48 
toil of which they have been so ruthlessly deprived. Where 
are the fish taken from us? You cannot argue about 
mysterious laws of Nature. You undertook that if these 
fish were released, they should be returned as a far richer 
harvest: Where are they? 
But another- very serious question arises to which an 
answer must be given. In the Fishery Exhibition we have 
before us now (in May, 1899) these young whiting are shown 
asa proof of the wisdom of these gentlemen’s proceedings. 
Are they so immersed in the vast importance of the question 
as to how many legs or other appendages a shrimp has, or 
the exact percentage of. grains of sand that a cockle 
swallows, that they have not noticed this stupendous 
phenomenon so destructive to all their theories. It has 
existed for several years. Surely they are not deliberately 
trusting to the want of knowledge of fishery questions in 
an inland town, and trading on it; and yet Ido not 
see how we: can avoid one of these two conclusions, — If 
they do not know they are condemned. If they do know, 
have they brought the matter before the Sea Fisheries 
Committee and put them fully in possession of this 
information. ° - 
Had nature chosen to act the other way, and had their 
meddling coincided with a great increase of whiting 
instead of haddock, what a noise would have been made 
throughout the world, Knighthoods or peerages would~ 
