43o - CONCH 
Of the Ha-fels. Thefe he difcovers with his feet, and having 
found one, he preffes the inftrument upon it, the plates 
'■ *; ’ or valves of which, in confequence of the elafticity of 
the handles, feparate, and then grafp it firmly. In 
this way he can detach it from the place to which it 
adheres, and bring it to the furface of the water. The 
pearl-muffel is a native of many other of the rivers of 
Scotland, as of the Elk in Forfarihire, where a pearl 
was found of the fize of a piftol bullet, and fold for 4I. 
fterling 3 of the Devon in Clackmannanfhire, the 
Clyde, and of Loch Ken in Galloway, where it is laid 
great numbers of pearls are filhed in dry fummers, ma- 
ny of which fell from one Ihilling to one guinea. But 
the greateft pearl-filhery which has ever been eftablilh- 
ed in Scotland, of which there is any record, is that 
of the river Tay, about 30 years ago. The pearl- 
muffel is found in every part of this river, from its 
fource in Loch Tay, to its junction with the fea. In 
different parts of the river, but particularly in the vi- 
cinity of Perth, we are informed, that not lefs than 
1 i,oool. worth of pearls were fent to London betrveen 
the years 1761 and 1764. They were fold from 10s. 
to il. 1 6s. per ounce. About this time one pearl was 
found which weighed 33 grs. This filhery, however, 
as well as the pearl-filhery in the other rivers of Scot- 
land, feems to be greatly exhaufted, and very proba- 
bly, as it has been fuppofed, from the improvident 
avarice of the undertakers, not allowing the animal to 
arrive at that age which feems to be neceffary for the 
production of pearl. 
But the pearl-filhery of the warmer climates, in dif- 
ferent places of the Eaft Indies, in the gulf of Perfia, 
and the Red fea, and particularly that which is annual- 
j 4I ly carried on in the bay of Condatchy, in the illand of 
In Ceylon. Ceylon, is by far the molt extenlive and molt import- 
ant of any in the world. The latter, of which We have 
given a detailed account in the defeription of Ceylon, 
and to which we refer our readers, has been under the 
infpe&ion of government fince it fell into the hands of 
the Britilli, as it was under that of the Portuguefe and 
Dutch, its former mailers. To the Dutch, it is faid, 
while they were in poffeflion of the illand, this filhery 
brought an annual tribute of 20,000k To the account 
which has been already given of this filhery, we may 
add the following, from the Afiatie Annual Regifter 
for the year 1800. 
“ The perfon who farmed the pearl-filhery at Cey- 
lon, lalt year, was a Tamu merchant, who for the 
privilege of filhing with more than the ufual number 
-of donies or boats, paid between two and three hun- 
dred thoufand Porto Novo pagodas (d), a fum nearly 
double the ufual rent. His excellency the honourable 
Mr North, by the lalt Ihijrs from Ceylon, has tranf- 
snitted a very minute detail of the filhery in all its 
Itages, fome of which are truly lingular and remarka- 
ble. It appears that the fear of lharks is the caufe of 
a great deal of interruption to the filhery, the divers 
being extremely timid and luperltitious 3 every one of 
them, even the molt expert, entertain a dread of lharks, 
and will not on any account defeend until the conjuror 
has performed his ceremonies. This prejudice is fo 
O L O G Y. Chap. VI. 
deeply rooted in their minds, that the government was Of the Ha. 
obliged to keep two fuch conjurors in their pay, to re- Station of 
move the fears of the divers. The manner of en- , sheli s ’ 
chanting confilts of a number of prayers learned by ■T~™ J 
heart/ that nobody, probably not even the conjuror 
liimfelf, underllands, which he, Handing on the Ihore, 
continues muttering pnd grumbling from funrife until 
the boats return. During this period, they are obli- 
ged to abfiain from food and deep, otherwife their 
prayers would be of no avail 3 they are, however, al- 
lowed to drink, which privilege they indulge in a high 
degree, and are frequently fo giddy as to be rendered 
very unfit for devotion. Some of thefe conjurors ac- 
company the divers in their boats, which pleafes them 
very much, as they have their protestors near at hand, 
Neverthelefs, I was told, Laid Mr North, that in one 
of the preceding filheries, a diver loll his leg by a 
lliark 3 and when the head conjuror was called to an 
account for the accident, he replied, that an ojd witch 
had jult come from the coaft, who, from envy and 
malice, had caufed this difalter by a counter-conjura- 
tion, which made fruitlefs his Ikill, and which he was 
informed of too late 3 but he afterwards Ihewed his 
fuperiority, by enchanting the lharks fo effectually, 
that, though they appeared to molt of the divers, they 
were unable to open their mouths. During my Hay, 
continues Mr North, at Condatchy, no accident of 
this kind happened. If a lhark is feen, the divers in- 
ltantly make a fignal, which on perceiving all the 
boats return immediately. A diver who trod upon a 
hammer oylter, and was fdmewhat w-ounded, thought 
he u r as bit by a lhark ; confequently made the ufual 
fignal, which caufed all the boats to return 3 for which 
miltake he was afterwards punilhed. The large!! and 
moll perfect pearl taken lalt feafon, was about the fize 
of a fmall piftol bullet.” 
Sect. III. Of the Methods of Polijhing Shells. 
The art of polilhing Ihells has but lately reached its 
prefent ftate of perfection 3 and as the admiration of 
fea Ihells has become fo general, it may be expeCted 
that we Ihould give fome inftruCtions in the means of 
adding to their natural beauty. 
Among the immenfe variety of Ihells with which we jvi et h"ods 
are acquainted, fome are taken up out of the fea, or £m pi 0 ye&, 
found on its Ihores, in all their perfeClion and beauty 3 
their colours being all difpofed by nature upon the fur- 
face, and their natural polilh fuperior to any thing that 
art could give. Where nature is in herfelf thus per- 
feft, it were madnefs to attempt to add any thing to 
her charms : but in others, where the beauties are la- 
tent and covered with a coarfer outer Ikin, art is to be 
called in 3 and the outer veil being taken off, all the 
internal beauties appear. 
Among the Ihells which are found naturally polilhed 
are the porcelains, or cow-ries 3 the caffanders 3 the do- 
lia, or conchas globofae, or tuns 3 fome buccina 3 the vo- 
lutes and the cylinders, or olives, or, as they are gene- 
rally though improperly called, the rhombi „■ excepting 
only two or three, as the tiara, the plumb, and the 
butter-tub 
(d) Perhaps near 1 00, cool, fterling. The pagoda is from 7s. to 8s. 6d. fterling 
