JBECHE-DE-MER. 267 



were originally discovered. Again, if a fisher stripped all the 

 visible Mche-de-mer from a coral reef, in stormy weather, after 

 the wind's subsidence, the place would be found as thickly 

 crowded with these molluscs as it had been before the storm. 

 From this I concluded that they had shifted their quarters 

 during the bad weather to crevices in the coral. 



The wealthy classes of China exhibit such a remarkable 

 fondness for the gelatinous flesh (if flesh it may be called) of 

 this fish, that they are willing to pay very high prices for the 

 luxury. There are especial reasons very powerful indeed with 

 the Mongolian mind for this curious fancy of theirs for Mche- 

 de-mer. 



For centuries past Chinese mariners have frequented the 

 coasts of the Indian Archipelago, New Guinea, and New 

 Holland, and it was from this reason that the northern shores 

 of that great island were as well known to them before the 

 days of Marco Polo as they are to ourselves at the present 

 time. When Captain Flinders was engaged in the first ex- 

 ploration of that locality, he encountered in one of the 

 harbours a fleet of vessels which he first supposed to be 

 pirates. On closer examination they turned out to be 

 Chinese tripang-fishers, with whom he became very friendly. 

 He received some valuable information from their intelligent 

 commodore, and was shown by him a chart showing the 

 principal features of the coast, and their relative positions to 

 New Guinea and Timor. There can be no doubt that it was 

 from this source that the Dutch navigators of former days 

 derived the information which directed them to the discovery 

 of New Holland, and set the Spaniards speculating upon the 

 precise locality of that land which they were the first to call 

 Australia. 



As regards maritime enterprise in the Coral Seas, no traffic 



