104 HANDY BOOK OF 



rise upon the Coral-reefs of the tropical ocean ; thus was 

 formed the large territory of the Maldives, whose sultan, 

 Ibrahim, bears the haughty title of King of the Thirteen 

 Atolls and the Twelve Thousand Islands. May his shadow 

 never grow less, or his star set ! 



With a few words on the valuable Coral Isis nobilis, we 

 will close a chapter which has, perhaps, grown too long. 

 It is found in the Mediterranean, principally on the coast 

 of Provence, from Cape de la Couronne to St. Tropez, off 

 the islands of Majorca and Minorca, at Stromboli, and on 

 the coasts of Sicily and Algiers. It grows in large banks 

 on the rocky ground. Only the internal parts of the Poly- 

 podoms consist of the marbled red stony substance, which 

 a large colony of Zoophytes cover with a softer living crust. 



At Stromboli, and in the Straits of Messina, according to 

 De Quatrefages, the Coral-fishery is carried on now just as 

 Marsigli described it 150 years ago. 



A large wooden cross weighted with stones, whose arms 

 of equal length carry nets made of tow, is lowered on to the 

 rocks for a depth of 200 to 300 feet. While one of the fisher- 

 men alternately raises and lowers this apparatus, his com- 

 rades row on slowly, so that a considerable distance is 

 swept by it. Then the whole affair is drawn up, and the 

 torn-off pieces of Coral which are found hanging in the 

 meshes of the net are taken out. Each boat has a crew of 

 seven or eight men, and the fishery lasts from April to June. 



The quantity obtained in these parts annually amounts 

 to about 12 Sicilian quintals, each of 250 lbs. Formerly 

 the price of the raw material was 4s. 6d. the pound. Each 

 bank is only dragged once in ten years, as the corals 

 require that time to grow to perfection again. In Naples 

 many persons live by polishing, perforating, and selling 

 this beautiful marine production. 



