THE LANDINGS 141 



French from participation. Boulogne is 

 admirably situated, with a backing of a 

 large population in the industrial part of 

 Northern France, and it is the best channel 

 for transmission of fish from the North 

 Sea to Paris. Fish to the value of nearly 

 a million pounds, a great proportion of 

 which comes from Newfoundland, are 

 landed at this port, which is by far the chief 

 centre. The French population engaged in 

 fisheries is about the same as that of Great 

 Britain 100,000, most of whom work the 

 small inshore fishing and are continuously 

 employed. Every creek and inlet has its 

 small fishing population, endeavouring to 

 obtain a precarious livelihood by anti- 

 quated methods, while the ocean outside 

 offers great possibilities to the more pro- 

 gressive. Trawling in the early days was 

 consistently opposed ; consequently to-day 

 the quantity of fish landed and its com- 

 mercial value are' altogether dispropor- 

 tionate to the possibilities. The Govern- 

 ment, by indirect taxation, octroi duties, 

 and bad railway transportation, have also 

 done their best to stifle the industry. 

 The land charges on the product, are so 



