CULTURE OF THE SHAD. 173 



time, owned the next structures which barred the access 

 of the shad to the upper river. 



" This information was duly reported to the District 

 Attorney of Dauphin county, but was not acted upon last 

 year, and thus one season has been lost in the progress of 

 our ' reconstruction.' 



" This year, however, true bills have been found, both 

 against the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, the company 

 owning the dams last year, and the Pennsylvania Canal 

 Company, the party owning them at this time; and there 

 is every reason to believe that the question of the consti- 

 tutionality of the law will very soon be settled in the 

 courts. 



" Should this question be put at rest so that this cor- 

 poration shall be compelled under the law to erect the 

 weirs, I have not any doubt but what shad will make their 

 appearance once more above Duncan's Island, in the Sus- 

 quehaona; and if this first company constructs, the others 

 who were duly notified, as stated in my last year's report, 

 namely, the North and West Branch Canal Companies and 

 the Wyoming Valley Canal Company, must also comply or 

 otherwise stand a lawsuit, which it is not supposed that 

 they will do with the record against them. 



" The whole matter then depends upon the result of this 

 suit. If the law now in existence be inadequate to produce 

 the desired result, it will be for the legislature to consider 

 the matter further. 



" The people on the Susquehanna, between Columbia 

 and Duncan's Island, and up the Juniata, as far as New- 

 15* 



