MISCELLANEOUS ARTICLES.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 12704, 12 March 1904, Page 2 (Supplement)

MISCELLANEOUS ARTICLES.

HERRING INDUSTRY IN BARRA. Far out from the mainland, where the waters of the Minch and Atlantic mingle, lies the island of Barra, where the herring industry is vigorously prosecuted each year during the months of May and June. The beautiful bay, known as Castle Bay, on a rocky islet of which the ancient, though long ruined castle of the McNeills still stands, forms the headquarters of the fishing fleet during the season. Herring caught around Barra and cured on the island are known as “Castle Bay” herring. The Barra herring industry is fit comparatively recent origin. more .than half a century ago the quality of the Barra “matje,” or maiden, herring first attracted attention, and annually since that discovery its pursuit has been prosecuted with amazing perseverance and at very considerable cost. The fortune of the industry during these years has undergone many fluctuations—sinking at times to the verge of extinction, and rising again to something like piping days of prosperity. Of late, after a spell of the worst, there has been a favourable turn, and the season which has just closed takes rank among the best. The Barra inatje’s claim to the premier place against all comers among British herring has hitherto been ungrudgingly conceded, and rests both upon its size and flavour. The theory among experts is that the sandy banks lying from twenty to fifty miles west and east of t Barra, and forming the favourite feeding haunts of the herring shoals, provide the fish with food imparting this delicate flavour. Among such banks, especially those lying west-northwest of Castle Bay, the shoals seem to find more congenial quarters than elsewhere. There the herring attain more rapidly to maturity and greater weight. When in prime condition the matje is oily, and readily absorbs the pickle in which it is cured, tinging it with a rich amber colour, peculiar to the matje pickle, and due, it is said, to its fatty and full fleshed condition. Some idea of the importance of the industry and the heavy cost involved in its prosecution may be obtained by the following figures, which are approximately correct : At Uie height of the season just closed the full strength of the fishing fleet numbered about 400 boats. This, averaging the boats at £6OO apiece, with a drift of nets, involving an additional cost of £l6O, brings the total aggergate value of the Castle Bay fleet fully equipped to a formidable figurg, failing not tar short of £250,000. Then, if it be explained that a cran, containing, say, from 1,000 to 1,200 herrings, costing the curer at the high ? rices prevailing this season from Id to id a herring, is retailed in the best restaurants in Berlin, St. Petersburg and elsewhere at Is or Is 6d, and the total catch of the season be some 15,000 crans, the full value of this rich harvest of our northern seas will be seen to work out to startling proportions. But a formidable rival, it is said, has been found on the northwest coast of Ireland, but whether the new rival will oust the Castle Bay matje from foreign favour remains to be seen.

A GREAT EXPLORER. Dr Sven Hedin is looked upon by “Knowledge” as the most remarkable explorer now living. From an early age he adopted exploration as a profession, and Asia as a speciality. His training to this end has made him able to perform single-handed most extensive journeys into unknown parts of Central Asia, which have yielded splendid scientific results. His organising powers are great. As a topographer he has no rival, while he is also able to undertake successfully the work of a meteorologist, geologist, biologist, ethnologist, archaeologist, and many other specialities, and thus is empowered to give an accurate picture of the country through which he travels. From the middle of 1899 to the middle of 1902, Dr Hedin was travelling almost incessantly, his various routes in Asia extending to a total of some 600 miles. The narrative of these journeys, contained in two fine volumes of over 600 pages each, is in the form of an orderly journal, solid with fact and detail, but at the same time vividly written, so that one’s interest in the chronicles of each day’s doings is held to the end. The narrative, in fact, not only gives a lifelike picture of the country through which the explorer passed, and of how he got through it, but reveals besides many a deep insight into Asiatic character, while of his own character the author unconsciously draws a most interesting picture great determination _ and dogged pluck, with now and again a suspicion of rashness, untiring energy, a keen foresight, cheerfulness under all circumstances, a singularly humane and sympathetic nature, are among the characteristics displayed.

A LAW COURTS DIFFICULTY. In connection with the “coming of age” of the Law Courts, an interesting story by Lord Bowen may be recalled, which illustrates how technically our forefathers construed the law. In the days ot Charles 11., so said Lord Bowen, it was suggested that the Court of Common Fleas should be removed from the hall to some more convenient place, where cases could be tried free from so much interruption by noise. But the Lord Keeper Bridgman was adamant in his opposition to the scheme, “as it was against Magna Charta, which says that the Common Pleas shall be held in a fixed spot, with which the distance of an inch from that place is inconsistent, and all the pleas would be decided in such case outside the proper jurisdiction.” The real authority for this reminiscence of Lord Bowen’s was Roger North, who, in retailing it, adds: “This formal reason hindered a great reform, which makes me think of Erasmus, who, having read somewhat of English law, said that the lawyers were a most learned race of ignorant men.”

