SALMON LEGISLATION. 179 



fishing, and there has been an extension of privilege, or 

 rather of right, to those upper proprietors whose wishes 

 are satisfied by obtaining only a very small proportion 

 of the fish all of which are born and bred within 

 their realms. But the other great question — whether 

 certain modes of fishing, prohibited to the more ancient 

 and important fisheries, are justly or even legally per- 

 mitted to the newer fisheries — though it has been brought 

 pretty near to a satisfactory settlement in England and 

 Ireland, has in Scotland been left over for separate con- 

 sideration and handling. The removal of fixed engines 

 is not the only thing left to be done for the Scotch fish- 

 eries, but it forms the most important and urgent part 

 of the remaining work ; and therefore it is necessary to 

 inquire more particularly what these engines are, and 

 why they are, whence they came and where they are 

 going to, what they have done and what ought to be 

 done to them. 



