The Sun.
London, England, 1863-12-29 00:00:00

FISH CULTURE IN FRANCE,

The art of fish breeding has been extensively
,ractised in France during the last 20 years, and

has recently been brought to a focus in the esta-
blishment constructed for the reception and distri-
bution of fish ova at Huningue, near Basle, on the
Rhine. The artificial system of spawning fish (i.e.,
by hand manipulation) owes its success to th 3 fact

of the fecundation of fish eggs being an external
act—in other words, the roe of the female is not
fecundated by the milt of the male fish till after it
has been deposited in its watery bed. An observ-

ant fisherman of the department of La Bresse, in
the Vosges, was the first in France to discern that
the natural principle of fish fecundation could be
easily imitated, and so be turned to profitable ac-
count in the pursuit of his business.
Joseph Remy, the re-discoverer of pisciculture,
was an unlettered peasant, and therefore unac-
quainted with the fact that fish-breeding had been

Practised in China from the remotest times with
such success as to make fish one of the cheapest
luxuries of that great country, or that the art was

known in its utmost perfection in the classic days
of Italy. Nor was he aware that one Gottlieb had
practised is Germany a century before him, and
most likely he was even ignorant of the salmon-
breeding experiments of Mr. Shaw at Drumlanrig
Castle in the years 1837-9. Remy, so far as the
breeding of fish for commercial purposes is con-

cerned, is undoubtedly entitled to all the praise of
an original discoverer, and his own narrative of how
he came to try the artificial system is explanatory