EARTH EATING. The consumption of earth as food, says “Health,” is said to be common not only in China, New Caledonia, and New Guinea, but in the Malay Archipelago as well. The testimony of many travellers in the Orient is that the yellow races are especially addicted to the practice. In Java and Sumatra the day 'used undergoes a preliminary preparation for consumption, being mixed with water, reduced to a paste, and the sand and other hard substances removed. The clay is then i formed into small cakes or tablets about as thick as a lead pencil and baked in an iron saucepam When the tablet emerges from tSis process it resembles a piece of dried pork. The Javanese frequently eat small figures roughly modelled from clay, which resemble animals or little men turned out in pastry shops

DEATH IN THE JUNGLE. Recent statistics show an alarming duitih rate in India from attacks by snakes and wild animals. Last year as many as 2,836 people were killed by wild beasts; tigers being respon-

sible for 1046 of them.' In addition to these oyer 80,000, .cattle were, destroyed by -various carnivora and nearly 10,000 by snakes. Because of the alarming yearly depredations of these creatures, Government offers rewards, for their destruction, and last year the deaths of nearly 15,000 wild animals and 72,000 snakes were paid for.

THE SIZE OP CLOUDS. The dimensions of single clouds, as far as the area covered by their base is concerned, vary, as anyone can see, from the size of a man’s hand to that which covets the entire visible heavens; but the height of clouds can be observed more definitely and can be estimated with convincing accuracy, and it is this height that largely' determines their contents and characteristics. A great cumulus thunderhead, towering up on the horizon like a huge flamboyant iceberg, is often higher than the highest Alps would be if they were piled on top of the Himalayas. It is not unusual (says the “Windsor Magazine”) for these clouds to measure five, six, or even eight miles from their flat, dark base, hovering a mile or two above the world, to their rounded, summit, splendid in the sunight. And in these eight miles the changes of temperature are as great as those over many thousand miles of the earth’s surface. These clouds contain strata ot temperature, narrow belts of freezing cold alternating with large distances of rainy mist and frozen snow and ice particles. Hailstones, which are formed from a snow particle that falls from the upper strata, and is frozen hard in the freezing belt and coated with added ice in the wet belt, are often found with a series of layers in their formation, showing that they have passed through this succession of cloud strata mure than once on their way from the upper air to the earth.

WHEN SMOKING WAS A CRIME. The earliest instance known of penalising smoking in the streets, says “Health,” is in the court books of the Mayor of Methwold in Norfolk. There is the following entry on the record of the Court held on October 14th, 1695:—“ We agree that any person that is taken smoking tobacoa in the street shall forlitt one shillinge for every time so taken, and it shall be lawful for the petty constables to distrains for the same, for to be putt to the uses above said (i.e., to the use of the town). We present Nicholas Barber for smocking in the street, and doo amerce him one shillinge.” The same rule was repeated at courts held in the years 1696 and 1699, but no other fine is mentioned at any subsequent court.

TO AWAKEN THE SLEEPERS. The “Genealogical Magazine” tells us that in the journal, dated 1646, of a certain American gentleman, it is stated that “Allen Brydges has been chose to wake the sleepers in meeting, and, being much proud of his place, must needs have a fox taile fixed to the end of a long staffe, wherewith he may brush the faces of them that will have naps in time of discourse.” This energetic individual was likewise armed with “a sharpe thorne,” for the benefit of those who “be most sounde.” There is a record of the use of this implement upon Mr Tonkins, who was sleeping comfortably in the corner of his pew when Allen “thrust his staff behind Dame Ballard to give him a grievous prick upon the hand, whereupon Mr Tonkins did spring up much above the floor, and with a terrible force did strike his hand against the wall, and also, to the great wonder of all, prophanelie exclaim in a loud voice, ‘Buss the wood chuck!’ he dreaming, as it seemed, that a wood chuck had seized him and bit his hand.”

TRUTH DISGUISED IN FABLE. The following fable, dealing with the fall of M. de Wittee, the Russian Finance Minister, is related in a recent brochure entitled “A Glance at the Secrets of Russian Policy,” published at Vienna:—The Czar dreamed the following singular dream. He sa,w three cows, one fat, one lean, and one blind. The next day he sent for the Metropolitan Palladius, and begged him to explain the dream, but the Metropolitan declined. The Czar then sent for Father John of Kronstadt, and made the same request to him. Father John stroked his long curly hair with his hand,' and made reply in the following words: “Your, Majesty, I understand your dream in this way. The fat cow is the Finance Minister, the lean one is the Russian people. . .

and the blind one ” “Don’t be afraid; go on,” said the Czar. “The blind cow is—your Majesty I ”

REBUILDING THE CAMPANILE. The Campanile at Venice, of historic fame, has been given over to the architects and builders to be constructed anew. Like other Venetian buildings the Campanile stood upon piles, a new set of which are being set to provide a wider foundation. They are being driven in by the aid of a huge “driver,” set in motion by a dozen workmen. These men are known throughout Venice as the “batti Pali.” They sing as they work, and one of them has so fine a voice that he has become quite a popular feature of the Piazza. The inanimate pile-driver is another centre of attraction, being known by the endearing name of Martin. It takes nearly half an hour to dispose of each of the piles, six of which are set in every square metre. When all are in place mortar will be poured in between them, after which the work will be suspended until the end of the winter, in order that it may be seen whether the new foundations are becoming satisfactorily incorporated with the old ones, and are sufficiently solid to bear the weight of the future Campanile.