54 
THE PISHING GAZETTE 
[January 28, 1893 
ANGLING IN KENT. 
{Concluded.) 
By the 0. 0. D. 
I SEE from a paragraph in the Hythe Re'porter 
of Jan. 14, that Mr. Lorden thought that the 
extension of the tramway from Hythe to Uym- 
church, would benefit the town. I need scarcely 
say. that it would be a great boon to anglers who 
prefer to operate on the West Hythe end of the 
canal, and save them much time and trouble, 
more especially at this period of the year when 
angling with live-bait, and also enable visitors 
in the summer to get more quickly to many scenes 
of interest in the surrounding neighbourhood. 
HYBRID ROACH. 
An angler living at Hythe says: “ There is 
evidently a cross-breed of roach in the canal, 
they are much narrower across the back, 
the rib bones are longer, and the anal fin 
has seventeen or eighteen rays, being three or 
four more than those in the common roach, are 
more of a blueish tint on the back, or rather 
between a blueish or greenish tint; the eyes more 
the colour of a bream than a roach; the back not 
nearly so curved, but comes more to a point like 
silver bream.” From this description it appears 
to me that this is no roach at all, but simply a 
peculiar variety of rudd that is sometimes met 
with in such localities, and for ought I know may 
have been the very first fish introduced into the 
canal from private ponds. 
It is perfectly certain someone must have put 
them there (or at all events the spawn must have 
been carried by wild fowl) for in spite of Father 
Walton I do not believe that the common rudd is 
a cross between a bream and right roach. If 
AValton is correct, the question is, is this hybrid 
obtained from a cross between a silver or carp 
bream P Old Izaak does not say. I expect he 
knew better, but I presume he meant the former 
species. Yes or no, there can be no doubt that 
there are scores of ponds in Kent containing 
various kinds of fish that might be utilised for 
stocking purposes for a comparatively small out¬ 
lay, and turned into such rivers as the Medway, 
Thames, Lea, Arun, Rother, and other southern 
streams, or even the canal. At all events I know 
one fine old horse-pond in Kent in which I have 
taken several nice roach, and a friend of mine 
some splendid roach, a stranger would not think 
contained anything but sticklebacks and a few 
eels. Take Sussex and Essex again, not to 
mention Surrey, Norfolk, Suffolk, Notts, Lin¬ 
colnshire, and Wilts, &c., with ponds and small 
pools, containing rudd, perch, roach, tench, 
bream, and probably carp from time immemorial. 
Fancy what progress fish taken from such places 
would make turned into the rivers mentioned 
above, or even in the Hythe Canal, which simply 
swarms with natural food, and I have no doubt 
this is one reason why the fish are in such capital 
condition. 
I think it would be quite as well for anglers 
(so-called) to spend their money on such an 
object, r.ather than engage in a competition I 
read about the other day, the entrance fee to 
which was 8 s.; first prize .tTO, which was taken 
for a bag of lib. loz.; whilst another noble 
sportsman actually received 10 s. for a total 
catch weighing 5 OZ. I’resently we shall hear a 
terrific howl about the dearth of fish in this 
locality. 
THE HYTHE, SANDGATE, AND FOLKE¬ 
STONE OMNIBUS. 
This omnibus starts from the commodious 
Swan hotel and restaurant, situated in the High- 
street, to the town hall at Folkestone every hour. 
Fares : 2d. to Seabrook, 4d. to Sand gate, fid. from 
Seabrook to Folkestone, and 8 d. all the way. A 
beautiful five mile ride, with the sea on the 
right hand for a considerable distance, and most 
interesting views, historical and otherwise, on the 
left, notably Shornclilf Camp. 
One can start (say at ten o’clock) from the 
Swan, ride to Folkestone Town-hall, walk back 
along the magnificent cliff by way of the 
Lees (or the Leas), the fashionable promenade, 
which commands such a splendid view of the 
lower road and the sea. 
