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their finest sea-going schooners, of from 60 to 100 tons 

 burden each, and with an aggregate capacity of about 

 23,000 tons, with crews of 14 to 20 men, and nets worth 

 450,000 dollars or more. Within the last few years, since 

 the introduction of the purse-net to which Mr. Cornish 

 had referred, it was not uncommon for one of those vessels 

 to catch fish to the value of ^"5000 or even ^"7500 a year. 

 The history of the mackerel fishery was very interesting. 

 As long ago as the year 1600, within forty years of the settle- 

 ment in New England, there were records of the colonists 

 seining the mackerel off Cape Cod by moonlight ; and it was 

 somewhat remarkable, that on this fishery was founded the 

 system of public schools in the United States, for within 

 ten or twenty years of that time the first public school was 

 founded on a tax upon the fishery. At that time, when 

 perhaps not one hundred barrels a year were taken, they 

 found the inhabitants petitioning to prevent the destruction 

 of the mackerel by this method of fishing, and that 

 appeal had been repeated at various times in the history 

 of the fisheries, even down to the present time. In the 

 American Court of the Exhibition could be seen a 

 diagram showing the progress of the mackerel fishery, 

 and the very great fluctuations which took place not 

 only with reference to the quantity of fish caught, but 

 the number of vessels employed. It would be noticed 

 that in 1882 the catch was very much greater than in 

 any previous year, so that the fears as to the destruc- 

 tion of the fish did not seem to be well founded. Two 

 methods of fishing were afterwards introduced ; first, the 

 gill-net or drag-net, like that used in Cornwall, and which 

 is still used to a limited extent at the present time. 

 Another method introduced about the same time, and 

 kept up for a considerable period, was what they called 

 trailing, or dragging a bait after a vessel under sail. That 



