FEEFACE. Vll 



that theirs was a veritable discovery, or re-discovery, 

 and that but for them the method of artificial fish- 

 . culture would have remained to this day as unknown 

 as it was twenty years ago. 



The proceedings of this learned body, the highest 

 scientific authority of France, and perhaps of the 

 world, brought the matter to the attention of the 

 French government, and resulted in the appointment, 

 by the Minister of Agriculture and Commerce, of M. 

 Milne-Edwards, a member of the Institute, to make 

 an investigation, and report to the Government. 

 This report is ,the subject of a volume of criticism 

 by Dr. Haxo, who censures Milne-Edwards and the 

 other academicians for their unfairness to the two 

 fishermen. Be that as it may, the Government re- 

 warded the fishermen with places and pensions : and 

 upon the recommendation of the Eeport that theirs 

 was the best method, but from want of means they 

 had not been able to carry it out on any large scale, 

 the Government determined to take the matter in 

 hand. With this view it made a first appropriation 

 of 30,000 francs, and appointed Messrs. Berthot and 

 Detzem, the engineers of thp Ehine and Khone canal, 

 to erect at Huningen a government-establishment for 

 artificial fish-culture, and to superintend its workings. 

 This establishment went into operation in 1852, and 



