CEYLON PEARL FISHERIES.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LVII, Issue 6535, 6 February 1882, Page 6

CEYLON PEARL FISHERIES.

(Correspondent San Francisco Chronicle.)

Ceylon has long bees justly celebrated for § earls, and the site of the principle fishery is alivaturia, in the bay of Oondatohy, about 185 miles north of Colombo. When your correspondent first visited this place, in 1861, there had not been any fishing for several years, the oysters having suddenly disap* peared some time previous. Now, however, a new deposit had about matured, which, it was decided, should be fished the following year. Here let me remark that this disappearance of the pearl mollusc, and its total absence from the banks—-sometimes for years —in a matured state, is unfortunately no uncommon occurrence, though the cause is something of a mystery, which many people explain in many ways, each having his own pet theory. Some think that skates and water snakes, which abound on the banks, destroy themj others say that abnormal currents in some years sweep down upon the banks, bringing from Mannar and Tanneben, which are just above, muddy deposits which poison the water, rendering it uninhabitable by the delicate oyster; but my lamented mend, the late Captain James Worsley, some time the inspector for Ceylon and Tutiooran pearl banks, was of opinion that the most mischief was caused by fishermen, who were in the habit of illegally drawing long heavy nets across the banks in the night, for the sake of the abundance of fish obtainable, and for plundering pearls. This practice, he averred, was so common, notwithstanding the banks were supposed to be guarded, and was so sure to disturb and detach the oysters from their moorings—for they adhere to the rocks by a delicate prehensile ligament, that, to use his own words, “no wonder the bivalves were swept away and destroyed.” It is probable, however, that they disappear from a combination of the foregoing causes, with perhaps another not yet discovered. As I said, my first visit to this locality was in 1861 and at that time the appearance of the place was inexpressibly sad and desolate. The land along the shores for miles is a sandy waste, quite barren, except for the scrubby jungle and stinted herbage by which it is scantily covered. 'Not a hill is to be seen, nor a fruitful thing, except some tattered coooanut trees in the distance, and known as a landmark to navigators, the wonder being how they continue to exist in such a parched and worthless soil. Not even a fisherman’s hut was then to be seen there, and the only thing like a human habitation in view was a building called the “Doric,” and known as “ North’s Folly,” from having been built by a Governor of that name as an executive residence during the fishery, and sometimes used for tue purpose, I believe, but now, owing to its ruinous state, unlikely to be occupied again, except by snakes and wild animals^ This desolate place, notwithstanding its present abandoned condition, must have been thickly peopled once, for the remains of an immense tank or reservoir once capable of watering many thousand acres of land are to be seen iu the neighbourhood. There are also a few pools of black, slimy water, haunted by crocodiles, but fresh water must be brought from a distance of four miles. Tracks of all sorts of game are visible in the sandy soil, doer being very abundant, a sure sigh of the paucity of human inhabitants. The pearl molusc of Ceylon, of which there are several varieties, notably the leaf oyster and beetal oyster, has a similar hinge to the mother-of-pearl oyster, but is not half the size , of the latter, and owing to thinness and want of quality in the lining of the shells, they have but little commercial value. The pearls, however, are unsurpassable for shape and colour, and always command a high price. The spawn floats about in coagulated masses itself to rooks, anchors, buoys, or any other object suitable to cling to, and if left undisturbed, will frequently develop and mature all along the west coast of tno island, and affixes in these odd localities. I have often seen the oysters at Colombo on old anchors lately recovered after years of immersion, and on buoys set to mark the dangers to navigation. There is still much dispute about the time of their maturity, but I think they produce small marketable pearls at four years, quite large ones at five years, maturing and dying at six years of age. The pearl banks are generally inspected once a year, in November, and when the examination indicates that the oysters contain sufficiently large pearls to pay for fishing, notice is published in the Ceylon and Indian newspapers that a fishing will be allowed the next year; generally in March; say from March 1 to the end of April, 60 or 60 days, which was about tbe period occupied by the work your correspondent attended in 1882. The notice being given, a general rush then takes place of many thousand people to Salivaturia, and in the few days marking the close of February, such a transformation scene occurs in that dreary locality as no one without witnessing it can realise. For the solitary uninhabited waste is suddenly peopled by a motley throng, representing almost every Asiatic nationality and sect— Chinamen from the far cast and Afghans from the farthest north-west, besides people from Europe and Africa, though seldom from America. 200 or 800 boats, of 10 to 20 tons burden, each laden with passengers, goods, chattels, and light building materials, moor along the shore, and forthwith, like magic, a large and well-appointed town springs up in what was but yesterday the home of desolation, and is taken possession of by a cosmopolitan multitude, largely composed of thieves, vagabonds and jugglers, who do not forget to begin to immediately ply their several vocations Over this impromptu settlement the Government agent_ of the northern province, Mr Twynean, assisted by a police and small military force, holds despotic sway, and it would be hard to find a better man for such a difficult and trying position. The boats that engage in the fishery ar

manned by twenty-one men each—say one pilot, ten oarsmen, and ten divers. A Government peon also generally goes in each boat to E revent tampering with the oysters and robery of tho pearls. The remuneration to the fisher* is ono-tbird of the catch of oysters, the Government taking the other two-thirds. The boats generally are divided into division! of 100 each and given distinguishing colours, say red and blue, or it there are 800 boat*, red, white, and blue. Each boat has one most and an immense goose-wing sail. They are roughly built, but sometimes gaudily painted, especially those from Colombo, of wMofa, however, there are but few, as they mostly come from the Coromandel coast of India and tho northern ports of Ceylon.

