182 THE NEW ART OF BREEDING FISH. 



with fish, salmon, and grilse, and sea trouts ; but 

 they are worth nothing to me. They come here to 

 breed, and I never see a fish fit for the table. See 

 the thousands, aye, millions of young fiy that leave 

 my waters for the sea every year, and yet I have no 

 benefit from them. You catch them all at the 

 mouth of the river, and make a fortune by them, 

 whilst they do not return me the value of a shilling. 

 I breed them ; her Majesty, as Queen of the Ocean, 

 feeds them, and you catch and sell them, and yet 

 you grudge me a trifle of salmon roe, which I take 

 more for the name of the thing than for any great 

 profit to be made by it. But I tell you what, John 

 GrabaU, now that you have broached the subject, I 

 intend to be plain with you, I will not consent any 

 longer to breed salmon for you, unless I am to have 

 a share of the profits. I wiU throw the river open 

 to everybody who chooses to come, either with rods 

 or nets. I wiU watch the fords at night, and I will 

 spear every salmon I can find. I will do at the up- 

 per part of the river what you do at the lower part. 

 I will take every fish I can lay my hands on, and 

 make all the profit I can by it. Yet I am not an 

 unreasonable man, John ; I admit that property has 

 its duties, and it is my duty to preserve the salmon 

 for the public good. But there is another side of 

 that question, and property has its rights as well as 

 duties ; and if I do my duty by preserving the sal- 

 mon, I claim an interest in the salmon as my right. 

 It is of no use to teU me that the law will prevent 



