REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. XXXI 



dant, and -where, it was thought, a large number of eggs might be 

 obtained and transferred to the West. The most suitable point on tliis 

 river was some distance below Fredericksburgh ; and at Mr. Green's sug- 

 gestion I applied to the governor of Virginia, asking the loan of one 

 of the State fishing-steamers for my aid, which was promptly acceded 

 to, and I was informed that the steamer Tredegar, in command of Capt. 

 Orris A. Browne, would be at my service at any time after the 1st of May. 

 It, however, was found impossible to occupy more than two stations at a 

 time, owing to the small force at my command, and when the experiment 

 at Weldon was given up, and Messrs. Welsher and Green proceeded to 

 the Rappahannock, they found the season had passed, and that no 

 success was possible. Another year it may be expedient to commence 

 operations on this river, especially in view of the fact that it aftbrds a 

 convenient point from which to transfer the young fish to West Virginia, 

 Kentucky, and Tennessee. 



0— MULTIPLICATION OF FISH IN GENERAL. 



15. — GENERAL HISTORY OF FISH-CULTURE. 



Having presented in the introductory portion of the present report a 

 general account of the measures taken to carry out the intention of Con- 

 gress in establishing the Commission of Fish and Fisheries, I now 

 Ijroceed to give in more detail a statement of what has been done gen- 

 erally in regard to the multiplication of the species of fish considered of 

 most importance, and the various interests connected with the fisheries, 

 to which a brief sketch of the theory and practice of so-called fish-culture 

 may not be an unacceptable preliminary.* 



The subject of securing from the fresh waters and the sea a larger 

 supply of fish than they would spontaneously aflbrd has attracted the 

 attention of various nations from a very remote period; one of the sim- 

 plest methods consisting in the collection offish into natural or artificial 

 ponds or reservoirs, and by allowing them to prey upon each other, or 

 else by supplying food to them artificially. This was in vogue among the 

 Romans especially, and it is asserted that not unfrequently the food thus 

 sui^plied consisted of the flesh of slaves, which it was claimed imparted 

 to the fish a delicate flavor, especially to the lampreys and other fav- 

 orite species. This method of treating fish is, however, scarcely to be 

 regarded as a branch of fish-culture in its restricted sense. 



According to Soubeiran, in a recent and very comj^lete summary of 

 the history of fish-culturet, the first essays made in this direction in 



*A fuller account of this will be found iu the History of Fish-Culture, page 465. 



tLa pisciculture et la peclie en Chine par P. Dabry deThiersaut, consul de France, 

 meinbre honoraire de la Societe d'acclimatation ; ouvrage accompague de 51 planches, 

 repr<5seutaut les principaux instruments de pisciculture et eugius de peche employes 

 par les Chiuois et quelques uouvelles especes de poissous recueillies en Chine par P. D. 

 . Thiersant, prec6d6 d'uu introduction sur la pisciculture chez les divers peuples par le 

 Dr. J. L. Soubeiran, profesaeur agr6g6 k Tficole de pharmacie de Paris, secretaire de la 

 Soci6t6 d'acclimatation. 



