MDPOD - Masson du Parc Online Database

other fish whose names I do not know, having spent only a few days on this coast. At the bottom of this bay, the tip of Ceylon is on one side and on the other, the lands of Raja Ram Ramesetuou Malava form a strait called the Mannar Strait. The seabed is rocky. There is only eight to nine feet of water when boats come from the Malabar coast to go to the Coromandel coast. They pass through this strait to avoid the route on the other side of the strait to the south and the bay of Toutoucouvin, where pearls were once fished. There has been no fishing for fifteen years. The sandbar has become covered with sand and killed the oysters. The Dutch are the masters of this fishery. They have several trading posts on this coast. Fishermen who go fishing for large chanques can only sell them to the Dutch at a low price and are strictly forbidden from selling to others under penalty of punishment. Large chanques are called janguis. The Dutch Company and private individuals bring them to Bengal, forty to fifty thousand every year. Sometimes a hundred thousand. They sell for 16 rupees per hundred in Bengal. If the Dutch Company bought them all, it could make more than a hundred thousand, but it only sells about half of what it buys from the fishermen. Shells the colour of pearls are fished in this bay, and various items are made from them on the shore. The natives of the country collect the sand, wash it and extract baroque pearl seeds, which they sell. I have seen some in Madras that are not of great value and are not expensive. They are used for medicine. When the Dutch went pearl fishing every two or three years, they would notify all the fishermen on the coast of Malabar, Toutoucouvin, Malava and Coromandel to come. In January, they would go pearl fishing. Several fishermen would get together in their boats and go to Toutoucouvin. Those who did not have boats were provided with them by the company and anchored their boats at intervals. The divers have a weight attached to a strong rope from the boat to help them reach the bottom. There are four or five fathoms of water, and when the diver has collected enough oysters, he signals by pulling on the rope. Those in the boat pay attention, pull the diver up, and put the oysters in the boat. In the evening, they go ashore and sell two-thirds of their oysters to the [Dutch] company. Merchants buy these oysters at random, leaving them in the sun to open, and then extract the pearls. I do not know the value of this catch. The pearls are not as good or as beautiful as those from Bahrain in the Gulf of Pearls near this island. The fishing takes place every year and the oysters are taken to Surat to be sold, sorted and drilled. Like most of Ceylon, the shores are rocky. Ambergris is collected there as it comes loose from the rocks, but I do not know how much is collected. It is good quality.

other fish whose names I do not know, having spent only a few days on this coast. At the bottom of this bay, the tip of Ceylon is on one side and on the other, the lands of Raja Ram Ramesetuou Malava form a strait called the Mannar Strait. The seabed is rocky. There is only eight to nine feet of water when boats come from the Malabar coast to go to the Coromandel coast. They pass through this strait to avoid the route on the other side of the strait to the south and the bay of Toutoucouvin, where pearls were once fished. There has been no fishing for fifteen years. The sandbar has become covered with sand and killed the oysters. The Dutch are the masters of this fishery. They have several trading posts on this coast. Fishermen who go fishing for large chanques can only sell them to the Dutch at a low price and are strictly forbidden from selling to others under penalty of punishment. Large chanques are called janguis. The Dutch Company and private individuals bring them to Bengal, forty to fifty thousand every year. Sometimes a hundred thousand. They sell for 16 rupees per hundred in Bengal. If the Dutch Company bought them all, it could make more than a hundred thousand, but it only sells about half of what it buys from the fishermen. Shells the colour of pearls are fished in this bay, and various items are made from them on the shore. The natives of the country collect the sand, wash it and extract baroque pearl seeds, which they sell. I have seen some in Madras that are not of great value and are not expensive. They are used for medicine. When the Dutch went pearl fishing every two or three years, they would notify all the fishermen on the coast of Malabar, Toutoucouvin, Malava and Coromandel to come. In January, they would go pearl fishing. Several fishermen would get together in their boats and go to Toutoucouvin. Those who did not have boats were provided with them by the company and anchored their boats at intervals. The divers have a weight attached to a strong rope from the boat to help them reach the bottom. There are four or five fathoms of water, and when the diver has collected enough oysters, he signals by pulling on the rope. Those in the boat pay attention, pull the diver up, and put the oysters in the boat. In the evening, they go ashore and sell two-thirds of their oysters to the [Dutch] company. Merchants buy these oysters at random, leaving them in the sun to open, and then extract the pearls. I do not know the value of this catch. The pearls are not as good or as beautiful as those from Bahrain in the Gulf of Pearls near this island. The fishing takes place every year and the oysters are taken to Surat to be sold, sorted and drilled. Like most of Ceylon, the shores are rocky. Ambergris is collected there as it comes loose from the rocks, but I do not know how much is collected. It is good quality.

