HISTORY OP SEA-FISHERIES. 219 



From the statistical accounts it will be seen 

 that in the year 1859, 12,802 boats, manned by 

 43,062 fishermen and boys, were employed in the 

 herring, cod, and ling fisheries; and that the 

 total estimated value of the boats, nets, and lines 

 employed in these fisheries during the same 

 period was 739,096, being an increase over the 

 preceding year of 286 boats, and 13,540 in the 

 estimated value of boats and nets, but at a 

 decrease of ten in the number of fishermen em- 

 ployed. 



I am at a loss to imagine why the collection of 

 returns for the English fisheries were discon- 

 tinued in 1850, whilst those of Scotland were 

 regularly and periodically collected and published ; 

 for when I see the immense amount of attention 

 and energy devoted to this most important ques- 

 tion by the French government, I cannot but 

 think that such a line of policy is most unwise, 

 as the vast importance of the English fisheries 

 demands as regular returns touching all the various 

 descriptions of fish and methods of capturing 

 them, as the mere herring, cod, ling fishery does ; 

 and this information can be procured without 

 any fresh outlay by the government, if they will 



