THE BLACKADDEE. 125 



But its waters are mostly protected, and the stream itself, 

 unless after heavy rains, insignificant. It contains no salmon, 

 nor sea trout, nor parr. Its trout are darker and finer, and rather 

 better eating than the Whitadder trout, which, after all, is not 

 saying much for them. They are chiefly the trout called parr- 

 trout, hy which I mean common river trout, retaining to the 

 adult condition tolerably well marked parr markings. 



The Blackadder would be an excellent trouting stream were it 

 not for poachers, the most destructive of whom are, not the wild 

 daring fellows who break into grounds by day or night and make 

 a dash at what they can get, but the sly wily poacher, who enters 

 some park or grounds, walled and protected, by the side- 

 door leading to the home farm or gardener's house, on the 

 strength of a slight acquaintance with the farmer, or the niece, 

 or nephew; a neighbouring Dominie Sampson,for example,'a parish 

 schoolmaster. Once within the grounds he knows where to find 

 a hand or pout net ; through the estate runs a pretty deep 

 rivulet communicating with the Blackadder, into which, of 

 course, the largest trout make their way about the beginning of 

 autumn. The fine dish of trout thus caught are quietly sent to 

 the head inn of the neighbouring town. These are the poachers 

 who destroy the trouting streams of .Scotland. Not far from the 

 banks of the Blackadder there lived a few years ago a Dr. Horn- 

 book such as the Scottish bard has described ! He died a natural 

 death, a circumstance that surprised me. The tragedies that 

 happened in his hands must have been pretty numerous ; but he 

 went through them even with credit, and finally came to be 

 employed by the gentry themselves. The public, and especially 

 the wealthy and titled public, prefer, I think, self-taught doctors ; 

 the illiterate show a decided preference for the uneducated 

 preacher, and all are agreed that a profound lawyer makes a very 

 bad attorney. 



Highly as I value natural gifts, I would still venture to sug- 

 gest that education may, notwithstanding, be of some small 

 benefit to mankind. Many clever men,* men high in office, are 

 of opinion that all beyond reading, writing, and casting 'up 



Lord Ellenborough, late Governor-General of India. 



