12 THE SALMON RIVERS OF SCOTLAND 



. . . The mills are supplied with water from the mill-lade, 

 and one of them obtains water from the Tweed when necessary. 

 The people of the town are entirely engaged in the woollen 

 industry, wool scouring, weaving, and dyeing are all carried 

 on here. The town is sewered. All the sewage is collected 

 in an outfall sewer, which discharges into the mill lade below 

 the lowermost mill, and about 300 yards from the Tweed ; 

 there is no attempt at purification of the sewage. The liquid 

 refuse from the mills is discharged into the lade. The water 

 of the lade where it discharges to the Tweed is very foul with 

 sewage and dye water. . . . Below the point at which the 

 lade discharges to the Tweed the water of this river is greatly 

 fouled, the bottom of the river is covered with sewage deposit 

 and the stones coated with sewage fungus. The river here 

 contains also a large amount of refuse of all kinds, such as 

 pots and pans, old linoleum, old ironwork, and such like. 

 Although there is a daily collection of rubbish in the town a 

 great deal of large-sized rubbish is thrown into the bed of the 

 Leithen, and the tip to which all refuse is taken, together with 

 offal from the slaughter-houses, is situate just where the 

 Leithen falls into the Tweed. In times of flood the water of 

 the Leithen excavates this refuse tip and carries the refuse 

 into the Tweed. Some of the mill owners here have tanks 

 for settling the spent liquids after dyeing, and in this way some 

 of the solid refuse is retained, but the coloured liquid is allowed 

 to enter the river." 



This serves to show how " the silver Tweed " is treated while 

 it is yet sixty miles from the sea. 



The river now passes through the north-east portion of 

 Selkirkshire by famous Ashiestiel, where Scott spent seven of 

 perhaps the happiest years of his life. It is one of the most 

 beautiful parts of Tweed. Abbotsford was bought by Sir 

 Walter in 1811. I will not attempt to do more than mention 

 it, so many able pens have already been busy with everything 

 which pertains to the sacred place. 



Opposite Abbotsford, the Boldside fishings are situated, and 

 from a return furnished to Lord Elgin's Salmon Fisheries 

 Commission by the proprietor, Mr. Scott of Gala, it is possible 

 to make an estimate of their productiveness. The return is 

 for the years 1880-1900, excepting 1891, and deals with results 



