WASTE LANDS AND WASTE WATERS. 153 



dom; but in Scotland tliere is a speciality and a 

 Avaste of that excellent fish the eel, for thousands on 

 thousands of tons of eels might be caught with 

 proper ^'stages" on the rivers, near their outlets 

 from the lakes, and, indeed, from their whole river 

 extent, whicli, whatever may be the Scottish dis- 

 taste for that excellent fish, would amply repay 

 the construction of the stages, and, in some places, 

 return a handsome income to the proprietor. 



Proprietors seem to me to forget (they have 

 always forgotten) that railways noio put fish that 

 are taken in Scotland at once alive and fresh in 

 the London market, as well as in all the nuirkets 

 of all the towns in England ; and that for tlie 

 fish which in Scotland is shuddered at and despised 

 tliere is an immense demand, hitherto to an enor- 

 mous extent not half sup2:)lied, only to be made use 

 of and increased by a little attention and trouble. 



Years ago, when on a visit to Taymouth, in 

 the late Marquis of Breadalbane's time, some 

 time before his deeply lamented death, I had sug- 

 gested to him the taking of the countless and 

 beautiful eels in his various lakes and rivers, and 

 transporting them at once by rail to the market 

 ■which I knew full well could ])e liad, and he 



