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constructed by a private company and was managed by a board of 

 directors, whose duty to tlieir shareholders was, primai'ily, to pay 

 as good a dividend as they possibly could — to do which they must 

 attract the public to see and admire the fish in the tanks, if possible ; 

 but, if the fish were not in themselves a sufficient attraction, to 

 induce people by other and extraneous means to visit the Aquai'ium 

 — and in the second place to do their best to advance the cause of 

 Science and Natural History, by enabling naturalists to study 

 living animals in a manner far nearer to nature and their natural 

 habits than it was possible to do with land animals, cooped up in 

 the cages of Zoological Gardens. 



He should not have said a woi-d on this subject did he not 

 know that the most absurd claims had been put forward by some 

 scientific men, in regard to what they considered the duties of the 

 Directors of the Bi'ighton Aquarium to them, and also as somewhat 

 of a reply to others, who affirmed that the management of the 

 Brighton Aquarium thought more of music than of fish. As long 

 as any large undertaking was can'ied on with the idea of making a 

 profit, so long would it be the duty of the Directors to consider the 

 best way of making it pay ; and that they would make it pay, no 

 one doubted, provided they encouraged the eff"orts of their energetic 

 and novelty seeking Manager and Secretary, Mr. G. Reeves Smith. 

 No man in England knew better than he bow to place before the 

 pleasure-loving visitors to Brighton an attractive bill of fare, and 

 wei*e it his purpose to dilate upon the great addition to the attrac- 

 tions of Brighton such an institution as the Brighton Aquarium 

 was, he could not too highly estimate the tact, skill, and judgment 

 displayed by Mr. G. Reeves Smith ; but his business rather was 

 with the scientific than with the popular and attractive features 

 which had been added to the Aquarium, as to all similar institutions, 

 such as the Zoological Gardens, the Horticultural Gardens, and the 

 Crystal Palace. If, while making it pay, science was advanced, the 

 scientific student, who conti-ibuted nothing to its maintenance 

 beyond the entrance fee paid by the ordinary visitor, ought not to 

 grumble or complain that they were unable to aff"ord him facilities 

 for study, which, by-the-bye, he did not obtain even in our National 

 Gardens or Museums, unless, pei'chance, he happened to be one of 

 the staff; but he should the rather rejoice that something was 

 being done to enlighten mankind on the marvels of the deep. If 



