AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 2547 



and 20 barrels of mackerel, under pain of capture on refusal to do so ? 

 A. I heard that this was the case ; that was the common report among 

 the fishermen in the bay at the time ; but I have no personal knowledge 

 in this regard, 



Q. I have read from the 487th page of Sabine's report, which gives 

 the details, although it does no: mention any name. A. I think that 

 the master of the vessel that did so was Captain Darby. 



Q. Those statements were believed by the American fishermen to be 

 true, whether this was the case or not? A. We believed the stories, 

 but I cannot say whether they were true or not. 



Q. In 1867, the license-fee was raised to $1 a ton, and then three ves- 

 sels connected with your firm apparently took out licenses. Was the 

 Altona your vessel ? A. Yes. 



Q. And also the Winged Arrow and Alferetta ? A. Yes. 



Q. You do not remember whether they took out licenses or not ? A. 

 No, I could not tell. 



Q. Who. had charge of the books of your first firm? A. We had a 

 bookkeeper, Mr. Jordau, who was also one of the partners. 



Q. Did you take out any licenses in 1868 ? A. 1 think not ; I do not 

 know that we did so, but I would state, as chief owner of the vessels of 

 the firm, that I did not wish them to take out licenses that year; still I 

 do not say that in some instances they might [not] have been taken, 

 though I instructed the captains not to do so. 



Q. Can you tell the result of the voyages of your vessels on the Ameri- 

 can shore this year? A. No, I have no statistics in this connection. 



Q. How many vessels have you had engaged in mackerel-fishing this 

 year on our shore? A. Only two. 



Q. You do not know whether they have done well or poorly ? A. They 

 have done very well lately, but in midsummer they did not do much. 

 They have, however, made very good catches during the last four weeks. 



Q. How many barrels of mackerel do you think that a schooner must 

 take in a trip in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence in order to make the result 

 profitable to the owner ? A. Our best vessels are of about 75 tons ; and 

 one of them must take not less than 400 barrels, or between that num- 

 ber and 500, to make any kind of a paying voyage. 



Q. During what length of time? A. The season; a four months' 

 trip. 



Q. This is a statement of the expenses connected with such a voy- 



, age? A. Yes ; it is a statement of a suppositions fishing-voyage made 



up with the .bills that would be necessary for siach a trip to the Gulf of 



Saint Lawrence. It is based on the price which mackerel brought the 



day I came away from home and for which bay trips then sold. 



Q. And on what catch is it, based? A. A catch of 400 barrels. 



Q. Explain the items. A. The vessel would land 200 barrels No. 1 

 mackerel, worth $16 a barrel, making $3,200; 100 barrels No. 2, worth 

 $10 a barrel, making $1,000; and 100 barrels No. 3, worth $6 a barrel, 

 making $600. This is about the way in which such a trip would pack 

 out half ones, one quarter twos, and one-quarter threes. 



Q. You have given the actual prices of such mackerel? A. Yes; the 

 prices which ruled the day I left home. 



Q. That is without the charge of packing out? A. Yes. 



Q. What would be the result of the voyage? A. $4,800 would be the 

 value of the gross stocks. 



Q. Show what the crew and captain would respectively get. A. The 

 bills against the voyage, based on actual prices, are 40 barrels of porgy 

 bait, worth $6 a barrel, making $240. I bought some bait a few days 



