The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1875-06-22 00:00:00

regulations preventing fishermen going on private oriter
grounds.
Jaime titockley, labourer, of Branksea, also expressed
an opinion that a good thing. the laying d oysters would of brood oyste would be
Thomas Cartridge said: I have lived in Poole all MY
life. I
ear ani part of a fisherman —(liteghter). Five or 111
' y•s min we smith' get a thousand oysters in • day ; now
I cant tell what would lie a g,sal day's catch ; it would
come down to dozens. Isost season the best day's work I
had was whea I ; the next day I only caught •
few dozgai. A fortnight before Christmas I gave uP
fishing and w.mt to work at 'Mr. Bentinek's clay works at
Branksea. This year I have "illy earned is. in one week
to keep myself, wife, and children. If Mr. Bentinck put
down a hundred thousand oysters and allowed we to go
down at Christina and catch them it would be a very
good thing—(iulch laughter). I have known very email
oysters talsen up -as small as ever you can see them.
They are taken away to other places, and this is a very
bad thing for Poole Harbour.
By Mr. Collins: The Oyster spawn at Blackball did
good, but I don't see that Mr. Bootjack would do any
good.
By the Inspector : Some tart of the spat would settle
no the dredging ground, if put down by Mr. lieutinck, but
part would go away.
Mr. Smyth withdrew an application for summonses for
live wituesws, and a,ke.l the Inspector himself to visit
the oyster bed ansi exateine it.
The Insp.-tor said if he %ieweil the ground he should
stipulate that he be accompanied by representatives of
Isith stags.

:Rine whin...old Um Inspector against the granting
id the order. Five witnesses had bet u tilled, four of
%icon were employed by Mr. Itentinek, while the fifth
was brother to Hughes, the captain of Mr. Lentinek's
yacht, and their evidence went to this that if some un-
happy spat ilbl escape from the bed the dshermen would
have a chance of catching it when it became an oyster.
The application was for the best part of the oyster dredg-
ing ground, and there could he no doubt that a serious
Los must fall upon them if the order was granted. The
fishermen of Poole numbered a very considerable
body, and the oyster fishery was one great means
of their suppirt during the winter. Mr. Smyth
said that fishery was damaged to a great extent,
. but coald any one say that no other oyster
fishery had been damaged within the last few years I
Oysters not many years ago were less than a third if
their preoint price. In London they could have been
bought for ski, per dozen, but the price was Is. ad. or
Is. now. Every oyster ground hie' failed more or lees
during recent year. ; hence the great increoPe in price.
The Town Council claimed a large portion of the area of
land which formed the subject of Mr. Rentinek's apple.,
tion, and they believed a great wrong would be done lathe
fishermen if the order was granted. Mr. Collins said that
Mr. Sentinel: had naturally chosen the best place in the
harbour, so that the brood should not be carried away,
and what little escaped would be taken out to sea.
The Inspector asked whether there were any means of
stopping over dredging otherwise than by employing the
1 machinery .: ;he Act of Parliament.
dlr. I ',Mins said the Mayor hail the power of prohibiting
the fishing for oysters during the whole year, if he so clun,e,
and Alderman Rogers, when Mayor, exercised that power.
.... .. .. .. ..

- .
If the Mayor thought there was any serious loss from over-
dredging they would prohibit it. A portion of the area
sought to lie obtained by Mr. Bentinck was under the
control of the Mayor and Corporation.
The Inspector asked under what authority that right wan
claimed. _ .

