3 i6 



places by rail and by fishing smacks, in the winter time 

 when they are wanted. The railway rates to the Northum- 

 berland and south Scotch ports vary from 205-. to 23^. ^d. 

 a ton ; in addition to this there is the cost of carting from 

 the natural scalps, some distance to the nearest station. 



I consider a great improvement might be made upon 

 this by selecting suitable sites on the foreshores of the 

 estuaries in the north of England and the firths of Scot- 

 land, and sending the Mussels to the north during the 

 summer months, as small steamers, which will not run in 

 the winter, will take them to the north for about 8s. to los. 

 a ton during the summer months. This would decrease the 

 cost of Mussels to the fishermen at least 2os. a ton. 



DISCUSSION. 



Mr. EARLL (of the United States Commission) said he 

 had enjoyed the paper very thoroughly, and had gathered 

 much valuable information from its details. He could see 

 that it had required very careful research to collect the 

 information which it contained. He was not specially 

 familiar with the shell-fish fisheries of Great Britain, but, as 

 he understood it, one of the principal objects of these Con- 

 ferences was a presentation of facts which would be valuable 

 to foreigners in regard to the fisheries of Great Britain, 

 and, on the other hand, of facts in regard to other 

 countries, which would be useful to the inhabitants of 

 Great Britain. They had learned, during the morning 

 discussion, of certain fishes that might be of importance to 

 Great Britain, which had not yet been introduced, and of 

 others which, though already introduced, were regarded as 

 decidedly injurious, and it seemed to him that one of the 

 principal objects to be attained was definite information 



