THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. MONDAY, MARCH 5, 1877.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2546, 5 March 1877, Page 2

THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. MONDAY, MARCH 5, 1877.

The President of the Auckland Acclimatisation Society has written to the Chief Commissioner of the United States Fisheries thanking him for the salmon ova sent and giving him the result of three hatchments made in the provincial district of Auckland. One of these hatchments was in the Auckland Domain, another about 15 miles north of Auckland, and the third at one of the head waters of the Thames Eiver, and the latter seems to have been by far the most successful of the three. The advantage of having salmon in our rivers is acknowledged. Granted that by many the salmon we rear from the ova received from America is inferior to the kind found in the Severn, Tweed or Tay, yet they are a very great improvement on any fish we have here. Many people buy the tinned salmon, and this at a cost of Is per tin is in no way to be compared, we should imagine, to fish raised in the way Mr Firth describes. How much better then, as well as cheaper — for salmon in our own waters would cost nothing like a shilling a pound—to rear this fish for ourselves. That there are difficulties in the way no ope will deny. In the first place Mr Firth speaks of our rivers being destitute of fish except five or six kinds, " all either small or of little value either for sport or food." This gives a reason why we should try to stock our. rivers, and at the same time : points, out, in the question which is sure, to be asked. " "Why arethey without good fish? " one of the difficulties which will have to be encountered in any attempt to raise salmon successfully. The answer to the question as given by Mr Firth is that the rivers, especially the northern ones, are full of eels, which with the shags and other birds that prey on small fishes, have devastated the rivers. This may partly account for it, but not entirely. It is known that these enemies offish do and. will do great damage, but it seems to u» almost impossible that they could actually '■ have cleared the rivers of fish in the way referred to by Mr Firth, much less would, they be. able t/> do so in the case of. fish so prolific as the salmon. The great danger to be apprehended would not be so much from enemies like these—that is, supposing the salmon were once fairly introduced here—as from that class of men who aflect fishing either for sport v or profit. ..Against these in behalf of .the fish it has been found .necessary in England and Scotland to enict laws which will check the love of gain in the one class, and restrain the over-zealous enthusiasm of the other, and give the; fish a fair chance of being fruitful and multiplying. Laws must be made in the case of net fishers regulating the size of the mesh of the nets, prohibiting standing nets especially at the'mouths of rivers, and of.necessity enforcing a close season, during which under no circumstances may fish be taken, either with net or rod. The rules as regards the rod fisher are not so important; they must prohibit the taking of the par and the unclean fish, 0r.." kelts" as they are called in Scotland and the north of- England, and the prohibition of the use of salmon ovaas a bait, or the salmon spear. To enforce these regulations water-bailiffs would be necessary, but the expense of maintaining these need not necessarily be great, and besides watching the water they might, were it deemed necessary, keep a watch on -these shags which Mr Frith dreads so much. In fact there seems to us to be no very great difficulty in getting our rivers well stocked, and when once that has .been accomplished the supply could be easily maintained. There are at present in New Zealand few' manufactories on rivers which discharge poisonous matter into the waters, as are so frequently met with in the salmon rivers at home, and which destroy more fish in a month than any amount of shags and eels would in a year. The numbers of dead fish found about Hawick, Galashiels, Chirnside, and other places prove this, and the only other point of difficulty raised is .the fact that the temperature of .New Zealand waters is in some cases unsuitable for salmon, being too high. This is of course a difficulty which if it really exists cannot be'encountered with success, but one we are inclined to believe which is not so much a difficulty as is generally supposed ; neither do we think that the loss from this circumstauce would be as great as is apprehended. Mr Baird offers to send more salmon ova if necessary, although he may be obliged to charge what it after "all a merely nominal sum, for them. We hope that his kindness in this respect will be appreciated by the Council of the Acclimatisation-Society shortly to be elected, and that many fishers in New Zealand will ere long have the satisfaction of rising, hooking, killing and eating the fish they have themselves caught in New Zealand waters.

The Assessment Court of tlie Waiotabi district was held at the schoolhouso, Waiotahi Creek, to-day before Captain Eraser, Judge. Several objections had been lodged in writing, but as no one .put in an appearance they were struck out and the assessment confirmed. Mv J. Gkigg, of Pollen street, has recently become' the agent for Chappel and Co. of London, Alexandra of Paris, and other well knowu firms of piano and

harmonium manufacturers, and received his first consignment of instruments by the Thurland Cast.le, which arrived at Auckland, a week or two back. To-day we had the pleasure of inspecting his stock, and though there is not su-h a number and variety of instruments as may be seen in several instrument warehouses in Auckland, yet all are of the best quality. Amongst other novelties we noticed a very small harmonium by Alexandre. It is designated " The People's Harmonium," aud weighs only 45ibs. The cost is £7 10s, and for cheapness and durability they are said to be unrivalled. Mr Grigg has also amongst his stock two or three organ-harmoniums, which, besides being capable of being used for psalmody, can also be used for the performance of operatic pieces, J*c. It may be added that Mr Grigg s showroom is well worthy the inspection of intending purchasers.

