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IMPROVED FACILITIES

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CAPTURE, ECONOMIC TRANSMISSION AND
DISTRIBUTION OF SEA FISHES

AND HOW

These matters affect lrish Fisheries

BY

R. F. WALSH (of Kinsale)

LONDON

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O64
ea Iniernatoual Fisheries Exhibition

1€€3 LONDON, 1883
SIF ish
ON
EVER ROW ED FACILITIES

CAPTURE, ECONOMIC TRANSMISSION
AND DISTRIBUTION OF
SEA PISHES/

AND HOW

These matters affect [Trish Fisherves

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LONDON toda
WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED
INTERNATIONAL FISHERIES EXHIBITION
AND 13 CHARING CROSS, S.W.
1883

4

LONDON :
PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED,
STAMFORD STREET AND CHARING CROSS. 7

International Fisheries Fiexhibtton,
LONDON, 1883.

CONFERENCE ON 30TH JULY, 1883.

EARL of MILLTOWN in the Chair.

SA MPROVED FACILITIES FOR) REN
CAPTURE, ECONOMIC TRANSMIS
SlON AND DISTRIBUTION, OF VSE4
Pisnks;- AND HOW THESE ViAt
TERS AFFECT IRISH FISHERIES.

IMPROVED facilities for the capture, economic transmis-
sion, and distribution of sea fishes, ‘are, perhaps, the most
important matters connected with sea fisheries, towards
which the attention of the Government and of all persons
interested in the food supply of the United Kingdom
should be studiously directed.

It would be impossible, in the treatment of these subjects,
to even touch on all of the great Fisheries of the British Isles.
I therefore purpose to confine myself to the fisheries of
the South and West of Ireland, and for reasons which I
shall afterwards make more plain.

Before I proceed to the exposition of my ideas of the
matters I have undertaken to write, I shall give a brief
history of the fisheries I have elected to treat of. And,
drawing conclusion from the facts that will be contained in
it, I shall show that the harbours and fisheries of the South
of Ireland have been neglected by the Government ; that

[31] B 2

4

the fisheries there are amongst the largest and most pro-
ductive in the United Kingdom, and that the insufficiency
of funds, and consequently of enterprise, and the absence
of proper accommodation, are alone to blame—that those
fisheries do not successfully compete with the largest
fisheries of the world.

In this brief history it will be seen that the extracts con-
tained in it point to a curious but important conclusion,
and that is, that the haunts of mackerel and herring (so far
as the South of Ireland is concerned) do not change, as is
accepted by most authorities.

And I am glad to state that the facts recorded in these
extracts conclusively prove the importance of the South of
Ireland for these fisheries, and a certainty of the best
results from fishing operations there.

As far back as 1665 A.D., the fisheries of mackerel, her-
ring, and pilchards were prosecuted at Kinsale with great
success. The boats and gear used by the Irish fishermen
at that time are not made particular mention of, although
there are records of enormous catches of fish by them.
But it is evident that, in point of size and completeness, the
nets and boats of the fishermen of other countries, and
notably of France, were much in advance of those used
by the Irish, and I am_ scarcely wrong when I state
here that the gear and general appliances of the French
mackerel fishers of that period, excepting steam, were not
inferior to those now used by our most scientific English,
Manx, or Irishmen,—and that unless in some unimportant
matters the improvements on the appliances of that time,
by our islanders, have aimed rather to imitate, more or
less, the plant of the French fishermen, than to make any
stride towards innovation or more completeness of system.

In making this statement you will of course understand

5

that I do not allude to boats, for we all know well that
vast improvements have been made, from time to time, on
the models of that period.

In proof of the existence of great fisheries at Kinsale, in
the 17th to 18th century, I give the following extracts from
the ‘Annals of Kinsale,’ and I think they will be interest-
ing—*“ 14 June, 1672.”—Sir Robert Southwell addressed a
letter to Mr. Reeve, of Rotterdam, in which the following
passage occurs concerning the Kinsale fishing: “ His father

. in 1665, took £1300 worth of fish in one pull of a

”
.

net. “Kinsale, 10 June, 1730,” extract from letter of WD:
Furzer, to Mr. Secty. Burchett: “ French fishing vessels . . .
now come close to shoar to the number of 200 or 300 sail,
from 60 to 80 tons, having each about 400 nets from 8 to
10 fathoms long. They come about the beginning of
March (if the weather be good) and stay till towards the
end of May.”

From these extracts it will be seen that the French fleet
of mackerel boats engaged in fishing off the Kinsale coast
at that time numbered about 300, and that the nets of each
boat were 400 in number, each measuring 8 to 10 fathoms,
or, in other words, that the nets of each boat measured
about 3 miles in length. So that, apart from the appliances
of the native fishing boats, 900 miles of netting were
employed by foreigners in the prosecution of the fishery
early in the 18th century.

Further on in the letter I have quoted concerning the
French boats, it appears that the natives were under the
impression that the enormous size of the nets of the
Frenchmen “interrupted the course of the mackerel and
tended to break their shoals.” Be that as it may, the
mackerel have not left the coast, and their ground to-day

is the same that it was two centuries ago.

6

Herring fishing, too, was carried on extensively in those
days, and amongst the many records concerning this
fishery, I find one of which the subject even now com-
mands great attention, and justly so; it concerns the
desirability of enforcing restrictive laws for herring fishing.
I shall not entertain this subject in my paper, as it isa
matter of dubious benefit, but as it may be interesting to
know what were the ideas on the subject of the fishermen
of former days, I give the extract :—

4th Oct., 1731.—“ And whereas the Herring fishery is
also greatly destroyed by persons fishing in spawning time,
we present that no person fish for or take any Herrings or
Sprats within the limits of this corporation before 29
September or after 1 January.”

Thus it will be seen that two or three centuries ago
mackerel and herring were captured with great success and
with superior appliances on the Southern Irish coast.

Following the observations I made at the commence-
ment of my paper, I shall proceed to show that on the
same ground where those great fisheries existed centuries
ago, the same fisheries are still carried on with success;
that at all times since then the haunts of those fishes have
been the same; how, for a time, the fisheries existed (to
the same extent) no longer, and the manner in which they
were revived and have since their revival been worked.

Shortly after 1739, the last date at which we have mention
made of the presence of foreigners at the Kinsale mackerel
fishery, the restrictions enforced by the Government for the
protection of the native fishermen became so noxious that
French and other fishermen elected to remain away. The
result of this did not benefit the natives; they needed
emulation, and at the same time several religious and poli-

tical feuds occurring in the town, the fisheries were neglected,

7

Irish fishermen and others were debarred from the pri-
vileges of the English settlers, and those great fisheries
remained practically dormant until some twenty-five years
ago.

