CHKONOLOGIOAL HISTORY OF THE HERRING-FISHERY. 283 



" The more recent Act, 6 and 7 Victoria, sec. 2, con- 

 firming the terms of the convention with France, refers 

 only to the Act of Charles II., for the purpose of more 

 clearly defining the distances from shore, outside which 

 trawlers should keep ; and all the regulations as to the 

 size of the meshes of nets, with still more minute restric- 

 tions as to the length of the poles, the weight of the 

 trawl-irons and chains, &c., are to be found in the articles 

 of the Convention, from 16 to 26. 



" The Convention with France was the result of two 

 parliamentary inquiries : the first in 1817, before a Select 

 Committee on South Devon Fisheries ; the next in 1833, 

 before the Select Committee on the Bristol Channel 

 Fisheries. 



" The Committee of 1817 was appointed at the 

 especial instance of the fishermen of Brixham, and in 

 the proceedings of the second Committee they also took 

 an active part. 



" The headlands which form Torbay are Berry Head 

 and Hope's Nose ; the distance across about five miles, 

 the depth of the bay about three and a half miles ; 

 soundings vary from two to ten fathoms ; the tide rises in 

 springs seventeen, and ordinary tides thirteen feet. Cap- 

 tain Storey has found it extremely difiicult to enforce the 

 marking regulations. Complaints are sometimes made 

 that the lines and nets of the inshore fishermen are car- 

 ried away, but believes that trawling within the bay is 

 very rare at any time, but especially during the fence 

 months. There are a few very small boats belonging to 

 Torquay, which sometimes use light beam trawls. 



"Lieutenant Hoblyn, E.N., chief officer of coast-guard, 

 from whom I received every assistance, states, that there 

 are now 221 trawling vessels marked and numbered out 



