218 FISHING GOSSIP. 



DEESIDE JOTTINGS. 



THE influence of habit is so powerful in reconciling 

 us to the evils of social arrangements, that it requires 

 no small effort to break the spell. The process is 

 never agreeable ; and often exposes the best motives 

 to be misunderstood. It demands us to reconsider 

 customs consecrated by time ; to call in doubt the 

 wisdom of those who preceded us ; and to measure 

 the utility of their acts by a comparison of the good 

 produced with the evils intended to be removed. If 

 man had not counteracted the intentions of nature by 

 the excess of his greed and the nullity of his laws, 

 there can be little doubt the Dee would be a pleasant 

 and prolific river to fish. But the savages who once 

 roamed the neighbouring woods probably drew more 

 food from its bed than do now the civilised communi- 

 ties dwelling on its banks. This is merely to say, 

 in other words, that each successive link in the chain 

 of protective legislation yielded in time to the pres- 

 sure of the circumstances which it was framed to 

 amend. 



Nor is it very difficult to understand how sterility 

 has totally blighted some of our streams, and re- 



