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now cast in an island whose people are more dependent on 

 fisheries than the people in any other part of Her Majesty's 

 dominions. I believe the Isle of Man contains more fisher- 

 men, in proportion to its people, than any spot over which 

 Her Majesty rules in any other part of the world. I 

 need hardly say, therefore, that the change in my position 

 does not diminish my interest in the fisheries of this 

 country ; but I am often tempted to contrast the different 

 position in which the fisheries now stand to that which 

 they occupied when I was first connected with them some 

 sixteen years ago. At that time, outside the circle of the 

 fishermen themselves, or the people resident in the neigh- 

 bourhood of the ports and rivers, there were, I think, very 

 few people in this country who took any deep interest in 

 the question of developing fisheries. At the present time, 

 on the contrary, the greater portion of the people in every 

 class of life seem to consider the development of the 

 fisheries of this country as the one and main reason of their 

 existence. Her Majesty's sons set a laudable example by 

 attending public meetings on fishery matters, and by pre- 

 paring and reading fishery papers at fishery conferences. 

 A session never passes in the House of Commons in 

 which almost dozens of fishing Bills are not presented 

 for the consideration of the Legislature. Now I am often 

 tempted to think that there is more danger to the fishing 

 interests of this country, in the attention which they are 

 now receiving, than in the neglect from which they pre- 

 viously suffered ; and I will tell you why, as the remark 

 seems a little paradoxical. There are two classes of 

 persons who are perpetually agitating and bringing forward 

 proposals on the subject of fisheries. One of these classes 

 seems filled with the constant apprehension that the fish 

 in the ocean are likely to be almost immediately exhausted 



