THE FISHERIES. 7 



been for the treasures of the sea, the pilgrim fa- 

 thers of New England would have probably 

 perished by famine. The pious Brewster and his 

 associates lived for months almost entirely upon 

 fish, and his daily thanks were given, that he and 

 his associates could " suck of the abundance of the 

 seas, and of the treasures hid in the sands." The 

 infant colony of Plymouth was nourished into 

 strength and power by the trade of fishing. It 

 was, for a long series of years, one of the princi- 

 pal sources from whence they derived sustenance 

 for themselves, and articles of traffic, in exchange 

 for which they obtained commodities necessary for 

 their comfort and protection. It is due to that 

 noble race of natives, who were afterwards almost 

 entirely swept from New England by pestilence 

 and w^ar, here to state, that to them were our fa- 

 thers indebted for their first knowledge of the man- 

 ner of taking fish, as well as of the rudiments of 

 Indian agriculture. 



It is a singular and an interesting fact, that our 

 beautiful system of free schools took its rise in 

 Plymouth Colony, from the fisheries. The sub- 

 ject was commenced in 1663, in the Colony Court, 

 by the following proposition : "It is proposed by 

 the court unto the several townships in this juris? 

 diction, as a thing that they ought to take into se^ 

 rious consideration, that sojne course may be taken 



