Letter to George F. Fitzgerald from W.S. Green
Title
Letter to George F. Fitzgerald from W.S. Green
Creator
Identifier
GFF 9/48
Description
A handwritten letter from W.S Green to Professor George F. Fitzgerald.
W.S. Green writes to Fitzgerald unhappy that the Committee has decided he must only collect local statistics on long-line, lobster, and oyster fisheries, and leave out trawl, net fishing, and historical records. He feels this makes his work almost pointless, since all the fisheries are connected and past failures are important to understand. He recently visited a sardine factory and got helpful information, but now has to ignore it. Green explains this restriction goes against what he believes the Dublin Society needs, and he is also writing to Hadden about it.
3pp.
Transcription:
My dear Fitzgerald,
Hadden and the following Resolution of the Committee
"That you should, for the present, Confine your attention to local statistics concerning. Long line fishing & Lobsters & Oyster etc. Fisheries. You are not to investigate trawl & net fishing. No historical statistics will be required from you, of what has actually been done in the past.
I am sure such a resolution has passed with the best possible intention, but it stultifies one completely. The long line of errata is now almost over, and it is of computing the importance compared with the past fisheries just about to commence Mackerel, Sprats, pilchards etc.
but as there are distinct fisheries I am not to have anything to say to them. They are all most intimately connected with on another, and the failures of fishing enterprise in the past which must be counted as "Historical" I should think would be most useful.
Gathering the statistics, authorities, etc. Would be tending to a certain extent in the steps of the Barton [?] commoner. as my idea would be to take the thing more from another stand point and in no way to clash with them. I visited a sardine "factory" last week. it has been working for 15 years and the owner
Who is a fast friend of mine gave me a lot of help. but that is all about no fishers so it must be stuck out.
You will no doubt see my difficulty and at the same time I think I know pretty well what the Dublin Society requires. I am writing to Hadden too.
Yours sincerely,
W.S Green
W.S. Green writes to Fitzgerald unhappy that the Committee has decided he must only collect local statistics on long-line, lobster, and oyster fisheries, and leave out trawl, net fishing, and historical records. He feels this makes his work almost pointless, since all the fisheries are connected and past failures are important to understand. He recently visited a sardine factory and got helpful information, but now has to ignore it. Green explains this restriction goes against what he believes the Dublin Society needs, and he is also writing to Hadden about it.
3pp.
Transcription:
My dear Fitzgerald,
Hadden and the following Resolution of the Committee
"That you should, for the present, Confine your attention to local statistics concerning. Long line fishing & Lobsters & Oyster etc. Fisheries. You are not to investigate trawl & net fishing. No historical statistics will be required from you, of what has actually been done in the past.
I am sure such a resolution has passed with the best possible intention, but it stultifies one completely. The long line of errata is now almost over, and it is of computing the importance compared with the past fisheries just about to commence Mackerel, Sprats, pilchards etc.
but as there are distinct fisheries I am not to have anything to say to them. They are all most intimately connected with on another, and the failures of fishing enterprise in the past which must be counted as "Historical" I should think would be most useful.
Gathering the statistics, authorities, etc. Would be tending to a certain extent in the steps of the Barton [?] commoner. as my idea would be to take the thing more from another stand point and in no way to clash with them. I visited a sardine "factory" last week. it has been working for 15 years and the owner
Who is a fast friend of mine gave me a lot of help. but that is all about no fishers so it must be stuck out.
You will no doubt see my difficulty and at the same time I think I know pretty well what the Dublin Society requires. I am writing to Hadden too.
Yours sincerely,
W.S Green
Source
RDS Library & Archives
Contributor
Rights
Copyright RDS Library & Archives. Publication, transmission or display is prohibited without formal written approval of the RDS Library & Archives.
Relation
RDS Science Archive
Format
Manuscript
Language
English
Type
Coverage
1870-1901
Collection
Citation
Green, W.S., “Letter to George F. Fitzgerald from W.S. Green,” RDS Digital Archive, accessed December 5, 2025, https://digitalarchive.rds.ie/items/show/2362.