218 FISH CULTTJEE. 



which is fifty to one in their favour — of escaping 

 unmolested. I was at Dieppe during the spring of 

 last year, when the avisos Corse and Pelican, 

 charged with the protection of the fisheries on that 

 station, were daUy bringing in English fishing-craft 

 which they had captured ; and there were at one 

 time lying in the harbour no less than seventeen 

 Colchester trawling-smacks, which had been seized 

 for trespassing on the French oyster-beds. They lay 

 in a line along the whole of one side of the inner 

 harbour, and their clean lines and taut smart rig 

 presented a striking contrast to the ugly, lumbering 

 luggers and sloops of the Poletais fishermen. 



" These poor fellows were kept there in custody for 

 ten days or a fortnight, and then only dismissed after 

 taking from them their trawl-ropes, trawls, and all 

 superfluous lines and rigging, to the value of SOI. or 

 401, from each boat — leaving them, in fact, just what 

 was necessaiy for them to find their waj^ home with, 

 and no more. I don't mean to defend them: they 

 admitted that they were acting illegally, and with 

 ^a fuU knowledge of the penalty they incurred ; but 

 one of them said to me, ' It's hard enough work for 

 us to earn our grub, sir, with only three men and a 

 boy on board, while a French craft the same size 

 carries eight men and four boys, with half their 



