New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-07-25
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
IIEE IN AUSTRALIA.


Tau Il Co.
AR InuEs is n Scotchman who, after living many
vears in New-Zealand and in India went to Austria
liza in 1877 for the benefit of his health Inc ci'h'"
of New South Wales restored his shattered sss.e'"
after the doctors had nearly given him up anu no
has since made his home in the colony occ"ps'"s
himself much of the time as newspaper correspon-
dent. manager and editor, a line of activity when
has given him excellent opportunities Tor gamer
= ing useful information. He has oeeh
hnsv traveller likewise: he has passion
for the sports of the field aud the stream
ne has seen something OF the wor'u' anu "0
has the habit of close and accurate oose''"-
ton These are valuable ouailhcations 1or Tue
task he has undertaken. which Is TO answer Tue
common inquiries. what the country ana the peoPio
ore like and what are the temptations Australia
offers to the immigrant. Although his personai eA-
ucrenee refers only to the older settlements of the
west coast in the colonies of Queensland ana Ne"
South Wales he has accomplished his purpose In
highly satisfactory manner, presenting great
amount of practical information in clear ana sehsi-
ble language lie modestly disclams literary ac-
complishments but his style has the merit OF peius
simple and well adapted to his subject SO that MS
hook is not Only useful but very entertaining
one.
MIR. Inglis embarked at Calcutta for Singapore
and thence took steamer which passes through
the Torres Straits separating Australia from New
Gu;nea and continues down the west coast OF the
great island continent. He stopped at somerset
the northernnost township of Queensland, at the
extremity of the York peninsula and he describes
,bot settlen,ent as scattered collection OF huts,
already beginning to decay before IL had fairly got
itself established The gardens, devoted prlncipay
10 the cultivation of pumpkins, were reiaps>hg ihto
iupgle. and most of the houses had been hall dc-
stroyed by the ravages of tae white ant. AL some
distance from the shore the anthlls, when STUDDED
the slopes in every direction, looked IKE WHITE
monuments in cemetery making the whoie aspect
of the Mace funeral and ghostly. Somerset
was once q town of promise as depot 1Or inc
pearl-shell mother of pearD fishery, but
at the time of Mr. Iugliss visit it had been deter
,ned 70 remove the station to of the islands IN
the Straits The pearlshell fishery of Torres Straits
employs about 500 men, comprising runaway sail
ors from every maritime nation, Papuans, oou'h
Sea islanders Malays, Lascars. Chinamen' Coreans'
even West Indian gIoes. and the boss ~ sheillhe
s+a,;on needs TO be man of dauntless courage and
iron nerve The trade is chiefly IN the hands OF a
few Sydney merchants. who have large capital IN
vested in IT. The boats are luggers, of seven or
eight TONS built at Sydney and worth with
their equipment about $500 each Dredg-
ing is practised to some extent. but the
chief reliance is upon divers aided by the most i'm
nroved apparatus the best divers being kanaleaS,
or South Sea islanders The object of the fishery is
not the pear-that il of comparatively little vauc,
and is considered the perqulsite OF the dlver-but
the shell itself which is used for the manufacture
of buttons, ETC.. and is WORTH cleaned and trimmed,
from ESQ 70 f140 per ton in the LoAdon market
The pearl oyster is very large. the shell weighing
sometimes as much eight pounds ana Is louha
both singy and in patches on muddy Dotton' lie
diver walks along the bottom, often for miles at a
70
Seen men constitute the crew of q boat, the diver
being captain:
ON. Of the crew has TO attend entirely to the
~Snts and requirements Al the diver or captain.
He is called the signal-man OF tender he receives
the signals from the diver, when anything rs
wanted from below, and indeed much OF the safety
of the adventurous diver, and CONSEQUENT success
nj the expedition depends on the presence OF MIND
oerve and fertility in resource. of the signal-man
The diver is supplied with air from tne ooaV
pumped down TO him by means oil an alrIPuin up p
which is worked by two of the men, VINO AT,
specially attached to this service. As the sigma
comes up-" Pump faster want more ar -" 90
much air Haul up or SLACK i0wn g GI w tbt
CORRESPONDING orders the other members OF tii'
crew, and very strict dSGpn nc tbH 9TH man
to att, nd to an endless rope running over lcSolN
Ing drum and to the rope two bags are attached
the one gong down empty as the other aScchu
IN the surface full of she'll. The sixth member o.
the crew looks after the buoy or anchor as VIZ
casa may be. devOting his attention 10 lhe W9ihl MI
of these exclusively. and the seventh, ana so
remaining member of the party, acts as spare MAJ
10 relieve the men at the pumps II the wofk, j
heavy and he also acts as cook and suffer 1or III
res, Each boat carries a fortni9hts provisions
and the waning stock is replenished every fortnight
from the station, by tender used Tor that purpose
r. also takes the she'll which has been collected
back the station; Ihese provision 'ennTiS d
large roomY weeu Most i" smjfabV adapted fo
the trade and are capital craft IN a heaVy sea. =,
As the shell comss up 1t Is tumbled lnto IN
bottom of the boat. and the men afterwards opei
a. sbalI with large knife made for the purpose
The fish part is scoCped bodily out into tub, an'
forms the perqusite d the diver he beard Gc OF
sReil. and this s chopped OIL by the fishermen
The diver searches carefully through the pnipiI
corefnlly and thoroughly washed up the mea
Snd water are strained off with the utmost care
All the contents of the tue UNDERGO searCh ar
snoroprated by the diver. The proprietor OF tn
fishing station never sees Them lmsa hney are TIC '
Ths SHELLS In this rough state are then take
aboard the tender and carried to the station lder
they are landed ana when dry are diyid dg In
internal part of the shell, the valuable lnne
portion, il soft when the oyster Is newt! caugH'
and if the two shells were to he dlVinSa ten 1
the same as If you were TO pull two fresh loaNes
hot rolls asunder. fhe chances are tiat one sl,e /,
wonld rob the Other part of one would adhere
the other and the beautiful pearly surface wou
be spoir The shells are thSTffore no! rS d' nS
s,nn is 70 scrape off all the rough outside e>
crescences and the single shells are then scruope
clean in salt water with bd rough iacE E' away y in
dr,inghonse. The drying process has to he don
nnder shelter, the suns heat being, TOO direct an
tropical. The rays of the sun won'd utteiIy sP1
The she'll if il were exposed in the open AR. IN
heat cracks and blisters the shell, and renders
quite unstable
The tides in thse narrow seas run at rate OF oV
Eve miles an hour. that the actual hshing TIN
Is confined TO about an hour. or an hour ana MAJ
OF full tide and slack water. Occasionally III
ma ch III,
INTO n depre ssion of the sea-tlooi, by some SUI
marine eddy OF swirl, among the reefs. Inc Moor
fhe sea there is irregular IN Outline Inc ovs,e
arr commonly found a bard bottom, compose
- eorni and sand The debris OF this is Ol a claye