into the Rivers of Tasmania. 44] 
offering their opinion for the future success of a second trial, 
and which I will reply to seriatim. It is also with unfeigned 
pleasure I read that so much interest had been created in 
the colony, from the belief that henceforth salmon can be 
transmitted to stock the rivers of those regions, and form a 
grand acquisition for food and mercantile speculation. 
In Mr. J. L. Burnett's report, at the desire of Sir William 
Denison, upon the introduction of salmon and trout into 
Van Diemen’s Land, that gentleman has given a very correct 
statement of my arrangements on board the Oolumbus, and 
of the written instructions handed to Captain Smith. 
Now, as regards the cause of the failure of the experiment, 
I believe I have gone so fully into the subject in the fore- 
going remarks, that it will not be necessary for me again to 
repeat them in detail. 
But upon the subject of the change of the quality of the 
water, I must entirely differ with that gentleman, Mr. J. L. 
Burnett, and offer a few words in explanation, as I am con- 
vineed, from the practical knowledge and experience I have 
obtained of the water sent out, that from its own properties 
it could not go over to putrescence ; but owing to many of 
the eggs of the salmon and trout becoming addled, and which 
remained for some time in a state of adipocere—then decom- 
position from that state taking place—as the vessel remained 
under the line, numbers of the brood, if not all, ceased to 
exist in consequence of the great heat; and thus putres- 
cence was produced—and not only fetidness, but also the 
thick, slimy state of the water in the spawn-tub, as described 
by Captain Smith. It was therefore decomposition of 
animal matter, and not putrescence of the water, in which 
previously no animal or vegetable matter had existed. 
The water sent out was taken from the purest source in 
TT 
