omitted many things concerning the natural history and habits of
the Salmon, fearing to trespass too much on the patience of my
readers; but I have wished, in addition to communicating some
facts in the natural history of this fish, which I believe are not
generally known, to call the attention of the public to the
present state of the Salmon fisheries in England. Many of the
preceding observations are founded on the evidence of persons
connected with the fisheries in Scotland, and are perhaps no
longer applicable to that part of the kingdom, since there has
been an alteration in the laws; whether this is the case or not, I
have no present means of ascertaining. I shall be glad if any one
having a knowledge of the subject will say what benefit, if any,
has been derived from the alteration; however, it is sufficient
for my present purpose to show what is the state of things when
there are no laws on the subject, or, which is the same thing,
when there is no attention paid to them; a state of things which,
instead of promoting an abundant supply of these excellent fish,
and rendering the Salmon fisheries nationally important, tends by
the habitual disregard of the laws by one party, the selfishness
of another, and the neglect of a third, to render these fisheries
of little and decreasing value; whereas if the lower proprietors
would allow a tolerable supply of Salmon to come up the river when
they were worth taking, and the upper ones would preserve them
during close time, there would be plenty for each and for all.

I am aware it will be difficult to legislate upon this subject
without injury to what is of infinitely greater importance--I mean
the manufactories of the country. The absurd and impracticable
clauses which were contained in the bill for the protection of the
fisheries, which was introduced into Parliament in 1825, show