River Peaids ; British and Foreign. 241 



among certain families not only a trade, but their 

 sole means of livelihood. A more agreeable pursuit 

 of the manual order can scarcely be imagined, and 

 is, in point of fact, as pleasant as trout-fishing on a 

 hot day, and infinitely more profitable in the worst 

 of times. Elaborate apparatus is not needed, all 

 the skill necessary may be acquired in an hour, 

 and experience avails little where there are no 

 rules, and scarcely any dogma, to guide the mani- 

 pulator. During the years 176 1 to 1764, Pearls to 

 the value of ;^ 10,000 were sent to London from 

 the rivers Tay and Isla. 



The following curious extract from "An Accompt 

 current betwixt Scotland and England," by John 

 Spruel (Edinburgh, 1705), will give an idea of 

 the opinions then entertained of their value and 

 importance: — 



" If a Scotch Pearl be of a fine transparent 

 colour, and perfectly round, and of any great big- 

 ness, it may be worth 15, 20, 30, 40 to 50 rix dollars : 

 yea, I have given 100 rix dollars {£16 qj. 2d) for 

 one, but that is rarely to get such. ... I have 

 dealt in Pearls these forty years and more, and yet 

 to this day I could never sell a necklace of fine Scots 

 Pearl in Scotland, nor yet fine pendants, the gene- 

 rality seeking for Oriental Pearls, because farther 



Q 



