NO. 34. — 1887.] PEARL FISHERIES OF CEYLON. 



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This is true, and bears on the manner in which I purpose 

 treating the subject, in describing the manner in which the 

 pearl oyster is fished from sea-depths of forty to fifty feet, the 

 working and customs of the divers and boatmen, the wash- 

 ing and valuing of the lovely pearl, and generally of all 

 relating to this most interesting and very productive, though 

 precarious, source of Ceylon's revenue. 



Beauty of the Pearl. 



In my view the pearl is the most unique of jewels, requir- 

 ing no setting of gold to enrich or ornament it, and truly 

 meets the saying, that " beauty unadorned is adorned the 

 most," for in its beautiful pure self it adorns the child, the 

 bride, the matron, suiting alike the fair skins and com- 

 plexions of the beauties of the West and their darker sisters 

 of the East. That this is so you see in the three strings 

 of valuable pearls, the property of Mr. C. H. De Soyza, a 

 wealthy Sinhalese gentleman who has done much to display 

 the resources of his native country in the loan of very many 

 valuable exhibits of the Ceylon Court. 



Formation of the Pearl. 



Differences of opinion exist as to the production and for- 

 mation of the pearl. 



One view is, that the pearl is formed by the oyster collect- 

 ing, or taking in, some substance, and covering this with 

 pearly matter ; but as pearls are generally found in all pearl 

 oysters, often in large numbers, and when cut or divided 

 for setting their formation is shown to be uniform in layers 

 of pearly substance only, the idea of needing a covering 

 material is not, I think, supportable. 



Another idea is, that these beautiful productions are the 

 effect of disease, exciting secretion of pearly matter, and 

 ultimately causing the death of the fish. Evidently the pearl 

 oyster has the power of lining the internal surface of the 

 shell with matter of the same nature and appearance as the 

 pearl, and therefore, instead of being the result of disease, 



