ACCLIMATIZATION.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XXI, Issue 1225, 21 April 1864, Page 3

ACCLIMATIZATION.

A public meeting on this subject was held on Tuesday evening at the Town Hull. The meeting was well attended. His Honor the Superintendent occupied the chair, and 011 the platform were the following gentlemen. The Ven. the Archdeacon of Akaroa, Dr. Haast, Messrs. Weld, Stoddurt. Torlesse, Travers, Packe, &c. His Honor in opening the proceedings of the meeting remarked that he could have wished that the meeting had been a more numerous one. However they must bear in mind that great enterprises had always been brought to a successful issue not by crowded assemblies but by the well-directed united efforts of a few persons banded together in a cause, and actuated by a hearty desire to work in unison. For his own part he had always taken an interest in the subject of acclimatization. Well did he remember when a boy in the old country, the pleasure he took in angling, and the gratitude which he felt towards the monks of old who had introduced into England many of the fish with which its rivers at the present day abound. We should imitate their example, arid our posterity would regard us with the same feelings of gratitude. In this matter we were working not only for ourselves, but also for those who would succeed us: not for the present moment alone, but for all time. (Applause.) The early settlers were too much engaged in the more material pursuits of life, they were too much absorbed in the more pressing cares of existence to turn their attention to the subjcct of acclimatization. That time had gone by; we could now devote our minds to it, and we had great facilities for promoting the work. From our geographical position we had great opportunities of carrying out the project. We had every advantage for possessing an almost unlimited stock of animals, birds and fishes, yet we were singularly deficient in them. We were surrounded by countries whence we could derive a boundless supply of such animals, and it was our duty and our interest to improve the facilities afforded to us of supplying the scarcity which at present prevailed. He had traversed several parts of the province, and always felt the deprivation of seeing no animal life around him. It was in the power of every one to alter this state of things. The boys even might take their share in the work by abstaining from destroying the birds, &c., which might be imported. In Melbourne, and on a smaller scale in Nelson, much had been done in the way of introducing the singing birds of Great Britain. If we wished to follow the example of the inhabitants of these localities, we must not only talk but act, remembering that we are laboring not only for our own individual enjoyment but for the common good. If we worked earnestly and heartily the traveller passing along our barren plains would be cheered by the familiar song of the sky lark, the sweet melody of the thrush, or the melancholy cadence of the nightingale, instead of the discordant scream which is now the only sound to break the silence. He should call upon Mr. Weld to move the first resolution.

Mr. Weld said that lie really did not not know why he was placed in the position of being the mover of the first resolution. He thought that honor ought to have devolved upon Mr. Stoddart, who was the head and front of the movement. All that he (Mr. W.) had done was to collect subscriptions in aid of the society, and the interest which the public took in the matter was evinced by the readiness with which they contributed towards it. The subject was one both of individual and public importance. He thought that the basis of the society should be enlarged so as to give every one a chance of taking part in it. If the public took an interest in acclimatization let them be up and doing, if they were indifferent to it, let it go down the wind. The city of Christchurch had long laboured under the want of a place of recreation; the introduction of a horticultural garden would be a great public boon. Acclimatization would afford a threefold gratification; the eye and the palate would be pleased, and, better than all, the human intellect would be elevated through its instrumentality. The organ of love of animals and the destructive organ were nearly akin in most men; the Tin an who was most fond. of animals was often the most fond of destroying them, at least it had been so with himself throughout his life. There was another reason for introducing animals of the class of game. A love of sport was inherent in every Englishman, and he well remembered the disappointment which he felt, when he found that there was no game in New Zealand. Many persons were so devoted to field sports that they might be deterred from coming to a place where there was no possibility of their propensity being indulged; and thus the province might suffer. There was another point of view in which to look at acclimatization, although rather a low one; viz., its commercial aspect. If the meeting had the opportunity of looking at statistics, they would doubtless be astonished at the value of one salmon river. If we introduced salmon into this province, we might derive the same advantages as other places, which already possessed that fish, enjoyed. But there were other and higher reasons why the work of acclimatization should be proceeded with. Here we had no place of recreation for the hardworking artizan, no place where he might enjoy himself when his days labour was done. A place of this kind was not only a pleasant thing but a good thing. A man who had recreated his mind, who, so to speak, had unstretched the bow, would go back to his work with all the more zest after his temporary relaxation. No country could possibly succeed unless it encouraged those studies which in their very nature are essentially humanizing, and no country can do justice to itself without supporting such a movement as the present one, in which pleasure, interest, and the public good are combined at one and the same time time. He hoped that the movement would be taken up and warmly supported by the citizens of Christchurch, who would derive the greatest benefit from it, and that we should live to see the great and good results of the work whose foundations hud been laid that evening. He had great pleasure in moving the first resolution: — " That a society be formed, called the Canterbury Horticultural and Acclimatization Society." _ Mr. Stoddaet seconded the resolution. In nothing were we so much behind the other colonies as in the establishment of public gardens. Melbourne and Sydney before they were half our age possessed botanical gardens. The people of Canterbury had doubtless undertaken works of great public utility, but two things they seemed to have altogether neglected—the Heathcote bridge (laughter) and the establishment of Horticultural Gardens —we had at length got the Heathcote bridge; let us hope that next year we shall have our Botanical Garden. The resolution was carried unanimously.

