18 
herrings than all the vessels caught in the year; that a 
cod of average size would take from eight to ten herrings 
at a meal, and he made a calculation of the number of cod, 
and comparing it with the number of herrings caught, he 
proved that cod devoured more herrings than were taken 
by the boats. Mr. Jex had very rightly said that herrings 
in the summer season fetched as much as twenty-five shil- 
lings. He (Mr. Capps) had seen them fetch a guinea, and 
he had also sold spring herrings for a guinea, so that sup- 
posing both were sold for the same price, it mattered very 
little to fishermen whether they sold them at a guinea in 
the spring, or at a guinea at midsummer, for it came to one 
and the same thing. He quite agreed with what Mr. Jex 
had said as to the small mesh used by Scotch fishermen, 
though he could not agree with him altogether about the 
fish being knocked out of the nets by the action of the 
boats. With regard to Mr. Jex’s remarks as to nets used 
by the Yarmouth fishermen, he thought that gentleman 
had been misinformed, as the Yarmouth and Lowestoft 
men used a net of thirty-one meshes to the yard. Mr. Jex 
had also been misinformed as to the mackerel-net used 
upon the east coast, as no net with a mesh smaller 
than twenty-six to the yard was ever used. If any law 
could be passed that would affect all nations, no body of 
fishermen would be more pleased than those of Yarmouth 
and Lowestoft, though he should very much regret if the 
House of Commons interfered with an industry which now 
employed avery large number of men, and which if in- 
terfered with in an undue manner would produce most 
disastrous results. He hoped the Conference would not be 
concluded that day, but that the matter would be well 
thrashed out at a future time when there might be some 
practical effect from the Exhibition. 
Mr. Alderman STAPLES (London) said that although he 