of what is still a grievance and a misfortune—viz,,

;he growing scarcity of our fresh water fishes

Remy, knowing how enormously prolific all kinds of
fish naturally are, most of them yielding their eggs by tens
of thousands, could not understand how they were yearly
becoming less plentiful, but setting his eyes to observe
and his wits to work out the question, he found—lst, that
immense proportion of the ova was never properly fecun-
dated; 2, that even if all the eggs obtained the benefit of
the milt, a vast proportion never came to life from
being deposited in places where they were ultimately
bereft of water, that others were eaten by waterfowl,
or devoured by other fishes, and a proportion swept away
to the sea, and so lost for ever. Then, again, Remy found
out that however large a proportion of the eggs might ripen,
and so become fish, a high percentage of these never became
of any food value, as they were killed in their infancy by
juvenile anglers, or preyed upon by larger fishes. There-
fore Remy soon saw that the best way to increase the sup-
ply was by obtaining the eggs and protecting the young
fish till they were able to take care of themselves.
Having arrived at these conclusions, Remy_ set to work
to collect in the various rivers of his native district the
spawn of such fish as could most readily be obtained ; these
were hatched into life and protected and fed while young.
But, not contented with this laborious plan, Reney was
wont to watch for and obtain the gravid fish, and so acquire
the ova, in what we may term wholesale quantities by the
system of artificial spawning. Having assumed M. Gehin
as a partner in his art, his experiments were largely
,r
ab
teeyd i n
d
o n
ea-
tended, and were early crowned with a suedceemssfas far
what he ever anticipated, as was speedily on
the constantly increasing fish supply of his native streams.
Messrs. Gehin and Remy were at once rewarded with a sum
of money, and a handsome bronze medal was unanimously
voted to them by the Socikid dEinulation des Vosges. Be-
sides these rewards, the fishermen were handsomely noticed
in 1849, in a paper communicated by Dr. llaxo, of Epinal,
to the Academy of Sciences at Paris, which at once fixed
public attention on the art of pisciculture,and attracted to it
the patronage of the French Government, whose first act,
it is, r' .or to eay, wag to reward and employ the twe fisher-
men whose names we have mentioned.
After the matter was taken in hand by the Government
the spread of pisciculture was rapid. It would take up far
too much space to detail minutely what has been accom.
plished in the art of fish breeding in the fresh water streams
of France ; suffice it to say that at present no stream
need be without a plentiful supply of
.fish, as any quantity
ot eggs can be obtained from the establishment at Huningue
for the mere asking, and from that source many of the
rivers are now leaping with fish. Indeed, we know from
information supplied at Huningue that the annual distribu-
tion of fish eggs is numbered by millions, the quantity of
ova supplied last year to various applicants was over
17,000,000, some of which came to England and were de-
posited in the river Thames.
Much of the success of this artificial culture of fish in
France must be attributed to the great personal interest
taken in the advancement of the art by Professor Coate, ot
the Institute. It is not too much to say that he has re-
created the French fisheries, both in the fresh waters and in
the sea. lie has made several voyages and explorations to
distant places in order to study the best modes of improving
the fisheries, and to his enthusiasm is due a great portion
of the success which has attended the spread of pisciculture,
His " Voyage of Exploration" is a most interesting work;
it has been printed under the auspices of the French Go-
vernment, and contains a very detailed account of the eel
fishery of Comacchio, the mussel beds in the Bay of Aiguil-
lon, and the green oyster grounds of Marennes. A year or
two ago might be seen in the College of France an appa-
ratus, contained in a marvellously small space--a space
about 16ft. square, which was capable of hatching 150,000
salmon eggs. The ponds at Stormontfield for the breeding
of salmon are constructed to hold about double that quan-
tity of ova, but even that number cannot be hatched annu-
ally, because there was only one reception pond ; and, as is
well known, a portion of the salmon in every hatching re,
quire to be two years in the pond before being sent to sea.
An immense deal, however, can be done in fish hatching in
a small space. Ample evidence of this may be had at the
Etablissement de Pisciculture, near Basle. The boxes con-
taining the eggs are there arranged in pyramids
groups, the water flowing from the one on the top to
those beneath it; and, of course, flooding all the eggs
which are nicely disposed on little glass gratings or frames.
This establishment does not breed any fish, except for the
purposes of study and acclimatizing—it is more a depot for
the collection and distribution of eggs. Fish eggs when
first deposited by the fish will not bear to be much handled
or carried to a great distance ; carefully packed in wet moss
they may be sent a day's journey, hence the necessity for
having the piscicultural establishment at the boundary of
the two countries—i. e., France and Switzerland, the greater
proportion of the eggs being obtained from the latter coun-
ery. They are collected by agents in the lakes and streams
of Switzerland, and paid for at so much per thousand by
the authorities.
The various buildings at Huningue were specially erected
by M. Coumes, the chief 'engineer of the Rhine, for the
purposes of pisciculture, and they are admirably adapted for
their work, The series of egg boxes are well supplied with
a constant stream of water, of which there is a large supply,
both from a spring in the grounds and from the Rhine
itself. A series of little streams at the back of the buildings
contain Rhine salmon and river and lake trout, in various
stages of growth—that is, from the age of a few weeks to
four years; and it is interesting to watch their habits as
they are fed by their keeper. The total cost of erecting the
suite of buildings at Huningue was little over £ll,OOO, and
the annual charge is about £2,000.
A few figures will show what has been achieved at
Huningue in the distribution of ova during thelarw re
two
years. The winter operations of the season 186 -6
begun on October 20, 1860, and finished on March 17,
h 0
1861,
thus occupying a period of 159 days. The 1.
of fish distributed from Huningue were the various
great
lake and salmon trouts, the Rhine salinou, the
sopmebeireeschthee-
yeller, and the fain Of the fire five ofthese
been estimated at
total quantity of ova provided has
per cent. perished
nearly 6,000,000, of which about
during the period of incubation. Of thet remainder about
3,500,000 were forwarded to differen pans of the eon.
tinent, and a little more than 500,000 were retained
for experiment at the establishment: The quantity
of ova despatched from Huningue in the season ot
1860-61 was sent in reply to 278 demands from establish-
meats scattered over 70 departments of France, and there
were 29 demands from establishments in other parts of
Europe, principally in Belgium, Switzerland, Bavaria, and
Wirtemburg. The hatching of the fera is carried on sepa-
rately from that of other species, ,1 1
--- operations connected
with the distribution of the fera occupied a period of 46 days,
commencing on the 14th November. The quantity of ova
of the fera forwarded far exceeds that of the other five
species taken together, and for the season of 1860.61 is esti-
mated at close upon 9,000,000 of eggs, of which 5,573,000,.
or 62 per cent., was distributed as above, while upwards of
3,000,000, or 33 Per cent,, were retained
for the experiments

