i6 



the Chinese caught small fish, with fine nets made of silk ; 

 those with which they caught them were to be seen in the 

 Exhibition ; but he understood that they were then trans- 

 ferred to ponds, and also, that when the water was cold 

 they lit hanging fires to warm it, so that the young fish were 

 taken care of — not destroyed or eaten when small ; in fact 

 they catch the fry in shallow waters, and transfer them to 

 ponds and lakes ; they are then sold alive. 



Mr. Fryer said the fact that young fish were preserved 

 and reared did not prove that small fish were not also very 

 often eaten ; but the fact of fresh-water fish-culture did not 

 touch the question of the sea fisheries to which he par- 

 ticularly referred. 



Captain CURTIS added that the Chinese were to be 

 congratulated on using luminous paint, which was not 

 much employed in this country at present. As a seaman, 

 he must bear testimony to Lhe excellent qualities of the 

 Chinese junks and their fishing-boats ; in fact, he thought 

 naval architecture had not much improved the sea-going 

 qualities of ships in this country ; he would sooner be in a 

 Chinese junk than in an ironclad, as the junk would ride 

 over the sea in a gale, whereas the sea would wash over 

 the ironclad. 



Mr. Herbert E. Hounsell thought the remarks of 

 Mr. Fryer ought not to go forth uncontradicted unless they 

 were more fully substantiated. The idea he had thrown 

 out that the Chinese caught small fish all the year round 

 and ate them, had not yet met with any support. 



It was a mistake to suppose that there were no kinds 

 of fish which could be destroyed by over-fishing, which 

 some people might fancy to be Mr. Fryer's opinion, though 

 he did not believe such was meant by his remarks ; they 

 had only to bear in mind the great decrease of soles within 



