THE TECHNOLOGIST. 



[Feb. l, 1865, 



320 



ON THE SPONGE FISHERY OP 



immediately after some common sponges having been sold at Trieste 

 and Marseilles at high prices, which had induced merchants to believe 

 that there was in Europe a great rise on the article, which, however, 

 was not the case. Good common sponges fetched in general, in 1863, 

 2o per cent, more than in the preceding year, but inferior qualities 

 have been paid 10 per cent. less. Of fine sponges there has been no 

 difference of note between the prices of the last two years, while a rise 

 of 25 per cent, has taken place on coarse sponges. 



I show in the following table the respective cost per oke of the 

 three different kinds of sponges, also of those sold per piece, which I 

 have proportionately reduced in order to afford a criterion of the prices. 



Names. 



Fine. 



Common. 



Coarse. 





£ s. 



d. 



£ s. d. 



s. d. 



Bengazi 



1 8 



4 



15 



6 8 



Mandruha . 



2 3 



4 



1 1 8 



11 8 



Syria .... 



2 3 



4 



12 8 



4 2 



Caramania . 



1 16 



8 



10 



3 



Cyprus 



1 16 



8 



10 





Crete .... 



2 10 







12 6 





Rhodes 



2 18 



4 



10 





Other Turkish Islands 



1 16 



8 



10 





Greece.. 



. . .. 



1 10 







10 





It is to be regretted that British sponge merchants continue to 

 procure their sponges through second or third hands, instead of sending, 

 as several French mercantile houses have done for some years, agents 

 here who purchase the sponges direct from the divers at much more 

 convenient prices than they used to get them formerly through Smyrna 

 merchants. 



The following particulars show the number of boats from each 

 island employed in 1863 in the sponge fishery, the respective places 

 where their crews dived, and the sums in round numbers derived there- 

 from by each island and from each fishing spot : — 



From Syria 210 boats divided 4,080,000 piastres. The spots where 

 they fished were, 40 at Bengazi, 60 at Mandruha, 10 at Syria, 50 at 

 Caramania, and 50 at the Turkish Islands. 



From Calymnos and Leros 295 boats divided 4,300,000 piastres : 

 22 fished at Bengazi, 43 at Mandruha, 10 at Syria, 30 at Caramania, 20 

 at Cyprus, 70 at the Turkish Islands, and 100 on the coasts of Greece. 



From Halki there were 57 boats, which shared 1,000,000 piastres : 

 3 fished at Bengazi, 4 at Mandruha, 45 at Crete, and 5 about the 

 Turkish Islands. 



Thirty Castel Rosso boats fished at Caramania, and divided 550,000 

 piastres, 15 boats from Stampalia and Telos about the Turkish 

 Islands, obtaining sponges for which they obtained £00,000 piastres. 



