136 THE SALMON. 



up to the end of the eighteenth century, all new English 

 salmon Statutes were also, by Poyning's law, extended 

 to Ireland. 



In Scotland, which, both in ancient and still more in 

 modern days, may be regarded as the country principally 

 concerned, legislation l)egan almost as soon, and pro- 

 ceeded on the same principle, and towards the same ends, 

 or against the same evils, as in England and Ireland. The 

 commencement of Scotch law-making on this subject, 

 indeed, was contemporary with the commencement of 

 anything like a settled order of affairs under Kobert 

 Bruce, and continued to occupy an incredible share of the 

 attention of the Parliaments of his successors for several 

 hundreds of years ; so that, in reading the collections of 

 ancient Scottish Statutes, one is apt to think that the chief 

 thinor which Scotland achieved on the field of Bannock- 



o 



burn was "Acts anent the preservation of Salmonde." Old 

 Scotch Acts refer to the preservation of the "reidfische" 

 by means of a close-time ; to the removal of all standing 

 obstructions to the run of the fish, whether meant to 

 capture, or only fitted to impede ; and to the measure, 

 weights, prices, and other conditions of sale. Nothing 

 can be better put than the reason given over and over 

 again in the Scotch Statutes four hundred years ago, for 

 putting down unseasonable fishing and fixed engines — 

 such practices " destroy the breed of fish, and hurt the 

 commoun profite of the realme." The rigour of these 

 old Statutes is as remarkable as their number. For in- 

 stance, an Act of the first Parliament of James i. (of 

 Scotland), 26th May 1424, runs thus : — "Quha sa ever 

 be convict of slauchter of Salmonde in time forbidden 



