The Sun.
London, England, 1863-06-22 00:00:00

Billingsgate Fishmarket and Trawling.

(COMMUNICATED BY H. DEMPSTER.)
Two important questions is at present agitating the minds
of many persons in the North. One is, the advantages that
will arise to improve the conditions of fishing communities,
and fishery extension upon sound principles, by adopting
the wholesale fish marketing system at all considerable sea-
port towns, with rules and regulations similar to those ob-
served at Billingsgate wholesale market; the other is, the
question brought before the House of Commons latterly, to
put down trawl net fishing. With respect to the first of
these two questions, and which is unquestionably of the
greatest importance, the wholesale marketing system is
the grand desideratum, to work out the reform so
much required. Labour being properly divided,
namely,—producers, wholesalesmen, and retail dealers,
with a regulation that all fish captured, shellfish as
well as white fish, must be sent in the first place to
a wholesale market to be rouped off there is lots by
licensed wholesalesman to retail dealers ; the whole question
of fishing extension and fish market improvement will then
very soon correct itself. When the wholesale fish market-
ing system is fully established by authority, there are plenty
of capitalists will build decked welled fishing craft, hire
crews for them, and send them to sea for cargoes of living
fish. The owner of a fishing craft, then, stands exactly
in the position of any other ship owner. He 11e5
nothing to do with the disposing of fish cargoes brought',.
to port; that is the duty of the salesman or broker. The
salesman roups off the fish to the best advantage
for the vessel's owner's interest, and sees the fish are ol
sound healthy condition, before disposing of them for
public consumption. Where there is no wholesale fish
marketing system, fishermen regulate the time of catching'
fish, and the method of selling their produce, to suit their Oyu
convenience, style of living, and notions of liberty, freedoras
and independence. It is the open-boat-along-shore fisher-
men that; are farthest behind in all their customs and modes
of operation ; and it is all in consequence of the cluineY,
slovenly, irregular, and filthy manner the fisheries are ea"
tied on by open boats that few respectable capitalists care
about embarking in the trade. With a general whole-
sale fishmarketing system at all large sea-port towns,
the advantages arising would very soon be appreciated,
and like all speculations that does create emulation, we
would very soon see plenty of desked welled fishing craft
cruising about in the middle of the German Ocean, the
proper battle ground for capturing fish, when they are
in a
strong, healthy, firm condition ; and the alongshore open
boat fisheries, the heroes who attack fish whilst on their
spawning beds, and destroys more spawn in one night than
all the deep sea fishers do in a twelvemonth ; that open
boat system of fishing will diminish as it should do, and
very soon become a thing of the past. Every fish captured
inshore full of spawn, millions are killed at the earn°
moment of time ; and all fish saptured immediately after
they have spawned are then in a condition unfit for human
food. As regards the question of trawl net fishing
there are various conflicting opinions on that subject. Sot°
fishermen affirm that in deep pits and hollows in the bottom
of the ocean where the bottom is mud, soles and other
description of ground fish do not spawn at such places ;
hey invariably resort to banks and hard bottom inshore t°
perform that function. Others affirm that fish spawn ea:
where all over the sea, Some fishermen say that sole Ss."'
are only to be captured by being trawled for with nets, r
they will not rise from the bottom to bite at a baited h°r,.."
Opposite parties say that is all a pack of nonsense, solo tts'
are to be captured by line and hook, adopting a particull
description of bait, just as well as any other description o
fish are taken by similar snares and traps. The most
of fishermen say that all fish proceed to deep water when
cold and stormy weather is approaching. The captain of
docked welled fishing smack, when cruising about in tne
German Ocean with a living cargo of fish on board-,
.
looked into the vessel's well for indications of approaching
bad weather, just as others would watch the rise and falloff
o
mercury in a weather-glass. When the captain savi tht
fish all seeking down to the bottom of the vessel's well, the'
was a sufficient indication to him there was to be a change_
of weather for the worse. It is only by practical experiena _
and deep investigation that ever any correct knowledge wit:
be obtained of the habits and seasons of salt water, dal
sea fishes.

