Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1818-12-16
To the Citizens Of Wasiinsiom. Fred

To the CiiiEfnS IF Washington, FrSd1-
rich. and Montgomery counties.
A S the General Assembly OF Ma
n ryIand will sit in tho course of
few weeks. | take the liberty Of call
ing the attention of the people of the
upper Counties to the subject of Gill
Nets: that all those who may agree
with inc in opiHfon. may unite in pc
titions to tie Legislature TO pass sucI,
laws as may eiirrtually prevent the
use of them hereafter in the Potomac.
Since the introduction Of these Nets
into our waters. the people of the up
pcrcountics have experienced tue most
pernicious effects of this practice. 1t
is a fact we'll known, that many per.
sons at the last season. after leaving
their homes, with their teams, at the
most busy season ofthe year, and ira
Yelling. perhaps. from so to Toe miles
to reach the nearest landings, and ac.
ter being detained there considera-
bic time, exposed to the inclemencies
of the weather, and often without any
shelter but what was afforded to them
by the coverings Of their Wagons.
while their crops too were. suffering
greatly at home, were obliged at last
to return without any fish. Some pro-
cured their Herrings. but not one in
ten could get the Shad they wanted
for their families. These Gill Nets,
it is said, are fishcd almost exclusive
ly by persons from the Eastward-a
coyetous people they must be they
would take the bread from our mouths
ifthey could do it-and they certainly
will the fish if left to themselves. 1t
is stated they had 500 vessels engaged
in this business during the last season;
such a humber of Nets will form such
an obstruction in the river as to keep
back the Shad altogether, and by
breaking The schools of Hcrrings will
render even the catching Of them I'M
certain. And what adds to our gricv-
ance, the fish that arc caught in this
manner are not disposed of to our CT
tizens, but are cured on board the
vessels that take them, and carried as
an article of traffic TO some other por.
tons of the Union, or, perhaps, to To-
reign parts.
The people Of the upper counties
arc peculiarly situated; living remote
from any of tie Rivers, with which
nature has so beautifully watered our
state, they have only an opportunity
aiiorleded to them once year Of pro-
curing fish of any kind for their fami-
lies; and it rests with the Legislature
to determine whether they shall be de-
prived of this right, attended as it is
too, with great sacrifice, expense and
trouble; and it must be known too TO
the members that may compose that
body, that fish, from long use and GUS
tom, lave become indispcnsably neccs-
sary to our families.
II any doubt should exist as to the
facts herein stated, ] have only to OBJ
serve that they will he entirely re-
moved by referring to any one from
either of the upper counties, who at
tended at the landings either of tho
two last seasons, particularly the last.
Having said much more than / in
tended, have only to call upon all
those Tho feel an interest in this bu-
sincss, 10 lose no time in getting sig
natures to such petition as l llavo
recommended,-an also to sec and
converse upon the subject with such
persons as they may think proper to
send as delegates to the next General
Assembly and l have also to request
the favor OF the editcrs of the Frcdc-
ricktowD papers. TO give these re-
marks piare in their respective pa
pcrs, that the subject may be fully
brought before the people of the upper
counties.
ONE OF THE PEOPLE.