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of fish altogether. It did not readily bear carriage, but 
had to be eaten as soon as possible after it was out of the 
water, and consequently the great trade in pilchards was 
when they were salted or preserved in oil. He could not 
give the statistics of the men, boats, and capital employed, 
but, to give some idea of the magnitude of the fisheries, he 
might mention that, in his own immediate neighbourhood, 
the water on which he could look down from his own 
windows contained within two and a half miles a fleet of 
something like four hundred boats, with all kinds of nets 
and gear and other appliances, representing a capital of 
something like £ 140,000. If a proportional amount of 
capital and men were employed in other parts of the 
country, it could readily be seen how important those 
fisheries were. They were not only important as a means 
of providing food, but formed an excellent nursery and 
school for a race of seamen than whom there were none, 
either in this kingdom or anywhere else in Europe, more 
industrious, steady, independent or courageous. 
MACKEREL AND PILCHARD FISHERIES. 
Ladies and Gentlemen, —The honour has been done 
me of requesting me to read a Paper before you on the 
“Mackerel and the Pilchard,” and I presume that this has 
been done, because I come from West Cornwall, the 
principal English home of the fisheries for these two fish, 
and am well acquainted with them ; but my ignorance 
makes it advisable that I should confine my remarks to the 
familiar facts which I know of these fish in my own 
county, rather than attempt to deal with the subject 
scientifically. 
