On our first arrival, they bit off the nofes, the fingers and toes of our dead, while we were preparing the grave; and thronged in fuch a manner about the infirm and the fick, that it was with difficulty we could keep them off. Every morning we faw thefe audacious animals patrolling about among the fea-lions and fea-bears lying on the ftrand, fmelling at fuch as were afleep, to difcover whether fome of them might not be dead; if that happened to be the cafe, they proceeded to diffect him immediately, and prefently after all were at work in dragging the parts away: becaufe the fea-lions of a night, in their fleep, frequently overlay their young, they examine, as if confcious of this circumftance, every morning the whole herd of them, one by one, and immediately drag away the dead cubs from their dams. When thefe bufy animals could not get hold on what they wanted, for example, the clothes we occafionally put off, they voided their excrements upon it, and then fcarcely one of the reft paffed by without doing the fame. From all circumftances it was clear to us, that they could never before have seen a human being, and that the dread of man is not innate in the brutes, but must be grounded on long experience. It was generally fuppofed that the renter would be infallibly ruined, as the fum he paid for the prefent fishery was thought exorbitant when compared with what had been formerly given; but this conjecture in the event appeared ill founded, as it proved extremely profitable and lucrative. The farmer this time was a Tamul merchant, who for the privilege of fishing with more than the ufual number of donies or boats, paid between two and three hundred thoufand Porto-novo pagodas, a sum nearly double the usual rent. These boats he farmed out again to individuals in the best manner he could, but for want of a fufficient number of divers, fome of them could not be employed. The fishing, which commonly began about the middle of Febru ary, if wind and weather allowed, was this year, for various reafons, delayed till the end of the month; yet to favourable was the weather, that the renter was able to take advantage of the permiffion granted by the agreement, to fifh a little longer than the ufual period of thirty days. The fishery cannot well be continued after the fetting in of the fouthern monfoon, which ufually happens about the 15th of April, as, after that time, the boats would not be able to reach the pearl-banks, and the water being then so troubled by heavy feas, diving would be impracticable; in addition to which, the fea-weed, a fpecies of fucus, driven in by the foutherly wind, and which spreads to a confiderable diftance from the fhore, would be an impediment. Many of the divers, being Roman Catholics, leave the fishery on Sun days The fear of fharks, as we shall fee hereafter, is alfo another cause of interruption. Thefe, amongst some others, are the reafons that, out of two months, (from February till April,) feldom more than thirty days can be employed in the fishery. As this time would be infufficient to fish all the banks (each of which has its appropriate name, both in Dutch and Tamul,) it is carried on for three or four fucceffive years, and a new contract annually made till the whole banks have been fihed, after which they are left to recover. The length of time required for this purpofe, or from one general fifhing to another, has not yet been exactly determined; it was, therefore, a practice to depute fome perfons to vifit the banks annually, and to give their opinion, whether a fishery might be undertaken with any degree of fuccefs? * From various accounts, which I have collected from good authority, and the experience of thofe who affifted at fuch examinations, I conjecture, that every feven years fuch a general fishery could be attempted with advantage, as this interval feems fufficient for the pearl-fhells to attain their growth: I am alfo confirmed in this opinion, by a re port made by a Dutch governor at Jafnas of all the fisheries that have been undertaken at Ceylon fince 1722; a tranflation of which is to be found in Wolfe's Travels into Ceylon. But the ruinous condition in which the divers leave the pearlbanks at each fishery, by attending only to the profit of individuals, and not to that of the public, is one great caufe, that it requires twice the above mentioned space of time, and fometimes longer, for rendering the fifhing productive. They do not pay the leaft attention, to spare the young and immature hells that contain no pearl; heaps of them are feen thrown out of the boats as ufelefs, on the beach between Manâr† and Aripoo; if thefe had been fuffered to remain in their native beds, they would, no doubt, have produced many fine pearls. It might, therefore, be advifeable, to oblige the boat people to throw them into the fea again, before the boats leave the bank. If this circumfpection, in fparing the fmall pearl-fhells, to perpetuate the breed was always obferved, fucceeding fifheries