Travels in India (Tavernier) 105: Concerning Coral and Yellow Amber and the places where they are found.
Travels in India (Ball) 105
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- English
Concerning Coral and Yellow Amber and the places where they are found.
105.1
Although coral does not rank among precious stones in Europe, it is nevertheless held in high esteem in the other quarters of the globe, and it is one of the most beautiful of nature’s productions, so that there are some nations who prefer it to precious stones. I shall set down here, in a few words what I have been able to ascertain about the places where it is fished for, and of the manner in which it is obtained.
105.2
I shall say in the first place that there are three fisheries on the coast of Sardinia. That obtained at Arguerrel is the best and the most beautiful of all, the second locality is called Boza, and the third is close to the island of St. Pierre. There is another fishery on the coasts of the island of Corse, and the coral found there is slender but beautiful in colour. It is found at two other places on the coast of Africa — one near the Bastion de France, and the other at Tabarque; the coral from this locality is fairly thick and long, but the colours are pale. There is a seventh fishery on the coast of Sicily, near Trapano; the coral there is slender, but of good colour. There is still another locality on the coast of Catalogne, towards Cape de Ouiers; the coral there is of excellent colour and thick, but the branches are very short. There is, moreover, a ninth fishery in the island of Majorque, of the same nature as that of the island of Corse; and these are all the places in the Mediterranean where there are coral fisheries, for there are none in the Ocean. The following is the method of fishing for it. As coral grows under hollowed rocks where the sea is deep, the following device is used in order to obtain it. The fishers bind two rafters together in the form of a cross, and place a large lump of lead in the centre to make them sink to the bottom.
105.3
They then bind tufts of hemp about the rafters, and twist them irregularly to the size of the thumb, and attach the wood by two ropes, one of which hangs from the bow and the others from the stern of the boat. They then allow the wood to drift with the current across the rocks, and the hemp becoming entangled about the coral, it sometimes requires five or six boats to hoist the rafters; and when exerting the great strain necessary, if one of the cables breaks all the rowers are in danger of perishing; it is a very dangerous trade. When dragging up the coral thus, by force, for as much as is drawn out an equal quantity falls back into the sea, and the bottom being generally very muddy, the coral is injured from day to day, as our fruits on the earth are, by worms, so that the sooner it is extracted from the mud the less is it deteriorated. In reference to this I may say that I have seen, at Marseilles, something wonderful in a shop where coral was worked. There was a piece as big as the thumb, and as it was somewhat glassy it was cut in two, and a worm was found inside, which I saw wriggle, it had been kept alive for some months by shutting it up in its hole. For it should be remarked that among some branches of coral there grows a sort of sponge similar to our honeycombs, where small worms ensconce themselves like bees — in such ways does nature delight to diversify her works. Some persons believe that coral is soft in the sea, but, as a matter of fact, it is hard.
105.4
It is, however, true that in certain months of the year one can express from the ends of the branches a kind of milk as from the breast of a woman. This may be the seed which, falling upon whatsoever it meets with in the sea, produces another branch of coral, — thus, for instance, it has been found on a human skull, upon the blade of a sword, and upon a grenade which had fallen into the sea, where it was interlaced in the branches of coral to the height of six inches ; and I have had the grenade in my hands. The coral fishery lasts from the commencement of April to the end of July, and generally 200 boats are engaged in it, some years more and some less. They are built beside the Genoa river, and are very light. They carry much sail in order to sail fast, there being no other part of the Mediterranean where boats carry so much, and there are no galleys able to outstrip them. There are seven men to each boat, with a boy to attend on them. The fishing is carried on at from 25 to 40 miles from the land, where it is believed there are rocks, the boats not advancing farther to sea for fear of pirates, from whom they escape, when they meet them, by swift sailing. I have to make a remark here about coral in reference to certain nations of the East. The Japanese, as I have said, neither esteem pearls nor precious stones, but they value beautiful beads of coral, which serves to close their bags ; these bags are made, as they were formerly, in France.
