TRANSMISSION OF SALMON EGGS TO AUSTRALIA, ETC. 867 



I have also to thank you for bringing under the notice of his excellency 

 the governor the act of genuine international courtesy displayed by the 

 Government of the United States in the noble gift of one million salmon 

 ova to the colony of New Zealand, and for the information that his ex- 

 cellency has communicated with the secretary of state for the colonies, 

 requesting that the Government of the United States may be thanked 

 on behalf of this colony. 



I have, &c., 



J. 0. FIETH. 

 TEe Hon. the Colonial Secretary. 



No. 23. 



Mr. E. J. Creighton to the Son. the Colonial Secretary. 



San Francisco, Cal., 19^7* January, 1878. 



Sir : I have the honor to inform you that I have consigned to your 

 government from the United States Fish Commission, per favor of Pro- 

 fessor Baird, 500,000 whitefish eggs, which I hope will arrive in good 

 condition and hatch out. I inclose Professor Baird's letters and tele- 

 grams to me on this subject ; also, telegrams from and to Mr. Clark, 

 deputy fish commissioner at Northville, Mich. In further explanation, 

 however, I may state that I wrote to Professor Baird on this subject 

 several months ago, and expressed a desire of obtaining, if possible, 

 another supply of whitefish eggs for the colony, in consequence of the 

 failure of previous shipments. I explained to him the geographical 

 position of the leading settlements, and the risk of failure in distributing 

 the ova on arrival about midsummer along such an extended seaboard, 

 and he promised that the next consignment would be left to my discre- 

 tion in that regard. 



Accordingly I have written to J. C. Firth, esq., president of the Auck- 

 land Acclimatization Society, requesting him to take charge of at least 

 250,000 eggs, and hatch out the same in the breeding ponds at Auck- 

 land, from which stock the North Island lakes should be supplied. It 

 is necessary that there should be running water. I should be gratified 

 if, in addition to Lake Taupo and other lakes on the line of the Waikato, 

 the Wairarapa could be speedily stocked with this valuable fish. The 

 lesser lakes could be attended to subsequently. 



I have likewise telegraphed to the Christchurch and Dunedin Accli- 

 matization Societies, requesting them to put themselves in communica- 

 tion with you ; but I am of the opinion that only these leading societies, 

 and perhaps Nelson, should be supplied with eggs, and these only if, 

 upon examination in Auckland, the eggs could fairly stand the journey. 

 In any contingency, or if there should be a doubt of the eggs spoiling, 

 I should recommend that the entire consignment should be hatched at 

 Auckland, and the young fish thence distributed over the colony. But 



