ENGLISH POETS ON FISHING. 139 



" Game Laws Versified," in forty-eight sections. Pulman's 

 Book of the Axe (1841), and various poems on angling 

 subsequently published, only claim passing mention. 



The Newcastle Fishers' Garlands are a series of songs or 

 poems chiefly in praise of the Coquet, and emanated from 

 the Waltonian Club, established in Newcastle-on-Tyne in 

 the year 1821-22. The custom seems to have been to 

 publish a Garland annually, the first of which appeared 

 in 1 82 1 in form of a single-sheet broadside. It com- 

 mences — 



" Auld nature now revived seems," 



and was the joint production of Robert Roxby and Thomas 

 Doubleday, who were also the authors of most of the 

 single Garlands to the year 1832, when the series 

 terminated. They were published in a collected form in 

 the year 1836, with Boaz's Anglers Progress, a childish 

 poem written in 1789, prefixed to them as the Garland 

 for 1820. In 1742 an attempt was made to revive the 

 series, but it failed after two or three years. However, in 

 the year just named, the original publishers of the Gar- 

 lands brought out A Collection of Right Merrie Garlands 

 for North-Cotmtry Anglers, adding to the original a mis- 

 cellaneous collection of songs, Doubleday again being a 

 contributor. The best of the Roxby and Doubleday 

 Garlands were republished in the Coqiictdale Fishing 

 Songs in 1852 ; and in 1864 Mr. Joseph Crawhall again 

 reproduced the Collection of Right Merrie Garlands, &c., 

 with songs and poems added mainly by himself and 

 Doubleday, T. Westwood being also a contributor, and 

 styled them by the old title of the Nezucastle Fishers' 

 Garlands, assigning one, and sometimes two, to each year 

 to 1864 inclusive. Thus we have what the Devonshire folk 

 would call "a mixed medley;" and the compositions, it 



