16 



AYB * The Doon has peaty ground in the upper waters. 



A great number of spawning fish were up last year. 



Loch Doon is used, to a certain extent, as an artificial reservoir to keep 

 up the supply of water. 



Only caught 30 fish this year in a net 12 yards long. The average is 100. 

 Has always thought the fish would be cured by getting down to the sea. 



No law is required to enable watchers to bury the dead fish. 



Has not tried crossing the breed of fish. 



Cannot say how the fish referred to contracted the disease. It appears to 

 be contagious. Never heard of the disease in the Doon before. 



William Macrorie, solicitor, Ayr. — Has acted as factor to Lord Ailsa. 

 Knows the Doon, but little of the Ayr. In 1867 complaints were made of 

 pollution from the Carnochan coal pits. Lord Ailsa had an analysis made, 

 which is published in the Report on Scotch Salmon Fisheries, 1870. It was 

 mine water pumped up. This is not a statutory offence. In 1867 the Dalmel- 

 lington Iron Company formed settling ponds with chalk to purify the water. 



The effect of the pollution at that time was to kill the fish, but none of them 

 showed fungus. The ponds were discharged by a pipe from the bottom when 

 the river was in flood. In August 1878 the man in charge let in the water 

 during a rise, but the rain ceased, and the river fell, and all fish below were 

 cleared out. Salmon, grilse, sea trout, yellow trout, and eels, from Patna down 

 to the sea — 12 miles — were all killed. A few fish in the tributaries escaped. 

 The fish were found lying about. Nothing similar has since occurred. No 

 discharge from the pits takes place. 



In October 1878 Lord Ailsa got two dead fish, and found that, from another 

 pit, more than a mile further up, on a different side of the river, polluted 

 water was entering the river. A portion of the discharge was taken, and 

 analysed. The following is the report of the analyst : — 



" Analytical Laboratory, 

 " Messrs. Hunter, Blair, and Cowan, Surgeons Hall, Edinburgh, 



" Dear Sirs, 26th October 1878. 



'• When I had the pleasure of seeing you on the 10th instant I men- 

 " tioned that I had examined the dead salmon and sample of water forwarded 

 " by Lord Ailsa on the 2nd instant, and had not been able to detect any 

 " poisonous or deleterious material in the waters, or any appearance on the 

 " fish themselves of injury through chemical agencies. The water was of fair 

 " quality for river water, and the analysis gave as follows : — 



" In Imperial gallon : 

 " Saline matter - - 8 - 68 grains. 



" Organic and volatile matter - 0"86 „ 

 " Iron salt - Practically none. 



" Acidity - None. 



" Whilst these results were negative, I mentioned the desirability of an 

 " inspection being made of the discharge from the ironstone pits and of the 

 " immediate neighbourhood, in order to determine how far ferruginous water 

 " of a poisonous and deleterious character was allowed to flow or was dis- 

 " charged from these pits into the Paver Doon. It was this kind of water 

 " which gave rise to all the mischief from No. 2 Camochan pit, and which, 

 " on the shutting up of that pit in 1873, I mentioned in my report at the 

 " time, might in course of time come to be included in the discharges from the 

 " pits on the northern side of the Doon, where the Jellieston pit is situated. 

 " These ferruginous discharges are destructive whilst they last, but when they 

 " pass down the river there is little left in the succeeding water to indicate 

 " that the impurity has passed, and even the examination of the injured or 

 " dead fish may fail to indicate that the ferruginous poison has been affecting 

 " them. I was therefore anxious to make a thorough inspection of the 

 " district, in the hope that in the runs or drains from the pits I might have 

 " been able to collect sufficient evidence of poisonous discharges having been 

 " sent from the pits, and likewise that in the bed of the river where the 

 " discharges enter the stream I might have observed the ferruginous deposit 

 " on the stones, &c. 



" The River Doon being in flood, it was considered desirable by Mr. 

 " Macrorie that the inspection should be postponed, and in the meantime he 



