248 Pearls. 



which 51 were large and 42 small; 32 semi-clear 

 Pearls ; 59 refuse and 42 black Pearls. 



Formerly the Pearls were made over to the 

 Royal Museum of Natural History in Dresden, but 

 at the present day they pass under the control of 

 the Ministry of Finance. In 1802 the Royal Museum 

 sold local Pearls for the sum of seven thousand 

 thalers 04*1,050), and with the proceeds purchased the 

 Rachnitz collection of minerals. Some of the finest 

 Elster Pearls are preserved in the Green Vaults at 

 Dresden. The method of fishing is thus described 

 by Mr. Dall, who derived his information from a 

 report by Dr. Nitsche, on the Pearl-fishery as 

 illustrated in the Berlin Exhibition of 1880. "The 

 waters are inspected in spring, to see if the mussel- 

 beds have been disturbed by ice or debris during the 

 freshets. The area over which the fisheries extend 

 is not searched every year, but is divided into 313 

 tracts, of which each tract is considered as equal 

 to one day's work for three Pearl-seekers ; and only 

 20 or 30 tracts are fished over in any one year, so 

 after fishing, each tract has 10 or 15 years' rest 

 before it it fished over again. The Pearl-seekers 

 who appear to be quite at home in the water, gather 

 the mussels with a peculiarly-formed piece of iron, 

 which is sharpened at one end. With this they pry 

 open the valves, and search the animal for Pearls* 



