The Red Sea Fishery. 221 



monopoly, but when the goods are landed, the cus- 

 tomary import duty of eight per cent, must be paid 

 on their value. The fishing is almost exclusively 

 carried on by Bedouin Arabs, who have settled on 

 the Asiatic and African sides of the coast. The 

 chief places where the trade in Pearls is conducted 

 are Jeddah and Kosseir. The lofty Bedouins refuse 

 to dive themselves, but train their young slave-boys 

 to the art. The slave while training, will be shown 

 a shell at the bottom, and told to fetch it. If he 

 fails to bring it up, he is bound to be flogged, and 

 his very life is jeopardized ; and even when he 

 brings up the most valuable shells, scanty food is 

 his only reward. The Red Sea fishery formerly 

 exhibited slavery under one of its worst aspects. 

 In return for the barbarity of man, mother Nature 

 appears to yield but a scanty supply of Pearls, and 

 indeed, the Pearl-fisheries of the Red Sea may now 

 be regarded as practically extinct. The shell how- 

 ever is still imported. The price of Egyptian shell 

 at the present time (October, 1886), ranges according 

 to its quality, from 52s. 6d. to £\. los. per cwt. 



