BY P. S. SEAGER. 11 



about to be tried." Mr. Youl found great difficulty in pro- 

 curing a suitable vessel, the desire of the Commissionei's 

 being that the experiment should be made in a ship sailing 

 direct to Hobart. Although arrangements were nearly com- 

 pleted with the owners of a barque named the Alfred Hawley, 

 circumstances arose which rendered this impossible, and Mr. 

 Youl, fearing the loss of another year, sought the aid and 

 assistance of Messrs. Money Wigram and Sons, who 

 generously allotted to him 50 tons of space in their well- 

 known clipper ship, the Norfolk, advertised to sail for Mel- 

 bourne on the 20th of January following. Messrs. Wigram 

 first intimated that the space was without charge, but Mr. 

 Youl offered them 100 guineas from his private purse, 

 ■which were subsequently declined, Messrs. Wigram being 

 desirous that the service should be entirely gratuitous. Mr. 

 Youl, having overcome one great obstacle, was almost im- 

 mediately met by another. He had engaged Mr. Robert 

 Kamsbottom, the well-known pisciculturist, of Clitheroe, to 

 forward a supply of salmon ova from the Ribble, for shipment 

 per the Norfolk, but every fish captured in the Ribble was 

 found to have shed its spawn. In this dilemma Mr. Youl 

 published in The Times an appeal for assistance, and des- 

 patched Mr. Eamsbottom with his son to the Dovey, in Wales, 

 and Mr. Johnston, another experienced pisciculturist, to the 

 Tyne, and their efforts were successful, about 100,000 salmon 

 ova reaching London on 18tb January. The ova was at once 

 packed and shipped in the Noi'folk : the mode of packing at 

 that time adopted has been I'epeated with little alteration in 

 each succeeding shipment, and is thus described by Mr. 

 Youl: — " A couple of haudfuls of charcoal are spread over 

 the bottom of the box, then a layer of broken ice ; after this, 

 a bed or nest of wet moss is carefully made and well drenched 

 ■with water. The ova are then very gently poured from a 

 bottle, which is kept filled with water. The box is now filled 

 up with moss, and pure water poured upon it until it streams 

 out from all the holes. Another layer of finely pulverised 

 ice is spread all over the top of the moss ; the lid is then 

 firmly sci'ewed down. The boxes used measured llfin. long, 

 6|in. wide, and 5 jin. deep, perforated top and bottom. 



In addition to the salmon ova, a small consignment of 

 trout ova (Salmo farlo) was placed in the ice-house, con- 

 tributed by Admiral Keppel through Frank Bucklandand by 

 Francis Francis. All tlie boxes were placed in the ice-house ; 

 the remaining si)ace was filled with blocks of Wenham Lake 

 ice, and the house securely closed. The Norfolk sailed from 

 the London Docks on 21st January, 18t!4, arriving at 

 Melbourne on 19th April following. Before stating the 

 procedure on the vessel's arrival at her destination it may bo 



