Delaware inquirer. (Wilmington, Del.) 1859-18??, 1859-05-07
BLACK FISHING.

, ia generally known that salmon, during
the winter months, swim up rivers to spawn;
! and, having obeyed this instructive impulse,
Il that they return In a lean and unsound con-
dition to the ocean. To attack and kill the
4 poor creatures while swimming up the streams,
burdened with spawn, is cruel and m,irderous,
for il is anhihilating myfiads of salmon which
the spawn wouldin due season produce. To
kill them coming down is not less brutal, for
the animals are not in q fit state to be eaton !:
they are foul fish. In order to protect salmon
in these circumstances, the law establishes a
CLOSE time, during which, under heavy penal
ties, they must not be captured. Nevertheless,
killing salmon while the rivers are legally shut
is an exceedingly common offence. Along the
whole course Of the Tweed, and other rivers,
this species of poaching is perpetrated nightly,
on an extensive scale, by bands of mon pre-
pared to offer determined resistance to auth
GRITTY. The plan usually pursued is to walk
along the banks of the stream with burning
lwisps Of straw or fagots, and the instinct Of
the salmon drawing them towards the light,
they are readily speared. Many fish are thus
killed while in the act of spawning. Touch
\ ing the injurious consequences, individual and
social, arising from these unfair practices, the
4 following passages occur in an article ON the
4 subject nthe Aeebesshire Advertiser small
monthly paper of the kind we have frequent
lily commended 49, l-i'-
During the spawning season, not only the
appearance, but the habits of the salmon are
totally changed the timid fish which in its
4 healthy state, is scared by shadow, hiding
itself in the deepest and strongest water, now
Eekposes itself in the ebbest streams, with
often scarcely enoughfof water to cover it, SO
that it Gamble caught with the greatest facil-
ity bymeans of any device, however simple,
or indeed without the assistance OF any de-
vice, but simply with the hand, so thorough
| ly does it put itself in the power OF man at
| this season. 1t must be obvious, therefore,
that il, in the violation of reason; mankind do
not hesitate in destroying the fish, the law
must be applied to preventthe utter exstinc-
ton of the species. 1t is not usual to hear
persons, in their eagerness to vindieate q
course to which they are addicted, argue that
| the fish, under Providence, expose themselves
| in the manner described, that they may easily
| fall into the hands of the people at a time
when the necessity of using them for food lis
greatest. Asiwell might they argue that birds
and other animals might be destroyed when in
a similar state for assuredly no animal under
goes more deterioration than salmon do in SIM
liar circumstances. 1t is more on account Of
the welfare of the population, than any other
reason, that we would endeavor to dissuade
them from this pursuit We may safely as
sert that no man can systematically follow any
Occupation denounced. by the law of his country
without having his moral nature previously |
outraged the very fact of its baing forbidden |
calls into exercise many degrading Qualities
low cunning and duplcity OF every description
being necessary to commit and conceal the Of
fence. 1t often results, too, i'll the commission
Of crimes at first not contemplated by the I'M
fortunate persons themselves namely, among
others, in resisting theioficers Of the law, for
which instead Of having to answer for the sta !
tutory offence of killing salmon in forbidden /
time, they may have to answer to a charge Of |
assault, or ii may be, of murder This is not |
a hypothetical oase-it has unfortunately fire. |
quently arisen out of this andsimilar pursuits"
So much may be said of the injurious con-
sequences Of biack.fshingi as it is called but |
we should scarcely be justified in Diminishing
the subject without pointing out what We con-
ceiTe to be the source of the evil. For four
hundred years. as may be seen from acts Of
Parliament, the law has been endeavofing to |
HIS of poaehing, and it has fail
ed. In vain are the prisons more or less crowd
ed every winter with black-fshers; in vain are
heavy pecuniary penalties exaoted in vain
are men ruined generation after generation
the crime is now as riffs as it was in the ff-
tenth century. Has itinever occurred to the
administrators Of the lawthat there must be
some cause for all this Are they not aware
OF tine excuBe WHICH DiAck-nSil6fS eilpiDy WHEN
from the constant effortto protect the interests
of one party at the expense of anotheri To
an unprecedented observer, it will seem clear
that the practice followed by landed proprie-
tors, atStfe mouths of rivers, of sweeping up
salmon WHOLESALER and SO depFiSing all above
them of any ifducement to angle at the pro-
per seasons, is inconsistent with equity, and 1
must ever exotic hostile feelings. What COM
mon sense points out is this: rivers, from thier
source to their junction with the ocean, with
all the creatures which dwell in them, arej
public property, or at least should be consider
ed as such. II is tfueth law has impaired a
right of private property with respect to the
capturing Of salmon by stake-nets; but sure
ly this requires revisal and modification, with
a view to the public advantage. AT present,
as we lament to observe, the populace on the
banks of rivers are in continual embodiment
respecting the right of fishing, and, as above
stated, mercilessly destroy the salmon at lille.
gal periods. What we desire to press is, q
general reconsideration Of the whole question,
in order to allay disputes, and to give each
man an interest in preserving the law inviolate.
. MORAL IDoLATRY.--''The Soul of man, like common
Nature admits no pdcun II God be not there, MammOn
us 1t impossible to neither, 1t is to
both. And for this there Is ESSENTIAL in
constitution. For is designed aud born ind
gent creature full OF wants and appees, and restless
Il