neration. His merits, however, in this transaction might be disputed, for there are many seasons in which no such accidents occur at all. The appearance of a single shark is indeed sufficient to spread dismay among the whole body of divers; for, as soon as one of them sees a shark, he instantly gives the alarm to his companions, who as quickly communicate it to the other boats; a panic speedily seizes them, and they often return to the bay without fishing any more for that day. The sharks which create all this alarm sometimes turn out to be nothing more than a sharp stone, on which the divers happen to alight. As false alarms excited in this manner prove very injurious to the progress of the fishery, every means is employed to ascertain whether they are well or ill founded; and if the latter be the case, the authors of them are punished. .....The following is the mode observed in extracting the pearls from the oysters.... ......As soon as the oysters are taken out of the boats, they are carried by the different people to whom they belong, and placed in holes or pits, dug in the ground to the depth of about two feet, or in small square places, cleared and fenced round for the purpose; each person having his own separate division. Mats are spread below them, to prevent the oysters from touching the earth; and here they are left to die and rot. As soon as they have passed through a state of putrefaction, and have become dry, they are easily opened, without any danger of injuring the pearls, which might be the case if they were opened fresh, as at that time to do so requires great force. On the shell being opened, the oyster is minutely examined for the pearls: it is usual even to boil the oyster, as the pearl, though commonly found in the shell, is not unfrequently contained in the body of the fish itself. The stench occasioned by the oysters being left to putrefy is intolerable; and remains for a long while after the fishery is over. It corrupts the atmosphere for several miles round Condatchy, and renders the neighbourhood of that country extremely unpleasant till the monsoons and violent south-west winds set up and purify the air. The nauseous smell, however, is not able to overcome the hopes of gain: for, months after the fishing season, numbers of people are to be seen earnestly searching and poring over the sands and places where the oysters had been laid to putrefy; and some are now and then fortunate enough to find a pearl, which amply compensates their trouble in searching after them. In 1797, while Mr. Andrews was collector, a cooley, or common fellow of the lowest class, got by accident the most valuable pearl seen that season, and sold it to Mr. Andrews for a large sum. The pearls found at this fishery are of a whiter colour than those got in the gulf of Ormus on the Arabian coast, but in other respects are not accounted so pure or of such an excellent quality: for, though the white pearls are most esteemed in Europe, the natives prefer those of a yellowish or golden cast. Off Tutucoreen, which lies on the Coromandal coast, nearly opposite to Condatchy, there is another fishery: but the pearls found there are much inferior to those two species I have mentioned, being tainted with a blue or greyish tinge. C THE EMIGRANT. "The tedious hours move heavily away, And each long minute seems a lazy day." OTWAY. Shows from a rising ground possession nigh; SEE the poor exile from his native skies, The following anecdote will prove that our poetess does not represent woes only imaginary. A French officer, of good family and some distinction, who never quitted Paris till after the king's imprisonment had rendered his services useless, and who had received several wounds in his cause, was travelling on foot, as it suited his circumstances, and arrived late in the evening at the city of Modena: he was refused admittance at the gate, and informed that it was by the duke's positive commands."It is impossible," said the French emigrant, "that the duke could give so inhuman an order."—"His coach is driving up, ," returned the officer; "you may hear it from himself." The émigrant advanced towards the carriage, and stopt it." Who are you?" said the duke." Who am I. !"' returned the emigrant, tearing open his bosom, "I am one of those fools who have abandoned their home, their fortune, and their friends:" I am covered with wounds, an exile, a wanderer for such as you; and I am denied admittance at your gates. But I'll return to my country, and if appear at the head of an armed force, see if you will refuse me then." The barbarous weakness of the Duke of Modena did not how. ever preserve him from plunder. When Buonaparté overran Italy, he sent a deputation to him, representing his having refused shelter to the French emigrants, as a plea for indulgence on the part of the conqueror: yet it availed him nothing; he was even reproached for his inhospitality, and was soon reduced to the necessity of emigrating himself. Denied the wretched shelter to retain, And ev'ry wind that dashes on the shore, Still bid him hope the harm will bring its cure- BRITISH SEAMEN. *What form of death could him affright, DRYDEN. .....Strange as it may appear, there is no profession, to which so little attention has been directed, nor of which so little is accurately known, even in this country, as that of the British navy. Johnson, as a moralist, |