INVESTIGATIONS CUT SHORT. 19 
Farnell (now the Chairman of the Board of Fisheries for New 
South Wales) during the year 1898. I here refer to the 
trawling cruise of the “ Thetis.’ This all-too-short investi- 
gation was carried out under very great disabilities; the 
“Thetis” being a vessel entirely unsuited for the work 
which she was to perform, though an attempt was made to 
adapt her to it. Still, notwithstanding the great obstacles 
to success which were encountered, and the shortness of the 
cruise—about two months,—the investigation was productive 
of much information and material which already have been 
of great use to us, and which will be of considerable assistance 
and importance in future operations. In that light, therefore, 
the expedition must be looked upon as having been exceed- 
ingly successful, and it is greatly to be deplored that the 
Government of the day did not authorise the continuance 
of the work for a much longer period, even with such an 
unsuitable vessel. It must be added that the carrying out 
of this trawling was solely due to the great persistence and 
enthusiasm of Mr. Farnell, then a member of the State 
Legislature, and who for many years has with great ardour 
insisted upon the importance and value of Australia’s fisheries. 
In this connection it will be of interest to mention that 
shortly after the appointment of the New South Wales 
Fisheries Commission in 1881 that body took steps to intro- 
duce a number of fishing implements of recognised importance 
in the fisheries of other countries, the idea being to utilise 
them in these waters, with a view to doing something towards 
demonstrating the great potentialities of our outside fisheries. 
This may be looked upon as a highly-important step, and 
one that would in the ordinary course of events have been 
productive of very great benefit; but, to a great extent, 
misfortune awaited this experiment. The newly-born Fisheries 
Department of the day was housed in the hapless Garden 
Palace, at Sydney, which, built in the year 1879, came to an 
untimely end in 1882, being with its contents totally destroyed 
by fire. By this unfortunate event, which took place on the 
morning of the 22nd September of the year mentioned, the 
