PEARL FISHERY. The fisheries which are carried on to supply the market of the world with pearls are numerous, and some of them are of very ancient date. The fishery at Catlfa in Arabia, which pro duced the pearl bought by Tavernier for 110,000/.., was celebrated In Pliny's thee. In the Old World, the west coast of Ceylon, that of Coromandel, and the Persian Gulf, are among the more prominent stations. The Algerine coast and the Sooluo Islands also furnish a certain *hare. In the New World, the neighbourhood of St. Margarita, or Pearl Island, and other localities on the coast of Colombia, furnish a great many, and the Bay of Panama also contributes considerably ; but the pearls from the Western world, though many of them are large, cannot be compared with those of the East in shape, colour, and general beauty.
The Bahrein Islands (Persian Gulf) give a most abundant harvest of these beautiful molluscous secretions; perhaps the moat abundant in the world. Sixty thousand tomauna of Baseorah, about 90,0001. sterling of our money, and often more, are derived from the fishery in about two months, the time during which it lasts, the oommencement being in June. There is no monopoly ; any one may engage In the adventure upon payment of a tax on the produce to the government. The Peralana principally are engaged in it, and the divers are of that nation.
The Western pearl fisheries, especially those on the coast of Colombia, must have been very valuable once. Seville alone is said to have im ported upwards of 697 lbs. in the year 1587. The second Philip's celebrated pearl, which weighed 250 carats, and was valued at 150,000 dollars, came from Margarita. Thee° prize) were not forgotten in 1825, when joint-stock companies raged. One company undertook the prosecution of the Colombia fishery, and another embarked in that of Panama and the Pacific, both with about the same success; for In 1826 they were abandoned. Some fine specimens of the shells of Mollusca were sent home by one of them. The Algerine ground was also, we believe, undertaken by an English company in 1826.
The pearls which are the objects of these fisheries are found in the shells of Mckagrena, or pearl-oysters, as they are called, and principally in those of the species named Aticula or .1/clea5rine ntargarittfera. The beet ground is oonsidered to range at depths varying from 6 to 8 fathoms; and the divers, who usually are unhealthy and short-lived, are said to be able to remain generally from a minute to a minute and a half under water. Two minutes, four, and even six, have been men tioned; but constructed as the human respiratory and circulating system is, we should think the last-mentioned periods must be very rare. A submersion of a minute and a half is calculated to do mis chief enough in ordinary cases.
Ceylon affords a good example of the commercial system under which the pearl-fishery is carried on. The bay of Condateby is the most central rendezvous for the boats employed in the fishery. The banks, where it is carried on, extend several 'Mica along the coast from Isisumar southward off Arippo, Condatehy, and l'omparipoo. The principal bank is opposite to Condatehy, and lies out at sea about twenty miles. After the survey of the state of the bade and tho con sequent report to government, the particular banks to be fished are put up for sale to the highest bidder, and are usually purchased by a native merchant. The government however sometimes judges it more advantageous to fish the banks ou its own account, and to dispose of the pearls to the merehauta. The banks are divided into time or four
different portious, which are fished annually in succession. These portions are completely distinct, and are set up separately to sale, each in the year in which it is to be fished. A sufficient interval is thus given to the oysters to attain their proper growth ; and as the portion first used has generally recovered its maturity by the time the last portion has been fished, the fishery becomes almost regularly annual, and may thus be considered as yielding a yearly revenue. The oysters are supposed to attain their complete state of maturity in seven years. The fishing season commencea in February, and ends about the begin ning of April. The period allowed to the merchant to fish the banks is six weeks or two months at the utmost; but there are several inter ruptions which prevent the fishing days from exceeding more than about thirty. If it happen to be a very bad season, and many stormy days intervene during the period allotted, the purchaser of the fishery is often allowed a few days more. Previous to the commence ment of the fishery, all the boats rendezvous at Condatchy, and it is here that they are numbered and contracted for. They regularly sail out and return together. They reach the banks before day-break, and at sun-rise commence fishing. In this they continue busily occupied till the sea-breeze, which arises about noon, warns them to return to the bay. When the boats come to land, their cargoes are immediately taken out, as it is necessary to have them completely unloaded before night. Each boat carries twenty men, with a tindal, or chief boatman, who acts as pilot. Ten of the men row and assist the divers in re ascending. The other ten are divers ; they go down into the sea by five at a time; when the first five come up, the other five go down; and by this method of alternately diving, they give each other time to recruit themselves for a fresh plunge. In order to accelerate the descent of the divers, large stones are employed. Some of the divers use a stone shaped like a half-moon, which they fasten round the belly when they mean to descend, and thus keep their feet free. They fear lessly descefid to the bottom in from four to ten fathoms water in search of the oysters. The diver, when he is about to plunge, seizes the rope to which one of the stones is attached, with the toes of his right foot ; while he takes hold of a bag of net-work with those of his left. He seizes another rope with his right hand, and holding his nostrils abut with his left, plunges into the water, and by the assiat ance of the stone speedily reaches the bottom. Ho then hangs the net round his neck, and with much dexterity and all possible dcapateh collects as many oysters as he can while he is able to remain under water. He then resumes his former position, makes a signal to those above by pulling the rope in his right hand, and is immediately by this means drawn up and brought into the boat. These men will often make from forty to fifty plunges in one day, and at each plunge bring up about a hundred oysters. Some rub their bodies over with oil, and stuff their cars and noses to prevent the water from entering; while others use no precautions whatever. Tho chief horror and danger awaiting the diver are concentrated in the ground-shark. This animal is a common and fearful inhabitant of all the seas in these latitudes : and its terrors are so continually before the eyes of the divers, that they seek a vague safety in supernatural means.