20 



there, as suspected by Mr. Kent in his Paper. The pro- 

 hibition of the dredger in shallow waters should be 

 continued. 



I am of opinion that vessels of from 40 to 50 tons 

 burden, with diving apparatus for men, to enable the 

 careful collecting of the sponges, are best for' this class of 

 fisheries. By using the diving dresses, fishermen would 

 only disturb those sponges which are matured, and the 

 present primitive mode of hooking, so injurious to health, 

 would cease. The expense of the dresses would be soon 

 defrayed by the more expeditious collecting, the saving of 

 labour, and also by the more presentable and merchantable 

 state of the article when brought to market, in addition by 

 searching in the same depth of water, as in the Mediter- 

 ranean, instead of in the shallow waters as is the custom, 

 finer qualities of sponges would undoubtedly be found. 



I would also advise a close season for the Queen and 

 Pink Conch ; but I fear it is not practicable. I am under 

 the impression that this fish is not so plentiful as it used to 

 be, and that its protection is desirable. I think these two 

 varieties of mollusks may be made a source of considerable 

 revenue. The shells are, I believe, found only in the 

 Bahamas, and a limit being placed on their export, as has 

 been found necessary to do with corals in Japan, would 

 lead to a considerable increase in their value. Combina- 

 tion among the exporters would have the same result. 

 They are used to an immense and increasing extent in 

 Italy ; and in the case of the pink shell, sold in this 

 country at a shilling a-piece, I am quite sure from the 

 offers I have had for those in the Exhibition, that twenty 

 times that amount would be readily paid, if the price 

 were firmly maintained, as the profit when converted into 

 cameos and other objets dart is enormous. 



