§ MR. PEMBERTONsaid, he would beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade, Whether it is true that H. M. S. the Buzzard was recently ordered to Herne Bay by the Admiralty, acting under the advice of the President, for the purpose of protecting the Herne Bay Oyster Company from a threatened attack by some fishermen upon their Oyster Grounds, such Grounds being declared by the Company's Act to be within the county of Kent for the purpose of trying and punishing all offences committed, against them; and upon whose representation, and founded upon what evidence, such attack was apprehended; whether it is the intention of the President generally to advise the Admiralty to employ Her Majesty's Ships to act as Marine Police in protecting Fisheries in lieu of the local authorities; and, to ask the First Lord of the Admiralty, whether it is the fact that, owing to the want of depth of water off that coast, the soundings of which are shown on the Admiralty chart, H. M. S. Buzzard could not get within four or five miles of the Oyster Grounds in question; and whether there is any objection to lay upon the 408 Table of the House a Copy of the Orders under which the Commander of the Buzzard proceeded to Herne Bay, and whether the Commander has made any report to the Admiralty of his expedition, and, if so, whether there is any objection to produce it; and what will be the probable cost of the voyage?
MR. BRIGHTsaid, the circumstances referred to were quite unknown to him until he saw them stated in the Notice Paper. The facts were that Mr. Pennell, Inspector of Oyster Fisheries, made a Report to the Board of Trade that what was called a raid might be expected on the oyster fisheries, upon which the Company had spent more than £100,000, under an Act of Parliament; and, his statement having been confirmed by other evidence, the case was reported to the Admiralty, with a request that the Admiralty would see the outrage was not committed. But he understood that not long ago—indeed, he was not sure whether at this moment there was not a gunboat in the Frith of Forth, employed in protecting some fisheries of which the Duke of Buccleuch was the proprietor either partially or wholly. As for the future, it was impossible to state any precise rule; each case must be dealt with as it arose.
§ MR. CHILDERS, replying to the second portion of the Question, said, there was not sufficient water to allow the Buzzard to approach very near the coast, and that was duly reported to the Admiralty. He would gladly show the hon. Member all the Papers in the case, if he would call at the Admiralty; and he would then be able to form an opinion whether they were worth printing. As to the question of cost, the Buzzard used about thirteen tons of coal from the time she left Sheerness for Herne Bay till she returned to port; and the coal cost about 18s. a ton. He was in communication with the Home Office respecting the circumstances under which vessels of war ought to be sent to protect individual fisheries in English waters against intruders.