62 



NA TURE 



\_Nov. 15, 1883 



compared ; but this and other matters dealt with are 

 beyond the limits of our present notice. 



In " The Principles of Fishery Legislation " the Right 

 Hon. G. Shav Lefevre, proceeding to deal with the sea 

 fisheries, exclusive of Crustacea and littoral forms, recalls 

 the circumstances which led up to the passing of the Sea 

 Fisheries Act of 186S — the result of an inquiry before a 

 Commission of which he was himself a member. This 

 Act, essentially one repealing restrictive legislation and 

 giving increased liberty, has lately, as our reader.-, doubt- 

 less know, been much under discussion, and the statistics 

 here brought forward speak for themselves as to the 

 wisdom and successful working of the laws then laid 

 down. When we consider the state of the question, as 

 reviewed by the author, we must admit that to alter would 

 be to mar such statutes as these, unless prompted by fresh 

 acquisitions to our knowledge. Speaking of the littoral 

 species, the author shows that restrictive action has e.\er- 

 ciied no beneficial influence whatever upon our oyster 

 fisheries, and in connection with this subject good evi- 

 dence has been brought before the Conference to show 

 that actual harm has often been done by premature legis- 

 lation. These considerations all point to a conclusion, 

 reiterated again and again in the papers before us, and 

 affording consolation to all save a small faction, which 

 pleads injury, but for what reason we know not. This 

 valuable paper is supplemented by one upon " The Basis 

 for Legislation on Fishery Questions,'' by Lieut. -Col. F. G. 

 Soli, Secretary to the Spanish Commission. IVIuch of this 

 paper is necessarily taken up in discussing Spanish fish- 

 eries, but the moral points in the direction indicated above. 

 Speaking of "an absolutely restrictive system," the writer 

 ably remarks that, " under the shade of those abuses esta- 

 blished, recognised, or tolerated by former laws, there will 

 have grown up a crowd of well-to-do interests, which it is 

 not possible to disregard." These words and those 

 which follow, will bear all the consideration we can give 

 them. 



Setting aside the popular sensational aspect of the 

 " Fish Markets " question, of which those in authority 

 have lately heard enough, that of " Fish Transports and 

 Fish Markets" demands early consideration and prompt 

 action. His Excellency Spencer Walpole, in dealing with 

 it, confines himself to that " internal traffic " in which lie 

 many sources of evil. Speaking of the necessity for rad- 

 way reform, the author does not, as might be imagined, 

 advocate State management, but seeks solution of the 

 " suicidal policy " now existing, by insuring — between 

 land and water carriage— a " healthy competition." All 

 we can hope is that the matter may be thus easily recti- 

 fied, meanwhile the fact remains that the future of great 

 and important fisheries must depend upon the issue. The 

 author enters into a discussion of the market question, 

 but as so much concerning this rests with the City Cor- 

 poration we await their views. Despite the protest 

 lodged by Mr. Sayer on p. 20, we cannot but regard the 

 silence of, and want of concerted action among, the 

 Billingsgate men, as an unhealthy sign. 



The perils of a fishing life are patent to all, and when 

 we hear a cry raised on all hands for increased harbour 

 accommodation, and read that the failure of our fisheries 

 is often due to want of weather forecasts, it is obvious 

 that an important claim is established. Mr. Scott, in a 

 paper on " Storm Warnings," brings a well-known expe- 

 rience to bear upon this matter, and compares our own 

 condition and apparatus with those of other countries, 

 notably the United States, Germany, and Holland. Our 

 greatest need at present is shown to be want of observa- 

 tories on the west coasts of Ireland and Scotland, and the 

 author points out the significant fact that " storm signals 

 are hoisted at ill stations only over the whole United 

 States, while we in these islands have nearly 140 for a 

 much smaller area." Speaking of the famed American 

 storm-warnings, the need of mid-ocean observatories is 



discussed, as the storms almost invariably "change their 

 character ^« ;-o«fc" Much other valuable information is 

 embodied in this paper. 



Prof Lankester, writing on "The Scientific Results of 

 the Exhibition," after making some admirable remarks 

 about the "so-called practical man " and other topics, 

 sets up a plea for a zoological observatory or " sta- 

 tion." While no one will fail to enter into the spirit 

 of his paper, we are of opinion that the plan — as con- 

 cerning fisheries alone — need not be so elaborate as 

 that suggested by him. No subject has created a 

 greater revolution in the minds and actions of fishermen 

 of late, than the discovery of Profs. Sars and Malm that 

 the eggs of certain of our deep-sea fishca develop 

 at the surface, and even were this not so no one would 

 gainsay Prof. Lankester' s cry of "more zoology." When 

 we read that "the herring fishery is a lottery," and that 

 sinioly because we know nothing of the real nature and 

 causes of the movements of those fishes, it is quite 

 obvious in what direction our earliest observations must 

 be pursued. For this purpose a transportable zoological 

 laboratory, with proper boats and appliances, such as that 

 used in the recent successful experi nents in the Nether- 

 lands, would amply suffice, and we conceive of such as 

 best embodied in " A National Fishery Society," for 

 which Mr. Fryer urges a strong, and it seems to us an 

 exceedingly just, claim. All modern advance in the fishing 

 industry points to the conclusion that Governmental 

 action must be slight but firm ; this being so, both 

 common sense and precedent show it to be absolutely 

 necessary that some such mediating body as that which 

 the author would have established, should exist. Such a 

 society would, of necessity, acquire in time all necessaries 

 for work and progress, but, until this stage at least is 

 reached, Britain — whose waters are second to none — 

 cannot hope to hold her own in the matter of International 

 Fisheries. We heartily recommend our readers to reflect 

 upon a speech, made by Mr. Birkbeck, M.P., Chairman 

 of the Executive Committee, which follows the afore- 

 mentioned paper. 



.Such are the aims and scope of the Literature of the 

 Great International Fisheries Exhibition, and when the 

 remaining publications are forthcoming it will form a 

 collection upon which both the fishermen and all con- 

 cerned must be congratulated. It has been impossible to 

 do more than indicate the general line of work in this 

 brief notice, no note having been taken of the extent to 

 which certain papers overlap ; it will be obvious, how- 

 ever, where abuse lies, where reform is needed, and along 

 what lines the expected " outcome " must proceed. 



The style of these books, produced by Messrs. W. 

 Clowes and Sons, leaves nothing to be desired ; the few 

 typographical errors which occur being unavoidable in 

 dealing with the technicalities of such an extensive subject. 



NOTES 



The adjudication of medals for the present year by the Council 

 of the Royal Suciety is as follows :— The Copley Medal to Prof 

 Sir William Thomson, F.R.S., for (i) his discovery of the law 

 of the universal dissipation of energy ; (2) his researches and 

 eminent services in physics, bath experimental and mathematical, 

 especially iu the theory of electricity and tliermod)namics ; a 

 Royal Medal to Prof. T. A. Hirst, F.R.S., for his re.searches in 

 inue mathematics ; a Royal Medal to Prof. J. S. Burdon-.Sander- 

 son, M. D., F.R.S., for the eminent services which he has ren- 

 dered to physiology and pathology, e.specially for his investigation 

 of the relations of micro-organisms to disease, and for his re- 

 searches on the electric phenomena of plants ; the Davy Medal 

 to Miircellin Berthelot, For. Mem. R.S., and Prof. Julius 

 Thomsen for their researches in thermo-chemistry. 



