43 
came to maturity. Taking the coast from Land’s End to 
Horn Reef, there was what might be called an in-ground 
and an off-ground ; the in-ground would run from six to 
seven or eight fathoms, and beyond that, particularly in the 
North Sea, you came to rough ground. There large soles 
were caught, and he believed they went there to deposit 
the spawn. In the summer season the young fish could be 
almost dipped up in shore, but directly the snow touched 
the water, out they came and resorted to the rough ground, 
A friend of his said that it took eight years for a plaice to 
be full grown, but he could not agree with that. Take the 
hake, for instance. In the month of May they were caught 
in Plymouth Bay about an inch and a-half or two inches 
long, but from May to Christmas they got larger and 
larger, until they weighed a couple of stone, and he had 
known them fifty-six pounds ; in fact, you could almost see 
them grow, and if these fish came to maturity so quickly, 
he could not conceive that plaice would take eight years. 
With regard to the question of tackle, it was quite true that 
in former times the vessels were not so large as they were 
now, but the tackle was quite capable of lifting as much as 
it was now. He had helped to heave in one hundred dozen 
of hake in one bag with one of those tackles ; they had thena 
runner on the tackle, which gave not only a double purchase, 
but a three-fold purchase, now it was only two double 
blocks. Vessels were now three times as large as they 
were, and more. They had some from Hull 180 tons, but 
they were steamers, the net tonnage being 98 to 120. They 
had sailing trawlers from 86 to go tons, and he had just 
launched one which he called after the worthy Chairman, 
the “E. Birkbeck,” of 87 tons. The destruction of imma- 
ture fish certainly wanted consideration ; it was no use to let 
the horse go before they shut the door. It was quite true, 
