ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY.

Otago Witness, Issue 918, 3 July 1869, Page 10

ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY.

>t ' ANNUAL MEETING. ' '

The; annual meeting of the Otago Acclimatisation Society was hold in the, lower room of the Athenaeum, on Tuesday afternoon. There were present— Messrs W. D. Murison (in the chair), A. Oarrick, J. T. Thomson, G. Matthews, R. Oliver, F. 0. Fulton, E. M'Glashan, R. S. Cantrell, J. S. Webb, E. P. Kenyon, and A. Eccles.

BEPORT OP THE COUNCIL.

Mr G. P. Ci.i:ffokd, the Manager, read the following report of the Council : — Report of the Council of the Obago Acclimatisation Society for the year ending December, 1868 :— ln laying the third annual report before the members, your Council hope that it will be seen that, during the past year, the success of the Society has in no way diminished. By the balance-sheet, now laid before you and duly audited, the income of the Society from all sources amounts to L 779 9a 9d, and the expenditure to L 773 4a lid. The liabilities of the Society amount to LBO, and he assets to L 129 9s— leaving a balance in favour of the Society of L 49 9s. The Counoil are again happy to express their gratitude to the Provincial Council for their support, in having subsidised the subscriptions of the Society for the past year, and trust that the Provincial Council will continue their assistance, so as to enable the Society to extend its operations. ' There is not a more difficult task than at once to show the result of acclimatisation, still sufficient is known to prove that the labours of the Society have, in many instances, been attended with success. Many of the English birds liberated have been frequently seen, and are believed to have increased. Again, there is no doubt whatever with regard to others. Starlings are now an established fact, and are often to be seen in large flockß ; linnets, also, are known to have increased wonderfully. Pheasants are to be found over a large extent of country. The Californian quail are known to have increased. The hares also have multiplied. The deer, and English wild ducks, although in confinement, have bred, and it is hoped that before long they, will have increased sufficiently to be liberated. , Letters are frequently being received from various localities, stating that English or Victorian birds have lieen Been ; this fact alone iB gratifying, as proving their existence. The following stock have been liberated during the year :— 54 song thrushes or mavises. 14 blackbirds, 12 goldfinches, 6 ohaffinches, 4 skylarks, 11 sparrows, 12 pheasants, 18 Californian quail, 5 Java cloves, 6 Australian magpies, 2 laughing jackasses, 5 brush kangaroo, 28 English perch, 18 tench, English oysters, Australian frogs. The Council have frequently drawn attention to the fact that donations of native birds for purposes of exchange would greatly further the objects of the Society, ut their appeal has been attended with but poor results. They would again solicit donations of paradise ducks, blue ducks, kakas, tuis, and native pigeons. During the year Paradise-ducks nave been forwarded to Auckland ; an apteryx to England, and native seeds to England and Australia. _ — i . . -r At the request of Mr F. Bucklaud, London, New Zealand oysters were forwarded to that gentleman, but were unfortunately lost during tho passage The following have been distributed omongot the members :— A variety of forest tree*. &0.. China tea trees, quinmo trees, cork oak trees, ailanthus dlandulosa. A lurgo quantity of the eggs of the following poultry have been disposed of to members and the public:— Dorking, Poland, black-red game, and duck-wing game. Previous to tho arrival of the shipment of salmon-ova ex Celestial Queen, the Council proposed to the Government to take charge of the trout and sa!mo-um*la ova. The offer was aocepted, but unfortunately the ova turned out bad, the contents of many of the boxes bein« porfootly rotten. A box containing fow s' eggs was also oont with the nub ova, but although tho eggs woro quite suitable for culinary purposes, vitality was deatroynd. . . The Council, bolioving that the obtaining trout ova from Tasmania was likoly to bo attended with hotter buccoss, in July last despatched Mr Clifford, their mauaptor, for tho pnrposo of obtaining a supply. The reeult was most satisfactory, Uing a complete success, as out of 800 ova obtained, 720 were hatched out. At tho same time 21 English porch wore landed, out of 24 shipped. Those .ware *t once placed in tho reservoir of tho Water Co., and thoro is every hopo aro fairly eatsWished in Ot»go. m tho fish woro in good oondition and full of spawn at tho time. Tho Council would i»ayo hnd great aiilioultyln carrying out the trout experiment hid it not been V tho kindnws o Captain Boyd, to whom they arc B^tlv indobW. that gentleman giving the use of tho Opoho Cr*ek, running through his PW>P. er^\ . , Tho following stock aw .now in tho hands of the Society :-Emui, block iiwons, fcng-lUhwiid-ducks, pheasants, W*»° dovei, bronno-wing pigeons ; dorkmg, polanu, black-rod, a*d duek-wiug gamo fowls ; trouc, tench, poM fith. froRB. . Tho Council have received * valuable oolloctiouof MMJcimon* and casts of thossltnon in the various stages, from tbo ov» to tho perfect nsh, nwasnted by Mr P. Buokland, toadonj and iileo » collection of Eoguri

