Mat 6, 1893] 
THE EISHING GAZETTE 
333 
THE POACHING EXHIBIT AT THE 
CKYSTAL PALACE. 
Dear Sir, —I think that the letter from the 
executive of the Sportsman’s Exhibition to be held 
at the Crystal Palace on June 24, as published in 
your last issue, contains about as ill-conceived an 
idea as I have met for a long time. 
I believe that the first object of an exhibition is 
instruction, and although I admit that many 
poachers in country districts have little to learn, 
yet no doubt local gangs excel in local methods, 
and consequently could instruct one another, yet 
I fail to see why the Crystal Palace executive 
should wish to give a London polish to their 
education. 
It is also difficult to understand what good can 
be gained by instructing novices or hardened 
malefactors in illegal acts. 
The halo of romance which surrounded poaching 
is fast dying out, and there is no necessity to 
revive it. 
I sincerely trust that the gentlemen appealed 
to for the supply of exhibits of illegal instruments 
will decline to assist.—I am, sir, yours truly, 
_ Fraser Sandeman. 
HAERIS TWEEDS. 
Dear Sir, —Your correspondent who wishes 
to buy Harris tweeds can get an excellent selec¬ 
tion at W. Chalmers, tailor, George-street, Oban, 
N.B. 
If be wants to get a suit, any first-rate London 
tailor keeps them.—Yours truly, 
Hamilton Leigh. 
Brinnington Mount, Stockport. 
Sir, —In your issue of April 29th, I see an 
inquiry for genuine “ Harris tweeds.” 
Mr. Todd, tailor. Queen-street, Norwich, has 
taken great trouble to get the genuine thing, 
made in the island, and has the very largest and 
best collection I ever saw and the best patterns. 
Your correspondent, “ Angler,” can get what he 
requires there.—Yours truly, 
H. J. Holjies, Major. 
Wacton, Long Stratton, Norfolk. 
Dear Sir, —In answer to “ Angler's ” question, 
re “real Harris tweeds,” they can be obtained 
from Mr. Hemp, clothier, Portree. He gets 
them direct from the island, and generally has a 
good selection in stock.—Yours truly, 
Lauriston, Derryvolgie-avenue, A. 0. 0. 
Belfast, May 1,1893. 
Dear Sir, —In reply to your correspondent 
“ Angleir’s ” inquiry as to where he can buy 
genuine Harris Tweed. 
We desire to say that we keep a stock, and 
venture to inclose a few patterns of real genuine 
Harris tweed, hand-made by the crofters of 
Harris, price per yard 5s. 9d., and purchaser pays 
carriage.—We are, yours resjiectfully, 
John Gillies and Sons. 
56, Fawcett-street, Sunderland. 
[The samples seem to be Al.—E d.] 
ANGLING CONCESSIONS. 
(Copy of letter to Mr. Wade.) 
“ London and North-Western Railway Company, 
“ May 2nd. 
“Dear Sir, —In reply to your letter of 28th 
ult., I have pleasure in informing you that it 
has been agreed to issue cheap tickets to anglers 
from Euston, Chalk Farm, and Broad-street to the 
undermentioned stations, and the fares will come 
into operation on June 1 next,-—Yours truly, 
“ (Signed) G. P. Neele, 
“ To Mr. W. J. Wade.” “ L. & N. W. R.” 
Easlon. 
s. d. 
Bashey . 1 8 
Brickpt Wood .. 2 0 
Park Street . 2 0 
St. Albans. 2 1 
Rickmansworth. 1 9 
Kings Langley . 2 2 
Boxmoor . 2 6 
Berkhampstead. 2 11 
Tr'ng . 3 4 
Cheddington. 3 9 
A-\ lewbury. 3 8 
Bletchlcy . 4 11 
Leighton . 4 2 
Bedford. 5 3 
Blunham . 5 3 
Fares from 
Chalk Farm. Broad-street, 
s. d. B. d. 
