THE AQUARIUM 
A well-kept aquarium is unquestionably one of the most beautiful 
ornaments in the household, as it is both decorative and instructive, and a 
constant source of interest and entertainment to young and old. To the 
lover of the beautiful in Nature, the plant and animal life, thus brought 
under ready observation, affords opportunity for study and investigation 
that must lead to broader views and a higher appreciation of the beauties 
of nature. : 
DEVELOPMENT OF THE AQuarium. Of the early history of the 
aquarium Henry D. Butler states that “the great principle of the Aquarium 
was faintly indicated by Priestley, as long ago as the close of the 18th 
Century; Ingelhauss approached it more closely in 1778-9; Daubeny 
touched its verge in 1833; Dr. W. B. Ward, in £837, suggested it with 
some distinction; Dr. Johnson partially demonstrated it in 1842; Dr. 
Lankester, in 1849, and Warrington, in 1850, rendered it conclusive; but 
Dr. Philip H. Gosse, in 1852, perfected all the labors of his predecessors 
in a series of decisive experiments that left no room for doubt or contra- 
diction.” 
“*An aquarium had also, about this time, established itself, by acci- 
dent, at Hampton Court, England, and was described by M. Jesse. In 
a water tank in the open air, plants and snails made themselves unbidden 
confreres with the fishes. Nature did the rest, as she does in those more 
gigantic Aquaria, the placid lake and the majestic river.” 
“Next followed the grand Aquaria of London and Dublin under 
regal auspices. These were sumptuous exhibitions; and in a short time 
created such a popular interest in Great Britain that all the other curiosi- 
ties of nature sank at once, into comparative insignificance.” 
Other authorities mention that Priestley, in 1833, discovered that 
growing plants, submerged in water, gave off oxygen when exposed to sun- 
light. In 1844, Ward succeeded in keeping fishes together with plants, 
but did not know the law of balance between plant and animal life. In 
1849, Wm. Stimson had several aquaria at the Smithsonian Institute, but 
did not give publicity to the fact. But in 1850, Robert Warrington, of 
Manchester, England, read a monograph before the London Chemical 
Society on “ The Relation between the Animal and Vegetable Kingdom,” 
in which he explained the principle for the arrangement and maintenance 
of the aquarium. Later, he in conjunction with Dr. Gosse, continued 
their experiments and learned of the necessity of snails, and this finally 
solved the entire problem of the balanced freshwater aquarium. Dr. Gosse 
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