sponge, and is usually managed by two men. There are about 600 men daily engaged in gathering when the weather is fair. Quiet weather and calm sea are always taken advantage of. These dingies, when likely to be called into service, are towed Indian file at the stern of the larger vessel. Each sponger is provided with a "spongehook," made of iron, with three prongs, a socket fitting on a pole one and a half inches thick and from 18 to 35 feet long; also a "water-glass," a bucket with a pane of glass fitted in the bottom. This adds to the power of vision by excluding the light from behind, enabling the sponger to penetrate with his eye at least 10 or 15 feet deeper into the water. The sculler propels the boat along very slowly; in the mean time the sponger sits hanging over the side of the dingy with his head at the bucket held by the hand and his eye penetrating the depths below, taking in all that passes within his line of vision. As soon as he sees his legitimate prey, he raises his sponge-hook with his right hand, in which he is assisted by the sculler, still keeping his eye at the glass, grapples the sponge, then puts aside the glass and hauls it in.

Frequently his sight is darkened and view obstructed by the intervention of the monsters of the deep. A huge shark, a sawfish, or perhaps an enormous devil-fish, very often large schools of beautiful fish, “Spanish mackerel," " cavallie," "sailor's choice," "pompeno," pass beneath him in such numbers as to seriously interfere with his occupation. Again, his sight is regaled with lovely coral formations, deep fissures and grottoes, gem-lined within.

When a dingy load is gathered, the sponges are taken to the vessel, where they are placed roots down, eyes up, until they are dead. This part of the sponge fishing is the most disagreeable, and causes the vessel to be almost

unbearable, the sponge exhuming a bloody, slimy matter of most offensive odour.

The vessel having secured a full cargo makes for port, when the sponges are taken ashore and buried in the sand in a place technically called a "crawl." It is generally constructed of a paling of oak staves driven in the sand, and the lee of some island is selected as the spot. The sponges are left a week or longer, when the slimy flesh, as it may be called, having rotted off, the sponger goes into the crawl with a "bruiser" (a small paddle), and with a few strokes on the top of the sponge, clears it from the filth and skin; after which it is assorted into the different varieties, collected upon strings of convenient length and bleached in the sun, when they are ready for the market.

The sponge on the bar grows something like a bed of cabbages or mushrooms, and presents a beautiful appearance, very dark and seemingly having eyes. The sponge reefs in deep water are called "feather bars," from the feathery or fan-like appearance of the coral, very often seen growing up through the sponge, and in such places the larger sponges are generally found. The different kinds of sponge found on this coast are known as "loggerhead," "sheep-wool," "turtle-grass," and "yellow." The sheep-wool and yellow only are marketable. The latter is worth Is. per pound; sheep-wool averaging 4s. per pound.

There are two sponge seasons proper, during the winter and summer months; should the water continue clear, however, it then lasts all through the year.

The common practice is to gather sponge on shares, the vessel getting one-third and the crew two-thirds, the provision bill being assessed in the same ratio. The

sponges gathered in Florida waters are taken from the fishermen at Key West, Cedar Keys, and Apalachicola. The amount of money paid out per annum is as follows :— At Key West, £24,000; Cedar Keys, £13,000; Apalachicola, £11,000—a total of £48,000.

CHAPTER III.

THE SPONGE FISHERY OF THE BAHAMAS.

The Bahamas sponge grounds-Statistics of the fishery---Gathering and cleaning the sponge-Eleven sorts specified—Value of the exports from Bahamas— New uses for sponge-Bleaching sponges-Reproduction and transplanting sponges.

Bahamas Sponge. About 500 vessels are constantly engaged in the trade, 3000 men find employment, and through it £20,000 to £30,000 sterling are annually circulated and spent in the colony.

The great sponging grounds lie to the east, west, and south of New Providence. Although often far from the shore, and at a depth of 20, 40, or even 60 feet, it can easily be descried through the transparent waters on the clear sandy bottoms, from which it is raked or grappled up.

From William's Cay, Andros Island, the fine qualities of glove sponge are obtained. This kind is used principally for surgical purposes, and is sent generally to America, as the Mediterranean supplies Europe with this description of sponge.

The process of cleaning the sponge here is very simple. It is kept on the decks of the vessel until it is quite dead, when it is thrown into a "crawl" made for the purpose,

through which the tide flows, and left to soak from four to six days, when it is beaten with a flat piece of stick, and then becomes quite clean. A few years ago the practice was to bury the sponge for 20 days, by which time the gelatinous animal matter was destroyed or eaten away by the insects that swarm in the sand. This has been entirely done away with; the present custom is more simple, and cleans the sponge better. The sponge is then assorted and compressed in powerful presses like cotton. Each bale or package has fastened to it outside a sample to show the quality.

Strange to say, spongers, as a rule, are not very good judges of the quality of the sponge they gather. They seldom seem to know good from bad sponge. The consequence is that much of very inferior quality is brought to market, and realizes very low prices. This is an evil which could easily be remedied. The gathering and cleaning of common sponge entails as much trouble and fatigue as the collecting of what is valuable and good. Spongers should be more observant of the various qualities of sponges. They ought to know a sound from a sucked sponge-a sponge of fine texture and good shape from one of bad shape and coarse.

Bahamas sponge is classified into II sorts. From the south-eastern extremity of Andros Island, and all over the Exuma banks, the fine large sheep-wool or honeycomb sponge is chiefly found. This kind is known as the bath sponge, and is by far the most valuable and merchantable. The other kinds are the reef or fine toilet, the boat, the velvet, yellow, hard head, Long Island, grass, common or glove, and refuse. None of these are very valuable, excepting the velvet sponge, which is obtained from the west end of Bahamas and William's Cay. From these two