THE SPONGE FISHEEY OF THE BAHAMAS. 237 



very tliin layer of varnish over the whole surface. Many of these articles 

 are perfect gems of art and finished carving, and are much prized by the 

 Chinese. The better specimens are often copied by ordinary workmen, but 

 they have a coarse appearance, and are far from equal to the superior pro- 

 ductions of the reign of the Emperor above named, who had so great a 

 fancy for this branch of workmanship. The varnish which is generally 

 used in house-work is a mixture of the pure juice and the Tung-yew 

 boiled together. It is laid on with a stiff brush, giving a hard polished 

 surface of a bright coffee colour, which is very ornamental. When it is 

 wished to show the vein of hard wood, as in rosewood, Chinese mahogany, 

 or elm, the pure juice or varnish is used ; it is rubbed into the wood and 

 allowed to dry. After looking very dull and heavy for some months, it 

 becomes bright, and, when wholly absorbed by the wood, presents a hard 

 and transparent surface. The polish will retain its brilliancy for many 

 years, and, whenever it may become dull, may be restored by means of 

 warm water. The Tung-)'ew, besides being mixed with varnish for an 

 ornamental paint, is also used alone or with linseed and other oils as a 

 varnish for outside wood-work, where it resists the action of the weather 

 very effectually. Mixed with linseed oil, it is largely used on board ship ; 

 rubbed over the masts after they have been scraped clean, and on all the 

 wood-work inside and out, the oil sets off the vein, and gives an enduring 

 surface. It is applied with a handful of hemp well saturated, which con- 

 veys the mixture to all cracks and crevices, and the work is finished with a 

 hard brush. This varnish will mix with any colour ; the finer pigments 

 are used for lacquer, and the coarser are mixed with the oil. The most 

 common colour used with the latter is black, or a dull red colour consisting 

 of levigated iron rust. When the Tung-yew is not intended to sink into 

 the wood, the surface is prepared with blood and lime-paste, as in the pre- 

 paration for lacquering." 



THE SPONGE FISHERY OF THE BAHAMAS. 



BY P. L. SIMMONDS. 



In our first number, at page 17, we gave an account of the sponge fishery 

 of the Ottoman Archipelago, from which the finer descriptions of sponge 

 are obtained. The coarser descriptions entering into commerce are pro- 

 cured about the Bahama banks and the coast of Florida. From 1,000 to 

 1,500 bales of sponge of 300 lbs. are shipped from Nassau, New Provi- 

 dence, annually. 



Sponge fishing is said to have become a very profitable business in the 

 neighbourhood of Key West, Florida. About 100,000 lbs. are reported to 

 have been gathered during last year, and the sales amounted to 25,000 dols. 

 The article is mostly procured by the natives of the Bahamas. This is a 



