Correspondence on the introduction of salmon from Scotland into the rivers of Tasmania

40

Introduction

of

from

The

proportion unfinislied are 4*7 percent.,

and

95'3

per

cent, finished.

The

number

of

houses

inhabited are

95

per cent.,

and

5 per cent, are uninhabited.

Leaving

out the Military,

and

the Convicts

on

public works,

who

are

lodged

in barracks,

an

averageis given of1

house

to every6

persons

in the Colony.

The

increase in house-building

has

been

progressing at the rate of 6 percent, per

annum

since the

previous

Census.

III. Corresjpondeiice

on

the

Introduction

_of

Salmon from

Scotland

into the

Rivers

_{of Tasmania.}

[Read

Wth

December,

1850.]

Sir

W.

Denison

to

Eael

Gkey.

"IZthAugust, 1849.

"

_My

_Lord,

"

Mr. James

Burnett,Chief ClerkintheSurvey Depart-ment,

when

on leavein

England

visited

Mr. Young,

the

manager

of the

Duke

of Sutherland's

Salmon

Fisheries, for thepurpose of consulting

him

as tothe practicabilityof introducing the

Salmon

intotherivers ofthis Colony.

" Several attempts have been

made

to bring out the spawn, but they have all failed: as, however,

Mr.

Young

is apractical

man,

who

is probably better acquainted with the habits of the

fish than any person to

whom

application could be made,

—

as

he

iswilling to supply the fish,—tosuperintend all the necessary

arrangements

which

may

be

made

fortheir safeconveyanceto this

Colony,

—

it would, Isubmit, be very desirable to

make

the

experi-ment,

which

cancostbutlittle,andtheresultofwhich,ifsuccessful,

may

proveof greatbenefit totheColony.

"

The

simple planwouldbe, toallow thetanks,orwhatever

may

benecessary tocontain the fish, tobeplaced

upon

the poopof one

of theConvictShipscomingouttothe Colony,withdirections tothe

surgeon totakecharge of the fish, and comply withthedirections

given

by Mr. Young.

A

trifling

premium

may

be heldout, should

the fisharrive in safety, as an inducement to the surgeonto take

"

The

expenseofpreparingthe tanks, &c., might, I submit, be chargedtothe

Land

Fund. Ihave enclosedaletter toMr.

Young,

to be forwarded to

him

incase your Lordship shouldsanction the

experiment; andin this Ihavepointed outto

him

the best

mode

in

which

the transport ofthe fish might be managed, and requested

him

totake

upon

himself allthe arrangements relative tothe con-structionoftanks, &c., submittinganestimate of theexpense,

and

receivingyourLordship's sanctiontothe outlay beforeanyliabilities

areincurred. Trusting that your Lordshipwill allow the

experi-ment

tobe made,

" Iam,

"

Your

Lordship'smostobedient

humble

servant,

«

_{W. DENISON."}

B.

Ha

WES,

Esq.^

Under-Secretary

of

State,

dc,

to

A.

Young,

Esg.

"

Downing

Street,

15th February, 1850. " Sir,

" _I

_am

_directed

_by

_Earl

_Grey

_totransmitto

you

the copyofa Despatch from the Lieutenant-Governor of

Yan

Diemen's Land,

respectingthe introduction of

Salmon

intotheriversof thatColony,

andreferringhisLordshipto yourselfas beingmost competent to

superintend thearrangements necessaryfor carrying the proposal

into effect.

A

private letter toyou,

which

Sir

W.

Denison hasalso forwarded withhis Despatch,isalsoenclosed; andshoulditbe in

your

power

torender assistancein thismatter in the

mode

pointed out

by

the Lieutenant-Governor, I

am

to suggest that

you

should

placeyourself in communication withtheLords Commissioners of

the Admiralty, relative to the conveyanceof the spawn, as

Lord

Grey

hasalreadybeen in correspondenceonthe subjectwiththeir

Lordships.

"I

am

to add that,onapplicationto

Mr.

Barnard, the Colonial

Agent,

No.

