Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1874-06-25
ISLANDS OF THE PACIFIC.

All the lagoon islands of the coral
seas, of formation similar to that OF
the Paumotus, are famous for the
production of beche de mer, which is
one of the most important articles OF
commerce obtained in the Pacific.
1t is an old saying, "one-half of the
world does not know how the other
half lives" And, truly, it is very
surprising to contemplate the diversi-
ty of the 'little games" wherewithal
to make money, inaugurated by men
who ''do business in the great waters"
of the South Sea-par example,
there is a master mariner, known to
me, who goes by the name of the
''Dustman,' which happened in this
manner-Certain of us, upon one oc-
casiOn, boarded this man at sea, and
being invited into the cabin found
everything covered with fine impal-
pable powder. 1t was everywhere
upon the deck, upon the table-clOth,
in the glass tumblers, in the soup;
the captains hair and beard were full
of it, the black stewards wool was en-
crusted with it, and his skin seemed
to have contracted a drab color;
every man in the ship was the same.
l thought of that saying in the Scrip
ture, "Memento homo quod pulvis es
ct ad pulverem reverteris." "What
the devil could it beY' we inquired
of one another. Not guanO, for it
had no smell; not sulphur, for it was
too light, and of the wrong color?
Ashes! that's what it was. This man
had found great deposit of it on a
volcanic island recently in eruption.
He had filled his vessel and was on
his way to Europe with it, and it
proved the most valuable cargo he
had ever carried in his life, for the
Russian Government purchased it at
high price, for the purpose of
making cement to lay between the
stones of their Notifications. But as
concerns beche de mer, men may
stroll about the seas looking for isl
ands whereupOn to cut wood, or to
dig ashes or guano, to make barilla,
or to pick fungus or to gather shells
from youth to age" as the poet says,
but what say you to catching snails?
singular operation verify! but an
immensely profitably one, ludicrous
as the thing may appear.
Bechede-mer, called by the Chi
nese "Tripang," and by the Polyne-
SLAMS "Rodi, in the South Sea; and
in the Caroline group, "Menika" is of
that species of molluscs classed as
the "Holothurides. 1t has the ap
pearance Of great slug or leech, and,
like most other marine animals, of
the same type, lives upon suction
and upon microscopic animalcules.
Its anatomical structure is simple.
1t has the form of an elongated sac,
of a gristly consistence, traversed in
ternally by strong muscles; the rest
consists of intestines, which are per-
fectly transparent, and on examina-
tion, appear to contain nothing but
water and sand-of the latter large
proportion, although what part so in
digestible a substance may be dis
posed to play in the economy of its
organism may be known to the crea
ture itself, but has always been an
enigma to me. The mouth of the
beche de mer is triangular, with three
teeth like those of a leech. 1t has no
appearance of eyes. Its powers of
locomotion are limited, so much so
that one could not perceive it to
move except by observing its relative
distance from any neighboring object.
Its normal condition is that of re-
pose; its existence is doubtless a
very harmless one, but its sphere of
usefulness is somewhat circum
scribed. 1t seems to have but few
enemies with the exception of the
turtle, which only molests it in the
days of its youth and at certain sea-
sons of the year. Crawling along
the messy coral or the snow-white
bottom of the lagoon, it leads a life
of passive enjoyment, which seems to
consist in taking in water and sand
at one end, and squirting it out at the
other. There are four kinds of beche
de mer-the grey, the black, the red,
and the leopard. The grey is the