THIRTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. ‘ps 
THE EVENING ADDRESSES. 
In the evening at 8 o’clock, an address was delivered by Hon. 
Theodore Lyman, of Massachusetts. Hon. Elbridge G. Lapham 
occupied the chair. The hall was well filled by an appreciative 
audience, of which about one-fourth were ladies. Mr. Lapham, 
in introducing the orator of the evening, spoke as follows: 
“LADIES AND GENTLEMEN: I am thankful for the honor of 
having been selected to preside over the ceremonies of this even- 
ing. The subject which has called us together is one of far 
greater importance than the mass of the public conceive it to be. 
The question of the propagation and preservation of the food 
fishes of our streams and along the ocean coasts, is second only 
in importance to the propagation and preservation of animal 
food. Indeed, the food which is furnished by the fish of our 
waters is free from many of the difficulties and dangers con- 
nected with the subject of animal food. We have in the former 
no trachine, pluro-pneumonia, foot-rot or mouth disease. Fish 
are not controlled in their habits by man as animals are. The 
demand for fish as an article of food has of late years been rapid- 
ly increasing. Indeed, such demand far exceeds the supply, and 
every year the interest taken in the subject is increasing, and this 
is the case not only in this country but in almost every civilized 
country of the earth. This subject has of late attracted special. 
attention through the international exhibitions held at Berlin in 
1880, and at London last year, where Iam proud to say the 
United States bore off the honors for having the best and largest 
variety and most perfect exhibits which were made. It is a sub-— 
ject, I repeat, of vast and deep importance to everybody. A little 
more than two years ago the State of New Jersey undertook the 
passage of a law to regulate the fisheries in the waters of the 
ocean, over which she supposed she had control. The Attorney 