3,

Cannon Row,

Westminster, any expense

which

it

may

be requisite to incur will be repaidto

you

on the part of the

Government.

" Iam,&c.,

of

Salmon from

A.

Young,

Esq., to

Mr.

Under-Secretary

Hawes,

M.P,

"Invershin, BonarBridge,

7th.March, 1850.

•*Sir,

"

I

had

the honour to receiveyour enclosures of the 15th February, including aletterfromMr.Burnett, from

Van

Diemen's Land,andIquiteagreewith Mr.Burnett's suggestion of gettinga

Smack, with proper wells, for the carriage of

Salmon

to that

Colony: and,ifEarl

Grey

will agree to the expenseof such, itis

certainlypreferabletothe proposed attemptonacheaperscale, for

inthiscasethere is littleor

no

chance of afailure, andthe

Smack

couldbefitted

up

so as to carryboth

Salmon

andSmolts, Ithink, in perfectsafety;andcertainlythe additional securityisworth

much

more

than the additional expense. I

may

mentionthat Ihave

ex-perimentedon

Salmon

inallstages of existence, and

among

others

Ihave kept Skin(?)

Salmon

ina small pond, not nearly thesizeof the well of aFishingSmack,forthespace of ninemonths,andatthe

endof thattimetheywere in perfectgoodspirits; therefore,from

thatandotherexperimentsIhave made, Ihavefullconfidence that

theycouldbe carriedfrom Scotland to

Van

Diemen's

Land

quite

safe.

"IfEarl

Grey

resolves

upon

thisplanofcarriage,Ishallbe glad to put my?elf in communication with the proprietors ofFishing Smacks, and ascertain

what

the expenses ofavessel from hereto

Van

Diemen's

Land

wouldbe. Iwould also procure thefish, see

them

properlypaired, and putintothe wells oftheship, " Ihave,&c.,

«

A.

YOUNG."

Mr.

Hawes

to

Me. Young.

"Downing

Street, 18tk March, 1850.

"Sir,

"IhavelaidbeforeEarl

Grey

yourletterof the 7thinstant,

respecting the introduction of

Salmon

intotheriversof

Van

Diemen's Land, andI

am

directedinreplytoobserve, that the

mode

of transport

trans-mittedtoyou in

mine

ofthe15th ultimo differsfrom theplan sub-mitted

by

theLieutenant-Governorof the Colony,

whose

proposal, asyouwill perceive, is confined to forwarding the fish intanks,

to be placed on the

poop

of Convict Ships going out from this

country.

With

respecttothe

employment

of a

Smack

forthe

con-veyanceof theSalmon,I

am

toacquaint

you

that theexpense

would

befar

more

thanthat

which

the

Government

would beabletoincur

fortheobject in question; I

am

therefore to request that

you

will

inform

Lord Grey

how

faritwould, inyouropinion,bepracticable

tosend

them

out in the

manner

proposed

by

Sir

W.

Denison. ;

" I have, &c.,

" B.

HAWES."

Mr.

Young

to

Mr. Hawes.

"Invershin,

23rd March, 1850.

" SlE,

"Ihavereceived yours of the 18thinstant,

and

inreply

beg

to state that

my

opinion is, that itwill bepracticable to carry old

Salmon

alive to

Van

Diemen's

Land

in tanks fitted

up

on the

poop

ofa Convict Ship,assuggested

by

Sir

W.

Denison,but notso

prac-ticablewith Smolts (young Salmon),

—

and

fromthedistance, atall eventsthe length of time

on

theway,

and

the climate,the ovacannot be dependedon.

" 1st.

The

old

Salmon

are capable ofenduring

more

fatigueand

hardships thanthe

young

onesare; and

when

they are putintoa river in

Van

Diemen'sLand, theyare certain toremainin thatriver until theirspawningprocessisover.

"_2nd.

_When

theova (eggs) arehatehcdinanyriver,theSmolts producedtherefrom,

when

theygo fromthatriver to thesea,arein course of time certain toreturnto the

same

river

where

they

were

hatched.

