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DISCUSSION. 
Professor BROWN GOODE said he had heard some 
complaint that there were too many scientific men on the 
platform in these conferences, and too few practical men, 
but every one would agree that Mr. Cornish had shown 
that he had a thorough practical acquaintance with the 
subject, whilst he had used a thoroughly scientific method 
in his deductions. He had listened with great pleasure 
to the Paper, having been for some years paying special 
attention to the mackerel fishery in the United States. 
That fishery was one of the most important in the 
American waters. The produce in the year 1880 was 
about 132,000,000 pounds. It employed about 470 of 
their finest sea-going schooners, of from 60 to 100 tons 
burden each, and with an aggregate capacity of about 
23,000 tons, with crews of 14 to 20 men, and nets worth 
450,000 dollars or more. Within the last few years, since 
the introduction of the purse net to which Mr. Cornish 
had referred, it was not uncommon for one of those vessels 
to catch fish to the value of ^5000 or even £j 500 a year. 
The history of the mackerel fishery was very interesting. 
As long ago as the year 1600, within forty years of the settle¬ 
ment in New England, there were records of the colonists 
seining the mackerel off Cape Cod by moonlight; and it was 
somewhat remarkable, that on this fishery was founded the 
system of public schools in the United States, for within 
ten or twenty years of that time the first public school was 
founded on a tax upon the fishery. At that time, when 
perhaps not one hundred barrels a year were taken, they 
found the inhabitants petitioning to prevent the destruction 
