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briefly considered the position of our friends and neigh- 

 bours as regards the subject of my address I will pass on 

 to notice our home line-fishing. 



I have already referred to the fact that line-fishing is 

 carried on more or less all round our coast. There is 

 scarcely a village or a hamlet on the east coast of England 

 and Scotland without its fishermen. Xhe beach boat, yawl, 

 coble and other open boats that venture out from along 

 the English and Scotch coasts when weather and other 

 circumstances permit, to work their lines, may be counted 

 by hundreds. But, as His Royal Highness the Duke of 

 Edinburgh has remarked in his admirable paper, "the 

 term fisherman is a somewhat elastic one," and the occupa- 

 tions of persons who style themselves fishermen are of such 

 varied character that we must leave these in order to deal 

 with that class whose sole occupation is fishing and who 

 make this calling the business of their life. 



Before the railway system had grown to anything like 

 its present proportion the small town of Barking in Essex 

 was the great fishing centre of England. Being near to 

 London and on the Thames its situation was a most con- 

 venient one for the fishermen who made it their business to 

 supply the Metropolis with fish. Nearly fifty years ago a 

 fleet of about 200 decked vessels sailed from this place, and 

 the trade was considerably developed as regards the size 

 and construction of their vessels and the efficiency of the 

 men themselves. Still their smacks were small compared 

 with those of the present day ; most of them were under forty 

 tons register. These vessels were adapted both for lining 

 and trawling, and were alternately occupied in each trade. 

 The remainder of the lining fleet was made up from Green- 

 wich, Harwich, Gravesend, Aldborough, Blackwall and 

 Deptford. They used to go to the Dogger Bank during 



the winter months, and worked with long-lines ; during the 

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