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Mr. S. C. Fare to the Hon. the Colonial Secretary, "Wellington. Sic, — Christchurch, 11th January, 1879. I have the honor to inform you, in reply to your communication of the 29th ultimo, that a special meeting of the Council was convened to consider the important matter contained therein, and after considerable discussion the following resolution was unanimously agreed to —namely, " That a letter be sent to the Colonial Secretary stating that, in the interests of fish-culture, and the stocking of the public streams with fish, it is not desirable that leave should be given Mr. Johnson." I may also add, as a proof that we are doing all we can for the benefit of the public, that last season the Society distributed gratuitously the large number of 22,000 trout in the public streams of the Provincial District of Canterbury; and the Society intends to continue the gratuitous distribution aa long as it has funds to carry on the work : thus it will be patent that giving permission to Mr. Johnson would interfere seriously with such a project. I should here take the opportunity of referring to a letter from Mr. Johnson to the Minister for Public Works, dated Gth February, 1878, re American whitefish, published in the papers, relative to the introduction of salmon and whitefish ova, and presented to both Houses of the General Assembly in 1878. In the latter clause of his letter he states " that English brown trout and English perch were first introduced into New Zealand at his expense." To this statement lam prepared to give a most emphatic contradiction, based upon the following facts, culled from the proceedings of the Society in the fourth annual report, and also from the minute book. In the latter I find it recorded, on the 23rd August, 18G6, that a long letter was read from Dr. Officer, of Hobart Town, stating, " that the Commissioners were now enabled to offer the Society a supply of trout ova, if a suitable person could be at once despatched to fetch it." This letter was unfortunately delayed, through some unknown cause, until too late for that season ; but a letter was written to him stating " that the Society would take steps another year to avail itself of the offer, and arrange for the safe transit of the ova to New Zealand." The minute-book of the Society's proceedings for the year 1867 was unfortunately lost at Mr. Johnson's house in some unaccountable way; but I find in the report of a meeting held 22nd May, 1868, the following record : " The acclimatization of salmon and trout in Tasmania having been satisfactorily effected, the idea of obtaining ova thence was long and anxiously deliberated upon by your Council in July ; but the motion of Mr. Davie to send at once for them was deferred. However, on the 27th of that month the Curator (Mr. Johnson), hearing that the ponds would be ready before the ova could arrive, a special meeting was called for 9th August, when an offer from the Curator was made to go to Tasmauia at his own expense, he being allowed a bonus on every fish successfully hatched, and it was resolved that a bonus of £1 be given him for every fish (salmon or trout) which he might rear to be six weeks old. But, looking to the responsibility which Mr. Johnson assumed, the Council agreed to advance him £30, to continue the payment of his salary as heretofore, and to provide, at the Society's expense, a man to watch and work in the gardens during his absence. The Curator ultimately proceeded to Tasmania, and procured a quantity of trout ova, being unable to procure any salmon ova, from the fact that no fish had been captured. The experiment was not successful, only three fish having been hatched, owing, as your Council believe, to the fact that no sailing vessel was obtainable to bring the ova direct. It will scarcely be necessary for mo to add that sufficient private streams exist in the Canterbury District, well supplied with trout, from which Mr. Johnson may obtain all the trout ova he requires, provided he obtains the sanction of the owners ; but, in reference to the salmon, this Society would not themselves, under any circumstances, at present venture to capture a single fish, lest their efforts to establish themselves, hitherto successful, might be frustrated. I would point out that the work performed by the Society has been done out of its funds alone, and that it can only look upon the application of Mr. Johnson as that of a man desirous of securing private benefit at the public expense, especially as lie is now offering to forward to the Sydney Exhibition American salmon eighteen months old. I trust that sufficient evidence has been adduced to prove that the statement made by Mr. Johnson in the communication referred to above was utterly without foundation, and that this " well-known Pisciculturist " has not the claims upon the Colonial Government which his commmunications would imply. I have, <fee, S. C. Fare, The Hon. the Colonial Secretary, Wellington. Hon. Sec. and Treasurer.

No. 102. Mr. J. A. E. Menzies to the Chairman of the Colonial Industries Commission. Sih,— Dun Alistcr, Wyndham, 22nd. May, 1880. In reply to the inquiry for some information with reference to the naturalization of salmon in the colony, and their prospective value as a source of wealth when the rivers shall have been fully stocked, I may first remark that 3,300 fry of Salmo solar have been placed, at different times—in 1875, 1877, and 1878 —in the liiver Aparima, in Southland (App. H. of E., H.-11, 1878), and that many thousands of the fry of Californian salmon (Quinnat) have been placed in rivers in all parts of the colony ; for example, within my own knowledge, 67,000 in the Oreti and its tributaries, and 10,000 in the Waipahi, in 1877 and 1878 {Ibid). These fish cannot be considered naturalized until it can be proved that they have bred in the rivers, and no evidence of that has yet been furnished. Seeing, however, that brown trout have thriven and multiplied in a remarkable way in rivers in all parts of the colonies, it may be assumed that the conditions are favourable to the propagation of Californian salmon in both Islands, and of Salmo solar in the colder and therefore more congenial waters of Otago and Southland ; but until it can be unequivocally shown that they have bred in our rivers the importation of ova of the latter kind from Britain should not be discontinued. In the earlier experiments the expense of introducing from the mother-country was considerable, and the risk of failure very great. The establishment of a line of largo Australian steamers has partly reduced the expense of transmission, and materially lessened the risk of failure. A few cases could be brought at a very moderate expense in the icehouses of the vessels on every trip daring the proper 12— H. 22.