238 FISHES AND FISHING. 



The EivER Wandle has, or formerly had, several 

 (lifFerent species of trout. There was at Hackbridge 

 a small kind, which never grew to a large size ; 

 they were very numerous, and rose at any small fly. 

 The trout in the whole of the Croydon branch are 

 dark in colour, the flesh white, and not well fla- 

 voured ; whilst those from the other, the Carshalton 

 branch, are larger in size, thicker, and broader in 

 proportion to length, beautiful in appearance, seeming 

 as if covered with a thick coat of yellow varnish, show 

 great sport when hooked ; their flesh is red, and I was 

 told by a distinguished personage, to whom I had the 

 honour of presenting a leash, weighing above seven 

 pounds, that he had seen and tasted trout in every 

 part of England, and in many places on the conti- 

 nent, but never saw any so handsome, or tasted any 

 so good before. I certainly adopted the means to 

 keep them good. I killed them as soon as taken, and 

 packed them in nettles. The same eulogy was passed 

 on these fish by the late Duke of Wellington, to 

 whom I had the pleasure of presenting some of these 

 fish, on several of the anniversaries of his birth. 



I have always found the proprietors of the private 

 waters on this river, with one or two exceptions, 

 very kindly disposed to anglers of respectability. One 

 of the exceptions was Mr. William Gee, who resided 

 at Beddington Park, as the steward of his brother. 