Preliminary to all fishing operations, the eharks must be charmed, and this mummery is performed by professed conjurers known as “ shark-charmers,” who, a day or two prior to the commencement of fishing, indulge in certain diabolical enchantments, and afterwards say every day when the boats are out, they stand on the shore mattering prayers, contorting their faces and assuming bodily attitudes the most grotesque imaginable, besides going through other senseless ceremonies too numerous and foolish to mention, all the while abstaining from food. Strange to say, without this nonsense not a direr would go into the water, whereas with it they are as brave as heroes, and should a shark attack them they would, as they have frequently done, courageously assault and slay him with their knives.

The arrangements for. fishing commence at midnight by the firing of a gun, about which hour a gentle breese begins to blow off the land. Then all the boats belonging to that day’s division spread their broad, white sails and silently, like huge spectre birds, skim away into the darkness. Their coarse is toward the banks, some fifteen miles distant, lying in twelve fathoms of water. The part of the bank for the day’s fishing has been previously marked off with buoys. Shortly after sunrise the diving begins from two tomEorary scaffoldings, one on each side of the oat, formed from the oars.' The divert are assisted in their descent by an oblong stone weighing from twenty-eight to forty pounds, attached to a rope. The stone is hauled up by the men in the boat immediately alter reaching tiie bottom, as is also at a given signal the basket containing the oysters. These are gathered by the diver during about one minute’s immersion, so far as my experience goes, though I have heard of, without seeing it, a man who could stay down six minutes.

The diving proceeds with great perseverance and vigour until the sea breeze sets in, or nntil the sun crosses the meridian ; after which It is very difficult to induce the men to go down, they claiming that it makes them ul. 50,,; after noon the boats start on tho return, and come bounding on before a fair wind under a press of sau, which, without their ballast of oysters, they couldn’t carry safely. Of coarse, tho return from the banks is the most exciting phase in the pearlfishers’ calling; for each boat races hard to be first. There is the alluring prospect of, immediately on arrival, having the oysters shared, each man receiving a recompense for Ms late toil. To the mere spectator, also, the sight of ah hundred boats laden with precious bivalves and full of dusky forms, flying oyer a sparkling summer sea, is an animating spectacle, wMch once seen can never be forgotten.

Arrived on shore, the oysters are landed and divided, the boatmen either selling their one-third share on the spot or hawking them in the bazaar, and the Government storing its two-thirds share in large pens protected by strong palisades. At 4 p.m. the Government agent, assisted by native factotums, begins his sale —a kind of auction conducted in Tamil, the language of Southern India, and mostly spoken by the buyers—a thousand oysters being offered at a time, the purchaser of that thousand to say on the spot how many more he will take at the same price. This operation is repeated until all the oysters are sold, after which delivery is given from the pens. The bivalves are" piled ini heaps by the purchasers and left to rot until the stench arising from their putrescence is most abominable. To endure this is the one great trial of the pearl speculator, who must be ever present when this decomposing mass is being washed for pearls, as otherwise his labourers would undoubtedly steal the best of them, a feat they sometimes accomplish, notwithstanding the greatest watchfulness, as witness a ludicrous occurrence which came under the eye of your correspondent:— One hot afternoon when sauntering past the pen of a large speculator, I was suddenly run into and nearly capsized by a coolie, who darted out of the narrow gateway. Be was followed a moment later by a huge Meor, the proprietor, who immediately started off in chase of the fugitive, who was now making long tracks for the neighbouring jungle, and at a pace which, judging from the circumstances 1 as a racing man considered would prevent his being caught. The Moor was not only as fat as a hog, but had his legs encased in baggy trousers, and his upper person in a white tunio overtopped in grand style by an immense yellow and white turban, which gave his head the appearance of a highly decorated bushel basket, whereas the coolie seemed light, lithe and strong, and not in the least encumbered with clothes, besides having the advantage of a long start. You may be sure I watched the race with interest, and was surprised to see the Moor gradually getting nearer to his man, whom he overtook just outside a patch of rather close jungle. In this the coolie might probably have found concealment had he been allowed to reach it, and that he did not succeed in so doing was by no means his fault, for he ran like a deer, but after all was no match for his lusty master, who brought him back in triumph. During the race the Moor contrived, regardless of buttons, straps, hooks and eyes, to completely divest himself of his gaudy apparel. My surprise at the result of the race, though great, was soon increased by seeing a dose of medicine (a strong purgative) administered to the coolie, which had the effect of cooling his blood, 1 guess, besides resulting in the recovery some hours later on, of a nice pearl, valued by the Moor at £SO, say 250d01. This the master’s quick eye had detected the rogue in swallowing, hence the pursuit and hence the treatment.

Formal, in his history of Ceylon, relates an ingenious plan which the labourers of a speculator oonoooted in his day, by which a robbery of a large and valuable pearl was effected. By agreement, when one of them had discovered in washing a very fine pearl, the fact was indicated by a signal. Immediately ai confederate attempted, or feigned to conceal something, and. being, of course, detected, was set upon, but resisted so vigourously that a violent hubbub occurred, during which the real thief got clean away with his booty. The robbery was only afterwards discovered by the thieves quarrelling over a division of the booty.

One day’s experience at the pearl banks is like that of every other day. I need only close this article by saying that a successful fishery, such as is poorly described in the above, yields to the Government, which monopolises it about 250,000d015, at least 200,000 dole of which would probably be net profit, as the cost of supervision is not great. The actual value of the pearls, however, would not be over half a million dollars, as most of the speculators generally make large profits, and there are besides the boatmen’s and divers’ shares, worth 100,000dols to be counted in.