Mr. Inckanson : The corporation paid that the bed of the
harbour belonged to them, and this gave them the right to
make the bye-laws.
Mr. Collins sail if the grant were made the right of the
cen!oration to dredge the harbour for the purposes of
navigation might to disputed.
The Inspector: Would it do away with your statutory
tight 1
Mr. Collins; It is a very difficult point to know, but
supposing we did damage to the oysters by dredging Mr.
Bentinek might seek a remedy. lam told, however, that
there is some clause in the Act to the effect that navigable
rights must not be interfered with.
Mr. 11. W. Dickinson, Town Clerk, meatless.' a copy of
the inquisition of Edward 111., giving the corporation
privileges, the WitichelseaCharkv, and George 11., cap. 2.
The corporation claimed tinder the inquisition a portion of
the limit Mr. Bentinek applied for. In 1,1i7 the Secretary
of State continued their bye•laws, and in 1,71) the Mayor
KARMA ovster dredging till further notice.
Thomas Wills, men., said : I an, a fisherman, if..l years of
age. living at Poole. I have been a fisherman since I was
a child. I know every creek and corner of South Ihtep.
I have hauled up thousands of dredgers there. South
Deep is a very good place for Medging, as is also that from
Branksea quay "up along." If we hue that ground it
would be a bad job. What Mr. Bentinek wishes to do
would do great harm to the fishermen. We always find
oysters there—sometimes Nu or IVO a day; it all depends
bow they " spit.' If spat is laid down at South Deep it
would be carried outside the harbour. We dredge from the
bathing house to Harry Point; when the wind veers we go
intim Smith Deep.
By Mr. Smyth: In South Deep they are good oysters,
but it is not a terrible geed place. I mote plain of the
scarcity tif oysters :00 don't skin them out, I have heard
tell of Mall who take up small oysters, lint I never tell
tales out of school. I have shaken my heel at those who
took small oysters. If I had said much they might have
unshipped my head.
Be-examined : I think the grant of the order would
damage this oyster fishery.
By the Inspector: We go on dredging as long as it Pays
to de mi. We always leave sufficient on the ground. If
we had four or five oysters in a dredge, we should go on
dredging.
Thomas Wills. jun.: I have been a fisherman at Poole
30 years I have been constantly engaged in the oyster
fishery. If the water oppesite Branksea and in South
Deep were Laken away from the fishermen • great deal el
harm would be done.
Ily Mr. Smyth : Spawn put down at South Deep would
float away, and do no one any good.
Richard Hayes : I have been a fisherman ever since
IWM able to crawl about. If the fishery proposed were
taken away the Poole fishermen would have to go and join
the union.
By Mr. Smith : Opposite the castle is a good Place for
laying down oy•ters. I Sllppik.o Mr. Bennie* would
expect the spat he laid clown to In utast to he.
By Mr. Collins: If oyster dredging was stopped for a
year the supply would be much mum plentiful. A tuck
net is a little wine. 1 have caught with my tuck net fish
worth more than Mr. Bentinck's island —(laughter).
Mr. Jelin Midden :I am secretary to the Ibis Company.
For many years I have dredged and fished in the harbour.
If tie: laud sought by Mr. lientinek were taken it would I
believe almost destroy the main put of the fishery. An
enor ..... us number of oysters are lost, which the fisherznan
cannot ta10,111,. They bury themselves under the ground,
and many of them at proper seasons throw up spat. Each
one, under proper conditions of heat and tranquility will
produce several millions of oysters.
By Mr. fitnyth : I have been an amateur fisherman for
5) years. South Deep is the natural breeding ground for
oysters ; they grow there very fast. They hibernate there,
if I may nw the expression. I have seen a few young
oysters dredged up by fishermen. I have heard of their
being sent out of the neighbourhood.
Thomas Muuton, John Brown, and Samuel Redman,
oyster fishermen for frem JO to years, concurred in
deprecating the granting of the order.
Mr. Collins .141 not think it necessary to call none.
Mr. F. T. Regent said if the ground were taken it would
be detrimental to the fishermen and the public gene-
rally. The prohibitory notice he issued in KO had • good
effect.
Mr. J. S. Hudson expressed his concurrence.
lty Mr. stinyth : A few years ago the fishermen were
compelled to Mkg out licenses for oyster tlnslging, but the
whole matter was made apolitical one. Those who pro-
moted the petition to inquire into the validity of -Mr.
Waring's election last year also raised the question of the
validity of the order as to fishermen's licenses, and owing
to this I declined to Lake on myself the responsibility of
carrying omit the order, though I believe it would be very
beneficial, just, and equitable. lam a Liberal ; I believe
Mr. Bentinck professes to be a Conservative; I wish ha
was Libend enough to let the fishernien'a oyster grounds
alone—(laughten. I don't know what are the politics of
the fishermen.
The Insist:ace begged that polities might not be iutro-
&iced into that inquiry, with which they had nothing
whatever to do. The Inspeeter then promiwtl to visit the
ground on the ("flowing day. lie would consider the
evidence very carefully and send his report to the Boarder
Trade.
Before leaving the Bench the Inspector remarked that
the Danl. of Trade could, if they thought proper, moodily
the liimmits of the area in .mtwatien.
The inquiry terminated shortly after five o'clock
On Wednesday morning Mr. Walpole the inspector,
visited the smet over which Mr. Itentmek desires to have
the exeluaive right of fishing for oysters and awls.
That gentleman's steam launch had been placed at the
disposal of the party, including Mr. H. 1). Smyth and Mr.
Lionel Budge, representing Mr. Beatinck, Mr. 11. V.P.
Dickinson, representing the Corporation and fishermen
Mn. F. B. Budge, Mr. With and Mn. Fry. A boat and
chaslge belonging to and manned by some fisherman
named Welk also proceeded to the spot, and the water
within and near the area in question was dredged 13 times,
the result being that 12 oysters were caught.

