372 RIVERS OF THE MORAY FIRTH. 



salmon. There are two inns affording accommodation 

 to the angler in the neighbourhood of Aberlour, one 

 the New Inn, at Charleston, and the other the Cottage 

 Inn, on the opposite side of the burn. Besides these, 

 there is an inn on the Aven at Tomantoul, another at 

 Inveraven; also at Fochabers, Rothes, and in various 

 places throughout the district of Strath-spey. 



As an angling river, the Spey is very unequal. It 

 contains, in the neighbourhood of Laggan, abundance 

 of yellow trout. Among these, several years ago, 

 although in July, and when the weather was particu- 

 larly sultry, I recollect meeting with tolerable sport. 

 Further down, it is much infested with small pike, 

 which commit great ravages among the fry, both of 

 trout and salmon. The salmon-fishings upon this river 

 belong principally to the Duke of Richmond, and are 

 rented by the Messrs. Hogarth of Aberdeen. They 

 extend from the mouth of Spey nine or ten miles, and 

 include a right of erecting a cruive-dyke, which pre- 

 vents in a great measure the upward passage of the 

 fish. In fact, during the open season, there is no pos- 

 sibility of their surmounting this obstacle, except on 

 the occurrence of a large flood which overtops the line 

 of masonry. On Sundays, indeed, the slap-gate is 

 thrown open, but 'this precarious mode of admission 

 into the upper parts of the river is not much taken 

 advantage of by the salmon when in a clean state. 

 Accordingly, above Rothes, the number of fish annually 

 captured in Spey is a mere trifle to what are taken in 

 the Gordon fishings. The rental at present paid by 

 the Messrs. Hogarth is six thousand pounds ; not long 

 ago it was eight thousand two hundred pounds. As 

 many as three thousand salmon and grilses, chiefly the 

 latter, have been captured in one day out of this part 



