of
the Volga its southern boundary extends to Lat. 56°, while on the west
it extends, further southward, so that in the region of the Dnieper it
reaches Lat. 510. The extreme southern limit is near the mouth of the Don, about 47° north latitude.1
In
northern Russia pearls are secured in the provinces of Livonia,
Esthonia, and Olonetz, and in the grand duchy of Finland, where they
have been sought after for three centuries or more. Most of them are
bluish gray in color and they attain a maximum weight of about twelve
grains. Although not equaling the oriental gems, these pearls are of
good quality and are highly esteemed, not only by the peasants but by
the nobility and by the royal family of Russia. For reference to most
of the historical data relative to the fishery in Livonia, we are
indebted to an account written by H. Kawall.2
So
long ago as 1612, Dionysius Fabricius compared the pearls of Livonia
with those of India. Said he : "Nor should I omit to mention that there
are rivers in Livonia wherein large pearls are produced in shells ; and
I myself have seen some as large as the oriental, especially when they
are well grown. But because the peasants of this region are too
ignorant to determine with certainty when they mature, they are unable
to collect them properly, and therefore the pearls have become rarer." 3
According to Mylius,4 in the seventeenth century, when Livonia belonged to Sweden,
the pearl resources received attention from the government. Charles IX
of Sweden decreed October 22, 1694, that the pearls therefrom should
not be exported but should be sold to officers of the crown at a
definite price. In 1700, an inspector of the fishery in Livonia, whose
name was Krey, reported that the peasants collected pearls secretly
from the small rivers and brooks, and forwarded them to Moscow for
sale. As the peasants objected to selling them to the king's
commissioners at the prices fixed, the fishery soon dwindled in extent.
However, on the annexation of Livonia to Russia in 1712, and the
removal of these restrictions, it revived and became of local
importance during the last years of the reign of Peter the Great.
In
1742 the Livonian fishery was reorganized at the suggestion of a Swede
named Hedenberg. Furnished by the government with funds and an escort,
he began an exploration of the pearl-bearing waters, commencing with
Lake Kolk, where he secured many pearls of value, some of which were
presented to Empress Elizabeth.5