Whereas

Smolts carried from this countryand putinto

these strangerivers, after going

down

tothesea,

might

not return

totheriverwiththe

same

punctualityastheyalwaysdototherivers

in

which

theyarebred; thereforethe oldfishare preferabletothe

young

in this case.

I enclose acopyof theletterIgotfrom

Mr.

Burnett

on

the

44

Introduction of

Salmon

from

allow theadditional expense, on account of the great additional

security, I

am

decidedlyinfavour of a welled Smack, and oneof these can behiredat notanextravagant

sum

abovethe expenseof

sending

them

in tanks.

" I have, &c.,

"A.

YOUNG."

J.

L.

BUENETT,

Esq., to

Mr. YoUNG.

"_{Hohart Town,}

_Van

Diemen^s Land,

13th September, 1849.

"

_Dear

Sir,

"

_On

_my

arrival here, in June last, I immediately

placedmyself in communication withtheGovernor on the subject

of introducing the

Salmon

into this country. I acquainted

him

withthe interview I

had had

withyou,and withtheinterest

which

you

tookinthe matter.

The

resulthasbeen,that Sir

W.

Denison hastaken the matter

up

warmly, and hasaddressed the Secretary of

State onthe subject, so thatwith yourableassistanceIreallybegin

tohave

some

hopeofstocking ourriverswiththefinestoffish. It would indeed beagrandthingifitcouldbeaccomplished. Another plan,besidesthat

which

you haveproposed,hasoccurredto

me

;viz.,

that of bringing the fish out ina regular Scotch

Smack

properly fitted

up

withwells

—

the great objectionwouldbe the expense.

But

what

do you think of the

money

being raised

by

subscription

—

perhapsthe

Duke

of Sutherland, arichand liberal

man,

might assistorcontribute towards a fundtobe soappropriated? Could

you

give us any idea of the expense of purchasing avessel,and

fittingheroutto

come

direct to

Van Diemens

Land,properlyfitted

up

and

manned

withregular fishermen? Surely,ifasuflicient

sum

could be raised,therewould belittledoubtof gettingthe fishhere.

Sir

W.

Denison haswrittento

you

himself on the subject, andis quite anxiousabout itssuccess, as indeed he is about every thing

else thatisatalllikely to benefittheColony. There was an animated

discussion

upon

the subject lastnight at a meetingof theRoyal

Societyforthepromotionofscience. I

hope

I shallhear from

you

after you have been in communication with the Colonial Office, inDowning-street,forIshallbequiteanxious to

know

ifthe

would doallinyour powertoforwardthe measure, and I

am

sure

youwill.

With

thanksforthe trouble

you

have already taken, "I remain, &c.,

«

_JAMES

L.

BURNETT."

Mr.

Hawes

to

Mr. Young.

"

_Downing

Street,

I3thApril, 1850. "SlE,

"Ihave laidbefore Earl

Grey

yourletterof the 23rdultimo,

andI

am

directedtoacquaintyou, inreply,thathisLordshipregrets thathedoes notfeel justified in incurring the expenseof sending

out the

Salmon

to

Van

Diemen's

Land

in awelled

Smack

; andhis

Lordshipwould,therefore, feelobliged

by

your

making

such

arrange-ments withtheDepartment of theAdmiraltyas

may

be necessary

fortheconveyance ofthefishin tanks placedinthe Convict Ships.

Lord Grey

wouldalsoproposethat a proportion of

young

fishshould beplacedinthetanks, togetherwiththe old,

which

you

suggest as best calculatedforconveyancetotheColony.

**_{I have, &c.,}

«_B.

_HAWES."

Me.

Young

to

Mr.

Hawes.

"Invershin,

29th April, 1850. "_Sir,

"_{I beg to acknowledge receipt} of your letter of the 13th

instant,andtointimate thatsincereceivingit Ihave

had

a

conver-sationwith Captain Denison,a brother of SirWilliam, the

Lieute-nant-Governorof

Van

Diemen's Land, regarding the sending out

Salmon

tothatColony, and

he

(Capt.D.) advises strongly not to

attempt the carrying of

them

out in tanks,as thehigh temperature

of thewater

when

crossing thelinewould verylikelykillthefish.

