A BOOK OF FISHING STORIES 



other for the privilege of paying rents which to their grand- 

 sires would have seemed basis for a case de lunatico inquirendo, 

 in order to acquire fishings which, fifty years ago, might have 

 been had for the asking, and a hundred years ago without the 

 asking. What array of numerals, think you, would be re- 

 quired to represent the annual rental of the rivers, lochs, and 

 moors that Colonel Thornton fished and shot over in the 

 course of his famous sporting tour through the northern 

 counties ? Nobody thought of interfering with him, although 

 from first to last throughout his two years' trip it does not 

 appear that he either sought or obtained permission from 

 anyone. Angling, indeed, in those days was held in little 

 repute ; the few gentlemen of position who indulged in it 

 were deemed somewhat eccentric, the prevalent sentiment in 

 regard to that pursuit being expressed by Porthos, one of 

 the immortal Three Musketeers, when he said : " La peche 

 est un plaisir roturier : je le laisse a Mousqueton." 



Very different is the state of matters now. Not only is 

 good fishing among the most highly coveted pleasures of the 

 affluent, but in the industrial districts of midland and northern 

 England and in lowland Scotland the membership of angling 

 clubs consists of thousands of artisans and miners. Nor is 

 there any reason to doubt that these numbers would be vastly 

 increased if only there were angling waters to accommodate 

 them. It is the purpose of this concluding chapter to show 

 that a great deal might be done to meet the growing demand, 

 at least in the wilder and less densely populated districts of 

 the north, to which access is now so cheap and easy. 



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