The Sun.
London, England, 1864-04-05 00:00:00

Lord POIVERSCOURT occupied the chair, and the
first paper was read by Mr. Frank Buckland, one
of the secretaries, the subject being " the reports
from Hong Kong, Tasmania, Labuen, Bermuda,
Barbadoes, Borneo, Western Australia, &c., con-
veying answers to inquiries made by the society in
reference to the assistance they might expect to re-
ceive from those countries. Mr. Buckland stated
that the object of the society was to obtain from
foreign sources various products of nature, and in
return to send the products of this country to all
parts of the world. Their intentions were not ex-
actly of a zoological character, the result of their
operations being to adapt everything which came
within their notice to useful purposes. Owing to
the combined exertions of Mr. Edward Wilson
and Mr. James Lowe, much valuable information
had already been received from the different coun-
tries mentioned; bat there could be no doubt that it
was very difficult to acclimatise matters ; and it
would really seem that in Great Britain we had
great advantages over our colonies in regard to in-
digenous productions. They had obtained their
answers through the Colonial-office, and the report
from Tasmania stated that the only quadruped in
that country of much economic value was the bush
kangaroo, very superior leather being made from the
skin, The attempt to acclimatise it among animals
of a higher state of organisation would probably
fail. In birds there was the Cape Barren goose, a
hardy bird of good quality, about the size of an
ordinary goose, but very quarrelsome with other
birds. There was also the Shoveller duck, which had
never been domesticated, and was very rare. The
only freshwater fish was the cucumber mullet, but
it could not be transported to England alive. They
had no timber that would be useful in Europe, and
there were no medicinal plants. An indigo bearing
considerable resemblance to the indigo of commerce
was found growing luxuriantly in poor sandy soils,
but its quality had never been tested. The report
from Barbadoes stated that there were no indige-
nous animals or birds, but there were three kinds of
fish—the snook, the mullet, and the caffrom. There
was no timber, and only those medicinal plants
which had been already analysed and recorded. In
vegetables suited for food they had the Chinese yams,
the tanyer and eddoe, the increase pea, the Lime
bean, the Causse yarn, the hock-padded pea, the
Buena neota and the pigeon pea—a pea of good
quality and wholesome. Bermuda they had no
quadrupeds or birds indigenous to the climate that
would be worth transporting. Their fish was all
salt water fish. The only tree that could be called
a timber tree was the cedar, and there were no
medicinal plants except those which had been in-
troduced into the island. The report from Hong
Kong stated that the sheep and ox of China would
do well in Great Britain. The pig had been largely
exported from thence to England, and there was the
powerful, hardy Tartar pony from the north of China.
In fowls, the local pheasant might be introduced
into this country with advantage. The fish of
China would not bear comparison as food with those
of the British seas. For ornamental fish the gold
fish were to be mentioned. There were no trees of
importance except in the neighbouring island Leu-
conia. In medicinal plants, the Kwangchee might
be named, seeds of that plant being invaluable in
the treatment of worms in children. In vegetables
suitable for food there was, in addition to those
already known, a peculiar species of cabbage and
potato, which would no doubt thrive in England.
In Borneo there were no animals and few birds
worthy of being introduced into this country. In
Australia there were no animals or birds which bed
not already been acclimatised in England, and the
only fish is the Murray ccd.
Mr. Buckland's place being now taken by Mr.
Lowe, joist secretary to the society, the latter gen-
tleman read a paper on Oyster Culture, beginning
by saying that the process was well known in the
time of the Romans, and all the study which modern
naturalists had brought to bear upon the subject had
not added much to the information which the elder
Pliny had given in regard to the habits of the fish.
If there were any need of proof of the necessity for
cultivating the oyster, it might be found in the price
at which the fish is now sold in the market. Two
years ago the best native oysters were 40s. the
bushel, they were now 70s. Common oysters are
now quoted at from 18s. to 245. ; a year ago they
were from 12s. to 16s. When he mentioned that
more than 150,000 bushels of oysters were brought
to Billinsgate every year, some idea might be
formed of the commercial importance of the oyster.
In former years native oysters could be obtained at
43. the dozen; more recently the price had risen to
6d., and at many of the first-class fishmongers they
were now sold at Bd., and even at some establish-
ments at 10d. and Is. Mr. Lowe proceeded to
give some very interesting details respecting the
various means of cultivating oysters ; and he
expressed his conviction that there were many miles
of shore upon our coasts, and especially upon the
east coast, which was now utterly unproductive,
but which might be transformed by oyster culture
into scenes of wealth.producing activity such as are
now to be found in the Ile de Re, and on the coasts
of Normandy and Brittany. From what he had
seen he was quite sure that the cultivation of oysters
is not more difficult than any other kind of cuh•
tivation. Indeed, Dr, Kammerer (no mean authority
on the subject.) preferred it to any other kind of
culture. He believed it possible that, with care and
study, a great variety of oysters might be intro-
duced to our shores and cultivated there ; and if
this were done, cne great object of the Acclimatisa-
tion Society would be successfully accomplished.
Much approbation was expressed at the results of
Mr. Lowe's labours and researches ; and after a
little discussion, Mr. A. W. Crichton read an inte-
resting paper on the Game Birds and Animals of
Canada. The meeting then separated.

A POSER FOR CIIMMINGITES.—Why should it
be a fatal objection to Dr. Cumming that his derig
vation of Sebastopol showed he did not know Greek, and
that his disquisition on the original tribes of England
showed he knew nothing of early history ? Supposing he
were wrong in both these instances, and in a hundred
others like them, why should this be any obstacle to our
accepting his celestial almanac, and fixing the Millenium
with him in 1867, or 1868, or whatever may be the last date
that has hit his fancy ? The answer is, that his only title
to make his guesses, or to exercise any kind of divination,
is his supposed learning. Those who believe in his guesses
believe in them partly because it is entertaining to do
so, partly because they respect his earnestness, partly
because they are sustained by a secret disbelief, and
also, in a very great measure, because they think
a man of his learning is to be trusted. He
sets out with the theory, which he induces them to accept,
that the date of the Millenium is to be arrived at by the
knowledge of a great number of complex and intricate de-
tails, to master which it is necessary to know Greek and the
origin of races. His claim to guess is that he is in special
and exclusive possession of the requisite machinery. It is
perfectly fair and relevant to say to such a man that his
theory may be right or wrong—that it certainly is difficult
to see why a man who knew the real derivation of Sebasto-
pol and the real history of the early settlers in northern
England should be able to tell the meaning of mysteries
which Dr. Cumming suppDses to have been sealed to all the
remainder of the Cnristian world—but that, even supposing
the theory to be right, Dr. Cumming himself is not the man
dwihaporcaavne
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ito fhirti.ngaThhaisc,ko course, d
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sonally to the general level of human ignorance about the
future, ani there is some use and comfort in that. —Satur-
day Review.
GREAT EASTERN RAILWAY AND THE CONTI.
NENTAL TRAFFIC,—The property required fur this
company's proposed central City station consists of in.
houses in the parish of St. Botolph, Bishopegate, displacing
powerful
paddle
333 persons ; GO in Christ Church, Spitalfields, 180 persons;
and 186 houses inaSvte
justiat t h eawd
d,
eßde Bethnal-green, ge
another
epe
onw, Bpersons.
The company have
steamer, called the Avalon, of 880 tons, to their steam fleet
for working the Continental traffic between Harwich, Ant-
werp, and Rotterdam. Other vessels to be placed on the
route during the summer are now in course of construction,