AND ANGLING SONGS. 383 



The anticipated miracle has not been wrought. The demon- 

 spirit has not been allayed. Salmon-poaching, its motives having 

 been misconstrued, and the remedy, in shape of protection, in- 

 sufficiently administered, threatens to maintain, if not to rein- 

 force its position among us. 



SONNET A REMINISCENCE OF LEISTERING. 



A METEOR-bearing barque, before me made 

 For Tweed's broad current from a wooded bay, 

 And under midnight's cover, on its way 

 Cautiously glided. In its moving shade, 

 On either side, the oars' infrequent blade 

 Dipp'd flagging, like the heron's wing pursued 

 At every stroke by fiery snakes, that played 

 Around the vessel's track. A figure stood 

 Upon the prow with tall and threatening spear, 

 Which suddenly into the stream he smote. 

 Methought of Charon and his leaky boat ; 

 Of the torch'd Furies, and of Pluto drear, 

 Burning the Stygian tide for lamprey vile, 

 That from his bride's dimm'd face, Orcus might gain a 

 smile. 



And now that I have arrived at this stage of the argument, I 

 shall, as briefly as possible, enumerate a few of the evils which, 

 in my estimation, have already begun to result from the applica- 

 tion to Tweed, of a section in the General Act, so uncalled for, 

 and so erroneously based. 



Firstly, Through its application encouragement has been 

 given to the growth and increase of the river-trout in the lower 

 stretches of Tweed, where, in their relation to the salmon 



