88 Of eat Britain Class IV. Aquaria. 



laboured hard since October last to carry out the work which now speaks for itself: Sir 

 James Ramsay Gibson Maitland, Bart., T. J. Mann, Esq., Col. Stuart Wortley, A. G. 

 Jardine, Esq., Francis Day, Esq., W. Fell Woods, Esq., Oldham Chambers, Esq., J. T. 

 Carrington, Esq., and Henry Lee, Esq. 



After the closest inspection of the portions of the gardens available for the purpose, 

 the Committee ultimately decided upon the present position, known generally as the West 

 Arcade, for several weighty reasons, such as solidity of foundation, existence of a heavy 

 concrete roof, and the immunity conferred upon it by its position from the rays of a summer 

 sun, which would have acted seriously on the temperature of the water, while the presence of 

 spacious cellarage at the southern end afforded the means of procuring a large reservoir for 

 the storage of the necessary sea water. Although the period for which it is proposed to keep 

 the Exhibition open for is only six months, yet the Committee have had all the work in 

 connection with the tanks executed in the best materials, so that there may not be any 

 chance of those small leaks which have proved such deep sources of trouble in nearly every 

 existing aquarium. In carrying out the work the Committee have had the benefit of the 

 great experience of Mr. H. C. Norman, of the firm of Messrs. Leete, Edwards and Norman, 

 of Euston Road, in conjunction with whom he has superintended the fitting up of the 

 vulcanite circulation system to the principal existing aquaria. The brickwork is entirely of 

 the best brick fixed in cement, and was set under the personal supervision of Mr. Wilson 

 Bennison, who, in connection with the late Major-General Scott, C.B., has most efficiently 

 carried out the arduous task of erecting the Exhibition buildings. In order to meet the 

 demands of numerous exhibitors, and to enable them to make the Aquarium thoroughly 

 representative, the Committee found that it would be necessary to build nineteen tanks for 

 sea and fresh water, and twenty smaller table tanks for sea water alone. As the appearance 

 of these tanks when merely finished off with asphalte and slate, respectively, appeared to the 

 Committee to be somewhat unattractive, they determined to face them with rock-work, and 

 found in Mr. Pulham, of Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, a talented and willing contractor, who, 

 in spite of the difficulties which are caused by the use of lime in any active form, has executed 

 his work with much taste and skill at a merely nominal cost. The water for the sea-water tanks 

 has been obtained direct from Brighton, and has been supplied by Messrs. Hudson & Co., of 

 Pimlico, whose extensive plant, employed for the sea-water supply to the Crystal Palace and 

 Westminster Aquarium, obviates the danger of any impurities being brought into contact 

 with the sea-water in transit. The total bulk of water in circulation through the ten large 

 and twenty small sea-water tanks and reservoirs is upwards of 65,000 gallons, and the entirety 

 was conveyed from Brighton to South Kensington at a fixed rate of 5000 gallons per day. 

 The remaining nine large tanks are fresh-water tanks, and to prevent the fish being exposed 

 to the variations of quality and temperature of the ordinary West Middlesex Water Company's 

 supply, the Committee have availed themselves of the kind offer of Messrs. Atkins & Co., 

 Sanitary Engineers, of 62 Fleet Street, to place .at their disposal one of their large 

 water-softening and filtering apparatus, which will, as the fresh-water tanks are provided 

 with underneath reservoirs, allow of the same water being kept continuously in circulation, and 

 will of itself prove a great saving in expense, besides benefiting the fish. The question of 

 stocking an aquarium being one of great difficulty and also expense, Lord Walsingham, who 

 has presented 1000 freshwater fish of various kinds, the Duke of Bedford several species 

 of carp and other fish, the Marquis of Exeter trout and black bass, the Duke of Portland 

 trout, Sir James G. Maitland trout, and numerous others, have by their generous gifts tended 

 very greatly to mitigate the arduous task of the Stocking Committee, who have yet had to 

 use every endeavour to arrange for an adequate amount of seawater fish and .Crustacea. 

 In order to procure an independent supply of the former, the Committee engaged the services 

 of a smack-owner to trawl for them in the Channel for three weeks ; and as the managers 

 of the Brighton Aquarium kindly consented to receive and store the takes of fish in their 

 spare tanks, so as to give them a break in the voyage from Brighton to the Exhibition, the 

 Committee have been enabled to stock their tanks with, so to speak, partially educated fish. 

 As regards Crustacea, the Committee are indebted to Messrs. Poland Brothers, of Billingsgate, 

 who have supplied them with a very fine exhibit of lobster, crabs and crayfish ; and Messrs. 

 Lynn and Gibson, who display an appetising show of shrimps, prawns, and other Crustacea. 

 Another, and perhapg almost the mogt attractive, branch of the Aquaria is that which 



