214 FISH CULTUKB, 



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

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

 induced a very large number of families to follow the 

 business, and so fostered an important branch of in- 

 dustry. 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, 

 and naval reserves at a vast expense to the country, 

 and propositions have been made for a naval 

 militia ; the lads thus 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 

 that an inferior article, 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, must be turned out. 

 Formerly Jack had a hard life of it ; he roughed it 



