FISH DESTROYED BY MILL DAMS. 21 



have effected it ; the fly of the angler would have revolted 

 from such an outrage; the whole evil has arisen from 

 neglect in the formation of mill dams. No man in his 

 senses will say that in a young country any obstruction 

 should be thrown in the way of the erection of mills ; but 

 every man of reflection will grant that where they are 

 built the rivers should not be so completely blocked up 

 as to prevent a single salmon from ascending them. 

 There is no difficulty, no additional expense, in leaving an 

 opening sufficient for this purpose, when it is attended to 

 during the construction of the dam. Eecently, however, 

 an Act of Parliament for obtaining and enforcing such a 

 provision has been passed. In Canada salmon would not 

 only supply a recreation to the rich man, but a wholesome 

 and luxurious article of food to the tiller of the soil. 

 Should the latter once be enabled to obtain a few from 

 his own waters, which would be effected by allowing some 

 of them to pass upwards during the summer, there can be 

 no doubt that the present rapid course towards the utter 

 extinction of this noble fish would be effectually arrested. 



When we assert that there is no salmon fishing to be 

 found westwards of Quebec, except in the Jacques Cartier, 

 we of course do not allude to the salmon of the great lakes, 

 which is a distinct fish from the true Salmo Salar. The 

 differences between them it is not necessary here to 

 specify ; that will be more properly done should we ever 

 be induced to treat of the inland waters of Canada : our 



c 3 



