The Statesman.
London, England, 1820-05-25 00:00:00

IRISH FISHERIES.

TLis is not, nor, as far as concerns the prospect of
an abundant harvest, is it likely to be a scarce season.
The earth will yield her manifold treasutes, and the
pr;ce of :neat must considerably decline, and the an-
nuitant, and the professional man, whose/m:tire Com-
tiaurr politer/dr, will no doubt he a gainer. Ile will
procure more of the necessaries of life for less money.
This condition is already felt by persons whose in-
collies are statiunary and permanent. In the country
towns of Ireland, we have been informed that a great
iellaction has already taken place, and that a wan way
now live better at two-thirds of the expense titan he
could four or five years ago. Even in Dublin the till
ference is felt, though not to the degree experivieed
in the country, and the process is going on in progres
site force. But, as we hare endeavoured to show more
than ones., the augmenting cheapness, while it t
prove ruinous to the holders tot land at the present'
culla wed rents, and with the present taxation, direct
and indirect, cannot be felt generally by the population
of the country. Their wages continue to decline in a
'bore than accelerated ratio to the price of provisions.
They hare increased SO much, and the demand for
manual labour has, in consequence of the nniyersal
' pressure, so much diminished, that they find themselves
almost destitute of what an Englishman would con-
sider the necessaries of in the ' Ist of plenty.
While other land is going down, the poor still pay a
high, and, viewing the thing without looking to its
consequences upon the land, an exorbitant rent for the
portion of the soil which is appropriated to the potatoes.
Under these circumstances, the liuverutnent of the
country have turned their eyes to the fisheries of Ire-
land. Our seas supply us with abundance of every
kind. Onr coasts swarm with the most delicate and
nutritive food. Hitherto they have been comparatively
neglected. The duties on salt, tie system of the l'us-
tom-house--the difficulties, the obstacles interposed
between the taking of the fish 'and their ultimate pre-
servation, have been such as to render the blessing, to
the extent that Providence bat enabled n 4 to profit by
it, nugatory. Mr. Grant's Bill removed several of
these impediments: the benevolence of th,. motive, ant!

the practical policy of the measure, we doubt not, have
been amply appreciated by the country. And we do
trust that the inconveniences which are yet obvious is
the working and machinery of the Act, will be reme-
died. The spirit of the plan is excellent—it will
operate against the accidents that may counteract its
principles; or, if seine of these accidents should re-
quire a legislative interference, there is no doubt that
the author of the Act, with the experience that he
now has had, will introduce an adequate Parliamentary
remedy.

