8 THE NATURAL HISTORY AND HABITS 



Lanark, Renfrew, and their deputies, and the pro- 

 vost and baillies of Glasgow, Renfrew, and Lanark, 

 for the waters of Clyde and tributaries thereof; the 

 sheriff of Dumbartone and his deputies, and baillies 

 of the burgh of Dumbartone, for the waters of Levin 

 and Amrik ; the sheriff of Argyle and Tarbet, and 

 his deputies, for the bounds of the said sherifdome 

 and lorne, to the march of the sherifdome of In- 

 verness ; and the said sheriff of Inverness and his 

 deputies, for all the bounds of the said sherifdome 

 on the north-west coast, from the march of the sherif- 

 dome of Argyle to Strathnaver. Given, granted, and 

 committed to the said justices in that part conjunctly 

 and severally, within the bounds particularly above 

 written, full power, special command, express bidding 

 and charge, to take up all persons, contraveners of 

 said Acts of Parliaments, the principal offenders, 

 masters, landlords, as well as receptors of the same, 

 and that under a penalty of two hundred pounds." 



These Acts plainly show the strict and careful 

 conservation the Government took over the salmon 

 fisheries ; and under that attention and care the 

 fisheries flourished and were productive of even more 

 than the wants of the country required ; for we find in 

 ancient records, that apprentices in towns, farm ser- 

 vants, and labourers had a clause in the agreement 

 with their masters not to be fed on salmon oftener 

 than three days a week, and this was not only in 

 the vicinity of large rivers such as are now known as 

 salmon rivers, for in those days the merest stream 

 that had connection with a river or with the sea 

 actually teemed with salmon. The laws were good, 

 and the conservators did their duty, and the success 

 became far above conception. The Church as well as 

 the State did their duty towards their vassals, for the 

 temporalities were, at that time, one of their peculiar 