Then a few Manx boats were sent over to Kinsale to
“try” the ground, and the success of the experiment will
be seen as I detail the entire working of the mackerel
fishery on that coast, of the herring fishery there, and all the
minuti@ of the particular points I have elected to write
on, under the title of my paper.

The reasons why I have selected the fisheries of the
South of Ireland will be manifest when I state that I have
been for many years a director of the South of Ireland (now
Kinsale) Fishing Company, Limited. And apart from this,
I shall show by statistics that the fisheries of this coast
are of such extent and importance, that a diagnosis of their
operations and a few practical observations on improve-
ments which can be made in the methods in use for the
capture and transmission of fish, and on harbour accom-
modation there, will be of as great utility, for the purposes
of this paper, as a general history of the fisheries of the
United Kingdom.

In the year 1880—not counting Frenchmen—the number
of boats engaged in the Kinsale Fishery was 722; in 1881,
652; and in 1882, 693. In size these boats averaged
27 tons each, and every boat carried at Jeast 44 pieces of
netting of 100 yards long, or 4400 yards of net—making
in all somewhat over 1200 miles of netting for the fleet ;
or, in other words, the largest amount of netting in use in
the world, so far as we can ascertain, at any one fishery,
unless we regard the herring fisheries of Peterhead, Wick
and Fraserburgh, &c., as one fishery—extending as they

do, over an enormous extent of seaboard.

8

Of these boats one-half are Manx, one-third Irish, and
the remainder English and Scotch.

This fishery begins about the first week in March, and
continues until about the first of July—14 weeks. The
number of fishermen employed in it is over 5000, and
the entire number of men engaged in connection with the
fishery is about 8000.

I have inquired as diligently as possible as to the quan-
tity of mackerel caught in each season for five years, and
have approximated the number to be about 31,500,000 ;
these were sold by the fishermen at an average price of
15s. per hundred (of six score). These figures prove for
themselves that the average amount of money paid for
mackerel at Kinsale, per fourteen weeks (or season), for a
period of five years, was over £250,000—a quarter of a
million. And I have also authority to state that nearly
one-fifth of this amount is paid for herrings at Kinsale
between the months of May and August in each year.

These figures are collected, averaged, and approximated
from official statistics, and therefore cannot be questioned.
Taking into consideration the enormous supply of herrings
that are to be found, and that are captured (when sought
for) off Kinsale, it will seem unreasonable that Scotch and
other fishermen do not prosecute the fishery after July.

At the time when the herring fleet leaves Kinsale, the
largest “takes” are netted; but the herring fishery opens
just then in places where curing houses and cheaper carry-
ing rates occur, and naturally the merchants go to the
ground where their profit is greatest.

On the south coast of Ireland there are zo curing houses ;
herrings captured there have to be transhipped, in the
same manner as mackerel, to some port where curing

houses exist. It is questionable whether herring thus

9

cured is so valuable as when fresh cured. Therefore, the
Kinsale herring fishery is abandoned at a time when the
quality of the fish admittedly surpasses that of any other
fishery, and when the quantity is greatest, simply because
the accommodation for curing the fish is not there. The
food supply is curtailed by want of these curing-houses,
the fishermen leaving the ground solely because of their
absence.

In this there is room for practical Government aid. I
have it on the highest authority that Kinsale herrings
cured fresh are superior to most others. The means and
enterprise for the erection of such factories are not at
Kinsale. The establishment of such factories would yield
a large profit to the projectors and builders—the Govern-
ment could help to develop the scheme, and especially by
judicious technical education. From a national point of
view, it seems to me they ought to, and I can only hope
that they will, give the matter their attention.

Having given an idea of the importance of the fisheries
from which I propose to expose my digest of the improve-
ments that can be made in the capture and transmission,
@c., of sea fishes, I shall now attack the real theme of
my paper, and I hope to point out matters that will be
useful.

The nets used in mackerel and herring fishing are usually
made of cotton, and various means are adopted to render
the cotton lasting, the principal method being to “bark”
them with an infusion of cutch.

They are also tarred, and are sometimes, for a time, used
white. The latter is a Scotch method, for it is believed by
some Scotch fishermen that one season’s fishing with the
unbarked cotton does not materially injure or affect its

lasting properties; and after the one season they either

10

bark or tar the nets—the former being the means usually
adopted.

The action of the cutch infusion on the cotton, in the
operation of barking, is somewhat similar to the tanning
process in the manufacture of leather. It toughens the
thread, and, penetrating the fibres of the cotton, covers it,
so to speak, with a coating of, cutch, and so renders it less
open to the action of the salt water.

The tarring process has a somewhat similar effect on the
cotton, but is not frequently adopted, and for various rea-
sons, chiefest amongst which is the belief, or rather fact,
that tar so covers up the exterior of the cotton and hemp
of the netting and ropes, that faulty parts are indiscern-
ible, and oftentimes good nets are lost by reason of those
nearer on the roping giving way, or perhaps the rope itself.

Other preparations are recommended and sold for the
preservation of netting, of which alum is the most useful.
I believe that if the nets were for a season or two dipped
in a solution of alum, instead of cutch, and afterwards
barked, the cotton would be made to last longer, the
expense of preserving the nets would be lessened, and a
general saving obtained on the expenditure necessary to
keep the nets in good order.

As I have already stated, the usual number of nets used
by British mackerel fishers is 44, each net being 100 yards
long.

The gear and construction and working of the nets,
however, differ in many ways, and I shall here endeavour to
point out which style has, over a period of twenty years,
been found to be the most advantageous.

Each net is 100 yards long, and from 100 to 130 meshes,
or 18 to 24 feet deep, and is usually made of 15-ply

cotton thread. When in use, the 44 nets are joined

Wal

together in the manner I shall now show, and form a
continuous “string” of netting 4400 yards long. A few
inches above the top of the net the floats are arranged.
These are composed of small corks, about 3 to 4 inches
square, and about an inch thick, and are fastened to the
net by two ropes which run the entire length of the
“string.” These ropes are fastened to the net by means
of cords called ossils, 400 of which are used for each
piece of net, and the union of all these ropes and corks
is called the “top line,” or “top back,” and serves to
extend the nets and keep them afloat.

At the bottom of the nets another rope runs from end
to,end, and this is called the “foot line,” or “sole rope.”
Suspended from this foot line, at distances of 50 yards,
or half a net, are other ropes, each 27 feet long, and called
“stoppers,” and finally, at the bottom of the stoppers, runs
a thicker rope, “the warp,” or “spring back,” which is used
to haul the nets.

Some use stoppers, which extend from the top line
downwards to the warps, but these are not so advantageous,
as they tend to huddle the net together; whereas the
stoppers and warps, being suspended from the sole line or
bottom of the net, serve to keep the net strained to a
sufficient degree.

