134 THE SALMON. 



CHAPTER IV. 



SALMON LEGISLATION.' 



Principles of all Salmon Legislation — Ancient Legislation — Its Curiosities- 

 Suspension of Legislation — Renewal upon the Old Principles — Differ- 

 ence between Agricultural and Fishery Property — The Duke of Rox- 

 burghe — Upper and Lower Proprietors— Harmlessness of Angling — The 

 Tweed Acts of 1857 and 1859— The Tay Act of 1858— Ness and Beauly 

 Bill of 1860— Committee of the House of Lords — Royal Commission of 

 Inquiry for England — General Scotch Bill of 1861— General Scotch Act 

 of 1862— English Act of 1861— Irish Acts of 1842 and 1862. 



For more than six hundred years the preservation or 

 increase of Salmon has been the subject of legislation in 

 all the three kingdoms ; and from the first, as now, the 

 leading principle of legislation has been to prevent the 

 fisheries being worked in excess of the natural powers of 

 reproduction. From of old too, as now, that principle 

 has been applied mainly to two points — to prevent the 

 fisheries being worked for a season either too long or 

 mistimed, and to prevent any of them being worked 



1 It is not attempted in this chapter to give more than a sketch of the 

 history and present condition of the laws regarding Salmon ; much more 

 full and precise statement would be required for the guidance of persons 

 having duties or direct interests luider the Statutes. The wdiole of the Acts 

 now in operation, accompanied by much useful historical and expository 

 matter, vi'ill be found iu a recent work, A Treatim on the Fishery Laws oj 

 the United Kingdom, including the Laws of Angling, by James Paterson, 

 Esq., Barrister-at-Law ; and still more minute information as to the Irish 

 part of the subject is given by Mr. Longfield, Q.C., M.P., in a fourth edition 

 of his book, The Fishery Laws of Ireland. 



