Mr. Cordiner, from whose late excel lent account of Ceylon we have extract ed most of the preceding particulars, says, " As the boats arrive at Condaatchy to be employed in the fishery, they are regularly numbered, and their descrip tion and the names of their crew are registered in a book. The fishery for the season of 1804 was let by government to a native of Jaffnapatam, who had re sided for some years previously to it on the coast of Coromandel. For thirty days fishing, with 150 boats, he came under an obligation to pay 300,000 Porto Novo pagodas, or 120,000/. sterling. He sold the right of fishing to some of the best equipped boats for 3000 pagodas each, and that of others for 2500 ; but kept by far the greater part of them to fish on his own account." After every arrangement is completed, and the boats are ready to put to sea, their navigators and the divers are rous ed from their slumbers by the discharge of a cannon, the sounding of horns, and the beating of a kind of drum, called by the natives torn toms: this signal is gene rally made rather before midnight, when a breeze from the land prevails ; the con fusion that immediately follows the move ments of upwards of six thousand persons in the dark may be better conceived than described ; but in defiance of every ob stacle, these silly people will not depart till they have performed certain ablu tions and incantations, calculated, as they suppose, to forward their views. When they have reached the banks they _cast anchor, and wait the approach of day ; which no sooner arrives than each boat takes its station : at six or seven o'clock the diving commences. To facilitate this operation, a species of open scaffolding is projected from each side of the vessel, and it is from the scaffold the tackle is suspended, three stones on one side and two on the other. The author we have just mentioned gives so clear and com prehensive an account of this dangerous business, which he saw performed, that we shall give part of it in his own words. " The diving stone hangs from an oar by a light country rope, and slip knot, and descends about five feet into the water. It is a stone of 56th. weight, of the shape of a sugar loaf The rope passes through a hole in the top of a stone, above which a strong loop is formed, resembling a stir rup-iron, to receive the foot of the diver," who is entirely naked, except a piece of enhio wrapped round his waist ; swim ming near the side of the vessel, he takes the rope in one hand, and places his foot in the stirrup on the stone ; a basket is then thrown into the' water to him, made of a hoop and net-work below it, in which he places the other foot: after preparing his lungs for ceasing to breathe, he press es his nostrils firmly with one hand, and with the other pulls the rope forming the slipknot; the stone carries him instantly to the bottom, where he no sooner ar rives, than he disengages himself from the stirrup, which, with the stone, is imme diately drawn up by the people in the bpat. The diver throws himself forward upon his face, and grasps every thing in his way as rapidly as possible, and putting it into the basket, gives a signal when it is full by pulling the rope, when that also is hauled up ; lie then ascends by the rope, and frequently arrives at the surface before the basket: such is the conse quence of custom, that though the diver cannot descend again without an inter val of rest, lie seldom enters the boat, re maining swimming and floating about during the whole day.
- Besides the other dangers peculiar to this pursuit, the divers are liable to be devoured by sharks ; but whatever may be the cause, an accident seldom occurs, which these superstitious people attri bute to the powerful aid of shark charm ers, without whom, and the exercise of their, diabolical incantations, they will on no account undertake their labours. The
most experienced diver has never been known to remain longer than one minute and a half under water, in which time he may gather 150 oysters, if they are nume rous; but he sometimes gains not more than from five to a dozen, accompanied by coral pieces of rock and other sub stances, for he has no time to separate and examine what he seizes. When 300 boats are employed in the fishe ry, it is supposed that at least 1500 divers are constantly descending, the noise of which resembles the incessant roaring of a cataract. The return of the fleet in regular order, at one or two P. M. and their arrival, with the crowds waiting to welcome their return, presents a very animating and gratifying spectacle.
The method adopted to extract the pearls is dreadfully disgusting and un wholesome, as they do not undertake this operation till the oysters have been deposited in heaps for ten days, or till the flesh has become decidedly putrid : the reason for so doing is obvious, as the particles of decayed matter and maggots are readily floated off by repeated wash ings in inclined receptacles, so contrived as to arrest the progress of even the smallest pearls, as they descend by their weight. Every possible precaution is taken, by the picking and sifting, to se cure the whole of the produce, and yet it is said that vast numbers are lost.
After the most valuable are selected, they are sent to be drilled ; a most inge nious and delicate operation, which is thus performed : a piece of wood in the shape of an inverted cone is placed upon three legs, raising it about one foot from the ground : holes of various dimensions are made in the surface to receive the pearls : the person who drills sits close to the machine : he then drives the pearls steady into their sockets. " A well-tem pered needle is fixed in a reed five inches long, with an iron point at the other end, formed to play in the socket of a cocoa nut-shell, which presses on the fore head of the driller. A bow is formed of a piece of bamboo and a string. The workman brings his right knee in a line with the machine, and places on it a small cup, formed of part of a cocoa nut-shell, which is filled with water to moderate the heat of friction. He bends his head over the machine, and applying the point of the needle to a pearl sunk in one of the pits, drills with great facility, every now and then dexterously dipping the little finger of his right hand in the water, and applying it to the middle, without impeding the operation. In this manner he bores a pearl in the space of two or three minutes, and in the course of a day perforates 300 small, or 600 large pearls." There are different methods of fishing for pearls practised in other parts of the world ; but as the Ceylon fishery eclipses them all, and the simplicity of the inven tion is so obvious, it would be well if it were universally adopted.
PEARL-spar, is a fossil of the calcareous kind, being composed of carbonate of lime, with the oxides of iron and manga nese : it has received different names, and occurs massive, disseminated, and crystalized : its colours are white, often with shades of grey, yellow, or red ; but by mere exposure to the air its colour darkens, it becomes brown, and at length nearly black. Specific gravity about 2.8. It does not melt before the blow-pipe, but blackens : it effervesces with acids :, it is said by Bergman to consist of Carbonate of lime . . . . 50 Oxide of iron 22 Oxide of manganese 28 103