2i8 THE SALMON RIVERS OF SCOTLAND 



essie and Inverlair Falls of the Spean naturally presented itself. 

 The former falls are a few miles above Roy Bridge, and have a 

 sheer drop of twenty-two feet ; while the latter, four miles further 

 up, are not quite so steep, though sufficiently so to bar the passage 

 of fish. Both these obstacles could, however, certainly be over- 

 come, and if that were done, then nine miles of the Spean, the whole 

 of Loch Laggan (with its feeder, the Pattack, up to the Falls of 

 Pattack), the Gulbin River and Loch, with the three miles of Loch 

 Ossian, would all be available for salmon — altogether about twenty- 

 five miles of river and three lochs, one of which is eight miles long. 



The falls of Mounessie and Inverlair used to belong, on both 

 sides, to Colonel Walker, but on his death these lands were pur- 

 chased by Lord Abinger. At Moy, some few miles higher up, The 

 Mackintosh comes in ; if he allowed Lord Abinger, who claims all 

 the salmon fishing of the district, to open these falls without any 

 previous arrangement, he might be giving the charter-holder a 

 right to fish on his property, whilst he himself — ^The Mackintosh — 

 ■would have no right to use a rod, although the bed of the river and 

 the land on both sides belonged to him. Thus there is a deadlock 

 as to the opening up of this large extent of salmon water. In my 

 humble opinion, the Crown should open all such obstructions, claim 

 the fresh fisheries thus formed, and offer them to the riparian 

 owners at a sufficient rent to pay the expenses incurred. It is 

 against common sense to contend that an old charter, dated long 

 before the idea was entertained of artificially taking fish up ap- 

 parently unsurmountable falls, could convey that which did not 

 exist. \\Tien this old charter of Lord Abinger's was granted, it 

 was not thought possible that fish could ever be taken up or round 

 the Mounessie Falls ; therefore the Crown grant could only apply 

 to the salmon fisheries which then existed, and could not convey 

 something which had no existence at the time the charter was 

 given. The lawyers might make a fight over it, but I think common 

 sense would win, although it would be much better if the two pro- 

 prietors could come to some amicable agreement, as advocated by 

 the late Lord Abinger. 



To revert, however, to the river. No. 3 beat is certainly the 

 best of the six. The year before last, though not a good salmon 

 year, Mr. J. RoUs Hoare and his daughter had 300 sea trout from 

 the Jluccomer Pool in a few days. In The Field of November 

 1899, it is stated that from No. 4 beat Mr. H. J. Mordaunt had 

 in twenty days, from the 2nd of October, thirty salmon of 12 lb. 

 and forty-five grilse averaging 7 lb., the latter an unusually 

 high scale. 



Beat No. 7 is usually let to the Banavie Hotel, and can be fished 

 by arrangement. There is but one salmon pool, and not much 

 chance in that. Nevertheless, it is an amusing one to try for the 

 first time. I remember, when en route for Caithness, having a day 

 on this water in August 1871. At the proper time, just before the 

 beginning of the flood tide, I was rowed to a big rock in the middle 



