man, from the landlord down to the humble cotter, was dis- 

 posed to look on any invasion of their little income, as robbery 

 or spoliation deserving detestation. The Rev. Geo. N. Tre- 

 dennick, the rector of Kilbarron, was the first to set this univer- 

 sal treaty at defiance. His proceedings, not long after my 

 father's death, threatened to involve in ruin his orphans' pro- 

 perty. Having brought over a Scottish fisherman, Mr. James 

 Hector, to establish a bag-net fishery at the mouth of the 

 river to take the salmon and sell them in Ballyshannon market; 

 the population of the country, excited by what they deemed 

 unlawful and unwarranted encroachments, assembled simul- 

 taneously, and under the influence of strong prejudice, unlaw- 

 fully injured the nets of Mr. Hector. The Rev. Mr. Treden- 

 nick applied to the government to interfere, and crown prose- 

 cutions were instituted against a Roman Catholic priest and 

 myself for a conspiracy. We were acquitted of the false 

 charges, but I was found guilty of having written, and having 

 published, my sentiments of Mr. Tredennick's proceedings in 

 language too warm, and beyond what the letter of the law per- 

 mitted. I was sentenced to a week's imprisonment, and bound 

 in heavy penalties to keep the peace. 



The learned judge, Baron Pennefather, who tried the fishery 

 cases at LifFord, having stated that the laws allowed every 

 person to fish for salmon in the high and deep sea, (without 

 defining any boundary or reservation as to the fishery at the 

 mouth of the river, and the right of fishing on the sea coasts 

 and shores,) the opinion of the judge was seized on by Mr. Tre- 

 dennick as a sanction for all his proceedings, and, accordingly, 

 in the next summer he not only renewed his fishery with seve- 

 ral bag nets, but obtained from the government a large force 

 of police and water guards to protect Kildoney. The people 

 finding that the law permitted the bag-net fishery, and that to 

 interfere with it was a breach of the peace, refrained from any 

 further opposition to it; so that the necessity of keeping up a 

 large police at Kildoney every summer since, at great expense 

 to the county, was totally uncalled for. Unfortunately, although 

 the opposition from the people ceased, their indignation against 



