ON THE PEARL FISHERY OF LOWER CALIFORNIA* $15 
those which fell to the lot of the armador, but without moving from the circle 
which they had formed round him; and he had then to watch with the utmost 
vigilance, for they had a dexterous knack of swallowing the most valuable 
pearls along with the live Oyster, which they threw into their mouths by a kind 
of slight of hand, which it was almost impossible to detect. The king’s fifth 
was then opened under the same precautions, and the pearls deposited in the 
presence of all. Lastly, the divers opened their own Oysters, and the pearls 
were equally divided amongst them, and generally sold on the instant to the 
armador, to whom they were always indebted for their outfit, and for previous 
advances. They however never tailed to reserve some, which they sold to the 
dealers on shore, who always accompanied the busos, and who often made more 
money than the armadores. These dealers carried with them spirituous liquors, 
chocolate, sugar, cigars, and other cheap articles of which the Indians are pas¬ 
sionately fond; and for which they often exchanged pearls of great value. 
The season for carrying on the fishery is from the beginning of July till 
the beginning of October. The exact value of pearls produced while this business 
was prosperous cannot be now easily ascertained. It has been variously estimated. 
From documents supplied to Mr. Hardy in 1825, and published in his Travels 
in Mexico , it is stated, on the authority of Don Jose Maria Retes, that the 
number of vessels employed annually on the fishery of Loreto was from six to 
eight, and the quantity of pearls from four to five pounds weight, worth from 
8,000 to 10,000 dollars. Captain John Hall, an experienced navigator and 
trader in these seas, gives us some valuable information on this subject about the 
same date. A letter of his is published in Mr. Hardy’s travels; but we have 
obtained much further information from him on this and other matters touching 
California. He gives a somewhat different version of the mode of proceeding in 
the distribution of the Oysters in the year 1825. He says,—“ every time the 
diver comes up, the largest Oysters which he may bring with him are placed on 
one side for the Virgin. All the rest are then thrown into a large pile, and in 
the evening they are divided thus:—eight shells are put on one side for the 
owners, eight on the other for the divers, and two in a third heap for the govern¬ 
ment.” It would thus appear that the present ruling powers are contented with 
one-half the share of their predecessors. It is, however, somewhat curious, in 
these times, that the Virgin should retain full privileges, if not an augmentation 
of them. Mr. Hardy says that about sixteen or eighteen small vessels are 
annually employed in the fishery, and obtain, when the weather has been favour¬ 
able and the divers fortunate, about 500 dollars’ worth of pearls each,—sometimes 
as much as 1,000 dollars. He adds, however, that the expense of the fitting 
out and other contingencies, reduce the net profits to the proprietors very con- 
VOL. iv.— no. xxx. 
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