THE TWEED RUTHERFOED WATER. 83 



the Tweed, have generally excited admiration on ac- 

 count of the size and beauty of the trout contained in 

 them." Owing to the preserving spirit, however, there 

 is now some difficulty in the way of angling in Euther- 

 ford-water. Some years ago, when Lord John Scott 

 and others became lessees of the Eutherford salmon- 

 fishings, they gave a book to their keeper, and in- 

 structed him to allow only those persons to angle for 

 trouts who signed their names in it. Professor Low 

 and Mr. Spottiswoode, the succeeding lessees, continued 

 this practice ; but Mr. Brown, who now rents the fish- 

 ings, has improved upon it, 'and issues tickets giving 

 leave to angle, any person who goes without one of 

 these tickets being turned away from the river- side. 

 That there is no mistake about Mr. Brown's assump- 

 tion of the right to prohibit trout-fishing, is clear from 

 the ticket being left blank, to be filled up (by the per- 

 son in Kelso who is empowered to do so) as giving 

 permission to fish for " salmon " or for " trout." We 

 believe that the lessee of these fishings has not the 

 remotest shadow of a right to impose any such restric- 

 tion. It is a decided point that a title to salmon- 

 fishing does not carry exclusive trout-fishing along 

 with it and there is no foundation in any legal de- 

 cision for a claim even on the part of ex adverso 

 landowners to such exclusive privilege in a river like 

 the Tweed. If any party of anglers, therefore, want 

 a day's fishing in Eutherford- water, we should have 

 no hesitation in recommending them to go, maugre 

 John Aitken and his master, " and all that ever with 

 them be." 



We do not know, indeed, that there is now an inch 



