INVESTIGATIONS CUT SHORT. I9 



Farnell (now the Chairman of the Board of Fisheries for New 

 South Wales) during the year i8g8. I here refer to the 

 trawhng cruise of the " Thetis." This all-too-short investi- 

 gation was carried out under very great disabilities; the 

 " Thetis " being a vessel entirely unsuited for the work 

 which she was to perform, though an attempt was made to 

 adapt her to it. Still, notwithstanding the great obstacles 

 to success which were encountered, and the shortness of the 

 cruise — about two months, — the investigation was productive 

 of much information and material which already have been 

 of great use to us, and which will be of considerable assistance 

 and importance in future operations. In that light, therefore, 

 the expedition must be looked upon as having been exceed- 

 ingly successful, and it is greatly to be deplored that the 

 Government of the day did not authorise the continuance 

 of the work for a much longer period, even with such an 

 unsuitable vessel. It must be added that the carrying out 

 of this trawling was solely due to the great persistence and 

 enthusiasm of Mr. Farnell, then a member of the State 

 Legislature, and who for many years has with great ardour 

 insisted upon the importance and value of Australia's fisheries. 



In this connection it will be of interest to mention that 

 shortly after the appointment of the New South Wales 

 Fisheries Commission in 188 1 that body took steps to intro- 

 duce a number of fishing im.plements of recognised importance 

 in the fisheries of other countries, the idea being to utilise 

 them in these waters, with a view to doing something towards 

 demonstrating the great potentialities of our outside fisheries. 

 This may be looked upon as a highly-important step, and 

 one that would in the ordinary course of events have been 

 productive of very great benefit ; but, to a great extent, 

 misfortune awaited this experiment. The newly-born Fisheries 

 Department of the day was housed in the hapless Garden 

 Palace, at Sydney, which, built in the year 1879, came to an 

 untimely end in 1882, being with its contents totally destroyed 

 by fire. By this unfortunate event, which took place on the 

 morning of the 22nd September of the year mentioned, the 