connected with the establishment. The loss of eggs while
the operations connected with distribution of the fern was
being conducted was only 22,000—a mere trifle in such a
large quantity. The total number of eggs provided for the
season 1860-61 was 14,726,160, of which 131 per cent. were
lost, 691 per cent. distributed, and 27 per cent. retained at
head-quarters. When we consider the enormous repro-
ductive power of all kinds of fish we have no cause to think
this distribution of ova large. A female salmon yields her
eggs by the thousand for every pound of her weight. The
carp, the trout, the perch, and all other kinds are equally
prolific, and give their eggs in tens of thousands.

Twenty-fourth Annual Report of Births,
Deaths, and Marriages in England.
The annual budget of the Chancellor of the Es..
chequer is of very inferior interest to the annual
report of the Registrar-General, though the former
is looked forward to with much livelier expectation

than the latter, for the popular mind attaches itself
more earnestly to pounds, shillings, and pence than
to the health and strength of those by whom the
revenue is contributed. We never hear any gene-

ral complaint of
too much money, but there are
constant regrets at an imputed excess of popula-
tion. A deficiency of coin is regarded as a national
calamity, but a decline in the numbers of the

people is considered a blessing by a certain school
of political philosopher,.
There are financiers
who think that machinery, which neither eats nor

drinks, and
_never rebels,ia a morn favourable in-
strument to civiliised' socleti.thireVja-wtich- re:
quires food and clothing, and is apt to grow sedi-
tious. These condemn early marriages, and preach
up the .doctrine of moral restraint; and some of the
more heartless among them have hot hesitated to
include epidemics and other causes of early mortality
among the list of desirable agencies rather to be
allowed free scope than to be prevented. However,
this class is happily becoming extinct, and public
opinion has most strongly decided in favour of sani,
tary reform. Men have learned the obvious truth,
for a long time concealed, that if every mouth is a
consumer every hand is a producer, and that of all
taxes the fever tax is the more severe. Free trade,
though still a doctrine to be realised—for it only yet
exists in a narrowly exceptional form—has taught
that the whole human race, however scattered on
the surface of the globe, form one co-operative
society, and this truth will be universally recog-
nised when each nation can get rid of its local
prejudices and jealousies. Then it will be acknow-
ledged that the health of the people is ,as worthy
of the solicitude of Government as the cultivation
of the soil and the improvement of machinery.

The Anglo-Saxon family have proved themselves
vigorously prolific in offspring, for while we have
populated distant regions, and thus founded future
empires, we have been adding a million souls to
the mother country in each quinquennial period.
We read in the report that "in 1836.40 the popu-
lation was rising through its 16th million; in
1841-45, through its 17th in 1846-50, through
its 18th; in 1851-55, through its 19th; and in
1856-60, through its 20th million. In the middle
of 1861 it is estimated to have reached 20,110,496.
The English registration now comprehends within
its scope a population greater by the present popu-
lations of London and the three Ridings of York-
ahire combined than it was when the 'national
system was established in 1837." After such a
statement we cease to wonder at the enormous
extension of the builded area of the metropolis
and the enlargement of the principal provincial
towns. It is very certain that we have not become
poorer by the process, nor has our self-sustaining
power shown any sign of diminution. Where it
will end is one of those speculative theories into
which we are not called upon to enter, and it
would be a mere waste of time to indulge in barren
conjectures. We can trace back the querulous tone
of over-population, over-production, and over-trad-
ing, and the lachrymose whine over colossal cities,
to the reign of Elizabeth, and we may safely leave

