OSTREADiE. 
357 
Ilaoy are also exposed to great danger from sharks, which lie in wait 
lor and frequently devour the unhappy divers. 
They continue to fish till mid-day, when a second gun gives the 
Sl gnal to cease. The proprietors wait on shore for their boats, in 
°rder to superintend their discharge, which must take place before 
Ul ght sets in, in order to prevent concealment and robbery. 
In past times the Ceylon fisheries were very valuable. In 1797 
tho y are said to have produced £144,000, and in 1798 as much as 
^192,000. In 1802 the fisheries were farmed for £120,000; but for 
niany years the banks have been less productive, and are now said to 
Jield the sum of £20.000 per annum. 
The natives of the Bay of Bengal, those of the Chinese coast, of 
,Ja pan, and the Indian Archipelago, all abandon themselves to the 
P ei 'rl fishery, the produce being estimated to realise at least £800,000. 
isheries analogous to those of Ceylon take place on the Persian coast, 
° u the Arabian Gulf, along the coast of Muscat, and in the Bed Sea. 
In these countries the pearl fishing does not commence till the 
Months of July and August, the sea being at that time calmer than 
111 °ther months of the year. Arrived on their fishing-ground, the 
fishermen range their barques at a proper distance from each other, and 
° as t anchor in water from eight to nine fathoms deep. The process 
ls Pursued here in a very simple manner. When about to descend 
the divers pass a cord, the extremity of which communicates with a 
e h placed in the barque, under the armpits ; they put cotton in their 
® ar s, and press the nostrils together with a piece of wood or hom ; 
Uey c j oge {q le | r niouths hermetically, attach a heavy stone to their 
. > a ud at once sink to the bottom of the sea, where they gather 
^hiscriminately all shells within their reach, which they throw into a 
d g suspended round the haunches. When they require to breathe 
Ufi y sound the bell, and immediately they are assisted in their 
a scent. 
On the oyster-hanks ofi‘ the Isle of Bahrein the pearl fishery pro- 
^ u ces about £240,000 ; and if we add to this the addition furnished 
y the other fisheries of the neighbourhood, the sum total yielded by 
6 Arabian coast would probably not fall short of £350,000. 
11 South America similar fisheries exist. Before the Mexican 
°nquest the pearl fisheries were located between Acapulco and the 
1 of Tehuantepec ; subsequently they were established round the 
