Ixiv PKOCEEDINGS, NOVEMBER. 



interest to geological investigation, and, as I have said, gave it our 

 warmest support. In statistics we have had a remarkable paper from 

 Mr. Johnston which occupied two whole meetings of the Society. The 

 title of the paper was " How far can the general death rate for all ages 

 be relied upon as a comparative index of the health or sanitary- 

 condition of any community," and I would say in passing that the 

 tible only partly conveys an idea of what that excellent paper contains. 

 Some of Mr. Johnston's conclusions were powerfully contested, but I feel 

 sure that the more his paper is read and studied, and I have done my 

 best to make it known far beyond the limits of Tasmania, it will be 

 acknowledged to be a masterpiece of statistical analysis. (Hear, hear.) 

 There is but one further item in our operations in the session now about 

 to close to which I shall direct your attention. I allude to Dr. Agnew's 

 munificent contribution of £500 to be applied to a further experiment 

 in acclimatising the salmon in Tasmania. (Cheers.) Since I last 

 addressed you on this subject, the committee which was appointed to 

 communicate with Sir Thomas Brady, who I hope will have visited our 

 shores before we next meet, have written a long letter to him, giving 

 him their views on the whole subject. I will not now repeat what I 

 said at the last meeting, but I would suggest to anyone interested in 

 this subject, that they should refer to the account of this meeting which 

 appeared in The Mercury, of the 11th October, and which will, doubt- 

 less, in due time appear in the annual report of our proceedings. To 

 what I said then there is little to add, but what there is is full of 

 encouragement to us to go on and prosper. Two specimens of salmonidaj 

 have since that date been received in the Museum. One was taken in a 

 net in the saltwater at Port Cygnet, and sent to me by Mr. Kenny, 

 who thought it different from any trout he had ever seen. The other 

 was captured by myself with the rod at Yicjoria in the River Huon. 

 The first weighed 4Jlbs., and the judgment pronounced upon it by Mr. 

 Ogilby, the distinguished icthyologist of Sydney, to whom it was sent 

 for examination, is that it is a true salmo trutta having slight divergence 

 towards the variety S. cavibricus. The other, the one I caught, can 

 be seen here. It weighs 291b., was 35^in. long, and 26in. in girth, and 

 viewed side by side with the ordinary trout the difference is most 

 striking. I certainly congratulate myself in my good fortune in 

 catching so noble a fish, the largest I believe yet caught in Tasmanian 

 waters, and in being able to present it to the Museum. (Cheers.) Both 

 of these are undoubtedly sea going fish, and in excellence for the table 

 tread closely upon the heels of the Salmo salar. If they are Salmo 

 trutta we have at least to boast that Tasmania produces by far the 

 largest Salmo trutta in the world. If as some seem to think, these 

 specimens are hybreds, then we must undoubtedly have the salmon 

 here to produce them. It will be tor the council to determine whether 

 it might not be wise to send the fish I caught, which Mr. Morton has 

 so successfully set up, to England to have a definite opinion pronounced 

 upon it. 



The very able paper we have heard to-night by Mr. Laurie, on 

 *• Common sense in education, being a brief survey of the methods of 

 education and instruction in their bearing on the practical requirements 

 of life." This opens up the great subject of technical education, and 

 is too large and important a one to be discussed now. We all want 

 more time to think it over, and we can only give Mr. Laurie our best 

 thanks for his paper, and express our extreme pleasure and satisfaction 

 that the Government is giving practical effect to the very excellent 

 recomendations of the distinguished committee, of whom Mr. Laurie 

 was one, who inquired into the subject. 



Well, gentlemen, I think we may fairly congratulate ourselves on the 

 tale of work I have laid before you. In my remarks at the opening of 

 the session I pointed out that 1 scarcely thought the public generally 



