Memorandum for his excellency., February 1, 1878

Memorandum for his excellency.

Ministers desire respectfully to inform his excellency, the governor, that the half million salmon ova which arrived by the mail steamer from San Francisco in November last have been successfully hatched and distributed to the various rivers in the colony, and that by information which has reached the government from various directions it has been demonstrated that, owing to the extreme care with which the ova was packed in America, the very satisfactory result of about 95 per cent. of live fish has been obtained.

In addition to the half million sent at the request of the government, an equal quantity has been sent to the various acclimatization societies in the colony, and this handsome gift of salmon ova has been made to the colony without charge except cost of packing and transit by the Fish Commission of the United States under the direction of the Hon. Spencer F. Baird as Chief Commissioner.

Ministers venture to think that so generous an action on the part of a foreign nation is worthy of being acknowledged in a special manner.

They would, therefore, respectfully ask his excellency to bring the matter under the notice of Her Majesty’s Government through the secretary of state for the colonies, in the hope that Her Majesty’s Government will permit a communication to be made to the Government of the United States of the thanks of the colony of New Zealand for the generous and valuable gift of a million salmon ova to the colony.