PROTECTION OF DEEP SEA FISHERIES. 369 



thus sometimes inducing crews to part with their spare 

 nets, sails, anchors, &c., which they get replaced by sending 

 to their owner by the carrier to send out fresh nets or 

 other things, as " the others have been lost," and sundry 

 other excuses. But the evil does not end here, for some- 

 times three or four masters will order out their boats and 

 meet on board the cooper, giving orders to their respective 

 vessels to lay by them, sending back by each boat a quan- 

 tum of spirits and tobacco to keep the mouths of the 

 remainder of the crews closed. The result of this has 

 often been that all have got helplessly intoxicated, thereby 

 endangering their own lives, the lives of others, and the 

 property of the owner, besides losing the night's fishing. 

 Sometimes it has happened that in the night the smacks 

 have got parted from the company of the cooper, and the 

 next day has to be devoted to finding the master again, and 

 possibly the mate too, who are on board the cooper. Some 

 of these vessels are almost as luxuriously. fitted up as a gin 

 palace, with mahogany glass-racks, mirrors and couches, 

 almost incredible to those who have not witnessed it. 

 Only this year (1882) a trawl-net belonging to a Yarmouth 

 owner was discovered at a northern English port, which on 

 investigation turned out to have been brought there by a 

 vessel belonging to the latter port. This vessel had been 

 coopering during the summer months, and taken it in pay- 

 ment for contraband goods. The merchants on the other 

 side are very accommodating to vessels wishing to go into 

 this trade; they supply goods on credit, sale or return, 

 simply causing the cooper to insure them against loss. 

 Winter does not suit this trade, owing to the bad weather 

 usually experienced in the North Sea, and the consequent 

 difficulty of boarding, and the long dark nights. It has 

 been suggested that if fishing vessels were allowed to have 



VOL. I. E. 2. 2 B 



