PEARL FISHERY AT CEYLON. 395 



From various accounts, which I have collected from 

 good authority, and the experience of thofe who affifted 

 at fuch examinations, I conjecture, that every I'Qven 

 years fuch a general fifhery could be attempted with 

 advantage, as this interval feems fufficient for the 

 pearl fhells to attain their growth : I am alio con- 

 finned in this opinion, by a report made by a Dutch 

 governor at Jafhas of all the fifheries that have been 

 undertaken at Ceylon fince 1722; a tranflation of 

 which is to be found in Wolfe's Travels into Ceylon. 

 But the ruinous condition in which the divers leave 

 the pearl banks at each fifhery, by attending only to 

 the profit of individuals, and not to that of the 

 public, is one great caufe, that it requires twice 

 the above mentioned fpace of time, and fometimes 

 longer, for rendering the fifhing productive. They 

 do not pay the leaft attention, to fpare the young 

 and immature fhells that contain no pearl ; heaps of 

 them are feen thrown out of the boats as ufelefs, on 

 the beach between Manar* and Aripoo ; ifthefe had 

 been fuifered to remain in their native beds, they 

 would, no doubt, heve produced manv fine pearls. 

 It might, therefore, be advifeable, to oblige the boat 

 people to throw them into the fea again, before the 

 boats leave the bank. If this circumfpecticn, in 

 fparing the fmall pearl fhells, to perpetuate the breed 

 was always obferved, iuccceding fifheries might be ex- 

 pected fooner, and with ftill greater fuccefs : but the 

 neglect of* this fimple precaution will, I fear, beat- 

 tended with iimilar fatal confequences here, as have 

 already happened to the pearl banks on the coaft of 

 Perfidy South America, and Sweden, where the fifheries 

 are by no means fo profitable at prefent as they were 

 formerly. 



Another caufe of the deftruclion of numbers of 

 both old and young pearl fhells, is the anchoring of 

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



* Manara, properly Manor, is a Tamul word, and fignifiesa fendy 

 river, from the fhallowneis of the fea at that place. 



Bb'2 di> 



