'The Transactions of the Bombay Geographical Society. From January 1865 to December 1867. (Edited by the Honorary Secretary.) Volume XVIII.' [‎34] (169/268)

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34 PEARL OYSTER BEDS TN THE PERSIAN GULP.
in depth. Fifteen fathoms a diving is considered to be extremely
prejudicial to longevity, and occasionally proves fatal In any case
the crew is told off into divers and ropeholders the former diving
while the latter keep the boat and stand by to haul t e diver up.
Each diver has his comrade for this purpose- The diver strips, closes
his nostrils with horned-pincers, has a rope attached to his girdle, and
a stone or other weight to his foot. He then drops over-board feet
foremost, and on reaching the bottom collects his Oysteis until he can
no longer remain below, when he pulls at the string, lets go the stone
weight and is hauled on board by his comrade. The stone weight is
attached to a second rope, by which it is afterwards hauled up. The
Ovsters are collected into a bag or other receptacle attached to the
diver’s chest and waist.
9. Of course numerous disputes occur among so many boats
jostling together in a comparatively small area. In former times these
disputes were frequently serious and attended with bloodshed ; but
more recently the several Arab Chiefs of the littoral have entered
into a maritime truce, binding them to refer all their disputes at sea
to the arbitrament of the English Resident in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. .
10. The annual outturn of the pearl fisheries is assumed to be as
follows :—•
Outturn of the Bahrein Pearl Divers ; 20 lacs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees
of Rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. or
Outturn of the Divers from the Arab littoral-
of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. other than Bahrein, 20
lacs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees of Rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. or
<£200,000
£*200,000
Total £400,000
11. The revenue levied by the Chiefs themselves on the Pearl
fisheries consists in a poll-tax of one dollar per annum on every diver,
and on every diver’s attendant rope-holder. The revenue so derived
by the Bahrein Chief may be about 50,000 dollars, thus representing
25,000 divers and 25,000 rope-holders, and amounting to 5 per cent,
upon the total outturn.
12. The great bulk of the best pearls is sent to the Bombay
market, where, during the late share mania, fancy prices were gi ven
foi good pearls. A large number of pearls is sent towards Baghdad-