SALMON FISHING IN THE AVON. 251 



Castlereagli, and others have killed many fish in the 

 Avon ; and ray opinion is, that if the safety and pre- 

 servation of the salmon could be assured to a greater 

 distance up the river, and Sir George Rose, to whom 

 the fishery belongs, would lower |_his rent to a con- 

 siderable fiirure, the breed of salmon mioht be in- 

 creased, and by degrees the rent be raised to even 

 more than it was before. The exorbitant rent at 

 present demanded induces the gentlemen who take 

 the fishery to make the salmon defray a portion of the 

 expenses, consequently, every Saturday before the 

 passage up is opened, all the fish that have refused the 

 fly during the week are caught with a net, not only 

 to pay expenses, but because the neighbour above 

 would catch them with nets the moment they passed 

 to his portion of the river. The salmon killed with a 

 fly are, therefore, very few ; and it would be curious 

 to compare the price of each fish so taken with the 

 amount of rent. I think the average price of a sal- 

 mon would be about ten guineas the rise. Of this 

 all men may rest assured, that no pleasure, except 

 the miser's questionable delight in making money, 

 eveY pays its own cost in pounds, shillings, and pence; 

 many pleasures, as the saying goes, do " pay," and 

 well repay in enjoyment those who seek them : to 

 have pleasure for nothing is impossible ; and it is 

 right that it should be so : if men did not pay for 

 their pleasure, on my word I think some would have 

 none at all. 



I was fishing once in the Stour for perch, and my 

 man, who was walking by the brink of the river, 

 clear, swift, cool, deep, and beautiful as it ran just 

 at that place, exclaimed to me, " Sir, here are 

 two great eels." On repairing to the spot, tlic wnter 



