Coltunbiis "Isla de Perlas." Upon returning to Spain, Colum'bus tried to keep secret the 

 source of the newly discovered wealth, but the pearls displayed hy his sailors aroused 

 such great interest that several groups were immediately organised and departed to America. 

 One of the pearl-trading ventures v/as organized hy Luis Gxierra, who placed in charge of 

 the expedition an adventurer hy the name of Peralonso Uino. His expedition was a success. 

 According to Gomara (17^9) t ^iSo hrou^t hack 96 pounds of pearls, among them were many 

 gems of five and more carats. A more conservative estimate is given, hov/ever, hy Oviedo, 

 who states NiHo's lot consisted of 50 marks (UOO ounces or 25 pounds), and that no pearl 

 weighed more than five carats, althou^ msny of them v;ere of excellent shape and lustre. 

 Unfortunately for Nino, upon his return early in 15OI he quarreled with his men, was im- 

 prisoned, and his pearls and vessels were confiscated. 



The second expedition, headed hy Luis Guerra himself, soon reached Margarita for 

 the purpose of trading v/ith Indians. It yielded nearly a "costal" (sackful) of pearls hut 

 the vessel containing the treasure was wrecked. Trading in pearls soon led to a more profit- 

 able business of pearl fishing, and establishment of permanent settlements in the vicinity 

 of pearl oyster grounds. About I5OO, fifty adventurers sailed from Hispaniola and founded 

 the first settlement on Cubagua for the purpose of exploiting the pearl fishery (Dalton, 

 1912). This settlement, known as Hueva Cadiz, was apparently a success, for in I52I it was 

 granted by the Crovm the privilege of self-government. 



At the begiiming of the exploitation of pearl grounds, natives were employed as 

 divers. The practice was soon discontinued, and instead of using local labor, the Spaniards 

 began to import Lucayan Indians from the Bahamas, who were particularly skillful in diving. 



Pearl fishing must have been at that time a very lucrative business, as the Spanp- 

 iards sometimes paid as much as I50 ducats each for a skillful diver. 



The description of the method of fishing used at this time at Cubagua is given 

 by Oviedo (i.e.). Usually seven divers v;ere sent out in a small boat under the supervision 

 of an overseer. Each diver had a net tied to his v;aist or neck, in which he placed oysters. 

 To expedite his descent, the diver weired himself dovm with heavy rocks. The net was 

 emptied after each dive, while the diver rested on deck. After a sufficient supply had been 

 gatheredi oysters were stored ashore in sheds, then, under the watchful eyes of supervisors, 

 •rere opened and the peairls collected and sorted. Indian slave divers were treated harshly. 

 They were permitted but very short respite between the dives, worked long hours, and conse- 

 quently suffered hemorrhages and intestinal disorders. Many were killed by sharks. To 

 replenish the supply of divers, systematic raids were made on the neighboring islands and 

 coast. According to Las Casas (l6th Cent., ed. 1875) t this practice and cruel treatment 

 of divers proved as destructive to human life as were the infamous mines of Espanola and 

 Cuba. 



The difficulties in obtaining Indian divers gradually increased. Some of the 

 tribes, like those of Margarita Island, determiaed and skillful enough in defending them- 

 selves v;ith v/eapons, successfully resisted capture and eventually v/ere left alone. Others 

 moved to the interior and conseq^uently the local supply of available slave labor was es- 

 hausted. Gradually the Indian divers v/ere replaced by Uegroes. Hoyal Decree of June 25, 

 1558 definitely prohibited the use of Indians in pearl fishing and prescribed that only 

 Segroes be used for this purpose. 



So intensive was the fishing that signs of depletion of pearl oyster grounds 

 became noticeable early in the l6th Century, and toward the end of the century shallow 

 grounds were stripped clear of oysters, v/hile deeper banks could not be worked with naked 

 divers. Oviedo writes that through experience the organizers of pearl fishing expeditions 

 were av;are of the fact that an exhausted oyster bed would restore itself if not exploited 

 for a time. He adds^ rather, pathetically, that "even thoTi^ this be the case, the Christ- 

 ians hfve been so hasty to earch for these pearls that they have not contented themselves 

 with divers in getting themj they have discovered other devices, such as rakes and nets, 

 and they have extracted such a quantity that scarcity began to set in and they are no longer 

 found in abundance, as at first " (Oviedo, 1. c. I, 60S, quoted from Mosk). It is of 

 interest that in 15^3 a Sicilean inventor, Gulsep^e Bruno, submitted to the Spanish GovernF- 

 ment a sketch of a diving bell which he intended to employ for gathering pearl oysters. 

 He tried to obtain official authorization of his venture but apparently without success 



