Daily evening star. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1852-1854, 1853-07-09
The Fishery Fuss.

The Fishery Fuss.
We alluded, on Thursday, to the COM
plants made by the Newfoundlanders and
Nova Scotians against our Yankee fisher
men, that when the latter go ashore to
dry their cod and mackerel, they become
obstreperous, and capture the little pigs,
eggs, chickens, &C., and dance and sing
and whistle, and break the Maine liquor
law on the Sabbath, and, indeed, on every
day of the week, and make love to the
prettiest girls, who have a ''preference
like" for them; and we observed that this
was, IN great measure, the foundation of
the goldfish and mackerel troubles. We
have heard of other complaints quite as
serious. By the treaty of 1918, the Yankee
boys are excluded from fishing in the in
shore fisheries, within three miles ofland, }
but when they 60 in to dry their cod and
mackerel, caught outside, or for wood, or
water, or for shelter, which they are al
lowed 10 do by the same treaty, they re-
sort to an expedient which the colonial
fishermen protest against as an infraction
of the treaty. Our Yankee fishermen,
being descendants Of the Puritans, all
have Bible apiece, and they read it, and
can expound it to fraction. They cite
1st Genesis, from verse % to 81 inclusive,
and other parts of that good book, re-
lating to fish and fishing, to prove their
"rights according to Scripture" as we'll as
the .'law of ndtions.'' 1t is therein writ
ten that s.nGn" shall have ''dominion crer
the fish of the SEA-" "Mm" does not
mean the British or the colonist only; it
is general phrase, and includes Yankees
and everybody else. Mackerel is a "sea"
fish, and, therefore, the Yankee boys have
an equal title, according to Scripture, y
to exercise "domlnion' over them as much
as the colonists have; and by an ingenious
process, which none but Yankee ever
could have thought of or have contriyed,
they actually tole and seduce the poor
mackerel from in-shore to sea, outside the
three miles, where they may be caught
according to the treaty of 1918. A mo
ton" or machine has been invented, call
ed .'bait-hackle," one of which is on
board of each Yankee fishing-smack, by
which the cdpelil and herring and other
bait is cut into very small pieces and
thrown over the stern of the vessel as she
slowly proceeds to sea: sco0ls of millions
of mackerel following in her wake outside
the prescribed limits, when Jonathan then
casts his lines. What is to be done to
put stop to this ? 1t is idle for the
colonists to read and explain the treaty of
1918 to the poor deluded mackerel, who
are thus so practically seduced and ':an-
nered'' by the Yankees. We doubt if
Seward, or Garrison, or Fred Doug
lass, were to discourse ever so long to
them about their natural rights under
the higher law, or under the treaty, if
they could work much reformation either
amongst them or the cruel fishermen. We
admit it is burning sin" and 'cry-
ing shame" and johnny Blue Nose"
and the 'Snorters" of Newfoundland and
Nova Scotia have a just right to be in
dignant at all these things. They say,
too, the Yankee fishing boys, unless close
ly watched, will catch their bait (capelin
and herring) in-shore, within the three
miles. What business the Upper Cana
dams have with these matters, we cannot
clearly discern. They have no fish or
fisheries, and it is unjust and roguish to
the other colonies for them to take the
fisheries as their capital, and trade them
off to Mr.. Marcy to get free-trade tariff
as to their produce, goods and chattels.
We learn that our boys, especially about
4th of July times and on the 9Th of JAN
uary, don't respect the feelings of the