THE FISHERIES. 35 



sidiar J details, and taking a broad view of the whole 

 subject, we say, confidently : — Give faciUty of pas- 

 sage over weirs, and moderate protection to the 

 spawners ; stop Salmon-fishing on the first of Au- 

 gust ; allow ample escape of Salmon-peal ; and your 

 fisheries will improve, and salmon will increase and 

 multiply in spite of all that crib or weir can do, or 

 poacher poach. 



The next topic requiring particular notice is that 

 of migratory passes, or salmon ladders, as they are 

 sometimes called ; these are contrivances or devices 

 intended to enable salmon to get over mill-weirs or 

 other obstructions. Ample provisions, with a view 

 to this important purpose, are contained in the Bill, 

 but we shall here endeavour to discuss the subject 

 in ordinary phrase, omitting legal phraseology. We 

 have seen some models or plans of salmon-passes, 

 imported, we believe, from Scotland, which are quite 

 unsuited to our weirs, and we very much doubt their 

 efficiency at any weir. Let us, then, examine this 

 matter critically : we take up a case purely conjec- 

 tural, as we shall permit no personal allusion to have 

 a place in these pages. A mill-owner, we shall sup-. 

 pose, has heightened his weir, which is an acknow- 

 ledged encroachment ; an objection is made, and 

 thereupon he proposes to provide, at his own ex- 

 pense, a passage for fish over this obstruction ; ac- 

 cordingly, a pass is constructed — of cut stone, per- 

 haps, and at a handsome outlay — a mere cipher, 

 though, in comparison to the value of the additional 



