Pearls. 89 
thousand ; they are placed in heaps, and allowed 
to remain until they become putrid, when they 
undergo a very elaborate process of washing and 
separating from the shells, which are carefully 
examined and deprived of their pearly treasures. 
The stench arising from the decomposed animal 
matter is described as horrible, and the whole pro- 
cess filthy and loathsome in the extreme; yet out 
of the slime and mud and disgusting effluvia, come 
every year gems of inestimable value, calculated to 
adorn the brow of beauty and form ornaments the 
most pure and delicate that can be imagined. For 
the exclusive right of fishing on the banks of 
Ceylon for a single season, as much as £120,000 
have been paid to the English Government by one 
person, who sublets boats to others. Pearls vary 
ereatly in value according to their colour and 
size ; those which are perfectly white are the most 
valuable ; next to these are those which have a 
yellowish tinge ; the smallest kind, used for various 
ornamental purposes, are called seed pearls, the 
refuse 1s made into a kind of confection called 
chimum, highly relished by Chinese epicures. A 
single oyster will sometimes contain several pearls, 
which are generally embedded in the body of the 
animal, but are sometimes fixed to the shell; it is 
