FISHING INDTJSTKT IN FEANCE. 55 



mention this, the fishery is not of importance, although fish 

 are plentiful enough. At Cancale, for instance, the fishermen 

 have imposed on themselves the restriction of only fishing twice 

 a week. In Brittany, at some of the fishing places, the people 

 seem very poor and miserable, and their boats look to be almost 

 valueless, reminding one of the state of matters at Fittie in the 

 outskirts of Aberdeen. At the isle of Croix, however, there is 

 to be found a tolerably vrell-off maritime and fishuig community ; 

 at this place, where the men take to the sea at an early age, 

 there are about one hundred and thirty fishing boats of from 

 twenty to thirty tons each, of which the people — i.e. the practi- 

 cal fishermen — are themselves the owners. At the Sands of 

 Olonne there is a most extensive sardine-fishery — the capture of 

 sprats, young herrings, and young pilchards, for curing as sar- 

 dines, yielding a considerable share of wealth, as a large number 

 of boats follow this branch of business all the year round. 

 Experiments in artificial breeding are constantly being made 

 both with white fish and crustaceans, and sanguine hopes are 

 entertained that in a short time a plentiful supply of all kinds 

 of shell and white fish wUl reward the speculators, and as regards 

 those parts of the French coast which are at present destitute of 

 the power of conveyance, the apparition of a few locomotives 

 will no doubt work wonders in instigating a hearty fishing 

 enterprise. 



In fact the industry of the French as regards the fisheries 

 has become of late years quite wonderful, and there is evidently 

 more in their eager pursuit of sea wealth than all at once meets 

 the eye. No finer naval men need be wished for any country 

 than those that are to be foimd in the French fishing luggers, 

 and there can be no doubt but that they are being trained with 

 a view to the more perfect manning of the French navy. At 

 any rate the French people (? government) have discovered the 

 art of growing saUors, and doubtless they wiQ make the most of 

 it, being able apparently to grow them at a greatly cheaper rate 

 than we can do. 



The commercial system established in France for bringing 

 the produce of the sea into the market is of a highly elaborate 

 and intricate character. The direct consequence of this system 

 is, that the price of fish goes on increasing from its first removal 

 from the shore until it reaches the market. This fact cannot 

 be better illustrated than by tracing the fish from the moment 

 they are landed on the quay by the fishermen, through various 