Warps, &c., the full length of the nets are also used,
but this is a mistake. It is always advisable to leave, say
half a net free at the extreme end, for this steadies the
line, and consequently the whole net swings more evenly.
The “top line” is not held on board the boat, but the
“spring back,” or “warp” is, and also a heavy rope called
the “swing warp” (about 50 yards long), which is fastened
to the end of the “sole rope,” and this steadies the whole

arrangement when the boat is “ lying to.”

WZ

The herring nets are differently constructed and fewer,
only 25 to 30 nets, of about 100 yards each being used,
but they are mzch deeper than the mackerel nets, and not
secured or floated similarly. There fs no foot line or sole
rope. All the connections are at the top. The small
buoys that float the nets are secured to them by the stop-
pers, which are 5 or 6 fathoms long, so that the herring nets
lie many feet under water.

About two fathoms above the nets the warp or spring
back is run, fastened to the stoppers, and the net itself
hangs free.

New nets require a little lead to sink them, but when
they are in use for some time they sink readily themselves.

Having shown the construction of the nets, I shall now
describe how they are worked, and point out improvements
on the existing system.

In mackerel fishing the boat must, if possible, reach the
fishing ground before sunset, as it is always desirable to
“shoot” the nets before that time. The “ground” having
been ascertained by the presence of gannets, puffins and
oily-looking water, the nets are begun to be “shot” or
thrown out, the boat still sailing. This process occupies
about thirty-five minutes. When the net is “shot” the
sails are lowered, and the mast too, and the boat “lies to”
her nets until about an hour after midnight, when they are
begun to be hauled in.

It is during this operation that much time is lost at the
ground, for it takes from six to nine hours, according to the
weather and quantity of fish, or the nets. Of late years
various applications of steam have been used for haul-
ing instead of the old windlass; and it is certain that
steam winches cause a saving both of labour and of

time, to a considerable extent. The nets are hauled

T3

in by a steam winch in about three hours; the mast is
lowered and elevated by it, and so are the sails. Besides
this, the boat carries one man less, and could, without in-
convenience, dispense with two—so great a labour saver is
the steam apparatus.

From this it will be seen that the application of steam
for fishing purposes is proven a success, and should be
encouraged and more generally adopted by our fishermen.

The cost of the steam winch is only about ¢70—one
man’s share or wages for one year would pay for it—it
would be a permanent benefit to our boats, and I hope
that the delays at the fishing ground are of the past, and
that steam appliances will be generally adopted, and so
render more easy the delivery of the fish, and improve and
economise the general working of the fishery. Having
explained the various ways in which nets are “cured ” and
worked, I come to the important portion of my paper
dealing with the transmission of sea fishes, and particularly
of mackerel, which is one of the most perishable.

As the mackerel season begins towards the middle of
March, the weather is still cold and the fish does not need
ice to preserve it until it gets to market ; but as the season
advances, a considerable amount of ice is used, and with
this I shall deal afterwards.

When the fish is caught (at distances varying from three
to forty miles off the land) the fishing boat makes sail for
Kinsale, the headquarters of the merchants, or, if they
happen to be too far west, towards Baltimore. The time
occupied in reaching the harbour is long or short, accord-
ing to the distance and wind.

At the mouth of Kinsale Harbour, 3} miles from the
town, they are met by the rowing boats of the buvers. If

their catches are small they are transferred to the rowing

14

boat, and the fishing boat returns to the fishing ground ;
and if large, they proceed to the inner harbour (losing the
following night’s fishing) to unload their silvery freight on
board hulks (there being no pier), which serve as quayage
and ice stores for the merchants. Here they are packed
in boxes and iced, and again transferred to steamers or
steam carriers, which take them to Milford, and thence by
rail to the markets of London, Birmingham, &c. This
brief sketch of what occurs between the time the fish is
caught and when it is delivered at the central market for
consumption, forms the chiefest portion of my essay, and I
will divide it in four parts— ist. The improvements that
are possible in bringing the fish from the fishing ground.
2nd. Improvements in steam carriers. 3rd. The cost of ice,
freights, railway rates, &c., and how to lessen them; and,
4th. The necessity for proper fishery harbour accommoda-
tion.

It is easy to point out how improvements may be made
in certain things, but the improvements are not always
practicable. I hope I shall not deal in impossibilities ;
and although in the matter of mackerel fishing the first
suggestion I make is an innovation, I believe it nevertheless
to be decidedly practicable and advantageous.

Namely, if it sometimes, as it does, takes thirty to forty
hours to sail from the fishing ground to harbour, thus
making the fish (what is called) “over day,” or stale fish,
why not employ small steam fishing boats? The usual
registered tonnage of a mackerel boat being thirty tons,
the machinery necessary to propel it by steam would need
an increase in the size, and raise or enlarge it to say forty-
five tons, or even more. The price of a first-class, well-
finished mackerel boat is about £600 ; double that amount,
or a little more, ought to procure such a steam-boat as I

15

suggest, and the saving in time effected by the change would
not only ensure the best price for the fish, but, what is
better, would enable the boat, unless under some extra-
ordinary circumstances, to fish every night. These advan-
tages must be obvious ; for taking into consideration the
time that elapses between the time when the fish is caught,
brought to harbour by the fastest sailing boats, and sold
by the retailer in our great central markets, it is of the
utmost consequence that the only period during the
transfer where, unless by accident or want of carrying
accommodation, delays can occur, namely, the bringing
to harbour from the fishing ground, should be shortened as
much as possible, and the fish delivered to the packers in
the freshest possible condition.

Besides these great advantages the steam-fishing boat
might earn large amounts by towing sailing boats to the
harbour mouth, or even to the fishing ground when the
wind was “slack” or contrary. In many of the Scotch
herring fisheries the use of steam is largely applied, and I
am informed that a few Scotch herring boats are propelled
by steam, the steam, of course, being used only when
necessary by reason of no wind or adverse wind. But the
principle I have laid down, of the profits and benefits to
be derived, outside the actual use of steam to the propelling
of the boat itself, is conclusively proven by what occurs
in those Scotch fisheries, and in this way—

Fish merchants not only employ steam carriers, but
also steam tugs, which are used to tow sailing fishing boats
to the harbour mouths and fishing grounds. I think this
fact proves how beneficial would be the application of
steam to mackerel fishing boats in the manner I have
pointed out.

The improvements that might be made in steam carriers

16

are, to my mind, few but important. Many plans of steam
carriers have been devised and proposed—some of them are
novel, and some have been tried.

Amongst the latter is the vessel with false hold or
bottom, which allows the water to pass through with a
view to bringing the fish alive to market. This style of
carrier may be advantageous in» some cases, but it is
impracticable for the great mackerel and herring fisheries
of the United Kingdom.

