ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY.

Otago Witness, Issue 875, 5 September 1868, Page 5

ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY.

A meeting of the Council of the Acclimatisation Society was held on the 28th of August, in th« long loom at the Athenseum. There were present Messrs. A Carrick, Honorary Secretary ; J: A. Ewen, and F. Fulton. Mr Carrick read a letter from Mr W, C. Young, in which that gentleman, after acknowledging the receipt of information as to the arrival of the Celestial Queen, wrote — " The ova of the Salmo Umblaand Trout were on the top of the ice in the ice-house, which position, it is well-known, is much less favorable than underneath the ice, both on account of the distur-bance-of the boxes aa the ice melts, and also of the absence of water passing through those boxes, by which freshness of the mos3 would be insured, and the oxygen supplied for the preservation of the ova. From the report of the Committee, the mortality, especially of the Salmo Umbla, is very great, still I hope a large portion of those considered good will be safely hatched in your boxes, and the evidence of 'eyes' is a certain proof that some of the ova, at least, were safely landed. ... I have fco acknowledge receipt of two bottles, containing specimens of defunct ova of Trout and Salmo TJmbla, which I presume have been forwarded .by you. Mr Youl, who has seen them, informs me that in experiments he has made, by depositing a number of boxes of ova, packed in precisely the same way, in ice at the Wenham Lake Company's stores, for 90 days, he has found on opening them the same appearances of decay and bluish mould in some, as are described in your report. In the ice-house, one would suppose the ova would repose under the most favorable circumstances possible ; and being all packed in the same way, by the same person, and with the same material, a uniform result would naturally be looked for. Nevertheless, Mr Youl says he found the moss in some as if pressed down in packing — which could not have happened — some of the ova matted together, and the bluish mould referred to. He submitted some of the mould to Mr Buckland's inspection, but whence it arises, or why this different result should be found in boxes similarly packed, has never been accounted for, and remains still a mystery. It serves, however, to make us wonder less at the results found after a long and rough voyage. . . lam greatly vexed at the loss of all (he living fish, through the gross negligence of the people from whom I purchased the refrigerator. I shall take care to see them." Mr Carrick also read a letter from Mr J. W. Graves, of the Hobart Town Society, announcing that he had shipped eight or ten perch by the Swordfish. He had been desired by Mr Allport to say that whoever might be sent for Trout Ova for the Otago Society, should have a liberal supply. It was stated that only four "of the perch were landed alive from the Swordfish ; that three of them .were very sickly at the time ; and that only one was alive by the time the can had been carried to the reservoir. Mr Ewex sated that he had been up to Capt. Boyd's creek, and had seen that the slate hatching boxes sent out from England were properly fixed, ready for the reception of Trout Ova, whenever Mr Clifford returned from Tasmania. — The total depth of these boxes, from the bottom of the pipe which, allows water to flow from one to the other, is but 3in. the average depth being 2fin. Thus, when gravel is placed in the boxes, there cannot be more than about lin. depth of water. The boxes have been presented to the Society, by a gentleman wlxo takes an interest in it ; and they are understood to have been approved of by Mr Buckland.

The latest advice 3 from the Queensland diggings 'says the Ballarat Star) give accounts of robberies and numerous cases of sticking-up in the neighborhood of the principal rush. The markets are said to be glutted with goods, and although the prospects are good, there are a good many diggers returning.