838 KEPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



drainage and ventilation. I dispatched one-half by rail across the island, 

 thence by steamer to their respective destinations south. Two days 

 after I dispatched the remainder by steamer down the east coast. I also 

 dispatched the 50,000 to Sir Samuel Wilson for Victoria. I have since 

 received advices that each parcel had arrived in perfect safety and con- 

 dition at its destination, viz : Nelson, Greymouth, Wellington, aSTapier, 

 Christ Church, Dunedin, Invercargill, and Victoria ; and that about 95 

 per cent, had hatched into healthy fry. The 100,000 ova apportioned 

 by government to Auckland I then located ; hatching out about 10,000 

 at our fish establishment near this city ; 40,000 I placed in a fine shingle 

 river in the country of the Maori King, at the request of his most pow- 

 erful supporter. This river (Puniu) is a tributary of the Waikato 

 Eiver, where I had last year placed a large number of salmon ova and 

 fry. The remainder (50,000) I placed in the Maugakahia Eiver, which 

 I think a fine river for salmon, flowing, as it does, through a wooded 

 country, fed by streams from high ranges, with clear, bright, cold water 

 rippling over shingle beds, rushing over little falls, now dashing through 

 a long rapid, and anon loitering in deep and placid pools. Backed by 

 a party of strong and willing hands, after a most toilsome, but exciting 

 and pleasurable, ascent uj) this beautiful river, I placed the ova, securely 

 guarded from all their enemies, in the shingle beds of the river. I was a 

 httle disappointed that our order for Auckland and Canterbury (250,000) 

 had been overlooked, but I doubt not you had good reason for doing so. 



Tours, truly, 



J. C. FIETH. 



P. S. — Excuse this scrawl, as it is written on the desk of a small river 

 steamer by which I am conveying 8,000 fine, healthy salmon fry up 

 river. — J. C. P. 



Same to the same. 



Auckland, February 4, 1878. 



Dear Sir : Since my letter of January, I have been greatly pleased 

 to learn that the whole of the last shipment of ova — 500,000 to New 

 Zealand, 50,000 to Victoria — have been located in both colonies with 

 great success. 



I am so impressed with the genuine international courtesy displayed 

 by you in sending about a million salmon ova to New Zealand, the gen- 

 erous gift of the United States to the colony of New Zealand — a de- 

 pendency of a foreign nation — that I have written to the colonial secre- 

 tary, the Hon. Colonel Whitmore, asking him to bring your goodness 

 under the notice of his excellency the Marquis of Normanby, governor 

 of New Zealand, with the view of asking the imperial secretary for the 

 colonies, the Earl Caernarvon, to convey the thanks of the colony to 

 the Government of the United States for their munificent gift of salmon 

 ova to New Zealand. In due course you will probably hear more of it. 



