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Statistics. 
FRANCE. 
a spiral form, in which the tunnies, when ht, are 
almost always dead, because it closes their gills, and 
chokes them, for which reason the madrague is pre- 
ferred. This is, in fact, a vast inclosure, 
three large nets, divided by others into many cham- 
bers or compartments : before the net, towards the 
‘sea, is a large passage, formed by two parallel nets: the 
tunnies, running in between them, enter the madrague, 
and ing from chamber to chamber, they arrive at 
last at what is called Boa chenbe of death, or the 
corpou, or vi a eve ing has been made 
ready, the fiahenings draw w “ihe iets of each cham- 
ber, in order to force the 
The tunnies awe Sree force in their tails, so that much 
eaution is required in getting them into their boats. 
i i ight of the 
une, from 
a y 
25 lb. each ; but they have been known to weigh 50 1b. 
celebrated, as to be sent all 
When it is pickled, it is cut into slices, 
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ashed, and which is pressed out when 
, is used by tanners. The tunny fish- 
been less gt ae since the war, for mi 
ight ; ing of the batteries on 
eee kane vege at a great distance. 
are four madragues at Marseilles, which are rent- 
paar compat fap town, at a considerable ad- 
There are two at St Tropez, which are 
by the government at 10,600 francs. Two nets 
to and each net costs about 3000 
For the net of the corpou, 250 Ibs. of cork are 
required. This net sometimes remains for a year or two 
in the sea ; but those which form the in pace nt Hi 
and the entrance passage, are changed every six months. 
The sea, in the spot in which the madrague is placed, 
is generally 40 fathoms deep. When Louis XIII. vi- 
sited Marseilles in 1662, he was invited to a tunny 
, at the principal madr of Margion, and 
the diversion so much to his taste, that he often 
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France, are the palamede, which, though much smaller 
ey es of the same species ; it is 
mentioned by , in his description of Constanti- 
nople, as, at the time of the foundation of that city, the 
variety of -excellent fish ta- 
most celebrated among the 
in the Propontes ;' the d'orade, the pageau, the 
799 
en cross, in the centre of which is a heavy leaden ball; Statistics. 
The divers =“ 
at_each extremity is fixed a round net. 
push one or two arms of the cross into the cavities of 
of such rocks as contain coral, and the boatmen draw it 
up. The other machine is used for drawing coral out 
_of the deepest waters. It is a long beam, at the end of 
which is fixed an iron ring, having a reticular bag, with 
two round nets at each side. The ring breaks off the 
small branches, and the nets entangle and retain the 
others. A company,has long been established at Mar- 
seilles for this fishery. There are seven or eight men 
to a boat, one.of. whom is the. patron or proprietor: 
When the fishery.is ended, which produces.on.an ave- 
rage 25 quintals of coral to each boat, it is divided into 
18 , of which.the proprietor has four, the caster two, 
the other six. men .one each; the remaining one 
belongs to the company. Coral is part of the traffic of 
Marseilles.. Bracelets and necklaces are made of it there 
and at Genis, and. sell very. well up.the Levant.. 
Oysters are found in various places on the coast of Oysters 
France. At the mouth of the Seine, they are few in 
number, but of excellent quality. On the coast of Caen 
in Normandy, there is a bank six miles in length and 
one in breadth, They are also found in the bay of 
Isigny, and in the neighbourhood of Cherbourg. Thiose’ 
in particular are highly*valued which are. collected at 
the mouths of some streams, where. the sea. water is 
sometimes thrown. entirely back, and which are. called 
huitres de pied.. Granville in Normandy gains 50;000 
livres by this fishery.. On the coast of Brittany:there: 
are very large oysters, particularly at Curcale, where a. 
great many. are preserved in places inclosed for that 
Pp . . The oysters of Roscoff. are also particularly 
ted; they are. brought in great abundance to 
Morlaix, and are by some preferred to those of Curcale. 
The bank at Painpol.is almost. entirely exhausted. At 
the mouth of the Loire, between the rocks on th coast 
of Poitou; on the coast of Aunis and Saintonge, where 
those who make bay-salt transplant.oysters to marshy 
laces, also d la.tete de Buch, near Bourdeaux, oysters are 
ound. In Languedoc, near Cape Leucate, there-is an 
oyster bed at the depth of 20 feet. There is also one 
at the mouth of the Rhone. At Paris, those oysters are 
most esteemed which come from Brittany, Rochelle; 
Bourdeaux, and particularly from Medoc, so celebrated 
for its claret. The incipal fish which the rivers of 
France yield, are nig, carp, frout, pike, and eels. 
The importance and value of all these branches of 
home fishery are very. considerable: At.the end of the 
reign of Louis XIV. their value was at least 1,700,000 
livres ; at the commencement of the. Revolution, it ha 
increased to 9,300,000 livres... > as 
Having thus given a detailed account of French in- 
dustry, as exercised-in agriculture, manufactures, com- 
merce, &c. we shall-conclude with laying before~our 
readers an estimate of the value of the annual repro- 
ductions in, these. branches,.or their gross: produce at 
the close of the 17th century, and at the commence. 
ment of the Revolution; premising, however, that such 
an.estimate must necessarily be only an approximation 
to the truth, and that it is pasting and important, 
not'so much from its general result, as, he com 
arison which, it he between the value of different 
Beaches of industry. : 
* In 1698, D’Avenant reckoned the general produce Génetai 
of the land, and of the interior and external commerce produce. 
of France,—in short, the produce of all the occupa- 
tions of her citizen$,—at 81,000,000 sterling, ,or 
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