104 THE HISTORY AND HABITS OF THE SALMON. 



of salmon fishings, and that, individually, I would rather 

 forego the three weeks' rod-fishing than thus obtain it at 

 the expense of the injury it cannot but inflict, though 

 trifling comparatively with bag-nets, stake-nets, cruives, 

 and other nets, all killing fish in due numerical proportion, 

 and containing their tens of thousands of embryo spawn, 

 according to their size and age, as compared with my little 

 grilse and its 3782 grains of it." 



EXTRACTS FROM MR. STODDART'S OBSERVATIONS ON 

 TWEED. 



" To look for the true remedy in the existing act and 

 its amendment, is quite out of the question. A new mea- 

 sure conveying new powers, and adapted to encounter 

 great exigencies, is required ; to postpone or hesitate upon 

 it is, on the part of the Tweed Commissioners, to con- 

 demn the salmon fishing to utter and irretrievable ruin ; 

 the working statute, which they flatter themselves by a 

 stringent application to its clauses to render efficient, has, 

 I repeat it finally, lost its virtue ; to continue by it betrays 

 a want of common sagacity, if not of common sense ; nor 

 will it do to attempt patching it up by a series of paltry 

 amendments. From the base to the apex it has become 

 unsound, and there is no course left but to determine its 

 utter abandonment. 



" In regard to the rental on Tweed, I find it stated in 

 1814, as 20,000/.; in 1823, as 10,OOOZ. ; while for the 

 seven preceding years it averaged 12,000/. ; it is now 

 5000/. 



" With respect to its produce, the number of boxes of 

 fish sent from Berwick-on-Tweed, in 1804 amounted to 

 13,000; in 1816 to 11,000; from 1818 to 1820, 8000, 

 and in 1846, 3000. 



<c Enough I think has been quoted to satisfy any rea- 

 sonable mind that the salmon fishings in Tweed have, for 

 a long period, in common with those of Tay, Spey, and Ness, 

 been on the decline. The reverses of 1851, added to those of 

 the preceding year, are calculated to have a very dishearten- 

 ing effect. With the exact course of remedial agencies 

 about to be applied by the commissioners I am not ac- 



