VI PREFACE. 



is confidently hoped, find all necessary information 

 upon the recreative art. And while the Author has 

 given as much instruction as he could give, he has 

 divested it of all ambiguousness and superfluous dila- 

 tation. The different descriptions of tackle and of bait 

 appropriate to the several varieties of sport, the best 

 places for resorting to, and the most likely means of 

 averting disappointment in case of accident, are all 

 treated of; while the various rivers of England are 

 traced from their source to their fall, and the multifa- 

 rious kinds of fish with which they abound are carefully 

 noted. The object has been to render the book at 

 once concise and complete the young angler's " best 

 companion" and the more expert angler's acceptable 

 monitor. To several experienced and accomplished 

 anglers, both upon the Thames and the Lea, the 

 author has been indebted for valuable hints; and to 

 some two or three of them for able contributions to- 

 wards the stock of information he has here brought 

 together. They will receive his best thanks for their 

 kind co-operation, while those who consult his book 

 will partake of the advantages of their long experience 

 and nice observation. 



April 3rd, 1848. 



