THE YELLOW BANK.

Glencolumbkille, May 29^th, 1867.  There is a shallow or sand bank lying about thirty or thirty-five miles in a north-west direction from Ross Eoaghan Head, the most westerly point in the County Donegal.  It is called the Banc Buidh, yellow bank, and is said to be thirty miles long and four miles broad.  Tradition represents the place as teeming with fish, both ling and cod, but owing to the unsuitableness of the small fishing craft employed about here, the fishermen, hardy and adventurous as they are, dare not venture so far from land.  The only visits paid to the bank within the last eighty years by an inhabitant of these places were two.  Neal McShane, of Malinbeg, lately deceased, was taken as pilot on board a Dutch galliot bound for Sligo.  The wind proving treacherous, the vessel was driven out of her course, and tossed about for six days.  On the morning of the seventh day the wind abated, and was followed by such a calm as left the vessel without motion.  McShane, knowing from certain landmarks that they were on the Banc Buidh, got a cod line and baited it with a piece of fish.  The bait had not time to touch the bottom till the experiment proved successful, and McShane had the satisfaction of hauling in a fine cod.  This he repeated with like success for eighteen consecutive shots when, a breeze springing up, he had to yield, reluctantly however, to the entreaties of the captain, and bid good bye to the Banc Buidh, as it happened, forever.  John Haughey of Teelin visited the bank about twenty years ago as skipper of a smack belonging to as Scotch fishing company.  The smack, manned by seven men, left Malinbeg early on a July morning, and reached the bank about eight o’clock, a.m., same day.  They immediately shot their seven baskets of long-lines.  Each man had from 120 to 180 hooks attached to it.  They were not long on the bank till the day began to grow stormy, so that they were compelled to commence hauling the lines.  Short as was the time on the bank, each hook had its fish, and three of the baskets were sufficient to fill the boat which was capable of holding five tons weight, and the fishers were obliged to leave the remaining baskets.  The depth of water on the bank varies from fifteen to fifty fathoms.  There are fishermen enough in Malinbeg and Malinmore, Teelin, etc., but then their boats of 26 feet keel are quite too small for deep sea fishing.  It would pay the North-west of Donegal Fishery Company if they could send a few of their larger vessels round here.  There is an excellent boat port at Malinbeg for small boats, but capable of great improvement.  There is also a good port in Teelin, and then the safe and commodious harbour of Killybegs is only ten of eleven miles from Malinbeg.  Sunfish come in great numbers to these coasts in the months of June, July and August, and their visits might be easily turned to profitable account if the proper means of following the fishery were at hand.-