This cliff, with its leafy nooks, shady retreats, 
fantastic arbours, and secluded walks, must be 
a veritable paradise in summer, and I should 
think the promenade is second to none in the 
kingdom. I say one may start to Folkestone, 
walk back to Sandgate, examine the neglected 
singularly constructed martello-like dot of a 
castle, with its immenselj’ thick walls, peculiar 
passages, under-ground prison, and return to 
Hythe with a good appetite for dinner. 
Entering this building, on which cannon 
could be used from any point, I was disappointed 
to find that what I first thought a cannon was 
only the pipe of a stove sticking out of the 
window of the lower room, neglected, dusty, 
fircless, and dilapidated. This castle (so called) 
is now the property of the South-Eastern Rail¬ 
way Company. So much for peace. 
HYTHE. 
Undoubtedly the most interesting object in the 
High-street of this quaint, quiet, take-it-easy, old- 
world town is the peculiar ivy-capped building 
yclept the smuggler’s cave, and on many a dark 
and anxious night has flashed the well known 
warning light to smugglers on the prowl. Owing 
to the rookery at the foot of this street, the 
canal, the paddock by the brewery, pretty little 
gardens, cultivated and curiously inclosed plots 
and shrubberies, interspersed, like the squares of 
a chess-board, amongst the numerous dwellings 
built one above the other on the slope of the 
grand old hill; some surrounded with fences and 
some with stone walls, with innumerable trees 
growing on either side of the canal in rich profu¬ 
sion, with the fine cathedral-looking church, stand¬ 
ing like a solemn sentinel over the dead in the well- 
kept and spacious burial-ground, not forgetting 
the remarkably curious and fantastic avenue of 
wych elms, known as the Ladies’ Walk (I say 
remarkable, for what they lack in size they make 
up in extreme grotesqueness), stretching across 
gi-een fields as level as the proverbial billiard- 
table, from the canal to the tram-line near the 
beach, I say, taking all these things into con¬ 
sideration, the country may be said to shake 
hands with the town and the town with the 
country. 
A TERRIBLE HURRICANE. 
There was scarcely a house in the village of 
Lympne, that did not suffer from the fearful 
hurricane that wrecked the good ship Benvenue, 
and when looking out of the little window in the 
bar of “ The County Member ” inn, the first 
object that met my gaze was a fine old windmill, 
from which the sails had been hurled by the 
blast. The landlord told me that one house lost 
no end of tiles, and one could see the immense 
number of new tiles that had been put in place of 
the old ones, not only on the houses, but on all 
the magnificent outbuildings surrounding the 
castle (which is partly a farmhouse), including 
the old barn, where in former times they paid the 
tithes in kind. On the day of my visit the wind 
blew with such violence that I could only just 
distinguish the roaring of the dark and sullen 
sea above the howling, whistling wind. A 
splendid view of the immense Romney Level 
can he obtained from this castle. 
MORE ABOUT THE CANAL. 
There is an outlet to the canal at the catchpit, 
at Seabrook, and there is another about two miles 
from Rye in Sussex, where it empties itself into 
the Rother. The Romney Level authorities (pro¬ 
bably the so-called Lords) have obtained a lease 
from government for 99 years, and the canal 
is now used for draining the marshes. For this 
portion of the canal, i.e., beyond the dam, Mr. 
Watson, of Rye, issues yearly tickets for the sum 
of lOs. There are also several sluice gates to the 
canal, one being situated near the dam beyond 
Hythe Bridge, where the excess water runs into 
a dyke, and enters the sea near the Grand Re¬ 
doubt. The omnibus from Hythe meets nearly 
all London trains on week days. Streams running 
into the canal receive surface water from the 
hills, and bring down chalk, sand, grit, &c., and 
although some of these streams enter the canal 
at rather a rapid rate, it always takes longer to 
settle at these localities, viz., at the Fourth angle. 
