436 SPENCER FULLERTON BAIRD 
almost every township in the United States; how the shad- 
fishery has been established in unfamiliar waters, such 
as the Ohio River and Pacific Ocean; and in addition to 
this, how many other steps of great magnitude have 
been made in the art of fish-culture. 
“T dare not attempt to estimate the practical value 
of the work of the Commission to the country, but can 
not doubt that it amounts to very many millions of dollars. 
I presume you are familiar with Mr. Goode’s ‘Review of 
what has been acomplished by the Fish Commission in 
fish-culture and in the investigation of American fisheries’; 
but I venture to send herewith a copy of this pamphlet, 
and to direct your special attention to pages 26 to 34, 
in which are quoted numerous commendations of the Fish 
Commission from the principal authorities of Great 
Britain, Norway, Holland, Germany, Belgium, France, 
and other European nations. Professor Huxley, in an 
address at the London Fisheries Exhibition, said that he 
did not think ‘that any nation at the present time had 
comprehended the question of dealing with fish in so 
thorough, excellent, and scientific a spirit as that of the 
United States’; while M. Raveret-Wattel, the principal 
French authority on this subject, states that ‘to this day 
pisciculture has nowhere produced results which can be 
compared with those obtained in the United States.’ No 
one can question that the peculiar excellence of the work 
of our Government has been directly or indirectly due to 
the presence of Professor Baird at the head of the com- 
mission. He had no rivals, and during his administration 
no word of criticism was ever uttered by competent 
persons.” 
