FRANCE AND BELGIUM. 173 



waters, which cover an immense tract of country, and 

 which are replete with innumerable quantities of fish. 



The law, in Belgium, as to the right of fishing with 

 the rod, and the various modes in which that right may 

 be exercised, is nearly the same as the law of France. If 

 there be any difference, it is in favour of the liberty of the 

 subject in the former country. The taste for the amusing 

 and indeed delightful art, is more generally disseminated 

 in Belgium than in France; and this naturally secures 

 more unrestrained and unfettered movements. 



A few remarks on the best mode of travelling in 

 France and Belgium for angling purposes, will, it is 

 presumed, be of use to the general reader. 



The Diligences in France are capacious and convenient, 

 and are, on the whole, extremely reasonable in price; 

 and there are very few populous villages in which there 

 is not some vehicle or other, which will enable a man to 

 make his way from one stream to another with ease and 

 expedition. If two or three persons travel in company, 

 they will find that a carriole, hired for a few days or more, 

 will prove a very cheap and convenient mode of getting 

 over the ground ; because it enables the angler to go into 

 the villages on the banks of rivers, and fish such portions 

 of a stream as he may find agreeable or convenient. The 

 general price of these carrioles is about seven or eight 

 francs a-day, with one franc for the driver. This is the 

 whole of the expense, for the keep of the man and horse 

 is at the cost of the proprietor of the carriole. 



A passport is an indispensable document on foreign 

 travel; and the continental angler ought always to have 

 one in his possession. A pair of water-proof boots, of 

 English make, will prove very convenient for crossing the 



