w that the act was
to be complied with.

Upon the subject of the Fisheries, I have had a conversation
with Hunter Blair, the member for Edinburgh. There has been a
meeting of the Scotch members to support a Bill in Parliament to
extend the bounty now given in England for the Scotch coast, to
fish caught on the Irish coast, and to give the fishermen a
power of landing and drying on the Irish, as on the Scotch
coast. They went to Lord Shelburne, who referred them to me. I
desired Blair to send me a copy of the memorial, and an abstract
of the several British and Irish Acts on the subject.

The Irish are very ill done, as the two most material, in 1764
and 1776, are omitted. I do not find by any Irish Act whether
the Irish fishermen have the power of landing and drying; if
they have, I should think it _does_ extend to all the King's
subjects; as the Act of 1782, restraining the _bounty_ to Irish
ships, does not touch the power of fishing. If they have it not,
no English Act now to be made can give it them; but if they have
it, we may extend the bounty as we please.

The reason they assign for wishing it is, that the herrings
shift yearly from one part to another of the narrow seas, and
that as the Irish have, by an English Act, the privilege of
fishing on the Scotch coast, it is but just that the English and
Scotch should fish on the Irish when the fish are there, as has
been the case these two last years. The consideration presses,
as the seamen now to be discharged will, of course, many of them
return to Scotland to find employment, and the fishing cannot,
as they state, be carried on at all, but by such indulgence as
they apply for.

Lord Glandon was with me to-day, to ask whether Coppinger is one
of the new Judges, and, in that case, who he should bring in for
his borough. He told me that he had sold the other seat to Sir
W. Gleadowe. I did not dare ask whether he was engaged for the
next Parliament, because it would have given too much of a hint
of the dissolution. I therefore only said, that I did not
believe the names were fixed for the three Judges.

Lord Bellamont is outrageous about the Order, and has been _with
Townshend_ about it; but not with me. I have sent your paper
about Irvine to Lord Shelburne, but have had no answer. I
enclose you a letter fro