THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. ' [SEPfEMBER i, 
tr*vern'd hy thfl tlirflAndtag P8ti*es, fcnt' wnnW bIbo 
V iB witMn a 3ay’» Ti<lB of olrtor Capa Oranvll'a on tho 
Bfst. »nf the Batavia River on the went, as the 
aprvi('''s of the police miirht bo reqnireil. A moro 
offootnal remedy for the exiating oondiiion of •(Taira, 
and ore that wonld condone matorlolly towarda the 
es'-nhliahment of the beche-de-m'r indnatry on a more 
hcal'hycnt permanent haola, would b*the opnolntmont 
of a v'ei’ant svatem of Borveillance of the (iiherles in 
•••neietion w'tb the Government ateamor rtationed 
B* Tho’-adar Island, Mr. Kent advises that the inspector 
rf fiBhn-h o, recently recommended for appointment 
with c 'ation to tlie nearl and pearlahell fisheries of 
Torrc" Str«its, shop'd excroisP similar fnnetions with 
re'ation ‘o that of theheohe-de-mer, and, working in 
co’ jiincMrn with the land and water police and Cnatoms 
Densrtmen^, be intrusted with fall powers to snpeivise 
all tranirctions associated with the engagement and 
discharge of native lahoarers. Under such auspices a 
recr'ilrr system of water patrol ahonld he ipaititained, 
end a'l the hcohc-’».ni6f etatiors and flahing grenndi 
b ’ subject to v'sHallon by the flshi rics Inspector at 
nnv and. , fernldv. n-'Toe'*- ' I -| • The 
recommende.ticni niado wiiU i>f, ivuce lo the appoint- 
ment of a system of natrol of the beche-de-mer fishing 
grounds of Torres Straits will appiy with oensidaraWe 
if rot fqii*l force to the flsher'es of a like nature 
that sre prosecuted along the Greet Harrier and mainland 
coast Routh of Gape York Peninsula. An imnortant 
master connected with the empV.yirent of native 
lehourcr* for the collection of heche-de-mer was bri nght 
under Mr. Kent’s notice by a deputation of the leading 
heatnwuer» end heehe-de-mer mereliauts in Coolctown 
In aceerdarco with the existing regulation it is icquisite 
I hat ('ll native lahoarers engaged for this indnstrv should 
he hrongjit to the nearest Onstom-house or shipping 
ffTlco *0 th" place at which they were recruited for 
the purpore nt reglRtrf tion. The coropliapee with this 
reviila'ion freqoentlv entails a very seriena loss of timo 
and money to the hnafownors. from which they sro 
snricus toho nelirved. A remedy for tte disadvantages 
under which the beche-de-raer industry is carried on. 
owing to the o'rcums'anccs doacr'hod, was suggested 
bv the OooV'own deputation. This was that the 
rppist'stion of the native lahmirrrs engaged should 
be permih'cd at any of the ligbtahips or lighthouse 
shations ( long the coast, and that the ffficial in charge 
of them should ho vested with tho necessary powers 
to witness nnd snnotion such registration The e.oncee- 
S'on sought being »o ren'nnablo, Mr. Kent, has no 
hesitafirn in recommending it for favourable 
entertainment. Tho appointment of a well-qualified 
inspeetorof fisheries for the Oooktnwn distnot is greatly 
needed. The dutiea of aneh an nppointnnont. might bo 
BP’^ropriateiy anil eeoiiornirally nnnortakrn. w tn 
a hiiiijtblc ipi’firfmeTit of in conjunction 
with Mif functionii discharff^d hy Ih" presftrt hrrhonr- 
Tn irtima^o nB^ociation with tre nccne-ae- 
tinay be mentio* fid tho flfdlociion of 
tortniA^Bhe'l, The trade in this niaferifcl in not of 
flufficifi! t fixtert enrsHtute an indfipendfii t induhtpyt 
th« cr portion of thut whiVb is exported hi iog 
obt i»‘fid by thofie fiuraj^ed in the collfictioo of bcchfi- 
dr-nifir. The everasje arnnwl ralue of this materia! 
