53 



was afraid, if the tenants of the Cro^;v^l lands were taxed for the i^irposc, 

 that in many cases tliey woukl throw up their holdings, and how in such 

 cases could Government act ? 



The following extract from a letter received by the Governor from 

 F. S. Corrance, Esq., M.P., was read : — 



" In reference to your remarks on your salmon question, I have only to 

 observe that in my oiiinion, even after the inhabitant shall have declared 

 himself in a most unmistakeable way, it will be at least some years before 

 the fish could become sufficiently abundant for fishing for them, to have a 

 chance of meeting with much success. It is, moreovei-, by no means an 

 invariable projjensity of the race to rise at a fly at all, and in the European 

 rivets hmited to about one-half. In none of the Dutch, nor Swedish, and 

 in few English rivers is this the case, and it depends, as I think, upon the 

 habits of the parr and smolts in their early life whether they do so or not. 

 So you see that this part of the problem is scarcely likely to be worked out 

 in your time at least. You say that the fords, &c , of the upper waters are 

 more than 100 miles off, and that the banks of the river Derwent in those 

 parts run for many miles through an uninhabited and almost impassable 

 district. I do not think that ought to present an insuperable objection to 

 an exploring expedition to that district at the proper time of year, by com- 

 petent persons, and I should think such an expedition would be geneially 

 popular, considering the important results to the colony of a successful 

 solution of this problem. All the shallows should be watched and reported 

 upon. The time of year would be the autumn months." 



His Excellency adds : — 



" The writer of the above remarks is my brother-in-law, and there are few 

 more experienced salmon fishers to be found in England, or possessing better 

 knowledge of the salmon rivers of the United Kingdom and continent of 

 Europe. " 



Mr. M, Alport repeated what he had expressed on a former occasion, 

 viz. , that the expense of watching the upper waters of the Derwent 

 would be far beyond the means at the disposal of the Salmon Com- 

 missioners. If we knew where the spawning beds were, it would be 

 easy to watch them ; but to search for them during the season would 

 be a work of vast trouble and expense. 



Mr. Gould read a paper on the geological structure of Flinders' 

 Island in Bass' vStraits, and illustrated his remarks by a large and very 

 beautiful collection of specimens obtained by him during his stay there. 

 He especially directed the attention of the meeting to the exceptionally 

 line crystals of Orthoclase Felspar, which had been obtained from 

 cavities in the granite, and which he considered equalled in perfection 

 those obtained from any part of the world. He also exhibited speci- 

 mens of beryl, remarkable varieties of granite, specimens of crystals of 

 topaz and felspar in situ in masses of rock, and supplemented his paper 

 by a variety of additional observations elicited by the attention of the 

 members to the examples before them — more especially in regard to a 

 sample of tin ore of great purity and value. 



Further discussion of a conversational character ensued, in which 

 the Pvev. Brooke Bailey, Mr, Barnard, Mr. Stephens, and others took 

 part. A vote of thanks having been accorded to Mr. Gould for his 

 valuable and interesting paper, and to the donors of presentations, the 

 meeting termmated. 



