INTKODUCTION — WAITIv. 7 



"TIk- mail's irpiirt rrratrd siicli intcrrsl, however, as to induce 

 His Excellency the late Sir William Deiiisoii, .Sir Daniel Cooper, 

 and Captain Brooinfield, who is still to the foi-e in any enterprise 

 of the sort, to take the matter- up, and two unsuccessful attempts, 

 under the supervision of the last named gentleman, who insisted 

 on being on board the vessel to test the bona Jides of the affair, 

 were made in the new arrival. 



" It became perfectly manifest that our visitor wanted to sell his 

 plant to the best advantage. The scheme failed, however, and he 

 was only enabled to sell his trawl ; this was purchased by Sir 

 William and Sir Daniel. After having secured the trawl, which 

 was an ordinary North Sea one, with a beam of about 30ft., the 

 owners, together with Captain Broomfield in the schooner 'Gazelle,' 

 tried Botany Bay and secured a few flounders, but no sign of 

 turbot. 



"I now come upon the scene, as I was sent, with a party of 

 men from H.M.S. ' Herald,' to follow the matter up and ascertain 

 whether there was any foundation for the report which had been 

 circulated, and to try the trawHng capabilities of the coast 

 generally. We embarked in the schooner ' Catherine Agnes,' 

 accompanied by Captain Broomfield, the owner, who had gratui- 

 tously placed his vessel at our disposal. The late Mr. E. S. Hill, 

 a most experienced fisherman and amateur naturalist, also joined 

 the party. 



"We trawled in the North Harbour, also in Jervis Bay, and 

 at the most likely spots along the coast between Sydney and the 

 before-mentioned place. We met with various vicissitudes in the 

 way of fouling the trawl, breaking the beam, having to bear up 

 for an anchorage to cut a fx'esh one, and so on, and we continued 

 our efforts about ten days. We caught a few sole, John dory, and 

 flathead, with plenty of blubber, and other refuse ; but there was 

 no sign of turbot, and we were not favourably impressed with the 

 trawling capabilities of the coast." 



Nothing further appears to have been done until 1874, when 

 on November 28th Sir (then the Hon.) Wm. Macleay sent 

 the schooner "Peahen" on a dredging expedition to Port Stephens. 

 Beyond the fact that a large Sunfish was found stranded on 

 the beach and removed to Sydney, I have no details ; the only 

 published notice seems to be: "Mr. Brazier read an amusing 

 account of a dredging excursion along the coast of New South 

 Wales."* 



In November, 1880, the Australian Museum chartered the S.S. 

 " Manly," and instituted a dredging excursion to Port Stephens 

 and Broughton Island. The Invertebrates obtained numbered 



* Proc. Linu. Soc. N.S.W., L, 1877, p. 14. 



