Travels in India (Tavernier) 105.4

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.