The Sun.
London, England, 1839-09-03 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

MANS JUN- HO USE.
A case of importance to gentlemen who are in the habit
of angling on Sundays came on before the LORD MAYOR
yesterday. Some fishermen, who were on Friday last
charged with having fished in the night, and with unlawful
nets, and convicted, complained that the gentlemen anglers
of the Thames were constantly oppressing them, and
grudged then, every fish they caught, although they were
themselves constantly violating the law every Sunday
by Angling in the same river.
The LDRD MAYOR asked whether the fishermen had
observed any gentlemen fishing on the preceding Sunday,
and vihetirr on Sun:lays much fish was caught, to which
the defendants replied that they had seen several gentle-
men engaged in angling from boats on Sunday the 25th
of August, but were not acquainted with their names. They
however knew, they stated, the narees of the boatmen from
whose punts they fished, and with respect to the " catch"
elfish, it was frequently the case that a single amateur
caught from 130 to 150 pounds weight of fish, from which
fact his Lordship could make some calculation of the injury
done to those who were to fish to support their families on the
following day. His Lordship then said that the fishermen
should have fair play, and that if the gentlemen anglers
wete not produced, he should inflict the penalty upon the
owners of the boats, whom bis Lordship recommended the
fishermen to summon forthwith.
Yesterday being the day appointed for hearing the sum-
monses, the Justice-room was crowded with those who
were interested in the matter.
William' Kemp, a fisherman, was then charged with
having allinwed a gentleman to fish from his boat near Ted-
dingtou lock. on Sunday, the 25th of August.
A solicitor attended for the defendant.
John Deer, a fisherman, residiag at Brentford, stated
that he was bred and born a fisherman
The Solicitor—Da you not expect to have a share of
any penalties hich may be inlcted ?
Witness—Not at all. I don't want a share of the
penalties.
The Solicitor said he believed that the penalty was the

Loßc MAYO% declared that he was convinced that
th, men w 1,0 appeared in the case were influenced by no
such mo,ive,

The witness deposed that on the day specified, at about
'a quarter before one o clock, he saw three gentlemen in the
defendant's boat fishing. The defendant's servant was in
the boat with them, and was mixing up the groued bait to
draw the fish to the immediate neighbourhood of the boat.
The Solicitor said that he was himself an old fisherman,
and knew th it the prActice existed. The gentlemen were
trying to catch, and the man who accompanied them was
fiadi .g the fedi.
1 Mr. GoWham (the Clerk of Billingsgate Market) said
that en such occasions it wee also the practice for the man
to rake the bottom of the river to stir up the worms, in
order to entice the fish to the spot.
The LeRD MAYOR asked the Solicitor why he should
not convict iii a case so clear ?
The Solicitor aid that there were two grounds of tie-
' fence. The firth clause was to the following effect, that
no person shall fish with any net, or lay or haul any net,
or I.:y or use any net, cagine, or device whatever, to take
fi.h in ti.e Thames, front sunset on S nurday-night, until
s.;.n-rising on Monday morning, at any tame of the year,
i upon the penalty of forfeiting forty shillings for every
such offence." flee, r o Oct nor engine, nor device was
used on the occasion. It would, he submitted, Le very
hard ndeed, to out such a construction upon a rod and
lire us to place them wader that designation. The corn-
plainante, his Lordship should consider, provoked by the
condemnation of their nets on Friday, were now determind
to ply themselves by the division of the penalties which
they Kiticipeted against the defendant, who would not join
them in the unlawful practice for which they had suffered.
The gentlemen who had fished, and who if any offence
at all was committed were the guilty parties, were not
summoned.
The LORD Maarcia said that the Solicitor was quite
mistaken. The complainants whom he had on the occasion
alluded to convicted, distinctly stated to him, and he had
reason to believe them, that the gentleman anglers who
most loudly cried out against them, took such an immense
quantity of fish onSundays as must seriously interfered with
their chances of success for the rest of the week, and they
thought it was only fair that if some men were punished
" for transgressing the law in one respect, those who com-
plained of that violation ought not to be spared when they
broke it themselves in another.