other fish whose names I do not know, having spent only a few days on this coast. At the bottom of this bay, the tip of Ceylon is on one side and on the other, the lands of Raja Ram Ramesetuou Malava form a strait called the Mannar Strait. The seabed is rocky. There is only eight to nine feet of water when boats come from the Malabar coast to go to the Coromandel coast. They pass through this strait to avoid the route on the other side of the strait to the south and the bay of Toutoucouvin, where pearls were once fished. There has been no fishing for fifteen years. The sandbar has become covered with sand and killed the oysters. The Dutch are the masters of this fishery. They have several trading posts on this coast. Fishermen who go fishing for large chanques can only sell them to the Dutch at a low price and are strictly forbidden from selling to others under penalty of punishment. Large chanques are called janguis. The Dutch Company and private individuals bring them to Bengal, forty to fifty thousand every year. Sometimes a hundred thousand. They sell for 16 rupees per hundred in Bengal. If the Dutch Company bought them all, it could make more than a hundred thousand, but it only sells about half of what it buys from the fishermen. Shells the colour of pearls are fished in this bay, and various items are made from them on the shore. The natives of the country collect the sand, wash it and extract baroque pearl seeds, which they sell. I have seen some in Madras that are not of great value and are not expensive. They are used for medicine. When the Dutch went pearl fishing every two or three years, they would notify all the fishermen on the coast of Malabar, Toutoucouvin, Malava and Coromandel to come. In January, they would go pearl fishing. Several fishermen would get together in their boats and go to Toutoucouvin. Those who did not have boats were provided with them by the company and anchored their boats at intervals. The divers have a weight attached to a strong rope from the boat to help them reach the bottom. There are four or five fathoms of water, and when the diver has collected enough oysters, he signals by pulling on the rope. Those in the boat pay attention, pull the diver up, and put the oysters in the boat. In the evening, they go ashore and sell two-thirds of their oysters to the [Dutch] company. Merchants buy these oysters at random, leaving them in the sun to open, and then extract the pearls. I do not know the value of this catch. The pearls are not as good or as beautiful as those from Bahrain in the Gulf of Pearls near this island. The fishing takes place every year and the oysters are taken to Surat to be sold, sorted and drilled. Like most of Ceylon, the shores are rocky. Ambergris is collected there as it comes loose from the rocks, but I do not know how much is collected. It is good quality.

other fish whose names I do not know, having spent only a few days on this coast. At the bottom of this bay, the tip of Ceylon is on one side and on the other, the lands of Raja Ram Ramesetuou Malava form a strait called the Mannar Strait. The seabed is rocky. There is only eight to nine feet of water when boats come from the Malabar coast to go to the Coromandel coast. They pass through this strait to avoid the route on the other side of the strait to the south and the bay of Toutoucouvin, where pearls were once fished. There has been no fishing for fifteen years. The sandbar has become covered with sand and killed the oysters. The Dutch are the masters of this fishery. They have several trading posts on this coast. Fishermen who go fishing for large chanques can only sell them to the Dutch at a low price and are strictly forbidden from selling to others under penalty of punishment. Large chanques are called janguis. The Dutch Company and private individuals bring them to Bengal, forty to fifty thousand every year. Sometimes a hundred thousand. They sell for 16 rupees per hundred in Bengal. If the Dutch Company bought them all, it could make more than a hundred thousand, but it only sells about half of what it buys from the fishermen. Shells the colour of pearls are fished in this bay, and various items are made from them on the shore. The natives of the country collect the sand, wash it and extract baroque pearl seeds, which they sell. I have seen some in Madras that are not of great value and are not expensive. They are used for medicine. When the Dutch went pearl fishing every two or three years, they would notify all the fishermen on the coast of Malabar, Toutoucouvin, Malava and Coromandel to come. In January, they would go pearl fishing. Several fishermen would get together in their boats and go to Toutoucouvin. Those who did not have boats were provided with them by the company and anchored their boats at intervals. The divers have a weight attached to a strong rope from the boat to help them reach the bottom. There are four or five fathoms of water, and when the diver has collected enough oysters, he signals by pulling on the rope. Those in the boat pay attention, pull the diver up, and put the oysters in the boat. In the evening, they go ashore and sell two-thirds of their oysters to the [Dutch] company. Merchants buy these oysters at random, leaving them in the sun to open, and then extract the pearls. I do not know the value of this catch. The pearls are not as good or as beautiful as those from Bahrain in the Gulf of Pearls near this island. The fishing takes place every year and the oysters are taken to Surat to be sold, sorted and drilled. Like most of Ceylon, the shores are rocky. Ambergris is collected there as it comes loose from the rocks, but I do not know how much is collected. It is good quality.

