Occasion- to be present a t ; more than one; during my stay in
Ceylon. The last I saw performed was at Golumbo in 1799#
when the cross beam broke, and the man falling ;to the ground
was killed on the spot. A Moor 0# the Moply cast had pre-
the crowd, who were principally Malabars,
of the same seet with the devotee, that the timber was not
strong enough to bear the man, and would ■ certainly break.
This pfoving actually to be the ease, the Malabars affirmed
that the Moor had by his prediet-ion bewitched it ; and in
tevfcngè ^they ^atbtckéd* him with sueh fury; that he would cer«-
tainly have been killed, had not I with a ‘few other European
öffièers and: Sepoys, whom 'curiosity had brought to the spot,
interfered;“ and rescued him 'out of their hands.
''‘■uThérTri^fe;wh#i-atténid a t Cbndatcby oii account of these
and other eeremenids, as Well as many k lie rt sects of religious
friéndicanté, are-a *great nuisance th e re ; for; besides being exceedingly
lazy and idle, they are likewise very impudent and
troublesome. But - they are pot the only pests which, annoy
the multitudes collected at the pearl fishery. There are be*
sides a crowd of jugglers, snake-catchers, dancing boys and
girls of all descriptions, as well as many who follow no other
occupation bu t ft> procure their livelihood by the arts of
filching and thieving,5 at which they are- exceedingly dexterous.
This practice, 'however, is the more pardonable in them, as
it appears to be an inherent propensity in an Indian. In
their dealings f w ith ; an European, whenever van opportunity
presenté its é lf,'th è ym d v e rfail to employ theisR skill in .over*
reaching him; “I t is only however by pilfering and stealing
th at he suffers frondc them, for they hardly ever venture to
rob or take his , goods from’ him by open-'force. So great,
indeed, is 4he aV56 whjch .the aclfeevementé. ofr the Europeans
have inspired into tire ïiativé^iof India,', that , a black man is
Scarcely -ever known to meet a White man hand .to-hand, ei?
ther in private conflict or » in battle* •
;-There4svho;: sopn§ ■at’^vliieh £kfe>»®ative Indians can have -a
finer opportunity of twïfiing^theiE dexterity to .aceount, than
the bay . of. Condatfthy, at the - seaso.n .o f 1 tpe pearl fishery.
For this reason, rogues flock thither from .all parts: of .India#
and no precaution is sufficient to prevent their, depredations*;
Their practice of picking out the pearls from. the oysters and
secreting them is, in particular, carried a great height, and
it has been found : impossible to put a. stop to. it. . In this
general censure of the natives of India, I do not inchide the
native Ceylonese ; for, although the pearl fishery.be carried on
in their island, yet few of th èàr attend. it, in compai'ison o f
the numbers who flock from other parts of India. , iNor are
they a t all so much addicted to roguery,* nor equal in, .^ g b t
of hand, to the Indians of the continent who, seetn to have
these accomplishments by inheritance, and are. very, proud of
them, it being a common proverb with them, “ Tire greater
"ro g u e the greater mam! ill speak of tins .djsppsifionv^mong
them from my own ; experience# as I and my brother .pflicers
were repeatedly sufferers by it. Indeed th e re . aire few who
visit India, who will not soon have an opportunity vpf acquiring
personal knowledge of it.
At Condatchy their depredations are reduced to a .system,
and no- precautions can entirely guard against them. The
boat-owners and merchants dealing in the oysters are obliged
to hire people to collect the pearls out of them; and,, to
prevent embezzling, confidential persons are appointed who eon-
5