August 10, 1872.] 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
101 
THE BRIGHTON AQUARIUM. 
In this country the tradition that Britannia rules 
the waves is a popular and cherished one; but it 
must be confessed that the rule is very superficial, 
since she sees little and knows less of the myriads 
of living creatures which live beneath them. Nor 
are we likely to be able much to increase our know¬ 
ledge of these creatures by visiting them at home, 
and probably we shall have to content ourselves by 
noting the habits of those which, under more or less 
compulsion, play the part of visitors with us. Slight 
exaggeration would it be to say that at the present 
time it would not be difficult to find many persons 
who have never seen a starfish except in a picture, 
and who if shown a common barnacle would be 
puzzled to say whether it were fish, flesh, or fowl. 
Even among the many thousands who now flock 
every year to our fashionable watering-places, ac¬ 
quaintance is generally confined to what may truly 
be called the “ common objects of the seashore.” it 
is, therefore, a matter for congratulation that we 
can point to a bold attempt to follow the good 
example set first by the Zoological Society of Lon¬ 
don, about the year 1852, when they began to ex¬ 
hibit a collection of aquatic animals within their 
grounds, and subsequently by the Crystal Palace 
Company, in so far as those efforts ane now to be 
supplemented by an aquarium at Brighton con¬ 
structed on a larger scale than has ever before been 
attempted. 
Although not forming one of the subjects for the 
Preliminary, or Minor, or even the Major, the fact 
that this new experiment is intended to be inaugurated 
during the coming scientific gathering at Brighton, 
must be our apology for alluding to it in these pages, 
for, independent of the interest it must present to all 
scientific men, it may be presumed that it w ill there be 
a special attraction to many of our readers. Notwith¬ 
standing its popular aspect as a show, the possibility 
of such an aquarium is due entirely to scientific obser¬ 
vation. It may aflord additional interest to know 
that some of the earliest and most valuable informa¬ 
tion on the subject of aquaria dated from Apothecaries’ 
Hall, and came from the pen of the late Mr. Robert 
Warington. In a paper read bef ore the Chemical 
Society, March 4th, 1850,* that gentleman de¬ 
scribed some of the difficulties he met with in his at¬ 
tempts to keep gold fish. Having placed in the 
glass vessel containing them a small plant of Vallis- 
neria spiralis, he found that after a time the de¬ 
caying leaves produced a slime which began to affect 
the fish injuriously, and that it was necessary thi s 
impurity should be got rid of, He therefore intro- 
ducecl five or six pond snails (Limited stacjnalis), 
which soon removed the nuisance and restored the 
fish to a healthy state, thus perfecting the balance 
between the animal and vegetable inhabitants and 
enabling both to perform their functions with health 
a ' ld 77 ener qy- The fish became lively and bright, the 
v almneria became extremely luxuriant, and the 
snails, depositing enormous quantities of gelatinous 
masses of eggs, afforded a large quantity of food to 
tlie fish m the form of young snails. Mr. Wariim- 
fEiis sums up the results of his experiment:— 
>> e have an admirable balance sustained be¬ 
tween the animal and vegetable kingdoms, and 
that in a liquid element. The fish, in its respiration 
consumes the oxygen held in solution by the water 
* ‘Quarterly Journal of the Chemical Society,’ iii. 52. 
Ihikd Series, No. 111. 
as atmospheric air; furnishes carbonic acid, feeds on 
the insects and young snails, and excretes material 
well adapted as a rich food to the plant and well 
fitted for its luxuriant growth. The plant, by its 
respiration, consumes the carbonic acid produced by 
the fish, appropriating the carbon to the construction 
of its tissues and fibres, and liberates the oxygen in 
its gaseous state to sustain the healthy functions of 
the animal life—at the same time that it feeds on 
the rejected matter, which has fulfilled its purposes 
in the nourishment of the fish and snail—and pre¬ 
serves the water constantly in a clear and healthy 
condition. . While the slimy snail, finding its proper 
nutriment in the decomposing vegetable matter and 
minute confervoid growth, prevents their accumula¬ 
tion by removing them ; and by its vital powers con¬ 
verts what would otherwise act as a poison into a 
rich and fruitful nutriment, again to constitute a 
pabulum for the vegetable growth, while it also acts 
the important part of purveyor to its finny neigh¬ 
bour.” This paper was followed by several others 
on the subject of the aquarium, which appeared prin¬ 
cipally in the 4 Annals of Natural History,’- and 
conveyed much information respecting principles that 
must not be lost sight of by any one wishing to 
successfully superintend an aquarium, whether 
marine or fresh water, and amongst these we must 
no omit reference to Mr. Allchin’s paper on the con¬ 
struction and management of aquaria for the pre¬ 
servation of leaches.-j- 
But to return to the aquarium which is more 
particularly the object of our notice. The site of the 
building is close to the Chain Pier, just below the 
cliff. Its length may be roughly stated as being 
over 600 feet; its width sloping off* from about 120 
feet in its widest part to about 60 feet in its narrowest. 
At the principal entrance there is a flight of granite 
steps by which the visitor descends to an entrance court 
(60 feet by 40 feet) and an entrance hall (80 feet 
by 45 feet), arcaded, and composed of terra cotta and 
ornamental brickwork, and near to which is a com¬ 
modious dining and refreshment room. From the 
entrance hall the visitor passes to the aquarium pro¬ 
per. On each side of a corridor 220 feet long and 23 
wide, divided in the centre by columns of serpentine, 
polished granite, and Bath stone, alternately,tlie caps 
and corbels of which are elaborately carved with 
designs of shells, fish, sea-birds, etc., and support 
a groined roof, are ranged the tanks for exhibition, 
varying in size from 11 feet 6 inches by 2p feet to 
103 feet by 40 feet. At the end of this corridor, 
which runs nearly from west to east, is the “ conaerva- 
tory,” 70 feet long by 23 feet wide, the eastern end 
being designed to form a rockwork waterfall, with 
ledges, dropping well, small aquaria, ferns, etc. A 
short passage running north and south leads to the 
second main corridor, 160 feet by 23 feet, also running 
from west to east, and containing twenty tanks, part 
for the exhibition of fresli-water specimens and part 
for tropical specimens requiring a higher temperature. 
A portion of this corridor is arranged for small table 
aquaria requiring minute inspection. Beyond are the 
engine rooms, for pumps, machinery, etc., while un¬ 
derneath the corridors are large sea-water reservoirs 
com m unicating with a well in the engine-room. The 
water is pumped to an upper reservoir, from which a 
supply can be passed to each tank at any required 
rate, the surplus water passing off from the tank 
* Second series, x. 273; xii. 319; xiv. 366, 419; xvi. 313 
330, etc. 
t Pharm. Jouex. 1 st ser. xv. 453. 
