The National Register.
London, England, 1816-10-14 00:00:00

T'/I1 FISHERIES.

The perinitical shoals of herrings, in their progress
from the North Sea to the Channel, appear in wonder-
fi►l abundance in the Downs in the earl• part of Octo-
ber, and remain till the end of November, about which
time they proceed gradually to the westward, and arc
caught off the Isle of Wight till the end of February ;
indeed, such is the profUsion ofjbese fish, while they
continue between the Forelands, .where they are nece::-
sarily condensed by the conthrmation of the straits, that
the quantities taken on this part of the coast amount to
►nore than double the averal:N. catch of our great fishery
at Newtimndland, in proportion to the time and number
of hands employed in it. The Mackerel are also fimnd,
during their season, in remarkable abundance in these
straits, which appear to form the limits of their migra-
tion up the Channel.

Considering the amount of our population and in
how small a part of the country fish constitutes any
material article of sustenance, there can be no doubt
that if it could be rendered wholesome and desirable in
quality, and cheap in price, so as to become accessible
to the labouring classes, the demand for its consumption
would increase beyond any calculation we can pretend
to make ; though it must appear on the most cursory
view, -that supposing the number of families in the
united kingdom to consist of 3,600,000, and each family
to consume only one barrel per annum, (equal to about
four pounds of fish per week) the whole consumption
would 'amount to 3,600,000, bls. and taking the present
fishery at one-third of that quantity, the additional two-
thirds which might be computed to be produced from
extending the fisheries, might be valued at 4,800,0001.
sterling, aflbraing maintenance to 960,000 families in
various departments of labour arising from this source.
Parallel between the means purred l Holland and
Great Britain to carry on the. isheries.
lint.T.Awn 66 GiIEAT BRIT %IN

" Possesses within herself nei- PrOdUCCY timber, iron, and
Cher timber, iron, hemp, Och, salt, and possesses the same fad.
tar. staves, nor salt, hut is sup- lities for obtaining the other or-
plied with every article, except tides as the Hutch ; and even
the latter, from the Baltic, in re- staves of a quality adapted for
turn for fish; part of the sale is packing fish for inland eta sump.
obtained from France, Portugal, lion may he procured at home at
and the Mediterranean, but a an inferior price.
. considerable proportion from Li-
verpool.
" Has no herrings near her " Every part of our insular
own coast, but takes them on the coast abound, with herrings, as
coast of Britain, from Shetland to well as other fish, at different
the coast of Sussex, commencing seasons. so that there are but few
at the distance of Win leagues,and months in the year in which the
ending at 50 leagues from her shoals are not found on sonic part
own ports. • of our shores.
" flee wet population is tam- " The population of the united
pitted to- be between two and kingdom being stated at f 2 mil-
three millions • a large proper- lions, the demand for fish for
tion her kill has therefore al- borne consumption, if cured in a
ways to depend on foreign mar- manner equal to the Dutch, may
ket, for conshmption, and, in be stated at six times thia of I led-
ltu-sia, her fish is subject to a lend, while her commercial inter-
higher duty then British. course with other states atlards
superior facilities fur foreign
thele.
_ .

" Iler fi heries are expoted to " her marittmc power affords
interruption, and even total sus• full security' to any national in-
pension, in time of war with stittition oil the most permanent
(iron Britain, front the di ticieney and extensive plan, for carrying
of her maritime force fo: their on the tislicrie ."
dtfence.

With advantages so decidedly in our favour, it con-
stitutes a wonder almost miraculous, that we should so
long have permitted the Dutch to rob us of a trade jn
every way so important : particularly when hundreds
of our own sailors are starving at home, that Govern-
ment should not have paid an earlier attention to this
is almost inconceivable ! We fish in tlr2 South Seas
and on the coast of Newfoundland at an enormous ex-
pence, and yet permit another nation to rub us of fish
that swarm upon our own coasts.

OCTOTIER Y I.

CI 7'Y BC'S I NESS. •

Tue+dny a Common was held, fur the dispatch ofve-
riot's

Soon after one o'clock the Court appeared on the !Instinct,
and the Common Serge:int derlared the slate of the poll at
int close on Saturday hist ; and utter enuuu•ratimt the nosit-
hers fir the several eauditate•, declared. that the eiertioa of
the Lit ery had fallen nu the !sort 4111 Mr. Al•lernt:ut
„pa that iho•e too prisons had neeordinely been it.
turned to the Court of Aldermen, as tit persons from whom to
appoint a l'el'Soll f 0 serve flu lAN! of Lord Nlayor for the
year.—( pnlurtai s, mid laud crira nj '6 Wand Wood!"
The Lord Nlayor.and Aldermen then rt tired, and after an
ab•enre of an hour and a 11311.,

'the Recorder minmaneed, that the election of tho C:mrt of
mermen 11,0 fallen ou the ore%ent 1.nr•.1 Mayor. inti•
m Uiun Ica!, followtd by loud applanyies, vtit.ch continued for
bt-veral minoteg.

