PRESIDENTIAL AKDBE6S. 423 



spawned and now in a "kelt" state, crowd the deeper pools, 

 anxious but unable to get to the sea. In this reduced state of 

 the river we have pouring in day by day pollutions of all kinds, 

 robbing the water of its vital and life -supporting elements, till 

 at length the dread disease breaks out and sweeps the congested 

 pools, destroying alike kelt and clean fish. Hundreds of dead 

 and festering carcases may be seen lying in the pools or thrown 

 up on the sand-banks, a prey to the Eats and Crows, and a pro- 

 lific source of death and desolation to such fish as have hitherto 

 escaped the scourge. 



Prom time to time we have been promised that this question 

 shall be dealt with comprehensively, but will it ever be dealt 

 with effectively? "We cannot regard this subject with anything 

 less than anxiety ; but when the conflict lies between the pro- 

 tection of fish and the purification of rivers on the one hand, 

 and the ever-increasing and important industries of the country 

 on the other, I am afraid the former will come in for very small 

 consideration. But surely the resources of modern Science can 

 supply the means of purifying the polluting elements before 

 they enter the river. Sir Lyon Playfair once said before a 

 Select Committee of the House of Lords, "I think that if you 

 force us to purify the water which we discharge fouled in this 

 way, before long we shall find efficient modes of doing it, at the 

 present moment we have not efficient modes of doing it, and 

 yet, as one of the largest polluters of water in the kingdom 

 from this very thing, I advocate that you shall make me purify 

 the water before I discharge it." 



The movements of Salmon are proverbially erratic. My 

 friend Mr. Trotter, of South Acomb, who succeeded his father 

 in the working of the Bywell fishery some forty years ago, 

 says that at some seasons there were more fish than could be 

 disposed of, while at other times there was scarcely one to be 

 seen. The removal of the dam at Bywell was expected ulti- 

 mately to fill the river with fish ; but Mr. Trotter believes that 

 the piers at the mouth of the river may have something to do 

 with the scarcity, by preventing the fish from gaining easy 

 access to fresh water. Migratory fish, like birds and mammals, 



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