14 THE SALMON. 



it a quarter of a century ago, been spending both interest 

 and capital, encouraged thereto by their powers of making 

 the public for a period pay for the extravagance. And 

 when that period had come to an end, it would have 

 been small consolation to the public that the salmon- 

 proprietors (the lessees would probably have taken 

 warning, and " got out") were the greatest sufferers ; 

 there would not less have been a heavy and wanton 

 injury to the community, a deduction from the national 

 wealth, a gap on the national table, and (which brings 

 us to the next head of discourse) an obliterated chapter 

 in the national sports. 



But is the salmon good for Sport ? There actually 

 are people that will ask such a question, though to all 

 but the grossly ignorant it seems to verge on the insane 

 if not on the profane. Perhaps there may even be some 

 who, being assured that the salmon is good for sport, are 

 capable of asking next, what is sport good for ? But to 

 this extreme class we merely reply, that it is good for 

 health and for amusement — at least as good for these 

 purposes as much of the walking and riding that is 

 done under the sun, and greatly better than most of the 

 eating, drinking, and dancing that is done under the 

 chandeher. We may consent to admit — for it is nothing 

 to the purpose — that salmon-angling is actually one of 

 the most costly, and is apparently— that is, to the eye of 

 all but the person suffering— one of the dreariest and 

 most desperate of recreations. The expense and the 

 labour are great ; the material recompense inappreciable, 

 and often quite invisible. The average cost of a salmoii 