. 1 7 . 1 10 
. 1 11 . 2 3 
. 1 11 2 3 
. 1 11 2 3 
. 1 9 . 2 0 
. 2 1 . 2 5 
. 2 5 . 2 9 
. 2 10 . 3 1 
. 3 3 3 6 
. 3 8 . 4 0 
. 3 8 . 3 9 
. 4 9 . 5 1 
. 4 1 4 5 
. 3 1 . 5 .5 
. 5 3 . .5 o 
AN OLD COCK THAMES TROUT. 
Sir, —I enclose a rough outline sketch of the 
head of a trout. I took this one at Sunbury on 
Friday, the 28Dh April. You will notice the jaw 
and snout are most remarkably shaped. 
I am a bad draughtsman, but the outline is 
life size, taken by passing a pencil along fish, 
taking care to allow for the thickness of pencil. 
Colour of fish, yellowish pink, dark red spots ; 
weight, slightly over 5|lb; length, 23|-in. It is 
easy to see the fish is a pretty old one, and was 
once a bit heavier. The jaw and snout were like 
iron, and the hooks dropped out of him directly 
the strain was taken off by the landing net. I 
have had this happen before. The fish gave me 
considerable trouble among the stones, and 
afforded much exciting play.—Faithfully yours, 
Charles H. Wheelei. 
Prince’s-road, Weybridge. 
[The drawing shows a crummock like that on a 
red cock salmon, the point of the lower jaw is 
turned up like the end of a finger bent at a 
right angle.—E d.] 
THE PRESERVATION OF THE THAMES. 
Sir, —Will you kindly permit me to call your 
readers’ attention to a matter of considerable im¬ 
portance? At the first general meeting of the 
Upper Thames Association, to be held at the 
Town Hall, Reading, on Thursday, May 11, at two 
o’clock, I intend to move the subjoined resolu¬ 
tions. As, to my surprise, I find that the great 
majority of my colleagues on the provisional 
committee are not in full sympathy with me, I 
trust there will be a large gathering, so that 
the views of the members generally may be ascer¬ 
tained on these very important questions, and 
that I shall receive the support of all those who 
have the good of the river at heart, and are inte¬ 
rested in the welfare of its towns and villages. 
I may mention that the association consists 
only of those qualified to become electors of the 
Conservators, the qualifications being eit.her— 
(1) Ownership of land situated within five miles 
of the river, to the value of £100 a year; or 
(2) Residents within five miles of the river, 
coupled with ownership of land to same 
value in Great Britain, or the possession 
of personalty to the value of £3000. 
Such qualifications may have been reasonable 
a century ago, but are not so now. 
I may mention that, in 1885, a Committee of 
the House of Commons made a lengthy inquiry 
into the subject of Thames Preservation, and 
reported on the desirability of establishing public 
landing-places, camping-grounds, rights of way 
on tow-paths, &c. Here follow the resolutions :— 
To amend the rules by adding: It shall be the 
duty of the committee to as far as possible pro¬ 
mote and support proposals having for their 
object— 
(а) The preservation of the natural beauty of 
the river. 
(б) The free use of the towing-path. 
(c) The freeing of bridges over the Upper 
Thames. 
(rf) The preservation of the Thames fisheries. 
(e) The prevention of dangerous navigation 
and any increase in the number of steam launches. 
(/) The prevention of indecent bathing and the 
provision of bathing places. 
(g) The provision of public camping-out 
grounds. 
(h) The provision of public landing places. 
(i) The adequate representation of the up-river 
towns on the Board of Conservators. 
{j) The suppression of disorderly and indecent 
conduct on the river. 
(/c) The provision of ways to the river from 
riverside villages, the inhabitants of which are 
now wrongfully excluded from using the Thames 
for any purpose. 
(?) The removal of illegal obstructions in back¬ 
waters. 
Second amendment to the rules : “ No person 
shall act as chairman of the committee unle.-s he 
is in full sympathy with the foregoing rule.” 
Third addition to the rules: “That represen¬ 
tatives of all newspapers published in the Thames 
valley shall be admitted to the geneial meeting 
of the association.” 
