New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-05-29
The Pearl Fishers of the Perslan Gulr.

Colonel Pelly has made report to the govern
ment of Bombay on the pearl fisheries Of the Per
sian Gulf. He says:
1.-THE pearl oyster beds extend at intervals al
most along the entire length Of the Arabian coast
of the Gulf, from little below the port Of Koweit
to the northward down to the neighoorhood of
Rass-ool Khaimah, southward.
There are, also, some beds near harrack and
at other points on the Persian coast line, but these
latter are of comparatively little account as being
far less extensive, less prolific, and less lucrative.
The beds along the Arabian coast are held to be
the property of the Arabs in common; for in
stance, an Arab Of koweit may dive along the Bah
rem or Raes-ool Khaimah coast, and Utce OeTsn
But no person other than the Arabs is considered
to have any right Of diving; and it is probable
that any intrusion on the part Of foreigners woad
create general ferment along the coast line.
The richest banks are those of the islands of
Bahrein They are found at all depths from little
below high water mark down to three, seven,
twelve, seventeen and eighteen fathoms 1t is
probable that there are beds at much greater
depth for instance, if, as ia supposed it be the
fact that there are beds in the inlets of the Mus
sendom promontory, these beds must have depth
of twenty-five or twenty five fathoms.
Il is held as rule that the lustre of the pearl
depends on the depth of the Water-the greater
the depth, the finer the lustre. There does not
seem TO be any known Law governing the more OF
| less perfect sphercity Of the pearl The best
oyster beds said to be level, and formed of fine
| whitish sand everything the 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 are liable to ex
haustion.
1t is to this cause that the Arabs of Bahrein
attribute the exhaustion of the pearl beds on the
coast of Sende and Ceylon; while the beds of the
| Persian Gulf, although annually fshed from the
earliest historic periods, continue prolific ever
| one or two of the most recent past years having
given more than usually abundant return.
| The notion that the Arabs feed their oysterbeds
at particular seasons of the year seems 10 be erro
1 whatever n
The oysters swell about over the sand or slightly
attach thems Ives by the hinge to bits Of seaweed
or coral and are discerned by the divers from their
boats in groups below the clear water. The diving
| period is from the warm spring in April 70 the end
| of the hot summer months of August and Sep
tember.
| There may be from four thousand to five thou
sand fishing boats along the entire coast, each boat
| containing from ten, twenty to thirty men. Of the
above number of boats, some fifteen hundred may
belong to Bahrein. A few of these boatmen may
reap independently the fruits of their own labors
but the great majority are in the hands of agents
| of pearl merchants, whether Hindoo or other, who
| reside in the towns of the littoral.
| These agents make advances of money to the
divers during the nondiving season, and when the
| spring comes on the boats are supplied with sc
| many days dates, rice and other provisions and
start away for the banks returning as provisions
fail or weather compes. Hundreds Of boats may
be seen anchored at time on the banks.
As rule, the diving may be in water of four tC
seven tathoms in depth. Fifteen fathoms at a
diving is considered extremely prejudicia to lon.
gevity, and occasionally proves fatal. In any case
the crew is told off into divers and gope-holders
the former diving, while the latter keep the boat
and stand by to haul the diver up. Each diver
has his comrade for the purpose. The diver strips
closes his nostrils with horned pincers has rope
attached to his girdle and stone or other weight
to his foot.
He then drops overheard feet foremost and OF
reaching the bottom collects his oysters until ht
can no longer remain below, when he pulls at thu
string, let's go the stone weight and is hauled OF
board by his comrade. The stone weight is at
tached to rope, by which it is afterward
hauled up. The oysters are collected into bal
or other receptacle attached TO the drivers ches
and waist.
The annual product of the pearl fisheries is as
sumed to be as follows: 0ut-turn of the Bahrei
pearl divers, twenty lacs of rupees, or E20O 600
out-turn Of the divers from the Arab littoral
the Persian Gulf other than Bahrein, twenty lac
a of rupees, or 600; total s400O0 The gref
bulk Of the best pearls is sent to the Bomba
market, where, during the late share mania, fame
prices were given for good pearls.
} A large number of pearls are sent towards Bae
dad. As a rule, the Bombay market perfers til
, pearl of yeIowish hue and perfect sphericity
while the Bagdad market prefers the white pearl
The small seed pearls go principally to Bagda
alsOb