PISH AND FISHERIES. 167 



punisliment of offences against the Customs Laws of the said two Colonies 

 respectively committed on the said river, and for the regulation of the 

 navigation of the said river by vessels belonging to the said two Colonies 

 respectively : Provided also that it shall be competent for the Legisla- 

 tures of the said two Colonies, by laws passed in concurrence with each 

 other, to define in any difierent manner the boundary-line of the said 

 two Colonies along the course of the river Murray, and to alter the 

 other provisions of this section." By virture of the Order in Council 

 already referred to, Pental Island, on the river Mxirray, was declared 

 to belong to Victoria, and not to New South Wales. Until, thei-efore, 

 by the concurrent legislation of the Colonies concerned, the river 

 boundary-line of this Colony is altered, the channel of the river Murray 

 from the intersection of that river by the 14Lst meridian belongs to New 

 South Wales, and, of course, with the channel or watercourse of the 

 river, all incident powers of legislation, and all territorial jurisdiction in 

 and over the water and soil of the river must be considered to have 

 passed to and become vested in New South Wales, subject to the express 

 provisoes declared by the Act. 



It only remains to consider what is the seaward limit of the juris- 

 diction on our eastern seaboard and on the coasts of our dependencies. 

 It may be considered as a rule of law firmly established on the 

 authority both of publicists and decided cases, that the portion of the 

 sea washing the coast of a maritime State which lies within the range 

 of cannon-shot from land, is the territorial property of that State, and 

 subject to its municipal jurisdiction, but that beyond that limit and out 

 of the reach of cannon-shot, " common or universal use" (to use the 

 words of Lord Stowell), is presumed. The sea within this limit of 

 cannon-shot, or as the limit has in modern times been expressed — one 

 marine leagiie or 3 miles — is considered to belong to every independent 

 maritime State. 



Fishes protected by the Act. 



Schnapper, black })ream, silver bream, black fish, black rock cod, 

 red rock cod, Gurnets, flatheads, mullets (including Flat-tail and 

 sand mullets), whiting, flounders, soles, pike, trevally, garfish, crayfish, 

 Murray cod, and Murray perch. 



Cormorants or Shags. 

 As these birds are found to abound on the coast, and to be most 

 destructive to fish, regulations are to be framed by the Commissioners 

 for the payment of rewards to those who kill them, but the sum must not 

 exceed Is. per bird. The following short description and nomenclature of 

 those species which are ordinarily found on our seaboard and rivers has 

 been supplied by the Curator of the Australian Museum, Mr. E. *P. 

 Ramsay, F.L.S. : — 



L Great Black Shag {Graculus novce hollandice). Black all 

 over ; bill and skin round face, black ; sometimes when breeding 

 a white spot on the thighs and a few white strife on the neck. 



2. Small Black Shag {Graculus sticfocej^hahts). Glossy black all 

 over ; bill and skin round face, black ; eye, gi-een. 



3. Small Black and White Shag (Graculus melanoleucus). Sides 

 of the head and all under side, white ; top of the head and all 

 upper parts, black ; skin round face, and the bill, yellow. 