thft hn.B ! fifin rxpnrtfid from Qnepn.s'and within the 
pnflt *00 TfifirB ban Bl'ghUy fixeaedi d £400. The bighcHt 
fl -tir** and one thfit indica^^ca thr t the trade in 
tnrtf i« fihnl! inrrfiflsirj?, wra r»‘aihed laat year, w ben 
it Rni'^nnte ■ to as much hr £1705 The pri- os oUaine l 
frr 0”^"’ torfcoiflfiBhcll vi»ry ronHii’erablv, accord- 
iper to nna'itv. The test and roc at valuable doscripfion 
iB." htuinrd from the true tortol efihell whUh, 
if nf Mirerior texture, may rcahse from tl fo £1 6 h. 
Ter n^’md. The thm rnd infrror de c-.pttrns cf 
tnrtf Iwr hi'll p'odured by the ediUe ti nlewilnot 
o't. in n h’ffh'T price than 4fi. or 6i. per P' und. The 
plnn a ioite l for the capture of tinte by 11 e t at.yes 
' f the T r *'8 Straits lalanda is rfiraarkaMc. K. r tbjs 
purrosfi they tnnke u*e of the sneking hub, which m 
•'rro e’ate*‘s attains to a length of rr 4ft II o 
firtK c'upht for turtle fishing are kept air e n water 
in the ho‘tom of the canoes, a thin line being greurod 
to the tflU And through itn gill covers. When a turtle 
is seen iu the water close tg the canoe the suokirg 
fl«h !« thrown oat towards it, and immediately swim* 
for and fftatens itn^lf to the rept^^e’s esranaee. Tf 
the turtle is a small ono I't mav he drftwn to the 
boat’s »ide hy the •♦tftched line, without the flucTtlng 
fish lett’Pg ffo its h^M: bn^ if of latffo dimenslenR 
the native pilin '- s ov^-rhoard snd fa»ilv snmres i*-. 
There sre olh^-r msr'ne pr^'dacts besides that of 
tGrtoi|eshfill hv which those frffsfl’edin the heche-de- 
mer fish^ri*•9 might Augment their irromrs snd turn 
lo profits hie Account the pm ro time 'nt» rvtfnini? between 
the RAfl.sons most pri’fltsMe for pol]ect'no- the vrim*-ry 
ol jpct of tb# 1" Attention. The edtl le turtle of the 
Pacific, if swilahlv prepared and drird, rr rth<rwis« 
preserved, wmild commnnd a rcadv sale in the OhlAes® 
and other marketp. The same cnav He said cf sharka’ 
fins, which, at manv atstions on ihe Indian onastTne, 
rfprpfient an extorsive and highlv valnible article of 
export, .At onerf the heche-de-m‘ r curing ftati^ns in 
the Great Barrier district Mr flsvIlle.Keot wa* informed 
that a enror had experime^ tallv fent in aome dried 
aharka* fin t"> Oockfcown. which had re^dflv realised 
among the Chinese rrsidenta a pric*» of no less than 
19d. ncr lb. This price ren»csrntp .PS I?*. 4^. per ewt; 
or, £177 per ton, and ahmld er courage the eatah- 
liahment of a reimUr ♦rsdp in th** arfinlf*. Sharks, and 
c.snceisllv the^maller hsrm1«*s eriocies abound throngh- 
out the water* orodiiciire of heche-dc-mer. and ro*ght, 
with a very trifliri? ru'lav, he m’de the objAct of a 
remnueratire aunpUinentarv fl'hery. The livers of 
sharks and a’«o of vi'n^rpr^, which are exceedingly 
ahnndant in tlusessmo di^tri^t■. ■^ifl-t n. wfllnahle oil, 
while their carrsices, in cemWnation wirh the waste 
products from the bf-che*de.mfir, would make eiceUent 
Trariore, akin to guano and rarMcnlarlv rich in 
phosphattP. Anoih^rmarine produetto which attenticn 
fright he profitahlv tnrred by ♦ho«e ergaired in the 
hcchr-de'mfr indu‘trvis that nf ap'nge. Exam plea of 
spouffe*. Bome few hfing nf excellent qnnlity, and 
others, though less fine in tei<nre, havinpsn imdouhtcd 
comintrc-^el value, have been pnbmitted to tbe 
commissioner as collected from a varcty of afatiors 
along the Xorth (inoerpland coast. A thcroughly 
avstematic exp’oration of the waters in the neivh- 
honrhood of the h^che de.mcr curing atatiora wonld, 
there is pood rfaaon to snticipaV, result in ihe discovery 
of extensive beds <f this valuable commerc’al article. 
