PREFACE. 



Most of the materials for the following Account of the 

 Deep Sea and general Coast Fisheries of the British 

 Islands were collected by me whilst Secretary to the 

 Royal Sea Fisheries Commission, whose Report was 

 laid before Parliament early in 1866. My duties in 

 that capacity obliged me in most cases twice to visit 

 almost every fishing station of any importance in the 

 United Kingdom, thus enabling me to make a personal 

 examination of the various boats and appliances used in 

 the fisheries at each place, and sometimes to take part, 

 with the fishermen in their work. Towards the end of 

 1865 the necessity for an official inquiry into the work- 

 ing of the pearl fisheries on the coast of Ceylon led to 

 my being sent for a few years to that colony, and 

 obliged me to postpone bringing these pages before the 

 public ; the delay, however, although a matter of some 

 regret to me, has afforded me an opportunity of observ- 

 ing the changes which have since taken place, and of 

 noting the progress or decline of particular fisheries 

 since the removal of all restrictions on their working. 



