of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 
49 
constitutions and powers of Fishery Boards ; the way in which money is 
raised for the protection of the fisheries ; and many other things have 
long been essentially different in England and Scotland, and it humbly 
appears to me that any attempt to reconcile them by a consolidating Act 
would only end in failure and disaster. 
I have the honour to be r 
Your obedient Servant, 
ARCBP. YOUNG. 
The Fishery Board for Scotland. 
NOTE V. 
REPORT TO THE FISHERY BOARD BY THE INSPECTOR OF 
SALMON FISHERIES ON THE APPLICATION BY THE 
TWEED COMMISSIONERS TO THE SECRETARY FOR 
SCOTLAND FOR A GUNBOAT FOR THE TWEED. 
12th October 1889. 
I have the honour to report that I have carefully read over and con- 
sidered certain documents, relating to Memorials to the Secretary for 
Scotland from the Tweed Commissioners, praying for a gunboat to protect 
the mouth of the River Tweed against illegal fishing, transmitted to me 
for my observations thereon, in two letters from the Secretary to the 
Fishery Board, the first dated 26th September and the second 11th 
October 1889. 
A Memorial from the Tweed Commissioners to have a gunboat stationed 
to protect the mouth of the Tweed against illegal netting, has already been 
under the consideration of the Fishery Board, and they reported against 
the prayer of that Memorial for the following reasons — because similar 
applications from other rivers had been refused, and it would be in- 
expedient to make an exception in favour of the Tweed ; because the 
Board were not satisfied that the local authorities had done their utmost to 
put down illegal fishing in the mouth of the Tweed • because the Board 
do not consider it advisable to create undue friction between the public 
services and the fishermen ; and because the Board have not hitherto 
acknowledged the principle that Government should protect the private 
interests of Salmon Fishery proprietors. The result was that the 
Secretary for Scotland informed the Tweed Commissioners that he did not 
feel justified in pressing the Admiralty for the services of a gunboat, 
until it has been shown that the responsible local authorities had done all 
in their power to check the evil complained of. 
Since this refusal, another application for the services of a gunboat has 
been made to the Secretary for Scotland by the Tweed Commissioners. 
It is dated 13th September last, and narrates the steps taken by the Com- 
missioners, since the refusal of their previous application, to cope with 
the organised bands of fishermen and others engaged in salmon poaching. 
An extra force of water bailiffs was not found sufficient, and it was 
therefore, resolved to get a steam-tug to carry a number of bailiffs, and 
to search for and destroy all nets and engines illegally fishing within the 
limits of the mouth of the Tweed ; and it will be seen from the Report of 
4 
