128 
THE PISHING GAZETTE 
[Pebruart 25, 1893 
DEviTH OF A FAMOUS PAINTER 
AND ANGLER. 
Mr. JOHX PETTIE, R.A. 
We much regret to have to give an obituary 
notice of a famous painter who was also a very 
keen salmon and trout angler. Mr. John Pettie, 
who has just died in the prime of life, was the 
friend and angling companion of several members 
of the Fly-fishers’ Club, including lilr. Wm. 
Black, Mr. J. G. lilorten, IMr. W. Orchardson, 
R.A., &c., and was on several occasions a guest of 
the club at the annual dinner.^ The portrait we 
give is one we had specially engraved for the 
Gazette The following notice from the Daily 
News is one of the best we have seen :— 
“The art world and the public generally will 
hear with regret that Mr. John Pettie, R.A., died 
yesterday morning at Hastings, after an illness 
which, for the past few weeks, has caused much 
anxiety and alarm to his friends. Since about a 
year and a half ago he had suffered from a com¬ 
plaint in the ear, and, in pursuance of medical 
advice. Dr. Ferrier was called in for con¬ 
sultation. Under careful treatment the patient 
became so far convalescent that on Thursday 
last he was able to be removed from his house 
in Fitzjohn’s-avenue, Hampstead, to Hastings, 
accompanied by his wife and his daugher, Mrs. 
Hamish MacCunn; but on Sunday his condition 
became worse, paralysis and unconsciousness 
ensuing, and the next day his sons were sum¬ 
moned, together with Mr. Victor Horsley who 
performed the difficult operation of removing 
an abscess on the brain, after which he expired. 
Mr. Pettie was fifty-four years of age, having 
Mr. John Pettie, R.A. 
been born in Edinburgh in 1839. He studied 
under Sir Robert Scott Lauder and Mr. John 
Ballantyne, and before he was twenty he exhi¬ 
bited at the Roj al Scottish Academy ‘ Scenes 
from the Fortunes of Xigel.’ Shortly after¬ 
wards, just as he came of age, ‘The Armourers,’ 
was ■ hung on the line at Burlington House, 
and encouraged by this success he came to 
London, where he has since resided. In 1866 
he was elected an A.R.A., succeeding to full 
honours in 1873 to fill the vacancy left by the 
death of Sir Edwin Landseer; his diploma 
work being ‘Jacobites, 1746.’ The subjects 
by which he has since established his fame have 
covered a wide range, some of his best com¬ 
positions being inspired by Shakespeare and 
Sir Walter Scott, while there have been also 
simple studies of character, tragedies from 
the pages of history, and occasionally some 
light pieces of yenre for those who did not care 
to take their art too seriously. In portrait 
painting Mr. Pettie found in recent years an 
agreeable change and relaxation from the more 
arduous work of dramatic or historic composi¬ 
tion, though at any moment different specimens 
of his talent might be seen in his studio. He 
loved to have for a sitter one whom he 
counted amongst his friends, whose features, 
manner of speech, and thoughts were familiar 
to him, and then his picture of the man 
became a strong delineation, bold in execution, 
and with a liberal supply of colour. As 
for the subject pictures, his skill in repre¬ 
senting the textures of costumes and gleaming 
armour, and his careful study of appropriate 
accessories, brought him a popularity which few 
Royal Academicians have surpassed; and if 
sometimes in recent works inequalities of tech¬ 
nique have been discovered, it is only because his 
best things have been so good. We might name 
many from the long list of exhibited paintings, 
but a few will suffice to recall memorable suc¬ 
cesses : ‘ What d’ye lack. Madam ? ’ shown in 
1861, ‘Treason.’ ‘ The Death Warrant,’ ‘The Flag 
of Truce,’ ‘ Hunted Down,’ ‘ The Disgrace of 
Cardinal Wolsey,’ ‘Terms to the Besieged,’ ‘A 
Sword and Dagger Fight,’ ‘ The Traitor,’ ‘ Sanc¬ 
tuary,’ ‘ Touchstone and Audrey,’ ‘ A State 
Secret,’ ‘ The Duke of Monmouth’s Interview 
with James II.,’ ‘ Juliet and Friar Lawrence.’ 
Two of his recent pictures will be sent to the 
Chicago Exhibition, one of them being ‘ Bonnie 
Prince Charlie,’ shown at the last Royal Academy. 
Amongst his last portrait commissions were those 
of the Governor of the Bank of England and the 
Mayor of Leicester, and the latter was just com¬ 
pleted at the time of the artist’s death.’’ 
^cofcl) ■gCofes. 
By Mac. 
OcR Tay correspondent writes:—“Angling on 
Loch Tay is being attended with a considerable 
measure of success. Seemingly there is a 
capital stock of fish, and most likely by the 
heavy waters which have been running of late, 
more have been drawn forward out of the river. 
The ascent of the Docbart has not yet com¬ 
menced, but below the other end of the loch, fi.'.h 
in good numbers, to judge from the sport lately 
obtained, have run up the River Lyon. The Tay 
has not been in good fishing trim for some days, 
and as I write to-night (Monday) it is coming out 
bigger. Owing to this and the netting, which is 
now in full swing, few fish have been got by 
the rod. The largest that I have heard of for the 
week was got an Stanley, and weighed 301bs. 
Mr. Muirhead fishing the open water near Perth, 
and using fine tackle and a light trout rod, landed, 
after an exciting run, a beauty of a springer 
weighing lOlbs. The nets have done great exe¬ 
cution ; from the Stanley district alone several 
tons of fish have been sent away during the week, 
and this, notwithstanding the river has been too 
high even for net fishing in some of the stretches. 
