38 ADMINISTRATION OF THE PISHERIES ACT. 



Sydney, 1879 and 1880. Unfortunately, this imposing 

 structure was totally destroyed by fire on the morning of the 

 22 September, 1882, and with it this valuable collection of 

 fishing implements, together with all the books and docu- 

 ments belonging to the fisheries Department, which at the 

 time was located in the building. Not very long after this 

 calamitous occurrence the personnel of the fisheries Board as 

 originally constituted had completely changed, every one of 

 its first-appointed members having retired. Their positions 

 were, with two exceptions, filled by gentlemen who had been 

 members of the Hoyal Commission befcn-e referred to. The 

 Eoard thus formed, consisted of : — 



Dr. James C. Cox, P.L.S., President, and 



Messrs. George Erederick Want, 

 John H. Geddes, 

 Drederick A. Thomas, and 

 Edward Pierson liamsay, E.L.S. 



Since this the constitution of the Board has sufi'ered many 

 changes, not less than fifteen different appointments having 

 at various times been made to it during the decade it has been 

 in existence to fill vacancies which had been occasioned 

 by the retirement of some one or other of its members ; 

 these changes are detailed in the appendices ; the only 

 members at that period still retaining their positions are 

 Dr. James C. Cox, the President, and Mr. (now Doctor) 

 Edward Pierson Hamsay. 



The first important duty which engaged the attention of 

 the newly constituted Board was the furtherance of arrange- 

 ments for the proper representation of the Colony at the Great 

 International Pisheries Exhibition, London, 1883. The Com- 

 missioners entered upon the prosecution of the this task 

 with considerable apprehension, owing to the hitherto 

 culpable neglect of the capabilities which New South Wales 

 possessed, both as a fisli and. oyster-producing country. 

 However they concentrated their bestefforts upon the under - 

 taking and succeeded to a degree far in advance of their 

 expectations. The Commissioners attributed very much of 

 the success achieved to the able arrangements made by their 

 colleague, Mr. E. P. Ramsay, under whose charge the exhibits 

 had been placed. It was recorded, through the Agent- 

 General in this Colony, that our fisheries exhibits excited very 

 great interest, especially the paintings of food-fishes and the 