Reach Wharf, Bell Bridge, and the Fountain 
Hotel. Even after heavy rains, although the 
water is thick at these places (as previously 
stated), 100 or 150 yards, either above or below, 
it is gin clear. The only way I can account for 
this is that there is no fall, and, consequently, the 
discolouration is only local. Romney Marsh is 
principally used for grazing land and growing 
turnip seed, and the farmers from different parts 
of this portion of the county send their sheep 
there. If I recollect rightly, it was when good 
old Ingoldsby resided at Snargate that he 
partook of what is locally called “ short-jump 
pie,” i.e., pie made from lambs that attempt to 
jump the ditches and get drowned; but I do not 
think he repeated the operation. 
Good accommodation can be obtained at the 
Swan Hotel, High-street, The Bell Inn, The Sea¬ 
brook Hotel, The Carpenter’s Arms, West Hythe, 
and Mr. Knott, of the Star Inn, can accommodate 
three or four club anglers on condition that be 
receives two or three days’ notice. 
GENERAL RUM ARKS. 
No matter what fish is angled for, always get 
as far out as possible, for, as a rule, it is only a 
waste of time to try near the side. It would 
appear that even in this canal fish shift their 
(juarters, for up to last season nearly all the tench 
affected the canal between Hythe and the dam, 
but this season, from some cause or other, they 
have been caught as far down as Seabrook. 
From twelve to fifteen London anglers have 
sometimes been seen on the bank w^aiting for day¬ 
break (many of them fast asleep), this being the 
very best time to take bream, whilst the best for 
tench is from sunset until it is f[uite dark. But, 
as on all other public waters, the angler must work 
hard and stick to it if he intends to succeed, aud 
to spare no pains in finding the fish. Roach up to 
21b. and over have been taken both by Sergeant 
M. Smith, of the Army Service Corps, and 
Mr. AVoollett, of Sandgate, but as a rule they 
run small, and all I hope is that this rigmarole 
may be the means of inducing the lessees to 
raise the standard of at least bream, roach, and 
rudd. In conclusion, Mr. Austin, 21, High-street, 
Hythe, is the water bailiff, cand to liim all com¬ 
munications respecting the fishing should be 
made. 
FISHING GUT CHOP 1892-93. 
MR. RAMSBOTTOM’S REPORT. 
In reporting upon the Gut Crop of 1892-93,1 
have to state that the production shows some 
advance upon last year, thereby making up an 
average quantity. The proportion of Refina (for 
fine trout casts) and of the stoutest Salmon Gut, 
is, however, so small as to represent not more 
than one per cent, of the total output. I'nder 
these circumstances 1 predict an advance in 
prices before the end of the season, more 
especially as the American markets are now 
taking increased (juantities. The quality of the 
Crop is fully maintained as compared with 
previous years and will be found satisfactory. 
The production of short common gut having 
been materially diminished, the demand has 
quite overtaken the supply ; inquiry for this class 
is unusually active, and an early advance may be 
confidently anticipated. 
There is no ground for the published report 
that visitors to the World's Fair are to be made 
the victims of exorbitant charges. Competition 
will be so extensive and sharp as to prevent it. 
One who climbs to the top of one of the Exposi¬ 
tion buildings and surveys the territory lying to 
the north, west and south of Jackson Park, can 
easily believe this statement. There, and indeed 
in all parts of the city, the amount of building 
which is going on is simply astonishing. Hun¬ 
dreds of structures to meet 'World’s Fair demands 
are being erected. Some of the new hotels are 
large enough to accommodate sevei’al thousand 
guests each. By the time the Fair opens, Chicaco 
will have living accommodations for not less than 
300,000 strangers. Connected -with the Expo¬ 
sition management is a Bureau of Public Com¬ 
fort, through the agency of which many thou¬ 
sands of visitors can be directed to hotels, 
apartments, boarding bouses, furnished rooms, 
&c., where they will be comfortably cared for at 
moderate prices. Eating facilities, both outside 
the Fair grounds and in the numerous restaurants 
in the Exposition buildings, will be so extensive 
that no one need fear that he will not be able to 
get all he needs to cat, and at reasonable charges. 