AMERICAN STEAMERS DUE AT LIVERPOOL 115
WEEK.—There are three steamers due at Liverpool
this week with the mails from America. The Edinburgh?
which would leave New York on the 13th inst., and the
Jura, on the same day from Quebec, may be looked for ; the
former vessel at Queenstown on Wednesday, and the latter
at Londonderry to-morrow evening, The next Cunar4
steamer due is the Persia, which will no doubt reach cluce°s*.
town on the evening of Friday next. She will bring ad`
vices from New York to the 17th instant.
POISONING BY A DAUGIITER.—In March last
widow, named Mary Bailey, aged 51, died at Stocl3:'
port, and, being a member of the General Wesleyan
Assurance Society, her daughter also a widow, named A"`"i
Holt, obtained the sum of 1:0 from the secretary as hurl -f
money. It turned out, however, that the certificate
ged
membership had been obtained by Ho]t having Pas"
another woman before the doctor in the name of her mother.;
who was sick at the time, and confined to bed. Holt is not
awaiting her trial for this fraud. Since her committal dark
rumours have prevailed in the neighbourhood respecting..
Mrs. Bailey's death, and the body of the deceased was
tee)_
humed on Thursday week, and subjected to a post-mor
examination. An inquest was held on Saturday, when
Rayner said that arsenic had been found in every form
in quantities larger, than could be accounted for natur_lelYr
The body was literally saturated with that poison. AY
diet of wilful murder was returned.

NONE Y MARKET

AND
COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE.

CITY, TWELVE O'CLOCK.

The general money market still presents a very
Settled appearance, and the quotations are expected
to continue firm until the middle of next month,
'hen the dividends in Consols and other stocks
Will augment the available balance.

The Dover Castle has arrived with £108,268,
the Sunflower with £53,176 from Melbourne, and
the Sidon with £l,OOO from New York.
The accounts from the manufacturing districts for
the past week have generally been more satisfac-
tory. At Manchester, however, there has only been
a limited business transacted in cloths and yarns.
The woollen trade of Leeds, Bradford, and Hud-
dersfield has been more active, while symptoms
of improvement have been apparent in the hosiery
and lace departments at Leicester and Notting-
ham. Business in the hardware districts—viz., at
Birmingham, Sheffield, and Wolverhampton, has
remained without any material alteration as regards
prices.

The directors of the International Financial So-
ciety have made a call of £2 10s., payable on the
13th pros.
The total number of shares applied for in the
Egyptian Commercial and Trading Company is
270,000, while there are only 25,000 to allot.
The Indian Tramway Company have held a
Meeting to-day for the purpose of recommending
the payment of interest for the past half-year, and
to obtain the sanction of the shareholders to com-
mence operations at once, by constructing the short
line, of about 17 miles, connecting the important town
of Conjeveram, in the Madras Presidency, with
the Arconum junction of the Madras Railway.
The shareholders at their last meeting approved the
policy of making a short line, and the directors now
only require leave to apply it to the Arconum in
Preference to the Palej line, on which it was at
first contemplated to commence, both lines having
been selected as eligible, but from more recent
information, the advantages appearing to be in
favour of the former. The Madras Government
have already conceded the terms which the Board
consider sufficient for this experimental line, which
can be completed within from twelve to eighteen
Months, and will in no way interfere with the ar-
rangements in progress for the more extended
operations of the company, respecting which the
Board are in correspondence with the Government,
upon the basis of Sir J. Login's negotiations in
India.

Two o'CLocK.

At Paris this morning, according to Mr. Reuter's
telegram, the French 3 per Cent. Rentes were
inanimate at 68f.42c.

