APPENDIX. 103 



be quite as rational to wink at or encourage the destruction 

 of other kinds of food during its breeding season, such as 

 cows when in calf, ewes when with lamb, and poultry 

 when hatching. But the fact unfortunately is, that salmon 

 are but too often looked upon merely as private property, 

 forgetting all the while that the public are its consumers, 

 and that its price in the market comes within the vulgar 

 category of shillings and pence ; and unless the care of it 

 were entrusted to somebody, there very soon would be none 

 at all. 



<c In conclusion, I may here say, that in so far as I 

 have heard, the general opinion is that the open season for 

 taking salmon should end on the 15th or 20th of August, 

 allowing the time for commencing to continue as at present 

 or to be made earlier by a fortnight ; against such exten- 

 sion, I myself entertain a very strong objection. 



* c Having introduced two bills into the House of Com- 

 mons for altering the present act, I may here state that one 

 of these was to close the season on the 20th of August, and 

 the other was to continue taking salmon with the rod 

 until the 15th of September. When introducing these 

 bills I distinctly stated my determination either to carry 

 or relinquish both ; for I found very many members 

 favourable to the rod-fishing bill who objected to the one 

 for shortening the season, and I would not be a party to 

 the one without the other, and with this in view I first 

 moved the curtailing bill, on which being beaten by a 

 small majority I immediately withdrew the second, and sa 

 the affair ended. I am still favourable to the principle of 

 both these bills, considering it of far more importance to 

 the protection and increase of salmon when breeding to gain 

 the good-will and support of proprietors of land in whose 

 estates the breeding streams are, and where many fish 

 would arrive and afford excellent sport between the 20th 

 of August and the 15th of September, and in this way 

 compensate in some measure for the very few that get 

 thereat present during the open season; and to this I may 

 add, that the three weeks' extension of rod-fishing has 

 worked wonders on the Tweed as a decided means of pro- 

 tecting breeding fish. 



" I have only further to say, that I am not a proprietor 