( The Solicitor said ibat the men who brought the charge
of angling on Sunday, were notorious for fishing with il-
legal nets, the most mischievous of all sorts of fishing.
The fact was, if the Lord Mayor convicted in this case,
numbers of gentlemen, who occupied themselves in this
most innocent and peaceable amusement on Sunday s, would
be greatly inconvenienced. Nothing could be more sober
or less tending to riot and debauchery than fishing.
The LORD MAYOR—These men du not complain of being
debarred amusement ; they say that the Sunday's amuse-
ment of these gentlemen fishermen deprives them of bread.
You say you are an old fisherman. Now if one gentleman
could pick up from 100Ibs. to 150Ibs. of fish on the Sun-
day, do you not think that 100 or 200 gentlemen might
diminish the stock of fish considerably ?
The Solicitor replied that he did not think any angler
caught so much at all as 100 lbs. of fish on a Sunday. It
was, however, in the power of the fishermen every other
day. He pressed in a very urgent manner the propriety
of allowing the gentlemen to continue their amusement on
the Sabbath, and argued that his Lordship's hostile inter-
ference would deprive many gentlemen of a great deal of
plea.ure,
The LORD MAYeß—What do you suppose was the object
of those who made the Act? Was it to give the fish a
holiday ?—( A laugh.)
The Solicitor—The object, I know, was to prevent the
violation of the Sabbath day, by the drawing of nets and
the use of those engines and devices of which the Act
speaks, but I submit that it has no reference to angling in
the way in which it is carried on in the Thames. Besides
my client was not in the boat at all.
The LORD MAYOR—How will you get over the clause
53, which states that any person who lends or lets out his
boat for hire to be used tor fishing, shall be answerable for
and liable to pay all such money as shall be forfeited by the
breach of any of the orders by the person using or occupying
the boat ? It is quite absurd to speak in this way—to talk
of gentlemen's amusement as being a more important
consideration with me than the livelihood of poor men and
their families. DEPARTURE OF THE BRITISIT QU-TEN
STEAM SHIP.—On Sunday this large and powerful steam
vessel, commanded by Lieutenant Robarts, R.N., sailed
from Gravesend for New York, with nearly a full comple-
ment of passengers, and, a valuable cargo.
DR. CHANNING S REMARKS ON ENGLAND.
—England is a privileged nation. On one part of her
history she can look with unmixed self-respect. With the
The Solicitor said that former Lord Mayors had by their exception of the promulgation of Christianity, I know not
conduct given a sanction and authority to the practice. a moral effort so glorious as the long, painful, and victo-
The LORD MAYOR--I am not obliged to be led by the rious struggle of her philanthropists against that concen-
authority of any other Chief Magistrate. I judge for tey. tration of all horrors, cruelties, and crimes, the slave
self in every case that is brought before me. trade. Next to this, her recent Emancipation Act, is the
The Solicitor had no doubt of the independent feeling of most signal expression afforded by our times of the pro-
his Lordship, but he supposed that his Lordship might be {tress of civilization and a purer Christianity. Other
disposed to follow the precedent in such a case. At all rations have won imperishable honours by heroic sting-
events, if the penalt were to be inflicted, it would be only gles for their own rights; but there was wanting the ex-
fair that the gentleman who fished should pay it. ample of a nation espousing with disinterestedness, and
The LmOltel!amidst great obstacles, the rights of those who had no
Nwla. toosa—Let the gentleman be produced,
and the
claim but that of a common humanity, the rights of the most
halts; we
ennly
wanthe boats were used will escape the pe-
fallen of the race. Great Britain, loaded with an unpreceden-
the gentlemen.—( Laughter.)
