Hi everyone, A big thankyou for all of your help in answering my query about beche la mer. Kind regards Leanne Baulch Canberra ----- Original Message ----- From: "Lynne Radford" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, May 04, 2005 11:02 PM Subject: Re: [AUS-IMM-SHIPS] What type of voyage? > X-SpamDetect-Info: ------------- Start SmiteSpam results --------------- > X-SpamDetect-Info: This message may be spam. This message BODY has been > altered so X-SpamDetect-Info: your mail client can be set to filter it, > see http://smitespam.com/body.htm > X-SpamDetect: *: 1.500000 Content: cid=56 =1.5 > X-SpamDetect-Info: ------------- End SmiteSpam results --------------- > > Hi Leanne, > It is "Sea Slugs" > Some estimates are that the population of the approximately 83 major > islands in this group, totalling about 4,700 square miles, was as many as > a million people before the Europeans came in earnest in the early 1800's > in search of four things: sandalwood (a rare sweet smelling wood popular > with the Chinese as incense), beche-la-mer (or sea slugs, a very tasty and > expensive delicacy, also traded with the Chinese), cheap labour (or > blackbirding, where natives were rounded up for use on plantations), and > conversion to Christianity. The net result, because of diseases against > which the indigenous people had no defence, was the population collapsed > to a low of about 40,000 by the 1930's. It's now about 175,000. Each of > the islands had, and still has, a distinct culture. > > From Paul Benyons site the following, > > The Elizabeth has returned from her sandalwood cruise, with about 120 tons > on board. The brig Sir John Bing left Anatam for China the beginning of > February, with a full cargo of sandalwood. The brig Spy, from China, was > at the Isle of Pines in search of sandal. wood and beche-la-mer ; she had > been rather unsuccessful. > > Kind regards, > > Lynne, Sydney > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Leanne Baulch" <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Wednesday, May 04, 2005 2:09 PM > Subject: [AUS-IMM-SHIPS] What type of voyage? > > > > > ============================== > Search Family and Local Histories for stories about your family and the > areas they lived. Over 85 million names added in the last 12 months. > Learn more: http://www.ancestry.com/s13966/rd.ashx > >

Hi Leanne A minor point but the fish, of which there seems to be many species, is called beche-de-mer not "la" which means "the". I am not trying to be picky. I don't know the exact interpretation of "beche" but "de mer" is "of the sea" so it may mean "slug of the sea" or "fish of the sea" or similar. The other strange thing is that I seem to always see it written with hyphens between each of the three words. I don't know why. Regards Ross ----- Original Message ----- From: "Leanne Baulch" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, May 06, 2005 9:22 PM Subject: Re: [AUS-IMM-SHIPS] What type of voyage? > Hi everyone, > > A big thankyou for all of your help in answering my query about beche la > mer. > > Kind regards > Leanne Baulch > Canberra > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Lynne Radford" <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Wednesday, May 04, 2005 11:02 PM > Subject: Re: [AUS-IMM-SHIPS] What type of voyage? > > >> X-SpamDetect-Info: ------------- Start SmiteSpam results --------------- >> X-SpamDetect-Info: This message may be spam. This message BODY has been >> altered so X-SpamDetect-Info: your mail client can be set to filter it, >> see http://smitespam.com/body.htm >> X-SpamDetect: *: 1.500000 Content: cid=56 =1.5 >> X-SpamDetect-Info: ------------- End SmiteSpam results --------------- >> >> Hi Leanne, >> It is "Sea Slugs" >> Some estimates are that the population of the approximately 83 major >> islands in this group, totalling about 4,700 square miles, was as many as >> a million people before the Europeans came in earnest in the early 1800's >> in search of four things: sandalwood (a rare sweet smelling wood popular >> with the Chinese as incense), beche-la-mer (or sea slugs, a very tasty >> and expensive delicacy, also traded with the Chinese), cheap labour (or >> blackbirding, where natives were rounded up for use on plantations), and >> conversion to Christianity. The net result, because of diseases against >> which the indigenous people had no defence, was the population collapsed >> to a low of about 40,000 by the 1930's. It's now about 175,000. Each of >> the islands had, and still has, a distinct culture. >> >> From Paul Benyons site the following, >> >> The Elizabeth has returned from her sandalwood cruise, with about 120 >> tons on board. The brig Sir John Bing left Anatam for China the beginning >> of February, with a full cargo of sandalwood. The brig Spy, from China, >> was at the Isle of Pines in search of sandal. wood and beche-la-mer ; she >> had been rather unsuccessful. >> >> Kind regards, >> >> Lynne, Sydney >> >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: "Leanne Baulch" <[email protected]> >> To: <[email protected]> >> Sent: Wednesday, May 04, 2005 2:09 PM >> Subject: [AUS-IMM-SHIPS] What type of voyage? >> >> >> >> >> ============================== >> Search Family and Local Histories for stories about your family and the >> areas they lived. Over 85 million names added in the last 12 months. >> Learn more: http://www.ancestry.com/s13966/rd.ashx >> >> > > > > ============================== > View and search Historical Newspapers. Read about your ancestors, find > marriage announcements and more. Learn more: > http://www.ancestry.com/s13969/rd.ashx > >