390 INTERNATIONAL LAWS FOR THE 



ment of the voyage, and the men have money due to them, 

 desertion would be an exceptional thing. Under the 

 Act of 1854 these desertions did not often take place, for 

 the would-be deserter had the law against him in the form 

 of liability to three months' imprisonment with hard labour; 

 but by the Act of 1880 this was done away with, and the 

 only remedy an owner now has is to sue the deserter for 

 damages for breach of contract. If he takes the clothes 

 which the owner has provided him with, he must be sued 

 in the county court, as it is not a case of theft theoreti- 

 cally (though it is practically), but a case of debt. It must 

 be clear to any one that to sue a man for damages who has 

 no home and no property but what he stands in, would be 

 absurd Thus owners have since 1880 been without any 

 practical remedy against those ofj their crews who, for 

 their own whims and fancies, desert at any time, no matter 

 what document they may have signed or agreed to. This 

 law applies to the crews of all classes of fishing vessels, 

 and the crews have at present the mastery in this direction. 

 The losses to owners from this cause having assumed such 

 large proportions, the President of the Board of Trade con- 

 sented to receive a deputation of representatives from 

 various fishing ports to hear their views of the matter ; 156 

 instances of desertions were brought forward, and these 

 were only a small portion (as typical cases), and the 

 estimated amount of loss from these incurred by owners 

 was 2648. The views of the deputation were expressed, 

 and the President then put forward as an argument, that if 

 his gardener left him he should not think of imprisoning 

 him, he should immediately get another ; or, as another 

 argument, that when he employed 2000 or 3000 men, if there 

 were any who did not wish to remain in his employ, he 

 told them by all means to leave if they wished to do so, 



