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general would be equally fair to all, and complaints could 

 not exist that the young fish, which were being protected 

 in one part, were being destroyed in another. If the sale of 

 the fry or fish under a certain size were illegal, much good 

 might also be effected, especially in the breeding season ; and 

 this would not injuriously affect the regular fisherman, but 

 quite the reverse. If fairly worked, the result must be an 

 increase of the amount of fish in the fresh-waters, and with 

 such at first the fisherman's gains will be much augmented, 

 because the price will not fall so rapidly as the fisheries im- 

 prove. Perhaps an increased supply would at first cause 

 decreased price ; but such can never occur to any great ex- 

 tent, where the price of fish in the bazar is regulated by the 

 cost of mutton, which is unlikely to become cheaper ; so the 

 fisheries must improve in value in accordance with the care 

 bestowed upon them. Should rent remain unraised, a great 

 increase in prosperity ought to be in store for this, at present, 

 poor class of persons, irrespective of the good which will be 

 felt by the general community in having a considerable 

 increase of wholesome animal food, and that obtained with- 

 out any corresponding pecuniary outlay, but simply by 

 making use of means now at hand, but at present left almost 

 uncared for. 



Fixed Engines. 



LXIV. Fixed engines employed in the capture of fresh- 

 . water fish are thus defined in the 



fishery laws of England, — " stake- 

 nets, bag-nets, putts, putchers and all fixed implements or 

 engines for catching or facilitating the catching of fish," and 

 " the section confers a power on any one of the public, 

 whether interested or not, to destroy a fixed engine, and 

 therefore he is not liable to an action for trespass for doing 

 so." Eixed engines employed in India are mainly divisible 

 into two varieties, (1) those manufactured of cotton, hemp, 

 aloe fibre, coir or some such material ; and (2) others con- 

 structed of split bamboo, rattan, reed, grass or some more or 

 less inelastic substances. 



LXV. Eixed engines manufactured of cotton or elastic 

 Fixed engines of elastic materials would include all stake- 

 materials - nets, but when the meshes are of 



a fair size they may be considered as legitimate means 

 when properly employed for the capture of fish, unless they 

 are true fresh-water ones migrating for breeding purposes. 



