536 BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 
so thoroughly begun in their native country, i. e., the gradual but sure destruc- 
tion of the sponge fishery. It was thus that the question of diving machines 
was introduced in Italy. 
We must render the Italian Government the justice to acknowledge that 
it took and takes pains to obtain information. This is proved by the fact that 
as early as May 22, 1890, the Italian Naval Office sent a circular to the consuls 
at Tunis, Tripoli, Korphu, Canea, Piraeus, Thessalonica, Smyrna, and Larnaka, 
containing questions as to the sponge fishing, but the result of this action was 
not published. In June of the same year the Italian Government detailed to 
the Mark Antonio Colonna, commanded by Eugenio de Getani, Prof. Enrico 
Giglioli, of France, a scientist, now director of the Zoological Museum in that 
city. We owe to the joint work of these men several good maps of the sponge 
banks of Lampedusa, an unsuccessful attempt to raise sponges artificially, and 
a few partly correct and partly incorrect observations on the value of the diving 
apparatus for sponge fishing, which may be found in the report of the “‘ Condi- 
zioni.”” Giglioli, a scientist of great ability, unfortunately favored the diving 
apparatus in this practical question, having not the least perception of the 
miseries it brought about. The evils of the method were thus not appreciated 
by the Naval Ministry and the Ministry of Agriculture, Industry and Commerce 
and the use of the diving apparatus was recommended to the Italian sponge 
fishermen often and warmly in the ‘‘Condizioni”’ until rgor. 
These frequent official recommendations in the ‘“Condizioni,’”’ based upon 
the reports of the commanders of war ships supervising the sponge fishing, and 
the success of the Greeks, who concealed carefully their dead and cripples from 
the Italians, showing only the advantages of the method, induced a few Italians 
in 1893 to make a few experiments with the diving apparatus. These attempts 
were without the desired success, however, because in order to obtain the most 
modest results the life and health of human beings must be sacrificed without 
pity and no one could or would understand this in Italy, neither the officials of 
the ports nor the divers who serve in the Italian navy. The experiment to 
obtain sponges by means of the diving apparatus was tried once and no more, 
as may be ascertained by the report published in 1894 in the ‘“‘Condizioni.” 
The observation of the necessary precautions for the divers being followed in 
Italy, sufficient pecuniary results were precluded. The Naval Office continued 
to recommend the use of the machines until 1901, however, though fortunately 
without any success, as may be seen from the reports of 1895, 1897, 1899, and 
elsewhere. 
The following incident, mentioned in the report of the “‘ Condizioni”’ of 1898 
for the cruise of 1897, is very characteristic: 
The naval authorities of Lampedusa learned that several Greek divers who met with 
accidents during their work were secretly buried on a neighboring island. The dispatch 
