The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-04-24 00:00:00

feeling of benevolence which does him honour, Capt. Fayre
has placed at the entrance a box for " donations towards th
funds of the Northern Hospital, in, behalf of injured sea-
men." During the few minutes I was on board, one gentle-
man, who had visited the ship with some ladies, to the great
delight of her gallant commander, deposited a sovereign for
the benefit of " poor Jack."

THE CLARENCE DOCK,
a dock for the fine Glasgow and Irish steam boats, is the last ;
but I must conclude, (having already too far extended this
mere sketch of the docks), by, in the mean time, inviting
your readers to visit the cabins of the Glasgow vessels in
particular. It is impossible to conceive any thing more
costly, more gorgeous, or more beautiful.
TIE. PRINCE'S PIER.

I returned by this delightful esplanade, which is, I should
think, nearly half a mile in length. The haze had dispersed,
and the wind had.veered to the NNE.. The larger vessels,
towed out by steamers, had long disappeared round the Rock,
or were but faintly distinguishable beyond the Formby Light-
ship. A new scene however arose. The tide was running
down ; and brigs, schooners, sloops, and small craft, to the
number of upwards of a hundred, spread their utmost can-
vas to the heading breeze,.and beat down the river,—tacking
as they neared either shore, and presenting, as it were, a
picture of " things" that " walked the waters as if full of
life." The wind, though adverse to get out of the river, (a
few miles only), was, however, fine and fair for a run to sea,
when the Rock was doubled. The pier was lined by prome-
naders nearly throughout its whole extent, and, taking all
into account, the metropolis produces no such delightful
prospect of land and water—the Thames being, in this
respect, " beggared " by the Mersey.

THE BRITISH FISHERIES.

COPY OF LETTER TO JOSEPH_ HUME, ESQ., MP„

Sir,—A convention between her Majesty and the King of
the French, having been entered into at Paris in August last,
allowing foreign vessels to fish within three miles of our
shores, I take the liberty of addressing you on the subject, to
state freely my opinion, that this convention is a wrong mea-
sure, and most injurious to the interests of this country. The
parties in the first instance interested, have not been con-
sulted ;—it has been entered into in face of, and contrary to
the expressed opinion of the fish-curers and fishermen of
nearly all Scotland ; also, of some fishing ports in England,
from whom memorials were sent in 1836, to the Right lion.
the Lords of the Committee of Privy Council for Trade,
shewing, " That our fishermen are prevented from shooting
their nets on the best fishing ground, owing to its being pre-
viously taken up by foreign vessels, whose weighty nets they
dare not contend with,—thus they wrest the produce of our
rich coasts from us, and oppose our merchants in the markets
with fish taken from our very doors. To remedy this, your
memorialists would humbly submit to your lordships, that
no foreign fishing vessels, fitted out for the purpose of catch-
ing or curing het rings, cod, hake, or any other kind of fish,
be allowed to approach nearer the coasts of Great Britain
than nine leagues."
Now, sir, instead of getting the protection prayed for in
abiive extract, we have our opponents legalized within three
miles of our shores, to the' injury of our valuable fisheries,
and the decrease of our best nursery for seamen.
Our most productive fishing ground lays without the dis-
tance limited by said convention, thus placing foreigners on,
and keeping natives from the best fishing ground ; and if
foreign fishing vessels increase as they have done for some
years back; they will form a wall of nets around our coasts,
where the shoals of herrings approach the shores in the
spawning season, so that the herrings will be diverted from
their course, and our native boats prevented from catching
them, owing to the choice ground being previously taken up
by foreigners, who are at sea continually, and of consequence
select the best fishing ground, ere our native boats can get
out to where the shoal is, and when they get to it they. dare
not shoot a net where they see the appearance of the fish—and
for what ? Just because it is previously taken up by foreign-
ers. I therefore call upon every member of the British par-
liament to restrict the distance to thirty miles at least off the
coasts ; and as they regard the good of their country and its
ultimate prosperity, both by sea and land, to enact quite the
contrary to this convention, viz., that no foreign fishing ves-
sel be allowed to fish within thirty miles of our coasts, inas-
much as our native boats often require to go that distance
before they can fall in with the fish ; but if foreigners can
come within three miles, they have all the privileges we ought
to possess, as from being constantly at sea, they have an evi-
dent superiority over our boats by seeing the fish, and so
taking previous possession of the ground, and the position of
every approaching shoal. I would question the policy of al-
lowing such a fleet of fishing vessels to come so near our
coasts, if it were no more than the danger it is to the revenue
froth smuggling, and which no coast-guard could prevent.
Why should we, who possess the richest and most productive
fisheries in the world, be restricted in our operations, or
cramped in our commercial pursuits by any enactment, or for
the sake of any foreigners?
. . . .

