I Have Seen Of A Morning A Great Number Of These Boats Go Out To Fish, Anchoring In 15 Or 18 Fathoms Water, Which It The Ordinary Depth All Along This Coast.

When at anchor, they cast a rope into the sea, having a great stone at one end. Then a

Man, having his ears well stopped, and his body anointed with oil, and a basket hanging to his neck or under his left arm, goes down to the bottom of the sea along the rope, and fills his basket with oysters as fast as he can. When that is full, he shakes the rope, and his companions draw him up with the basket. The divers follow each other in succession in this manner, till the boat is loaded with oysters, and they return at evening to the fishing village. Then each boat or company makes their heap of oysters at some distance from each other, so that a long row of great heaps of oysters are seen piled along the shore. These are not touched till the fishing is over, when each company sits down beside its own heap, and fails to opening the oysters, which is now easy, as the fish within are all dead and dry. If every oyster had pearls in them, it would be a profitable occupation, but there are many which have none. There are certain persons called _Chitini_, who are learned in pearls, and are employed to sort and value them, according to their weight, beauty, and goodness, dividing them into four sorts. The _first_ sort, which are round, are named _aia_ of Portugal, as they are bought by the Portuguese: The _second_, which are not round, are named _aia_ of Bengal: The _third_, which are inferior to the second, are called _aia_ of Canara, which is the name of the kingdom of Bijanagur or Narsinga, into which they are sold: And the _fourth_, or lowest kind, is called _aia_ of Cambaia, being sold into that country[148]. Thus sorted, and prices affixed to each, there are merchants from all countries ready with their money, so that in a few days all the pearls are bought up, according to their goodness and weight.

[Footnote 148: Pearls are weighed by _carats_, each of which is four grains. The men who sort and price them have a copper instrument with holes of various sizes, by which they estimate their several values. - _Hakluyt_.]

In this sea of the pearl-fishery there is an island called _Manaar_, over-against Ceylon, inhabited by Christians who were formerly Gentiles, and in which island there is a small fort belonging to the Portuguese. Between this island and Ceylon there is a narrow channel with a small depth of water, through which only small ships can pass at the full and change of the moon, when the tides are high, and even then they must put their cargoes into lighters to enable them to pass the shoals, after which they take in their goods again, and proceed on their voyage.

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