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 654 business. The general impression seems to be that the people of France have outgrown this childish tendency; and that if their Ruler pretends that they have not, it is for his own purposes. To see the Danes stedfast,—the Poles successful,—the Germans wide awake and practical,—the Turks energetic and prudent,—the Greeks sensible and orderly,—the Spaniards in love with commercial as well as other honour,—the wretched Russians permitted to stay at home quietly till they have learned to feel and understand what citizenship is,—and the British sympathetic with the guardians and seekers of liberty, all the world over, always ready to testify on behalf of right and to denounce wrong, while neither meddling, nor permitting meddling, and all the while using the experience they gather from abroad to promote the welfare of the nation at home,—this is what we would fain see as the result of the political restlessness of our continent in our time. That some political advancement will accrue it is thoroughly reasonable to expect:—whether it will be anything like what we desire, some who are living, and I hope watching, will be sure to see.

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A “,” generally supposed to be Lord North, who wrote “A Discourse of Fish and Fish-Ponds” one hundred and fifty years ago, was anxious that any gentleman who had employed his money and pains in cultivating the waters, would set down his experience for the benefit and guidance of others, “and communicate it to such as have a mind to divert themselves with the most reasonable employment of beautifying and improving their estates.” At the time indicated, it was quite usual for noblemen and other country gentlemen to have fish-ponds; in fact, a fish-pond was as necessary an adjunct of a large country-house as its vegetable or fruit-garden.

In those days there were no railways or other quick modes of conveyance to carry fish from the sea-shore to the far inland towns before it became unfit for consumption; hence the necessity for fish-ponds to persons who were in the habit of entertaining guests or giving great dinner-parties; hence, also, the multiplicity of recipes in our older cookery-books for the dressing of all kinds of fresh-water fishes: besides, in the very ancient times—that is, before the Reformation, when Roman Catholicism required a rigorous observance of the various church-fasts, a fish-pond near every cathedral city and in the precincts of every monastery was a sine qua non. The range of fish bred in these ponds was necessarily very limited, being usually carp, some of which, however, grew to a very large size. There are traces also of some of our more curious and valuable fishes having been introduced into this country during these old monastic times; thus it is thought that the celebrated trout of Lochleven was introduced from foreign parts by some of the ancient monks who had a taste for gastronomy. The celebrated vendace of Lochmaben (which, like the powan of Lochlomond, is another of our mysterious fishes), is likewise supposed to have been introduced in the same way.

As may readily be imagined, most of the fish-ponds of these remote times were quite primitive in their construction; very often, where it was possible, consisting of the intercepted water of some little rivulet dammed up for the purpose, much in the same way as the beautiful trout-pond at Wolfsbrunnen, near Heidelberg. There were, no doubt, ponds of large extent and of elaborate construction, but these were comparatively rare; and even on the very sea-coast we used to have ponds or storing-places for sea-fish, one of which is still in existence. We allude to the Logan Pond in Galloway. This is only used as a place for keeping fish, so that they may be attainable for table uses without depending on the state of the weather. This particular pond is not an artificially-constructed one, but has been “improved” out of the natural surrounding of the place. It is a basin formed in the solid rock ten yards in depth, and having a circumference of one hundred and sixty feet. It is used chiefly as a preserve to ensure a constant supply of fish, which are taken in the neighbouring bay when the weather is fine, and transferred to the pond, which communicates with the sea by a narrow passage. It is generally well stocked with cod, haddock, and flat-fish, which, in the course of time, become very tame; and we regret to say, that for want of proper shelter, most of the animals become blind. The fish have of course to be fed; and they partake greedily, even from the hand of their keeper, of the mess of boiled mussels, limpets, whelks, &c., with which they are fed, and their flavour is really unexceptionable.

Judging from the Logan Pond it would not be difficult, nor yet very expensive, to construct a large breeding-pond for salt-water fish; and such depository would be of great value, as it would enable us to study with exactitude the various debatable points of fish-growth upon which at present so much ignorance prevails. We have settled the various questions connected with the growth of the salmon by means of breeding-ponds, and what we have thus accomplished for the fresh-water fishes might, with equal ease, be achieved in the case of our more valuable sea-fish.

Coming back, however, to the subject of fresh-water fish-ponds, we may state that, at one time, some very large but simply-constructed fish-ponds or stews, as they were then called, existed in various parts of England, but that, as the commerce in sea-fish gradually extended, these were given up, except as adjuncts to the amenities of gentlemen’s pleasure-grounds. Ornamental canals and fish-ponds are not at all uncommon in the parks of our country gentleman, although they are not now required for fish-breeding purposes, as the fast London or provincial trains carry baskets of fish to a distance of one hundred miles in a very few hours, so that the turbot or whiting is in excellent condition for the late dinner.

A very simple and old-fashioned way of keeping and breeding fish was to have a suite of two ponds—one for the very young fish, and the other for the marketable stock.