§ MR. KEAYI beg to ask the Secretary for Scotland whether there is any objection to grant a Return of all persons now possessing rights of fishings or foreshores in Scotland, acquired before the 10th day of October 1851, showing the nature of the consideration received by the State, and of the titles under which such rights are held; and. whether he will inquire under what title and for what consideration the Duke of Richmond and Gordon holds about eight miles of salmon fishings at the mooch of the Spey?
§ *THE LORD ADVOCATE (Mr. J. B. BALFOUR,) ClackmannanI fear it would be impossible to grant a Return in the terms proposed in the first part of this question. With a view to the preparation of such a Return, it would be necessary to examine all the recorded titles back to the earliest limes, and even then the desired information would not be complete, because according to the Law of Scotland prescriptive possession of salmon fishing's and foreshores upon certain kinds of general titles may make good rights not expressly granted in them. As to the second part or the question, I may point out that the titles to heritable estate in Scotland are recorded in public Registers, and that anyone who desires information regarding the title of any particular proprietor has thus the same means of obtaining it as the Crown has. A Return of Fishing Grants made since 10th October, 1851, when the Department of Woods and Forests was separately constituted, was given in 1889.
§ MR. WEIR (Ross and Cromarty)Will the right hon. Gentleman grant a Return for the 50 years preceding. 1851.
§ MR. J. E. BALFOURI am afraid that the same difficulty would apply.