THE OYSTER. 91 



think — who coming in 1797 from Arjango, stayed under 

 water six minutes. 



The divers live not to a great age. Heart diseases, 

 surfeits, sores, blood- shot eyes, staggering limbs, and 

 bent backs — these are part of their wages. Some- 

 times they die on reaching the surface, suddenly, as if 

 struck by a shot. 



At Bahrein, the annual amount produced by the pearl 

 fishery may be reckoned at from £200,000 to £240,000; 

 add to this purchases made by the merchants of Aboota- 

 bee, and we have £360,000 to include the whole pearl 

 trade of the Gulf, since, through their agents at Bahrein, 

 merchants from Constantinople, Bagdad, Alexandria, 

 Timbuctoo, jS'ew York, Calcutta, Paris, St. Petersburg, 

 Holy Moscowa, or London, make their purchases. 



''But," says our credible informant, "I have not- 

 put down the sum at one-sixth of that told me by the 

 native merchants." But even then an enormous amount 

 is that, to be used in mere ornament, and in one article 

 only. 



Well, not exactly ornament. ''In Eastern lands," 

 says Mr. Thomas Moore, " they talk in flowers." Yery 

 flowery certainly is their talk. They also, good easy peo- 

 ple, take pearls for physic — not for dentifrice — ^^Easterns 

 always having white teeth, apparently, so far as I have 

 been able to judge, without the trouble of cleaning them 

 — but as a regular dose. They call it majoon ; it is an 

 electuary, and myriads of small seed pearls are ground 

 to impalpable powder to make it. As for the adultera- 

 tion in this article, doubtless to be found, I say nothing. 

 The simple lime from the inside of the shell would be 



G 2 



