22 
English system of River Conservators (as they are 
termed) might be followed in Scotland. The English 
Boards consist of two classes of members, proprietors 
and lessees of fisheries. The proprietors are selected by 
Quarter Sessions, the number on the board for each district 
being previously fixed by the Secretary of State for the 
Home Department; and to these selected members, there 
are added a certain number of er officio proprietors, having 
a rental from fisheries exceeding £30. The other class 
of persons on the English Boards, are /essees of fishings, 
and consist of persons holding licences to fish; for in 
England (and in Ireland also) it is the law, that persons 
wishing the privilege of fishing, whether by net, rod, or 
boat, must take out licences, and pay for them certain 
dues to be approved of by the Home Secretary. These 
licence dues form a fund, which is at the disposal of the 
River Conservators. 
It will be observed from this explanation, that only a 
small number of the members on the English Boards are 
members ex officio. The majority are selected, on ac- 
count of their qualifications for the duty, by others who 
are supposed capable of judging of these qualifications. 
Now what is the constitution of the Scotch Boards, as 
explained in the Salmon Act of 1862? 
All the Boards consist of the same number of mem- 
bers, whatever be the size of the. district; vize tines 
fishery proprietors from the lower parts of a river, and 
three from the upper parts. If there be in/eithemean 
these districts, only two fishery proprietors, then, what- 
ever be the number of proprietors in the other district, 
the total number on the Board must be four. And if 
in one of the parts of the river there is only one fishery 
proprietor, then the total number can only be two members 
