Pearls. 89 



thousand; they are placed in heaps, and allowed 

 to remain until they become putrid, when they 

 undergo a very elaborate process of washing and 

 separating from the shells, which are carefully 

 examined and deprived of their pearly treasures. 

 The stench arising from the decomposed animal 

 matter is described as horrible, and the whole pro- 

 oess filthy and loathsome in the extreme ; yet out 

 of the slime and mud and disgusting effluvia, come 

 every year gems of inestimable value, calculated to 

 adorn the brow of beauty and form ornaments the 

 most pure and delicate that can be imagined. For 

 the exclusive right of fishing on the banks of 

 Ceylon for a single season, as much as £120,000 

 have been paid to the English Government by one 

 person, who sublets boats to others. Pearls vary 

 greatly in value according to their colour and 

 size ; those which are perfectly white are the most 

 valuable ; next to these are those which have a 

 yellowish tinge; the smallest kind, used for various 

 ornamental purposes, are called seed pearls, the 

 refuse is made into a kind of confection called 

 chimum, highly relished by Chinese epicures. A 

 single oyster will sometimes contain several pearls, 

 which are generally embedded in the body of the 

 animal, but are sometimes fixed to the shell ; it is 