Rather more business has been transacted to-day
in the English Funds, but some sales of stock having
been pressed owing to the aspect of the Polish ques•
Lion, and the additional complications to which it
may give rise, a decline of per cent. took place
Consols being 911 92 for transfer, and 928 for the
account. The New Three per Centa. have been
91ti •a; Reduced Annuities, 911 4 ; and Bank Stock,
232 2338. India 5 per Cents. 1081, and the March
Exchequer Bills 3s. and 2s. die.

A decided decline has taken place in nearly all
the speculative Foreign Stocks recently so buoyant,
and the transactions reported record a superabun-
dance of sales. Turkish 6 per Cents., 1862, are
711, 11- ; ditto Consolides, 508 ~-7; Mexican, 371 ;
Greek, 368 1; ditto Coupons, 172 ; Spanish Pas-
sive, 341 Z; ditto Certificates, 121 Z-; Portuguese,
491 ; Italian, 721 a ; the Confederate Loan, 11 to
1 dis. ; and the New Venezuelan Loan, 11 to 1 dis.
In the Railway Share Market the dealings have
been been rather limited, and prices have shown
less firmness. Great Western, North Western, and
South Western have each declined about ss.

The Foreign and Colonial undertakings have re-
It:mined inactive at about previous rates.
Joint Stock Bank and Miscellaneous Shares
are dealt in to a fair extent without any material
'variation in prices. London and County realised
45 ; Chartered of India, Australia, and China, 29 ;
Crystal Palace Stock, 361 International Finan-
cial Shares are quoted 51 58 prem. ; London
Financial, 2 to 21 prem. ; General Credit, 1,1 ig
prem.; and Egyptian Trading Company, I=7;
I_a prem.

BRITISH FUNDS—ONIC O'CLOCK.
Bank Stock
3 per Cent. Reduced Annuities
3 per Cent. Consols Annuities
New 3 per Cent. Annuities
annuities, 30 yrs, expire ethlan., 1880 —
Ditto for 30 yrs, expire sth April, 1885 l5 141
India Stock
Ditto 5 per Cent lOBl 8
Ditto Debentures, 4 per Ct., Oct„ 1863
Ditto ditto April, 1864 100/
Ditto Bonds £l,OOO
Ditto under £l,OOO .............
Consols for Account, July 9 92
Mai
rch
Exchequer Bills, £l,OOO 21 per Cent... 2 3 dis
__....

Ditto L5OO —
Ditto Small
FOREIGN FUNDS—ONE O'CLOCK.
Brazilian 5 per Cent
Ditto 4i per Cent., 1852-68-60
Buenos Ayres 6 per Cent
Ditto Account
gyptian 7 per Cent loof i i
Greek 5 per Cent., 1824-5, ex-Coupons —
Ditto Account
Ditto Coupons
Italian 5 per Cent. (Maremmana Railway)
Mexican 3 per Cent
Ditto Account 371 i i 7
'New Granada
l'elliViall 41 per Cent.
Ditto 41 per Cent. 1862

Ditto Account 904
Portuguese 3 per Cent., 1853
Ditto 3 per Cent., 1856, '7, '9, '6O, 62 —
Ditto Account 494 a
Russian 5 per Cent., 1822, £ St —
Ditto 5 per Cent.. 1862 .. 93/
Spanish 3 per Cent
Ditto Passive
Ditto Account 341 *
Spanish Cert. of Coup not funded
Ditto Account..
Turkish 6 per Cent. 1854 —
Ditto Account 921
Ditto 6 per Cent. 1858
Ditto Account 7l 70i a
Ditto 6 per Cent. 1862
Ditto Account
Ditto 6 per Cent. 1863, £l9 16s 8d pd. Jt 1 pm
Ditto Guaranteed, 4 per Cent lO3
Dividends on the above payable in London.
Italian, 5 per Cent., 1861, Ex. 25 francs —
Ditto Account
Ditto Scrip, 1863, £l4 4s. paid 2/ pm

June

7 61
161

THREE O'CLOCK.
Consols, Money
.Ditto Account