'HE CHANNEL-FISHERIES. 



gistrate, or at any sessions, duly to execute the 

 office of a conservator, that is, that he will kill no 

 salmon, or breed of salmon, within the fence days 

 aforesaid, or in any other manner contrary to the 

 provisions of this Act by any means whatever, nor 

 suffer others to do it, as far as he lawfully may or 

 can ; and that he will, to the best of his ability, 

 judgment, and diligence, use all means to detect 

 such as do, and will immediately give information 

 thereof to some magistrate of such offender, and 

 that he will view all rivers, rivulets, and branches 

 thereof^ within his district or place of appointment, 

 and make an immediate report to some magistrate 

 of all or any obstructions in such rivers, either by 

 weirs, gratings, want of waste hutches, fenders in 

 mill dams and streams, or any other unlawful means 

 whatever, which may impede or prevent the passage 

 and repassage of such salmon or salmon spawn, or 

 shed or fish of the salmon kind, or any other un- 

 lawful device which may prejudice or injure the 

 salmon fisheries.* And be it further enacted, that 

 such conservator, though he inform against the vio- 

 lation of this Act, may nevertheless be allowed to 

 give evidence before any magistrate, or in any 

 court of sessions or law, and that such magistrates 



* There is scarcely a river in the country where there are 

 not some unlawful erections, prejudicial to the breed of 

 salmon. I have heard of several, where traps, as they are 

 called, are placed directly across rivers, so as to catch every 

 fish that goes up and down. This question has already been 

 much discussed. 



13 



