204 NORTH SEA FISHERS AND FIGHTERS 



which there was no chance of success. At Yarmouth, 

 the headquarters of the sailing trawlers, nearly a hundred 

 and fifty new smacks were fitted out ; but, so far from 

 proving successful, they were failures, and many of them 

 were soon laid up in harbour, others were working at a 

 loss, and large numbers of skippers and men were thrown 

 out of employment. It was calculated that in 1886 

 there was a loss of more than .30,000 on the Yarmouth 

 smacks, and other fishing towns suffered proportionately. 



Meanwhile, the Mission smacks had entered upon 

 that splendid work which has been maintained con- 

 tinuously for thirty years, and has now reached a 

 magnitude unthought of at the outset, and yet which is 

 not proportionate to the needs of the trawling fleets. 

 The coper was fought with his own weapons, to a large 

 extent. Tobacco was consigned to Ostend 3 tons of 

 it and was put on board a Mission smack there, to 

 escape the payment of duty. The smack went round 

 the fleets, after leaving Ostend, and disposed of her 3 

 tons of tobacco at the actual cost price, is. per lb., against 

 the is. 6d. charged by the coper. Soon after this the 

 great firm of Messrs. W. D. & H. O. Wills offered to 

 supply tobacco for sale in the fleets, at approximately cost 

 price, and they regularly sent large consignments of cut 

 and cake tobacco, the cut in pound packets and the cake 

 in "pocket-pieces." 



A singular feature in connection with the coins 

 received in payment for tobacco in the fleets was that 

 before the money was finally paid into the bank it had 

 to be thoroughly washed in boiling water a proceeding 

 which will be readily understood when it is remembered 

 that, in the days of sail, smacksmen went to sea for eight 