Mr. Toblesse thought that the society ought not to be confined to the class of large subscribers, but that it should be open to all. We all loved sport, and had no opportunity here of enjoying that pastime. When he first came to Canterbury there was an abundance of birds which afforded delight to the sportsman; now they had all disappeared. Quail, once so abundant, _ were now quite scarce, and as for the beautiful paradise d'x-ks, at one time so common, the only chance now of seeing them was in the poulterer's windows. He hoped that the youths of the province would see the necessity of promoting the preservation of game. He fully agreed with the observations of Mr. Stoddart with respect to places of public recreation. Holidays and days of relaxation would be much better spent in public gardens than in the localities in which they were now, from necessity, passed. He concluded by moving the following resolution : — " That in order to extend the advantages of the Society to all classes, a varying scale of subscriptions be received; the privileges to be attached to such subscriptions to be decided by the Society, when fully organised." The Venerable the Archdeacon of Akaeoa had great pleasure in seconding the resolution. He should content himself with meroly doing so, reserving until another period of the evening any observations which he might wish to make relative to the formation of the Society. He hoped that if a Horticultural Garden was established it would be open to the public on Sundays, during proper hours. Mr. Teavees, who on rising was loudly applauded, next addressed the meeting. He said they had listened to the remarks of Mr. Weld relative to the pleasures he had felt and the home associations that had been recalled by seeing a number of birds from the mother country. Independent of those pleasures there wore objects of greater importance which an acclimatization society had in view and which were of great public utility. Ho looked forward to the day when by the means of the introduction of animals the cost of living- would bo reduced by increasing t he quantity of food. If the rivers wore made to teem with fish, where a man's land abutted upon them there should be no restriction to his catching h's trout or salmon, nor would the great mass of the people bo debarrod from shooting haves or birds so long as no wanton havoc was allowed. He would wish to enlist the sympathies of the people in preserving the animals and birds which might be introduced to this country by the society, and he hoped that nono would be destroyed. Ho was sorry to say that in the early days a covey of partridges had been wantonly destroyed by an individual who had made a boast of the feat. There waa no doubt that had not that untoward event taken placo the birds would have spread over the plains. Ho trusted tho name of tho individual would be handed down to posterity as impeding tho work of acclimatization. In order to prevent such occurrences he would not only enlist the co-operation of the people but of the boys, who should bo rewarded for any efforts they may maite in preserving the birds that may bo introduced. Ho would open the society to all classes, not confining it merely to those who had a largo stake in the country and were able to pay a large subscription, but to those who could contribute half a guinea, as these latter would be able to obtain a supply of seeds that wouldenable them to furnish their Hedges and fields with the most improved kinds of plants, and those best suited to the soil and purpose required. He would limit the conduct of the society to the few who paid the highest contributions —a system which would guarantee its proper working, yet at the same time measures should be introduced to prevent any undue Bhare of the advantages to be derived being monopolised by them. Another important feature in acclimatization was the planting of trees. We had here large tracts of land totally bare of them. Such trees must be selected for plantation as ore best adapted by their foliage for the purposes of shade or ornament. He was Bure that a beneficial influence would by this means be exerted on the climate: for it had been proved that matt could be made a rain-maker. For instance, in the island of Ascension, where ships were in the habit of putting in for water,

