cxxvu 



o u im . 



269. In Ouilh Iho Officiating Chief Commissioner gives his 

 ^ . . , , opinion, tliat fish liave neither increased nor 



Opiiiinng of Omi'iiitincr Cliief i i • ji • ii j_ i • i / • 



Commissioner. decreased in tlie province ; that legislative 



intcrfcrenoo ig unnecessary, and in fact caa 

 only l)e justifiable when it is demonstrated that, unless the Lcgisla- 

 Inre steiis in, the exislcnce of that important article of diet will cease 

 altogether, — an entirely contrary opinion to that of the Chief Commis- 

 sioner ill 18G8. But it is likewise observed that there would be no difTi- 

 cultics in regulating the size of the meshes of the fishing nets, if desirable, 

 or prohibiting the sale of little fish in the l)azar, but the last, it is 

 staled, would be obnoxious to both buyers and sellers, besides being 

 uncalled for. 



370. Amongst the re])lics forwarded from this province are those 



of 25 Tehsildars and Native ollicials, &c. ; all 



I.nrgo proportion of peopio j,,,^ ^,,g p,,^ ^^ Silapur answering the oues- 



tion as to 7v/iaf projwrtmn oj t/ie people 

 eat fish ?" Whilst the numbers at Unas and Suftipnr are computed at 

 85,000 in cither jilaco, the amount of the general population is not 

 recorded. At Kautha, Bangermore, Piitti, and Pratabgarh, the fish-eaters 

 are given as half the pco])le ; at Pinwnh, ]Mohan, i''aizal)ad, Bnraich, 

 (jondah, Ilnrdui, and llai liarciliat two-thirds; at Snndeola and Sultall- 

 pnr at three-fourths ; at Bilgram, Shahabad, and Behar at from 80 to 

 97 J percent., and at Lucknow all; whilst at Nawabgmige, Fathipur, 

 Sanalughat, and Ilyderghur, it is asserted a large proportion of the 

 people eat fish, and more would do so could they obtain them. Tiie 

 foregoing shows that a fish-diet is most important to, and is in fact not a 

 luxury, but a necessity, amongst, the people of Oudli, and that more 

 would be fish-eaters were the supply equal to the demand. 



271. The next consideration is, whether the suppli/ is reaUi/ unequal 



to the demand? "Whether the fish inliabit- 



.lem'alM.-^' '" """''"'^' """'""' ^ '"S^ ''"^ "''^''^•■^ 1'"^'' increased, decrea^^cd, or 



remained stationary, appears to be a disputed 

 point, but it ought to be easily demonstrable whether the supplies in the 

 bazars are equal to the demands of purchasers. Rather contradictory 

 accounts are given from four. lu one the bazar is said to be fairly 

 supplied ; in one well supplied, but only during the rains ; in two to l)e 

 fully supplied, and in eighteen to be insudlciently so. Thus, three- 

 fourths of the markets are stated to have a larger demand than supply, 

 a]iparontly demonstrating that, were the cpiantity of fish brought to 

 market more considerable, it would be to the advantage of the people 

 at large. 



272. As the fish-eating population is very considerable, and the 



bazars are not fully supplied, we arrive at the 

 Fry killed largely during the „„^,stion j,g to 7ohelher veni Small f!sl,e.<, arc 

 rams. ' . . / ,''•-, ^ 



taken in am/ quantities dnnng the rams ? In 



twenty localities it is asserted that very small fish are so captured in largo 



