The Sun.
London, England, 1846-03-30 00:00:00

THE CARRICK COAST HERRING
AND WHITE FISHERIES.
(From the Ayr Advertiser.)
Shortly after New Year's Day those fish of passage,
sod, ling &c., oame, from far away seas, in large, and,
tip to liarch, increasing numbers to our shores. In
their wake came shoals of herrings, and in pursuit of '
both, the porpoises (delpliinus phcevena), locally called
the herring-hog or stmur, a large fish of the whale kind,
and prized by the fishers for its oil. Over all, the sea-
birds swarm in immense numbers. They are among
the first to descry the approach of a shoal, and
from Ailsa Rock, their old ocean fortalice, sally
forth to share the spoil with the fishermen. The
wild ducks and sea gulls will float along the sur-
face, and with a rapid, off-hand impulse, dive down
upon their prey ; but the gannet, or solon goose, re-
quires to gain a sufficient impetus by darting Gown from
a height, when his keen eye detects his glittering prize,
the herring. So also does the scart or cormorant. The
shoal of herrings has now left the bank at Ballantrae,
after having been upon it for about a fortnight, during
which, as the weather was highly favourable, an immense
quantity has been taken. There was a ready demand for
them upon the spot by Irish smacks, so that the
money realised must have been very great—moderately
estimated at 2,0001. About an hundred boats were en-
gaged in the fishing, some of which had two shots per
day, with 100 hundreds each shot. Such a day's take at
2s. a hundred would amount to 20/. The Irish smacks
roil the herrings, and find a profitable market for them
at home, where Lent keeping makes a virtue of the ne-
cessity which little money imposes to use the cheap fish
diet. It was one of the absurd encouragements of the
old grotecting bounty system to make Lent-keeping coin-
pursory under civil as well as church penalties.
It is encouraging in the present attempt to remove
such injurious props from another branch ojeour national
industry, that since the withdrawal of Bounties-Only
some twenty years ago) the produce of our fisheries has
doubled. Few fish were caught, when men trusted to
the bounties and not to their own exertions. Indeed,
the vessels were many of them rigged out to catch
the bounties, and not the fish. ,These vessels would be
fitted out with an imposing apparatus of old barrels,
rotten nets, &c., and although few or no fish were
caught or looked for, the bounty being paid on the ton-
nage, together with what smuggling could be done by the
way, made the trip pay well. Now that there 15 a
fair field and no favour, the wholesome and invigorating
effects of self-reliance are seen in vastly increased exer-
tions and produce, and improved methods. In the teeth
of these and many more such facts the Government may
and evidently do feel sperfectly satisfied with their
wholesome measure of letting the landowners lean to
their own weight, of not allowing them to persist in
being the national cripples, propped by or carried on
the backs of ...very one else. That wholestune
self-
reliance Oich has been so good for our'fieheries will
also stireulato our farmers. When the boinitha were
maintained to enable our fis hers to compete with foreigners,
esp-Tially the Dutch, the complaint was, " we fish intole-
rably dear, and the Dutch exceedingly cheap," so that
really protection is in all its phases a stale old fallacy of
hich stout men should be ashamed. Now that everybody
se es that this protection and all its sophisms are blown
off, and its naked partiality and selfishnes, its direct
variance to the common sense, interest, and experience
of tie nation are palpable to all, it is surprising that
shr( wd men don't quickly throw it overboard to save
refl, eons. Wo are now civilised enough to repudiate
extron 3 selfishness, and to subscribe to the hearty cos-
mopolite maxims—" all true interests are one"—" self-
love And social are the same ;" and Christian enough to
see the fitness and general wholesomeness of looking not
solely to one's own things, but also to the things of
others—all approaches to those golden rules of love and
duty, not yet attained to in our age.

COURT OF COMMON COUNCIL.
On Thursday a Court was held for the dispatch of public
business.

THE CHARITABLE TRUSTS BILL.

Mr. HARTLEY (the Chairman of the Parliamentary Com-
mittee) broug up the report for presenting a petition to
the House of Edecis against the Charitable Trusts Bill. It

stated, that the'Coniiittee having deliberately perused and
considered the bill, were of opinion, that it was unjust in
its provisions, and unconstitutional in its operation; that
the authority. thereby proposed to be given to the commis-
sioners and inspectors was too extensive, and without ap-
peal ; that no provision was made for the publicity of the
proceedings of the commissioners or inspectors ; that all
charities which came under its survey would be obliged to
contribute to the expense of the commission, whether abuses
in the administration of the funds existedor not ; and that
the power of the commissioners to remove trustees was
greater than was necessary, and might be applied to party
or political purposes ; and that the Committee, therefore,
directed the Remembrancer to prepare a draft of a petition to
the House of Lords.

A short discussion, in which strong opposition was ex-
pressed to the Bill, took place, and the report was agreed to
by a large majority; as was the petition which was drawn up
by the Remembrancer.

BLACKFRIARS KEE, V. THE CORPORATION AND WATERMEN

OF TILE CITY.
Upon the the motion of Mr. T. H. HALL, the report of the
Navigation Committee, on the frequently discussed subject
cf the Blackfriars-bridge Pier, was taken into consideration.
The report, after describing all that had been done by the
Corporation for the accommodation of the public, concludes
with the following paragraph :
" Your Committee have anxiously exerted themselves to
carry out effectually the wishes of this Court, that a safe and
commodious pier should be erected for the accommodation of
the public, and they are desirous that the access thereto
should have been equally and fairly secured for the general
benefit. Your Committee regret that the eagerness of com-
petition, and the pursuit of private interests have interferred
with these intentions, and prevented in some degree the
general advptage which was proposed by the Court.
'Your CoMmittee cannot close the report without expressing
an anxious hope that the differences amongst the steam -boat
proprietors, at present impeding the realization of their desire
to afford to all, without distinction, a great public conve-
nience, may at no distant period cease; and that the object
of the Corporation, having been obviously to check individual
interest. and solely for the benefit of all classes of the public,
may yet be fulfilled, and afford that satisfaction which your
Committee confidently anticipated would result from the
liberal expenditure involved, the consideration given, and the
exertion demfed to the attainment of the object in view."
Mr. HALL stated that the alteration which it had been
found necessary to make in' the newly-constructed pier, for
the more complete protection of human life, caused a con-
siderable increase of expenditure; and he was happy to
be able to state, that within the last two days the City had
arrived at a perfect understanding with the company, which
had before departed from the arrangements at the pier, so
that there would no longer be ground of difference of opi-
nion.—( Hear, hear.)
The report, which recommended a grant of money not
exceeding 1,1001. for payment of bills for extra works in
erection of the pier, was then agreed to, and sent back to
the Committee to be carried into effect.

A report for providing funds for the improvement of
Smithfield-market, by the sale of stock in the Court of
Chancery, applicable to the purchase of freehold property,
was brought up and agreed to, and sent back to the Corn.
niittee, to be carried into effect accordingly.