OUR SEA FISHEEIES. 179 



pounds, shillings, and pence, I cannot but think the 

 country was a gainer by it. In the first place, it in- 

 duced a very large number of families to foUow the 

 business, and so fostered an important branch of 

 industry. It threw a much larger supply of fish into 

 the markets, and created exports instead of imports, as 

 I shall take occasion to point out presently. It caused 

 large numbers of our fishermen to occupy grounds now 

 occupied for the most part by foreign fishermen, who 

 thus improve their naval resources at the expense of 

 ours. And lastly, but not leastly, it caused a great 

 number of lads to be trained to the sea, and to become 

 the best and hardiest of sailors, at no further expense to 

 the country ; whereas we have now to keep training- 

 ships and training-schools, at a vast expense to the 

 country, and propositions are made for a naval militia. 

 The lads so trained being, for the most part, landsmen, 

 instead of used to the sea from their cradles, while in 

 such a fair-water, smooth-sailing way of making sailors, 

 it is impossible but what an inferior article must be 

 turned out, to the handy, hard-a-weather set of men, 

 who keep the sea in all weathers, for eight or nine 

 months in the year, in small craft, by dint of sheer 

 seamanship. Now, put training, ships and schools in 

 the one scale, and the bounty in the other ; consider 

 carefully the materials produced by the two, and I 

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