when in demand; but the Board of Fishery has often interfered, under the idea that the use of the trawl net, with small meshes, is injurious to the herring fishery. It is much to be wished that this matter were settled, so as to allow the fishermen to pursue their avocations. 'They must destroy many young herrings, but they are a mere fraction to the myriads of garvies that fill the water. A number of females are very profitably occupied in the summer months in spinning hemp for nets, which the younger members of the family (boys and girls) work up with great neatness, and expedition. A net when finished is worth about L. 3, though an ingenious individual, Mr Paterson, once resident here, but now removed to his manufactory in Musselburgh, is able to furnish them at L. 2, 10s., by the aid of machinery, which he has brought to an astonishing degree of perfection. In the summer months a few boats of larger size, from the end of July to the beginning of September, are employed in the northern or western fishery, each boat engaging with the curers, to furnish about 200 or 250 barrels, for which they receive 7s. or 8s., and sometimes a higher sum. But they are not always able to complete their quantity. A few of the young men also, from time to time, went to the Greenland whalefishery, though misfortune and want of success in recent years have rather deterred them from engaging in this hazardous voyage, and they generally engage in the coasting trade, or proceed in vessels engaged in the North American wood trade. The manufacture of soap was formerly carried on with great skill, and on a great scale, in this town. There were four works employing about thirty or forty men, and paying an excise duty of L.8000 or L. 10,000 per annum. But the fluctuations of trade have been experienced here, as well as in other quarters, and for the last seven years there has been only one small manufactory employing three or four men, and this also has for several years been discontinued. The trade is precarious, and far from lucrative. The workmen make good wages, and, as the business is at present conducted, the morals of those engaged do not suffer. There are no vessels belonging to the port, though a person having ship property resides here. The foreign trade is not carried on, though various coasting-vessels from time to time arrive here with barley for the distillery here and at Kirkliston. The coals used by the inhabitants are nearly all sea-borne, and in the winter months, some farmers in the country have been in the practice of shipping potatoes for the London markets, and receiving in the course of the season cargoes of rape-cake, drain-tiles, dung, &c. A few cargoes of stones are also sent to different ports, from an excellent freestone quarry at Humbie, about three miles distant, V.-PAROCHIAL ECONOMY. The situation of Queensferry is favourable for communication with the metropolis and the northern parts of the kingdom. The water passage is admirably managed. The great northern road is in the very best state of repair, while that to Edinburgh cannot be exceeded in excellence. This was the first turnpike road in West Lothian, formed in the year 1751. There is a post-office, at which the mail arrives from Edinburgh at half-past 6 A.M., and 5 P.M. and from the north at 5 A. M. and 8 P.M. There are two coaches which leave the town each morning for Edinburgh, and return in the evening. At various times in the day there are four other coaches which pass to and from the north. On the opening of the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway, in February 1842, a minibus started to join it at the Winchburgh station. It was discontinued duriug the winter, and has not yet been resumed. There is much obscurity about the establishment of the water passage. It was once private property, and appears to have been attached to the lands of Muiryhall, consisting of seventeen acres, in the immediate vicinity of the town. These were, it is supposed, a donation from Queen Margaret, for supporting the passage. There were formerly two classes of proprietors; the holders of shares, and the holders of boats and yawls. A change took place in 1784, when the whole boats were purchased by the shareholders and let by annual roup. They were kept in a state of good repair, and the arrangements devised by the proprietors were so judiciously carried into effect, that the interests of the public were as well consulted as circumstances would permit. The state of the piers and shippings was, however, a great barrier in the way of comfort. Those on the south side, especially, were in a very ruinous condition, and at certain states of the tide much risk and inconvenience were