ON THE CHANNEL-FISHERIES. 83 



from thence into the sea. And be it further 

 enacted, that all millers and others using mills of 

 any description shall place stakes or gratings before 

 the channel leading to their several mill-wheels of 

 the closeness of one inch, in order to prevent the 

 back fish and spent salmon from getting under 

 mill-wheels and being crushed to death, which is 

 a circumstance that often happens for want of such 

 grating, to the great detriment of the public inte^- 

 rest. And any magistrate is hereby empowered to 

 order such gratings to be put down as aforesaid, 

 and the party neglecting so to do, after such order, 

 shall forfeit and pay the sum of 5L, and shall repair 

 the same from time to time, as it becomes neces- 

 sary. And such magistrates shall, if they think 

 proper, also order * gratings to be put and placed 

 at the commencement of every mill-leat ; or where 

 the same branches off from any natural stream, or 

 at any other more convenient situation, a grating 

 of the closeness of one inch, for the purpose of 

 preventing the back, old, or spent fish, from passing 

 into such mill-leat ; and shall order a waste scuttle 

 or hutch of a foot square to be constantly kept 



* I am credibly informed, that On all the small streams 

 every back fish is destroyed that not one escapes. This is 

 principally owing to a want of gratings to keep the fish from 

 the mill-leats. A few may escape if they keep to the rivers ; 

 but if they get into the mill-leats, it is impossible. The fish 

 hunters are as expert in finding a salmon, as the poachers are 

 in finding a hare; and, if a fish is once discovered, he is cer- 

 tainly killed. 



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