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166 CEYLON PEAEL FISHERIES.
When a. bed
of oysters is of an age to be fished, a sample of 10,000 Of 12,000 is
taken up, landed at once, and being most carefully counted, are placed
in a large ballam or boat. The place of deposit is then secured and
guarded; after 10 or 12 days, when the oyster flesh has become a mass
of putrid matter, the washing takes place; sea water is then put into
the ballam, and a number of coolies divested of all clothing that
would allow of concealment, are ranged on each side of the ballam,
watched by the peons to see that they keep their hands under water when
separating and washing the oyster shell, and do not take and conceal
any of the Pearls they may see or feel. The shells are well rubbed
together, those having pearls adhering thereto are set apart for the
pearl to be cut out away, and the other shells are placed in heaps
alongside each man, and when all is completed are counted, to see that
none have been taken, and to ensure the correctness of the quantity
upon which the estimated value of the fishery is thus based. After all
the shells are removed, the water is baled out and passed through
sieves and cloth to arrest any pearls that might be so taken up, and
then a disgusting mass of filthy putrid matter and mud remains, amongst
which you see the pearl glistening, and the excitement of looking for
and collecting the large ones begins. The Superintendent's eyes must be
everywhere to prevent any hands but his. own picking them out, for the
natives are most quick-sighted and equally quick-fingered. The mass of
mud, sand, shells and putrid flesh is then collected in a heap at one
end of the ballam, and after being cleansed by repeated washing, is
laid upon cloths exposed to the sun to dry; when thoroughly dry the
large pearls are picked out by hand, and the smaller ones sifted by
women. During this process, every precaution is taken that no pearls
are lost; every article used is washed, and the water passed through
sieves of the smallest size, and a vigilant watch kept over all the
people employed, as they are adepts at seeing and concealing pearls.
When
all the. pearls are collected, three or four intelligent, respectable
pearl dealers, who are mostly of the Moorman class, are called in to
estimate their value, which is done by sizing, classing, weighing; and
according to these results the valuation is assigned to each class of
pearls by the market rates then ruling. I shall briefly describe these
operations which occupy a long time, and needing great judgment, are
causes of much discussion and frequent difference of opinion; to
settle which, the dumb alphabet is frequently used under a cloth to let
the Senior or accountant of the parly know and decide by such
individual opinion. Each of the four has his duties, one sifts, another
classes, the third weighs and the other records these results in manner
shewn in the valuation paper, annexure No. 3.
Sizing
or arranging the pearls into 10 different sizes from the largest to the
smallest, is done by passing them successively through what are called
baskets, i. e., small brass sieves, said to be of 20, 30, 50,
So, 100, 200, 400, 600, 800, 1,000 holes each, though there is no
certainly that all baskets really contain these exact numbers except
the larger ones. All pearls are first sifted in the 20 baskets, and
those retained by it are of the largest or 1st size, then those
retained by the 30 are of the 2nd size, and so on, through the whole
io, and those that pass through the last size are what is called "
Massie Thool," small like powder or dust. There are also shell pearls,
excrescences cut from the oyster shell which are of various sizes and
shapes, and not generally passed through the sieves, in fact they are
mainly included in the sample, to show that all its out-turn of
character, bad as well as good, is fairly exhibited for the information
and consideration of the dealers and speculators.
It
will be understood that each of the 10 sizes may include those of
nearly every class; the 20 to 80 baskets may each have Anie, Anatharie,
Kallippoo, Korowel: and this necessitates the second operation of
classing— one that requires the greatest skill and judgment, and which
hardly any
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