﻿[5] 
  PEARLS 
  AT 
  TAHITI 
  AND 
  TUAMOTU. 
  357 
  

  

  or 
  burao 
  wood, 
  pierced 
  by 
  the 
  wire 
  and 
  not 
  protruding 
  inside 
  the 
  valve, 
  

   closed 
  the 
  opening 
  hermetically. 
  In 
  this 
  way 
  the 
  glass 
  ball 
  was 
  the 
  

   only 
  foreign 
  body 
  protruding 
  on 
  the 
  inside 
  of 
  the 
  shell. 
  After 
  four 
  

   weeks 
  a 
  thin 
  layer 
  of 
  mother-of-pearl 
  had 
  formed 
  round 
  the 
  ball, 
  cov- 
  

   ering 
  it 
  almost 
  entirely. 
  The 
  result 
  was 
  a 
  very 
  fine 
  artificial 
  pearl 
  in 
  

   course 
  of 
  development. 
  I 
  believe 
  that 
  this 
  process 
  might 
  be 
  developed 
  

   into 
  an 
  important 
  industry, 
  and 
  I 
  am 
  also 
  convinced 
  that 
  by 
  making 
  

   the 
  proper 
  selection 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  possible 
  to 
  produce 
  mother-of-pearl 
  of 
  

   various 
  colors. 
  

  

  Pearl-oysters. 
  — 
  The 
  genus 
  Avicula, 
  to 
  which 
  the 
  pearl-oysters 
  belong, 
  

   comprises 
  a 
  great 
  number 
  of 
  varieties, 
  differing 
  but 
  little 
  from 
  each 
  

   other, 
  and 
  which 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  useless 
  to 
  enumerate 
  in 
  this 
  report. 
  

  

  In 
  commerce 
  two 
  kinds 
  of 
  pearl-oysters 
  are 
  distinguished 
  — 
  the 
  one 
  the 
  

   Meleagrina 
  radiata, 
  which 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  Indian 
  Ocean, 
  the 
  Persian 
  

   Gulf, 
  in 
  the 
  Chinese 
  Seas, 
  the 
  Caribbean 
  Sea, 
  the 
  lied 
  Sea, 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  

   north 
  of 
  Australia 
  inside 
  the 
  Great 
  Reef; 
  the 
  other 
  the 
  Meleagrina 
  

   margaritifera, 
  also 
  comes 
  from 
  the 
  Indian 
  Sea, 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  Comoro 
  

   Islands, 
  Zanzibar, 
  the 
  Australian 
  coasts, 
  the 
  Sunda 
  Isles, 
  Gilbert 
  Isl- 
  

   ands, 
  Philippine 
  Islands, 
  New 
  Guinea, 
  and 
  finally 
  from 
  the 
  French 
  Pos- 
  

   sessions 
  in 
  Oceanica, 
  especially 
  the 
  Gambier 
  Islands, 
  and 
  the 
  Tuamotu 
  

   Archipelago. 
  

  

  When 
  fully 
  developed, 
  the 
  first 
  of 
  these 
  oysters 
  rarely 
  has 
  a 
  diame- 
  

   ter 
  exceeding 
  10 
  centimeters 
  [nearly 
  4 
  inches]. 
  The 
  weight 
  of 
  both 
  the 
  

   valves 
  combined 
  rarely 
  reaches 
  150 
  grams 
  [about 
  5£ 
  ounces]. 
  The 
  

   second 
  kind 
  may 
  reach 
  a 
  diameter 
  of 
  30 
  centimeters, 
  and 
  a 
  weight 
  of 
  

   to 
  10 
  kilograms 
  [about 
  20 
  to 
  22 
  pounds]. 
  The 
  first-mentioned 
  kind 
  

   furnishes 
  inferior 
  mother-of-pearl, 
  as 
  to 
  quality 
  and 
  commercial 
  value. 
  

   The 
  second 
  produces 
  the 
  beautiful 
  mother-of-pearl, 
  so 
  much 
  sought 
  for 
  

   industrial 
  purposes, 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  its 
  solidity, 
  consistence, 
  iridescence, 
  

   and 
  beautiful 
  whiteness. 
  

  

  Pearl 
  fisheries. 
  — 
  The 
  Tuamotu 
  Archipelago 
  contains 
  the 
  largest 
  pearl 
  

   fisheries 
  in 
  the 
  world. 
  Of 
  the 
  80 
  islands 
  composing 
  this 
  archipelago 
  

   there 
  are 
  only 
  5 
  or 
  G 
  which 
  do 
  not 
  produce 
  pearls. 
  These 
  immense 
  

   fisheries, 
  however, 
  are 
  far 
  from 
  yielding 
  the 
  revenue 
  which 
  England 
  

   derives 
  from 
  her 
  pearl 
  fisheries 
  in 
  India, 
  nor 
  is 
  the 
  manner 
  in 
  which 
  

   they 
  are 
  managed 
  the 
  same. 
  The 
  English 
  Government 
  has 
  taken 
  pos- 
  

   session 
  of 
  these 
  fisheries, 
  works 
  them 
  on 
  its 
  own 
  account, 
  or 
  lets 
  them 
  

   them 
  to 
  different 
  persons 
  at 
  a 
  high 
  rent. 
  

  

  The 
  French 
  Government, 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  leaves 
  the 
  fisheries 
  on 
  

   the 
  oyster-beds 
  free, 
  derives 
  no 
  revenue 
  from 
  the 
  trade 
  in 
  pearls, 
  and 
  

   exercises 
  no 
  control. 
  This 
  apparent 
  indifference 
  would 
  be 
  inexplicable 
  

   if 
  we 
  did 
  not 
  take 
  into 
  consideration 
  the 
  circumstance 
  that 
  we 
  have 
  

   been 
  absolute 
  masters 
  of 
  the 
  Tuamotu 
  Archipelago 
  only 
  since 
  1880, 
  and 
  

   that 
  consequently 
  during 
  this 
  short 
  period 
  we 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  

   work 
  out 
  a 
  system 
  according 
  to 
  which 
  the 
  fisheries 
  should 
  be 
  suitably 
  

   managed. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  certain 
  that 
  the 
  Tuamotu 
  Islands 
  are 
  not 
  as 
  rich 
  in 
  pearls 
  as 
  the 
  

  

  