§ MR. MACLURE(for Sir EDWARD WATKIN) (Hythe)asked the First Lord of the Admiralty, If he has seen a paragraph in The Times of yesterday reporting the capture of French vessels fishing in English waters, and the fining of Captain Duhomil and others by the Folkestone magistrates; whether it is true that one of the prizes of Her Majesty's cutter Frances ran away with three British seamen who have not since been heard of; and, whether, considering that these occurrences may lead to International complications, he will undertake to have our fishing grounds in the Channel properly watched by vessels of adaquate speed, unlike the cutter Frances, which is totally unfit for the duty?
§ THE FIRST LORD (Lord GEORGE HAMILTON) (Middlesex, Ealing)It is the case that two French fishing boats were captured on the 31st ultimo, for fishing in English waters. It is not the case that one of these vessels ran off with three British seamen. The men referred to were placed in charge of her and brought her into Folkestone on the following day. The cutter Frances is considered a perfectly satisfactory vessel for the work required of her, and she has made three captures in the past year.