272 



FISHES AND FISHING. 



ant, contended that the Lord Mayor and Aldermen 

 had no power to make any such law ; the justices 

 thinking such power was given by an Act of Geo. II., 

 fined him in the lowest penalty, twenty shillings. 

 The only power the Lord Mayor and Aldermen ever 

 had by that or any other Act as to fishing in the 

 Thames, was to punish persons for using unlawful nets 

 or engines for taking fish, or, becoming public prosecu 

 tors, proceeding against persons for taking them 

 under the specified sizes mentioned in Acts of Par 

 liament ; but neither the Corporation or its officers 

 do this duty. The persecution of John Tagg, who is 

 esteemed as a most quiet, industrious, and respectable 

 man, it was ascertained, originated with a confede 

 racy of Puritans, of whom the general opinion was, 

 that they would have been better employed in attend- 

 ng to their own duties. 



Many very severe observations were made in the 

 public journals upon this transaction, which it is not 

 necessary to repeat, and it brought to light another 

 insane, but abortive attempt, to involve the chief 

 magistrate of the city, in a still more extensive inter 

 ference with the pleasures, the comforts, and the 

 commerce of the river Thames ; fortunately the Lord 

 Mayor possessed too much good sense, to aid or abet 

 the scheme of putting a stop to all traffic on the 

 Thames on Sundays, and probably it was fortunate 