there was a which ceased to afford water in consequence of the sailors having cut down the trees which surrounded it. The Government in order to remedy this evil had ordered fresh trees to be planted, and in consequence the water was as abundant as ever. Anollior advantage to ho derived from the planting of trees was that we should be sheltered from the high winds which at present were so annoying and so destructive, and moreover the moisture would be discharged from the clouds before they reached the hills. It was impossible to enumerate all the advantages to be derived from the establishment of the society. All classes could lend a helping hand to the formation of it, and all were more or less interested in the results. Immigrants were too unmindful of the benefits already obtained for them by the early settlers who were in fact the first acclimatizes. Where would the present inhabitants have been if their predecessors had not naturalised the horse, the sheep, the cow, and many other animals indispensable to man. Now the work was done for them; on their arrival here they found many of the comforts and even the luxuries of life. Surely they owed a debt of gratitude to those who had preceded them for thus placing within their reach those productions which added so materially to their comfort and happiness. It was owing to the exertions of those persons to whom he had alluded that the high prices of articles of necessary consumption had become matters of tradition; in former days a shilling was the ordinary price of an egg, five shillings of a cabbage, and so forth. We were all so much in tne habit of going to a butcher's shop and ordering a chop, or a steak, or whatever else we might require, that we had come to look upon such transactions as matters of course, and we scarcely ever bestowed a thought upon the efforts made by our forerunners—yet these efforts were in truth acclimatization. There was a great advantage in having a common centre to which to look for information, and this was a light in which the subject ought to be viewed. We ought to consider ourselves members of a united family, having common interests at stake. The endeavors of the society would be entirely frustrated unless it possessed the hearty cooperation of all classes who must unite in one earnest and harmonious line of action. Even the boys (as had been well remarked by one of the speakers) could assist in aiding the progress of the society, and they would be the fainers by it. Boyhood's sports would, as Mr. Weld ad remarked, be introduced here, and the rising generation of Canterbury would enjoy the pleasure of shooting sparrows and catching minnows, and of watching the jays and other small birds pecking the cherries in their fathers gardens. He fully approved of the idea which had been broached, viz., that medals or some other mark of honor should be awarded to the lads who it could be proved had done something in the way either of adding to the number of birds, etc., introduced, or to have been most instrumental in their preservation. But such marks of distinction should not be restricted to the boys of the province. Grown-up men should be allowed to participate in them; a cross or some similar badge should be presented to the man who had distinguished himself by the introduction of some useful animal. Surely this was as honorable as to destroy one's fellow creatures in the battle-field. For his own part, had he contributed a really valuable addition to the stockalreadyexistingin Canterbury, he should feel as proud as if he had slain Goliath of Gath. The efforts of the society should in the first instance be directed to the introduction of the useful element. Subsequently they might enlarge their sphere of action and embrace the ornamental. This would be the natural consequence of the working of the society. The useful and the ornamental were distinct in only a few instances; in most they were inseparable. Let all present unite heartily and earnestly in promoting the great work of acclimatization. If success crowned their efforts, those present at the meeting would never have cause to regret the half hour or so which they had devoted to the furtherance of a scheme which would exercise such a powerful influence in conducing, at one and the same time to their comforts, their wants, and their pleasures. Mr. Travers resumed his seat amid loud applause. His Honob thanked Mr. Travers for the intellectual treat which he had given the meeting. It was an old saying that one volunteer was worth tw»-pressed men. Without intending the slightest disparagement to the previous speakers, he thought Mr. Travers had fully realized the idea of the proverb.

