vessels; the third was the "Hall for the Investigation of Marine Animal, Insect and Vegetable life."
How different was all this from my time! The inscriptions over the door would probably then have been:—"The Great Food Devouring Cabin;" "The Intoxicating Drinks Cabin;" and "The Smoking and Gambling Cabin." The Recorder remarked that some day we should take a long voyage in one of these vessels, which would be both interesting and instructive. I was shewn a large circular lens in the floor of the "Marine Life Investigation Hall." This was illuminated from above, and the light was so powerful that when you looked down through eyeholes you could examine the waters to a great depth. There was also an arrangement of reflectors that cast pictures of what was going on below, on a large screen, thus allowing all in the hall to see at one time what was passing underneath the vessel. The staff of every vessel included lecturers on each of the three subjects, all of whom were
