the breed of Salmon would be destroyed, and that, unless 

 stake-nets were prohibited, the species would become ex- 

 tinct. A hue and cry, in short, was raised. The pro- 

 phetic clamour was well calculated to work on the igno- 

 rance and credulity of the public ; and, with one accord, 

 all were in arms. 



Whether the upper heritors really believed all that 

 they alleged, it is not necessary to inquire; although 

 it will be seen in the sequel, that never were fears 

 more groundless. But, if they were not truly alarm, 

 ed by this phantom of their own creation, at least they 

 certainly perceived that the monopoly which they had 

 until then enjoyed, was in danger ; and that, if a quanti- 

 ty of fish, ten times greater, and of a richer quality, and 

 in better order than had ever before been in the market, 

 \vas brought into competition with the produce of their 

 fisheries, the prices which they had been in use to receive, 

 could not be maintained. 



This, however, was a ground of alarm in which the 

 public was interested in a sense directly opposite to the 

 private and exclusive interests of the river proprietors. It 

 was one, accordingly, which the latter never ventured, 

 and could not venture to state. There was thus some 

 difficulty in getting up a different pretext on which to 

 found the defence of their monopoly. But at length 

 this was thought to be discovered in the ancient Scots 

 statutes already mentioned, which had been passed in 

 dark and rude ages, centuries before stake-nets, or any 

 thing resembling them, had even been thought of ; at 

 a time, indeed, when there was neither capital nor enter- 

 prize for such an establishment,* when there was not in- 

 dustry and activity among the people sufficient for its 

 success, and when there was not even a market for the 



