﻿[23] 
  PEARLS 
  AT 
  TAHITI 
  AND 
  TUAMOTU. 
  375 
  

  

  I 
  would 
  also 
  propose 
  to 
  send 
  a 
  thousand 
  oyster-boxes 
  from 
  France 
  to 
  

   the 
  governor 
  of 
  Tahiti, 
  and 
  have 
  them 
  properly 
  distributed 
  among 
  the 
  

   natives, 
  to 
  whom 
  we 
  shall 
  have 
  tolook 
  for 
  establishing 
  the 
  first 
  centers 
  

   of 
  reproduction. 
  These 
  boxes 
  would 
  also 
  serve 
  as 
  models 
  ; 
  and 
  those 
  of 
  

   the 
  natives 
  of 
  Tuamotu 
  who 
  are 
  skilled 
  in 
  carpentering, 
  could 
  hardly 
  

   fail 
  to 
  construct 
  similar 
  boxes. 
  The 
  MiJci-milci 
  wood, 
  common 
  in 
  Tahiti, 
  

   is 
  very 
  hard 
  and 
  resists 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  the 
  water, 
  and, 
  like 
  the 
  wood 
  of 
  

   the 
  cocoauut 
  tree, 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  admirably 
  adapted 
  to 
  this 
  purpose. 
  

  

  The 
  introduction 
  of 
  the 
  industry 
  of 
  oyster 
  culture 
  in 
  Tuamotu 
  would 
  

   be 
  accompanied 
  by 
  very 
  happy 
  results. 
  In 
  the 
  first 
  place 
  it 
  would 
  fur- 
  

   nish 
  steady 
  work 
  to 
  the 
  natives, 
  something 
  which 
  they 
  have 
  needed 
  for 
  

   a 
  long 
  time, 
  and 
  to 
  which 
  they 
  are 
  well 
  adapted 
  ; 
  it 
  would 
  relieve 
  them 
  

   from 
  the 
  cupidity 
  of 
  unscrupulous 
  merchants; 
  it 
  would 
  develop 
  among 
  

   the 
  natives 
  of 
  Tuamoto 
  a 
  feeling 
  of 
  family, 
  economy, 
  love 
  of 
  property, 
  

   and 
  of 
  country; 
  it 
  would 
  cause 
  the 
  Tuamotu 
  native 
  to 
  abandon 
  the 
  

   vagabond 
  life 
  which 
  necessity 
  at 
  present 
  compels 
  him 
  to 
  lead, 
  roaming 
  

   from 
  one 
  island 
  of 
  the 
  archipelago 
  to 
  the 
  other, 
  in 
  following 
  the 
  precari- 
  

   ous 
  trade 
  of 
  a 
  diver, 
  which 
  shortens 
  his 
  life, 
  and 
  would 
  gradually 
  raise 
  

   him 
  morally 
  and 
  intellectually. 
  And 
  all 
  this 
  would 
  benefit 
  the 
  entire 
  

   colony, 
  making 
  business 
  of 
  every 
  kind 
  more 
  prosperous. 
  

  

  Ownership 
  of 
  the 
  lagoons. 
  — 
  The 
  introduction 
  of 
  oyster 
  culture 
  in 
  our 
  

   oceanic 
  establishments 
  would 
  bring 
  about 
  the 
  solution 
  of 
  a 
  question 
  

   which 
  has 
  been 
  pending 
  for 
  a 
  long 
  time, 
  namely, 
  the 
  ownership 
  of 
  the 
  

   hi 
  goons. 
  As 
  long 
  as 
  this 
  question 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  definitely 
  settled, 
  it 
  will 
  

   be 
  impossible 
  to 
  do 
  anything. 
  It 
  is 
  very 
  evident 
  that 
  neither 
  the 
  

   natives 
  nor 
  the 
  French 
  oyster 
  cultivators 
  who 
  might 
  feel 
  inclined 
  to 
  

   introduce 
  their 
  industry 
  in 
  these 
  remote 
  countries 
  will 
  set 
  to 
  work 
  in 
  

   earnest 
  until 
  regular 
  grants 
  of 
  these 
  waters 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  to 
  them 
  

   and 
  they 
  feel 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  secure 
  in 
  their 
  possession. 
  

  

  Some 
  people 
  in 
  Tahiti 
  have, 
  from 
  reasons 
  which 
  I 
  cannot 
  understand, 
  

   constituted 
  themselves 
  the 
  defenders 
  of 
  ancient 
  and 
  superannuated 
  

   privileges, 
  which 
  the 
  native 
  population 
  would 
  never 
  dream 
  of 
  claiming, 
  

   and 
  which 
  are 
  absolutely 
  at 
  variance 
  with 
  the 
  laws 
  in 
  force 
  in 
  all 
  coun- 
  

   tries 
  of 
  the 
  globe. 
  These 
  officious 
  people 
  seek 
  to 
  convince 
  the 
  natives 
  

   that 
  these 
  lagoons 
  belong 
  to 
  them, 
  and 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  communal 
  or 
  pri- 
  

   vate 
  property, 
  just 
  like 
  ground. 
  They 
  say 
  that 
  the 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  sea 
  

   extending 
  from 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  reef 
  to 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  the 
  lagoon 
  is 
  only 
  

   the 
  natural 
  extension 
  of 
  the 
  ground. 
  Our 
  law, 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  pro- 
  

   claims 
  that 
  the 
  domain 
  of 
  the 
  sea 
  belongs 
  to 
  the 
  state, 
  and 
  is 
  inaliena- 
  

   ble. 
  Would 
  it, 
  therefore, 
  be 
  proper 
  to 
  make 
  an 
  exception 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  

   of 
  the 
  Tuamotu 
  Archipelago 
  1 
  If 
  this 
  was 
  the 
  case, 
  navigation 
  in 
  the 
  

   lagoons 
  would 
  be 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  sufferance. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  my 
  voyage 
  through 
  the 
  Tuamotu 
  Archipelago 
  I 
  

   made 
  inquiries 
  of 
  the 
  natives 
  relative 
  to 
  the 
  claims 
  above 
  referred 
  to, 
  

   which 
  they 
  are 
  said 
  to 
  make, 
  and 
  in 
  all 
  cases 
  I 
  was 
  informed 
  that 
  noth- 
  

   ing 
  approaching 
  to 
  such 
  a 
  claim 
  had 
  ever 
  been 
  made. 
  They 
  have 
  

  

  