JARDIN D'ACCLIMATATION, PARIS ii 



turbed by this terrible crisis, and people doubted 

 M^hether it would ever recover itself. 



The Municipal Council and the Ville de Paris happily 

 understood what an interest the Garden had been, and 

 would not allow such an establishment to disappear. 

 They came to the succour of the shareholders by 

 generously voting an annual subscription of 60,000 

 francs for three years ; moreover, the Societe d'Ac- 

 climatation gave a sum of 35,000 francs and all the 

 animals which it possessed. M. Saint-Hilaire, whose 

 activity and energy had increased in spite of obstacles, 

 received anxious inquiries and marks of sympathy 

 from numerous donors, which hastened the reconstruc- 

 tion of the devastated collections. His Majesty the 

 King of Italy offered two African elephants to replace 

 the two killed during the siege ; the venerable 

 M. Westerman, the Director of the Garden at 

 Amsterdam, M. Jacques Vekemans, the learned and 

 sympathetic Director of the Garden at Antw^erp, and 

 all the zoological gardens in England and in Belgium 

 added their generous gifts, and contributed largely 

 towards the reinstallation of this beautiful Garden, 

 which had been so cruelly tried. Numerous improve- 

 ments were voted by the council to suit the require- 

 ments of the animals and to please the public. New 

 sheds were built for the goats and sheep, enclosures 

 made for breeding ducks, and a new stable and large 

 dog-kennels were constructed, which were opened 

 shortly afterwards ; the dairy service was organized 

 both in the Garden and in the centre of Paris. Depots, 

 where pure milk could be bought, were established at 

 Chevet's and at the Palais Koyal. A building for the 



