O SALMON FISHERIES 



article of food, for the benefit of the public, #c. On 

 the 7th of February, 1861, the Commission issued 

 their Report, containing 545 pages of evidence, with 

 a Report of 35 pages, from which we copy the 

 extracts. 



In 1861 a Bill was introduced into Parliament, based 

 upon the recommendations contained in the Report 

 of the Royal Commission. 



This Bill had been prepared with the intention of 

 superseding all the provisions of the existing Acts, by 

 combining their requisite and useful provisions, in 

 one general Act. It proposed to repeal upwards of 

 twenty of these ancient salmon fishery Acts. 



The new Bill in its progress through Parliament 

 was divested of many of its most useful provisions, 

 which the ancient statutes had also previously 

 contained. 



Owing to these changes in the Bill, the result was 

 found to be that these ancient Statutes were most 

 improvidently repealed by the Salmon Fishery Act of 

 1861, and no corresponding enactments were substi- 

 tuted. Experience now proves that the laws at 

 present in force do not supply adequate means for 

 enforcing a free passage for the salmon to their 

 spawning beds ; the previous Acts did this. 



The following are a few of the repealed Statutes : 



Excepting Magna Charta 1224. 



The Act of 1350, " New Weirs shall be pulled 

 down and not repaired." 



The Act of 1369, "The penalty of him that setteth 

 up or enhanceth Weirs, One Hundred Marks to the 

 King." 



The Act of 1399, A confirmation of former Statutes 

 touching the pulling down of Weirs. 



The Act of 1402, " Commissions shall be awarded 

 to Justices to enquire of Weirs, Kidels, &c." 



