140 ISLES OF SUMMER. 
Aside from its many curious forms, some of which ae beauti- 
ful, the sponge when first taken from the water has a very 
unpromising appearance, and its odor is offensive. The sponge 
of commerce is merely its skeleton or framework. This is sur- 
rounded by a glairy, gelatinous substance, which formerly was 
removed by burying the sponges in the sand for a few days, and 
afterwards whipping them with sticks. But now they are kept 
upon deck for two or three days, when they lose their vital- 
ity; afterwards they are placed in a crawl and kept there from 
eight to ten days; then they are cleansed and bleached in 
the sun and air upon the beach. Afterwards, upon their ar- 
rival in Nassau, the roots are cut off, and they are trimmed 
and packed for exportation. Some of those offered for sale in’ 
the hotel court were doubtless bleached with chemicals. The 
result in such cases is that the strength of the fibre is impaired. 
The sponges grow sometimes in forms so singular and unique 
that they command from strangers a good price as curiosities. 
_ We were shown at Judge VanVolkenberg’s house in Florida, 
what seemed to bea package two or three feet in length, of beau- 
tiful small glass threads, and were very greatly surprised to learn 
that it was a species of Japanese sponge. It was obtained in 
Japan when the Judge filled the office of United States minister 
to Japan. 
We also saw in the little embryo museum which is connected 
‘with the Nassau public library, a delicate foreign sponge, packed 
in cotton wool, which closely resembled handsome thread lace. 
In a recent official report of the Governor of the Bahamas, hé 
states that it has been discovered in Germany that the sponge 
may be propagated by cuttings from living specimens, which, 
when fastened to pieces of board, are placed in the sea. Skilful 
cultivation may hereafter result in the production of the more 
valuable sponges in many parts of the ocean world where they 
are not at present found, 
