CAESAR FREDERICK ad. 



1563-81. 

 heape of oysters one distant from another, in such wise 

 that you shall see a great long rowe of mountaines or 

 heapes of oysters, and they are not touched untill such 

 time as the fishing bee ended, and at the ende of the 

 fishing every companie sitteth round about their moun- 

 taine or heape of oysters, and fall to opening of them, 

 which they may easilie doe because they bee dead, drie 

 and brittle : and if every oyster had pearles in them, it 

 would bee a very good purchase, but there are very 

 many that have no pearles in them : when the fishing 

 is ended, then they see whether it bee a good gather- 

 ing or a badde : there are certaine expert in the pearles T^hese pearles 



whom they call Chitini, which set and make the price ^^^ /''^^^^ ^^- 



r . ^ ,. 1- 1 . j^j cording to the 



or pearles according to their carracts, beautie, and good- caracts which 



nesse, making foure sortes of them. The first sort they zceigh, 



bee the round pearles, and they be called Aia of Portu- ^^'^O' ^^^^^^ 



p-ale, because the Portug^ales doe buy them. The second " \' SJ'^^^^^^^ 

 . . ciftci tfiese TJteH 



sorte which are not round, are called Aia of Bengala. that prise them 



The third sort which are not so good as the second, have an in- 



they call Aia of Canara, that is to say, the kingdome strument of 



of Bezeneger. The fourth and last sort, which are the 'l^ff/'-^lf 



least and worst sort, are called Aia of Cambaia. Thus ^hichbemade 



the price being set, there are merchants of every countrey by degrees for 



which are readie with their money in their handes, to sort ye 



so that in a fewe dayes all is bought up at the prises ^^'"^"^^ -^^thalL 



set according to the goodnesse and caracts of the 



pearles. 



In this Sea of the fishing of pearles is an Hand 



called Manar, which is inhabited by Christians of the 



countrey which first were Gentiles, and have a small hold 



of the Portugales being situate over agaynst Zeilan : and 



betweene these two Hands there is a chanell, but not 



very big, and hath but a small depth therein : by reason 



whereof there cannot any great shippe passe that way, 



but small ships, and with the increase of the water which 



is at the change or the full of the Moone, and yet for 



all this they must unlade them and put their goods into 



small vessels to lighten them before they can passe that 



397 



