284 CEYLON PEARL-FISHERY. 



M. Coste's system of oyster-farming, and establish beds in 

 suitable localities, so as to guard against the loss of a very 

 important staple of commercial industry. 



oysters generally have been found to be too young to yield good pearls ; and 

 this being the case, we wonder that they were not at once returned to their 

 native element, as landing useless ones is certainly a most suicidal policy. 

 The way in which we are told that a Tamil coolie found one pearl worth 150, 

 leads us to suppose that the narrator did not place the least reliance in the 

 rumour which he thought it his duty to record ; indeed, what follows will 

 show our readers that no such result was at all probable. The fishing-ground 

 is distant about twelve miles from Silawatorre, and as many as two hundred 

 boats are engaged in the fishery. These are divided into two fleets, distin- 

 guished by blue and red flags; and they are engaged for twelve days, this 

 being the limit assigned for the pearl-diving. On the sound of the gun at 

 midnight the boats weigh their anchors, and on their arrival another gun 

 gives them the signal that they are to set to work. There are twenty-three 

 hands to each boat, and one-quarter of the ' take ' is their share, the remain- 

 ing three-quarters falling to the rapacious maw of the Government. On this 

 last occasion very great assistance was afforded to the natives by an English 

 diver clad in a proper diving-dress, who was able to stay under water for an 

 hour, and is reported to have walked a mile at a time, and to have indicated 

 to the super-aqueous confraternity where they could descend with the great- 

 est advantage." 



