222 FACT AGAINST FICTION. 



clumsy Jislh the roach make head and attain to 

 the iij^per portion of the river, under the pliilo- 

 sophical march of folly and reason, had been 

 stopped. 



In the place of the old free ^^ gap," the Fishery 

 Commissioners put, at corners of the river, water- 

 falls or structures they called "ladders," by which 

 they asserted that the salmon would be able to 

 ascend without any difficulty. They, the salmon, 

 really had no difficulty before ; but because of the 

 upper level of the lands being drained into the 

 river before the lower level had been rendered 

 fit to receive the sudden influx, and on account 

 of the fact that the increase of man, and consequent 

 pollution of all Heaven's gifts, caused the decrease 

 of both fish and wild fowl, the dearth of salmon 

 everywhere was set down to the impossibility of 

 the fish to pass by the old free gap — the gap 

 they had ascended by for years on years. 



Now, had "reason" been given to the salmon, 

 reason might have induced the fish, Avlien he found 

 the free gap closed, to look for some other means 

 of ascent, as a man would do by his liouse. If his 

 door was fast, he would call for a ladder ; but the 

 salmon's instinct having stoj^rped short where it 