A tohsfaTioo trodneed in gn at variety and shundance 
throughout thehfohe-d' -mer fishing fiTcunda, but which 
has hitherto received but. RC«nt. ^ttertion. is that of 
coral. The form known aa^preci'us crrAl” has not 
as yet h<»en obtained f orn Au«tra'‘ai wati r'<, thoiivh 
the corditior.fl favouraVde for its growth anparcntlv 
exist throoghnnt extf neivo areas. The dercriptiopa of 
coral here refi rrp,<1 to arc those which enter so ex- 
tenaiv'Iy into the con»-titutio'> of coral ret fa, and are 
probsbly nowhere in Dio wnrlij dtvelrpcd on so large 
a scale ami in mch a rrult’plicity of vftr'ot*es as are 
to be foiled in ihe Threat Harrier ai stern of tho 
QueenslAnd real o* r-h Smad coraignments of this c< ral 
are (icca^ionApy export«d saj urh.siiie^ or f rcrn^mci tnl 
usfiP, ihe liplk ►o far, howf.ver, rnrtly exceeding in 
oneyi srn drfila»-f'd vsluci.f 'ph- trvtc.fu vert> elese, 
18 one tint would appear b) He capable of considrrAhIa 
deve’opraetit. Some drzen or so of tb'* mtat na-i’y 
acc< B^^hlo Vf.rieliea, out of rver 100 ajecics that r-xi>«t 
to chroae frrm, rrprternt „11 that have, so far. hi on 
turnr d to rommercial ■ccoin t. Tteae, of \©ri}ieh’«r, 
when we'l prepa ed. hi ro r.l taireil good pric. s ; 30 h 
to 40«. p( r Cf so, I ach ca>e oi.iaiT.irg pcihars halfa 
doz n spofimens, and we? h?ng, rol’ectivelv, 1 as thm 
IJcwt, bf'ing the ordiraiy ch rgo. Th/fA is no doubt 
that v I il-frch ct( d .'oll-ciora if the IV rr'er Hief and 
Terros StruiN o« rail, jiuch as cou’d ho sebctMiflnd 
prtiiarcd with thn fcrenteht facility »t ary of tv© 
1)1 cue-f’e-mer cnrii g slatii.ii?. wi ul 1 c'm’raT'da r. ndv 
sal*' T'S c hjrcts of ii.t insic 1 oauly at sn'bl lo rleiols 
in bJI of tho l:.rgOT Au traian cities; the ir.U'«iun:a 
througlout tl e uo-ld would glad'y ut'hse the opp' nuuity 
of accusing tjpo ccl citioia ol tlie icuinnerahle corals 
of the Torres Straits and Great BarTicr rogions. A 
remaikaLlB apocita that ia not un'’n qoontlv ohtaiTod 
by Die poarJshell divers iu Torres Straits and throughout 
in tho Barrier region is the b’ack coral. This coral 
pofsefses a high commercial value in the Indian inarke 