-birds'-, ''e'ggW jjretfehted'by^rJi C. Volton? 1 Durieiciin. These have -been deposited for the time in the Otago Museum. During the ' great flood, considerable damage was done at tho Sooiety'sgrounds — I namely,' the ibridge was ■carried away, together with a portion of tho fencing. The water supply .was also injured. . The bridge, has been re- built, and the water supply rectified, the fencing having been only partially replaced. I , The Council are happy to state that^ the war waged against the hawka has matarially ; diminished their numbers. During the year the Council have elected the following gentlemen life members, and now ask you to confirm the same : — Dr It. Qffioer, Mr Morton AUport, Mr John Buckland, Mr R. E. Reid, Mr J. W, Graves, Tasmania ; Mr F. C. Fulton, Dunedin. In conclusion, the Council would thank all those who have assisted them either by subscriptions or otherwise, and w;ouid Bolicit a continuance of their support in so valuable a work for New Zealand as Acclimatisation.

The report, together with the balance sheet, was adopted. ,

THE PRESIDENTS ADDRESS.

Mr Mtjrison then addressed the meeting as follows : — As the annual report famishes you only with a record of the past transactions of the society, I feel called upon to say a few words with regard to its future prospects. As to the acclimatisation of fish, 1 am of opinion that the success which attended the Society's efforts during tie past year to introduce trout from Tasmania, suggests the advisability of a similar attempt being made during the present season. Funds for this purpoae will be at our disposal this year, ft will be within your recollection that when the Provincial Government were applied to in 1867" for money to aid the Society in attempting to introduce trout for the first time from Tasmania, the Government declined to grant any assistance, but promised that in the event of the Society successfully acclimatising the trout in Otago, they would givo a bonus of L 250. lam happy to be able to state that upon the hon. secretary and myaelf applying to the Government yesterday for the fulfilment of this promise, we were told that our claim was recognised, and that the money would be paid. The distribution of trout among] the smaller streams of the province forms no doubt one of the moat important works of acclimatisation we have in our power to accomplish. In the introduction of the salmon, however, lies a greater experiment, and one which, if successful, would be found to be of the utmost benefit to the country. Tho expense of transporting the ova of this fish from England by the only known method, namely, by packing in ice, has hitherto been such as to preclude the Society from making the attempt. We are likely to benefit, however, from the experiments inartificial fish breeding which are taking place in other countries. In America chiefly, the art of pisciculture is being studied as a commercial undertaking. Mr Seth Green, the owner of a large fish-breeding establishment in that country, has lately furnished an Auokland paper with his method of transporting ova and fish. In the case of ova, tho box which contains them is filled with moss, and ia enclosed within a case packed with sawdust. In this state, he says, ho can send ova to groat distances, the vitality being preserved for so long a period as 50 days. He sends young fish about the country also in cans and barrels, apparently without having to change the water on tho journey. The possession of the details by which theso results are arrivod at will be of vast service to us in future experiments. If we find that ova j can bo successfully conveyed by soa for a spaco of fifty days without having to make übo of ico, thero is no reason why tho Society Bhould not ondoavour to effect the introduction of salmon from British Columbia. Such a course, however, would bo advisable only in tho event of thero boing no prospect of obtaining tho fish from Tasmania. It has been stated positively by thoao whoso evidence thore is no reason to doubt that tho salmon has occasionally boon soon during the lost two or throo yearn in tho wators of the Dorwont ; but no fish boyond tho parr or omolt stage has yot boon captured. In that colony th«y aro now looking forward to tho coming spawning season with the hopo that tho salmon may bo seen in tho upper waters of tho rivor. Should tho result bo that tho prosonco of tho salmon is cstablinhod boyond a doubt, wo should do well to dolay tho procuring of tho ova from othor quartors, as ultimatolv, no doubt, wo should obtain them from Tasmania, f romwhonco wo know, from last year's experience, there is every prospoet of our doing so with success. Tho advantages which our coxmtiy would derive from tho successful introduction of tho salmon into its, tivors aro incalculable. No comparison can fairly bo drawn between tho number of fish which it annually taken from tho riven At homo, wad the number which the New Zealand Btnanu iheuld yearly

