ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 2120, 20 November 1868, Page 2

ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY.

Tlio Council of the Acclimatisation. Society met yesterday afternoon, in the Athemeum Oh-umbers. There were present—Mr W. D. Murison, who presided, Messrs Carrick, Shennan, Turton, j. T. Thomson, and Mr Clifford,. Manager. Tho minutes of tho last meeting wero* read and confirmed. . The M anaoee reported having received* per Mr Driver, 12 pheasant's eggs from Mi Every Maclean. He had also receive* a penguin, but did not know from whom.. The aptcryx had died. Eire of the fistti.

liad died, but the rest were well and stron;'. Sundry accounts wero pnssed. The Skciibtary read the fallowing letters from Mr W. Carr Young. Dunedin, 17th Novembe*-, 1808. A. Carrick, Esq , Hon. S. c . Acclimat sation I Society, Dear Sir—l am very unwill'ng to troublo you again -with refer, nee to the "fish caso " on board the Celeti.il Q icon, because I feel sure the Society and the general public havo had enough of it— us'jue a<l nauseam. But in Mr Dawbin's last letter, November Sth, published by tins Society, ho quotes a portion of a letter of mine iti such a way as to mislead the public mind, and even" to fix upon me the murder of the unfortunate gudgeon. I have, therefore, no alternative but to write onco more in sr-lf-df;fence. Fortmiatfy I have a copy of the letter referred to. wbioh 'I beg tn hand you hr rs.tenso. From this, you will find that Mr Dawbin has mule a correct quotation, aa far as it go'-n, of my words, ns follows :— ; '*' Gudgeon m barrel.—Johnhton ought not to have got a barrel no strongly impregnated with wine or spirits, which must kid the fi«h if put iv as we found it." But he ban carefully omitted tho remainder of my remark on this hevl, v;/„ :-"I hope you have looked to thif." The f ict is tMs : When I visited the ship on the n-jht before fche vent out of dock, and waited there in vain for Mr Dawbin. 1 found tlio t'li'igenn in buckets, and the barrel unfit to receive them. To the best of my recollection, I left a pencil memo, to that effect for Mr Dawbin. At all events, I told Mr Johnston that the defect must be • remedied by iv-charring or otherwise, before the fish could safely le placed in the barrel. Hence my expressing a "hope that Mr Dawbin had seen to this being done. Whether my recommendation was attended to or not f cannot say, but I certainly never < instructed Mr Johnston to put the fish in the i barrel without purification, which would ( have loen a nimplo act on my part of self- 1 stultification ; nor if I had irivon such mur- , derous iiiftruction'!, would Mr Dawbin and j Mr .Johnston, with the r professional know- , ledge, been justified iv acting upon such »n ' order. ( If the gudgeon were put in the uncleans'd * barrel, that of courso will account for their ' death before the application of ice would bo * nccessiry. i As to the ncccsity of ice in tho tropics t for^tho preservation of fish, that has been r sufficiently proved • but I am at a loss to i know why the temperature of water cannot by such means be kept down by night as n well as by day, although Mr Dawbin says it v c vnnot. At all events it has been a satisfaction to t mo that I have lately proved before yourself * and other members of the Society, that the * ice-machine which Mr Dawbin had can make *■' ice in 20 minutes on an extremely hot day, t: the quantity of which is only limited ly tho 2 amount of freezing powders and manual tl labour applied to the machine. • cr Had tho machine been used, as it might o have been, on board tho Celestial Queen. I a have no doubt all the fish would havo been n landed wifely, except those which were care- j, lessly thrown overboard, and those "vli eh died of "delirium tremens.''—Yours, truly, '\ Wm. Cakb Youxo. fl

Dunedin 18th November, ISfiS. A. Carrick, fc'sq., Hon. Hoc. Acclimatisation Society. Dear Sir—l have lately visited tho Museum in this city, and while speaking in the highe-.t praise of the hindsoine accommodation provided, as well as of the general arrangement and classification of all tlio numcroua and valuable Kjucim'.-ns doj) >.-iled therein, 1 birg more particularly to refer to thoso which I had the pleasure of forwarding from England ia behalf of Mr I'Yink Buckland, and to express my satisfaction with the cvideut care bestowed on thorn as regards both th'-ir preservation in Mutable glass cases and position in the Mus' urn, I know it will give Mr Buckland sincere gratification to h- ar from me that his presentations havo been so substantially appreciated, and particularly that tho hopo which he expressed of a museum of .V&tural History being formed in Otago, has been accomplished so successfully and with co much credit to tho Province. There is, however, ono question in connection with this subj-rct, which I > eg to ask for tho information of past and future contributors, viz. : Arc the contents of tho Museum vested in Trustees forthe exclusive benefit of aud inalienable from the Province of Otago ? The present relations between the (Jimnrsl and Provincial Governments of New Zealand are such as to suggest tho postib lity of great changes at no distant d-iy, and unless such valual.do property as that referred to be now absolutely secure! to (Jtago for ever, as I presume it waa always intended to be, we may by .-nd by find the practical meaning of "Centralisation" to bo in this particular case tho transfer of our Museum from Otago to Wellington. It such a possible contingency has been nl ready prevented by a full and sufficient truxt deed, well nnd good ; but if not, the j-o'iner it is looked after tho brtt< r. And as tho Society are especially interested in tho question, 1 hopo they will at onco take the necessary steps, if uny bo needed, to place the matter on a secure footing for the exclusive benefit of Otago. — 1 am, dear fir, youra truly, W.M. CaKK \ OUKO. Mr Mukisok said he thought tho trustees were Drs Ifulino and Richardson, and Mr Buvorlj'. It wris arranged that communication wi h the Government upon tho matter should take place. Mr Shkn.van* said that on the previous day bo was at Waihola, and the hares were increasing. Tho settlers had promised to support them. Mr Cakhkjk said that Mr Rich reported that the deer were all well. Mr Clifford stated that the escaped deer was seen close to tho fence, and ho felt confident ho would yet get it into tho Grounds. Mr Shonnan paid his annual subscription, and made adoration of L 2. Through him also 10s was received from Mr Anderson, Lake Waipori. The meeting was then adjourned.

£ 8. . Brandy ...136 12 Whisky ... 61 7 Geneva ... 74 18 Rum 42 8 Wine ... 18 1 Bott. beer 31 8 Kerosene... 15 0 IVtbacco ... 50 18 Hops 11 2 d. 5 4 6 5 7 9 0 6 5 £ s. Timber ... 1 18 Tea 7-t 1} {■iupar 8,'J 7 Cowacka 29 10 Drapery ... 4 13 Currants'.. 15 8 Candles ... 20 IG Sundries ...181 17 Total, £870 12 d 4 (J 4 (] 4 fl 8 5 3