I have inquired from the best sources what improve-
ments could be made on the existing style of carrier, and
I have come to the conclusion that superior speed, extensive
over-deck room, and the removal of the engines and boilers
to a portion of the vessel the farthest possible from where
the fish is packed and carried, are about the only improve-
ments that can, or tather need, be made. These
suggestions may take many forms, and I think the most
important would be to provide carriers which, proportionate
with size, could with the greatest speed carry the largest
number of boxes of fish over deck, or in properly ventilated
mid-deck compartments.

The rates charged for the transmission of fish by carrier
owners, and particularly by railway companies, is really
the subject on which a practical and necessary improve-
ment should be made. .

I shall illustrate this. At the Kinsale and South of
Ireland mackerel fishery the following is the plan adopted
by the fish merchants for conveying fish to London and
the central markets :—

They hire steamers of say 250 tons register from Liver-
pool tug owners, at rates varying from £200 to £500
per week.

These steamers are not hired by individual merchauits,

17

but by companies (companies only so far as concerns the
hiring of the steamers).

A rate for fish carrying is then struck; this includes
icing, for these companies are large importers of ice for
fishing purposes, and having finally agreed to rates with
the different railway companies on the English side, the
hirers of the steamers not only carry their own fish, but
that of other and smaller merchants at a fixed rate (arrived
at in the manner I have shown), which this season is 105s.
per ton to London.

This 105s. is made up as follows :—4os. per ton of ten
boxes (each containing 100 fish) for icing and freight to
Milford, and 65s. per ton railway rate from Milford to
London.

Thus, when mackerel are bought at 15s. per hundred,
they cannot be delivered in London under 30s. 4s. 6d.
being added for cartage, &c., to the carrying rate of Ios. 6d.
per box. The average cost of ice to the merchants is 15s.
per ton cost and freight to Kinsale from Norway ; but,
allowing for melting, this really means 30s. per ton of
workable ice. One ton of ice will suffice for twenty
boxes, or two tons of fish (packed), so that allowing I5s.
per ton for ice, the sender is charged 25s. per ton, or
2s. 6d. per box freight from Kinsale to Milford. This is
not unreasonable, but the railway rate is, and should be
remedied.

The cost of freight from Cork to London on other goods
which come under the name of food and drinks is much
less than that charged for fish. The freight on whisky
is only 35s. per ton. This is not a particularly perishable
article, but is liable to serious evaporation and loss of
strength from exposure, &c.

Why then charge three times as much for the carriage of

[31] c

18

fish? It may be said that fish is three times, nay 100
times, more perishable ; but this is not analogous.

Fish is dead weight—so is whisky; the former is the
most perishable, but if the railway company cause no
unnecessary delay in its transmission they run no
additional risk by reason of its being perishable. This
anomaly will be more clearly understood and appear more
unreasonable when I state that in the case of fish carrying
the railway companies have exceptional facilities for
profit, without an extra rate, inasmuch as that it is shipped
from Kinsale and its branches in sufficient quantities to
load as many as three to four special trains, and, therefore,
gives a certain traffic, at an exorbitant rate, against the
uncertain traffic of the goods for which the same companies
charge lesser rates.

I hold that it is unreasonable and unjust, and I also hold
~ that goods which are used as food should be carried at as
cheap or cheaper rates than ordinary merchandise. Let
railway companies raise their rates for breakable or perish-
able merchandise ; but food, without which we cannot
live, should be carried at the lowest possible rate, and I
think that this matter deserves the attention of those of
the Government who are responsible for the public health.

It appears, too, from the fact of there being only two
railway companies—viz.: at Milford and Holyhead—which
carry to the English markets, that they hold a monopoly
of traffic from the Irish mackerel fisheries, and charge what
they like—and they do “like” a very large rate when they
charge 65s. from Milford and Holyhead to London, and 8os.
to some of the English markets from the same ports of
landing. Not only does this railway monopoly affect the
Irish mackerel fisheries, but also the ingportant herring
fisheries of Howth, Arklow, Ardglas, &c., on the eastern

19

coast. This naturally impedes the development of Irish
fisheries, as it is obvious that the freights and enor-
mous railway rates necessitate a lower price being paid
for the fish than is paid in more favoured districts,

Should this be? I think not, and I ask, will the
authorities allow a railway monopoly to increase the price
of food, and thereby preclude many from obtaining it?
Certainly they should not, and I hope the Government
will take steps to remove this barrier to the develop-
ment of Irish fisheries, and thus help to increase the food
supply of the United Kingdom.

I now come to the concluding portion of my paper, and
I shall devote it, as I have explained, to an exposition of
the insufficient fishery accommodation on the Irish coast.
When I began this essay, I stated that the Government
had neglected the fisheries and harbour accommodation
of the south of Ireland. I now state authoritatively that
the fishery population and fisheries of that portion of the
United Kingdom, and particularly of Kinsale and its
branches, have, with some few unimportant exceptions,
never been encouraged by the Government; nor have they
proposed to the fishers of those districts any scheme which
by Government aid would develop the wonderful and
important food resources of the mackerel, herring, and
other fisheries I have written of.

In illustration of how pier and harbour accommodation
has been neglected by the Government, I shall give a
brief outline of the history of the Kinsale fishery pier
and sea-wall.

In 1878, after many years of petitioning and seeking,
a Bill was passed by Parliament, granting to the Kinsale
Harbour Commissioners a sum of 47500, and providing
that a further sum of £6500 should be advanced on loan

CC 2

20

by the Irish Board of Works, and also permitting the
Kinsale Harbour Commissioners to expend a sum of
#2000 from their funds, all for the purpose of building
a fishery pier and sea-wall. During the five years since
that Bill was passed, reams of letters and deputation after
deputation were sent from Kinsale to the Board of Public
Works to hasten on the commencement of the pier. “ Red
tapeism,” however, had to be wound and unwound its
accustomed (in this instance, I have to believe, unaccus-
tomed) length. Obstacles of easy removal were made
mountains of ; a few hundreds extra swelled to thousands
—so far as the difficulty of obtaining it, even a loan, from
the Government, was concerned; and despite the import-
ance of the fishery which waited for the pier, and the
fact of its admitted necessity, it has been commenced to
be built only since this paper was written.

From what I have said of the non-encouragement of
Irish fisheries by the Government, it may appear to some
persons that the story of this pier and the Government grant
is a contradiction of such a statement. But I speak of
encouragement, and, in my opinion, it is not encouragement,
either on the part of a Government or an individual, when
it takes many years to ertract help from them for such a
purpose.

Travelling through Scotland and the North of England,
I was struck with the accommodation afforded by the
Government to the fisheries there, in the shape of State-
aided harbours, piers, &c.

Why the same advantages should not be extended to
Ireland, I know not. However, I shall point out where the
Government cold improve the fishery accommodation on
the southern Irish coast, and then I have done.

When dealing with the transmission of fish, I pointed

zal

=<

out the distance from the land at which fish are caught,
and showed the delay that occurs at Kinsale by reason of
insufficient accommodation of one kind or other. Now I
believe that on no more fitting place could the Government
expend some thousands in development of fisheries, and
for aiding the quick transmission of fish to market, than
here.

