The Sun.
London, England, 1852-04-21 00:00:00

fiftb Vbition+
SUN OFFICE, Seven o'Cloch.

IMPERIAL PAIILIAMEN T.
(THIS DAY.)

HOUSE OF COMMONS.
The SPEAKER tuck the Chair a; a few minutes after
Twelve o'c►oc:k.
NEW MEMBER.
Mr. COCHRANE BAILEY took the oaths and his seat
for the Nl.rimouth burghs, in the room of the late Mem-
ber, Mr. Blewitt.
PRIVATE BUSINESS.
The Glasgow Union Arcade Bill was read a third
time and passed.
The 11,-dina River N.ivigation Bill and the Rye Im-
provement Bill were also rand a third and passed.
The Sat C.ld Bridges and tree* Bill was considered
and agreud to.

PETITIONS.
Several petitions were previited against the May-
nooth rani.
Mr. FERGgi presented a petition from Fife, praying
for the ion ref reliaions houses.
Sir CH ARLES BURRELL presented a petition from
Sussex against thA .I(iiiitia
sir. FREW EN presented a petition from Sussex
against the malt tax.
Mr. SL AN EY presented a petition from the metro-
polis in favour of the Loinstrial Societies' Bill; also
similar petitioos from the operative tailors of Glasgow,
from the Universal Soeiety f Salford, and from other
parts of the c,nintry; also two petitions from
the Starewsother
-
bury, one against calling out the Militia, and
against the church-rates.
Mr. COCHRANE BAILEY presented two petitions
from Abergavenny in favour of retaining the Crystal
Palace.
Mr. ADDERLEY presented a petition from the Mu
nicipality of Cape Town, complaining that the Legisla-
tive Conned of the colony had resolved to delay the pas-
sage of the ordinances which bad been sent out for
granting a constitution to the colony, and imploring the
House to pass a Bill during the present session for car-
rying the ordinances into etf.ct.
RKENHEAD.
THE LOSS OF THE BI
Captain SCOBELL said, as the public were particu-
larly interested in knowing whether it was expedient or
otherwise to fit vessels in compartments, he wished to
inquire of the Secretary of the Admiralty whether he
could inform him if the Birkenhead was built in com-
partments, and if so in how many?
Mr. STAFFORD said he had to inform the Hon. and
Galle,et Member that the Birkenhead ass built in five
compartments.
IRISH FISHERIES BILL.