Indeed I question the right to inflict such an injury on the
commimity at large,—an injury which is to deprive the poor
of employment,—an injury to every man, woman, and child,
by depriving them of food, and of security in a great measure
against dearth.
It has nursed seamen who have manned our fleets in time
of war. Who but the fishermen volunteered in 1801 to bring
home the Danish fleet from Copenhagen? But they will
dwindle away before this " Foreign Seamen Increasing
Measure:" I not only question the wisdom of government
entering into such a treaty, but to state that, according to
Wellwood, an ancient writer on Scotch law, that " an old
treaty existed between the Scotch and Dutch, that tjse latter
should not fish Within eighty miles of the shore."
But I.ask them, what have they got in exchange ? A li-
mited right to fish oysters on the coast of France, whereas
the best of the French oyster coast is exclusively preserved
for natives, (see article 9th of convention), a luxury in ex-
change for an unlimited right to fish for food,—is it possible?
and fostering a nursery for foreign seamen to the manifest
ruin of our own. Where there is a mutual coast, such as
there is in the English Channel, it may be very well to enter
into such a convention as the present ; hut what coast have
the French, where we can get a single fish to give us in ex-
change for the privilege of our rich coasts of nearly 2,000
miles ? Therefore let it he the business of parliament to pre
serve our fisheries inviolable, and 1 maintain it is the imme-
diate duty of government to make them invulnerable, by re-
stricting:, foreigners to the distance of 30 miles at least, and
open to an increased distance, as the wants of the coun-
try, or the shifting of the fish may require, (surely they had
thought cod, haddocks, and herrings, adhered to the bottom
like oysters, when they entered into such a treaty,) or in
case of an improved mode of sailing or steaming to the fish-
ing ground. At present, our boats go and return above 30
miles with fresh fish,—and I maintain that we have the right,
and ought to }fie decidedly protected from all foreign intrusion
within the distance we can go and return with fish fresh, and
fit for food to our markets. Why should the people be de-
prived of such a blessing? Is the luxury of an oyster feast
to be compared for one moment to the food of millions, and
are the riches and abundance of the British Seas to be given
in exchange for anything ? / say no. Why the Dutch long
ago boasted of having sold herrings to the amount of 2,000,000
guilders taken in one year from the British Seas, not calcu-
lating other kinds of fish, nor fish taken by the natives. Pro-
tect our fisheries for 30 miles, and they will so increase, as to
add a stimulus to commerce hitherto known.

The herrings and cod fisheries alone, by the report of the
board of fisheries for last year shows, 50,238 fishermen and
boys employed, and that the total number of persons em-
ployed therein, was 83,652; this does riot include the vast
i
number of seamen employed n vessels carrying the tish to
market,—now, we would double this number in a very short
time if we had the protection we require. It is well known
that a great deal of the poorest land in Scotland has been
brought into a most beneficial state of agriculture by the
use of the refuse of the fisheries.
I trust, sir, this may he the means of arousing the mem-
bers of parliament to look, into, and sec the bearings of this
measure and enact otherwise. _

" In October, 1609, King James I. issued a proclama-
tion, prohibiting foreign nations from fishing on. the coasts
of Great Britain ; and, accordingly, the Dutch, the subse-
quent year, made a treaty with him, agreeing to pay a certain
sum for liberty to fish in the British seas."—Salmon's
Chronology, vol. 1, page 96.—Anderson's History cif Com-
merce, vol. 1, page 478.
" In 1636, King Charles I. issued a similar proclamation,
prohibiting all persons, not his natural born subjects, from
fishing on the coasts and seas of Great Britain and Ireland,
without a special license first obtained from his Majesty,—
(—Rymer's Fcedera, vol. xx. page 15,)—and the Dutch ac-
cordingly paid £30,000 for liberty to fish that summer."—
Rushirorth's Col. 322.

