90 DAYS AND NIGHTS OF SALMON FISHING 



eminent for humanity, illustrious for science, and 

 famed for high achievement philosophers, warriors, 

 divines who have been dear lovers of the sport.* 

 But does it require this vindication ? For myself, 

 far from being surprised that distinguished men 

 have delighted in fishing, I only wonder that any 

 man can be illustrious who does not practise either 

 angling or field sports of some sort or another. They 

 all demand skill and enterprise. If you ask me to 

 reconcile angling to reason, you may possibly 

 distress me. It is an instinct, a passion, and a 

 powerful one, originally given to man for the preser- 

 vation of his existence. The waters as well as the 

 land yield forth their increase. In the joyless regions 

 of the north, when the bear famishes on the iceberg, 

 and the gaunt wolf howls amongst the snow-drifts, 

 the miserable tenant of the land stalks along the 

 desolate shores, and with his javelin, or hooks of 

 bone, acquires by his rude skill a precarious sub- 

 sistence for his family. Everlasting winter has 

 stamped his iron foot upon the soil : the snow 

 whitens all interminably, except where the blasts 

 drive it from the face of the bleak rocks ; and with- 

 out this resource he must perish he and his sad 

 family together. Even so it is ordained from 

 above. 

 Thrice happy are we, who live in a more genial 



* When Sir Humphrey Davy was at Gisburn, the late Lord 

 Ribblesdale took him to see the celebrated Gorsdale Rocks, ex- 

 pecting they would astonish and interest him, and call forth some 

 very learned remarks ; but the great philosopher noticed only the 

 stream beneath them, which he scrutinised minutely, saying he was 

 sure there were no fish in it, or he should have discovered them. 



