REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. *47 



in the transportation of California salmon to Enroiio. That gentleman 

 was instructed to proceed to Liverpool and obtain a supply of the turbot 

 and sole, suitable for transfer, to be brought back to Boston on the 

 Cunard steamer, with such facilities as he could obtain on that occasion. 

 A correspondence had been entered upon some time before with Mr. F. 

 Moore, the accomplished curator of the Free Public Museum of Liver- 

 pool, who made many inquiries as to the proj)er localities and the best 

 mode of obtaining these fish. 



Mr. Mather reached Liverpool on the 17th of November, and, report- 

 ing himself to Mr. Moore, found that gentleman had invoked the assist- 

 ance of the authorities of the great aquarium of Southport. Proceeding 

 to this place, Mr. Mather was received very cordially by Mr. John I^ong, 

 the superintendent of the aquarium ; but owing to the inclemency of the 

 weather it was impossible to obtain any number of fish, and in order to 

 have a proper supply it was necessary to secui-e the further services of 

 some of the fishermen. Unfortunately the weather, after Mr. Mather's 

 arrival, proved to be exceptionally stormy, and the few fish obtained 

 were so badly bruised that they died shortly after being introduced into 

 the tanks of the iSouthport aquarium. There was some question in re- 

 gard to Mr. Mather's free passage in the shipment of the fish, and it was 

 not until the 3d of January that the shipment was actually made. This 

 consisted of six turbot and twenty-six soles, the vessel upon which they 

 were placed being the Siberia, of the Cunard line, Captain McKay com- 

 manding. Mr, Mather, with his precious charge, experienced a series of 

 accidents on the voyage homeward. In the first place the tanks were 

 found to have been placed in such j^roximity to the steam heating pipes 

 that the water soon rose to a temperature of 72°, much higher than is 

 suited to this fish. On arriving within sight of Cape Cod, on the IGth 

 of January, only two soles survived, and after consultation with the 

 cajitain as to a suitable place of deposit, it was concluded to ])lace them 

 overboard, and they were accordingly left at a i)oint on the Stelwageu 

 Bank, two miles ofi' iSTahant, in 18 fathoms of water, the surface tem- 

 perature be ng 31°. 



It is hoped that, as in the case of the shipment of California salmon, 

 the experience thus gained will enable us to avoid a faihire on another 

 occasion. Mr. Mather is of the opinion that by keeping the temperature 

 at as low a degree as i)ossible one of the most serious dangers may be 

 avoided. He does not reconnnend anything in the way of gravel or 

 sand in the tanks, as the fish would be liable to abrasion, in the motion 

 of the vessel. He also recommeiuls that the fish, before such trans- 

 portation, should be kept in captivity and fed for at least one month, as 

 this will show whether the act of cai>turing has in any way injured the 

 fish. 



Anticipating the occasion of taking these fish from the wharf at Bos- 

 ton for deposit at some suitable point in the harbor, api)lication was 

 made to the Treasury De|)artment for the service of the revenue-cutter, 