105.5
It is for this purpose that they use the largest beads of coral, to run on a silken cord which closes the bag, so that in order that they may be able to possess one of the size of an egg, beautiful and clean, without any spot upon it, they will pay whatever you ask. The Portuguese, who formerly did a large trade in Japan, have often assured me that they could obtain for one as much as 20,000 écus. It is much to be wondered that the Japanese give so much money for a fine piece of coral, since they have a contempt for jewels, caring only for things which are little thought of elsewhere. They attach great value to the skin of a particular fish, which is rougher than shagreen; this fish has on the back, as it were, six small bones, and sometimes eight, which are elevated and form a circle, with another in the middle, resembling a rose of diamonds. They make sword scabbards of these fish-skins, and the more symmetrically these small bones form the rose and are arranged, the more money is given for them—sometimes up to 10,000 écus, as the Dutch have assured me. To return to coral and to finish the discourse about it, it should be added that the common people wear it and use it as an ornament for the neck and arms throughout Asia, but principally towards the north in the territories of the Great Mogul, and beyond them, in the mountains, of the Kingdoms of Assam and Bhutan.
105.6
Yellow amber is not found except on a particular coast of Ducal Prussia, in the Baltic Sea, where the sea during certain winds throws it from time to time on the sand. The Elector of Brandenburg, who is the proprietor of it, farms out all this coast for from 18,000 to 20,000 écns a year, and sometimes up to 22,000 écns; and the farmers employ watchmen, who traverse the length of the shore, the sea throwing the amber sometimes on one side and sometimes on the other, so that no one can steal it; and whoever ventures to do so receives corporal chastisement. Amber is nothing more than a congelation of a species of gum which forms in the sea. This experience sufficiently proves, because numerous pieces are to be seen which contain flies and other insects congealed in them. I have had many such pieces, and one, among others, which had four or five small flies inside it.
105.7
As I have made a remark about coral in reference to Japan, I shall make another about amber in reference to China. It is a custom among the Chinese that when any great noble gives a feast, his reputation for grandeur and magnificence depends upon his having brought in, at the close of the repast, three or four perfume-pans and his having thrown into each of them a large quantity of amber, sometimes to the value of 1000 écns upwards, in consideration of the fact that the more he burns, and the larger the pieces, the more magnificent is the entertainment regarded, for a piece weighing one livre is worth 200 to 300 écns. They use amber for this purpose because they adore fire, and because amber, thrown in the fire, yields a certain odour which is not unpleasing to the Chinese; as it contains a kind of oil it gives out a flame exceeding most other flames. This profusion and waste explain the reason why amber is one of the best articles of merchandise that one could carry to China if trade had been open to foreigners, but the Dutch Company strictly reserve to themselves the trade in it — the Chinese coming to buy it from them at Batavia. I am unwilling to finish this chapter without making some remarks on ambergris also. We do not very well know either how it is formed or where it is found; but it would appear as though it can only be in the seas of the East, although it has sometimes been found on the English and other European coasts.
105.8
The largest quantity of it is found on the coast of Melinda, principally towards the mouths of the rivers, and especially at the mouth of that which is called Rio di Sena. When the Governor of Mozambique returns to Goa at the close of three years, when the term of his government is ended, he generally brings with him about 300,000 pardos worth of ambergris, and the pardo, as I have elsewhere said, amounts to 27 sols of our money. Sometimes pieces of ambergris of considerable size and weight are found. In the year 1627 a Portuguese vessel sailing from Goa to the Manillas, after it had passed the Straits of Malacca was overtaken by a tempest which lasted many days and nights, the sky being always concealed, and it being impossible for the pilot to take observations. Meanwhile the rice and other articles of food began to be exhausted, and the crew began to discuss whether they should not throw the blacks who were in the vessel into the sea in order to preserve the food for the white men. They were about to carry this into execution, when one morning the sun showing itself, disclosed to them an island to which they were tolerably near, but were, however, unable to anchor till the following day, the sea being high and the wind unfavourable. There were in the vessel a Frenchman, named Marin Renaud, of Orleans, and his brother, who on going on shore found a river and went to bathe at its mouth, together with two Portuguese corporals and a sergeant.
