Conchology. ' 305 



But the pearl fishery of the warmer ch'mates, in different parts 

 Tof the East Indies, in the gulf of Persia, and the Red Sea, and 

 particularly that which is annually carried on in the bay of Con- 

 datchy, in the island of Ceylon, is by far the most extensive and 

 most important of any in the world. 



The following account of the pearl fishery at Ceylon is re- 

 corded in the Asiatic Journal of the year 1800. 



' The person who formed the pearl fishery at Ceylon, last year, 

 was a Tamu merchant, who for the privilege of fishing with more 

 than the usual numbers of donies or boats, paid between two and 

 three hundred thousand porto novo pagodas,* a sum nearly double 

 the usual rent. His excellency the honoraljle Mr. North, by the 

 iast ships from Ceylon, has transmitted a very minute detail of 

 the fishery in all its stages, some of which are truly singular and 

 remarkable. It appears that the fear of sharks is the cause of a 

 great deal of interruption to the fishery, the divers being extreme- 

 ly timid and superstitious ; every one of them, even the most ex- 

 pert, entertain a dread of sharks, and will not on any account de- 

 scend until the conjuror has performed his ceremonies. This 

 prejudice is so deeply rooted in their minds, that the government 

 was obliged to keep two such conjurors in their pay, to remove the 

 fears of the divers. The manner of the enchanting consists of a 

 number of prayers learned by heart, that nobody, probably not even 

 the conjuror himself, understands, which he, standing on the shore, 

 continues muttering and grumbUng from sunrise until the boats re- 

 turn. During this period, they are obhged to abstain from food 

 and sleep, otherwise their prayers would be of no avail ; they 

 are, however, allowed to drink, which privilege they indulge in a 

 high degree, and are frequently so giddy as to be rendered very un- 

 fit for devotion. Some of these conjurors accompany the divers 

 in their boats, which pleases them very much, as they have their 

 protectors near at hand. Nevertheless, I was told, said Mr. North, 

 that in one of the preceding fisheries, a diver lost his leg by a 

 shark ; and when the head conjuror was called to an account for 

 the accident, he reJDiied, that an old witch had just come from 

 the coast, who, from envy and malice, had caused this disaster by 

 a counter conjuration, which made fruitless his skill, and which 

 he was informed of too late ; but he afterwards showed his supe- 

 riority, by enchanting the sharks so effectually, that though they 

 appeared to most of the divers, they were unable to open their 

 mouths. During my stay, continues Mr. North, at Condatchy, 

 no accident of this kind happened. If a shark is seen, the divers 



* About ii^444,400. 

 43 



