﻿[7] 
  

  

  PEARLS 
  AT 
  TAHITI 
  AND 
  TUAMOTU. 
  

  

  359 
  

  

  obtain 
  its 
  supply 
  of 
  pearls 
  through 
  expensive 
  intermediaries. 
  This 
  is 
  all 
  

   the 
  more 
  to 
  be 
  regretted, 
  as 
  the 
  Tahiti 
  pearls, 
  of 
  matchless 
  beauty, 
  are 
  

   at 
  present 
  much 
  sought 
  after 
  and 
  valued 
  very 
  highly. 
  

  

  What 
  measures 
  could 
  be 
  taken 
  to 
  turn 
  the 
  trade 
  in 
  pearls 
  to 
  our 
  

   profit, 
  and 
  to 
  make 
  French 
  industry 
  (at 
  least 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  Tahiti 
  pearls 
  

   are 
  concerned) 
  independent 
  of 
  foreigners 
  ? 
  It 
  was 
  proposed 
  to 
  levy 
  a 
  

   high 
  duty 
  on 
  all 
  pearls 
  destined 
  to 
  be 
  sold 
  to 
  countries 
  other 
  than 
  

   France, 
  and 
  to 
  exempt 
  from 
  all 
  duty 
  those 
  sent 
  direct 
  to 
  the 
  French 
  

   markets 
  ; 
  but 
  it 
  was 
  recognized 
  that 
  this 
  measure 
  would 
  not 
  answer 
  the 
  

   purpose, 
  considering 
  the 
  facility 
  with 
  which 
  this 
  precious 
  article 
  can 
  be 
  

   concealed. 
  A 
  large 
  quantity 
  of 
  mother-of-pearl 
  is 
  smuggled, 
  and 
  the 
  

   same 
  would 
  be 
  done 
  with 
  pearls. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Mariot, 
  an 
  old 
  resident 
  of 
  Tuamotu, 
  has 
  proposed 
  a 
  system 
  which 
  

   deserves 
  to 
  be 
  mentioned. 
  He 
  says 
  : 
  " 
  I 
  think 
  that 
  pearls 
  could 
  be 
  made 
  

   to 
  find 
  their 
  way 
  to 
  Paris 
  by 
  establishing 
  at 
  Tuamotu 
  a 
  branch 
  of 
  the 
  

   Agricultural 
  Bank 
  of 
  Tahiti, 
  which 
  would 
  pay 
  the 
  owners 
  of 
  pearls 
  

   one-fourth 
  their 
  estimated 
  value 
  ; 
  the 
  remainder 
  — 
  less 
  a 
  certain 
  small 
  

   percentage 
  for 
  general 
  expenses 
  — 
  to 
  be 
  paid 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  their 
  sale 
  at 
  

   Paris 
  had 
  been 
  reported." 
  I 
  think 
  that 
  Mr. 
  Mariot's 
  plan 
  deserves 
  to 
  

   be 
  examined 
  and 
  carefully 
  studied. 
  Our 
  large 
  dealers 
  in 
  pearls 
  and 
  

   our 
  great 
  jewelry 
  houses 
  ought 
  to 
  form 
  a 
  syndicate 
  and 
  establish 
  an 
  

   office 
  at 
  Tuamotu 
  for 
  buying 
  pearls. 
  It 
  is 
  true 
  that 
  pearls 
  have 
  never 
  

   been 
  sold 
  in 
  Oceanica 
  to 
  greater 
  advantage 
  than 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  time; 
  

   and 
  eveu 
  a 
  medium 
  pearl 
  will 
  fetch 
  a 
  higher 
  price 
  in 
  Tuamotu 
  than 
  in 
  

   Europe 
  or 
  America. 
  

  

  Mother-of-2)earl 
  — 
  The 
  trade 
  in 
  mother-of-pearl 
  is 
  constantly 
  increasing. 
  

   England 
  imports 
  not 
  less 
  than 
  5,000 
  to 
  0,000 
  tons 
  a 
  year, 
  and 
  Ger- 
  

   many 
  from 
  1,200 
  to 
  1,500. 
  France 
  imports 
  about 
  2,500 
  tons, 
  represent- 
  

   ing 
  a 
  value 
  of 
  $1,351,000. 
  French 
  industry 
  (fine 
  furniture, 
  inlaid 
  work, 
  

   fans, 
  buttons, 
  &c.) 
  uses 
  nearly 
  all 
  the 
  mother-of-pearl 
  imported 
  into 
  

   France, 
  while 
  England 
  retains 
  for 
  industrial 
  purposes 
  only 
  one-twentieth 
  

   part 
  of 
  the 
  mother-of-pearl 
  she 
  imports, 
  and 
  sells 
  the 
  rest 
  to 
  France, 
  

   Austria, 
  and 
  Korth 
  America. 
  In 
  fact, 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  articles 
  iuto 
  whose 
  

   composition 
  mother-of-pearl 
  enters 
  are 
  manufactured 
  in 
  France. 
  It 
  is 
  

   impossible 
  to 
  estimate 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  these 
  articles, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  certain 
  that 
  

   it 
  reaches 
  a 
  very 
  considerable 
  sum. 
  'For 
  some 
  years 
  Austria 
  has 
  be- 
  

   come 
  our 
  rival 
  in 
  this 
  respect, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  estimated 
  that 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  

   men 
  employed 
  in 
  Austria 
  in 
  working 
  in 
  mother-of-pearl 
  is 
  8,000, 
  while 
  

   their 
  number 
  in 
  France 
  probably 
  does 
  not 
  exceed 
  4,000. 
  

  

  In 
  18S3 
  France 
  imported 
  2,235 
  tons 
  of 
  mother-of-pearl, 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  

  

  Whence 
  imported. 
  

  

  Quantity. 
  

  

  Tons. 
  

  

  Ej-ypt 
  

  

  Dutch 
  East 
  Indies 
  

  

  Colombia 
  

  

  Germany 
  

  

  Japan 
  

  

  Netherlands 
  

  

  Whence 
  imported. 
  

  

  Mexico 
  

  

  British 
  Indies 
  

  

  Australia 
  

  

  Various 
  countries 
  

  

  England 
  

  

  Tahiti 
  

  

  Quantity. 
  

  

  Tons. 
  

  

  85 
  

   92 
  

   303 
  

   37 
  

   1,553 
  

   28 
  

  

  