105.9
One of the corporals when bathing perceived in the water a large mass which floated near the shore, and which he concluded, on going near it, was a sort of spongy stone, and left it without another thought, as did the four others, who also went to look at it and handled it without being able to make out what it was. Having returned to the vessel this same corporal reflected during the night as to what this object, of which he had been unable to ascertain the nature, could be, and having heard ambergris spoken of, began to think that it might be it, in which he was not mistaken. The following day, without saying anything to his comrades, he took a sack and got himself put on shore, and going to the river as though he wished to bathe again, found the piece of ambergris and carried it secretly to the vessel, where he placed it in his box. He was unable to restrain himself from communicating the fact the same evening to Marin Renaud, who was unwilling to believe at first that it was really ambergris, but having well considered it thought at length that the corporal was right. He, taking all chances, offered the piece to Marin for two pains of Chinese gold, and the golden pain is equal to 600 livres of our money; but Marin was only willing to give one; the other held out on his side and kept the piece in his box.
105.10
A few days afterwards, either spite at not being able to get the piece of ambergris for what he had offered caused Marin to speak, or the matter was discovered by some other way, the report, however, was spread throughout the vessel that the corporal had a considerable piece of ambergris in his box, which he had found by chance on the shore of this island near to which the Portuguese were at anchor, and the sailors and soldiers then insisted on having their share. Marin Renaud out of petty revenge set the ball a-rolling and taught them their lesson. They told the corporal that being all comrades, and all running the same risks, it was just that they should all share the benefits which fortune offered them in common ; and, moreover, that he was not the only one to whom she had disclosed this piece of ambergris, which should consequently be divided between all the crew. The corporal defended himself on his side as well as he could, and as there were some who took his part, in the hope of having a better share of the piece if there were few pretenders to it, the dispute became so hot that at length it gave rise to a disturbance, which the captain of the vessel immediately sought to allay by his prudence. He represented to the sailors and soldiers that this large piece of ambergris, which, on his weighing it in their presence, proved to be 33 livres in weight, being a rare piece and worthy of being presented to the King, it was a pity to break it into so many small pieces;
105.11
that they would find it pay them better to keep it till their return to Goa, where, on presenting it to the Viceroy, he would not fail to pay well for it, and by this means they would each receive much more. This suggestion of the captain’s was generally approved. They pursued their route to the Manillas, and on their return the piece of ambergris was taken to the Viceroy. The captain told him beforehand how the matter stood, and they concerted together as to the means whereby they could secure the ambergris without it costing the Viceroy anything. Those who presented it to him on the part of the sailors and soldiers were thanked for it, and the Viceroy told them that he recognised their goodwill by so splendid a present which he would send to the King, who at that time was Philippe the Fourth, to whom Portugal was still subject. Thus all the pretenders to the piece of ambergris were defrauded of their expectations, and neither from the Viceroy nor the King himself, to whom the ambergris was sent, did they receive any gift.
105.12
I shall say one other word concerning a piece of ambergris weighing 42 livres. In the year 1646 or 1647 a Zealander, of one of the best families of Middlebourg, who commanded for the Dutch Company in the Island of Maurice, which is to the east of that of St. Laurens, found this piece on the shore and sent it to the Company. As these people always have enemies, and there being a mark on the piece as if some one had broken a portion off, the Commander was accused of having stolen half, of which charge he cleared himself at Batavia. But the suspicion having always dwelt in the minds of many persons, and the Commander seeing that they would not give him another appointment, returned to Zealand on the same vessel upon which I then was.