﻿[25] 
  PEARLS 
  AT 
  TAHITI 
  AND 
  TUAMOTU. 
  377 
  

  

  large 
  establishments 
  could 
  flourish 
  here. 
  Sheltered 
  from 
  the 
  open 
  sea 
  

   and 
  the 
  winds, 
  and 
  easy 
  to 
  supervise, 
  these 
  different 
  locations 
  are 
  all 
  

   inside 
  the 
  reef 
  which 
  at 
  a 
  distance 
  from 
  the 
  coast, 
  varying 
  from 
  about 
  

   half 
  a 
  mile 
  to 
  1£ 
  miles, 
  extends 
  for 
  about 
  93 
  miles. 
  Nearly 
  everywhere 
  

   fine 
  and 
  valuable 
  mother-of-pearl 
  is 
  found. 
  It 
  would 
  be 
  necessary 
  to 
  es- 
  

   tablish 
  at 
  Tahiti, 
  as 
  at 
  Tuamotu, 
  reservations 
  for 
  the 
  reproduction 
  of 
  

   oysters 
  and 
  the 
  gathering 
  of 
  young 
  oysters. 
  In 
  case 
  a 
  measure 
  of 
  this 
  

   kind 
  should 
  meet 
  with 
  difficulties 
  and 
  not 
  be 
  followed 
  by 
  the 
  expected 
  

   results, 
  spawn 
  could 
  always 
  be 
  obtained 
  from 
  Tuamotu. 
  It 
  is 
  said 
  that 
  

   mother-of-pearl 
  is 
  not 
  at 
  all 
  scarce 
  in 
  the 
  Tubuai 
  Islands; 
  but 
  no 
  im- 
  

   portant 
  fisheries 
  are 
  carried 
  on 
  there. 
  It 
  is 
  also 
  stated 
  that 
  there 
  are 
  

   in 
  these 
  islands 
  places 
  which 
  are 
  exceedingly 
  well 
  adapted 
  to 
  the 
  or- 
  

   ganization 
  of 
  oyster-pares. 
  These 
  islands 
  have 
  greater 
  resources 
  than 
  

   the 
  Tuamotu 
  Islands, 
  and 
  the 
  climate 
  is 
  more 
  favorable. 
  Emigrants 
  

   would 
  therefore 
  probably 
  prefer 
  them 
  to 
  the 
  former. 
  

  

  Market 
  in 
  France 
  for 
  mother- 
  of 
  -pearl. 
  — 
  It 
  remains 
  to 
  be 
  stated 
  briefly 
  

   by 
  what 
  means 
  the 
  French 
  merchants 
  of 
  Tahiti 
  think 
  Tahiti 
  mother-of- 
  

   pearl 
  could 
  be 
  brought 
  into 
  our 
  markets. 
  It 
  is 
  well 
  known 
  that 
  we 
  

   buy 
  from 
  England 
  nearly 
  two-thirds 
  of 
  the 
  mother-of-pearl 
  which 
  our 
  

   industry 
  consumes. 
  At 
  London 
  a 
  market 
  is 
  held 
  every 
  six 
  weeks. 
  In 
  

   Liverpool 
  the 
  markets 
  are 
  held 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  arrivals 
  of 
  mother-of- 
  

   pearl. 
  It 
  is 
  sold 
  by 
  public 
  auction. 
  The 
  business 
  men 
  of 
  Papaete, 
  from 
  

   whom 
  I 
  obtained 
  information, 
  are 
  of 
  the 
  opinion 
  that 
  if 
  a 
  similar 
  market 
  

   was 
  created 
  in 
  one 
  of 
  our 
  ports, 
  all, 
  or 
  at 
  least 
  a 
  great 
  portion, 
  of 
  the 
  

   mother-of-pearl 
  from 
  our 
  oceanic 
  colonies 
  would 
  go 
  there, 
  provided 
  that 
  

   all 
  the 
  vessels 
  coming 
  directly 
  from 
  Tahiti 
  were 
  exempt 
  from 
  the 
  duty 
  

   of 
  40 
  francs 
  per 
  ton 
  levied 
  on 
  mother-of-pearl 
  by 
  the 
  colony. 
  

  

  Paris, 
  France, 
  May 
  28, 
  1885. 
  

  

  