ANGLING. 



which a lover of these exciting amusements might 

 draw of their various excellencies, but must depend 

 on the tone and temper of mind possessed by dif- 

 ferent persons, and their greater or less accordance 

 with individual tastes. This much, however, may 

 be safely stated as a general and admitted truth, 

 that the value of a pursuit increases in proportion 

 as it becomes attainable by the mass of our fellow- 

 creatures; and as angling is a much cheaper and 

 more convenient pleasure than either hunting or 

 shooting, it may, in so far as regards those ad- 

 vantages, claim a decided preference. Be it re- 

 membered that Dr. Johnson's description of a rod 

 with a fly at one end and a fool at the other is not 

 admitted among the memorabilia of the lovers of 

 old Izaak Walton. 



The recreation of angling has been followed by 

 many of the best and wisest of men in modern ages. 

 Sir Henry Wotton found from experience, that 

 after prolonged study or worldly occupation, it was 

 " a rest to his mind, a cheerer of his spirits, a 

 diverter of sadness, a calmer of unquiet thoughts, 

 a moderator of passions, a procurer of contented- 

 ness;" and besides the immediate excitement of the 

 sport itself, few occupations yield so much pleasure 

 to the lovers of rural scenery and the admirers of 

 the picturesque. The most beautiful scenes in 

 nature usually adorn or consist of the banks of 

 lakes and rivers; and the composition of a perfect 

 landscape, whether in nature or art, is incomplete 

 without the accessory of either tranquil or flowing 

 waters. The pursuits of the artist and the angler 



