SUPPLEMENT TO THE PISHING GAZETTE 
WITH THE WEST LONDON ANOLEES. 
The first meeting for the formation of the West 
London Angling Club, -whioh has now been established 
thirteen years, took place at the “ White Bear,” King- 
street, Hammersmith, in March, 1880, the founders of 
the club being Messrs. C. E. Stock, H. Jaccines, J. 
Butler, W. Day, W. H. Tremaine, J. Hall, and E.' A. 
Douglas. Mr. C. E. Stock was desired to act as the 
hon. see., and to call the inaugural meeting for Thurs¬ 
day, May e, at the “ Windsor Castle ” Hotel, that 
famous hostelry being selected for the headquarters of 
the club. The obliging proprietor, the late Mr. Gilbert 
club in a most gracious manner' 
oflered a prize for the heaviest weight of fish taken 
during the season. Mr. Jacques had the honour of 
being appointed the first chairman of the club, and Mr. 
Butler the treasurer. On this eventful evening .several 
well-known gentlemen in connection with the angling 
W- H. Brougham, of 
Hatfield, of the Central Associa¬ 
tion, Messrs. Greville-Fennell, Alfred Allison, Ac. 
Mr. Butler, the treasurer, had the pleasure of handing 
a cheque to Mr. Brougham for the sum of five guineas 
m A D donation to the funds of the 
l.A.P.S. Mr. Brougham, in reply, expressed his grati¬ 
fication at receiving such a handsome donation from so 
young a club, and wished it every suoces i in the future 
and expressed his belief that the members would receive 
tuU interest in the way of sport and prizes for their 
subscriptions. In the course of a month twenty new 
members were elected, and a supper was held at head- 
quarters on June 10, which proved a great success On 
May 5 in the following year the club held its first 
anniversary dinner, at which eighty members and friends 
sat down to a capital repast provided by the host, and 
many prizes were presented to the lucky captors 
There were few of tfie angling clubs that had made 
greater advance in the piscatorial world than the “West 
London ” in so short a time. Mr. C. E. Stock, the Hon. 
Sec., was presented with a testimonial for his energetic 
and valuable services to the club. The balance sheet 
showed that the receipts in subscriptions and donations 
amounted to over ^660, and that after the payment of 
expenses—the purchase of a prize medal, value eight 
guineas (which was eventually won by Mr. E. D 
Matthews), the payment of a silver cup, club prizes 
&c.—there was a balance in hand of .£17 Is. 9d ’ 
At the Fisheries Exhibition held at South Kensington 
the club made a good show of specimen fish, and received 
an award of a certificate of merit for its exhibit. 
The club still continued to go on in a flourishing con¬ 
dition under the secretaryship of Mr. 0. E. Stock, who 
retired from his ofiBce after three years’ service. Mr. 
G. S. Benham was then elected to serve in his place, but 
owing to ill-health was unable to carry on his dutie’s for 
some time, but was re-elected in 1885. Mr. G. S. Benham 
was one of the most energetic members that the club 
possessed in its early days, and an unanimous feeling of 
regret and sympathy was felt at the loss it had sustained 
by the death of that gentleman in January, 1890. In 
the early part of May in the same year, Mr. J. J. Hunter 
was elected to fill the post of honorary secretary Mr 
Hunter having joined the club in 1880, always taking a 
great interest in its working, and a regular attendant at 
the meetings ; he is an enthusiastic angler, and always 
ready to have a day out with any of his fellow-members. 
He was the winner of several handsome prizes last 
season, amongst which was an oil painting of a pike 
presented by Mr. Fitz-Wallis, jun. ’ 
In the following October the headquarters of the club 
was removed from the “ Windsor Castle ” Hotel to the 
“Dartmouth Castle” Hotel in the Qlenthorne-road, 
Hammersmith, where its meetings are now held every 
Tnursday evening, under the patronage of their host 
Mr. Eobert Dean. In this house the club has a n ce 
cosy room, the walls are hung with several fine speci¬ 
mens of stuffed fish, and a piano is also provided for the 
use of the members. The worthy chairman, Mr. W. H. 
