PEARL SHELLS. 247 
On the shell being opened the oyster is minutely 
examined for the pearls; it is usual even to boil 
the oyster, as the pearl, though commonly found 
in the shell, is not unfrequently contained in the 
body of .the fish itself. 
“The stench occasioned by the oysters being left 
to putrefy is intolerable, and remains for a long 
while after the fishing is over. It corrupts the 
atmosphere for several miles round Condatchy, and 
renders the neighbourhood of that country ex- 
tremely unpleasant till the monsoons and violent 
south-west winds set in and purify the air. The 
nauseous smell, however, is not able to overcome 
the hope of gain; for months after the fishing 
season, numbers of people are to be seen earnestly 
searching and poring over the sands and_ places 
where the oysters had been laid to putrefy; and 
some are now and then fortunate enough to find a 
pearl that amply compensates their trouble in 
searching after them. In 1797, while Mr. Andrews 
was collector, a coolie, or common fellow of the 
lowest class, got by accident the most valuable 
pearl seen that season, and sold it to Mr. Andrews 
for a large sum. 
“The pearls found at this fishery are of a whiter 
colour than those got in the Gulf of Ormus, on 
the Arabian coast, but in other respects are not 
accounted so pure, or of so excellent a quality ; 
for though the white pearls are more esteemed in 
Europe, the natives prefer those of a yellowish or 
golden cast. Off Tutucoreen, which is on the 
Coromandel coast, nearly opposite to Condatchy, 
there is another fishery ; but the pearls found there 
are much inferior to those two species I have men- 
tioned, being tinted with a blue or greyish tinge. 
