ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY.

Globe, Volume IX, Issue 1219, 30 January 1878, Page 3

ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY.

A meeting of the Council of the Acclimatisation Society was held yesterday afternoon, at the Commercial Hotel. Present —Sir Cracroft Wilson (chairman), and Messrs Jameson (hon. treasurer), Boys, Farr (hen. secretary), C. R. Blakiston, Hon. J. T. Peiacock, and Dr. Frankish. Tho minutes of the last meeting were read and confirmed. Accounts to the amount of £lB 7s 6d were passed for payment. Correspondence was then read as follows; — A letter from Launceston, Tasmania, stating that there was no hope of obtaining deer from that island.—A letter from Sir Cracroft Wilson announcing the safe liberation on the 15th and 16th instant of 10,000 salmon fry in a clear creek running in.o the Rangitata, only seven having been lost.—A letter from Mr Boys, reporting that, assisted by Mr Whitefoord, “ who took most of tho trouble and bore all the expense,” he had turned out the 10,000 young salmon voted for tho north branch of the Waimakariri, losing only three dozen.—Both reports desired to thank the railway officials and others, who had given every assistance. A vote of thanks to the Government, to Messrs Lawson, Conyers, and Whitefoord, was passed by the Council. A letter from tho Colonial Secretary's office stated that the Coursing Club wished the close season for hares should be extended from the Ist May to the 31st August, instead of to the 31st July. Mr Peacock animadverted on the want of courtesy shown to the Society, by the application having been made to the Government before the Society had been consulted. After some discussion, it was resolved—- “ That the Society would recommend that the season for coursing should be from the Ist May to the 31st July.” A letter was read from Mr L. Walker, asking that hares might be shot for one month on his property, which is overrun with them. It was resolved to recommend the Government to allow Mr Walker to shoot hares on his own estate for a month. It was resolved —“That one-half of the fry now left should be taken to the Hurunui, and one-half to the Clarence. A letter from Mr R, J, Creighton referred to prospect of sending prairie hens from America, and was couched in sanguine terms. The fourteenth annual report and the balance sheet intended to be presented at tho annual meeting, wore submitted and approved. Dr Frankish called the attention of the committee to the desirability of the Society taking action to protect the game which they had introduced, by engaging the services of one or two keepers to care for the district, within a radius of ten miles from Christchurch ; the Society to give as much towards the salaries oljj-uch keepersas the outside public contributed. There could be no doubt that considerable destruction was going on. The public would, he thought, rather subscribe for conserving what game had already been introduced than for introducing any more. It was resolved to leave the matter for the annual meeting, which was fixed for Tuesday next, the sth February, at half-past seven p.m., in Eadcliffe’s Hotel.