CHAPTER XII.

ISLAND PRODUCTS AND RESOURCES.

A pearl may in a toad's head dwell,
And may be found too in an oyster shell.
BUNYAN (Apology for his Book.)

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PEARLS AND PEARL FISHING

EARL fishing has been a curious and valuable industry for ages, reaching away back into dim

antiquity. The great demand of the present day, not only for the pearls, but for the mother-of-pearl shell, has made the industry a more valuable one than diamond mining. The innumerable uses that the shell is put to for ornament and for useful purposes, has created a continually increasing demand for it in all parts of the world. Among the islands of the Pacific, fisheries are found of vast extent, producing pearls and shell of the finest quality. In fact, some of these beds have furnished already bushels of the gem, ranging in value from one to thirty thousand dollars apiece; while shell, when properly cured and cared for, meets with ready sale in the principal markets of the world at about five hundred dollars per ton.

HABITS.

The pearl oyster has habits peculiar to itself; and as far as the writer has observed, all effort to change them or make any improvement in their condition or locality, has never been effected by man. All attempts to propagate or transplant the oyster from the localities where first found, have proved a signal failure. They are born and live and die, at or near their homes, and are not found hunting for fields or pastures new, or very far from the place of their nativity. It is a mistake, however, to suppose that the oyster does not or cannot move. The fallacy that they attach themselves in strings and clusters to the coral caves, in, under and beyond the surf in favorite localities, and never move from them, has been proven to the contrary. Places that have been cleared of the oyster altogether, by fishing, have been known, particularly after a great storm, to become thickly settled with new shell, and that, too, of a large size and apparent full growth; proving that they can swim, float, and move around as their needs and habits dictate. Their favorite breeding ground in the South Sea, and this only in particular localities, seems to be in and beyond the surf of some of the atolls, or horse-shoe shaped islands, that have a great lagoon in the center, and to and from which, the tide ebbs and flows without hindrance. In such places the small shell, from the size of a pea to that of a shilling, may be seen in great numbers, tossed about in the surf and on the waves; and again making their way with the inflowing tide to the lagoons of the atolls; there to sink to the bottom and form beds similar to those of the oyster of our own country. On the outside reefs and in deep water, say about twenty

fathoms, that being the greatest depth reached by the native divers, the shell is of large size, sometimes twelve to eighteen inches in diameter, and when opened out measure from two to three feet across. Generally speaking they are of no value except as curiosities, never containing pearls, and have not that beautiful prismatic coloring found in the regular shell.

PEARL DREDGING.

Pearl fishing, as practiced in different parts of the world now-a-days, is rather a precarious business, being accompanied by great danger and many hardships. The poor divers soon wear out, and the slow accumulation of shell, with here and there a pearl of great value, makes the product worth all it will bring in the market. It is not probable that much impetus or safety could be given to the business by the general use of submarine armor either, as it has yet to be managed by hand, and therefore slow progress is made. The many thousands of square miles of pearl grounds to be found among the islands of the Pacific, a great deal of it as yet untouched, should suggest a more rapid and effective mode of fishing. With this idea in view I have consulted many of our practical mechanics and engineers, who are engaged in building dredging machines, as also those who manage them in their practical workings in our rivers and bays, as well as on the line of the canal now being cut through the isthmus at Panama. From authorities like these I have confirmed the idea that it is perfectly practicable to handle nearly all the pearl fisheries of the Pacific islands by means of steam dredgers. By such a method 'vast quantities of shell could be brought to

the surface from depths not yet reached by the divers, and be opened, cleaned and assorted with a celerity that would no doubt astonish the natives.

In the interior lagoons, fishing in this manner would seem an easy matter, as the water is always smooth, not being affected even by the great storms sometimes experienced in these latitudes.

After reaching the age of seven or eight years, the pearl oyster appears to sicken and die, when it opens and spills whatever is contained in the shells. This being the case, it is a natural query as to what becomes of the pearls. They are never brought up by the divers, who are only seeking for perfect shell, and with the limited time they are under water—seldom exceeding two minutes-they break off and gather such as can be easily reached, and are glad to come to the surface for a breathing spell. If the divers, with or without armor, were employed only as prospectors, to locate the oyster banks, and steam dredgers brought into play for the effective work, there is no doubt that the business could be made immensely profitable.

PEARL DIVING,

Pearl fishing has not as yet been brought to a system, among the Pacific isles, commensurate with its value. True, the business has been prosecuted to a great extent at the Paumatou group, but hundreds of other favorable localities in these seas have hardly been prospected, and many are unknown.

At the island of Ceylon, under the encouragement of the English Government, the Cingalese have become experts in the business, although using nothing in the way of machinery to assist in its prosecution.