482, The Difcovery, Settlement, and Commerce Book I. 
a ll the Experiments that have been made in this Country, fair W ater or T)q% which hardened with being expofed 
And in France , it has been found, that a great Difficulty to the Air, and were then carefully taken off the Shelf 
would arife in procuring Shells enough to furnifh a fuM- In one Oifter- there was comonly ten or twelve, in fome 
dent Quantity of this Colour for Ufe * whence it follows, more, in fome lefs 5 but the more there were the fmaller 1 
•that after ail the Improvements that could be made for fix- and if there was but one, it was generally of a very 
ing and perfecting this Dye the Dearnefs of it would hinder confiderable Size, and of greater Value than many fmall 
it from coming again into Ufe, as heretofore it drove it ones ; fo that thefe Shells were efteemed the richeft of 
out. all The Shell itfelf is alfo of fome Value, as having 
Before I part with this Subjft I think it may not be a prodigious Luftre, and being extremely fit, for In-laying 
amifs to obferve, that in fome Lakes in the North, and in and other Ufes. 
the Weft of Scotland , there are a kind of Mufcles, which Philojiratus has a very curious Paffage in relation to 
have in them a purple Vein at the Extremity of the Shell, this Subject, if his Accounts could be absolutely depended 
in which there is contained a Drop or two of a Liquor that upon ; but whether they be or be not, as what he relates 
ftains Linnen of a deep Crimfon, which is not at all apt to is very remarkable, it deferves at leaft to be related ; and 
wear out, but continues as long as the Cloth can be worn ; then let the Reader think of it as he pleafes. The Story, 
but I do not know whether this Filh be very common, or as he tells it is this •, fome of the Indian Pearl-filhers 
whether this Purple Vein be natural to it, or the Effed of have a Method of obtaining that valuable Commodity, 
fome Difeafe, which has been fufpeded of the true Purple *. without bringing up the Oifters at all. In order to this, 
5. We will now proceed from this Source of Riches which the Divers carry down with them a certain kind of rich 
at prefen t is loft to another that ft ill fubfifts, I mean the Perfume, which they hold before the Mother-of-pearl 5 
Pearl -Fifhery ; for it is allowed that the fineft and moft and while the Fifh fucks it, which it will do very greedily, 
perfect Pearls are, and in all Ages have been, brought from they gently open the Shell, from whence a Liquor diftills 
the Indies. It is true, they do not at this Day fetch fo Drop by Drop, that prefently harden into Pearls *. It 
high a Price in Europe as they did formerly •, but ftill the might be alledged, in Support of this Story, that both 
Oriental Pearls are of confiderable Value, and are like to Athenaus and Pliny feem inclined to believe that Pearls 
continue fo, inafmuch as they have all the Properties that are at firft Liquid ; which is, indeed, agreeable enough 
are requifite to render them fit to be reckon’d amongft to their Form and to their Luftre r. 
the moft beautiful Jewels that can be, neither is there any At this Day, there are four confiderable Pearl- fifheries in 
Counterfeits that at all approach them in their Luftre : the Eaft. The firft is on the Coaft of the Iftand o£Ba- 
Though People have attained in that Art to a Degree of haren, in the Perfian Gulph, of which the Portuguefe 
Perfection jfcarce to be expected. were formerly Matters, but now this Fifhery belongs to 
The Fifti that produces the Pearl is a kind of Oifter, the Pcrfians. The fecond is near Catifa , on the Coaft of 
but much larger than the common Sort, or. indeed than .any Arabia the Happy , over-againft Baharen. The Pearls 
that are found in our Seas ; they are common on the Coaft taken at thefe Fifheries are moft efteemed in the Indies , 
of Perjia, near Ormus , about Cape Comorin , and on the though of a yellowifh Call ; for they affert, that the 
Coaft of the Iftand of Ceylon '. The Shell-fifh which pro- Pearls of a brighter Water do not laft, but turn of a 
duces them is called the Mother of Pearl. The Ancients muddy Yellow in the Space of about thirty Years ; whereas 
had an Opinion that Thunder and Storms had fome Ef- thofe which have originally a little Mixture of the Lemon- 
fed in producing them ; for which we fhall be able to colour, are thoroughly ripened and never abate of their 
give a tolerable Account, without admitting any thing Luftre. A great Part of the Pearls taken in this Fifhery, 
wonderful , in the Fad. The Fifhing of Pearl was a are carried to Balfora ; from whence they are diftributed 
Thing always attended with great Hazard and Danger ; all over the Indies *, thofe again which are tranfported into 
fuch as were employed in it being obliged often to dive Perfia and Mufcovy , are fold at Bandarcongo two Days 
in Places thirty Fathom deep, where they were expofed Journey from Ormus. They filh twice a Year ; firft in 
to many ravenous Monfters, peculiarly thirfting after hu- the Months of March and April , and again in the 
man Blood. They were let down out of the Veffel to Months of Augufi and September. The Depth where 
which they belonged with a Weight of Stone, fixed they fifh is from four to twelve Fathoms ; and the deeper 
either to their Side or to theirFeet, that they might defcend the Oifter is found, the Pearls are the brighter, becaufe 
the quicker and remain the more fteady under Water. In the Water is not fo hot there, the Sun not being able to 
their Right-hand they had a ftiarp Iron, which they ufed penetrate fo deep. 
