THE CORAL OF COMMERCE. 21 



ornaments or articles of personal decoration. The delicate flesh-coloured 

 variety, which is very rare/ fetches extremely high prices, especially of late 

 years. Professor Robert Hunt states that he has seen an invoice for this 

 choice coral, in which the manufacturer was charged 75 piastres, or 

 lol. lis. 7d. sterling, for the Neapolitan ounce: as the Neapolitan ounce 

 is one-third less than the English ounce, we have 201. 15s. 5d. as the price 

 for that quantity ; the value of gold being, at the present time, less than 41. 

 per ounce. The imports of ornamental coral into this country seldom 

 exceed 4,000 or 5,000 lb. weight a year of all kinds, roughly computed at 

 an average value of 31. the pound. 



Another kind of coral — the Tubipora 7nusica, inhabiting the Indian 

 Ocean — takes its name from the regular arrangement of its cylindrical tubes 

 by each other's side ; whence it is commonly termed " organ-pipe coral." 

 These tubes are of a dark and rich crimson. Being much cheaper than the 

 ordinary stony coral, it is frequently used as a representative of coral in 

 cabinets of economic products. 



Sea-fan corals (Gorgonia), brain-stone corals (Meandrina cerebriformis), 

 brush corals, large and small tree corals, and other kinds, are imported as 

 objects of natural history and curiosity. 



The chief places from which coral is obtained are the Red Sea, the 

 Persian Gulf, the Coast of Africa, and some parts of the Mediterranean 

 Sea. The coral fishery in the Mediterranean used to be chiefly followed 

 by the Trapanese of the Island of Sicily, who went for the purpose to Bona, 

 off the Coast of Africa. The corals are polished and worked, &c. at 

 Trapani, and sent to Catania, Naples, Leghorn, &c. 



In the Strait of Messina there is a coral-ground of about six miles in 

 length, whence 12 or 13 tons of ordinary coral used to be obtained. It is 

 fished for in some of the bays of Corsica and Sardinia. Red coral is also 

 found on the shores of Provence, and about the isles of Majorca and Minorca. 



The coral fishery of La Calle (Constantine), Algeria, is now the principal 

 source of this commercial article. In the years 1838 and 1839, the average 

 shipment of coral from Naples was 12-^ tons, valued at 231. to 241. the ton. 

 There are some coral fisheries off the coast of Dalmatia. Coral-fishing was 

 formerly carried on to some extent on the coasts of Rhodes, but has been 

 abandoned for many years, in consequence, it is said, of the rapacity of the 

 Turkish Government functionaries. 



A valuable discovery of a bank yielding the coral of commerce .was 

 made a few years ago near Balepitye, in the southern province of Ceylon. 

 Coral is said to be obtained off the coast of Japan and Sumatra. 



The number of boats engaged in the coral fishery off the coast of 

 Algeria varies considerably year by year. In 1832 it was only 62 ; in 1836 

 there were 245 employed. In 1837 the value of the coral obtained there 

 was 46,540Z. In 1851 the coral taken there by 150 boats was estimated to 

 be worth 80,000£, most of it being sold in Naples. In later years even a 

 larger money value than this has been obtained. In 1853, 156 vessels 

 prosecuted the coral fishery in the vicinity of Bone and Calle, and collected 



