THE FISHERIES. 103 



as Commissioners of Fisheries, were at fault can 

 readily be conjectured : this may be exemplified, 

 however, by describing, with particularity, their 

 perplexities and mishaps in relation to the fixing a 

 proper " close season " for the Salmon-fisheries, a 

 question, perhaps of all others, the most important in 

 the whole range of Salmon-fishing subjects. 



The Commissioners, first of all, were given a power 

 to fix a separate close season suitable for each river 

 in Ireland ; the difiiculties incidental to the exercise 

 of this power they prudently avoided, by espousing 

 a theory of uniformity — that is, they resolved to al- 

 low all rivers, early and late, to enjoy the same close 

 season. — This was cutting the Gordian knot. 



But then came the question, what should the pro- 

 per uniform season be ? and in deciding this question 

 they committed a vital error, sufiicient alone to ac- 

 count for the decline of the Salmon-fisheries. 



The error may be shortly stated thus : — In the 

 year 1722, the Legislature enacted, (8 George I. c.7) 

 that Salmon-fishing in Ireland should cease on the 

 1st of August in every year ; but in {he year 1842, 

 new and most destructive engines for capturing sal- 

 mon had been invented, and were then, by an Act 

 of Parlianjent passed in that year, legalised. The 

 Commissioner of the Board of Works, who had the 

 preparation and conduct of the Bill, in its progress 

 through Parhament, fixed the 20th of August ; and, 

 by a subsequent Act, the 1st of September, as the 

 commencement of the close season. This extension 



