FISHING POETS 207 



visited the coasts of England and Scotland, Holland 

 and Prussia, for his impressions; he will reply, "Com- 

 pared to the magnificent fishing ports which I have seen, 

 the French ports are very indifferent and ill-equipped." 

 This is only too true. For what is a French fishing 

 port ? a harbour, a basin, often open to the tides, with 

 bare quays and a single fish market, more or less con- 

 venient, and that is all. We shall see what care has been 

 expended in equipping the port of Geestmunde. The 

 contrast is striking. We should seek in vain for anything 

 of the kind on the French coast, which has no port 

 specially constructed for modern fishery. It is not that 

 the State is indifferent to the question; but the works 

 which it has undertaken after many years of study, 

 inquiries, counter-inquiries, and innumerable and pon- 

 derous reports, it has frittered away here, there, and 

 everywhere, instead of concentrating them in three or 

 four already prosperous ports. 1 In this connection I 

 have been told that some pessimistic spirits profess that 

 electoral politics, in order to gain the faithful support of 

 our sailors and fishermen, is doing very ill service to the 

 national fishing industry and the national carrying trade. 

 The fishermen of Boulogne undertake all branches of 

 fishery. From April to October they take the Scotch 

 herring and the herring of the south-eastern coast of 

 England. Their nets are scarcely dry when they set out 

 in pursuit of the banks of winter herring in the Channel 

 a fishery which lasts into December. From April to 

 July they pursue the mixed cod and herring fishery to 

 the north and east of England. All the year they trawl 



1 The scheme for rebuilding the port of Concarneau (which is now 

 only waiting for the ministerial signature) has awakened the keenest 

 controversy among the seafaring population of the port, which, in 

 general, does not approve of it. 



