1. I am grateful for the comments of anonymous referees. Initially, pearl-shelling in Australian waters was carried on in a nondescript variety of boats. By the late 1880s a generic design began to emerge to facilitate the new deep-diving technology and associated boat management techniques. These were vessels of about 10 metres in length, with two lug-rigged masts. By the mid 1890s the design was set, with variations to suit different conditions on the two main grounds, Torres Strait in Queensland and the north-west coast of Western Australia. By this time the boats were larger (up to 15 metres), and were now gaff-rigged ketches. However, they continued to be called ‘pearling luggers’
2. 16 Jan 1906. 16 Jan, Directors' Minutes, Burns Philp & Co., Sydney, Noel Butlin Archives, Australian National University, Canberra
3. THE 1872–3 CRUISE OF THE PEARL-SHELLING SCHOONERFRANZ: REORDERING THE SOUTHWEST PACIFIC MARITIME TRADE