At the north of Kinsale Harbour there are two points—
Hangman and Money Points—one on the eastern and the
other on the western side of the entrance. The railway at
Kinsale terminates at the eastern side of the inner harbour ;
and it would be a saving of hours, perhaps one night’s
fishing, to the boats if a fishery pier were built at this
eastern point, and connected either by rail or tramway with
the railway and the already proposed inner or town fishery
pier.

At Baltimore, Youghal, and Crookhaven, piers or har-
bours might also be made by Government aid, with
peculiar advantage to the fisheries on the coast, and safety
to the lives of the fishermen.

Two hundred and fifty thousand pounds worth of fish
shipped from this coast in three months feed a great
many mouths in England. The quantity of food obtain-
able might, by judicious help from the Government, be
more than doubled. I have pointed out how the fisheries
might be aided ; I have recommended steam fishing-boats,
‘improved carriers, moderate railway rates, and improved
and sufficient harbour and pier accommodation. All these
might the Government help to accomplishment. It is, in
a great measure, in their hands to increase the food supply
of the United Kingdom by these means. I ask, almost
incredulously, will they do it ?

Since this portion of my paper was written, I am glad to

Pa

state that the Government have made one good effort
towards the ends to which I have alluded, namely, by their
promotion of the Irish Fisheries and Harbour Bill, 1883.
Irishmen of every class and creed and shade of political
opinion are grateful for it, although the £250,000 appro-
priated to the improvement of Irish fishery harbours, &c.,
by this bill, was already the property of the people of
Ireland. And I do hope that, in the disposition of the
grants and loans, under this Act, very great care will be
taken that piers and harbours will only be built where
there is the greatest necessity for them; and that the
importance of the fishery, and- the necessities of the
locality, will in each case be studied before deciding on
any works of importance. But there still remains even a
more important want, namely, encouragement for our
fishermen—encouragement by means of help for curing-
houses, State-aided ownerships for fishermen, and above all,
State-aided technical education in those branches of craft
and trade connected with net-making, boat-building, and
the curing and preserving of fish.

Here, then, is the solution of the wished-for success of
our fisheries. Encourage our young men and young
women in those arts and crafts which tend towards the
development of one of the most important, perhaps the
most important, branches of commerce.

And I ask you, my lord, and those amongst you, gentle-
men, who are listening to me, and by whose influence these
ends can be approached, to help us in the good work,
and to ask for us that State aid which is a necessity
for our success. We in Ireland, who get so little, are
not easily disappointed; but I hope the Government
will give us a pleasant surprise by helping us in our

fisheries and in the technical education of our fishermen

23

and fishwives. By doing this they will be supporting a
national, as well as an Irish, industry ; they will ensure a
greater supply of food for their subjects, and they will
help to support, not only the families of Irish fisher-
men, but the thousands who do, and the many thousands
who could, derive a living from the proper development of
Irish fisheries.

DISCUSSION.

Mr. HORNSBY said from the extreme point on the east
coast at Ardglas there was a long expanse of coast-line
which was not fished from May until the close of the year.
Mr. Walsh accounted for it by stating that the Kinsale
fisheries were first promoted by a tentative effort to
ascertain whether they would be worth pursuing after they
had lapsed for some years. Now the west coast was in
exactly the same condition. Those who fished at Kinsale
were chiefly from Scotland and the Isle of Man, and they
returned from there, following the direction of the fish
salesmen, to other parts of the coast-line, chiefly to the east
coast to prosecute their fisheries there, under the direction
and stimulus of the fish-curers, and under the patronage
of the fish salesmen. For example, the Scotch east coast
fishermen, who fished on the Norway coast during the
winter, came to the Kinsale and Howth fisheries for the
month of April or May, and then in July they went to
Peterhead, Aberdeen, and other places, as directed by the
fish-curers. They were retained for this purpose, a subsidy
being given them, and they remained there until they had
secured a certain amount of fish; if they did so within the
time contracted for they were free to fish on their own

account. Afterwards they went to the southern ports, such

24

as Lowestoft and Harwich. The fishermen on the west
coast of Scotland, Campbeltown, and Loch Fyne, were
accustomed to fish in the same way, but of late years those
fisheries had been failing; some of the men at Campbel-
town owned thirty or forty boats, and they were prepared
to try the west coast of Ireland, but who was to induce
them to do so? The fish salesmen would not attend them
there until they had proved the fisheries would be success-
ful. Therefore there seemed to be a missing link, and the
question was, who was to promote the general movement of
fishing boats attending the west coast of Ireland? The
whole coast was peopled with hardy fishermen, who, as
Mr. Brady had said, were remarkable for their honesty and
hardihood; he wished he could say as much for their
persistent industry ; but these men were very teachable,
and if you had Scotch boats along the west coast of Ireland
for the present month up to the end of September or the
middle of Octeber they would no doubt be glad to take
one or two native fishermen as pilots, who would in that
way pick up a little technical education, and would be
instructed in the art of following fish to a considerable
distance from the coast. Last week he was talking with
some men of this class off Clew Bray near Achil Point, the
furthest on the west coast of Ireland. He found there the
appliances they had for fishing were the native coracles.
If these men could be taken on board the Scotch fishing
vessels and taught, in the course of time, with a little
assistance from the State, they would invest their money
in hookers and larger boats. The question was, who was
to instruct these men? At present they only fished with
these coracles ; they went out to a bank perhaps five miles
off the coast, and that was the last of their enterprise.

The reason these boats were generally used was that they

25

would ride in about a foot of water, they passed readily
through the surf, and could be easily taken up and carried
on their backs when they got on shore. He thought Mr.
Walsh’s idea, if it could be carried out, of having a steam
carrier for going from port to port to collect the fish, would
be very good, otherwise it was often thrown on shore to
rot. There might be tons and tons of herrings thrown on
the shore because there were no means of sending them to
market. Again, another missing link with regard to these
Irish fisheries was this, if Scotch or Cornish boats were to
come to the south or west coast of Ireland there might be
harbours of refuge as near as possible to the fishing grounds,
provided by and under the control of the Government, and,
on the other hand, there must be light tramways to connect
the more distant parts with the established railway termini.
The charts in the British section would explain why it was
from the month of May or June to the end of the year the
west coast fishery was practically not prosecuted ; the fish
were there and were not caught, first, because the men were
not there, and, secondly, because the fishing grounds were
so distant from any harbours.

