The American sea captain Samuel Barrett Edes bought Barnum's "mermaid" from Japanese sailors in 1822. He purchased it for $6000.[6][7] Not having sufficient funds, Edes "borrowed" the capital from the ship's expense account.[8] Via Edes, it was displayed in London in 1822. The Fiji Mermaid was advertised in a publication by J. Limbird in the Mirror.[6]