26 THE ADVENTURES 



the changes, not only in the fishery of the Dee 

 and the manner of taking the fish, but in the 

 very character of the river itself. It seems pro- 

 bable that the natural state of the river formerly 

 provided much more efficiently for the propagation 

 and preservation of the fish than the most strin- 

 gent laws, or the heaviest penalties, can do now. 

 It is only within the last two centuries that such 

 parts of our country as the Dee traverses between 

 Bala and Bangor Iscoed has been subjected at 

 all to artificial drainage. Immense tracts of land 

 which are now drained, ploughed, and growing 

 grain, were then wholly uncultivated ; and re- 

 mained wide districts of bog and moss, with 

 here and there patches of rushy pasture, sup- 

 porting only a few cattle, wild horses, or sheep. 

 These, like a huge sponge, retained their waters 

 long after the rains fell, constantly feeding the 

 river, and preventing the possibility of those 

 shallow draughts which now follow any con- 

 tinued dry weather, while frequently, when 

 gorged to repletion, they poured forth their 

 overloaded reservoirs in such floods as we read 

 of in the inquiry made by order of Edward I. 

 and carried away nets, mills, and buildings alike. 

 The acts of the poacher were not only unavailing 

 in a river almost constantly full of water, but 

 the same cause rendered the weirs now for 



