186 THE BOEDER ANGLER. 



grievous evil. At present, the North Esh was so polluted that 

 the water could no longer he used for drinhing purposes, nor 

 indeed for any household purpose whatever. It was not even 

 fit for cattle and horses, and in Dalkeith Park he had had to 

 erect fences along the stream to keep them from drinking of it. 

 The effect on the fish was such that, while up to within a few 

 years they had abundance of salmon trout in it, these had al- 

 most entirely disappeared, though formerly the trout there were 

 some of the f nest in the south of Scotland ; and, even when they 

 vjere caught, dressed, and put upon the table, the smell they 

 emitted had been such that they had had to be sent out of the 

 room. On the South Esk there was only one factory, but on 

 the ISTorth Esk the bleaching works and other factories were 

 very numerous. He did not know whether the evil was alto- 

 gether due to them, but he had no doubt it was so in a large 

 measure, and he trusted that these factories would do as those 

 at Hawick, Selkirk, and Galashiels had done, where, under the 

 pressure of the Tweed Commissioners, they had made arrange- 

 ments by which the water was so filtered that the poisonous in- 

 gredients were prevented getting into the river. 



" Viscount Melville said that he also was one of the sufferers 

 from this grievance. There could be no doubt that deleterious 

 liquids were allowed to find their way from these factories into 

 the stream ; this was shown by the white/oam that came down 

 daily from the mills at Lasswade ; and at one mill opposite to 

 Mavisbank he thought the nuisance perfectly unjustifiable. The 

 mischief that these mills had created was past all belief, and he 

 hoped that something would be done to remedy the evil. 



" Mr. C. Cowan said that, from the extent to which manu- 

 facturing had increased upon the banks of the North Esk, they 

 could scarcely expect that the stream should be as pellucid as 

 it was in the days of their forefathers. He wished, however, to 

 state, for his partners and himself, that they had adopted and 

 continued to enforce, as much as possible, every means for re- 

 ducing the evil to its lowest possible amount ; and he believed 

 it was the general wish of all his brethren in the trade, from 

 Penicuick to Dalkeith, to do everything in their power for that 

 purpose. They must bear in mind, however, that papermaking 



