58 FISHES AND FISHING. 



Greater attention has been given to this subject, as 

 regards salmon, in the river Severn ; a meeting of 

 landed proprietors upon the banks of this last-men- 

 tioned river was held at Tewkesbury, on Wednesday, 

 the 16th of December, 1840, relative to the proposed 

 improvement of its navigation; Earl Beauchamp in the 

 chair. Mr. Strickland stated that he had heard a 

 paper read at a meeting of the British Association at 

 Glasgow, describing a plan of making passages, which 

 were called '* staircases," by which the salmon were 

 enabled to pass up the weirs; and he wished to 

 know if the proposed weirs would obstruct the salmon, 

 and so injure the fisheries, which were of great im- 

 portance. Mr. Cubitt replied, that he believed the 

 intended weirs would not obstruct the salmon ; *' that 

 the staircases were a very neat contrivance,'* and 

 they would be furnished, if necessary. 



Whatever may have been the manner of construct- 

 ing the weirs in the Severn, the fisheries have not, 

 as far as I can learn, been injured. 



Since writing this, I observed in ** BelPs Life," of 

 Sept. 3, 1854, the following, copied from the "Wor- 

 cester Chronicle.*' 



** Seveen Salmon. — The take of Severn salmon 

 has never been so great as during the present season. 

 In three days in May, 200 prime fish, weighing 

 lOSOlbs., were brought by the fishermen to one of 



