216 THE RELATIONS OF THE STATE WITH 



herring fisheries of that country, and, in a less degree, to 

 the cod and ling fisheries. The value of these statistics in 

 enabling a judgment to be formed of the effect of legislation 

 affecting those fisheries has been very great. Without them 

 it would have been impossible to say, so decisively as can 

 now be done, whether, for instance, the abolition of the 

 bounty, or the imposition of a brand-fee, or the enactment 

 or abrogation of the laws relating to close season, and mesh 

 of nets, had a beneficial result or otherwise. Besides these, 

 a few incomplete returns are published concerning the 

 salmon fisheries of England and Wales, and some of the 

 Irish Fisheries ; and a certain amount of information is 

 also available as to the number of fishing-boats registered 

 in the United Kingdom and their crews. The record of 

 the past history and present condition of our sea-fisheries, 

 so far at least as their produce is concerned, is otherwise a 

 complete blank. 



As the recent Report of the Sea- Fishery Commissioners 

 of 1879 says, " the value of the fisheries in this country may 

 be computed in millions ; the capital invested in them in 

 millions ; the persons dependent on them in hundreds of 

 thousands." Notwithstanding this, there "are no means 

 whatever of comparing by figures their yield now with their 

 yield in former years." 



In this respect we are behind almost every other nation, 

 yet evidence is constantly accumulating to show the impor- 

 tant use which would be made of such statistics. Besides 

 serving, as has been suggested, as a gauge of the effects of 

 legislation, they might be of great service in negotiations 

 with foreign powers in such a matter, for example, as the 

 misunderstanding which appears to have arisen between 

 this country and France in putting in force the Convention 

 of 1867. In the recent negotiations at Halifax, N.S., 



