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This is the common stuff of the country, which is used for partitions in houses, &c. This is a finer sort, such as I wear at present. Here we have the skin of the whale calf, which is usually worn by the women. This is the most expensive article of our manufactures; it is the belly part of the calf's skin, which being white, admits of a dye from the murex a shell fish, very common on our shores."
Most of his spare time during 1800 and 1801 was spent on it; and besides corresponding with the man who 'fished this murex up, Bishop Percy, he entered into literary relations with Joseph Ritson.
In the North-east Australian province, a different set of shells was dredged in similar depths, such as a Sigaretus, possibly new, Fissurella calyculata, Mitra obeliscus, a Turritella, a Murex, Columbella versicolor, and a new species off Cape York, Ranella pulchella, new, several Nassae, Phos senticosa and blainvillei, and sculptilis, in 3 and 5 fathoms, off Cape York; Strombus campbelli, in mud off Cape Upstart; Cerithium obeliscus, and a new species of the genus Obeliscus.
"twice dipped;" and for the production of the true "Tyrian purple" it was necessary that the dye obtained from the Buccinum should be used after that from the Murex had been applied. The Murex alone gave a dye that was firm, and reckoned moderately good; but the Buccinum alone was weak, and easily washed out.
Two centuries ago Lister made several experiments in the hope that he might succeed in fixing this dye, as the Tyrians did that of the murex, but in vain. There are eleven varieties of this creature alone. It is easier to find the shells than to discover the living creature in the river.
Conus larenatus, Hwass. 5. Conus hebraus, Linne. 6. Conus ceylanensis, Hwass. 7. Terebra maculata, Linne. 8. Terebra dimidiata, Linne. 9. Terebra consobrina, Deshayes. 10. Pleurotoma cingulifera, Lamarck. 11a. Murex tribulus, Linn. 12. Cassidulus paradisiacus, Reeve. 14. Nassa coronata, Lamarck. 15. Nassa pulla, Linne. 16. Purpura hippocastanum, Lamarck. 19. Sistrum arachnoides, Lamarck. 20.
The poet takes this blue dye as a simile for a new fashion in literature, and points out that Hobbs, Nobbs, etc., obtain fame and comfort by merely using the dye from the shell; and adds the perfectly natural comment: "... Who fished the murex up? What porridge had John Keats?"
I have his complete works, and am sorry to say that, instead of confining myself to "Sesame and Lilies," I have foolishly read all the dreary stuff, including statistics, letters to Hobbs and Nobbs, with hot arguments as to who fished the murex up, and long, scathing tirades against the old legal shark who did him out of a hundred pounds.
The whole verse of course begins to explain itself, if we know the meaning of the word "murex," which is the name of a sea-shell, out of which was made the celebrated blue dye of Tyre.
Purple seems somewhat out of place in the enumeration; but the Syrians may have gathered the murex on their seaboard between Mt. Casius and the Gulf of Issus, and have sold what they collected in the Phoenician market. The precious stones which Ezekiel assigns to them are difficult of identification, but may have been furnished by Casius, Bargylus, or Amanus.
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