The Sun.
London, England, 1868-02-20 00:00:00

EUROPEAN FISHERIES.

In the Revue Populaire we find an article by
Dr. Bader, from which we glean the following
curious facts concerning Norwegian and Italian
fisheries. On the coast of Norway cod-fish is so
abundant that the fishermen measure the depth
of the shoal by means of the plumb-line, in
order to know how deep their nets are to be
sunk, that none of their victims may escape. Cod-
fishes exported from Norway in enormous quanti-
ties, either simply salted, when it is called klip-
fiscb, or salted and driel in the sun, in summer,
when it goes by the name of stockfisch. The
female of this species of fish produces about nine
millions of eggs, the greater proportion of which
is used as a bait for pilchards and sardines.
Much of it is exported to the western coast of
France and sold to the French fishermen there.
As to herrings, upwards of a million of barrels are
annually exported from Norway, while in France the
quantity prepared for sale scarcely exceeds 150,000
barrels. Salmon and mackerel are also caught in Nor-
way in large quantities for exportation, but not much
for home consumption, for the Norwegian chiefly
lives on ray, lobster, ling, and plaice. The number
of fishermen in Norway is stated at 30,000; in
France at 56,000 ; and in Italy at 16,000 only.
On the Italian coasts thunny, mackerel, eels,
and pilkihards are the staples of the fishing trade,
and form an important item of exportation
Thunny and mackerel are sometimes pickled
but the eggs of the former are salted and sold
under the name of pottarga. Eel fishing chiefly goes
on in the lagunes of Comacchio and at the mouth of
the Po. The communications between this river
and the lagune are opened annually on the 2d of
February ; the young fry, just hatched, of the eel-tribe
then obey the instinct which impels them to go up
the current, and so get into the basins, where they
stay and grow until October. At this time of the
year, by another instinct, they follow a contrary
direction, but are stopped on their way by a multitude
of enclosures prepared for their reception, where they
get so packed as to form, as it were, a solid mass
appearing above water. Italy has 9,522 boats,
forming an aggregate of 29,976 tons, for the small
fishing ,trade, and about 800 boats of somewhat
greater tonnage for the large fisheries.

MANX OF FRANCE.
PARIS, Feb. 13.
The following is the return of the Bank of France
for the week ending to-day, together with the cor-
responding figures of the previous account :

DEBTOR.
Feb. 13.

Feb. 6.

fr. c. fr. c.
Capital of the Bank.... 182,500,000 182,500,000
Profits in addition to

capital (Art. 8, Law,
June 9, 1857) 7,044,776 02 7,044,776 02
Reserve of the Bank
and its branches 22,105,750 14 22,105,750 14
Reserve of landed pro-
perty
Notes in circulation
Banknotes to order and

receipts payable at
sight 34,097,587 28 33,659,143 23
Treasury account cur-
rent creditor 72,405,215 73 68,631,036 05
Current accounts, Paris 374,036,898 59 866,545,723 l 0
Do. branch banks 43,437,142 44,202,204
Dividends payable 1,704,995 75 1,959,988 75
Discounts and sundry
interests
Rediscounted the last
six months 930,376 76 930,376 76
Surplus of receipts not
distributed —
Sundries

Total
CREDITOR.
Feb. 13. Feb. 6.
Cash in hand and in fr. c. fr. o
Branch banks 1,085,820,444 44 1,063,846,758 58
Commercial bills over-
due
Commercial bills dis-
counted, not yet due 241,524,611 97 245,875,994 75
Do. branch banks 227,093,016 231,109,788
Advances on deposit of
bullion
Do. branch banks .. .. . 11,143,077 11,211,877
Do. on French Public
Securities 12,066,700 1,230,800
Do. by branch banks 7,645,300 7,553,400
Do. on railway shares
and debentures
Do. branch banks
Do. on Credit Foncier
Bonds
864,000 —867,50 U
Do. branches
Do. to the State (Con-
vention, June 10,
1857) 60,000,000 60,000,000
Government Stock re-
serve 12,980,750 14 12,980,750
Do. disposable
Certified by the Senator Governor of the Bank of Franco.
(Signed) UOVIALITD.