"BURNING THE WATER/' 135 



each district or river require, and to enforce a strict 

 observance of the close season." 



Mr Hector, in his pamphlet already referred to, asks 



" Are not the proprietors of the shores of Scotland 

 entitled to ask the British Parliament, not only to be 

 allowed to have fixed nets in the sea, but to confer on 

 them a title to the shores, such as has been readily 

 awarded to Ireland?" 



We answer, No. If the official conservators of Irish 

 fisheries declare that the modes of capturing salmon on 

 the Irish coast have extended "to an abuse," let us 

 not clamour for the extension to Scotland of a bad law. 

 If the Irish fancy that "justice to Ireland" requires 

 that all modes of capturing salmon shall be lawful at 

 sea, let us be more reasonable, and not so foolish as to 

 hurt ourselves by importing a bad law from Ireland. 

 The permission to use stake-nets, as stated by Mr 

 Ffennell before the Lords Committee, was a compromise. 



" We took the Act of 1842 sooner than not get any 

 Act at all ; but my opinion at the time was, that, for 

 the benefit of the country, it should have been aban- 

 doned altogether, rather than sanction stake-w r eirs and 

 bag-nets so far as they are sanctioned." 



Though we gravely doubt the propriety of the com- 

 promise in regard to Scottish salmon - fisheries, we 

 heartily approve of the determination to put down, by 

 increased severity of penalty, all illegal modes of 

 slaying salmon by the leister, or burning the water. 

 It will be no easy matter, for many a day, we fear, to 

 carry out the provisions of the law in these respects. 

 Certain districts, especially in the south of Scotland, 

 seem to be thoroughly demoralised in regard to these 

 barbarous modes of slaying pregnant fish. In fact, in 

 this particular, they retain the love of that kind of sport 

 which is a characteristic of savages ; and in explanation 

 of their passion for it we are disposed to agree with 

 Lord Kames, who refers the passion of some people for 

 the chase to a remnant of the hunter's instinct, with 