Elsmore is a delegate to the Central Association, also aii 
auditor and member of the committee of the Central 
Association. Mr. Elsmore is a great lover of angling 
and a very hard worker for the angler’s interests in 
general, and his time is much occupied by his laborious 
duties on their behalf. 
The club made a good show of stuffed fish at the 
Piscatorial Exhibition held at the Eoyal Aquarium last 
year, (or which a diploma of merit was awarded. 
The society does not boast of keeping a large ca'h 
balance in hand, but devotes its funds to the benefit of 
its members, the prize list for the past season amounting 
to £30. The following members having taken prizes — 
Messrs. Elsmore, White, Leaf, A. Perton, Brittain, 
Eamsey, Mallinson, H. E. Digby, E. Hunter J. J. 
Hunter, W. Cox, J. N. Hare, A. H. James. 
Matches and other competitions are arranged both for 
presentation and club prizes, and keen interest is taken 
in the friendly outings. The club now musters about 
forty members, of which Mr. E. Dean is the treasurer, 
and Mr. Hunter still retains the post of secretary. 
The club held its thirteenth annual dinner c n Alay 11, 
under the patronage of Mr. Channon, at the “ Builder’s 
Arms,” Bridge-road, Hammersmith, the treasurer being 
unable to accommodate so many persons at the club¬ 
house, Mr. Elsmore, the chairman of the club, acting as 
president for the evening, and Mr. E. Dean as vice- 
president. The usual toasts having been proposed and 
cordially responaed to, the president distributed the 
prizes for the past season, and the ev'ening.was wound 
up with a good selection of songs, rendered by the 
members and friends. Mr. T. Crumplen represented 
he T.A.P.S, and Central Association. 
SATURDAY, JUNE 3, 1893. 
Mr Elsmore offered four prizes of 10s. fid. each, to bo 
fished tor during the ensuing season ; Mr. E. Dean 
one guinea; Mrs Dean. 10s. fid.; Mr. H. Foreman, one 
guinea ; Mr, Chob Webb, 20s. 
The company, having thoroughly enjoyed the evening, 
He continued success 
01 the West London Angling Club. 
THE NEW DEESIDE HATCHEEY. 
The Deeside Fishery Board would not maintain their 
prestage for the intelligent management of the waters 
under their charge were they not first in this matter of 
artificial stocking, as in all matters pertaining to the 
prosperity of their river. After the most successful 
experiments carried out at Durris by Mr. A. Young, and 
latterly by the Board, it was determined to build a new 
hatchery on the most approved principles, in a more 
accessible and otherwise favourable situation. In Mr. 
George Duncan, the Deeside Inspector of Fisheries the 
board has a pisciculturist of no mean order, and an en- 
thusiast to boot; while many of the individual members 
of the board have an especial interest in the same work 
It T • ° "/'I, ^“'Hhery was kindly granted by 
Mr. I. H. Irvine of Drum, free of charge, and in clo.se 
H the river. The building, some 36 ft. by 
ft , IS on a concrete base, the sides and roof beiii"^ of 
corrugated iron with inside walls i deal, 4 in. aplrt, 
and packed with felt. By this means a more even tern- 
perature is constantly maintained than would otherwise 
be the case. In the centre are twenty boxes 6 ft long 
and on either side twenty boxes 3 ft. long, givino^ 
accommodation for one million eggs, without in the 
least overcrowding. Mr. Duncan is just now extend- 
iDg this, and means to add other six boxes which 
will complete the complement. There is internal ac- 
commodation for, and carry about a million and a 
quarter eggs to maturity annually. This season Mr. 
enabled' to turn out some 
350,000 try, owing to an accident which befell his first 
deposits, whereby he lost 700,000 eggs at one fell swoop, 
(n account of lead poisoning. He immediately shut off 
the water supply, and kept two men carrying water for 
night and day to keep his cistern filled for five days on 
end till another source could be tapped, and by this 
means alone w'as the remainder of his stock saved con- 
sisting of some 100,000 ova. These hatched out’won- 
derfully well after the exigencies of their pre-enibyro 
career, and the fry were safely deposited in the river 
some three weeks ago, with the loss of only 5 per cent., the 
only loss of any consequence Mr. Duncan has sustained. 