On his Lordship coining forma,' to be invested with the
gold chain, and other emblems of office., the applause re-
doubled. At lesiglb silence having been obtained, he ad-
dressed the Livery, and begged to return them his warmest
Mean's% for the honour they had Pm, conferee"! noon him,
by which they had imposed upon him a debt of gratitude,
whirl,hr felt. he should oev(st be nhlo to repay--t •laphvis,
It "%vie, now oniony years show a Chief Alagostrate of the City
had Iwo, doubly ironed, eloaiiied he 11112d111-01 1112
now was; hut he assn red them that thee e was 110 want of a
chain to bind his, to them ; the rivets of gratitude were already
strong enough to bind his, to 'tent : that gratitude lie
should endcavonr to /Mew, by imitating. for the year
to come, the conduct of the year gone by, a nil, it possible, to
doable his efforts to pro mote the interest, peace, safety. wel-
fare and happiness of the Citizens of Louthon—(:fppeaute.)—
tht
this °erasion also, he must acknowleilze his thin of gra-
titude to his brotlwr aldermen, whose kilotons he wished
publicly to avow ; for never in the course of the discharge of
the :n.4110814 ditties of his office had he lacked their assistance
when he craved it : they had, with the greatest kindness, at-
tendee, him at the Mansion House, and relieved him from the
necessitv of coming down to After the result of
the Court of Aldermen, he should respect them more than
he ever had done—tattle:it) -not front ally ant bitioo: It, (-
law of his own, hot because they hail this day shewu the de-
frent e which was disc to the opinion of the Livery. Before
he reflected on the subjeet, had he been asked. lie should
have said, his strength was not equal to support the fatigues
ofienother year's service ; but lie now hoped, if Providence
gave him his health, that, with the assist:nice above :Alluded
to, lie shonlel ho able to di.charge his duties so as to 'novel
himself not unworthy of their confidence—(,tpptaase.)—He
toe-geel leave to state, that party and politics should tic-
ver •perate impost his conduct ; indeed, he had never been of
any party--t Hiss, 6-11 e had never joined Whig or Tory,—
He would slot ,l 'peed upon, or b: biassed by any set of men.
He would for another bear, exclude politics, and net only as
the ft tend of the people—( J pplanges.)-1 le wished Andy to he
respected by the Lively of London ; and to live in their re-
innnbrance was all the reward lie desired--(L•ad and con-
t iaurd Plaudits.)

Mr. Alderman C. Smith came Airward amidst minded
shouts of applause and disapprobation. He wished to thank
his friends again for the exeytioos they had made in his fa.
sour, owl to assure the Livery, he felt no dis.ippointinent or
dissatisfaction, with the decision of this day.—( ,fpplawes.
lie rrspceted the Lord Mayor as much as any man could,
awl aprroved of his conduct as Chief Magistrate.- -
(Appnovres.) Nest year lie should again pees( 01 himself to
the Livery, as in rotation, and trusted the present contest
would lease no ill will behind it. He was not very desirous
to serve the office of Chief Magisti ate—hut should the choice
of his fellow-citizens call I • to that situation, he trusted lie
should so conduct himself in it, as to prove he was hot un-
worthy of their confidence ; and Ihsot tl.e office would go flout
him to his successor as unsullied as he received
plauses

Mr. White then stepped forward, and after warmly congra-
tulating the Livery on the victory they hail gained, lie pro-
posed a sinew* thanks to the Mee riff, whiets was seconded by
Mr. Waithinaii, who milt ease I the Live.ry at eons:durable
length ; lie expressed his happiness at this signal triumph,
and acknowledged that he had been most agreeably cl,„ap.
110111ted by the decision of the Court of Aldermen, which lie
had all atieig fedi eil wonld have hieu ditiereat. In his opi-
nion. Alderman Smith cught beset. to sit in the Chair--not on
account ul•ltis politics. but on afeemat of his apostacy. 'There
hail not been a Cuuuuuu Kali for fourteen years past, that the
um Illy Alderman hail not retired with his friends 1111111 U.
iliat6y ul•terwards, anti signed counter resolutions, vilifying
the Livery as disloyal men. He acknowledged. with shame,
that lie hail on some occasions formerly acted it ills the worthy
Alderman; but at that lime the worthy Alderman thenglit
differently to what lie did at present. Then the Alderman
was the very champion of what lie hail since called Jacubin-
ism 11111041,80 Warm had the worths Alderman been, that it
was with difficulty lie (amid be held back within the bounds
of prudence. How the worthy Alderman got acipisititiA
with Mr. Pitt, lie knew not ; but lie immediately afterwards
was Minot], eil with an Alderman's gown—and then, those
with whom lie had pre% Musty acted were vilified and tra-
dnced.--Mr. Wanton:in having concluded, the motion of
thanks to the Sheriffs was carried unanimously, its were like-
wise thanks to Mr. White, tin• his e‘ertions during the contest.
Tlll. business of the election being finished, another C -
mon Hall was held to hear the report of the late Sheriffs Heil
and Thorpe, regarding to the prl.Sellintll/11 of the petition to
the Prince Regent, agreed upon on the 21st of Ananst, rela-
tive to the distresses. The pare°, tof the report
that the front.e Regent would out tee, i ve flit petition on the
throne, that being a privilege tliA only be:ongs to the City of
Lon.lon in its corporate capacity, awl to the Unit ersities of
Oxford and Cambridge.

Mr. Hunt (of Bristol) then came f,rfs ard, and proposed
some strong Resolutions on tht rejeetiwi ut the petition,
which sVCI, seconded by Mr. Waddington. A long personal
altercation ensued in consequence neto een Mr. flout, Mr.
Flower, Air. Wadllama, Tlnente•on; the three lattur
complain of toilian•bonne cotwau OH the pail ut r.
in bringing foi ward his rcsoifition., when he knew that .
B. Flouter had other rehollitior.% to pi Nora., suit that oy
tunrtes,, as the mover of t...e onigiust Aiiiirt,s, he hail it
tight to be hen d first. A great dal of reer;niiiiation took
place bet wren the above named patties; in %finch some ;illu-
sion by Mr. Hunt to a dentliess with which Mr. host ca is Itll-
- bro•ight &ion on the runner such a
volley of his-es, as compelled hint to retire. The follow ins
solutions were then pi °pored by Mr. Tlndnson, seconded by
Mr. Flower, and C.lt ried in prefetesice to those of Mr. tilni,
after which the chasolved.