THE FISHERIES. $ 



Secondly. It was propounded, that the ancient 

 mode, which had existed for ages, of capturing sal- 

 mon by fixed engines in rivers, was a monopoly, and 

 was prejudicial to the fisheries at large ; and the re- 

 medy proposed was, the legalization of a new mono- 

 poly by fixtures in the sea and tideway ; and thus 

 the last state of monopoly was made worse than the 

 first. 



This leads us into a short digression, and a few 

 observations, concerning the history of the ancient 

 charter and patent weirs of this kingdom. No 

 doubt, at a remote period, a necessity arose for a 

 fixed mode of capturing salmon in our rivers, for the 

 supply of markets in chief cities or towns : the ima- 

 gination must be vivid, which can conjecture a time 

 when the rude aiigUng tackle of our ancestors was 

 alone regarded as a means adequate to the supply 

 of the public wants. We learn from undoubted re- 

 cords, that at a very early period of our history, 

 purprestures, or weirs, were used in this country for 

 the capture of salmon, and were, for many centuries, 

 subjected to legislative control; hence the origin and 

 the title of the Salmon-weirs, or great Salmon-fish- 

 eries of this kingdom ; they existed certainly when 

 the Danes held sway in Ireland, and were subse- 

 quently confirmed, or granted by the Crown, by 

 charter, or patent, to corporations and others, who 

 had acquired territorial rights. In this manner 

 rights of several fishery were founded ; a large pro- 

 portion of those fisheries falling into hands of mo- 



