ies. It is remarked
by Pliny that, previous to the existence of the Indian demand, the Gauls
were in the habit of using it for the ornamentation of their weapons of
war and helmets; but in his day, so great was the Eastern demand, that
it was very rarely seen even in the regions which produced it. Among the
Romans branches of coral were hung around children's necks to preserve
them from danger, and the substance had many medicinal virtues
attributed to it. A belief in its potency as a charm continued to be
entertained throughout medieval times; and even to the present day in
Italy it is worn as a preservative from the evil eye, and by females as
a cure for sterility.

The precious coral is found widespread on the borders and around the
islands of the Mediterranean Sea. It ranges in depth from shallow water
(25 to 50 ft.) to water over 1000 ft., but the most abundant beds are in
the shallower areas. The most important fisheries extend along the
coasts of Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco; but red coral is also obtained
in the vicinity of Naples, near Leghorn and Genoa, and on the coasts of
Sardinia, Corsica, Catalonia and Provence. It occurs also in the
Atlantic off the north-west of Africa, and recently it has been dredged
in deep water off the west of Ireland. Allied species of small
commercial value have been obtained off Mauritius and near Japan. The
black coral (_Antipathes abies_), formerly abundant in the Persian Gulf,
and for which India is the chief market, has a wide distribution and
grows to a considerable height and thickness in the tropical waters of
the Great Barrier Reef of Australia.

From the middle ages downwards the securing of the right to the coral
fisheries on the African coasts was an object of considerable rivalry
among the Mediterranean communities of Europe. Previous to the 16th
century they were controlled by the Italian republics. For a short
period the Tunisian fisheries were secured by Charles V. to Spain; but
the monopoly soon fell into the hands of the French, who held the right
till the Revolutionary government in 1793 threw the trade open. For a
short period (about 1806) the British government controlled the
fisheries, and now they are again in the hands of the French
authorities. Previous to the French Revolution much of the coral trade
centred in Marseilles; but since that period, both the procuring of the
raw material and the working of it up into the various forms in which it
is used ha