Mr. BLAKE, M.P., proposed a vote of thanks to the two
gentlemen who had read Papers. As an Irishman he was
very much interested in the fisheries, and felt much obliged
to both gentlemen for the most interesting and valuable
Papers they had read. No man in Ireland was more
entitled to speak on industrial subjects than Mr. Bloomfield,
because no one had made greater efforts in that direction
than he had. It was more than a quarter of a century
since he had been associated with him in an effort for
the extension of railway accommodation in Ireland, and
for the State to purchase the railways; it was a great

misfortune for Ireland that this was not done, and also

26

for the State, because they would have paid very well.
He was very glad indeed for the sake of the fisheries
to find that Mr. Bloomfield had taken up this question,
and every one who had heard the Paper would agree
with him that he had dealt with it in a very exhaustive
manner. He was sorry to be obliged to say, that there
were very few men occupying a high social position in
Ireland who took any practical interest in this question,
and, therefore, Mr. Bloomfield’s Paper was all the more
welcome. The Paper read by Mr. Walsh was also of a
most important character. He was practically engaged
in the fishery enterprise in the south of Ireland, and had
shown how it could be made to pay. The interest in
this subject was not confined to Ireland, it was of
national importance when one considered the vast amount
of fish consumed in the United States. He had taken
great trouble to prepare a statement, which he would put
before the House of Commons, showing the aggregate
amount of fish consumed in the United States, and it
amounted to the enormous quantity of twelve millions a
year ; that was chiefly sea fish, and was entirely independent
of importations from Norway, Newfoundland, or else-
where, in the preserved condition. Out of that total the
amount captured by Englishmen was eight millions ster-
ling, Scotland three millions, and not more than half a
million for Ireland, and of that a considerable portion
was taken by Manx, Scotchmen, and Cornishmen; and
even the French fishermen came in considerable numbers
to the Kinsale coast. It seemed very strange that Ireland
should contribute so little to the national larder, when it
was asserted so often that there was no diminution of
the quantity on the coast, and, from his experience, he

believed such to be the fact. In old times the English

27

monarchs had derived large revenues from allowing
foreign nations to fish on the Irish coasts. In the time
of Charles £8000 was given by the Spanish monarch to
allow a certain number of Spanish vessels to fish there,
and in about 1640 the Swedish Government, in return for
services rendered to England, was allowed to send a
certain number also. Frenchmen and Flemings fished
extensively there, and the important pilchard fishery,
which Mr. Walsh had not touched upon, was carried on
very extensively by the Dutch, and even now in certain
parts of the county of Cork there were remains of what
were called fish palaces, where the Dutch used to cure the
fish. He did not wish to awaken old and bitter memories,
but it was quite impossible, in dealing with the fishery
question, to omit the fact that down to a very recent
period, so far from the fisheries being encouraged by
the Government, they were absolutely discouraged and
depressed. It seemed to be the idea that the fisheries
of Ireland were to be for the benefit of every one save
and except the Irish themselves. The Cromwellian Par-
liament was inundated with petitions that the Irish
fisheries might be suppressed in consequence of their com-
petition with the English, and under a commonwealth ordi-
nance there was an immense amount of suppression ; many
fishermen were sent to Connaught, and others transported
to Barbados and the other West Indian islands. He would
not go further into these matters, but he merely stated
them for the purpose of showing that there was a strong
claim on Imperial assistance now, for the purpose of
forwarding the long-neglected and even repressed Irish
fisheries. One circumstance would prove why these
fisheries ought to be helped as a matter of Imperial

interest. It was an unquestionable fact that the fisheries

28

in the North Sea were considerably diminishing, and at
this moment, or very lately, there was a Royal Com-
missioner nominated for the purpose of inquiring into the
cause of this diminution of fish in the North Sea. Under
such circumstances it was most desirable that the fishing
resources of Ireland should be developed to the greatest
possible extent. There were only £500,000 worth cap-
tured, and that quantity might be readily augmented
tenfold. The previous speaker had alluded to the very
small amount to which the west coast of Ireland was
utilised for the purpose of fish capture, but there was no
doubt that arose from the want of sufficient harbours.
From the mouth of the Shannon to Galway Bay, about
seventy miles, there was only one indifferent harbour on
the coast of Clare. For thirty-five miles, from Galway to
Liscanor Bay, there was no harbour which would accom-
modate a boat of even ten tons, and from there again to
the mouth of the Shannon there was an equal absence of
harbour accommodation. Fishery companies had been
established for the purpose of fishing the west coast, but
they had all failed, chiefly from this cause, because, owing
to the tempestuous character of the sea, the crews were
often obliged to remain for weeks in a state of enforced
idleness, and he was sorry to say that they then often
resorted to the public- house to kill time, so that when
the water was suitable they were not in a fit state for
resuming their labours. He was happy to say that, owing
to a very important vote lately passed for granting out
of their own money, the Church Fund, £250,000, the want
was likely to be supplied, and he had no doubt as a
consequence very important fishery enterprises would be
established. It was quite out of the question for men to
think of getting boats suitable for fishing in those tempes-

29

tuous seas, if there were not adequate harbours to seek
shelter in. Another important point as mentioned by Mr.
Walsh was the great inconvenience and loss which in the
south of Ireland a fleet was put to by being obliged to
come into harbour with each cargo of fish, and there was
no doubt that an immense improvement would be made
if steam power were employed. That, however, must be
a matter of private enterprise. All that the Government
could be expected to do was to provide the means for
harbours. Then he spoke of the great want of more
suitable boats and gear, but there were two sources of
supply now in operation. The inspectors of fisheries had
a fund of £500,000, from which fishermen could borrow
at very moderate interest for the purpose of supplying
boats and gear. Since that fund had been in operation,
the inspectors of fisheries had lent out about £50,000 to
the fishermen of Ireland, and, very much to the credit of
those men, the whole of that sum had been paid back with
the exception of about £1000, and even that very small sum
would not now be outstanding if adequate means had
been taken for its recovery. Besides that, there was a
Society in Dublin which had £30,000 or £40,000 at its
disposal for the same purpose. An important provision
had been introduced last year, enabling the inspectors
instead of lending money to advance it in the shape of
boats and gear, which was a great improvement, because
he was afraid some of the money was often applied to
very useful purposes, such as portioning their daughters,
paying rent, enclosing land, and such like. Now the
borrowers were debarred from that kind of thing, and in-
stead of getting the money obtained the same assistance in
kind, which would tend very much to the advancement

of the fisheries. He had a very well-grounded hope that

30

there was a creat future for the fisheries of Ireland. It
was much to be deplored that there had been a very
great decrease, owing to causes which he would not stay
to enumerate in detail, but subsequently to the famine the
numbers of fishermen were reduced from 113,000 to 25,000,
and the boats from 20,000 to 6000 or 7000; still he had
strong belief that with the means now placed in the
hands of inspectors of fisheries a great stimulus would be
given to the enterprise, and that many other industries,
such as boat-building, sail-making and net-making, would
be put in motion also. It was not Ireland alone which would
benefit by the promotion of this industry, but the United
Kingdom also would participate by having a very largely
increased quantity of the most wholesome food contributed
from the Irish seas.

