The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1866-05-30

Tho Pearl Fisheries or the Persian Gulf
Colonel PBLLY has made report to tho Govern.
mont Of Bombay on tho pearl fisheries Of the
Persian Gulf. He says:
| Tho pearl oyster beds extend at intervals
almost along the entire length Of the Arabian
coast of the Gulf, from little below tho port OF
kowelt to tho noTthward down to the neighbor-
hood OF Rass-ool- Khaimali, southwark There
are also somo beds near Karrack and at other
points on tho Persian coast line, but these Inttor
are are OF comparatively little account as being far
less extensive less prolific, and loss lucrative.
Tho beds along the Arabian coast are held to be
tho property Of the Arabs in common; for in
stance, nm Arab Of Koweit may dive along the
But no person other than the Coast Arabs is con-
sidered to have any right OF diving; and it is
probable that any intrusion on the part Of foreign
ers would create general ferment along the coast
Inc: The richest banks are those OF the islands
OF Bahrein. They are found at all depths, from q
little below high water mark down to three, seyon,
twelve, seventeen and eighteen fathoms. 1t is
| probable that there are beds at q much creator
depth; for instance, if as is supposed. it be the
fact that there beds in the inlets Of tho Mus
| sendom promontory, these beds must have depth
| OF twenty-five or twenty-five fathoms
1t is hold rs rule that the iustre of the poarI
! depends on the depth of the water-tho greater
| the depth, the finer the lustre. There does not
| seem to be any known law governing the more or
less perfect sphericity of the pearl The best oys-
whitish sand OVERLAPPING tho coral in clear water
mixture of mud or earthly substance with the
sand is considered to be detrimental to the pearl,
and the beds having this defect liable to ex.
hauston. It is to this cause that the Arabs Of
Bahrein attribute the exhaustion of the pearl beds
on the coast of soinde and Ceylon; while the beds
OF tho Persian Gulf, although annually fished
from the earliest historic periods, continue pro-
life as ever-one or two Of the most recent past
years having given more than usually abundant
return.
The notion that the Arabs feed their oyster.
beds at particular seasons of the year seems to
be erroneous No care whatever ia taken of the
beds. The OyatAra avail about fha nj
slightly attach Themselves by the hinge to bits of
soaweed or coral, and are discerned by the divers
from fro their boats in groups below the clear water.
The diving period ia from the warm spring in
April to the end Of the hot summer months Of
August and September. There may be from
four thousand to five thousand fishing boats along
the entire coast, oach boat containing from ten
twenty to thirty-two men. OF tho above number
Of boats some fifteen hundred may belong to
pendently the fruits Of their own labors, but the
great majority arc in the hands Of agents of pearl
merchants, whether Hindoo or other, who reside
IN the towns w OF the literal These agents make
diving season, and when the spring comes on the
boats are supplied with 30 many days datos, rice
and other provisions, and start away for the
banks, returning as provisions fail or weather
compels. Hundreds of boats may DO seen anchor
cd at q time On the banks.
AS rule the diving may be in water of four to
1s considered extremely prejudioisl to longevity
and occasionally proves fatal. In any case the
Cre~ IL tOiu OH lntO dlSer5 ana rtpe-holders, and
the former diving, while the latter keep the boat
and stand by to haul the divert up. Each diver has
his comrade for the purpose. The diver strips
closes his nostrils with horned pncers has a rope
attached to his grdle and a stone or other weight
to his foot He then drops overheard feet fore
most, and on reaching the bottom collects his
oysters until he can no longer remain below, when
he pulls at the string, let's go the stone weight,
| and is hauled on board by his comrade. The
stone weight is attached to a second rope, by
which , Il ,s afterwards hauled up. The oysters
| taohed to the Divers chest and waist.
The annual product OF the pearl fisheries is
assumed to be as follows Out-turn Of the Bahrein
pearl divers twenty acs Of rupees f200 600; out
| turn OF the divers from the Arab littoral of the
Persian Gulf other than Bahrein, twenty lacs OF
rupees, or f200, 900 total f4OO,00O. The great
bulk OF the best pearls is sent to the Bombay mar
ket, where, during the late share mania, fancy
prices were given for good pearls. large num-
ber Of pearls are sent towards Bandad. As rule,
the Bombay market prefers the pearl Of yellowish
market prefers the white pearl. The small seed
pearls go principally to Bagdad Also"