H.—ll

6

He retains for the present about 800 fry in the ponds. Mr. Howard remarks, that only 25,000 fry were available from the oxa contained in the second box he received—that box, as you may remember, having been transhipped in Auckland, by mistake, to the Rotorua, whereby it reached the ponds above a week later than the other box—the hatching of the ova of which seems to have produced 80 per cent of fry. Mr. Howard also says " the young fish are exceedingly healthy and strong, and the arrangements for the transport of the ova from America, though simple, were almost perfect." Have you any intelligence of the dispatch of the English salmon ova ordered? I have, &c, J. A. R. Menzies, The Hon. the Colonial Secretary. Chairman of Commissioners of Salmon Ponds.

No. 20. The Hon. the Colonial Secretary to His Excellency the Governor. Wellington, Ist February, 1878. Ministers desire respectfully to inform His Excellency the Governor that the half million salmon ova which arrived by the mail steamer from San Francisco in November last, have been successfully hatched and distributed to the different rivers of the colony ; and that, by information that has reached the Government from various directions, it has been demonstrated that owing to the extreme care with which the ova were packed in America, the very satisfactory result of about 95 per cent of the fish has been obtained. In addition to the half-million sent at the request of the Government, an equal quantity has been sent to the various Acclimatization Societies in the colony, and this handsome gift of salmon ova has been made to the colony without charge, except cost of package and transit, by the Fish Commission of the United States, under the direction of the Hon. Spencer F. Baird, as Chief Commissioner. Ministers venture to think that so generous an action on the part of a foreign nation, is worthy of being acknowledged in a special manner. They would, therefore, respectfully ask His Excellency to bring the matter under the notice of Her Majesty's Government, through the Secretary of State for the Colonies, in the hope that Her Majesty's Government will permit a communication to be made to the Government of the United States, of the thanks of the colony of New Zealand for the generous and valuable gift of a million salmon ova to the colony. I have, &c, G. S. Whitmore, His Excellency the Governor. Colonial Secretary.

No. 21. The Hon. the Colonial Secretary to Mr. J. C. Firth. Sir, — Wellington, 6th December, 1877. Referring to the correspondence which has taken place on the subject of the salmon ova supplied by the American Fish Commissioner, and which reached New Zealand by the November mail, I have the honor to inform you that communications have been received from all the Acclimatisation Societies to which consignments were sent, stating that the importation seems likely to turn out perfectly successful. It gives me great pleasure to offer you the thanks of the Government, for the readiness with which you undertook the arduous task of attending to the shipment on its arrival, and for the judicious arrangements you made for the distribution of the portions assigned to Southern Societies. There can be no doubt, that to those arrangements is largely attributable the success which has attended the experiment. I have, &c, J. C. Firth, Esq., Auckland. G. S. Whitmore.

No. 22. Mr. J. C. Firth to the Hon. the Colonial Secretary. Sir, — Auckland, 11th February, 1878. I have the honor to thank you for your letter of 6th December last, conveying the thanks of the Government to me for my services in distributing the salmon ova recently presented to this colony by the United States Government. I have also to thank you for bringing under the notice of His Excellency the Governor, the act of genuine international courtesy displayed by the Government of the United States, in the noble gift of one million salmon ova to the colony of New Zealand ; and for the information that His Excellency has communicated with the Secretary of State for the Colonies, requesting that the Government of the United States may be thanked on behalf of this colony. 1 have, (fee, The Hon. the Colonial Secretary. J. C. Firth.

No. 23. Mr. R. J. Creighton to the Hon. the Colonial Secretary. Sir, — San Francisco, California, 19th January, 1878. I have the honor to inform you that I have consigned to your Government from the United States Fish Commission, per favor of Professor Baird, 500,000 whitefish eggs, which I hope will arrive