FISHERMEN AND FISHERIES. 161 



the fishery in general." And the heavy penalty of forfeiture 

 of boat and cargo was imposed upon all persons keeping 

 "any fish at Queenborough, Gravesend, or other place or 

 places in any well-boat, store-boat, or any other manner 

 whatsoever, so as not to sell off their whole cargoe of fish 

 within the space of eight days from their arrival on the 

 British coast between North Yarmouth and Dover." 



The impracticability of this enactment was admitted in Impractic- 

 ability of law. 

 an Act passed in 1756 (29 Geo. II. c. 39), the preamble of 



which, after reciting that " many difficulties have arose (sic) 

 in putting the said Act in execution which . . . hath (sic) 

 rendered ineffectual the other good purposes of the said Act, 

 and more particularly the preventing the forestalling and 

 monopolising of fish in general," goes on to admit that the 

 winds and waves would not obey an Act of Parliament in 

 the time of George II. anymore than the tide would retreat 

 at the command of a King in the time of Canute ; and, as 

 it was found to be often impossible for vessels to reach 

 Gravesend or Queenborough within eight days of their 

 arrival off Yarmouth or Dover, owing to "the common 

 accidents of wind and weather," the eight days' interval 

 was ordered to be reckoned from the time of their arrival at 

 the Nore, which they were required to report to the searcher 

 at Gravesend. This arrangement was often found, however, 

 in practice to involve the loss of a tide, and a fresh Act 

 (33 Geo. II. c. 27) was required to enable vessels, within 

 three days of their arrival at the Nore, to report themselves 

 at the Custom House in London. Meanwhile, however, 

 they were subject to the most vigilant inspection of officers 

 appointed for the express purpose of seeing that they did 

 not part with any of their cargo before reaching Billings- 

 gate, and they were even prohibited from depositing fish, 

 under any circumstances, in store-boats or well-vessels. 

 VOL. IX. E. 6. M 