might be expected fooner, and with ftill greater fuccefs: but the neglect of this fimple precaution will, I fear, be attended with fimilar fatal confequences here, as have already happened to the pearl-banks on the coast of Perfia, South America, and Sweden, where the fisheries are by no means fo profitable at prefent as they were formerly. Another caufe of the deftruction of numbers of both old and young pearl-fhells, is the anchoring of fo * A gentleman, who affifted at one of the laft vifits, being an engineer, drew a chart of the banks, by which their fituation and fize are now better known than formerly. † Manara, properly Manar, is a Tamul word, and fignifies a fandy river, from the fhallownefs of the fea at that place. many boats on the banks, almost all of them ufe differently formed, clumfy, heavy, wooden anchors, large ftones, &c. &c. If this evil cannot be entirely prevented, it might, at least, be greatly leffened, by obliging them to use anchors of a particular fort, and lefs deftructive. This feafon the Sewel bank only was fifhed, which lies above twenty miles to the weftward of Aripoo, oppofite to the fresh water rivers of Moofalee Modragam and Pomparipoo. It has been obferved, that the pearls on the north-west part of this bank, which confifts of rock, are of a clearer water than those found on the fouth-eaft, nearest the shore, growing on corals and fand. for his inquiries. The presents which I made to the people employed in the fifhery, to encourage them to collect all forts of fhells which the divers bring on fhore, produced but little effect; as they were too much taken up in fearching after the mother of pearl fhells to pay attention to any other object. However, my endeavours were not entirely ufelefs; I will specify here a few of the number I collected during my ftay: different kinds of pectines, palium porphyreum, folen radiatus, † Venus caftrenfis, Linn. aftrea hyotis, § oftr. Forfkolii, oftr. Malleus, || mytilus hirundo Linn. ** Spondilus crocius, pholas pufillus, Linn. †† mitra epifcopalis, Linn. lepas firiata Pennanti, (vide Zool. Brit.) patella tricarinata, Linn. bulla perfecta maculata, ‡‡ harpa nobilis, porcellana falita, Rumph. §§ frombus fcorpio, and other of inferior kinds. Amongst the zoophytes, many valuable fpecies of fpongia, coralline, fatulariæ, &c. a great variety of fea ftars, and other marine productions, that cannot be preserved in fpirits, but fhould be defcribed on the fpot. Thefe, as well as the defcription of the different animals inhabiting the shells, are the more worthy of our attention, and deferve farther inveftigation, as we are yet very deficient in this branch of Of natural history. Condatchy is fituated in a bay, forming nearly a half moon, and is a wafte, fandy district, with fome miferable huts built on it. The water is bad and brackish, and the foil produces only a few, widely fcattered, ftunted trees and bushes. Thofe perfons who remain here during the fishery are obliged to get their water for drinking from Aripoo, a village with a fmall old fort, lying about four miles to the fouthward. Tigers, porcupines, wild hogs, pangolines, or the Ceylon armadillos, are, amongst other quadrupeds, here common. amphibia, there are tortoifes, efpecially the teftudo geometrica and various kinds of fnakes. A conchologist meets here with a large field *Scallops. Alpha cockle. During the fishing feafon, the defert, barren place, Condatchey, offers to our view a fcene equally novel and astonishing. A hetero † Radiated razor fhell. § Double cocks-comb. || Hammer oifter; these were pretty large, but many broken and fome covered by a calcarious cruft. It is very probable that, among those, there may be fome precious white ones. ** Swallow mufcle, tt The wood piercer. ‡‡ Diving fnail, (Grew, Muf.) $$ Salt-coury, KI. ` geneous geneous mixture of thousands of people of different colours, countries, cafts, and occupations, the number of tents and huts, erected on the fea fhore, with their fhops or bazars before each of them; and the many boats returning on fhore in the afternoon, generally, richly laden; all together form a spectacle entirely new to an European eye. Each owner runs to his refpective boat as foon as it reaches the fhore, in hopes of finding it fraught with immenfe treasure, which is often much greater in imagination than in the hell; and though he is difappointed one day, he relies with greater certainty on the next, looking forward to the fortune promifed him by his ftars, as he thinks it impoffible for the aftrological predictions of his Brahmen to err. To prevent riot and diforder, an officer with a party of Malays is ftationed here. They occupy a large fquare, where they have a field piece and a flag staff for fignals. Here and there you meet with brokers, jewellers, and merchants of all difcriptions; alfo, futtlers of fering provifions and other articles to gratify the fenfual appetite and luxury. But by far the greater number are occupied with the pearls. Some