The extremely narrow outlet to sea, the oblique 

 course of the passage, and the high dunes, covered with 

 a dense forest of closely-set pines, give almost perfect 

 immunity from the evil effects of sea-storms ; in this 

 peaceful security the routine of the culture of oysters 

 can be carried on whenever operations are necessary, 

 whatever the season of the year. 



III.— THE ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF 

 OYSTER CULTURE AT ARCACHON. 



An almost simultaneous exhaustion of natural oyster 

 banks took place on all the coasts of France about the 

 middle of last century and the causes which occasioned 

 this phenomenon have lessons specially worthy of atten- 

 tion in India to-day, where present conditions are 

 running parallel with those of France 60 years ago ; 

 it is noteworthy that the alarm caused by this general 

 failure of the oyster fishery was the spur which set the 

 machinery of Government to work to find a remedy and 

 thus, by giving to Coste and a number of less well-known 

 men whom his enthusiasm brought into the field, oppor- 

 tunities for prolonged experiment on a very extensive 

 scale such as only the resources and authority of a State 

 could supply, eventuated in the creation of a new and 

 most valuable industry for France. Until the beginning 

 of the 19th century the means of communication through- 

 out the greater part of France were so inefficient that 

 the distribution of oysters from coast centres was ex- 

 tremely difficult. In spite of this disability the increase 

 of luxury which characterised the 18th century entailed 

 such a drain on the resources of the natural oyster beds 

 that in the case of Arcachon the Parlement de Bordeaux 

 felt compelled in 1750 to order and maintain the suspen- 

 sion of all oyster fishing there for three years, with very 

 satisfactory results; in 1754 and 1759 the Amiraute de 

 Guienne passed orders forbidding for the future all fishing 

 during the spawning season from 1st April to 1st October 