Mr. EARLL seconded the vote of thanks. Those who
had paid attention to the questions which had come before
the Conferences must be more deeply convinced*than ever
of the importance of the fisheries, and of the necessity of
the utmost caution in all questions of fishery legislation, for
fisheries, though little understood, now rank among the
principal industries of the world. They had had to-day
two Papers by gentlemen evidently deeply interested in
the subject. Mr. Bloomfield had spoken of the possibility
of increasing the supply of fish in the inland waters of
Ireland, and had referred in very flattering terms to the
United States Fish Commission, and to their method of
stocking inland waters. It was found in a country like
the United States rather difficult to get the best quality
of fresh fish sent from the sea-board for 1500 miles into
the interior, and Professor Baird, who was at the head
of the U.S. Fish Commission, determined to see if he
could introduce some fish that might answer as a good

out

and substantial food for the people of the interior who
were deprived of the fish of the ocean. He, therefore,
sent to Germany, and secured a quantity of German carp,
which he thought might be adapted to the inland waters.
These were imported at the Government’s expense, kept
in ponds, and artificially propagated until a sufficient
quantity had been raised to warrant their distribution to
the smaller waters of the interior. As soon as the supply
was sufficiently large, the distribution began, and year after
year it had increased, until, at the close of 1882, German
carp had been introduced into upwards of 18,000 different
localities scattered over all portions of the United States.
It was at first considered doubtful whether these fish would
be suited to American waters, and it was therefore decidedly
desirable for the Government to undertake the experi-
ment of their introduction, for no private individual or
company would feel justified in hazarding their funds on
such an uncertain venture. He was happy to say that the
efforts of Professor Baird had proved successful beyond
expectation. The German carp were found to increase more
in size in the waters of Florida in eighteen months than they
did in their native waters in four years. Thus it was found
possible to introduce valuable food-fish into the inland
waters of America—and under that term he included mill-
ponds, and the little ponds on the lands of the farmer—for
many farmers were now clearing the rubbish out of their
little ponds, and were sending to the Commission to obtain
a supply of carp which was given them gratuitously, and
many were now raising them successfully, frequently distri-
buting the young to their neighbours gratuitously, or selling
them at a low price. He thought it would be quite possible
to do the same in the inland waters of Ireland. Mr. Walsh

had made many suggestions, some of which were very valu-

32

able, especially that relating to the introduction of steam
into the herring fishery. Only last week he had visited the.
coast of Scotland with the express purpose of studying the
herring fisheries of that region. He not only visited the
fishing ports, but went out both upon a steam-trawler, and
upon a herring-boat, to see the methods adopted for catch-
ing fish, At Aberdeen—the port from which he sailed—
about 500 vessels started, and proceeded to sea, some 30,
some 40, and some 50 miles. The fish were fairly plentiful,
and a number of the boats secured good catches ; but the
wind died out, and their fish were as worthless to them as
though they had been swimming in the sea. They were,
almost without exception, unable to make the harbour,
A few were provided with salt, which enabled them to
preserve their herrings, and to remain out for another
night’s fishing; but the next morning was as calm as
before; and many of them again saw their catches lying
comparatively worthless in their boats : for, even if salted, the
curers would pay only half as much for them as for fresh
herring. Two or three steamers had recently been pur-
chased by Aberdeen parties, and fitted out for the herring-
fishery, and it was an aggravating sight to those who were
depending on wind and sails, to see the steamboats going
by them to harbour to market their fish. He quite ad-
mitted that steam could be used with decided advantage in
the fisheries of any country where it was necessary to run to
market in order to sell the fish while fresh. In America
they began the capture of the Menhaden and other fish,
which it was desirable to land fresh, with sailing vessels,
but soon found it was difficult to get them to land in proper
condition, and one after another the fishermen introduced
steam, and within five years the entire fleet of sailing
vessels in the Menhaden fishery was replaced by steamers.

oS
Even in the herring fishery, although that was very limited
and did not compare in any way with what he had seen in
Scotland, steam had been introduced for collecting the fish,
and in a few instances, for vessels employed in catching
them, and the results were found very satisfactory. He
believed it possible for a Government to do much to en-
courage the fisheries by a judicious expenditure of money
for such things as could not be expected from private
capital. Improvements of harbours, the erection of light-
houses, fish culture on a large scale, and perhaps the intro-
duction of improved methods of catching and curing fish,
as employed in other countries, naturally belonged to the
Government ; but the building of curing-stands, and the pur-
chase of nets and boats belonged to private capital. There
were undoubtedly instances where assistance to fishermen,
in the form of loans with proper security, for the purpose
of enabling them to obtain larger and more seaworthy boats,
would prove beneficial, but, as a rule, he thought it was a
decided mistake to lead fishermen to believe that they
could do nothing until they were helped by Government. If
leaders impressed them with the idea that they must remain
idle until Government took some action, they were not only
doing injustice to the fisheries, but to the fishermen them-
selves. He could mention a number of instances in which
American fishermen, with hardly a penny in their pockets,
had begun to work, and to-day were men owning a fleet
of vessels. They might have laboured under more favour-
able conditions than those of Ireland, doubtless they did
in many instances, but certainly if the Irish fishermen,
or indeed those of any country, came to realise that they
must depend largely on their own energy and _persever-
ance, it would be much better both for them and for the

community in which they lived.

[31] D

34

The vote of thanks having been carried unanimously,

Mr. BLOOMFIELD, in reply, said he was much obliged for
the kind way in which the proposition had been made by
his friend Mr. Blake, whose extreme kindness had shown
that it was not necessary for Irishmen to be of the same
opinion in politics in order to be appreciated by those who,
like themselves, had the Irish interests at heart. There
were only two points on which to touch with reference
to the discussion which had taken place. Mr. Hornsby
put it forward that they were to look entirely to the
English and Scotch boats if they were to fish the whole
coast of Ireland. He must say he demurred to that
proposition. He believed it was possible for the same
men, who it was proposed should go on board those boats,
to show the English and Scotch what they were to do, and
where they were to find the fish, if they got the opportunity
to take the boat in hand and fish on their own account.
It was because they had not the opportunities which were
given elsewhere that they did not do so, and he must
answer Mr. Earll’s remark in the same way. As Mr.
Blake had so properly observed, there were no harbours of
refuge along miles of coast, and if boats of English and
Scotch owners could not come on that account, it was
utterly impossible for the poor Irish to engage in fishing
there. They had heard from Mr. Earll how the inland
fisheries had been developed in America, and it was only
fair to ask why the Government should not be called upon
to do something in the same way for Ireland. The United
States had spent a large sum of money in bringing carp
from Germany for the purpose of stocking their inland
waters, and already 18,000 localities had been supplied
with this fish. In conclusion, he begged to move a vote of
thanks to Lord Milltown for his kindness in taking the chair.