Dr. Haast observed that after the eloquent address of Mr. Travers there was really very little for him to say. As might well be supposed, he had always taken a great interest in the subject of accclimatization. He regarded it especially from a scientific point of view. Three years ago, he had broached the scheme of starting a similar society, and he had received letters from his scientific friends in all parts of the world with reference to it. He had received upwards of 1000 packets of seeds and had succeeded in rearing about 700 varieties of plants which he would be happy to hand over to the society. Dr. Hooker, the director of Kew Gardens, had been in communication with him, and had offered him every assistanceinhis power. He (Dr. H.) had written to Melbourne to ascertam if the Society in that town would be willing to effect an interchange with the Society of Canterbury of any animals, &c., of which they might possess a surplus. Nothing had as yet been definitely arranged with regard to this subject, but he was sure that much ultimate good would arise from such connection with the societies of other colonies. Much stress had been laid by the other speakers upon the beauty of the song of a utilitarian point of view there was another thing to be considered. Grain was imported; along with it were introduced the germs of various insects. Now many of the smaller variety of birds were insectivorous, and they would be found most useful in destroying the noxious insects which were inseparable from the seeds brought into the province. There were in Canterbury large tracts of land eminently fitted for the maintenance of deer, and one felt almost annoyed in traversing those vast wastes to find none there. The Government domain was admirably adapted for a horticultural garden. Three years ago, whilst in conversation with his Honor, he had suggested to him the idea of planting it as a place of public recreation and had cited the old German proverb, that in approaching a town one could judge of the wisdom of its Government by the trees that were planted within its precincts. He then proposed the following resolution

" Tliat for tlie purposes of carrying out the objects of this Society, the Provincial Government be petitioned to take such steps as will place at the disposal of the Society the Government Domain and such portion of Hagley Park, near the hospital, as may be necessary for the objects of the Society." Mr. WakefXeld seconded the resolution in a humorous speech, which was received with great applause. He observed that he fully sympathised with the object of tho meeting. In our respective positions we had all been acclimatizes: Ave had brought English blood into the province, and most of us had brought wives and children into it. With regard to acclimatization the sooner we applied all our powers and energies to carry it out, the better. The general remark madtj by visitors to Christchurch was that it wore a thoroughly English aspect. How much would that aspect be increased if in walking through the stubble fields which bore stfch a resemblance to those in England, we came across a covey of partridges. Or again, what delight should we experience in following a pack of harriers, in coursing, or even (if those gentlemen who owned large flocks of sheep would permit the introduction of foxes) of joining in the excitement of fox hunting. He saw no reason why foxes should not bo introduced, there were plenty of sheep in Leicestershire, and where was there better fox hunting ? He thought that the scheme of acclimatization ought to be encouraged by the Government: thoy had done much to encourage the breed of horses, why should they not do something to encourage the present movement ? Hagley Park would make au excellent site for the purposes of the society. Ho was not aware if it was altogether let, but it seemed to him to be in the possession of persons whose only object was apparently that of covering it with hideous-haystacks. We had formerly, thanks to Mr. W. G. Brittan and Mr. Croft, some partridges in Canterbury, but they had been destroyed by an individual Avhom he would not name, but who doubtless was well known to many of his hearers, and who could best be designated as a happy cross between a poacher and a gamekeeper (a laugh); just the sort of man that one is accustomed to see lurking about the game preserves in England. In conclusion he begged the meeting to act in concert, and to make a long pull, a strong pull, and a pull altogether. The resolution was carried. Mr. McKay addressed the meeting, and gave somo suggestions with respect to the introduction of salmon. He proposed that an application should be made by the Canterbury Acclimatization Society for a box of the salmon ova about to be conveyed to Australia in the Norfolk ; and furnished the meeting with some hints relative to tho introduction of salmon into our rivers. Tho Ven. the Archdeacon of Akaboa was anxious to see tho formation of au acclimatization society. Ho wished to see every one who had any mtorest in it have an equal share in its management. He suggested that a meeting should be called at an early date for the purpose of electing a president and a working committee composed both of scientific and practical men. It was arranged that a public meeting should be called for Monday next, at 7 p.m., for the purpose of maugurating tho society. After an unanimous vote of thanks to his Honor for his kindness in presiding, the meeting dispersed.