led reply came from James Davidson, a partner in the net
company:

London, Sept. 29, 1772. Sir: I had the honour of receiving your
letter with instructions concerning your seines. I shall always pay
due attention to the contents. I persuade myself you'll say I have
fulfilled your instructions given me in these three seines which I
heartily hope will be in time for the intended fishery. Am not
afraid but they will meet with your approbation and if you should
see any alteration wanting if you'll be so obliging as to send a
line in the same channel, it shall be attended to with great care.
Your order is for the corks to be put on flat ways. I have only put
them on the 65 fathom seine for these reasons. We have tried that
method before with every other invention for the satisfaction of
our fishermen here but they have assured us they really do not bear
the net up so well. They are obliged to be tied on so tight that
the twine cuts them and are much apter to break and after all in
dragging the net they will swim sideways. Now, Sir, you'll readily
see the above inconveniences. I have also put six floats in the
middle, two together to show the center of the net. Likewise the
length of the netting, 120 fathoms for the 80 fathoms, the other
two in proportion.

I now enter upon tanning. This, you may assure yourself, they are
pretty well wore if you have them tanned for we are obliged to haul
them in and out to take the tan and after that hauling them about
to get them thoroughly dry before we can possibly pack them or else
they would soon rot. Among the hundreds of seines I sent abroad
last year or this, I only tanned one besides yours. Therefore have
not tanned any of these. I think the three-quarters inch mesh that
I have put in the middle of the nets this year will be a cure for
the malady you mention of the herrings hanging in the mesh, for
last year I only put in inch mesh which upon examination you'll
soon perceive. Therefore, sir, I entreat the honour of a line
whether or not the two above three-quarters mesh seines answer the
purpose. I have tapered them away at the ends to [an] inch and a
half.

These nets were designed for hauling ashore by hand. It was not till
much later that other nets, of the styles so familiar today, gill nets
and pound nets in particular, came into general use.