the future to provide for itself.
The present report refers to the year 1861, and
is confined to Englana, in vzh;oli vierb
163,706 marriages. Of these 130,699 were solem-
nised according to the rites of the Church of Eng-
land; and for one married after licence five were
married after banns. There were only 16 cases of
special licence. A fact well worthy of notice is that,
" although the eleventh division (Monmouthshire
and Wales) does not contain half the population
of London, there are 710 religions buildings regis-
tered for marriages in that division, while in Lon-
don there are but 309. Cheshire and Lancashire
have little more than the population of London,
but the registered buildings in these counties are
twice as numerous as those of the metropolis." It
may be interesting to our fair readers to know that
there were more than twin as many marriages
between widowers and spinsters as between bache-
lors and widows ; the respective numbers were
15,067 and 7,034. There were, however, more
widows married by widowers than by bachelors.
In the marriages of minors the softer sex predo-
minated in the ratio of three to one. The exact
numbers were 31,927 to 10,415. These early
espousals largely predominated in the country, for
in London the proportion was small. This has
been referred to the mode of living in the metro-
polis; but others attribute it to the dearness of house
accommodation, which is adverse to matrimony.
The marriage register becomes a test of elemen-
tary education, from which it appears that 26,333
men and women were unable to attest their signa-
tures in writing. However, there has been an im-
provement in the last 20 years, since the mark sig-
natures have fallen from 41 per cent. in marriages,
at whicii they stood in 1841, to 30 per cent.in 1861;
of 100 men and 100 women, 75 of the former and 65
of the latter wrote their names in the registers. In
this educational test London is superior to all other
parts of England in regard to both sexes. Of those
who marry in London, 89 men in 100 and 82 women
can sign their names. In several English counties the
proportion of men similarly qualified
inks
cent. In the Welsh division, which includes Mon-
mouthshire, it falls to 60 and 65 per cent. As a
general rule, the north is better educated than the
south, and it may be mentioned as a fact, perhaps
unexpected by many readers, that the women in
as
for the
i trees,t, h
Essex, Lancashire are not better educated than the women
in North Wales. If we take the marriage Signa-
turee women in Sussex, Berkshire.
sh
x Suffolk and Norfolk,
llertdt
and a
few other counties not Specified,
are better educated
the indefatigable
industry we consider
than the men.
industry
now manifested in the Sunday schools we
confidently expect that in
may coefide the next twenty
even in lees time,
years, and l
there will be few mar-
riages without written Signatures
in 1861 the births of °A Dra 406 children were
registered. The birth rate was' 3.461 per cent. of
the population, or one birth to 29 persons living.
The males were to the proportion of
females in the
104.6 to 100. This
must be taken as an average,
for there wefrom the rule.
re local divergences
Thus in R tl boys was 110 to
andshire the rate of
100 girls; in Somersetshire it fell 99.9 to 100. It
is a curie-11a that more childrenarc always born
fact
in the first six than in the last sic months of the
year.fl Of those born out of wedlock the average is
"3 per cent. In London the proportion 4 of the ille-
gitimate 4 per cent.; inCum-
berland it was highest,
is lowest, being only .
or 11.2 per cent. The pro-
portion of boys born out of wedlock compred to those
born in wedlock is higher in relation to girls.
Speaking generally and without reference to the
distinction between legitimate and illegitimate, the
birth rate is below the average in districts adjoining
the metropolis. It is lowest in North Wales, or
2.953 ; and highest in 'Warwickshire, 3.69 ; in
Lancashire, 3.77 ; but reaches its maximum in Staf-
fordshire and Durham, where it is 4.02 and 4,03.
The death rate was 435,114. Of the male popu-
lation the rate was 2.268, of the female 2.063. In
1861 England was generally healthy, and mortality
below the average in each quarter.
Annexed to the report are some valuable cbserva-