Vattel says—" If a nation have on their coast a particular
fishery of a profitabl.l nature, and of which they have become
masters, shall they not be permitted to appropriate to them-
selves that bounteous gift of nature, as an appendage to the
country they possess, and to reserve to themselves the great
advantage which their commerce may thence derive, in case
of their being a sufficient abundance of fish to supply the
neighbouring states?"Dorninicum Maris, 129.
Bodinus says—" By the common law of all maritime na-
tions, the right of fishing extends 'to the distance of thirty
leagues from the coast."—Bod. de Rep. lib. i. cap. 10
I am, Sir, your most obedient servant,
(Signed) JAMES METHUEN, Fish-curer.
Leith, 31st March, 1840.

" THIS WERE TO REASON!._ LIKE A CHILD OR

A WOMAN."

(By a Champion of her Sex)
[The following playful effusion is worthy of diffused pub-
licity. It was provoked by one of those vain or thoughtless
expressions escaping from the mouth of a youthful preacher,
by which the dignity and respect of " bright woman" were
disparaged by that hackneyed commonplace and puerile com-
parison—" this were to reason like a child or a woman."
Apart from our standing toast being " Dear Woman," our
opinion is, that some girls, and a great many women, reason
more logically, and with greater acumen, than arrogant
talkers of the opposite sex. But hear our lady-like corre-
spondent.]
To reason like a child, indeed ;
With them to class bright woman!
It skews the preacher ungallant,
And manners unbecoming.
St. Paul, 'tis true, is rather strict
With maidens young and gay,
And with a wanton widow
He can't at all away.
But you, good sooth, to hold the sex
In such contempt at all,
We do not think it proves your sense,
For--you are not St. Paul.
That miserable, in bachelor's plight,
You'll spend your cheerless life,
And find, too late, your pulpit speech
Has robbed you of a wife,—
We new light ladies, one and all,
In earnest hope and pray it :
Oh, silly—lost—unhappy man,
What moved you there to say it!

EXECUTION AT FLINT.—The execution of the unhappy
convict, Edward Jones, took place on Saturday, at twelve
o'clock. At the time of our entering the gaol, we found the
Rev. Mr. Brown, the chaplain of the gaol, the Rev. Mr.
Evans, of Nerquis, and the Rev. Mr. Philips, were with the
convict administering to him the comforts of religion. The
prisoner has throughout exhibited the utmost attention to the
exhortations of the rev. gentlemen, and has expressed him-
self deeply grateful for their kindness shown towards him.
Mr. Roskell, the magistrate, visited the convict about ten
o'clock in the morning, by his desire. Shortly before twelve,
Mr. Pritchard, the governor of the gaol, went to him, and
requested him to prepare for execution. The unhappy man
rose from his bed, and dressed himself with great firmness;
being presented with a shirt, he requested to have his own
shirt, and described it to Mr. Pritchard, who immediately
went and fetched it to him. About twelve o'clock the exe-
cutioner pinioned his arms in his cell, and he walked forth,
preceded by the clergymen, who read the burial service in
Welsh. The unhappy man was supported by the executioner,
and Copeland, the Ilolywell police constable ; the under-
sheriff and two or three gentlemen following. In this order,
the mournful procession moved on to the fatal drop. When
the executioner had adjusted the rope, the rev. gentlemen
took leave of the convict, shaking him by the hand. He was
asked if he had any thing to say : on his replying that he had
not, the cap was drawn over his face, the attendants retired ;
the bolt was drawn, and the wretched man was launched into
eternity.—Abridged from the Chester Gazette.
Lord Lyndhurst is convalescent, and has gone to Wighton
where he will remain during the Easter recess.