Norway.

Those who have visited this country have given me no great idea of their doings; and the accommodation is only 'tolerable, and not to be endured;' bad beds and bad living, boatmen, and great rough water, yarn lines like ropes, and large flies. I have read of great things here; but, although I have spoken to many gentlemen who have fished, they never gave me such a description, that I much desired to follow. Sir John Lees read me the other day part of a letter, giving an account of a gentleman who hooked a salmon in one of its rivers at five o'clock in the evening, and, after working it all night, was so worn out at six o'clock next morning, he was quite done out, that he gave his rod to a friend, who lost the fish in five minutes!

Now, as a general rule (and to know when to follow them, and when to depart from them), for salmon, doubtless, the angler's highest sport, as showing his dexterity, you are to cast your line 'fine and far off,' and always at a great angle, and as far to the other side as you possibly can throw, so as to let your fly sweep round, as he, in most

you

cases, takes it at the side you are on, or when you let your fly first fall-as you never fish up the water for him, and I consider a long line indispensable, as he is a very timid fish; although I have seen them follow and take the worm in the latter end of the season, when the river was small, at my very feet. For trout, a long line, too, but cast right across the river, and often take more fish the moment your fly alights on the water, than when you drag or 'harrle' your flies round for another cast. Some of the most successful fishers seldom move the point of their rod much, others again play it a good deal, and with as much success. In this way, you observe the fish when they rise (and it is a beautiful sight to see the salmon do so), but I have taken more large trout when the fly was sunk under the water. Do not stay in endeavouring to entice a trout, as it seldom rises twice. I have, on the other hand, seen a salmon enticed, so that he has risen six or seven times, and then take it at last. rare; and, on the contrary, as many times they rise and do not take the hook, which is called 'gripping slack. Now, instead of carrying all kinds of feathers, as I have said before, to busk hooks, the best way, in these days of cheap postage and

This is, no doubt,

speed, is to send to those you know make them, either in town or country. I prefer to buy them near the localities I am about to fish, march dun, dothril, hare's lug dun, and black palmer, these, of course, on different sizes. With these I would set off to fish almost anywhere. I have seen changes of flies answer, while others who continued the sport without any change do equally well on the whole day, there being atmospherical changes during which no fish will look up; and again, there are hours of feeding, in which they will snap and take anything and colour of fly. The study of where fish lie, and the places to be at a certain time of day, are most important things to every angler, and never is an old rule more exemplified than in this case, that

Experientia docet.

And now, I would leave off, and affectionately recommend you to pursue this healthy exercise at any spare time you may have, from March to September. How delightful to find yourself on the bank of some beautiful river, your spirits and hilarity flowing with cheerfulness, and your mind not corroded with the cares of life, not slothful in business,' having been the Christian maxim of

your life, with honesty of purpose and straightforwardness, with a gracious and a smiling countenance, 'do to others, what you would that they should do to you.' If you are in robust health, rejoice in Him who hath bestowed such a blessing, and do not forget to think of those who cannot enjoy it, or who cannot spare the time. If you feel weak, be thankful you are still spared to recruit yourself, and forget not the many who, from weakness of bodily strength, cannot be partakers of your pleasures. Commend yourself at all times to the great Giver of all good; enjoy yourself in these, and let your heart cheer you; but, know, for all this, God will bring you into judgment.

NOTE.

THE DUKE OF ROXBURGH ACT FOR 1859.

The rod-fishing ends 30th November and begins first day of February. No cleek to be used from 15th September to 1st of May, and to fish with no baits but artificial fly only. Net fishing closes 14th September; after this, if there are floods, the salmon-fishing has now a chance to be good. We have no fish to speak of in the upper waters. If the river is low, and above the Ettrick to Peebles, there are seldom many fish until after two or three floods; in fact, to bring them into these waters, the river must be heavy for a fortnight or three weeks. After a heavy flood, or even two, it requires one or two small floods to make anything like salmon-fishing. These twenty-five years, the fishing has been gradually falling off. What this new Bill will do remains to be seen. The present season just over has not been good. Few were caught by rod and line in these upper waters, although there were two floods in October and also middle of November. The fish appear not to have got to the upper waters by the 30th of November, viz., the day of closing.

CLOSE OF SALMON ROD FISHING ON TWEED.-By the Duke of Roxburgh's Act, these fishings ended on the 30th ult.- —on the whole, a bad season. Below Kelso fish were plentiful; but in the upper waters-say, above Yair Bridge-the fly-fishing was decidedly poor indeed. Mr Locke, of Regent Street, captured a good fish of 23 lbs. after a severe run of upwards of two hours.—Court Journal, 3d December 1859.