XIX.-A REPORT TO THE UNITED STATES CENTENNIAL COMMIS- 

 SION UPON THE PRINCIPAL AQUARIUMS ABROAD IN 1873. 



By William P. Blake, 



[Member of tte United States Centennial Commission and agent of the Commission 



at the Vienna Exhibition, 1873.] 



Introduction 1 



Vienna aquarium 2 



Crystal Palace aquarium, Sydenham 4 



The aquarium at Brighton, England 4 



Scarborough aquarium 8 



Aquarium at Liverpool — 8 



Berlin aquarium 8 



Grotto aquarium at Paris, 1867 10 



Naples aquarium 10 



The importance of having an aquarium connected with our exhibition 

 was brought to our attention at an early date by the communication of 

 Professor Baird, United States Fish Commissioner, who wrote: "I 

 would respectfully call the attention of the commissioners to the pro- 

 priety of taking steps for establishing an aquarium as part of the exhi- 

 bition at the coming Centennial. You will observe the great success of 

 these establishments which have been erected at Berlin, Hamburg, 

 Naples, Brighton, Loudon, &c., and the movements looking towards 

 the erection of others at Manchester, Birmingham, &c." [Letter to the 

 Executive Commissioner, November, 1872, Jour. Appendix, p. 88.] 



Much attention has been given abroad to the construction of marine 

 aquariums on a large scale in connection with exhibitions. One was 

 added to the Paris Exhibition in 1867, and at Vienna, last year, a new 

 one was opened adjoining the Exhibition on the Prater. At Sydenham, 

 the attractions of the Crystal Palace have been greatly increased by the 

 aquarium constructed by an independent stock company. 



Such aquariums are permanently attractive and increase in popular 

 interest from year to year, and it is found that if properly constructed 

 and managed they are financially successful. Indeed their success has 

 been beyond the most sanguine anticipations, and it results that aquari- 

 ums have been established and i)rojected at several points independ- 

 ently of exhibitions, notably at Brighton, Scarborough, and Liverpool. 



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