PARKSTONE.
FATAL Gus Accinxicr. —A melancholy anti fatal gun
accident occurred on Monday at Parkstone. A gentleman
named John Wildbore Wright had been out early in the
morning shooting blackbirds which infested his strawbery
beds, and returned to the tool-house to reload his breech-
hader, one barrel of which WAS not discharged. In so
doing, by some mishap, the right hand barrel went off,
completely carrying away the left cheek of the unfor-
tunate gentleman. When discovered, deceased was lying
on his back in an humense pitol of blood, though not
quite dead. His wife was immediately informed of the
accident, and On going tt him he extended his hand
towards her. and died inmituliately. The deceased was a
native of Leicestershire, and was married in January last
to his third wife. An inquest was held at the Britannia
Inn by Mr. G. B. Aldridge. It appeared by the evidence of
Mrs. Wright that she was married to the deceased on the
lab January last. Ile wa. 67 or IN years old on the trith
March. She had never noticed anything peculiar in his
manner, and on that morning he appeared about as USUAL
lie went into the garden after breakfast to shoot the
blackbirds on the strawherrias, telling her what he was
about to do. When in the kitchen she heard the report
of the gun and also heard something fall, but she did not
then think that what she heard fall was her husband,
because she thought be was in another part of the
premises at the time. she was alarmed by hearing the
boy call. She ran out and found her husband lying in the
tool house. She knew he was going into the tool
house to load his gun, because he told her he
was going to shoot the blackbirds and she hail
placed the cartridges there for him to use. A
boy in the unfortunate gentleman's employ, Bahl he
found the deceasssl dead in the tool house lying on his
back with the gun across his right arm, and that he had
previously been shooting small birth in the strawberry bed.
Mr. Richard Langlands, a gentleman residing at Portland
cottage' stated that he was informed by some one that Mr.
Wright was shot, and on his way to the scene of the
disaster he met his servant, who told him of the maul.
eholy event. Ile found bin. quite dead with the gun
lyitig on his arm.—ln answer to a juror he observed that
1145 knew the deceased, and luul noticed nothing indicative
of aberration of intellect in Philpots Was the
next witness. lie stated that he was sent for, and on
extuuinhiig the testy, illsisivered is gun shot wound in the
left side of the face, and a large piece of felt blown
away from the rim if his hat. There was a considerable
amount of hemorrhage on the floor, and a portion of the
side of the head was 1110W11 away. The doctor a,daed
that he had known the deceased, that he was a good
teinpere4 nutn, and that he never observed anything in his
manner which would lead him to AUppwle lie would
attempt to cot 1111 l it suicide. The jury after a brief consul-
tation, returned a verdict of Accidental Death.
--
6 STICKL4ND.
. .

An in, was lizrz-TiumdaY la.st, at the Crown inn,
bcfore Mr. W. H. Atkinson. cornier, respecting the death
o,f Hannah Elford, wife of Mr. W.. H. Word, journeyman
miller. The followillg were the jiley : MOWS. Barnett,
Bird, Dunks, Cole, Gillingham, W. Orford, Philipps, C.
Ricketts, .1. Stuckleei, W. Tizsard, T. Whitten, and Thos.
White (foreman). The jury being sworn proceeded to view
the body • after which the eviden,e of the husband and
mother of the deceased and • neighbour WeA taken and
amounted in substance to the following: The deceased got
up on Sunday, the 13th, and proceeded to light the tire,
/cc., but feeling ill went to bed again: about noon her
husband went to Dlandford and got a bottle of medicine
from Mr. Daniel, surgeon, and also took hack his mother-
in-law •. the poor woman took one dose of the medicine,
and had a bran poultice put on her chest, and about live
o'clock felt faint...WM.o to dose and so died in her sleep.
The venlict was "Died from
The natural calau}se.e...r.boy the olaita'
tion of God." e case is very sad LI the partied hsive only
been married four months, and it is the second wife the
poor man has lost though only
OBABXOUTE..

VISITOIIS.—This pretty watering-place is again attract-
jag many of the lodgings are occupied. and
others are e xpected soon to be full ; and whouthe weather
improves no doubt company will arrive last.