A new water supply was tapped from the burn, and is 
brought down in iron pipes. Filters are used, but more 
as a safe precaution than otherwise. Although the 
season was far advanced, Mr. Duncan managed to secure 
two_ consignments from the Ballater reaches, the first 
having been got from the Cluny at Braemar. These 
consisted of 1.50,000 eggs got on Dec. 23, and which 
were turned into tbe river as fry on Saturday morning 
with scarcely the loss of one in every 2000 since 
hatching out; and 100,000 eggs put down on Jan 28 
also obtained from the Ballater reaches, and just a fort¬ 
night later than their cousins, who started on life’s 
battle for themselves on Saturday. They are a very 
healthy, lively set, and beginning to drop the umbilical 
sac. All over, Mr. Duncan estimates that, taking his 
maximum and minimum loss together, he has not lost 
over 2 per cent., and he is confident that of the last two 
deposits, when everything was in working order, his 
loss has been something like '05 per cent. By obtaining 
eggs from the upper feeders of the Dee, the Board is 
obliged to no one. They have an abundant supply ; an 
early stock of fry is produced, and the eggs thus ob¬ 
tained are in a great measure saved from destruction 
by frost, for when the autumn floods recede from the 
recdi inthe Cluny,the gravel banks are left exposed some¬ 
times for months to the winter’s frosts,and few of the eggs 
thus early deposited ever come to maturity. “ Experi 
mentia docet ” is Mr. Duncan’s motto. At the back of tie 
hatchery there are about forty tiny fry plunging about 
which have been reared in stagnant water, the supply 
having been purposely shut off from this box a few days 
after the eggs were laid on the gravel. The per centage 
of loss has been heavy, yet it has proved to Mr. Duncan 
that his stock would be safe in the main were his water 
supply tampered with from the outside. Most of the 
boxes were fitted with glass grills, and although boiled 
gravel are no doubt more natural beds for the ova, yet 
the amount of labour saved by the glass is infinitely more 
than any gain otherwise. The temperature inside the 
hatchery on Saturday was 50 degrees, but the normal 
average is not more than between 37 degrees and 
40 degrees. The present season’s stock have all hatched 
off in from 120 to 125 days. Every detail about the 
hatchery is of the most complete order, and laid down 
with the view of practical and useful work being ac¬ 
complished. 'I’ho experimental stage is passed, Mr. 
Duncan and his staff are thoroughly equipped, and it 
will not be their faults if this department of their work 
does not turn out an fminent success, and a practical 
demonstration to a 1 other boards to “go and do like¬ 
wise.” The whole cost of the present house and plant is 
under £1300, and the sito has been chosen with the view 
of adding a small rearing-pond some of these days. The 
cost of collecting the eggs is a mere trifle once waders, 
nets, pans, &c., have been provided, and it is something 
to know that a million and a quarter try are added to the 
stock of salmon in the river which otherwise would 
perish. We congratulate Insprctor Duncan on Lii 
su ‘less. 
SEA FISHEEIES COMMITTEE. 
The last two sittings of the Committee before the 
Whitsun recess were occupied, it will be remembered, in 
hearing the general evidence of Mr. A. Barrington of the 
Board of Trade, who was in favour of prohibiting the 
landing and sale of immature fish, but opposed to any 
more sweeping measures, and some more special evi¬ 
dence on the oyster question. The chief interest in 
connection with the latter was that no two witnesses 
were quite agreed 011 matter.? of actual personal ohseri'a- 
Uon; and if we are to believe the testimony of both 
Captain Anderson and Captain Austin, then indeed 
oysters exhibit curious variety of habit, since they both 
sicken and do not sicken each season, and the miscel¬ 
laneous foreign importations are, in the third and fourth 
generations, both recognisable aiid 'unrecognisable from 
the true native. 
