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  Mellenville, 
  January 
  10, 
  1881. 
  

   Dear 
  Sir 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  I 
  received 
  thirteen 
  small 
  Carp 
  (the 
  size 
  of 
  my 
  thumb- 
  

   nail) 
  on 
  the 
  Sunday, 
  9th 
  of 
  May 
  last, 
  in 
  good 
  order, 
  and 
  

   immediately 
  emptied 
  them 
  in 
  my 
  pond, 
  which 
  was 
  not 
  

   quite 
  completed. 
  They 
  were 
  out 
  of 
  sight 
  in 
  an 
  instant 
  ; 
  

   the 
  bottom 
  being 
  f 
  clay 
  and 
  \ 
  sand, 
  so 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  con- 
  

   stantly 
  roily. 
  Some 
  days 
  after 
  I 
  noticed 
  the 
  pond 
  was 
  

   full 
  of 
  frogs, 
  some 
  of 
  large 
  size, 
  and 
  as 
  the 
  tish 
  had 
  not 
  

   been 
  seen 
  I 
  supposed 
  they 
  had 
  destroyed 
  them. 
  I 
  called 
  

   upon 
  Mr. 
  Blackford, 
  in 
  N. 
  Y., 
  soon 
  after, 
  but 
  he 
  could 
  

   give 
  me 
  no 
  information. 
  In 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  August, 
  

   the 
  season 
  being 
  very 
  dry, 
  I 
  had 
  the 
  water 
  let 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  

   pond, 
  nnd 
  set 
  w(jrkmen 
  to 
  finish 
  digging 
  it 
  out 
  with 
  

   horses 
  and 
  scrapers. 
  After 
  they 
  had 
  been 
  at 
  work 
  sev- 
  

   eral 
  days, 
  three 
  dead 
  carp 
  were 
  seen 
  that 
  had 
  been 
  hurt 
  

   with 
  the 
  horses 
  ; 
  one 
  of 
  which 
  I 
  measured 
  and 
  Avas 
  10 
  

   inches 
  long, 
  and 
  weighed 
  over 
  a 
  pound. 
  We 
  then 
  saw 
  9 
  

   remaining 
  in 
  the 
  Avater 
  that 
  was 
  but 
  about 
  12 
  inches 
  deep, 
  

   in 
  a 
  small 
  space 
  in 
  the 
  centre 
  of 
  the 
  pond, 
  which 
  we 
  fed 
  

   with 
  crumbs 
  of 
  bread 
  until 
  the 
  cold 
  weather 
  set 
  in 
  (in 
  

   November), 
  and 
  the 
  pond 
  froze 
  over 
  with 
  not 
  more 
  than 
  

   18 
  inches 
  of 
  water. 
  When 
  our 
  work 
  was 
  complete, 
  about 
  

   Sept. 
  tirst, 
  I 
  found 
  my 
  spring 
  that 
  had 
  never 
  been 
  known 
  

   to 
  give 
  out 
  before, 
  was 
  so 
  near 
  dry 
  as 
  to 
  give 
  us 
  but 
  a 
  

   small 
  quantity 
  of 
  water, 
  and 
  I 
  fear 
  the 
  ice 
  has 
  frozen 
  so 
  

   hard 
  and 
  tight 
  that 
  the 
  fish 
  will 
  smother. 
  The 
  wonder- 
  

   ful 
  growth 
  from 
  9th 
  of 
  May 
  to 
  9th 
  September— 
  say 
  4 
  

   months— 
  beats 
  anything 
  I 
  ever 
  saw 
  or 
  heard 
  of. 
  

  

  I 
  had 
  intended 
  to 
  make 
  report 
  to 
  you 
  before, 
  but 
  did 
  

   not 
  want 
  to 
  report 
  a 
  failure. 
  On 
  the 
  28d 
  of 
  last 
  Septem- 
  

   ber 
  I 
  was 
  in 
  Washington, 
  and 
  called 
  at 
  your 
  residence 
  to 
  

   make 
  my 
  report 
  in 
  jierson 
  and 
  pay 
  my 
  respects, 
  and 
  was 
  

   told 
  you 
  were 
  out 
  of 
  town. 
  I 
  shall 
  be 
  pleased 
  to 
  be 
  ena- 
  

   bled 
  to 
  report 
  favorably 
  next 
  spring, 
  or 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  ic 
  

   gives 
  out. 
  

  

  Respectfully, 
  DANIEL 
  BIDAVELL. 
  

  

  