The people of Galway, a town very considerable in
extent, including its suburbs, and whose populatiot.,
taking in the county of the town, is upwards ut 20.0(10
souls, are in a state of great distress, though plenty is
hovering round its shares; and the (Sod which Al-
mighty God offers his creatures is turned into manure,
and suffered to rot. " The cause is," to repeat the
words of s lialway Paper, " that salt will not be al-
lowed to go the Ashery free of dnty on bond, as it dues
in Scotland. and the people are too poor to pay defy
first." We are quite aware of the abuses which
might creep in by accepting bonds its lieu of dupes,
particularly in a part of the country where the persona
likely to be employed in the fisheries understand so
imperfectly, or practise so loosely, the obligaiuns
which they owe to the Custom-house. nut, surely,
this evil Haigh be. if nut eradicated, a process that we
apprehend will take sonic time, in some degree to
remedy. It is not fur us to point out the means Ly which
such a desirable object might be achieved. They will,
doubtless, present thetnsel% es to those Dentlemenwhuo e
interest and whose experience will qualify them to put
the sugges • in practice. But surely there should
be as little impediment thrown in the w:ke of Ira-1a
fisheries as there seem to be in those of Scotland. Ale.
(leant is the best authority on the subject. He moot
have experienced how well the laws of the Scotch
fisheries have worked ; and if the principle be not al-
ready recognized in the new Act, he will lose no time
in making the proper alteration. If, as the Journal
from whieh we made the foregoing extract observes,
the expenses on a few bushels of salt, taken to
Lila. k-
head or Costello, will amount to more than the vale,
of the fish and salt together, there can be no dut.Et
that this pert of the system is vicious in the extrtm, ;
and there can be .as little, we confidently expect, tha:
it will be removed or qualified, at an early period in
the present Session of Parliament.
When it can be accomplished, we are, we do (-od-
ic's, friends to the small fisherman. A company, Los
doubt, is an excellent thing, when there is not capital.
lint, by a little encouragement, by a slight relaxasi..:t
in the Salt Laws, a small capital might be created scr
the humble lisherutaa. Only lot tha lietatorm-lanatr in-
terfere with hit, as little as paraible, mot a sense of his
own interest, when he is not opposed by legal imp-ti-
meats, will carry him (forward. The multiplication of
little capitals, so easily created, will have the effect of
multiplying the demand for hands. The pops•lation
of the entire coast might, and we fondly hope, will
ere long be employed in this profitable and necessary
business. We do believe, that if the fisheries a Ire-
land were put in proper training--that if the coutofless
oaths, drawbacks, bonding. Sze. Ste. were modififel, ii
they could nut be repealed, this country would nor o amity
I e rendered capable of supplying a great part of its
population, loot might carry on a vet; prosperous trade
with Spain and Portugal. The southtwest of Ireland
is peettliar:y calculated fur such a trade. Beside liie
admirable harbours that lir along all this line of
coast, fur a great part of the year there is a sort of
a trade wind, that blows into the mouth of every rivtor
from the I ;aniniti. to the Talmo. We need not state
to our readers that the Dutch anti Scotch hate at pie•
sent a great portion of this trade in their haul:—aao,
that the Spaniards and Portneuese fetch some of tho is
from New( oundiand. Butt. we avow, we feel
interested for home consumption than to supply an.-
foreign market. We are already reaping the brio-fits
of the new Act iff Dublin. The fish-market in !lois
city has beets reduced in price nearly one-half, it dot
more. The supply is kept constantly up, and we
shall every day feel the advantage.—!DNS. Er. Ps-Lis
IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS. IVEIDNVIDAT, MkT ?4.

Counsel were fivially heard respecting the Se its
Cause--•` The Duke of Roxburgh r. Waurhope and
others." Consideration of judgment postponed till
to-morrow.
The Earl of Powis, Lord Lyndoche, and the Bishop
of l.eighlin and F.ernes (one of the Irish representa-
tive Prelates). took the oaths and their seats.
The Stage Coach Regulation Bill, the Irish Stock
Transfer, and the South Sea Company's Bill, were read
the third time, and passed.
The House then adjourned at the early hour of a
quarter past four o'clock, a little after which the Earl
of Liverpool risme down to the House with a • large
bundle of papers, which we suppose the Noble Earl In-
tended to have laid on the table had he found their
Lordships in deliberation.

The Conunissioner of the Insolvent Debtors' Cburt
resumed his sittings yet.terday, at the SemiJos-house,
Westminster. Our readers will recollect that the sit-
tings of the Court were suspended in consequence of an
omission in the temporary Act. This omission is now
about to he supplied in a contimsatory Bill in progress
Through the House of Lords, and shich contains a
clause of indemnity to the Commissioner fur sitting
while the Bill. which is a matter of course, is impend-
ing iu Parliament. The Commissioner, atrsious
td
give relief to unfortunate debtors, has resumed his sit-
tings to hear cases, but sot actually to discharge pri-
soners until the new Bill is paisia; but the Marshal of
the King's Bench prison is the only officer ahu has
brought up prisoners in pursuance of the order (if the
Court. '1 hr other Hoternors of prisons in the idiot*-
, we understand,' refu e tite Bill Silaq runs
into a law.