in Loch Shin, in Sutherland. 209 



The first and the last of these rivers have many excellent 

 spawning grounds, but flow through no loch. The Fiag and 

 the Merkland have also good spawning beds, but flow through 

 lochs of considerable size, in which there are also spawning 

 grounds. 



Upon Timothy Pont's MSS. map of Scotland, which is 

 deposited in the Advocate's Library, there is the following 

 memorandum: — " Y e greatest and largest salmon of all Scot- 

 land are in this Loch, but no salmon in all the river TerrifF, 

 which is wonderfull in respect of y e plentie of y em in y e 

 Loch." This observation is not entirely correct ; for, although 

 no salmon were ever to be found in the rivers that emptied 

 their waters into Loch Shin, few were to be seen in the loch 

 itself, and those that were seen were of no extraordinary size. 



In 1832, the Shin fishings were reannexed to the estate of 

 Sutherland by the late Duke of Sutherland, having been 

 parted with to a younger branch of the family so far back as 

 the year 1186. 



As soon as they became His Grace's property, steps were 

 immediately taken to remove by gunpowder rocks which 

 formed the cataract before mentioned, in the expectation that, 

 by admitting a larger number of salmon up the river both the 

 loch and the rivers flowing into it would be stored with 

 breeding fish. 



This expectation was not realised ; for, although a vast num- 

 ber of fish passed up into the loch, none were ever seen 

 afterwards. This induced the writer of this memorandum to 

 direct the manager of the fishings to stock the several rivers 

 flowing into Loch Shin with breeding fish ; and, as the experi- 

 ment is a curious one, the reports of Mr. Young, the manager, 

 as to the method pursued in making it is subjoined. 



Copies of Letters from Mr. Young to Mr. Loch. 



" Invershin, Sept. 11. 1835. — I have returned from another 

 Loch Shin voyage, where we have at last proved successful. 

 We appeared at first outset to have bad luck, as a number of 

 the fish died soon after we caught them ; but at last we got 

 three pairs, which we carried safe to the Corrie River. Our 

 bored boat invention answered the purpose very well ; for, 

 although the salmon appeared a little fatigued by the long 

 carting to Lairg, as soon as we got under weigh in the Loch, 

 they increased in strength, and were as well when we put 

 them in the river as when we caught them in the Kyle. The 

 pair we put in the Fiag last week, notwithstanding the low 

 state of the river, have ascended to the third pool from where 

 I put them in the river, and appear to do well. The three 



