Penfyhaniay Philadelphia. 293 



by a greater variety of contrivances, and 

 in different manners than before. The nu- 

 imerous mills on the rivers and brooks like- 

 Iwife contribute to it in part : for it has 

 (been obferved here, that the fi{h go up the 

 I river in order to fpawn in a fhallow water; 

 but when they meet with works that pre- 

 vent their proceeding, they turn back, and 

 never come again. Of this I was affured by 

 a man of fortune at Bojion : his father 

 was ufed to catch a number of herrings 

 throughout the winter and almoft always in 

 fummer, in a river, upon his country feat : 

 but he having built. a mill with a dyke in 

 this water, they were loft. In this man- 

 ner they complained here and every where 

 of the decreafe of fifh. Old people afferted 

 the fame in regard to oyfters at New York -, 

 for though they are ftill taken in conliderable 

 quantity, and are as big and as delicious as 

 can be wifhed, yet all the oyfter-catchers 

 own, that the number diminifhes greatly 

 every year : the moft natural caufe of it, is 

 probably the immoderate catching of theni 

 at all times of the year. 



Mr. Franklin told me that in that part 

 of New England, where his father lived, 

 two rivers fell into the fea, in one of which, 

 they caught great numbers of herring, and 

 in the other not one. Yet the places where 

 T 3 thefe 



