A GREAT PEARL.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume IV, Issue 152, 14 January 1902, Page 3

A GREAT PEARL.

Mr J. W. Gibson, writing from Broome on Novmnbor 2 ! Jth to the West Australian Argus, says •.—'* There is a good deal of excitement here in consequence of tha finding of a great pearl, Mr James Buddivent has been boatbuilding and pearling on a small scal e for the past 15 years at Thursday Island and Broome, and up to the night before laafc was nob considered too fortunate in his Undertakings. Mr Buddivent is at present workiug two small luggers on the shell banks. He doe 3 not go out in the boat himself, but sends a white man with them .to open the shells and seoure the pearls. On Tuesday lrghb about 12 o*cloek, Mr Buddivent was lying asleep on his oouch in!ha cool of tue boatrshed, when he waa roughly disiu;b;d. On rising to his fe«l hi* shall opener put into his hand probibly the most sup-rb and wonderfu' pearl tii3 world ever s-een. All the oid pearlers admit that eueh a wondrous work of Nature lias never bean dsaciv.rod in a paa:-lshsU: The sh«ll in vviiiuh it w.'.s found haa a lovely oradle at the heel, in which ti!s quean of pearls i was uursed and developed. Mr Buddivent, who is coiupitatively a poor man, has already reiiuod thousands of pounds for his treasure. A mure perfect or beautiful lustre has seldom baen seen on a pearl. The sh\pe is mo it graceful, and it 3 length in shell two nice small gem? were found. One of our best km wu pearlers haa offered his entire p3arling plant-, Avith. a year's store?, for this pearl, but the offer ha 3 been wisely dt-cliuai. The pearl was deposited in tha bank yesterday afternoon, and its particulars were cabled to London. lu is thought that if it reaches London Without dalay it will take a ye y prominent plaoe amongit tho g.-eat jewels at the Coronation of King Edward. It is variously estim ifcjd to be worth from £9soo to £ L 5,000 The sh ill in which tha pearl wai found goes to London also.