Class IV. SALMON. 293 



Ireland (particularly the north) abounds with this Ireland* 

 fifh: the mod confiderable fifhery is at Cramia, 

 on the river Ban, about a mile and an half from 

 Coleraine. When I made the tour of that hofpi- 

 table kingdom in 1754, it was rented by a neigh- 

 boring gentleman for 620/. a year, who allured me 

 that the tenant, his predecefTor, gave 1600/. per 

 ann. and was a much greater gainer by the bargain 

 for the reafons before- mentioned, and on account 

 of the number of poachers who deftroy the filh in 

 the fence months. 



The mouth of this river faces the north, and is 

 finely ficuated to receive the fifh that roam along 

 the coaft, in fearch of an inlet into fome frefh water, 

 as they do all along that end of the kingdom which 

 oppofes itfelf the northern ocean. We have feen 

 near Ballkaftle, nets placed in the fea at the foot 

 of the promontories that jut into it, which the fal- 

 mon (hike into as they are wandering clofe to fhore, 

 and numbers are taken by that method. 



In the Ban they fifh with nets eighteen fcore 

 yards long, and are continually drawing night and 

 day the whole feafon, which we think lafts about 

 four months, two fets of fixteen men each alter- 

 nately relieving one another. The bed drawing is 

 when the tide is coming in: we were told that at a 

 (ingle draught there were once eight hundred and 

 forty fifh taken. 



A few miles higher up the river is a ware, where 

 a confiderable number of fifh that efcape the nets 



U 3 are 



