r4 ACCLIMATISATIOX OF THE SALMOXID.K IX TASMANIA. 



The cost of this experiment is stated to have been about 

 d8300, and it appears from a despatch from the Duke of New- 

 castle to Sir W. Donison, dated 2ad June, IS53, wliich covered 

 a detailed aecouut of the Columbus experiment by Mr. Boccius 

 (see proceedings Koyal Society, Vol. li., p. 137). that in- 

 structions were given to renew the experiment under tire 

 same supervision. 



Arrangements for this further experiment were made witb 

 Mr. Boccius, who provided the necessary api)liance, which 

 were placed on board the ''Duke of lloxburgh." The sailing 

 of the vessel was delayed, but owing to a severe frost having 

 Bet in when the ova was required, artificial spawning could not 

 be successfully completed. The attempt was therefore aban- 

 doned, and the spawn-tub landed from the vessel. 



The interest of the Eoyal Society of Tasmania in the subject 

 still continued, and the matter was frequently referred to at 

 its meetings, at one of which, held on 11th August, 1&52, the 

 Secretary read a letter from ^[r. J. C. Bidwell, Commissioner 

 of Crown Lands in New South Wales, to Sir AVilliam Denisou, 

 covering "Notes on the Establishment of the Salmon and other 

 rish in the Rivers of Tasmania and New Zealand " (see pro- 

 ceedings Royal Society Tasmania, A'ol. ii., p. 32G), in which he 

 thus writes upon the introduction of salmon ; — 



" Now, to do this it would be necessary to bring and hatch 

 the spawn, and I think that by packing spawn in ice there 

 would be no difliculty in preserving its vitality for a much 

 longer time than would be required. It is not probable that 

 •the vitality of ilsh spawn would be destroyed even by freezing, 

 but by merely packing it in ice there would be no danger of 

 actual freezing as the ice would always be in a melting state." 



Mr. Bidwell, in writing, explains that he would have written 

 •long before, but that he had sullered a long and severe illness, 

 and it is more than ])robablo that his health failing prevented 

 his ])ractical views being more prominently considered and 

 carried into eflect. However much we may be indebted to 

 those who afterwards adopted, to a large extent, the same 

 method which Mr. Bidwell suggested, it is due to the latter 

 gentleman that tho credit of lirst suggesting the packing of 

 spawn in ice should be prominently mentioned in any history 

 of the subject. 



On 0th February, 1808, the then Colonial Secretary of Tas- 

 mania submitted certain (picstions to the Royal Society 

 " relative t<j the introduction of salmon into Tasmania," ami 

 tiie payment of a Parliamentary reward of £500 for sucli in- 

 troduction, and a committee, consisting of the Hon. E. S. P. 

 •Bedford, M.L.C, .1. ^y. Agnew, Esq., M.D., l\Iorton Allport, 

 Esq., and Joseph Milligan, Esq., F.L.S., was appointed, whose 

 report appears in the proceedings of the Society, Vol. iii., p. 283. 