oe

Mr. WALSH seconded the vote of thanks. He said Mr.
Blake, who had given himself great trouble in connection
with the fisheries of Ireland, had slightly misunderstood
some remarks which he made in connection with the Irish
fisheries. He did not say that they required State aid for
the introduction of steam carriers ; but he pointed out that
these would be very useful. The State aid he asked for
Ireland was in connection with what Mr. Blake now said
was given, viz., the grant of £50,000 for the promotion
of fishermen ownerships. That was a very small amount
of money for such a purpose, and last year only £900 was
given to the county of Cork, from which county over a
quarter of a million pounds’ worth of fish was shipped to
England, for food, in 14 weeks. In that respect they re-
quired larger aid from Government, but the aid he spoke
of, as being particularly necessary, was in the matter of
technical education with regard to net-making, boat-build-
ing, curing-houses, &c., and he was glad to find that his
ideas with regard to this matter, and also the transmission
of fish, were approved. He hoped these Papers and the
discussions on them would do some good, and that the wants
‘of Irish fishermen would not be altogether forgotten.

(The vote of thanks having been carried unanimously),

The CHAIRMAN said it had been a sincere pleasure to
him to attend and to listen to the extremely interesting
discussion. If he might be permitted to add anything
personal, he might say that it was always a matter of
sincere pleasure to contribute, in however small a way, to
anything which would favour the cause of his dear native
country. Mr. Bloomfield had made out a very strong case
indeed, and had proved to demonstration the absolute
ignorance which existed on the subject of Irish fisheries, and
had also proved how little had been done by the Imperial

36

Government towards their development. Mr. Blake had
referred very slightly to the incredible injustice of past
days, and it was impossible for any man, whether an Irish-
man or Englishman, to read of the record of that cruelty
which destroyed the wholesale manufactures of Ireland,
without feeling his blood boil with honest indignation at
such atrocities being committed. It could not be denied
that the Government of to-day, which, though not exactly
the same Government as of those days, was its successor
and owed a reparation to those industries which it was easy
to destroy, but often extremely difficult to rehabilitate.
Mr. Bloomfield had given a case in point. He had alluded
to the little port of Baltimore, which, owing to the generosity
of Lady Burdett Coutts, had developed in an incredibly
short time to a most important fishing-port. If so much
could be done by private enterprise and benevolence,
surely it became the Government of the richest Empire
in the world to rescue people from that slough of despair
into which a great portion of Ireland had been plunged
for so many generations, and to raise them again into a
position which they should occupy, and which, he was
firmly convinced they would occupy, without the necessity
of foreign migration, or without further or more dangerous
experiments in agricultural legislation. The Paper read by
Mr. Walsh was one of extreme interest; he had given a
succinct history of the fisheries of that part of Ireland with
which he was specially connected, and brought forward
very strong reasons indeed for Government assistance, and
with regard to technical education and other points. He
had also informed them of the enormous freightage charge
from Milford and Holyhead for the transport of fish, and
suggested that, as whisky and other goods were carried at

a much lower rate, the railway companies should be com-

a7

pelled, as he understood him, to carry articles of food at a
less rate than was now charged. But he really did not see
how the Government could carry out that suggestion, or
how they could be expected to compel the two railway
companies to carry these goods at a less rate than they
chose to impose. The principles of political economy,
although banished, as far as Ireland was concerned, to
Saturn and Mars, in England held their full sway, and
under these circumstances he could not help thinking that
any attempt on the part of the Government to compel
railway companies to carry these articles of food at less
rates than those they considered proper, would hardly meet
with the sanction of the Imperial Parliament. With regard
to the interesting statement that Mr. Earll had made
with regard to the inland fisheries of the United States, he
thought there would be little difficulty in carrying out
something of a similar nature in Ireland, where the lakes
and rivers were, as far as affording food to the population,

entirely unproductive.

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8.—Ramsgate Harbour . . . . . J. P. HESELTINE.
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prudence i in the University ‘of Oxford.

ZOOLOGY AND FOOD FISHES. By Georce B. Howes,
Demonstrator of Biology, Normal School of Science, and Royal School of Mines,
South Kensington.

BRITISH MARINE AND FRESHWATER FISHES.
(Zilustrated.) By W. SaviLLE KENT, F.L.S., F.Z.S., Author of Official Guide-
books to the Brighton, Manchester, and Westminster Aquaria.

APPARATUS FOR FISHING. By E. W. H. Ho.pswortH,
F.L.S., F.Z.S., Special Commissioner for Juries, International Fisheries
Exhibition ; Author of ‘*Deep Sea Fisheries and Fishing Boats,” ‘* British
Industries—Sea Fisheries,” &c.

THE BRITISH FISH TRADE. By His Excellency SPENCER
WALPOLE, Lieut.-Governor of the Isle of Man.

THE UNAPPRECIATED FISHER FOLK. Bv James G,
BERTRAM, Author of ‘* The Harvest of the Sea.”

THE SALMON FISHERIES. (/dlustrated.) By C. E. FRYER.
Assistant Inspector of Salmon Fisheries, Home Office,

SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED. (/iustrated.) By HENRY ‘Leg,
F.L.S.

THE ANGLING CLUBS AND PRESERVATION SO-.
CIETIES OF LONDON AND THE PROVINCES. ByJ. P. WHEELDON,
late Angling Editor of ‘‘ Bell’s Life.”

INDIAN FISH AND FISHING. (/dlustrated.) By FRaNcis
Day, F.L.S., Commissioner for India to International Fisheries Exhibition.

A POPULAR HISTORY OF FISHERIES AND FISHER-
MEN OF ALL COUNTRIES, FROM THE EARLIEST TIMES. By
W. M. Apams, B.A., formerly Fellow of New College, Oxford; Author of
‘Zenobia : a Tragedy,’ and inventor of the Ccelometer.

FISH CULTURE. (//ustrated.) By Francis Day, F.L.S., Com-
missioner for India to International Fisheries Exhibition

SEA FABLES EXPLAINED. By Henry LEE, F.L.S, (/dustrated.)

IN THE PRESS.
FISH AS DIET. By W. SrepHen Mitcuett, M.A. (Cantab.)
atch IN GREAT BRITAIN. By WILLIAM SENIOR (“Red
Spinner”
EDIBLE CRUSTACEA. By W. Save Kent, F.LS., F.ZS.,

ae of Official Guidebooks to the Brighton, Manchester, and Westminster
uaria,

THE LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.
By JOHN J. MANLEY, M.A. (Oxon.)

FOLK LORE OF FISHES: their Place in Fable, Fairy
Tale, Myth, and Poetry. By PHIL ROBINSON.

THE OUTCOME OF THE EXHIBITION. By A. J. R.-

TRENDELL, of the Inner Temple, Barrister-at-Law, Literary Superintendent for
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