i produce;! > TKere^rblnoneflftihoße. Vested I rights of land proprietors' Herb, 1 which, in the mother country,' -have prevented the ( salmon from > becoming plentitul. I regret to mention, -however, that it appears possible, bo long as the waters of the Clutha i continue to bei disturbed by-the -mining j operations which are being carried onj upon its upper , branches, that it will be found unsuitable for the salmon. Thatdistinguished naturalist, Mr Frank Bucklana, in a. letter lately published, gave it as his opinion, that gold mining to any extent on the banks' of a river would probably prove destructive to Balmon if introduced into it. It was recently stated also in evidence before the commissioners appointed by the General Government to inquire into the present condition of the Colonial fisheries, that within the last few years, where the waters of the Clutha join the sea, the shoals of fish which were formerly met with there by fishermen on the coast, have entirely disappeared. Although for the same cause the. Taiori may have to be abandoned, so long as we possess Buch fine rivers as the Waiau, the Mataura, and the Waitaki, we can have no reason to relax our efforts to introduce the salmon into our Province. While there is every reason to believe that our attempt to acclimatise the trout is likely to prove successful, we have lately received evidence that the acclimatisation of the pheasant in Ota^o is established beyond a doubt. — (Hear, hear.) The letter upon this subject, which was lately received from Mr F. D. Rich,,con r firmed' the reports we had previously heard.that the pheasants were increasing fast in the Palmerston district. That gentleman tells us that these birds have been flushed at various times within a district extending for 30 miles along the coast — from Merton to Hampden. From the tact that the Chinese pheasant increases rapidly, it will probably be considered advisable to throw open the northern part of this province for shooting in May, 1871, if not during the ensuing winter. I would remind you that by an Acfc of the General Assembly passed during the Session of 1867, it is provided that all fees derived from licenses, fines, and peaalties received and recovered by virtue of the Act, shall be handed over to the Acclimatisation Society of the province where such licenses and fines are paid and recovered, after deducting all expanses connected with the carrying out the provisions of the Act. At present the license fee for shooting game in New Zealand during the whole season of three months is fifty shillings, and to entitle a person to sell game, a sum of L 5 has to be paid. From thiß source I understand the Auckland Society derives the ureater portion of its revenue, and as we must look forward to a time when the funds of our Society will no longer be supplemented by annual votes of the Provincial Council, the increase of game throughout the Province will be a matter of considerable importance to us. While on the subjeot of game, I may mention that in the letter from the hon. secretary to Mr J. A. Ewen, which was sent last month, enclosing L2OO for the purchase of game, that gentleman was asKed to forward us block game and grouße, should he upon enquiry find that there is a reasonable chance of those birds standing the voyage. There are many localities in this Provinco which appear peculiarly suitable for this description of game, and could we once succeed in turning out a few, there is little doubt but that they would soon multiply. I observe that in Victoria steps I have been taken by those interested in acclimatisation to procure Borne of tho berry bearing plants of New Zealand, as it is to the presence of those plants that they attributo the rapid inorease of game j in the northern part of the colony. Another important matter to which I would refer, is tho introduction and propagation of valuable trees and plants. Seeds of theso have boon procured by tho Society from time to timo, and distributed ! through the country, and there is every | reason why this system should be conj tinned. The work of propagation, however, has devolved upon the Government of the province, who for many years past have expended annually a considerable sum in connection with this branch of acclimatisation. With the limited quantity of bush contained in this provincelarge districts where farming and mining operations aro being carried on, being destitute of timber of any kind — it appoars to me that a great duty has been noglooted by some one, in not laying the I foundation of forests for tho bonofit of posterity, or holding out inducements to others to do *b. In this direction our Society can do little else than give its weight to recommendations which have boon carefully considered by it, and which have been baaed upon reliable information. This reminds mo that tho proceedings of tho Society have hitherto paTtakenofaparolypraotioaloharaotor. No papers other than report* of iU ordinary transactions have boon contributed by ita memben. It may bo that the time has

