Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1818-11-23

Tlll NOUS ulll NctS
To the Citizens Of Washington. Frcdc-
rick, and Montgomery counties.
A S the General Assembly of Ma
n ryIand will sit in the course Of
a few weeks. I take the liberty of call
ing the attention of the people of the
upper counties to the subject Of Gill
Nets that all those vino may agree
with me in opinion, may unite in Pc
titions to the Legislature to pass such
laws as may etlectually prevent the
use of them hereafter in the Potomac.
Since the introduction of these Nets
into our waters. the people of the up
percounties have experienced the 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 of the year, and ira
Yelling, perhaps. from so to l0c miles
to reach the nearest landings, and al
ter being detained there a 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,
il is said, are fished almost exclusive
" by persons from the Eastward-a
covctous people they must be they
would take the bread from our mouths
if they could do it-and they certainly
will the fish if left to themselves. Il
is stated they had 500 vessels engaged
in this business during the last sea- %;
such a humber of Nets will form sIrh
an obstruction in the river as to .'.p
back the Shad altogether, ana -
breaking the schools Of Herring IL
render even the catching OF them uii-
certain. And what adds to our griay-
ance, the fish that arc caught in this
manner arc not disposed of to our ci
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
are peculiarly situated; living remote
from any of tie Rivers, with which
nature has so bountifully watered our
state, they have only an opportunity
affordeded to them once a year OFprO-
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 ia
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, have become indispensably neces-
sary to our families.
If any doubt should exist as TO the
facts herein stated, have only to OBJ
serve that they will be 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 al!
those who feel an interest in this bu-
sincss, to lose no time in getting sig
natures to such a petition as | have
recommended,-and also to see and
converse upon the subject with such
persons as they may think proper to
send as delegates to the next General
Assembly and have also to request
the favor OF the editors Of the Frcde-
ricktown papers, to give these re-
marks place in their respective pa
pers, that the SUBJECT may be fully
brought before the people of the upper
counties.
ONE OF THE PEOPLE.