for removing the Oifters from their Beds ; and on their The third Fifhery is on the Coaft of the Ifland of Cejmn, 
Left- arm hung a Bafket, in which they put the Fifh at a Place which is called Mmar . The Pearls found 
when they were caught, and about this Arm alfo a Cord there are of a good Water, but fmall ; and the greateft 
was tied, by which they gave Notice to thofe in the Ship do not furpafs two Carats ; nay, it is feldom that they are 
when to pull them up by another Cord that was about found of that Weight: But, in Recompence of this, 
their Middle u . Some Writers, fay they, carried their there is great Quantity of Seed-pearl fit to powder. 
Bafket or Bag, into which they put their Filh, about their The fourth and laft Fifhing is at Japan ; the Pearls there 
Necks. ° * are of a Water white enough, and heavy, but ill fhaped, 
The largeft Sort of Filh were found far in the Sea; moft of which fall into the Hands of the Dutch E aft- India- 
and if they ’ were at any Time driven upon the Coaft it was Company ; becaufe the Japonefe themfelves have no 
by tempeftuous Weather. And hence the Opinion arofe, Efteem for Jewels of any Kind x . The poor People em- 
that great Thunders and Storms contributed to fw-ell and ployed in thefe Fifheries live very meanly, and fcarce get a 
to encreafe the Pearl. The Fad therefore was true, Subfiftance by them ; even thofe who deal in Pearls are far 
that after Tern pells the largeft Pearls were found : But enough from being rich, through the Oppreffion of their 
the Opinion grounded upon this, that the Thunder was Princes on one Side, and the Art of the Hutch on the other; 
the Caufe of the Pearls Increafe, feems to have no Foun- \vho finding that the bright Pearl taken on the Coaft of 
dation in Reafon. So eafy a Thing it is to miftake Ceylon, are moft efteemed, and go off at the greateft Rate 
Effeds for Caufes, and to introduce Errors in Natural in Europe, employ a Brachman to buy them up as they 
Philofophy, by reafoning wrong upon Fads. When the are caught, which he does at a very low Rate. The Per- 
Divers touched the Oifters, efpecially thofe of the largeft fons concerned in this Trade, launching out into greater 
Size, they clung fo ftrongly to the Rock, that, very Expences than they can afford, and thereby fubjeding 
oftpn, there was no removing them, even with the Help themfelves to the dreadful Neceflity of parting with the 
of their iron Inftrument. In the Oifters they brought up, Fruits of their Induftry to fuch as are poffefted of Mck 
when opened, the Pearls appeared like little Drops of ney *. 
s This is the Sentiment of M. Raumur , who made many Experiments on-the Purple-fifh on the Coaft of Provence. 4 Voyages des Indes , Vol. v. p. 
265. u Milan, de Animal, lib. x. cap. I 3. Lib. XV. cap. 8. Ammian. Marcel . lib. xxviii. cap. 1 2. w PUn. Nat. Hi ft. lib. ix. cap. 35. 
* philoft , in Fit. Apollon. Ryan. lib. iii. cap. 57. >' Athen. Deipn. lib. iii. p. 93. Pliny , lib . ix. cap. 35. 3 Tavernier Voyages au% Indes . 
Tom. iv. Mb. ii. cap. 20, 21. 
This 
