50 BRITISH FISHERIES 



Act of 1843 was still held to continue in force. 

 Difficulties arose between Great Britain and 

 Belgium, with regard to proceedings under the 

 Act of 1883, and to simplify these a further 

 Declaration between those countries was entered 

 into, and this was given effect to in another Sea- 

 Fisheries Act. 1 These Acts, with the Merchant 

 Shipping Acts, the Sea-Fisheries Act of 1868, and 

 the various Orders in Council made to give them 

 effect, constitute the existing body of sea-fisheries 

 police legislation. 



Another aspect of international regulation had 

 long engaged the attention of those interested in 

 the sea-fisheries. This was the traffic in spirituous 

 liquors in the North Sea. For a long time boats 

 specially fitted out for the purpose had traded in 

 that area among the fishing fleets, and supplied 

 " tobacco, spirits of a vile quality, scents, obscene 

 cards and photographs/' 2 These boats were 

 known as " coopers " or " bum-boats," and were 

 sailed chiefly from Dutch and German ports. 

 Some of them were English smacks, but these 

 usually ended in being sold in foreign ports and 

 worked under a foreign flag. One at least was 

 owned, fitted out, and sailed by an Englishman. 

 They were officially described 3 as " floating- grog- 



1 54 and 55 Viet. c. 37 (1891). 



2 Correspondence relating to the Liquor Traffic in the North Sea, 

 1888 (c. 5263). 



3 Report by Mr W. H. Higgin, etc. (c. 2878), 1881. 



