PEARL FISHERY. 



their labours, as they would serve to 

 point out the places for depredators to 

 dive with success. 



Mr. Corcliner, 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 Jaffhapatam, 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 120,0001. 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 hi's 

 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 56/6. 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 

 slip-knot ; 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 

 boat. 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 ; he 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, he 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 



