26 THAMES FISHING. 



some additional water bailiffs. So many persons 

 enjoy the amusement of angling in the river Thames, 

 who can get it no where else, and so much benefit 

 is received from their presence at the several villages 

 on its banks, that I trust something will be done 

 for the protection of the fish during the earlier 

 stages of their existence. 



Persons of every class seem to participate in the 

 amusement of Thames angling, from the Duke of 

 Sussex to the little fat cobbler of Hampton. His 

 Royal Highness was at one time a determined 

 angler, and kept a punt at Shepperton for the 

 purpose. Here he was attended by the famous 

 Peter Purdy, (poor Peter! a better fisherman 

 never poached the Thames), and who invariably 

 answered " Yes,"" or " No, your Royal Rodney," 

 to any questions which the Duke asked. Peter, 

 on being reminded of the great mistake he thus 

 committed, said that for the life of him he could 

 not help it. He had heard so much of Lord 

 Rodney from his father, who was one of his crew, 

 that he protested he could think of no other name 

 whenever he spoke to a great man. 



As for myself, I confess that the quiet amuse- 

 ment of angling has great charms for me. It com- 

 bines also another pleasure with it, that of study- 

 ing nature. The song of a sedge bird, the cry of 

 a water-hen, the peculiar flight of a king-fisher 

 even the very insects which flit around me, all add 