On Sunday, Mr. Robert Banks, senior partner of 
Banks & Sons, rope spinners, who lease Lord 
Stormont’s net fishings from Stanley downward, 
died very suddenly. Mr. Banks, whose decease 
is much regretted, was very popular about Perth. 
Recently Mr. Macfarlane, M.P. for Argyllshire, 
who is in thorough earnest about having fishery 
matters better looked into, asked the Secretary 
for Scotlind if the Government would appoint a 
Commission to inquire into the effects of the 
extensive concession of exclusive rights of fishing 
for salmon and trout to landed proprietors around 
the coasts of Scotland, and whether such Com¬ 
mission, if appointed, would also inquire into the 
question of foreshore rights over the same area. 
Sir George Trevelyan replied that while agreeing 
with the hon. member, that inquiry is desirable 
into the fishing rights around the coast of Scot¬ 
land, on which so strong a feeling is entertained 
by the fishing population, the Government is not 
prepared to appoint a Commission on the subject 
at present. 
By the Scotch Secretary the statement has 
been made that the many anomalies of the Tweed 
Acts will receive the earliest attention which the 
Government can give them, and there is no 
reason whatever, in the view of the Government, 
why the Tweed laws should be at all different 
from the general law on the subject. 
Up to date the results of the net salmon fishing 
this year have not all round been nearly so grati¬ 
fying to the proprietors and lessees of the Scotch 
fishings as they were last year during the first 
fortnight of the season. 
At a recently-held meeting of the proprietors 
of salmon fisheries of the Alness river, Ross-shire 
I and district, a District Board as previously 
contemplated was appointed. Last week at 
Dingwall, the board held its first meeting, when 
Mr. W. J. Duncan, solicitor, Dingwall, was 
appointed clerk, and Mr. David Cramb, Balna- 
craig, Alness, principal bailiff for the district. 
The salmon fishing on the Rivers North and 
South Esks opened on Thursdaj', the l6th inst., 
when the accumulations of fish held back by the 
monstrous dykes got a fine clear out. On 
account of the heavy rain two days before, both 
rivers were in spate, yet, notwithstanding, the 
opening must surely have pleased the tacksman 
of the North Esk, who before six o’clock at night 
had got between twelve and thirteen hundred 
fish. Only two trout were caught, which may 
be accounted for by the state the river was in. 
No diseased fish were seen and kelts were few, 
but baggits to the number of thirty or forty were 
landed. Large salmon were scarce, the best 
weights only reaching 241b. The South E-k 
did not do well. 
The loch fishing for salmon during the week 
has by comparison done better than the river 
fishing. All the early spring angling lochs have 
yielded fish—Loch Tay, Loch Ness, Loch Oich, 
Loch Navar, Loch Vennachar, Loch Lubnaig. 
Their reputation heretofore considered. Lochs 
Lubnaig and Vennachar must be said to have 
fished extremely well. . This shows that a fine head 
of fish must have run out of Ihe Forth up the Teith 
early in the year, a good while before the nets 
went on. To infer from the weight it would seem 
that they nearly all, like the fish of Loch Tay, are 
winter salmon. Few under 201b. weight have 
been caught—one was got on the Teith weighing 
301b. Loch Tay yielded four fish one day to one 
rod, and three another day, the average of the 
seven being about 231b. The three heaviest fish 
killed during last week on the loch were 351b., 32 lb., 
and 301b. About a dozen were of weights ranging 
from 251b. to 301b. 
The other day at Langholm, a special meeting 
of the Esk and Liddle Fisheries Association was 
held, the Duke of Buccleuch’s agent in the chair, 
to consider the petition of 130 anglers, praying 
that the rules adopted at the annual meeting of 
the association in January last be rescinded, as 
they would interfere w'ith legitimate fishing for 
salmon. The meeting was unanimous in its 
regret that it could not accede to the prayer of 
the petition, but a sop was thrown to the peti¬ 
tioners by conceding the extension of the bait¬ 
fishing season on a part of the Esk. 
Col. Stirling, of Kippendavie, caught on 
Monday, on the Faskally beat, the first fish of 
the season got on the River Tummel. 
The Dee (Aberdeenshire) as usual at this early 
time of the season, is far eclipsing all other 
Scotch rivers for rod salmon fishing. For the 
week, lots of takes of four, five, and six fish to 
one rod in a day have been got. The best score 
as yet is seven, but this, no doubt, will soon be 
put in the shade, as fish are in vast numbers in 
the river between Kincardine O’Neil and Brae- 
mar, and all that is wanted is good fishing 
weather and smaller size of water. Had the 
water been lower, there assureuly would have 
been better sport ere now. The nailing flies, for 
most part, have been Gordon, Dunt, Whitewing, 
and Akroyd. _ 
The Spey is lagging sadly in the I’ear, and up 
to date one solitary fish, as against over two 
thousand to the nets, is all that has been got by 
the rod on the River North Esk. This shows 
how well dykes can serve the purpose for which 
they were intended! _ 
In most rivers, owing to the high water and 
repeated fluctuations, fish were travelling nearly 
all last week. Already they have reached and 
been caught in the waters above Braemar on the 
Dee, a distance of quite seventy miles from the 
sea. More than a week ago. Dr. i’rofeit had one 
at Balmoral, over sixty miles inland. 
Up to the end of last week the rod fishing had 
been no great shakes on the rivers of the far 
north, but soon now, since conditions have 
improved, it is reasonable to conclude that it will 
