454 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



The Secretary read a letter from the Hon. James Hudson, Sec- 

 retary of the Royal Agricultural Society of England, conveying 

 the thanks of the Society for copies of our Transactions, and ten- 

 dering their journals to the Institute. 



President Pell presented the following proceedings of our Le- 

 gislature relative to the highly important plan for the production 

 of salmon, shad and other valuable fishes : 



To the Hon. the Legislature of the State of JVew-York : 



Your petitioner, Robert L. Pell, of Pelham, Ulster county 

 prays your honorable body to pass a law for the preservation and 

 increase of salmon in all the waters belonging to the State, 

 adapted to the purpose, in the manner following : 



§1. All persons are forbid taking or killing salmon in the 

 rivers, lakes, bays, estuaries, creeks, or sea ways in which they 

 may flow, for the sj)ace of six years, under the penalty of two 

 hundred dollars for each offence, 



§ 2. All mill owners, or proprietors of water power, on streams 

 adapted to the purpose, shall attach to every fall, or dam, exceed- 

 ing five feet, an apron, extending from the lower side of the dam 

 to the bottom of the stream, at an angle of forty-five degrees. 



Report of the Committee on Agriculture in relation to the petition 

 of Robert L, Pell concerning salmon fisheries in the State. 



Mr. Ferdon, from the committee on agriculture, to which was 

 referred the petition of Robert L. Pell, of Pelham, Ulster county, 

 for the passage of a law for the preservation and increase of salmon 

 in all the waters belonging to the State adapted to the purpose, 

 respectfully reports : 



That they have given the petition the consideration due to it^ 

 importance, and would earnestly recommend the enactment of a 

 law favorable to the wishes of your petitioner were it not for the 

 present advanced state of the session. They deem the subject one 

 of so much importance, however, that they have concluded to treat 

 it at some length, hoping that it may receive the favorable con- 

 sideration of the next Legislature. 



The rapid increase of population, with the present high prices 

 demanded for nearly every description of food, seem to make it 

 incumbent upon the government to encourage every feasible 



