Pearls and the Pearl Fisheries. 417 



20 holes in it, and the pearls that do not pass through 

 these holes, after being well shaken, are called of the 

 twentieth basket. The succeeding baskets have 30, 50, 80, 

 100, 200, 400, 600, 800, 1000 holes ; each basket giving the 

 name, corresponding with its number of holes, to the pearls 

 that do not pass through ; so that there are pearls of 

 twentieth, thirtieth, fiftieth, and so on, to the thousandth 

 basket. The pearls which do not pass through the eleventh 

 or twelfth baskets, when they are used, are called masie. 

 The pearls having been sorted into 10 or 12 sizes by means 

 of the baskets, are carefully examined in regard to their 

 beauty of shape and colour, and each size, except the masie, 

 is susceptible of seven distinct descriptions. After being 

 classed, they are weighed and valued according to their 

 respective qualities. The price of pearls is expressed at a 

 certain rate per ckow, which term has reference to the 

 quality ascertained from the size, the form, the colour, and 

 the weight. 



The number of pearls which are valuable as gems, and 

 permanently retained as such, is limited ; the larger pro- 

 portion of the small seed pearls, and of the defective ones, 

 are used as ingredients of a highly prized native electuary ; 

 and occasionally the extravagance is committed of reducing 

 them to chunam, or lime, to be used with betel-leaf and 

 areca-nut as a masticatory. The pearl-powder of the 

 apothecary was even a sovereign remedy for many diseases 

 in this country a century ago ; but whether it were made of 

 pearls is questionable. 



DECLARED VALUE OF THE PEARLS IMPORTED INTO THE UNITED 

 KINGDOM. 



1853 ^60,735 



1854 ... ... 41,001 



1855 30.476 



2 E 



