36 
with the existing supplies, in vain presented by a kind 
Providence. 
Mr. JAMES ALWARD (Grimsby) hoped this meeting would 
not be the last one on the subject, but that out of it would 
come a conference of practical fishermen, and that arrange- 
ments would be made such as would enable more of them 
to attend. London was a long way from most of the 
fishing ports, and many people were not able to come who 
were interested in the matter. He heartily concurred in 
what had been said by the last speaker with regard to the 
Irish coast, where he believed fish abounded; but the 
gentleman who spoke before him gave an illustration which 
was not quite applicable to the case. He spoke of a man 
having a quantity of fruit and vegetables, and allowing the 
people at large to come in and destroy it, but they hap- 
pened to know all about the physical causes that governed 
the fruit, vegetables, and other products of the land, but 
unfortunately they were in a state of gross ignorance with 
reference to the sea. He had studied the question himself 
a very long time, and had just reached the point of being 
aware of his own ignorance, and also that there was a 
ereat amount of ignorance on the part of others. He 
should have no difficulty, if time allowed, in entirely 
flooring many of the arguments which had been put for- 
ward that day. An instance had been given of a large 
quantity of mackerel being caught with a scine-net, out 
of which there was only a certain number fit for market. 
But how was a difficulty of that kind to be regulated ? 
If the fish abounded on the coast, and a man went out with 
his net, and took a quantity, how could you prevent the 
small fish being taken. 
Mr. WELFARE. By making the mesh of larger size. 
Mr. ALWARD said the gentleman who spoke before had 