Mr. CONOLLY, to moving the second reading of this
Bill, said he was not the advocate of any particular class
or interest in Ireland, and would shriek from nringing
forward a int ileum of such importance on any hat pub-
lic grounds. There were three interests connected with
salmon fisheries in Ireland, and, though they were anta-
gonistic to each other, they had enly one common and
identical object, viz., keeing up the supply of fish in the
best and most approved manner. The public had likewise
a great interest in the question, fur it was of importance
to them that a good maximum supply of fish should
always be maintained. What had been tho state of
legislation on this subj-ci.? In 1342 a Bil; was passed
which dealt with and conselWated are less than twenty-
five old statutes respecting fisheries in the sister
country, but be felt jineified in seyeng that the mode in
which that measure treated existing rtghts was
shameful and unconstitutional. From tale time of Magna
Charts, up 1. 1842 these fisheries were ViettletlY public
property, though vary much drawn upon b 7 pricatedin-
terests, but since then the public had been deprave
omoe
f
their undoubted right., and the fisheries had bec
a monopoly in the hands of private indivielu. air.
The Bill of 1842 proceeded upon the principle as it Were
was no such thing as public right; and be contended
that this was a very serious error. In in fact, este,-
lished a monopoly in the landowners egainat the public
right, and so the Learned Judge announced from the
beach who tried certain persons at Waterford'for ire
fringing its provisiene. That learned person, in point
of fact, gave it as his opinim that the
provisions of the Bill repealed the rights of the people in
relation to fisheries as they were explained and conferred
in Nltigna Cearte. The law as it now stood went urn
the theory of non intetference by Government. It was
indeed left to the pub,ic w see that it was properly en-
forced. and the cones quome was it was never enforced at
51. Now this detect in the law ought to be immediately
remedied, tied a Bill pissed to give the upper pro-
prietors 0 t the Irish streams the same inducement to
preserve the fish that were et.joyed by the proprietors
on the lower waters. The 11th and 12:h Vic-
toria, rehting to this branch of the bubj,et.
he readily admitted had worked exceeiingly:..well,
and all he wanted the House to do was to extend and
enlarge its provisions. The Act of the Hon. Member
far Youghall was also an insproiement upon the old sys-
tem; but still, notwiths,anding 41 these remedial changes
in the law, the qaantity of fish in the Irish waters
had of late years very a. riously diminished. The
Gentleman then procetee 1 to read vestiges from the
annual reports of the Iri,h Fisbery C,:mmiasion, with
the view of showing that although there bad, since
1842 b en an inerease in the supply of fi,h, yet the in-
crea%e d d not proceed From the fruitful character of the
waters, but from the facilities which the detective stele
of t-e- tie -dford (.1 ;o p te me diaries the
decrease on the take of salmon had been 50 eer cent ,
white she Westpo'r district was the only one woich
showed any ied c:.t nof an increase. (Thies Hun Gen-
tleman proceeded e, read an (xtract in order to show
that, at present, du lee the tu.oths ui Juce and July,
when salmon is m st f,l-ntiful in the Dublin market,
the prices had ris• n since the Act 1842. Irons three-
pence or tourpence per pound t, one shilling.) The
amendments and unproven:l.M* on the old law pie-
po‘; d in the present Bie he could, from practice)
knowledee of the subject, receminend as advantageous
in all respects, purticuletly in or.;.ing the mouths of the
rivers for the tree ingress of the fish. It was his epieion
that it the Guy. rnment thought it their duty to reject
this BM without a lair inquiry, they would not be acting
in the way • hich he had a tight to exp et, and be would
implore all Members, whether Irish or Scotch, to assist
in a measure which would bring credit upon themselves
and prosperity upon their ellow-crearures.
Lorrl NA AS complimented the Hon. Member upon the
diligence and in'orma,tion which be brought to bear upon
this question. He, himself, would yield to no one in the
interest which he felt in the settlement of this very im-
portant and difficult question. In 1842 an Act on this
subject was passed, which repealed tweuty-six former
Acts,t and formed a new fishery code. Since that
time six new Acts had been p ased on the same
subject, and he was not prepared to say thet the
prea.nt state of legisletton was saiisfactery. Of late
years it we; underned that there had been a great
decrease in the value of the se!mori fisheries, which
some
Perw'fis attributed to the Act w- 1842, some to the
increase of drainage, some to the hillier" of 6.!11 in the
spawn bed, and Others to the brevity of elute fisheries.
Whatever was
there had be n over fishing
the cause it was undoubted that
the number o' to ii:considereble extent, and
rspidly decreasing. Ile admit ed
that legistenve
but he Certainly woala'ri 'Telco ight necessary,
of legislationtio. give his eonseut to the me-
thodPrh°,hPc''e3 the Hun. Gentleman,
the chief feae are et w
aitogetr—the„ the awa one in-
teresth, 4* to sweep y
& Stake- weir o muere
would be undoabtelly
m,asure the rY
for the G ;cerement to
introduce some
terlect, but it would be
one to effsct all interests regally, and he could not help
!plying th at in his opinion ens ~f the chief tri,aus to be
atk,rEil must be to leeleheit
season. The Bat of the dien,period of the clmie
was not cane :o which he could 7.13vi11e Gentleman
houho;.dretmheanthhad i s
iupporr, card constd.rog that the his undivided
attention fixed upon the subject,
t°r
thehe prtet"ent'H".
Gentleman wou'd postpone this
Mr. MONS ELL was glad thatWSßeeill
part,
Government
opposed this Bill, bi cause, for his own
Ireland
dttrtio-
bated the We alarm irg decrease of fish
legislation. By some mysterious influence the fish
seemed to retreat before the advances of that House.
Mr. SCULLY said that the great want. felt in Ireland
was want of lands—(Laughter)—he meant want of
funds to improve these tisheries. Scotlaed had a gea„t
of 14,000/, per annum for the purpose of improving the
deep sea fisheries, and the river fisheries were of quite
e inactivi:y of the
as much imp' Trance to Island as the deep sea fie series
were t) Scet:and. He ecmolained of
Fishery Board in ; they ho not only done no
good, but in setae instances had even (lane harm,
and* considerably injured the ti.shA..es, and thwarted
the efforts of privet(' persona. He thought that Ga.
vernment alone could successfully legislate on this sub-
ject, and he hoped chat the Hon. Member for Donegal
would withdraw the measure for the present.
Mr. H. HERBERT also recommended the with-
drawal of the Bill, and hoped that the Government
would turn its attention towards this important subject.
He also must bear testimony to the injudicious and
arbitrary conduct of the Fishery Commissioners; and
not only had they frequently been guilty of local and
individual injustice, but they bad failed even at that
price to produce any general and universal benefit to the
fisheries.
Captain JONES said that he thought the great
reason of the decrease in the Irish fisheries was the
shortness of the chose season, and the best means of
remedying the present evil would be to lengthen the'
close season. If the Hon. Gentleman did nut withdraw
the Bill he should move that it be read a second time
this day six months.
Sir W. SOMERVILLE expressed his hope that the
Bill would be weihdrawn. He was rejeiced to hear that
it was the intention of the Goverment to bring forward
some measure on the subject. The great and continued
decrease.n in the Irish fisheries was a point of great irue
oe. and it behoved all Irish Members to du their
Het to reeve,
He was _ e the cause which led to their falling off.
such g„:l.°Lbimself so much inclined to believe that
tending 01,717041:etagea would be found to result from ex-
pert of the evil harm], but be thought that a great
p.aceupen the
Mr. WeerrEsiaeulted from the legislation of 1842.
taken
..to aeght the legislation which had
very instructive :xtbSeet of Irish fisheries furnished
number of Acts had tO the House. A considerable
sent Bill, which wise pre:de?' beenpassed., and the pre-
statutes, contained to less tVana' to consolidated former
that previous legislation hadlr6o denies. Ha admitted
ful, but he doubted whether eve j, b, ',en. very success.
Impossible that
nature in producing something. /I`..."ltion would assist
a measure of such great magnitude -"-
discussed and passed in the present 1,4=k1 be perfectly
as it did with rights guaranteed by Aaarue .rsinterfering
No doubt it was exedient that an inquu.,.• -4„ruliaraent.-
a_tituhd to ascertain- OSPlet.9f 7d6,-.4t, beJ in
144194 Ireland, gad ihe liegibir—r 'wow ni
. aft, _