experienced in landing and embarking passengers. This state of things continued till 1809, when a general desire was felt to improve the water passage, both by altering the system of management, and making such changes as its increasing importance demanded. An application was made to Parliament in 1809, rendered necessary by the following circumstances,-that there were no suitable piers, -no superintendents,-boats only at the North Ferry, where all the boatmen lived,-other traffic at the wharfs, unconnected with the passage, and the arrangements at the piers so incomplete, as to admit of passage only four and a half hours in each tide. The rates and dues belonged to individuals, and the jurisdiction was such, that the proprietors could not be compelled to keep the piers in a state of repair. By the act, trustees were nominated, consisting of the following persons, viz. the Keeper of the Great Seal, Privy Seal, Lord JusticeGeneral, Lord Advocate, Lord Justice-Clerk, Lord Clerk-Register, Lord Chief-Baron, and Vice-Admiral of Scotland, Keeper of the Signet, Postmaster-General for Scotland, Lord Lieutenants of Perth, Linlithgow, Fife, Kinross, Clackmannan, Commander of the Forces, Admiral of Leith; Chief Magistrates of Perth, Linlithgow, Queensferry, Inverkeithing, Dunfermline; the Sheriffs of the counties; the proprietor of the estate of New-Halls; and all having L.200 Scots valuation in the above counties. Nine trustees to be a quorum; a committee of management consisting of fifteen, who have the power of making bye-laws. To these trustees, by the act, was committed the power of constructing landing-places, purchasing ground for boatmen's houses, opening quarries in any common in Fife, on the shore, within high water-mark, between Port Edgar and the Long Craig. At this time there was only one pier on the north side, two on the south, one at New-Halls, the other at Queensferry.* Advantageous, however, as an alteration and improvement of the passage obviously were, there was great and continued opposition, which at length was happily overcome. The localities for the proposed piers were surveyed by the celebrated Rennie. The Chancellor of For the privilege of erecting a pier here, L. 10 are annually paid by the trustees to the town. the Exchequer agreed to propose to Parliament to advance onehalf of the money required for the purchase of shares and the erection of piers, on condition that the other half should be advanced by individuals. The sum expended in purchasing the property of the shareholders, and improvements at the Ferry, amounted to L. 33,824, 14s. 9d.; of this, the public paid L.13,586, 11s. 8d., and there were lent by individuals, in sums of L.500, L.20,238, 3s. 1 d. The purchase of the original shares amounted to L.8673 13 10 The North Ferry pier cost The signal house, The superintendent's house and garden, A stripe of ground leading to the Long Craig, The pier at Port Edgar, 378 feet long. cost New-Halls' pier, 722 feet in length, cost The small pier at Port Nuick, Land and building six houses, at South Queensferry, 4206 19 6 406 10 0 260 9 1 300 00 4763 13 10 8696 00 587 11 11 909 11 6 The original funds subscribed being exhausted, there was a second application, in 1812, made to Government, and a new subscription. By these means the Long Craig Pier was built;* the small East Battery Pier; the West Battery Pier on the north side was raised and enlarged; the North Ferry Pier lengthened, &c. Steam navigation was introduced, and the Queen Margaret put on the passage on October 1st 1821. This caused additional expense in the raising of the piers. To meet this, the sinking fund was pledged, two large sailing boats were put down, and two pinnaces with their crews. The Queen Margaret cost L.2369. Since September 1820, there have been three large sailing boats of the original construction, the Earl of Moray half-tide boat, and three pinnaces. The crews of these, thirty-six men and boys. The hire of a boat, when light, 2s. 6d.; dark, bs. Large ditto, light, 5s.; dark, 6s. Exemptions from the above rates, mail horses or expresses from the post-office; soldiers on march, horses of officers, ordnance carts, volunteers, if in uniform; carts carrying vagrants with the legal passes. By the act, not more than twothirds of the boats and yawls to remain at each side. The boatmen are not liable to be impressed. Two superintendents to be appointed. Steam navigation by the Frith and across it, by coaches passing to Burntisland, greatly diminished the number of passengers at this ferry, but in 1811, we have the following account: 228 persons crossed each day, and sometimes 447; 1515 carriages annu The long Craig Pier is 1177 feet in length. |