arrived for the f Society to>extend ( its functionß by devoting some portion of its time tothe diffusion, of scientific information. . The question arises, , whether advantage should be taken t " of : the' provisions of ' the New Zealand Institute" Act ooff f 1867, which would' enable our Society to become incorporated with the Institute.' lam not prepared to say that such a step would be, advisable under the existing- bye laws of . that body. One of these rules, requires that not less than one third of the annual revenue' of the incorporated Society Bhouldbe devoted towards the formation or support of some local public museum or library, or that the Society should contribute not less one sixth of its revenue towards the extension and maintenance of the Museum and Library of the New Zealand Institute. Societies in Auckland, Wellington, Cliristohurch, and' Hokitika, however, have already become affiliated under the Act. During last month a volume entitled the Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute was published, which contains papers read before the various associations I have mentioned, and a series of essays which were contributed in c mneotion with the New Zealand Exhibition of 1865. The first have been edited by Dr Hector, and the latter, with the exception of five which were printed in Dunedin, were brought out under the I editorial care of Mr Eccles. These papers and essays deal with a variety of subjects, I btft relate chiefly to natural history and the resources of the colony. I think it says little for Ctago that she possesses no association for the advancement of science, literature, and art. As compared with i tho other provinces of New Zealand the pursuit of wealth is surely not such as to deter men from devoting themselves to the pursuit of knowledge. We have amongst us many men who are undoubtedly well qualified to promote the objects of such an association. In instituting the late Fine Arts Exhibition, its promoters anticipated that their labours would result in the establishment of a permanent School of Art in this city, but at present there appears to be no prospect of their expectations teing realised. Fortunately, in our Museum, we have an institution which is not temporary. It possesses at present, among other objects of interest, well arranged types of the series of geological formations, and of minerals belonging to this province, aa well as an excellent local botanical collection ; but it remains yet for advantage to be taken of those specimens by employing them as illustrations in connection with a course of instruction. There is no doubt that the existence amongst us of an association .such as I have spoken of would tend to foster a taste for those subjects which it would be required to investigate. But whether suoh a body is formed by our Society extending ita functions, or whether others may bo induced to institute one, I feel satisfied that one of the chief benefits to be derived from the establishment of an association for the advancement of science, literature, and art, will be the diffusion of information tending to utilize the resources of tho country.

