544 Account of the Pearl Fijhery in the Gulpk of Manar, 



on the beach between Man&r* 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, 

 beadvifeable, to oblige the boat people to throw them into the fea again, before the boats 

 leave the bank. If this circumfpe£lion, in fparlng the fmall pearl {bells, to perpetuate the 

 breed was always obferved, fucceeding fiflieries might be expeded fooner, and with ftill 

 greater fuccefs : but the negle£t of this fimple precaution will, I fear, be attended with 

 fimilar fatal confequences here, as have already happened to the pearl banks on the coaft 

 of Perfta., South America, and Siveden, where the fiflieries are by no means fo profitable at 

 prefent as they were formerly. 



Another caufe of the deftru£lion of numbers of both old and young pearl Ihells, is the 

 anchoring of fo many boats on the banks, almoft all of them ufed differently formed, 

 clumfy, heavy, wooden anchors, large ftones, &c. &c. If this evil cannot be entirely 

 prevented, it might, at leaft, be greatly leflened, by obliging them all to ufe anchors of a 

 particular fort, and lefs deftru£live. 



This feafon the Senuel bank only was fiflied, which lies above twenty miles to the weft- 

 ward of Aripoo, oppofite to the frefh water rivers of Moofalee Modragam and Pomparipoo. 

 It has been obferved, that the pearls on the north-weft part of this bank, which confifts of 

 lock, are of a clearer water than thofe found on the fouth-eaft, neareft the fliore, growing 

 on corals and fand. 



Condatchey is Gtuated in a bay, forming nearly a half moon, and is a wafte, fandy dif- 

 txi€t, with fomc miferable huts built on it. The water is bad and brackifti, and the foil 

 produces only a few, widely fcattered, ftunted trees and bufties. Thofe perfons who re- 

 main here during the fifliery are obliged to get their water for drinking from Aripoo, a vil- 

 lage with a fmall old fort, lying about four miles to the fouthward. Tigers, porcupines, 

 wild hogs, pangolines, or the Ceylon armadillos, are, amongft other quadrupeds, here com- 

 mon. Of amphibia, there are tortoifes, efpecially the tejludo geometrica, and various kinds 

 of fnakes. A conchologift meets here with a large field for his enquiries. The prefents 

 which I made to the people employed in the fifliery, to encourage them to coUeft all forts 

 of fliells which the divers bring on fliore, produced but little effett ; as they were too. 

 much taken up in fearching after the mother of pearl fliells to pay attention to any other 

 objeft. However, my endeavours were not entirely ufelefs ; I will fpecify here a few of 

 the number I collefted during my ftay: different kinds of ^f5/«4-/ t, palium porphyreumy 

 Jolen radiatus %, Venus cajlrenfis, Linn. § afrea hyotis ||, ojlr. ForJkoUi, ojlr. Malleus 

 tnytilus hirundo Linn. W, fpondilus crocius, pbolas pufdlus, Linn. JJ, «»;/»•« epifiopalis, Linn. 



•* 



* Manara, properly JMaaar, is a Tamul word, and fignifies a {andy river, from the fliallownefs of tie 

 fea at that place. 



t Scallops. X Radiated razor ftiell. § Alpha cockle. g Double cocks-comb. 



«• Hammer oyfter; thefe were pretty large, but many broken and fome covered by a calcarious cruii. 

 It Is very probable that, among thole, theit may be fome precious ivbile ones. 



•f-f Swallow mufcle. JJ The wood piercer. . 



3. . Af"* 



