12 Director s .liiinial Report. 



tries. It had correspondents in every large cit_v in the world and 

 I was personally able to verify the information received from a 

 town in Australia in which I had lived many years. In the 

 museum, articles of ordinary use were shown in every stage of 

 manufa(5lure, and the young business man could, without leaving 

 the building, learn how everything manufadlured which he con- 

 sumed, was made. In addition to this, the products of different 

 countries were grouped together, so that a man could see enough 

 to judge the opportunity of trade with any countr}- previously un- 

 known to him. An inclination was at one time apparent to include 

 in this institution's publications papers concerning the study of 

 zoolog}', but the management finally decided to confine itself to 

 matters commercial. A suggestion was tendered by Mr. Brigham, 

 that the institution enlarge its work a little and gather names of 

 dealers in museum material, which suggestion was received favor- 

 ably. The establishment of the museum is due entirely to the 

 great energy expended by Dr. W. P. Wilson, to whom the mer- 

 chants of the United States should feel very greatly indebted. 



In New York, some time was spent in the New York Aqua- 

 rium at Battery Park. The aquarium building as is generally 

 known, was a fort called Castle Clinton, which has been modified 

 sufficiently to make a very neat and suitably construcfted aquarium. 

 There were several large tanks built in the floor for large fish and 

 seals, while the glass-faced tanks for the smaller fish were arranged 

 in two tiers around the circular building. Originally Castle Clinton 

 stood on an island some distance from the shore, but the land at 

 this part of the harbor has been reclaimed and extended so as to 

 bring the building within the beach line. In the reclaimed land 

 wells have been sunk, and from these the salt water supply was 

 obtained, the wells being repleted by the filtration into them of sea 

 water. Apparatus was provided for heating and cooling the water 

 supply, so that the temperature could be adjusted to meet the 

 needs of tropical fish as well as those requiring cool water, at any 

 season. The vegetable growth in some of the tanks looked healthy 

 and some pretty views of submarine life were available by means 

 of this addition. The aquarium was not as rich as expecfted in the 

 varie.ty of its colle(5f;ion ; it had a good supply of the American 

 fishes, more particular!}' those used for food, but a larger repre- 

 sentation of tropical fish would add to its attra(5liveness and the 

 public interest generally. 