Mr Webb explained that he had already taken some preliminary steps in furtherance of one of tho matters referred to in the Chairman's address. No doubt a fow gentlemen, who would take an interest in science, might be found to represent the Now Zealand Institute in Dunedin, and ho trusted that tho stops ho waa about to take would be attended with success. In reference to tho question of a School of Art, he stated that all tho Committee of the Athonrenm had been able to do in tho matter was to find a drawing master. . A gentleman of great accomplishmonta made a proposal to the Committee, and arrangemonts had been entered into for a drawing class, the members of which, bo long as tho members of tho Athenioum wero confined to those temporary premises, would moot in that room. Some special privileges would bo accorded to tho mombora or the Athonreutn, who, ho hoped, would soon bo identical with the public

ELECTION OF OFFICE- BEARERS.

Mr Eccler moved that Mr Murison bo re-elected Chairman and President of the Society. That gentleman had very carefully watched ovor the interests of the Society, and the mombors wore muoh indebted to htm for the excellent address which ho had delivered. Mr Oaubiok secondod. Oarriod. Mr Eoolks moved that Mr Carrick bo elected Vico-presidont. Mr Fulton seconded.

Mr Olivbr said bo doairod to make a slight alteration, this year, with rogard to tho eloction of office-bearers. Ho pro* posed that tho same gentleman should fill tho offices o£ Soorotary and Treasurer. He held tho office of Treasurer during laat year, and ho really saw no necessity for one gentleman being required to act sololy in that capacity, Tho duties of Soorotary and Treasurer wero very rouoh mixed up ; Mr Carriole had (or a long time pint ably performed the dutios o!

Secretary, $nl^lalM£g that, infoebn^dera-; tion, together ivrith the Jaot that it would be difficult 1 to, find anybnVtVsucceed Him, he should, ho thought, be elected '.Secretary and Treasurer. ' ' y, -j : ' , Mr Carrick intimated that he desired to resign ; his . Secretaryship. Ho had filled the office for three years, and! he asked, in justice to the "Society as well as to himself; that some other gentleman shduld'be appointed. ' He confessed that lately he had not applied himself to the duties with that degree of .enthusiasm by which he might have been , previously prompted, and he therefore thought he ought to be allowed to resign. The Chairman observed, that after the remarks of Mr Carrick he thought it would be advisable to defer the election of hon. Secretary and hon. Treasurer until the first meeting of tho new Council. It would be impossible at that moment to find a gentleman to fill the office which Mr Carrick wished to resign. If the course he suggested were adopted) they w.ould have time to look about them, and Mr Carrick would himself have an opportunity of considering the advisability of not persisting in his determination. Mr'EcoLES said that Mr Carrick probably thought he had become less enthusiastic in regard to his secretaryship because he had succeeded in arranging matters satisfactorily. That was the reason probably why he had not found it necessary to work so hard ; but he had neverthe less been quite as efficient a secretary. It was pointed out that the rules of ihe Society required that the Vice-President should be present in the absence of the President, and Mr Oliver's amendment, that MrVogel be re-elected Vice-Presi-dent, was therefore withdrawn. Mr Carriok ultimately consented to be re-appointed, and he was elected Vicepresident and hon. Secretary. On the motion of Mr Webb, seconded by Mr Cantrell, Mr G. X Turton was elected Hon. Treasurer.

The following gentlemen were appointed town members on the motion of Mr Carrick, seconded by Mr Matthews :— Messrs E. P. Kenyon, J. S. Webb, E. M'Glashan, E. Oliver, and W. Hepburn. Mr Grigor of the Clutha was elected a country member, in the room of Mr George Murray.

PAPERS TO BE PRINTED.

It was decided, on the motion of Mr Caueiok, seconded by Mr Oliver, that the President and Secretary be instructed to get the annual reporr, together with the President's address, printed. It was also resolved that the financial year of the Society Bhould terminate on the3lst March, and that the Secretary should be instructed to make the necessary alteration in the rules for the purposes of registration. On the motion of Mr Konyon, seconded by Mr Webb, votes of thanks were returned to the retiring office-bearers ; and the meeting then separated.