.1 



if! 



[I 



1^ t 



302 



Post-office. Snch a varioly of oconpfttions, no donbt. pave liim Uno\vloclg:o to speak with 

 authority! Ho proiUicos from the hooks of Mr. Steele an account of a cod-fishtngf 

 voya^jc in the " I'harsalia," in 1875 (pap;e 300, Appendix L), fishin;;: with fresh bait ; and 

 anotlter account of a vessel, the '• Madame Roland " (paj,'(! 303, ibid), tishinLj with salt bait ; 

 and because tlu- re?\iU of the " .Madame Roland's " voyage in I s73 realized more than 

 that of the " Pliarsalia " in 1875, (his, in the Major's opinion, is clear, conclusive evidence 

 that salt biiit is bilter than fresh. Hut did it never occur to iiini that the cixl-fishery in 

 one year nii^'lit he very prosperous, and in another unsuccessful ? That two vessels in 

 the stuiie year miulit fish very near eacli other, even with tlie same appliances, and that 

 one mi^^lit In" fortuiiati', the other not so. Hut tlie ufailanl Major flicu makes a preat 

 discovery, that in the t'resli bait voyau'e there are some (iania;,'(d fish, and he at once 

 jumps at the conehision that it is liecause fresh bail is used. Here is tlie evidence in 

 answer to my learned friend, Mr. Dana (pajje 302) : — 



■' (,>. IV lure Nini li'iivt: that, I wiinl td ask vmi in ri'lcrcucL' to iiii iti'iii thiTo — ' daiimgcd codfish ? ' 

 —A. l:;,l.MJ Ihs. ;itcl;ilii;i;.'i'.l oul iit I (viit,, 13l'iinl. ,".() c 



" (,'. Why shoiilil llifir hi' thi> c!a!ii;i^'nl (Hiliish ? Wliiit is thi- cau.-io nC il ? [Horn tho fjnllnat 

 Mnjor (k'siri's tn iiiaku a fiivoiiraljlr iiii|iri'ssiiiii, Imt ho ovidoiitly thuis ikh iU'mu- to niiu our case 

 I'ntirily, ami ho luiswoi-s reluctautly.] — A. Woll, 1 havo my own opiiiioii of tho caiiso." 



But he is pressed by my learned friend (and as if conscious of the crushing effect of 

 his purpasrd answer, lii" calmly surveys tlie Commission and replies) : — 



" A. I hi'liovc till! cause is |,'()iii^' in so nuioh fur IVosh Imit." 



(This in his opinion has settled that point.) 

 My learned I'riend, Mr. Dana, proceeds : — 



" Q. Hiiw sho\ihl that (laiuii;,'(' tho I'mltisli ? — A. My o]iinion is that tho saltoiM s ilUnl it with tho 

 iiloa that thoy would not f,'o in so inuih. and didn't put ao luucli aalt ou it. When Am wont into port so 



inuoh 



;cini'. 



into tho wiiriii waior it hoatod.' 



IJul upon my cross-examination, however, he says, pages 3'.)4 and 395, ibid, : — 



•• I,'. Xow, look at tho trip sf thu " I'harsalia," at wliich you wore hiokin;,' ju3t now? — A. I have if 

 hoforo mo. 



■■(,,>. Vuh SCO thi-io is an itoni licadod 'dani.iu'od tish at 1 rout a jiound." You -soo that? — A. Yos. 



'(}. Will yuu find in tho trip In n|;, which ynu iiroscntod hoiv, anotlior oaso of ii Grand Hank 

 fishinu' vessel lishiii',' with frosh liiit, whore there has been any daniau'ed lisd for tlieso throe years, 1S74 

 to l.S7<> ? — -V. The .scliooner" Knij.'lit Toniplur " [reaihi itoin.i of outht, aiuon;.; others au iluui showing; 

 she was on a salt hait triji]. 



" (}. Then there is damaged fish on a salt hiit trip '--.V. Yes. 



"(). Now find another ea.sc on a I'resh hait trip ? [Witness refers to houk]. 



" y. L dnn't iliink you will liiid any. You see, tish may ho damaged on lioard a salt Ixiit vessel 

 tishin'4 on tho r.ank<, as woll as on a fresli liait triji ? — .V. [ see it. 



"Q. Xow, you find thoie aru daiua;,'od lish as well with salt b.ait lishin;.; iw with freaks — 

 .^. I do find it. 



'• t^. ,\nd it i.s upon that one ease of dania'.,'od tish with fresh bait that you arrive at this con- 

 clusion ; — A. I couhl not account for it in any other way. 



" (,,i. Hut it is this one ease that you draw tho conclusion from ' — .V. Yos. 



'• Q. -\iid you woulil lead tljo Commission to heliovo, then, tiiat lish wa.s liable to bo daniai;uil 

 hooansc of vessels u'oiuL' in for fresh bait, because of this ono vossol outhi.s one cruise ( — A. No, 1 don't 

 now I havo scon that other ca.se. 



" Q. You withdraw what you saiil before ? — A. I withdraw as far as tliat i» concerned." 



'Die u;allaiit .Major has at last collapsed. 



Mr. .Atwood is also a £;ri'at authority upon this point. Me evidently belongs to tlio 

 old school, being 70 years of age. He had not fished on the Hanks for tive-and- 

 tweiity years, his last vovage was Novend)er 1851, and he was really ineai)able of 

 expressing an opinion from experienci-, having never used fresli bait. He endeavoured 

 to letid yon, genthineii, to jjelii've tliat it was the opinion of till vessid owihts, and agents 

 of vessels in Provinretown, tliat the going in for tresii hait \v;is of no advantage, and 

 that they j)nrposod to disci. utinne it. He s;iid tliat he had interviewed the agent ot 

 every vessel in Provincetown, but upon cros.s-examination, it really appears, that out of 

 twenty-three or twenty-f(>nr agents of vessels he had held comimiiiiealion with four only 

 — Cook, Waugh, Paine, and Joseph (page oH, ibid.), and it would .seem that Mr. Atwood 

 had certain theories, oneof whieli is that salt bait is superior to fresh, and tlmt he tried 

 to enlbrce his opinion niion others as to this (juestion of tresh bait. But what say 

 pract'cal witnesses, who liavi' been called on the part of the United Stales and examined 

 by my learned friends upon this subject. Edward Stapleton has been using fresh bait, 



