In 1867 their price varied from L39 to L42.
" 1868    "   "     "      "    39  "  42.
" 1869    "   "     "      "    41  "  44.
" 1870    "   "     "      "    do. "  do.
" 1871    "   "     "      "    do. "  do.
" 1872    "   "     "      "    58  "  61.
" 1873    "   "     "      "    68  "  72.
" 1874    "   "     "      "    53  "  58.

Single tusks vary in weight from 1 lb. to 165 lbs.:  the average of a pair of tusks may be put at 28 lbs., and therefore 44,000 elephants, large and small, must be killed yearly to supply the ivory which comes to England alone, and when we remember that an enormous quantity goes to America, to India and China, for consumption there, and of which we have no account, some faint notion may be formed of the destruction that goes on amongst the herds of elephants.

Although naturalists distinguish only two living species of elephants, viz. the African and the Asiatic, nevertheless there is a great difference in the size, character, and colour of their tusks, which may arise from variations in climate, soil, and food.  The largest tusks are yielded by the African elephant, and find their way hither from the port of Zanzibar:  they are noted for being opaque, soft or “mellow” to work, and free from cracks or defects.

The tusks from India, Ceylon, &c, are smaller in size, partly of an opaque character, and partly translucent (or, as it is technically called “bright"), and harder and more cracked, but those from Siam and the neighbouring countries are very “bright,” soft, and fine grained; they are much sought after for carvings and ornamental work.  Tusks from Mozambique and the Cape of Good Hope seldom exceed 70 lbs. in weight each:  they are similar in character to the Zanzibar kind.

Tusks which come through Alexandria and Malta differ considerably in quality:  some resemble those from Zanzibar, whilst others are white and opaque, harder to work, and more cracked at the points; and others again are very translucent and hard, besides being liable to crack:  this latter description fetches a much lower price in the market.

From the West Coast of Africa we get ivory which is always translucent, with a dark outside or coating, but partly hard and partly soft.

The soft ivory which comes from Ambriz, the Gaboon River, and the ports south of the equator, is more highly valued than any other, and is called “silver grey”:  this sort retains its whiteness when exposed to the air, and is free from that tendency to become yellowish in time which characterises Asiatic and East African ivory.

Hard tusks, as a rule, are proportionately smaller in diameter, sharper, and less worn than soft ones, and they come to market much more cracked, fetching in consequence a lower price.