he oysters are at the bottom of
the sea, and the fishery is only carried on in fine weather, when the
sea is perfectly calm. The diver has one end of a rope fastened round
his body below the arm-pits, the other end being tied to the boat,
having a large stone tied to his feet, that he may descend the
quicker, and a bag tied round his waist to receive the oysters. As
soon as he gets to the bottom of the sea, he takes up as many oysters
as are within his reach, putting them as fast as possible into the
bag; and in order to ascend, pulls strongly at a cord, different from
that which is round his body, as a signal for those in the boat to
haul him up as fast as they can, while he endeavours so shake loose
the stone at his feet. When the boats are filled with oysters, the
black merchants carry them to different places on the coast, selling
them at so much the hundred; which trade is hazardous for the
purchasers, who sometimes find pearls of great value, and sometimes
none at all, or those only of small value.

The inhabitants of Ceylon are called _Cingolesians_, or Cingalese, who
are mostly very tall, of a very dark complexion, with very large ears,
owing to the numerous large and heavy ornaments they wear in them.
They are men of great courage, and live in a hardy manner, and
are therefore excellent soldiers. They are, for the most part,
Mahomedans,[2] though there are many idolaters among them who worship
cows and calves. The inhabitants of the interior do not greatly
respect the Dutch, whom they term their _coast-keepers_, in derision;
but the Dutch care little about this, endeavouring to keep in good
correspondence with the king of Candy, whose dominions are separated
from theirs by a large rapid river, and by impenetrable forests. The
Ceylonese are remarkable for their great skill in taming elephants,
which they employ as beasts of burden in time of peace, and render
serviceable against their enemies in war.

[Footnote 2: The author has probably confounded the original natives
of Ceylon, who are idolaters, with the Malays, who are Mahomedans, and
of whom a considerable number are settled on the coast country.--E.]

SECTION X.

_Some Account of the Governments of Amboina, Banda, Macasser, the
Moluccas, Mallacca, and the Cape of Good Hope._

The third government under the East India Company is that of Amboina,
one of the Molucca islands, which was formerly the seat of the
governor-general till the building of Ba