IthereforewishtolayCaptainDenison's objection before you, and begto suggest thatitmight beaswelltodeferattemptingtocarry

them

out in tanks until Earl

Grey

would

communicate with Sir

William,andlearnwhetherthe Colony

would

notbeattheexpense

46

of

assistancein

my

power

in whatever

way

the carrying

maybe

tried; butthe propererection oftanks,thecollectingandselectingof the

fi , &c., will cost agooddeal,andif itshould proveafailure, it

willbeavexingmatter. Therefore,to

make

surework,I

am

anxious

that SirWilliam should be advised

on

the most practicable

way

previoustoour proceeding.

"I have, &c.,

" A.

YOUNG."

Me.

Hawes

to

Mr. Young.

"

_Downing

Street,

14th

May,

1850.

"Sir,

" Tnanswertoyourletterof the29thultimo,andespecially

advertingtothe opinion

which

you there state

had

been expressed

by

Capt.Denisonastothe greatrisk oftaking out

Salmon

in

Tanks

to

Van

Diemen's Land, I

am

directed

by

Earl

Grey

toinform

you

thatthisappearsto hisLordshiptobea conclusive objectiontosuch

mode

ofconveyance, andthat, underall the circumstances,

he

has thoughtitright toapprize the Lieutenant-Governor of the Colony

thatnofurther proceedingswill at present be taken inthe matter.

His Lordship, however, desires

me

to add the expression of his

acknowledgment of the readyassistance rendered

by

you in

en-deavouringtoforward thearrangements.

"Iam,&c.,

"B.

HAWES."

Earl

Grey

to

Sir

W.

Denison.

"

_Downing

Street, 16th

May,

1850.

"Sir,

"With

referenceto your Despatch,

No.

115, ofthe 14th ofAugustlast,suggesting that,throughthe instrumentalityof

Mr.

Young,

the

Manager

of the

Duke

of Sutherland's Fisheries, the

experimentshouldbetriedofsendingoutsalmon fromthiscountry,

v

Land, Iherewithtransmitforyourinformation copies of the

corres-pondence which have passed withthatgentleman onthesubject.

" I regret that the result should not have proved

more

favourableto yourproject; but fromthe enclosedletters, and

more

especiallyfromMr. Young'slastcommunicationofthe29thultimo,

you

will see that the obstacle tothe proposed plan has been the apparentimpracticabilityofcarrying thefishinthe

mode

you sug-gested,namely,in tanks placed inthe

poop

ofConvictShips; while,

onthe other hand, thealternativeofusing awelled

Smack

fortheir conveyancehas, forthe presentatleast, been abandoned, asbeing

attendedwithtoo

much

expense.

Under

thesecircumstances,

there-fore, ithasnotbeenconsidered advisableto take anyfurther steps inthematteruntil I shall be in possession of anyadditional

sug-gestions

which

you

may

haveto offer

upon

it.

"I

havethehonourtobe,

"Sir,

"

Your

mostobedient

humble

servant,

"

_GREY."

IV.

On

Experiments for

determining

the

Manures

most

suitable to the Turiiip

Crop.

By

Sir

W.

T.

Denison,

F.R.S., dc.

[Bead

9th October, 1850.]

There

is a

Report

drawn up

by

the

members

of the

Aunandale

Farmers' Club,

and

printed iu the

Transactions

of the

Highland

and

Agricultural Society of

Scotland

for

March,

1850, which

is

remarkable

for

two

things:

—

_1st.

The

spirit

which caused

a

body

offarmersto unite

and

carry

out

a

system

of inspection, the sole objectof

which

would

appear

to

have been

the

attainment

ofinformation

which

they

might

applyusefully to the cultivationof their farms.

—

2nd.

The

results of the

system

ofcultivation

pursued.

As

I believe that a

system

of careful

experiment

would