Page:Papers of William Shakespeare Hall, 1861–1895.pdf/150

 local merchant bought all the shell they had, at a good price, and shipped them to London; and thereat the pearling industry took its footing. Therefore it may be said that he gave the incentive to pearling, for it was certainly the first move towards its inception. For a long time Mr. Hall's heart had been seriously affected; but he would not nurse himself in any way. He had been a man of prodigious strength in his prime and could not realize its decline with advancing age. Early in the evening of his death some of his family noticed him looking pale & although he seemed quite in his usual spirits. And now he lies in the silent tomb, in a hallowed spot of the Cossack cemetery, the mortal remains of the father of the district, the model of intrepidity, integrity and honour, an honoured husband, revered father and true friend and unquestionably the most esteemed personage who has ever associated himself with the north."