Some portion of the telegram with reference to the All Knglaud Match in Dunedin was received on Saturday, but too late to be of any service, it only reaching this office a few .minutes before 5 o'clock, when the printing of the day's issue was nearly completed.

The Governor has appointed Inspector Eobert Bullen and " Inspector" William Stone Pardy to be rangers under " The Protection of Animals Act, 1876." Francis Morris Preston Brookfield, Esq., has been appointed a Revising Barrister under " The Building Societies Act 1876," for the district of Auckland.

The funeral of the late Mrs Mahoney having been fixed for yesterday afternoon a very large number of friends assembled at the Lady Bowen Hotel to pay the last tribute of respect to one so generally esteemed. The.members of the H.A.C.B.S. to the number of over 70 assembled at 2 p.m. at St. Bridget's Church, clad in mourning regalia. From the feeling and sympathy displayed by all classes of persons it was evident that the funeral was regarded as one of no ordinary kind. Few who had known Mrs Mahoney through life could feel otherwise than sorrowful at her loss, and sincere sympathy with her bereaved family. The friends and neighbours, even those who were prevented from following the mournful procession, came in great numbers, and though the number of those following the.corpse itself was very large, yet as the procession proceeded its numbers wei'e greatly augmented, until one of the longest -private funeral processions seen at the Thames followed the hearse to the cemetery. From the residence of deceased the cortege proceeded to S. Joseph's Church in Willoughby street, the H.A.C.B.S. leading the way, Mr Mahonev arid the brother of the deceased acting as chief mourners, followed by the members of the Licensed Victuallers Association and personal friends.: The sympathy felt with Mr Mahoney was not evinced by residents at the Thames alone, Coromandel aud-. Waitekauri and other out-districts each contributed their contingent of mourners to St. Joseph's Church... There the service was read by the Rev. Father Chastagnon, the choir of the church taking their due part therein. The church itself was crowded, and the funeral procession being re-formed proceeded to the cemetery, where the last rites of her religion were performed over one who wilPbe missed by all who knew her.' .

An accident which was attended with no worse consequences than the delay of 24 hours happened to the steadier JKnterprise No. 2on Saturday. It seems the stegrmr left Grahamstown at 10 o'clock on Saturday ..nightwith the object of going straight to Auckland —such was the intention of the captain and such was the desire of the passengers, most of whom attempted to make up for the want of a regular bed by availing themselves of such accommodation as the vessel possessed. Lulled in'o the belief that they were making their journey shorter with every revolution of the paddles they slumbered and slept or tried to, and those who succeeded imagined when they heard it said "Here we are " that they had-had a quick passage and congratulated themselves thereon. It was found," however, that the word •" here " referred not to Auckland but to Graharastown, whither they had been obliged to return in consequence of the boiler leaking. They were enabled to proceed last night, repairs to the boiler having been effected.

As the week now past was in its twelfth and last hour the shrill notes of a policeman's whistle were heard in Brown street, and a crowd, already collected was augmented by those who always assemble, and that rapidly when anything out of the common, such as a fight, whether of men or dogs takes place. The whistle was quickly answered by the appearance of a constable, to whose body, judging from his limbs the word able might be with justice applied. In the meantime, however, thegentleman for whom free lodgings were to have been provided, acting on the advice of a friend had taken himself off, leaving the guardians of the peace to whistle for him if they chose. He, it was said, had been wetting his whistle a lit lie too freely.

Fjbom 1.45 p;tn. on Saturday, for as long space of time as it takes the minute hand of a clock to travel round its dial, a parly of travellers might have seen near the cabstand in Brown street looking in vain for some vehicle to convey them to Parawai. The day was hot, walking disagreeable, and each thought that a cab must be coming soon. They-waited, but in vain. Some proposed walking ; others chartering one of the. expresses; others didn't propose anything at all, but looked up and down the streets to see if anything in the shape of a conveyance was coming; at last the welcome intelligence was conveyed that a cab was in sight. Like misfortunes, it did not come singly, as another rapidly turned the comer. The first cab was stopped, about to be entered when the driver uttered the word engaged, and so it was. Recourse was had to the second cab, but that was full, and the hopes of the party crushed: Vet crushed but for a time as a friend was seen approaching mounted on a steed which, though not a' Pegasus, would, it was thought, get to Shorthand sooner than a The horseman consented when there to send a cab back for the delayed ones, who began to feel like a certain section of the : blessed are said to be when they expect nothing. It was with joy then that they saw a cab approaching, which increased when the driver was heard to say he would go to Parawai immediately. The word immediately, however, is capable of several raeauings, as was apparent in this case, for first of all it was explained that there were no cushions in the cab, and when that difficulty was got over by a wish for luxuries being I'epudiat'ed, the driver said

he must at all events get another cab. wlncu would not occupy him the small space of two seconds. His agility in changing caba was not proved, as another rehicle appearing the party all got in and arrived safe and sound at Parawai, having been kept wailing 1 hour 3 minutes and at least one of the two seconds requisite for changing horses. L

| Wanted Everybody to Know that nil kinds of Watches and Clocks can be repaired at J. T. Clarke's, Pollen street (corner of Mary street). N.B. Balance Staffs, Cylinders, and Pinions worked in for the Trade. English Hunting Levers, £8 lOs.—Advt. .