120 TRANSACTIONS LIVERPOOL BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



Britain and Ireland, and in particular whether the object 

 in view will be best attained by the creation of one 

 central body or department acting for England, Scotland 

 and Ireland, or by means of separate departments or 

 agencies in each of the three countries.' You will see, 

 gentlemen, that that is a very wide reference, and I trust 

 that the deliberations of this Committee, which is now in 

 course of appointment, will end in some fruitful result." 



So far the President of the Board of Trade, and I think 

 all who are interested in the advancement of knowledge and 

 the promotion of fisheries research will agree as to the im- 

 portance of the announcement ; but as I have had the 

 honour of being appointed a member of Sir Herbert Max- 

 well's Committee on Ichthyological Besearch, it would be 

 highly improper for me to make any comments upon the 

 work that will be necessary in order to carry out Mr. 

 Balfour's suggestions, or upon the results that are likely to 

 follow. But quite apart from the Board of Trade Com- 

 mittee, it is important that I should urge upon Lancashire 

 my conviction that our local waters of the Irish Sea ought 

 to be investigated under the auspices of our local Committee. 

 Whether or not a great national or international scheme of 

 investigation be entered upon, it is most desirable that 

 Lancashire, which has obtained credit for an advanced and 

 enlightened policy in the past, should recognise its obliga- 

 tions — moral if not legal — and should carry out an adequate 

 programme of work at sea on similar lines to that of the 

 Scottish Fishery Board to the North of us, and to that of 

 the Irish Board on our West. The Fisheries Branch of the 

 Irish Department of Agriculture has now an organised 

 scientific department, with a well known marine biologist, 

 Mr. Ernest Holt, as scientific adviser, and an efficient 

 steamer, " The Helga," measuring 150 feet in length, which 



