Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1858-03-12
For The Enquirer.
7 For lhe ENqNWtr.
! TO THE SENATORS AND REPRESENTATIVES IN
| THE GENERAL. ASSEMBLY OF VIRGINIA

Gen,lemeu:-Will you perm. nm humble ci.
zeu TO call your attention to subject, in which his
rights and privileges about to be assaedf tou
know gentlemen, that there come men in sll
communities who sack TO iure others more than 10
benefit tbemselyes, and if their efforts TO check others
should bring defeat upOd Themselves, they are ever
ready 10 charge others with their III success. The CON-
psint, now ia about wild fowl And az there are
cn!y two ways 10 get that delicious faod--0ne by
shooting and the other by trapping after the gun
ners have chased sDd driven the fowl away, they
charge the trappers with being the cause of the scnr
city of fowl. Now, this cbarHs is az faae as il it
came from the bottomess pit; ms will prove; for
consider my experienc. in fishing and ioEing. su
perior tina, Of every man, boy and child that they
are getting agn the petition which they intend 10
send TO III. Legislature. 10 put down trapping And
the ring leaders vain enough to think they have
all the sense; but hope you will treat their pe.
ton IA your honorable body treated the one they sen
TO the Legislature eight ten years ago, on the
same subject which never heard from after they
sent it.
/ said would prove their charges 10 be ialse. To
do thar, | shall have to 20 back to my boyhood,
which about fifty tive years ago; TOR now am in
my exty-kith year. | WIS born ana raised on the
beautiful wstrrs OF the Cheap. AXE bay, r2.
the fish and Wild fowl, and have taken IA many al
any man now living 30 my experience commenced
about 1913 or 4. And | will give you SONS Of the
facts OF the rise and progress OF this important trade
At that time. gunners were few and Wild ioWl plenty
Ii was nothing for me- then 10 kill at one or two
shoots many fowl ~ | could lug to my house
But time progressed gunners increased, and fowl
decreasads until it WAS hard matter 10 get good
chance at the owl from the shore So the mex, thing
was Ia make biud out on the fats or shoals and
bait II with corn; and aitef the fowl commenced feed
ing at the bait would 70 out ~ my canoe get in
the blind and wait until they caHie IL the bait
Then | would crack away and Kill pretty Cond
peaa.
But tic fowl soon learnt the crack Of the gun, and
became very cautious. Thia would cause consider.
able loss a 1.e in waiting for them; go in 1854,
! - M ind
and in little time caught just as many as want
ed; for it thing TO sen ducks about that
time; and being Nrginan, and not yuite "a keen
az our Yankee friends, faed TO take out patent
for my invention but gave it to the public, without
receiving one cent for it. In little tins thereafter
the shove aid8s were lined with traps, and those
very lDsn who Sle Uow blowing mp bubble to send
YOU, have been benefited by my invention, and are
now trying to prevent me from tho benefit Of my own
invention. because they choose to burn poEder and
choose to trap il.
And they scek to stop me in my business by
raising fase charge against the traps Ifthe win
ter ia hard and the bay freezes up and the fowl have
TO 20 South get place to feed, II urged that
the traps have driven them away. IL the v inter s
mild aud they should not come 40 far South as In
reach us it ia urged that the traps have prevented
them from coming among as; and il the powder
burners chase them of in their skfla while Others
stationed on the points and hornughfarea where the
fowl fly over. blazing away nj every duck that
passss by, far or near, driving them off it ia charged
that the trspa have done nll this. Now, gentlemen il
these charges he ;Sae what has become of the fowl
that We cannot catch liz traps, namely swan. brant
csnvRssb backs, red heads bald cr0wns sprigg tails.
pheasaIis widgeons, STA patridseR. buewings, teal,
summerdurks spoon bills southern bfds. bald coOa,
walloons aud watsrwi;Ches-F different kluGs-tLa:
cannot catch in traps
Now there only five Fix kinds that We can
catch in traps, viz wild geeae mallard, black heads,
vshiiilers and deppers; and there are ten Of the
stts- where there is ct the former trapped And
why. oscdlse feed them; aud although they are
cbased away and shot at they will come back soon
as the gunners 90 home.
Now, gentlemen, ia ot this conclusive that il lie the
powder burners and not toe :rappers who drive away
the wild fowl And If there cOr'G be- any cause for
Legislation Tor the protection Of wild toa it should
against The gunuers and not against tue trsppers.
But how that can be done am al lose to know for
u, the wild fow stay short a time with us We ought
to 10 allowed the privilege of getting then for our
great Creator promised when he created man.
abundan,ly ula!tipy the sh Of the sea and the NOws
ot the air Tor his uso. Wild fowl are not stationary,
like oysters or deer. b,t ihsir ramble is from the
triyid to the torrd zone. and Il would be hard to lie
our hands order to allow others TO get wild fowl more
nbnndanty. Surely We are as much entitled 10 these
+, blessings rs others.
For the above will ief-r TO cur honorable repre-
sentsiivss, Mr.. Besle and Col. Claybrook. They
know me. Your humble servant.
CYRUS HAYNlE
p s. 1t will be uss.ess for any to reply TO this
with the view OF drawing ne hto controversy. 1
shall take no notice of any thing that may be said
T.. II.