Local Intelligence.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XI, Issue 686, 4 June 1859, Page 4

Local Intelligence.

An adjourned meeting of the Church Property Trustees was held in the College Library, Christchurchy on Wednesday last. The attendance of trustees was not numerous. The business before the meeting was the consideration of a report from the committee of management; recommending the sale of certain \tnlet town and rural lands belonging to the tru&t; to the! estimated value of £8000, ,in order tot provide for the erection oi parsonage houses and schools. Of the sum to he obtained by the sale Ihe original cost of the land (about £500) sKould be reinvested in Crown land, and the balance should be applied for building purposes during the next seven years; A schedule exhibited the sites marked out for sale. The proposition and schedule were fully' discussed and approved of by the trustees, who by resolution directed land to a further amount of £4000 to be marked out, giving room for more free selection. Resolutions giving effect to the above opinions were adopted. One, proposed by Mr. Potts, seconded by Mr. Murray ; the second, proposed by Mr.. Miles, and seconded by Mr. Bridge. .

We continue to receive complaints of the manner in which the public were catered for at the Ball at Christen urch, on the Queen's birthday. It is said that the price of the tickets (155.) was quite high enough to ensure a good supper; that the fare was really very poor; arid that not one drop of wine w«s laid on the table. If the object was to make the tickets cheap, the absence of wine might be very good policy, but there is no excuse for a thing being both dear and bad. The question is often put but never answered—Why are balls so expensive at Christchuroh ? ■ ■•■■■••■■• ..

At the sale of the Mitre property, on Thursday, by Messrs. P. Noble Campbell, and Co., the lease of the section (a qr.-acre) having 12| years to ran, subject to a ground rent equivalent to £60 per annum, with improvements, sold for £1,850. The furniture, &c, realised good prices. The freehold of the section was disposed of privately at £1,500. A section, the twelfth part of an acre, with 22 feet frontage to London Street, with a small house on it, sold for £220. Other properties offered were withdrawn. ■•".,'.

The following interesting letter from Mr. FitzGerald on the subject of the introduction of salmon and game has been forwarded to us for publication. We understand that he will receive authority to make the attempt suggested":— ~< ■■■■■■■ 32, Charing Cross, March IS, 1859. Sib, —I have the honour to address your Honor on a subject of much importance, and to request an early reply from the Provincial Government. There is a committee, of which I have the honor to be a membe)\Coinposed of Australian gentlemen in jthis country, tor the purpose of oi;ganizing measures for introducing various kinds of game into the colonies. One of our principal subjects of consideration is.the,introduction of salmon. . Now, it appears salmon will not live much, if at all, nearer the line than 40° . They are found in the north of Spain, where the rivers flow out of high mountains, but not in the south of France. They would not, therefore, live in Australi^nor probably in any part of New Zealand bnt Canterbury and Ottigo; perhaps in the south of Tasmania. But Canterbury is peculiarly favourable, bavins? S72ow rivers. Salmon always live better in cold than in other water, especially preferring snow /«■« rivers and very rapid rivers. My inquiries lead to the conclusion that the most rapid streams, even the Rakaia, are not at all too rapid for salmon to lay spawn in. ■ Now, I wish your Honor to consider the result nt the introduction of tins fish into our waters. First, our position would give us in the south of New Zealand the monopoly of supplying the Australia" colonies with salmon* Steamers with wells would enable fresh salmon to be sent from Canterbury™ every part of, Australia, except, perhaps, Adelaide: preserved, it could be .sent everywhere. Now it is worth while considering the results of this trade. In an examination before a Committee of the House of Commons last week, the Duke of Richmond returned, the, profits . from one fishery belonging to him at upwards of £12,000 a year: and there ar^

multitudes of streams in Scotland an^ Ireland returning proportionably large incomes; and this, in addition to all the^fish sent annually from Norway. .There can. be no. dispute then thatthe introduction, of this fish as a government monopoly would be most beneficial. With regard to introducing the fish, there are but two possible modes proposed. One in a grown up state in tanks on deck. In this case we might try (1) the young fish just before going tVthe salt water, not impregnated, about six or eight inches in length, sending some male fish with female. They would be caught in fresh water, but gradually inured to 'salt and taken out "in'salt'water tanks. The,-advantage would be that manymore could be sent in the same tank; the disadvantage that a year would probably be lost in spawning : as they must be sent out in May, they would not spawn till the May after. (2). They might be taken after returning from the sea, or rather in the sea, after impregnation, when they would on landing immediately up the river and spawn. Their size having in this case increased to 18 inches,only half the number could be taken in the same space, and of course the chance of the loss of all on the voyage would be doubled.1 The difficulty of this plan arises from the fact that salmon cannot live in water above a certain temperature: it is said, 60° Fahrenheit; whilst the water in the tropics (and the tanks must be constantly supplied with fresh sea water) is as much as 80°. The water, therefore, must be cooled by artificial processes whiltt passing through the tropics, and in this would lie the ivhole expense. But there is a third state in which the experiment may be tried, and that is "frozen spawn." It seems to be admitted that the spawn, ordinarily speaking, would not stand the voyage; but it appears that in the rivers in the extreme north of Norway, in 72 ° N., the spawn is actually frozen up for a long time, and it is suggested that spawn might thus be put into a very large bed of ice and kept frozen until deposited in rivers in the colony. The only expense here would be the ice well, which would not be larger, than to keep the inside frozen. Now, if only half a dozen pairs of salmon could be introduced, in five years the fishery might commence; a salmon lays 17,000 eggs a-year, of which a very large number come to fish; the rate of increase therefore is beyond calculation. But it would be necessary that there should be most rigid laws; first, to prevent any persons fishing except under license from the Government, and secondly, to prevent all fishing when the females are'in spawn. If this were done and the rivers once well started with fish before the fishing commenced, a very large and lucrative trade would be opened for the. province, a most excellent food would be introduced for the people, and a. considerable revenue might be raised by the Government. ■ •."•'' ": ;■ ■'.■'■■ "■-.'■ ' . ■' '

I am wholly unable to lay before your Honor any estimate of the cost, but I would respectfully suggest that your agent here should be allowed to expend any . sum not exceeding three hundred pounds in any attempts to introduce salmon, recommended by the Australian Committee for that purpose. It seems to me desirable to try all ways until the thing is done. Estimating that six snow rivers would produce fisheries, and that, they would be worth as much as in this country (arid the difference of prices would probably make them worth more) the amount of wealth to the province would some day be worth nearly .£50,000 a year. Surely the chance of such a benefit would make it worth while to expend £300 in the attempt to obtain it. . I also wish to mention that I have been offered some deer, if the Government think it worth while to attempt the introduction of that game. I think 1 could obtain both fallow and red deer, and perhaps a pair of ibex. The deer require to be taken young and fed in boxes for a long time so as to tame them; the only expense will be the food and water on the voyage. I should imagine that for £300 or £400 a considerable number might be shipped. If the Government would authorize me to expend this, sum I would see to the experiment being properly tried; but of course I do not urge this as offering the chance of a valuable trade as in the case of the salmon. May I beg your Honor will be so good, as to give me instructions on these points at an early date. I am, &c, James Edward FitzGebald.