OTSXER CULTTJEE COilMISSION—IIINUTES OF EYIDENCE, 
45 
1560. Ihcli tliere lu nothing to wawi the public off—nothing to show that those portions of the river arc 
leased to Messrs. Cxascoigne and Baldwin ? Xo. 
1561. AVhat is the nature of the soil ? .Sandy and rock. 
1562. I’here is no rich mud? Xo. 
156:5. AVhut ife the term of the leases ? Ten years. 
1564. The leases are issued under the Act 31 Alctoria, Xo. 20, arc they not ? Yes. 
15G5. Have tlie lesnees inaJe any improvements v Yes. Mr. Bakhviii lias done a little ; lie lias put down 
some stakes and some brushwood, but the oysters do not seem to grow upon it to any exlciit. 1 imagine 
that the bottom is too sandy. 
1566. Has lie tried to breed there, or rather to collect spat? Yes. Mr. Gascoigne gets a few off the 
rocks ; it is chiefly to the sandstone rocks that they attach themselves. 
1567. Has Mr. Baldwin tried to lay down oysters to grow and fatten ? Only a very few. 
1568. And the other lessee, Mr. Gascoigne, has he tried it ? No. He gets them chiefly off the rocks iu 
front ot Ins place. 
1569. That is his object then in renting the portion of the river in front of his place ? My idea is that 
his object 18 to get oysters from other parts of the river, and that he uses this place as 'a cloak. I'oi- 
instance, the other parts of the river are closed, and if he goes away at night and gets oysters, there is no 
war under present circumstances of making him show where he got tliem from. 
1570. Ihcii, inyour ojimion, these leases are a mere blind to enable the lessees to get oysters from other 
portions of the I’iver which are closed ? Yes. 
1571. Do you think it is dcsii-able to lease isolated portions of a river in this wav ? Xo, 1 think it is a 
mistake myself; 1 think the areas of these leases are too small, and I think also'that the law is not mWU 
ciently severe, because, even if they are caught, they have only to pay a fine of ten shillings or a pound at 
the Police Court, and it pays them to do that. 
1572. Is the soil sandy in both places ? Yes, it is a sort of drift sand with a slight touch of mud iu it; 
the ground is loose. 
1573. It is not at all suitable for fattening oysters ? Xo, I don't consider it so. 
15/4. You have not told us anything about Sir. A. R. Emerson's lease, from the embouchure of George's 
River to Botany Head. Has he two leases? A'es, they are leased by the same iierson. U was his 
brother who gave evidence here. 
1575. Is there any of the Cook s River laud leased? Air. George Lord has a small frontage opposite his 
])lace; he has only lately taken it u]). 
1576. AYhat is the area of his lease ? It is the frontage to Iiis property ; I could not say cvaeily what 
the area is—about 4 or 5 acres. 
1577. AVhat rent does ho ])ay ? £1 a year. 
15/8. Does he make use of it ? He told me tlie other day, Avheii I mot him in the street, that he had 
been laying down some spat; but I have not been there lately myself; it is only a small saudv beach 
with a little mud. ^ 
1579. AVell, you have now told us all about the.leased rivers; now tell us about the rivers that 
leased. AVhat about the Richmond River? That is not leased. 
are not 
1580. Is it a closed river ? Yes. 
1581. AVhat is the extent of the Richmond River ? I have no idea; 1 have never been tlierc. 
1582. Thou you cannot give us any information with regard to the soil; whether it is good fattening 
ground or not ? I Icijow there arc quantities of oysters there; I have had samples sent up from it. 
1583. IIow long has it been closed ? Some few months — eight or ton months. 
1584. Do you know anything of the Bellinger River? Yes, that is a closed river also. 
1585. Have you over hecMi there? Yes. 
1586. Are tliere many oysters there? Well, not a very great quantity ; but they are fine oysters, what 
there arc. 
1587. AVhat is the nature of* the banks and the bed of the river? It is rich alluvial soil mostly; the 
oysters are clilelly in the bed of tlie river, in what is called the south arm. 
1588. And are tlie oyster beds there exieiusive ? No, tliey are no great size, only small patches ; there are 
seven or eight patches in it that I know of. 
1589. Do you think many oysters are stolen from these closed rivers? Yes; but of course tlie Bellinger 
River is a bar river, ami the steamers cannot got u[) it. 
1590. Then there is the Xambiicca, is that a closed river ? Yes. 
1591. Have you ever been there ? No. 
1592. The Tiveod River, do you know anything of that ? That is a closed river. 
1593. Have you ever been on it ? No. 
1594. Then you can give us no information about it ? No. 
1595. Do you know anything about the Tomago River ? Yes, I have been Ihei-e. 
1596. AVIiat are it.s banks composed of ehietiy ? vVlliivial .soil, mostly mud banks, with a great many 
mangroves. 
1597. Are there many oysters on the mangroves? No, very few. 
1598. It is not a river which produces many oysters? No. 
1599. Tlie next is the AVogonga River; have you been there? AYs. , 
1600. AVhat are its banks and its bed composed of ? Most of the oysters there are rock oysters; there 
are a few mud oysters; the rock oysters are very fine. 
1601. Is there a great deal of spat sticking to tlie rocks? A great deal, in places. 
1602. And no use whatever is made of it ? No. 
1603. Do you know anything of the Bennaguee River ? No. 
1601. You have never been tliere? No; it is only a small place. 
1605. The Panbula River, have you been there ? Yes. 
1606. Of what do its banks and bed consist ? Shell banks, formed with mud oyster shells, and there are 
oysters on the rocks. 
1607. Are there many Hinall oysters sticking to the rocks ? Yes, upon two or tlirec of tlie points there 
are a good many. 
1608. Are there any mangroves there ? There arc mangroves, but I did not notice many oysters attached 
to them; there us a largo mangrove swamp there. There used to be chiefly mud oysters there, very 
large mud oysters, but when I went there almost all of them were dead. 1609 
Mr. W. J. 
• Langbani. 
29 ^^ov., 1876. 
/ 
