9 2 



herrings, kept them in the sea, and produced this enor- 

 mous loss. That was one of the results of the Commis- 

 sion ; for the laws intended for the protection of herring 

 really multiplied the natural enemies of the herrings 

 enormously, and thus destroyed them infinitely more than 

 they were protected. The action of that was this, that 

 under the protection of these laws, the fish which preyed 

 on the herring increased and multiplied exceedingly, so that 

 they had a very good time ; but the poor fishermen of those 

 coasts had a very bad time, because they could not 

 catch the fish upon which their subsistence depended. 

 The consequence was, that they found these fishermen dis- 

 obeying the law, when it could not be enforced, or when 

 the law was obeyed, it led to starvation, and they were 

 obliged to emigrate. That was the result of interfering with 

 the laws of nature by an indiscreet law passed by Parlia- 

 ment. The lesson which might be drawn from the interest- 

 ing paper just read, was that though Parliament might 

 make laws for keeping order and safety amongst fisher- 

 men ; that the balance of nature which prevailed in the 

 sea should be left alone, because the balance of animal 

 life depended upon unknown factors. The herrings had 

 for their food small crustaceae, sometimes microscopic, but 

 at other times little shrimps and sand-eels. They en- 

 joyed that food, and when it existed on the coast, mul- 

 tiplied largely ; but whilst they lived on these things, there 

 were other fish which were living on them, and which 

 had the greatest love for the herrings. They were the 

 conger, the dog-fish, the cod, and the ling, which slew their 

 millions, and there were birds, such as gulls and gannets, 

 which also destroyed multitudes, and then there were the 

 porpoises and grampuses, which ate up whole shoals of 

 herrings. This was the balance of life, one balancing the 