With that sitting closed, we believe, the case for the 
National Sea Fisheries Protection Association, whioh 
has now subpocnad all its witnesses. The first sitting 
after the recess was of importance inasmuch as Mr. 
Barrington was again cross-examined on the general 
points at issue. Correspondence with continental fishery 
inspectors showed him that restrictive measures were 
easily enforced. He would be glad to see a close time 
for all breeds of oysters. The local committees had, in 
his opinion, sufficient powers by previous Acts. The 
single measure as yet suggested was, in his opinion, the 
only one promising much remedy of existing evils. He 
explained the method in which the Board of Trade 
collects its statistics and the small and totally inade¬ 
quate sum on which it has to carry out this work. The 
case of the deep-sea fisherman against the smaller craft 
inshore, as of the steam trawler and the smack, he con¬ 
sidered impossible to settle by any legislation. 
Next week the Committee will take official evidence 
from the Scotch Fishery Board. 
NOTES FOR CLUB ANGLERS. 
There is no very good news from the Thames again this 
week. The passing showers have freshened up the water 
of course, but there is still little stream, and as the 
opening day of the coarse fishing season grows nearer the 
want of a good “push” of now water becomes more 
apparent. Many anglers are, no doubt, preparing for a 
day’s barbelliiig, but with the river so low and clear 
prospects of sport are not bright, though I hoiie there 
will have been a change for the better ere the eventful 
16th arrives. If we had a week’s rain now it would do 
no harm. * „ 
*** 
A Sudbury (Suffolk) correspondent informs me that 
the roach have nearly done spawning in the Stour there. 
Up to the time of writing no report from Bures is to 
hand as to spawning operations there, but the fish are 
very late in this part of the river. No doubt I shall 
have some news next week on the subject. 
‘ Why do you s'ay ” (writes an angler) “ that those big 
roach are at Beckham i Camberwell, my boy, Camber¬ 
well I ” Between the Trafalo’ar-road Bridge and Wells- 
street Bridge, eh P Yes, and in the Beckham branch, 
too, because I have had them there. The Camberwell 
part, however, is the real home of th) big fish I believe, 
and their motto is “ Catch me if you can.” 
*** 
The members of the Funny Fjlts Club have arranged 
for a pleasant little < iiting iufo Sussex to-morrow. 
After breakfasting at Bulbor jugh, they will proceed by 
brake for a long countiy d ive, and return to Host 
Nutt s for dinner, afte ■ wtiich a ram ile along the banks 
of the Arun should win! up what I hope may prove an 
enjoyable day. ^ « 
# 
I AM sorry to hear that Mr. W. J. Biggs, one of the 
competitors in the recent Imperiil Silver Cup Com¬ 
petition, has not yet received the roach-pole ho won 
on that occasion. The rod was purchased, but has 
since disappeared, and there is another “ Southwark 
Mystery ” to record. ^ ^ 
According to Yarrell, a perch of 91b, was once 
caught in the Serpentine. I, in company with many 
other anglers, no doubt, should be very pleased to have 
the opportunity of catching a 21b. porch there. 
*** 
The latest gold medallists—Messrs. C. Newbury and 
W. Grace, of the New Albion Biscat irials. Tim medals 
are 18 carat, and were presented by the club as a mark 
of distinction to those two gentlemen as the respective 
winner and holder of a silver cue for comiietibiom in 
aid of the T.A.B.S. 
The Arun, at Bulborough and Amberley, is very 
bright, and a fresh of water would do a deal of good 
just now. ^ ^ 
A SILVER trout has, I hear, been taken recently in 
the Thames, and is i ow being set-up by Mr. Eichard- 
son, of Kingston. ^ ^ 
Mr. A. A. Eldbidi;e talks about organising a big 
competition on the Arun either the last week in July or 
the first week in August. The “Anglers’ Train” has 
Ircady commence 1 running to Bulborough and 
