The conchologist's companion . r his voyage,remained five years at Cubaqua, where he at lengthdied insane. Alas ! wherever commerce has fixed itsabode, acts of rapine and injustice invariably succeed. The Pearl fishery of Cubaqua diminished rapidlytowards the end of the sixteenth century, and accord-ing to the testimony of Laet, it ceased entirelybefore the year 1683. Two causes operated power-fully in producing this efiect. A Venetian disco-vered the art of imitating Pearls, so as to deceivethe most accurate observers; and in Italy, the useof cut diamonds introduced by Lewis de Bergner,decrea
The conchologist's companion . r his voyage,remained five years at Cubaqua, where he at lengthdied insane. Alas ! wherever commerce has fixed itsabode, acts of rapine and injustice invariably succeed. The Pearl fishery of Cubaqua diminished rapidlytowards the end of the sixteenth century, and accord-ing to the testimony of Laet, it ceased entirelybefore the year 1683. Two causes operated power-fully in producing this efiect. A Venetian disco-vered the art of imitating Pearls, so as to deceivethe most accurate observers; and in Italy, the useof cut diamonds introduced by Lewis de Bergner,decreased the demand for occidental Pearls, andconsequently rendered the fisheries of South Americafar less lucrative. The Pearl-producing Muscles also gradually de-creased in number ; not indeed, as popular traditionhas recorded, because being frightened by the noise ofoars, they conveyed themselves away, but because thevast, and often unnecessary destruction, occasionedby the divers, continually impaired their numbers. PEARLS. 101. Mya-margaritifera: Pearl-Muscle. At present the Pearl fisheries of South America areprincipally confined to the gulf of Panama, and themouth of Rio de la Plata, to the coast which sur-rounds Cubaqua, to the vicinity of Araga, and Coche,and to the island of Margaretta. But these, as Ihave previously observed, are less productive; thePearls also, which they produce, are not so brilliantas on the first arrival of the Spaniards. A factwhich has exercised the ingenuity of several distin-guished naturalists,—for who can explore the tracklessbasin of the sea ? Earthquakes may have altered itsgeneral character, or subterraneous currents exercised 102 conchologists companion. some inexplicable influence on the temperature of thesea-water, or else destroyed the moUuscae on whichthe muscles are supposed to feed. When Humboldt visited the once celebrated Penin-sula of Araga, little remained of its ancient popula-tion, excepting a group of small dwellings, whichclu
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Keywords: ., bookauthordallwilliamheale, bookcentury1800, booksubjectmollusks
