612 APPENDIX 



line has a certain numbei- of nets attached to it at suitable distances apart, and there are 

 about thirty or forty on each " ingegno.'" Uet\\ cen these hang similar but finer and closer- 

 meshed bags, which are commonly made of old sardine-nets. 



The " ingegno " is attached to the ship by a long rope, and in fishing is thrown over- 

 board. In its descent through the water the netting-bags open, and when the sea-floor is 

 reached, branches of coral, as well as other animals, plants and stones, become entangled in 

 their meshes, and as the boat moves on are torn up. Such objects are caught chiefly in the 

 wide-meshed nets, the largest of them remain there, but the smaller fall through and are 

 again caught by the small-meshed nets. 



The manipulation of the heavier " ingegni " is very arduous, especially when performed 

 for long hours under the burning smnmer sun of the north African coast, or indeed of any 

 other part of the Mediterranean. In the largest boats the "ingegno" weighs upwards of 

 two hundredweight, and is worked by a winch, but in the small boats these instruments are 

 of less size and are hauled about with no mechanical aid. The nets often a;et so inextricably 

 entangled with objects on the sea-floor, that a special appliance is provided for hauling up 

 the " ingegno " in such cases. The use of this even does not always loosen the instrument 

 from its moorings, so that the fishermen are often obliged to abandon the ^\■hole of the gear, 

 including the rope which attaches it to the boat, a proceeding which involves a loss of 200 

 francs, if the " ingegno" is a large one. 



Each time the " ingegno " is thrown out it is allowed to remain a certain length of 

 time in the water, the fishermen meanwhile controlling its movement along the sea-bottom 

 in various ways designed to increase the catch. AVhen liauled up, whatever has been caught 

 in the nets is piclced out, and the latter, which naturally are apt to be much torn, are 

 repaired in readiness for another cast. The mending of the nets involves the expenditure 

 of a large amount of time, and in one working-day, under average conditions, the " ingegno " 

 cannot be let down and hauled up more than from seven to fourteen times. Small boats 

 return to harbour after their day's lyork, but the larger ones remain at sea, cruising about 

 from bank to bank, and only returning to harbour for provisions or repairs. 



Coral-fishing is an almost exclusively Italian industry; nearly all the boats are built in 

 Italy and winter in Italian harbours. The fishing fleet in the 'eighties included 260 

 large, and 200 small boats. The most important harbour is Torre del Greco, near 

 Naples, from which 300 boats set out every year. Next comes Santa Margherita, east 

 of Genoa, on the lli\'iera di Levante, which harbours 49 boats, though 50 years ago 

 there were 200 boats at anchor there ; then Alghero and Carloforte in Sardinia with 

 19 each, then Trapani ^vith 8, Livorao with 6, and Messina A\ith 3. The number of 

 boats which respectively make their headquarters at these different harboui-s varies from 

 time to time, but not to any great extent. 



The most productive coral-banks lie within French domains on the Noi'th African 

 coast, and no efforts have been spared by the French Goverimient to establish a coral-fishino- 

 industry in Algeria. So favourably are Italian coral-fishers treated, that a considerable 

 number have now settled in I^a Calle and other African harbours, from whence about 

 100 boats, all flying the French flag, though manned by Italians, annually set forth. The 

 only coral not obtained by Italian fishers is the comparatively small amount found off" the 

 coast of Provence, which is fished by Frenchmen, and that collected by Spaniards, off the 

 coast of Spain, who employ about 60 small boats. 



The amount of coral collected yearly by one boat varies greatly according to circum- 

 stances and to the locality at \\hich the fishing has been carried on. The coral obtained 

 from different localities differs not only in amount, but also in quality, and not infrequently 



