PEACE OF THE KING, that peace or security, both of life and goods, which the king promises to all his subjects, or others who are under his protection: such is the peace of the king's highways, which consists in the freedom from all annoyance and molestation; to which may be added the peace of the plough, whereby both the plough and ploughcattle are secured from distresses; and fairs are said to have their peace, which consists in the security of those who attend them from being arrested for debts contracted elsewhere.

PEARL, in natural history, a hard, white, shining body, usually of a globular, but sometimes of a pear-shape, found in a testaceous fish commonly called the pearl-oyster, and esteemed a gem of high value. The formation of the pearl is very satisfactorily accounted for by Reaumur. No one,

who is in the least degree acquainted with the composition of animal bodies, is ignorant that their juices are capable of producing hard substances; and he justly observes, that it is far from extraordinary that a fish which has a sufficient quantity of stony juice to build, thicken, and extend a shell, should have enough to form these stones, if it happen to overflow, or burst into any cavity of the body, or among the membranes. This naturalist

supports the common notion that the pearl is produced in consequence of a diseased state of the fish: but it is difficult to believe that whole species of animals are uniformly diseased; and we are bound by analogy to suppose that these excrescences answer some useful end.

The seas about the East-Indies and America yield pearl-fish in great abundance; and they are found

with good pearls in several parts of Europe. In the east, the coasts of the island of Ceylon, and the Persian gulph, are the parts most celebrated for pearl fisheries; and in the west, the coast of Terrafirma, and the gulph of Mexico. The European pearls are chiefly found on the coast of Scotland, and in a river of Bavaria.

PEARL-fishery in the East Indies, an occupation which employs a considerable number of persons at two seasons of the year. The first is in March and April, and the second in August and September. Each bark puts off from the shore at sun-rise, with a land-breeze which never fails, and returns to the shore at noon, with a sea-breeze by which it is succeeded: when it arrives where the fish lie, and has cast anchor, the diver binds a stone, six inches thick, and about a foot long, under his body; which serves him as ballast, prevents his being carried away by the current, and enables him to walk more steadily under the water: he also ties another stone to one of his feet, by means of which he the more speedily sinks to the bottom of the sea: and, as the fish are usually firmly fastened to the rocks, he arms his hands with leathern mittens, to prevent their being wounded in pulling them off; but this part of the task some perform with iron rakes: lastly, each diver carries with him a large net, in the form of a sack, tied to his neck by a long cord, the other end of which is fastened to the side of the bark; the net to hold the fish he shall gather, and the cord to hoist him up, when he wants air, or his bag is filled. With this equipage, he frequently precipitates bimself to the depth of sixty feet; and, when arrived at the bottom, immediately proceeds

to load his net. However low beneath the surface of the water, the light enables him to see every thing with ease: by this advantage he is enabled, on some occasions, to resist large fishes of prey that approach him. Thus threatened, the first resource is to trouble the water, in order, by filling it with mud, to avoid the sight of the animal: yet they are not always able to escape the danger. The best divers will continue under water nearly half an hour; and the least expert not less than a quarter; and during this time, they hold their breath without the use of oiled sponges applied to their mouths, a contrivance adopted in the Mediterranean. When they wish to be drawn up, they pull the rope to which the bag is fastened, and those in the bark, taking the signal, heave them into the air, and relieve them of their burden. Some of the divers require a moment's respite, to recover their breath; others return immediately into the ocean, and continue their toil till noon, when, as has been said, the vessel makes for the shore.

To separate the pearls from the fish, pits, four or five feet square, are dug in the beach, into which the latter are thrown as they are brought from the rocks. Over them, heaps of sand, to the height of a man, are raised; and when the rain, wind, and sun, have obliged them to open their shells, by which means they are killed, the flesh rots, and thé pearls, which are lodged in the head, the coat that covers it, the circular muscles that terminate it, the stomach, in a word, throughout the whole substance of the fish, are disengaged. After clearing the pits of the grosser matters, the sand is sifted several times, for pearls of different sizes, and every precaution taken to collect all that it contains.