The Solieitor—l differ from your Lordship as to the ted debt, and with a grinding taxation, contracted a
opinion that the gentle en have violated the law; bet my new debt of a hundred million of dollars, to' give freedom
client will procure their names, and no doubt your Lord- not to Englishmen, but to the degraded African. This
ship will have an
opportunity of hearing the whole of the was not an act of policy, nor a week of statesmen. Par-
merits.
The LORD MAY
oft—The defendant is fined 40 shillings _l_s
ine aent but registered the edict of tbe people. The Eng
li h nation, with one heart and one voice, under a strong
if he do not discover and bring befor, me, within seven dace
after the complaint made aga - Christian impulse, and without distinction of rank, sex,
mat him of the breach of the law. That is the the
e offenders built} party, or religious names, decreed freedom to the slave.. I
Mr. HOWER observed that the fi,heurnderstanding: know not that history records a national act so dim-
In the progress of ages, England's
for their families had for several years bee necnonwsth,,notiwy oerokined.
navaltereSt e
triumphs
s o sublime...
will shrink into a more and more narrow
plaining of the Sunday amusement of then gentlemen whose space,
pleasure they considered to be death to them. whilst, in the records of our race, this moral triumph
will fill a broader, brighter, page. Is not England, re-
The LORD MAYOR—I have tied down all these
..
men who support their families by fishing to the s- • in the name
poor presenting as she does in this case, the civilized world,
strict authorized, and even bound to remonstrate,
observance of the law. I have ply on additional aasistantt of humanity and religion,
to great
tit work-1 for
which
water-bailiffs to watch and follow them at all hours, in
I
order to prevent illegal fishing, and any thing calculated
destroy the brood an I expect that by carrying out these A.
VENERABLE.y postponed ?
Excise Assistants, toiled is to be in-
sheaghaaisnsstoalorrinegasure by which the
measures rigidly, I shall enable them all to get a comfort- 44
individuals who in as her Majesty s H p
FUNCTIONARY.—Among the
were sworn
able living ; but if 100 or 200 gentlemen dedicate their
Sundays to the occupation, and catch to the enormous ninetieth year hadthat I'.
walked Leominst, r
extent described, how can these men stand against such a his native . morning from
was John N•whiod, who although in 1 is
Pie ce' and appeared more bale and beat ty than
competition ? many of Li brother offi • juniors by score.
Lers, who are his
Another fisherman, named Thomas Dear, was then of years. Newton is apotter
a striking illustration of 'e
..
charged :with a simiLr cfnnee,3 and was held in similar of ternperaree and industry in the Preservation of health
responsibility. and the pr 1 o.ctia- ri of l• . . , i-
... on life, informant has KnoWn
Our
The LORD MAYOR—If you don't both • preduce the par- him as a fulhgrown *
ties who had your boats, 3ou shell certainly be fined. .Flereford Times. man for upwards of 65 years..--
The defendants expressed a hope that the Lord Mayor DESPERATE ASSAULT ----A man named Ben-
( prevent fishing on the Sunday all through rils juris- jamin Staines, living at 5- ~
o, Chureh-street, Whitechapel,
1 eletion, that the fishermen on the liver might be upon was on Saturday taken i
« qnal termsnto custody by
• for having fractured the skull of hi
Jamey K,,,,
R son a
, young man
p anti Amos Kemp were held responsible
-- about twenty-five years of age. h far the a!appears that a quarrel
po itte ce of the gentleman who angled from their I took placi• relative to fam;ly
boats.
W -
led to blows
e understood that s-v, lof 'h
were e.,, aids, when the elder matter,,Staines which
.:1 venal ,, e gentry
emongst those who aneled
• Seedry the th ult and / the head with a pair of tongs. The latter
tt at On Sunday last not one wa ' - - •'
was conveyed
sto be seen o the upper f to the London Hospital, and his recovery is at present
part ef the river eneeiged in that ameserrient. I deemed hopeless.