416 ON FAIRY RINGS, &C, 



be frodden, and the edges grown up, and more in vigour 

 than any of the furrounding grafs. I had occaofin to remark 

 one of ihofe fairy-rings laft fummer: it was perfedlly circular, 

 and about ten feet in diameter, it was filuated at the edge of 

 a copfe wood, and in a vicinity where there are abundance of 

 both hares and rabbits; but what appeared to me moft lingular, 

 was its being interfedled exadly through the middle, by a well 

 frequented foot path. The hare is rather given to gravity, 

 the rabbit is more playful; but whether it is given to the 

 amufement oi lounging in the ring, fonie oi your more informed 

 correfpondents may be enabled to inform you. 



Fi/h Is undoubt- I OBSERVE fome of your correfpondenls have got into 

 Scotland. ^ controverfy refpeding the wafte of fiOi in Scotland. No 



doubt can exift upon that head; not however arifing from 

 the wafteful difpofition of the natives, their delicacy in ap- 

 petite or fuperabundance of provifion, but from the want of 

 a market for the confumption of their overplus. To talk of 

 Aberdeen fiftiermen bringing freth fifli to Newxaflle, Norwich, 

 or Leeds, is as ridiculous as to propofe taking them to Am- 

 llerdam, or London; for befides the difficulty of again making 

 their own ports, they will conftantly find an over-ftocked 

 market, as the fame weather that permits them to fifh will 

 permit their neighbours to do the fame. But the grand caule 

 The fifhcrles of of all the wafte is the horrible monopoly which their country 

 HeftmyeVbJ the ^^^^"""^ ""^^'^ '" ""^^pe^ to their fait laws, where for the fake 

 operation of the of a few paltry pans, Englifti fait is excluded under the 

 fait laws. fevereft penalties, although it can be delivered in any part of 



Scotland at one half the price that we are forced to pay for 

 Scotch fait under the prefent circumftances. Give them fait 

 at a cheap rale, if it does not permit them to export the fifli, 

 as that requires capital and new eftablifhments, it would at 

 lead enable them to fupply the interior; a thing as worthy the 

 attention of the public as the fupply of any other market I 

 know. 



Your mofl obedient 

 A. T, 

 March 23, 1803. 



Letter 



