LXI 



THE Royal Commission on Tweed and Solway salmon- 

 Autumn on fishings, which reported in 1896, unanimously 

 the Tweed en dorsed the recommendation which the 

 Fishery Boards of England and Scotland have repeatedly 

 made. Salmon can only spawn, they point out, and 

 anglers can only ply their art, in fresh water ; netting, 

 therefore, which means the wholesale destruction of fish 

 entering the rivers to spawn, should be restricted to 

 tidal waters and the open sea. A fair proportion of 

 every run of fish throughout the season should be 

 allowed to escape, to ensure the maintenance of the 

 race, and to prevent salmon-fishing becoming the exclu- 

 sive privilege of very rich men, who can afford to buy 

 off the nets. 



' After all,' says the pedantic political economist, 

 ' angling is only an amusement, and is of no importance 

 compared with the commercial business of food supply. 

 So long as the nets catch plenty of salmon, the Legislature 

 need not interfere.' 



Yes, but suppose, as Scotch lairds are beginning to 

 realise, that angling rights command a better rent than 



