200 THE SALMON. 



to the public revenue, though there are as yet only about 

 50 convicts out of 345 suspects. But there is a great field 

 beyond this one — a large though unascertained extent 

 of coast which the Crown has never granted, and which 

 nobody has taken illegal leave to fish. That property, 

 which is public property, ought not to be allowed to lie 

 unproductive ; it should be made to yield revenue, or 

 perhaps something better than revenue. Two courses 

 are open to the Commissioners of Land Revenue, besides 

 the course pursued previous to the decision declaring the 

 property to be the Crown's, and which it would be absurd 

 and unjust any longer to continue. They may sell or let 

 to the highest bidder all the coast still belonging to the 

 Crown, whether or not previously fished ; and so, for a 

 time, obtain a great revenue for the department, though 

 to the ultimate injury of the general interests of the fish- 

 eries, and of each particular interest, that of the depart- 

 ment included. Or they may intimate to the proprietors 

 who have grants of fisheries on the coast, that if they con- 

 sent to put down their fixtures, and return to the modes 

 by which they originally fished, and by which alone other 

 proprietors are allowed to fish, the Crown will do the 

 same over all the coast which it still retains, and perhaps 

 will engage not to fish in any way at least those parts 

 of the coast that have heretofore not been fished at all — 

 with certification that, if the fixed-netters will not consent 

 to this compromise or mutual concession, the Crown will 

 hand over every inch of its coast to the highest bidder, 

 to be fished as they fish, which would very soon leave 

 them nothing to fish for. That this result can be brought 

 about, at least in a great many locahties, is clear, by its. 



