366 ANNUAL OF SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY. 



whispered by some gouty gentleman, who, throwing physic to the dogs, 

 has given his faith to sea-bathing. Such considerations induce us to 

 bring some of Mr. Gosse's details before the notice of our readers. The 

 inconvenience, delay, and expense attendant upon the procuring of sea- 

 water from the coast or from the ocean, Mr. Gosse long ago felt to be a 

 great difficulty in the way of a general adoption of the Marine Aquarium. 

 "Even in London," says he, "it is an awkward and precarious matter ; 

 how much more in inland towns and country places, where it must al- 

 ways prove not only a hinderance, but, to the many, an insuperable objec- 

 tion. The thought had occurred to me, that, as the constituents of sea- 

 water are known, it might be practicable to manufacture it, since all that 

 seemed necessary was to bring together the salts in proper proportion, and 

 add pure water till the solution was of the proper specific gravity. Several 

 scientific friends, to whom I mentioned my thoughts, expressed their 

 doubts of the possibility of the manufacture, and one or two went so far 

 as to say that it had been tried, but that it had been found not to answer ; 

 but though it looked like sea- water, tasted, smelt like the right thing, yet 

 it would not support animal life. Still, I could not help saying, with the 

 lawyers, < If not, why not ? ' " 



Mr. Gosse took Schweitzer's analysis of sea- water for his guide. In 

 one thousand grains of sea- water taken off Brighton, it gave : Water, 

 964.744 ; chloride of sodium, 27.059 ; chloride of magnesium, 3.666 ; 

 chloride of potassium, 0.765 ; bromide of magnesium, 0.029 ; sulphate of 

 magnesia, 2.295 ; sulphate of lime, 1.407 ; carbonate of lime, 0.033. 

 Total, 999.998. 



The bromide of magnesium and the carbonate of lime he neglected, 

 from the minuteness of their quantities the former is not found in the 

 water of the Mediterranean and the sulphate of lime he likewise ven- 

 tured to omit, on account of its extreme insolubility and the smallness of 

 the quantity contained in the Mediterranean water. The component 

 parts were thus reduced to four, which he used in the following quantities : 

 Common table salt, 3 ounces ; Epsom salts, ^ ounce ; chloride of mag- 

 nesium, 200 grains troy ; chloride of potassium, 40 grains troy. To these 

 four quarts of water were added. The cost was about 5^d. per gallon ; 

 but if large quantities were made, it would be reduced to a maximum of 

 5d. per gallon. 



His manufacture took place on the 21st of April. On the following 

 day he poured off about half the quantity (filtering it through a sponge 

 in a glass funnel) into a confectioner's show-glass, covering the bottom 

 with small shore-pebbles, well washed in fresh water, and one or two 

 fragments of stone, with fronds of green sea- weed ( Ulva latissima) grow- 

 ing thereon. " I would not at once venture upon the admission of ani- 

 mals," says he, " as I wished the water to be first somewhat impregnated 

 with the scattered spores of the tile a ; and I thought that, if any subtile 

 elements were thrown off from growing vegetables, the water should have 

 the advantage of it before the entrance of animal life. This, too, is the 



