128 BRITISH IND USTRIES. 



are used for ; and the Custom House authorities have 

 instructions to give no information to inquirers, owing, 

 I understand, to newspaper correspondents having 

 before now obtained details which were published in a 

 form calculated to mislead the public, or to be mis- 

 understood by them. I cannot therefore give a pre- 

 cise account of the number of trawlers, and of cod- 

 boats comprised in the London return. I have been 

 indebted to boat owners before now for approximate 

 particulars on such points, but it will be readily 

 understood that there are great difficulties in the way 

 of obtaining such information, inasmuch as it involves 

 considerable trouble on the part of those who may be 

 in a position to obtain it ; and very few business men 

 care about collecting statistics for those, who appa- 

 rently have only their own purposes to serve in 

 seeking for them. I have mentioned these circum- 

 stances here, because such difficulties are more felt 

 among a large community than a small one ; but they 

 interfere, in all places, with a true understanding of 

 the subject, unless local knowledge helps to supply 

 what is wanting. In the case of the London Eeturns 

 I can venture to say, from information gathered else- 

 where, that the general tendency is to reduce the 

 number of boats registered in London, and to increase 

 those registered at Yarmouth and other North Sea 

 ports ; for every year shows better the advantage of 

 fishing from the nearest port; and as systematic fishing 

 by both trawl and line is now carried on far out in the 

 North Sea at certain seasons, and at all times largely 

 at some distance from the land, I have reason to 



