ANNUAL ADDKESS OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE 



NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SHELLFISH 



COMMISSIONERS, NORFOLK, VA., 



APRIL 23, 1913 



BY JOSEPH HYDE PKATT 



It is witli a great deal of pleasure that I, as President of the 

 National Association of Shellfish Commissioners, respond for 

 the members of the Association and delegates to this convention 

 to this most cordial welcome that has been extended to iis. I 

 can assnre the good people of the citj of Norfolk and of the 

 State of Virginia that it is very gratifying to us to be able to 

 hold this fifth annual convention of our Association in the old 

 historic State of Virginia, which has always stood in the fore- 

 ground of progress, and has played such a vital and important 

 part along all lines in the development of our great nation. The 

 warm, sincere, and open-hearted hosj)itality for which Virginia 

 has always been noted, is now being extended to us. There are 

 but very few instances in the history of this great State where 

 this warm and open-hearted hospitality has not been shown to 

 those who desired to come within her borders, such as : the re- 

 fusal of the State to accept certain governors that England 

 wished to force upon her ; the warm but inhospitable reception 

 that was extended so eifectively to Cornwallis and his followers 

 during the Revolutionary War; and the polite and energetic 

 request that was given to certain visitors w^ho insisted on coming 

 into the State during the sixties that their room was j)referable 

 to their company. I believe, outside of such instances as I 

 have mentioned, that Virginia has at all times extended the 

 right hand of fellowship and free hospitality to all who wish to 

 come and visit or dwell within her borders. Even those whom 

 she turned away on account of certain differences have, when 

 the differences became adjusted, been and are now being re- 

 ceived with the same sincere cordiality as if these differences 

 had never existed. 



We cannot, as we meet together in this State, prevent ourselves 

 from reminiscing regarding the early history of Virginia ; from 



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