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The vote of thanks having been carried unanimously, 

 The CHAIRMAN said it was a great pleasure to him to 

 associate himself with the subject of this Paper, in which so 

 many fishermen on the coast took an interest. The mussel 

 did not make a great stir in the world, like many 

 of the fishes, but it was not to be despised on that 

 account. He asked Mr. Harding just now whether any 

 pearls were found in the mussels on our coast, but he 

 informed him there were not, but there were some in many 

 of the fresh-water mussels. If he mistook not, when he was 

 at Conway, where there are thousands of mussels, he was 

 informed that pearls were rather numerous. The discussion 

 had been of great interest, showing the different kinds of 

 molluscs that inhabited various parts of the coast, and also 

 that many which were not appreciated here were set great 

 store by in foreign countries. In human affairs it often 

 happened that small things were overlooked, and, like the 

 mussels which were trampled upon on our shores, had to go 

 to the wall ; but Providence ordained that they performed 

 in a humble way a very important function, and, with the 

 great monsters of the deep, contributed to what was so 

 well represented in the Exhibition, the harvest of the sea. 



Y 2 



