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much as possible homogeneous and uniform the varied legisla- 

 tions up to that period regulating the status of the different 

 parts of the country now brought together ; the promulgation of 

 the Civil Codex of the new kingdom of Italy was shortly followed 

 by that of the mercantile navy, and in this last was clearly esta- 

 blished that while all the disciplinary regulations relating to 

 fishermen and fishery along the sea-coasts, more especially on 

 account of the maritime conscription and registration of boats, 

 was to depend on the central naval administration (Ministry of 

 Marine), all that related to the economy of fishery was to 

 depend on the Ministry of Agriculture, Industry and Commerce. 

 On the other hand, in the case of freshwater fisheries, the latter 

 ministry was brought in contact both with the Department of 

 the Interior and with that of Public Works. Next came the la- 

 borious task of collecting all the necessary materials for a uniform 

 and general Law on Fishery; it was the labour of several years, 

 during which harbour masters, chambers of commerce, provincial 

 and municipal deputations, special, local, and a central general 

 committees, worked away with a will. The result was the pre- 

 sent Fishery Law, which bears the date of 4th March, 1877; it 

 consists of four chapters and twenty-four articles, and is drawn 

 up in a liberal spirit. Much more difficult was the compilation 

 of the bye-laws or regulations necessary for the administrations 

 of the new law; a first general committee drew up instructions 

 for such regulations, a draft of which was submitted to special 

 local committees, and the results of the work of the latter brought 

 before a new central committee, composed of competent persons, 

 who finally formulated the Regulations for Sea and for Fresh- 

 water Fisheries, promulgated on the 13th of June, 1880. The 

 regulation for sea-fisheries consisted of ninety articles divided 

 into six chapters; that for freshwater fisheries of thirty -five ar- 

 ticles and five chapters. Local wants and special cases had been 

 carefully provided for, and a truly liberal spirit pervaded the 

 whole ; yet, on application, many serious difficulties arose, often 

 where least expected : protests and petitions came in from dif- 

 ferent parts of the country, relating to several articles of the 

 new bye-laws, but more especially directed against the restric- 

 tions placed on trawling. A permanent Consultive Fisheries Com- 



