i68
BOO
XII.


HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
k fhell. But this idea hath likewife fallen into difcre-
dit, when it hath been fully known, that the pearls
" were found in all parts of the animal ; and when,
after the moft accurate inveftigarions, anatomy bath
not been able to difcover the organs calculated for
generation in this fifh, which feems to add one to the
clafs of hermaphroditical animals.
At length, after a variety of fyftems lightly adopt-
ed, and fucceffively abandoned, it hath been imagin-
ed that pearls were produced from a difeafe in the
animal ; and that they were formed by a liquor ex-
travafated from fome veffels, and detained between
the membranes, or fpread along the interior furface
of the fhell. This conjedure hath been ftill more
confirmed to accurate obfervers, in proportion as it
hath been afcertained that thefe treafures were not
to be found indiferiminately in all the fifh ; that thofe
which had them were not fo well tailed as the others;
and that the coafts upon which this rich fifhery was
carried on were in general unwholefome.
Black pearls, fuch as are inclining to black, or fuch
as are cf a lead colour, are universally defpifed. In
Arabia, and in fome other parts of the Eaft, the yel-
low pearls are efteemed. But the white ones are pre-
ferred in Europe, and throughout the greateft part of
the globe. It is regretted only that they begin to
grow yellow after half a century.
Although pearls had been difcovered in the feas
of the Eaft Indies and in thofe of America, yet their
price was fufficiently kept up to induce people to
counterfeit them. The imitation was at firft coarfe.
It was glafs covered with mercury. Attempts have
been repeated, and in procefs of time, nature hath
been fo well copied, that it was eafy to be milled.
The artificial pearls, which are made at prefent with
wax and ichthyocol, have much the advantage of the
others. They are cheap ; and are made of every
fize and fhape, to fuit the women Who ufe them for
ornament.
This difcovery was unknown when the  Spaniards