SALMON LEGISLA TION IN SCO TLAND. 491 



Committee of the House of Commons appointed for the 

 purpose had made an exhaustive inquiry into the subject, 

 and had presented a Report to the House containing 

 recommendations superior in every respect to those actually 

 adopted, it is difficult to understand why the Act was 

 passed, and it can only be put down to the adverse 

 influence of the lower proprietors. It was entirely in their 

 interest, and not in that of the fish or the fisheries. 



Of course it was not to be expected that matters could 

 remain on the footing established by this Act, and accord- 

 ingly many proposals were made, and several bills brought 

 forward from time to time during the next thirty years 

 with a view of amending the law and placing it more or 

 less nearly on the footing recommended by the Report of 

 the Select Committee of 1825. The same influence, how- 

 ever, which secured the passing of the Act of 1828 was 

 still at work, and defeated every effort which was made. 

 The way for a new general Act for Scotland was at length 

 paved by the passing of two Acts for the Tweed in 1857 

 and 1859, the Tay Act of 1858, and the Ness and Beauly 

 and Thurso Acts of 1860, the discussion of the Bills for 

 which, notably those of the Tweed, opened, the eyes of 

 Parliament to the real state of matters, and to the necessity 

 of doing something to prevent the extermination of the 

 " noble denizen of the rivers." 



BILL OF 1861. 



In 1861 the whole subject of salmon fishing legislation in 

 Great Britain came before Parliament. Following in the 

 case of England on the recommendations of a Royal 

 Commission, and in the case of Scotland on those of a 

 Committee of the House of Lords, two important and 



