Pearl-island, an island of South America, the middle of which is seated in W. Long. 64. 2. N. Lat. 11. 30. It was discovered by Columbus, and is about 35 leagues in compass. The soil is very fertile in maize and fruits, and abounds in pasture and verdant groves; yet is totally destitute of fresh water, which the inhabitants are obliged to bring from the continent. When the Spaniards first landed here, they found the natives busy in fishing for oysters. Columbus ordered some of the savages aboard his ship, who were so far from being terrified, that they very soon became familiar with the Spaniards. The latter at first imagined that the oysters served them for food; but on opening the shells, they found they contained valuable pearls. Upon this discovery they immediately landed, and found the natives ready to part with their pearls for the merest trifles. In process of time the Spaniards built a castle, called Monpadre, and employed prodigious numbers of Guinea and Angola negroes in the pearl-fishery; cruelly forcing them to tear up the oysters from the rocks to which they stuck, during which time many of them were destroyed by the sharks and other voracious fishes. In 1620, this island was invaded by the Dutch, who demolished the castle upon it: since which time it has been in a manner abandoned by the Spaniards; and is now principally inhabited by the natives, to whom some particular indulgences were granted by the court of Spain, on account of their ready submission to Columbus.

Pearl, in natural history. See Pearl, and Mya.

Margaritini, are glass ornaments, made at Venice of small glass tubes of different colours, which are blown at Murano, and which the women of the lower class wear about their arms and necks. The largest are used for making rosaries. This work is performed with great dispatch, the artisan taking a whole handful of these tubes at once, and breaking them off one after another with an iron tool. These short cylinders are mixed with a kind of ashes, and put over the fire in an iron pan; and when the two ends begin to melt, by stirring them about with an iron wire, they are brought to a round figure; but care is taken not to leave them too long over the fire, lest the hole through which they are to be strung should be entirely closed by the melting of the glaas. There are several streets at Francesco de Vigna entirely inhabited by people whose sole occupation is to make and string these margaritini.