( 88 ) 



channels in his district, belongs to the merassiclars having 

 been conceded to them in the orders of Government of 

 llth June 1857. The Commissioner of West Berar, on 

 the other hand (p. ex), says fishing rights do not exist, 

 for under a ryotwari settlement, all fisheries are com- 

 mon property, indeed, belong properly to Government. 

 Finally , a curious legal objection to a law regulating 

 the minimum size of the mesh of nets is propounded 

 (p. Ixxxiii) as follows: "I do not believe any Magis- 

 trate would convict except under peculiar circumstances," 

 and as this opinion comes from a gentleman, who, I believe is, 

 invested with magisteriarpowers, it deserves attention, as it 

 will hardly be of use framing rules if convictions under such 

 are unobtainable. 



LXXXVIII. Fourthly, that regulations are unneces- 

 That regulations are unneces- sary. This plea is advanced under 

 sar .v- numerous heads. Thus, as remarked 



upon by the Collector of Kurnal (p. Ixxxi) " if anything could 

 repress their destruction to any extent, it would be the for- 

 bidding to catch fish with roe ; but this would be tantamount 

 to depriving the people of a wholesome and pleasant diet, and 

 interfere with the great traffic in fish-roes that now takes 

 place." Whilst objections exist against prohibiting the sale 

 of the fry of fish as they are more tasty (p. xiv), and that an 

 esteemed delicacy are the fry of large fish (p. Ixxv) ; that 

 temporarily they form an important article of food for a num- 

 ber of the poor classes, and stopping such an enjoyment would 

 be a hardship. It would be cruel (p. Ixxxii) to stop the catch- 

 ing of little fish (p. Ixix). That, of course, fishermen will 

 protect them in leased fisheries, elsewhere their destruction 

 is immaterial (p. ccxxii). That regulations are unnecessary, 

 as the fish in districts are valueless, so it does not matter 

 what becomes of them (p. xlvi) ; insignificant, so do not re- 

 quire protecting (p. Ixxiv). That the supply of fish is said 

 to.be inexhaustible in Bellary (p. Ixxix), and their capture 

 requires encouragement, although the tehsildars consider a 

 decrease already apparent, and the demand always greater 

 than the supply (pp. xcvi). That in the Kistna in the 

 Kurnal Collectorate (p. Ixxxii), " let man use any appli- 

 ances he can think of for taking fish, he will never be able 

 to affect the supply in any appreciable way as regards 

 this district;" whilst the Teh sildar of Ramalkota (p. xcvii) 

 remarks of the same river in the same place, " that it is 

 asserted by all the fishermen of whom I have enquired that 