are bufily employed in afforting them; for which purpofe they make ufe of fmall brafs plates perforated with holes of different fizes; others are weighing and of fering them to the purchafer; while others are drilling or boring them; which they perform for a trifle. The inftrument, these people carry about with them for this purpofe, is of a very fimple conftruction, but requires much kill and exercife to use it; it is made in the 11 following manner: the principal part confifts of a piece of foft wood, of an obtufe, inverted, conical fhape. about fix inches high and four in diameter in its plain furface; this is fupported by three wooden feet, each of which is more than a foot in length. Upon the upper flat part of this machine are holes, or pits, for the larger pearls, and the fmaller ones are beat in with a wooden hammer. On the right fide of this ftool, half a cocoa nut fhell is faftened, which is filled with water. The drilling inftruments are iron fpindles, of various fizes, adapted to the dif ferent dimenfions of the pearls, which are turned round in a wooden head by a bow. The pearls being placed on the flat furface of the inverted cone, as already mentioned, the operator fitting on a mat, preffes on the wooden head of his inftrument with the left hand, while, with his right, he moves the bow which turns round the moveable part of the drill; at the fame time, he moistens the pearl, occafionally dipping the little finger of the fame hand into the water of the cocoa nut fhell, with a dexterity that can only be attained by constant practice. Among the crowd are found vagabonds of every defcription, fuch as Pandarams, Andee, or Hindu, monks, fakirs, beggars, and the like, who are impertinently troublefome. Two of thefe wretches particularly attracted the attention of the mob, though their fuperftitious penance must have difgufted a man of the leaft reflection; one had a gridiron, of one and a half foot long and the fame in breadth, faftened round his neck, with which he always walked about, nor did he take it off either when eating or fleeping; fleeping; the other had fastened round that member, which decency forbids me to mention, a brafs ring, and fixed to it was a chain, of a fathom in length, trailing on the ground, the links of this chain were as thick as a man's finger, and the whole was exhibited in a most scandalous manner. The peftilential fmell occafioned by the numbers of putrifying pearlfishes, renders the atmosphere of Condatchey fo infufferably offenfive when the fouth-weft wind blows, that it fenfibly affects the olfactory nerves of any one unaccustomed to fuch cadavorous fmells. This putrefaction generates immenfe numbers of worms, flies, mufkitoes, and other vermin; all together forming a fcene ftrongly difpleafing to the fenfes. Thofe who are not provided with a fufficient flock of money fuffer great hardfhips, as not only all kinds of provifions are very dear, but even every drop of good water must be paid for. Thofe who drink the brackish water of this place are often attacked by fickness. It may easily be conceived what an effect the extreme heat of the day, the cold of the night, the heavy dews, and the putrid fmell, must have no weak conftitutions. It is, there fore, no wonder that of those who fall fick many die, and many more return home with fevers, fluxes, or other equally fatal dif orders. The many disappointments, ufually experienced by the lower claffes of men in particular, make them of ten repent of their coming here. They are oftened ruined, as they risk all they are worth to purchase pearl-fhells; however, there are many inftances of their making a fortune beyond all expectation. A particular circumftance of this kind fell within my own obfervation: a day-labourer bought three oifters* for a copper fanam (about the value of two-pence) and was fo fortunate as to find one of the largest pearls which the fishery produced this feafon. The donies appointed for the fifhery are not all procured at Ceylon; many came from the coafts of Coromandel and Malabar, each of which has its diftinguifhing number. About ten o'clock at night a gun fired as a fignal, when they fail from Condatchy with an eafterly or land wind, under the direction of a pi lot. If the wind continues fair, they reach the bank before day, and begin diving at fun-rife, which they continue till the weft or fea breeze fets in, with which they return. The moment they appear in fight, the colours are hoifted at the flagstaff, and in the afternoon they come to an anchor, fo that the owners of the boats are thereby enabled to get their cargoes out before night, which may amount to 30,000 oifters, if the divers have been active and fuc cefsful. *The Eaft India pearl-fhell is well known to be the matrix perlarum (mother of pearl) of Rumphius, or the mytilus margaritiferus of Linneus; confequently the general term pearl-oifter must be erroneous; however, as it has long been in common ufe, I hope to be excused for continuing it. |