The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1868-08-14
BEL AIR, MD. FRIDAY MORNING, AUGUST. a, 1868.

OF the mass from one place to pile 1t upon
another, and brings drift wood to be de-
tanned by the obstacle and make founda-
ton for the solid earth which finally accu-
mulates AS it is impossible for the coral
animals to exist in very deep water, it was
at first difficult to account for their rearing
islands from the bottom of the ocean. The
first supposition was, that they built around
the craters of extinct volcanoes; but the
latest theory advocated by Mr.. Marvin, at
tributes the fact to the gradual subsistence
of the bed of the ocean in certain localities.
According to this superstition. the corals
must begin their structure at time when
the ground upon which they build is suffi-
GENTLY near the surface to suit the necessi-
ties of their existence, Gradually the slow
growth of the coral Keeping pace with the
equally slow alteration in the bed of the
ocean, the dead portions of the mass sink,
leaving the coral always in favorable con
dition, When the foundation becomes
stationary, the little creatures finally attain
the surface and cease their labors. The
| coral fisheries are situated chiefly in the
Mediterranean, where the red coral, which
is considered the most valuable, grows in
great banks. An engine, as it is called,
composed of two bars of wood and net
work of lines, is let down over q coral bank
from the side of vessel, and dragged along
the bottom of the sea until it catches in the
rocks upon which the coral grows 1t is
then raised by violent exertion on the
part OF the crew, tearing up blocks of
stone together with the coral, which is col
lected and cleansed before it is handed over
to the jeweller.
pearls are the third great product of the
ocean for which regular fisheries have been
established, the most important being thos,
in the Bay of Bengal Ceylon, and other
parts of the Indian ocean. Here the pearl
oyster is procured by divers, who sink to
the bottom with the aid of large stones,
and remain there for about 30 seconds
gathering all the shells within reach. The
work is exceedingly severe, and the men
are frequently devoured by sharks The
search for pearls always end at noon, when
a gun is fl ed, and all the boats return to
the shore, in order that the load may be ex-
famined and cared for by daylight. The
shell-tish are piled together, and the heap
is left for about ten days, by which time the
remains become entirely decomposed. The
shells are then easily opened, the round
pearls, which are found in the body Of the
OYSTER are collected, and the valves of the
oysters, which furnish nacre or mother,of-
pearl are cleansed and sold by the cask.r
The pearls are sifted to separate the differ
ent sizes the smaller ones are sold by
weight and the Others singly, according to
their value. The nacre and the pearl are
formed Of essentially the same material, but
the nacre is deposited over the whole shell
in layers, while the pearl is the result of an
effort On the part of the oyster to free itself
from the irritation ofsome foreign substance
which has penetrated within its valves.A-
As the animal is incapable Of ejecting any
intruder, such as an unwelcome grain of
sand, it renders it Loco abnersio~.o 10 aeposl-
ting around it the smooth and lustrous sub
stance which is so eagerly sought for by
man. The Chinese are so well acquainted
with this fact, that they force the oyster to
form pearls, by thrusting small figures of
tin between the valves, and then returning
the creature to the water, whence it is fish
ed up in the course Of a few years, and
a pearl is extracted retaining the shape of
the tin. There is but one kind of oyster
which possesses the power of producing
pearls to any considerable extent, although
they can occasionally be found in other
species of oysters, and even in mussels, g