Resolution: “ That in the opinion of this 
meeting at least two of the four elected con¬ 
servators should be representatives of the people 
of the up-river towns, and that no candidate for 
the post of conservator should receive the support 
of the members of this association who is opposed 
to the free use of the river as a place of public 
recreation, and is not in full sympathy with the 
rule above suggested.” 
Second resolution: “That in the opinion of 
this meeting, the property qualification of the 
electors of the up-river conservators is too high, 
and that all persons who are on the Parlia¬ 
mentary list of voters should also be electors of 
the up-river conservators, and that copies of this 
resolution be forwarded to the President of the 
Board of Trade, and to the members of Parlia¬ 
ment for riparian counties and towns,” 
Your obedient servant, 
Elralea, South Stoke, Reading. C. H. Cook. 
P.S.—As at the next election of a conservator 
(which takes place at the end of the year) there 
may not improbably be several candidates, elec¬ 
tors would be well advised not to give their 
proxies away until they know who is in the 
field. I most sincerely hope that someone will 
come forward in the public interest. The people 
of the up-river towns h.ive never been repre¬ 
sented on the board, and their interests have 
suffered in consequence. Anyone who is qualified 
to be an elector is also qualified to be a con¬ 
servator.—C. H. C. 
Be THAMES PRIVATE FISHERIES, 
Dear Sir, —I regret to see Mr. Bambridge’s 
letter in your edition of April 29th. Let ns have 
unity in the Upper Thames. Notice boards I 
consider of use. They stop the trailing “ ’Arry,” 
but through your correspondence, club fishers 
would understand what is really meant by Mr. 
Plummer.—I am, faithfully yours, 
An Upper Thames Tkodt Duffer. 
PROVINCIAL ANGLING ASSOCIATION. 
Dear Sir, —Having failed to keep Mr. C. White 
to the point directly at issue, and having no 
further inclination to ask for more of the valuable 
space of the Fishing Gazette for a subject totally 
uninteresting in its general bearing on fishing, I 
must decline taking any further notice of Mr. 
C. White’s letters. To attempt to deal with his 
inaccuracies and side-issues is a task for which I 
have neither time nor inclination. Ho w any other 
total than £17 13s. 4d. can be obtained from £7 
entrance fee for the Bolton Association, and a 
levy of 4d. per member on 640 members, can 
be made into anything but £10 133. 4d., giving 
the above total, passes my arithmetical powers, 
and even this sum does not include the fee for 
visiting delegates. I shall now leave further 
notice of Mr. C. White’s letters, and reserve to 
myself the adoption of any other course that may 
be necessary in the interests of Lancashire anglers. 
—Faithfully yours, 
L.ANCASHIRE CORRESPONDENT. 
SALMON FRY OR SMOLT—A CURIOUS 
STATEMENT. 
Dear Mr. Editor, —In a certain fishery district 
in the North of England, anglers who take out a 
salmon licence (20s.) are allowed to take the smelt 
or smolt, that is, take the salmon fry one year old. 
If an angler takes out only a trout licence (2s 6d.) 
he is not allowed to take these smelt. A little 
time ago, an angler with a trout licence was 
taking smelt when a water bailiff came up to him. 
The bailiff asked the angler whether he was 
taking smelt, and the angler said that he was. 
The bailiff then inquired for the licence, and on 
seeing that it was a trout licence only, he packed 
the fish in his handkerchief, took the angler’s rod, 
and went off, telling the angler that he would 
hear about the matter very soon. 
The bailiff told another angler two days after 
the above took place, that the case had been 
reported to the clerk to the Fishery Board of this 
district, and said that a summons would be taken 
out the next day. 
My object in writing to you is to know whether 
the Fishery Board can give anyone, whether 
holders of salmon licences or trout licences, per¬ 
mission to take the smelt, and whether the bailiff 
had any power to take the angler's rod from him. 
Hoping so see a reply in jour paper as early as 
possible.—Believe me to be, sir, yours faithfully, 
AV. J. T. 
[It is illegal to take salmon fry, and no board 
would allow it.—E d.] 
