The Sun.
London, England, 1867-01-03 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF TILE SUN.

SIR,—May I beg you to insert the following let-
ter, which, I may add, was written and despatched
before I was aware that the previous correspondence
was already before the public?—Yours obediently,
193, Piccadilly, W., Jan. 2. J. MORLEY.

Jan. 1.

My dear Sir—l have been out of town, so I hope you
will acquit me of any discourtesy in neglecting your let-
ters. The letter for the writer of the article shall be for-
warded as you desire. The writer declines to acknowledge
our right to know his name, but, in order to show that he
is not desirous to shelter himself behind the shield of ano-
nymity, he has written a letter to Mr. John Bright himself
—a letter which I am forwarding to the Reform Club by
this post.—Believe me, dear Sir, yours very truly,
Jacob Bright, Esq. JOHN MoRLEY.

FEES IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS.—The fee on
filing a petition or other document or private bill in the
House of Commons is .£5, and £l5 on each of the three
readings, as also on the report of the committee. Out of
the 317 bills for next session one house has 74.

CATTLE AND SHEEP.—According to an agricul-
tural document just issued there were in the year 1866 in
the United Kingdom a stock of cattle in number 8,716,276,
and of sheep, 26,375,993.
Sir Henry Paulet and Mr. John Morant are can-
didates for the office of verderer of the New Forest, vacant
by the death of Mr. IL C. Compton. The election takes
place at Winchester. The voters are freeholders of Hamp-
shire, and the poll may be kept open 14 days.
SIR WALTER SCOTT AND HIS ADMIRERS.—When
Sir Walter was first known to be in money troubles, it was
remarked that if every one who had taken pleasure in his
writings would but give him sixpence he would b 3 the
richest man in England.
REFORM DEBATE IN EDINBURGH.—The discus-
sion between Professor Blackie and Mr. Ernest Jones is
appointed to take place in Edinburgh on the evenings of
the 3d and 4th proximo.

TROUT FISHING.—In the dark water by the side
of the rock must be my first cast. With a lift of the
arm and a turn of the wrist, the top of the rod bends
slightly behind me ; the long line makes a circle through
the air, flies forward, unfolding its long length as it de-
scends, and the red-tail fly drops like thistle-down upon
the water. It hardly alights before it goes down, down,
down, and then the line runs rapidly, cutting the water up
the stream. I have hooked a trout now, and no mistake.
The resistance which followed when I struck, the fly taken
down under the water, and now the mad violence with
which he rushes away, show me that he is a good one.
Now everything depends upon the manner in which he is
hooked, the temper of the Limerick hook, the strength of
the gut, and—the skill of the fisherman. If you doubt the
latter, look at that tyro, with all his neat, expensive, and
scientific appointments. Look at him where he stands,
with his eyes open and "rabbit mouth agape," beholding
his line float back to him again, minus flies, casting line,
and a fathom off its point, as with a rush and a swirl that
big fish, which was his quasi-captive for a minute, breaks
away unharmed. " Bad line, sir I rotten gut ! I barely
touched him, that is all." Very possibly, sir, but that may
not be all. We know the old proverb of a workman and his
tools. Do not think me cynical ; it has happened to myself
before now ; but be satisfied that a large trout will not be
caught if he can help it. But I have had this one on long
enough to understand that he is hooked well and firmly ;
at all events, long enough to know that there is nothing
wrong with the line or collar. They would have gone when
I first struck if they meant to go; and now he is swimming
deep in the middle of the rapids, with his head up the
stream. That will never do. He will swim on there for half
an hour that way and be none the worse. It is his natural
direction; se I wheel up my line slowly, with my rod nearly
bent double, drawing him to the edge of the stream, and
turning his head round as 1 draw, get him into smoother
water, and immediately he is off and down he rushes,
making the reel whiz again as he carries out the line. The
instant that I dare I give him a check, for he is drawing
near the fall, and if he once goes, good-bye top of the rod
and line and trout. It is only just in time, he runs back
again, and I wheel up again as fast as I can, for a slack
line would be fatal. Will it be ? He will try directly,
after a rush or turn up and down, making less distance
and rising higher in the water every time, so that I get an
occasional glimpse of his great tail and dark track above
the surface ; he fairly leaps clean out of it, and shows the
goodly dimensions of a two-pound trout, if ever I saw one,
and now unless my line is slack he breaks it, for he throws
himself right upon the top of it as he comes down. Yes,
but I was up to that dodge, and as he sprang up out of the
water, down went the top of my rod into it, and the heavy
fish falls upon the loosened bight. Up he is, and into the
air again ; down goes the top into the water, and then he
makes another furious rush up the stream, turns again, and
I bring him easily back this time upon his side. I think
that I can land him ; no, he sees me as I steal my left
hand down with the short landing net towards him, and
makes another struggle for liberty—nearly succeeds this
time, for I did not think that there was a run left in him,
and he is only just turned in time. Then he gives in ; a
few short lengths run out and easily wheeled up, and I
draw him towards me with his nose out of the water, my
butt pointed towards it, my line tight, my elbow bent and
wrist slightly turned back, left hand below the winch,
right hand upon the handle, slowly and warily, till he lies
motionless close beside the gravel bank, and I slip the net
under him, and he is mine. Nearly two pounds and a
half, beautifully spotted, with a belly as yellow as gold.—
Fraser.
NEW NATIONAL GALLERY.—We are requested to
state that Foreign Ministers, members of the two
Houses of Parliament, Royal Academicians, and the com-
peting architects, will, on presentation of their cards at
the entrance door by the Victoria Tower in the now Palace
at Westminster, be admitted'on Monday and Tuesday, the
7th and Bth inst., between 10 and 4, to view tho designs
for the now National Gallery, in the Royal Gallery; and
that the public will be admitted on Wednesday, the 9th
inst., and the three following days, and also on the last
four days of each of the two succeeding weeks.
THE OLD ENGLISH NAME OF HOLLY was "Holm,"
or "Holm Oak," and in many parts cf England it is still
known by these names ; and Holinsdale, in Surrey, and
other villages whose names commence with Holm, have
been derived from the abundance of hollies which once
grew in their vicinities. It has been thought that the
"Greenwood-tree," familiarised in the story of Robin
Hood and other old English ballads of forest life, was
identical with the holly. Tt grew in great abundance at
Sherwood and other places in the central and northern
counties.—Once a Week.
What must be done to conduct a newspaper
right ? Write.
What is necessary to a farmer to assist him ?
System.
What would give a blind man the greatest de-
light ? Light.
What is the best piece of counsel given by a jus-
tice of the peace ? Peace.