other fish whose names I do not know, having spent only a few days on this coast. At the bottom of this bay, the tip of Ceylon is on one side and on the other, the lands of Raja Ram Ramesetuou Malava form a strait called the Mannar Strait. The seabed is rocky. There is only eight to nine feet of water when boats come from the Malabar coast to go to the Coromandel coast. They pass through this strait to avoid the route on the other side of the strait to the south and the bay of Toutoucouvin, where pearls were once fished. There has been no fishing for fifteen years. The sandbar has become covered with sand and killed the oysters. The Dutch are the masters of this fishery. They have several trading posts on this coast. Fishermen who go fishing for large chanques can only sell them to the Dutch at a low price and are strictly forbidden from selling to others under penalty of punishment. Large chanques are called janguis. The Dutch Company and private individuals bring them to Bengal, forty to fifty thousand every year. Sometimes a hundred thousand. They sell for 16 rupees per hundred in Bengal. If the Dutch Company bought them all, it could make more than a hundred thousand, but it only sells about half of what it buys from the fishermen. Shells the colour of pearls are fished in this bay, and various items are made from them on the shore. The natives of the country collect the sand, wash it and extract baroque pearl seeds, which they sell. I have seen some in Madras that are not of great value and are not expensive. They are used for medicine. When the Dutch went pearl fishing every two or three years, they would notify all the fishermen on the coast of Malabar, Toutoucouvin, Malava and Coromandel to come. In January, they would go pearl fishing. Several fishermen would get together in their boats and go to Toutoucouvin. Those who did not have boats were provided with them by the company and anchored their boats at intervals. The divers have a weight attached to a strong rope from the boat to help them reach the bottom. There are four or five fathoms of water, and when the diver has collected enough oysters, he signals by pulling on the rope. Those in the boat pay attention, pull the diver up, and put the oysters in the boat. In the evening, they go ashore and sell two-thirds of their oysters to the [Dutch] company. Merchants buy these oysters at random, leaving them in the sun to open, and then extract the pearls. I do not know the value of this catch. The pearls are not as good or as beautiful as those from Bahrain in the Gulf of Pearls near this island. The fishing takes place every year and the oysters are taken to Surat to be sold, sorted and drilled. Like most of Ceylon, the shores are rocky. Ambergris is collected there as it comes loose from the rocks, but I do not know how much is collected. It is good quality.

other fish whose names I do not know, having spent only a few days on this coast. At the bottom of this bay, the tip of Ceylon is on one side and on the other, the lands of Raja Ram Ramesetuou Malava form a strait called the Mannar Strait. The seabed is rocky. There is only eight to nine feet of water when boats come from the Malabar coast to go to the Coromandel coast. They pass through this strait to avoid the route on the other side of the strait to the south and the bay of Toutoucouvin, where pearls were once fished. There has been no fishing for fifteen years. The sandbar has become covered with sand and killed the oysters. The Dutch are the masters of this fishery. They have several trading posts on this coast. Fishermen who go fishing for large chanques can only sell them to the Dutch at a low price and are strictly forbidden from selling to others under penalty of punishment. Large chanques are called janguis. The Dutch Company and private individuals bring them to Bengal, forty to fifty thousand every year. Sometimes a hundred thousand. They sell for 16 rupees per hundred in Bengal. If the Dutch Company bought them all, it could make more than a hundred thousand, but it only sells about half of what it buys from the fishermen. Shells the colour of pearls are fished in this bay, and various items are made from them on the shore. The natives of the country collect the sand, wash it and extract baroque pearl seeds, which they sell. I have seen some in Madras that are not of great value and are not expensive. They are used for medicine. When the Dutch went pearl fishing every two or three years, they would notify all the fishermen on the coast of Malabar, Toutoucouvin, Malava and Coromandel to come. In January, they would go pearl fishing. Several fishermen would get together in their boats and go to Toutoucouvin. Those who did not have boats were provided with them by the company and anchored their boats at intervals. The divers have a weight attached to a strong rope from the boat to help them reach the bottom. There are four or five fathoms of water, and when the diver has collected enough oysters, he signals by pulling on the rope. Those in the boat pay attention, pull the diver up, and put the oysters in the boat. In the evening, they go ashore and sell two-thirds of their oysters to the [Dutch] company. Merchants buy these oysters at random, leaving them in the sun to open, and then extract the pearls. I do not know the value of this catch. The pearls are not as good or as beautiful as those from Bahrain in the Gulf of Pearls near this island. The fishing takes place every year and the oysters are taken to Surat to be sold, sorted and drilled. Like most of Ceylon, the shores are rocky. Ambergris is collected there as it comes loose from the rocks, but I do not know how much is collected. It is good quality.

other fish whose names I do not know, having spent only a few days on this coast. At the bottom of this bay, the tip of Ceylon is on one side and on the other, the lands of Raja Ram Ramesetuou Malava form a strait called the Mannar Strait. The seabed is rocky. There is only eight to nine feet of water when boats come from the Malabar coast to go to the Coromandel coast. They pass through this strait to avoid the route on the other side of the strait to the south and the bay of Toutoucouvin, where pearls were once fished. There has been no fishing for fifteen years. The sandbar has become covered with sand and killed the oysters. The Dutch are the masters of this fishery. They have several trading posts on this coast. Fishermen who go fishing for large chanques can only sell them to the Dutch at a low price and are strictly forbidden from selling to others under penalty of punishment. Large chanques are called janguis. The Dutch Company and private individuals bring them to Bengal, forty to fifty thousand every year. Sometimes a hundred thousand. They sell for 16 rupees per hundred in Bengal. If the Dutch Company bought them all, it could make more than a hundred thousand, but it only sells about half of what it buys from the fishermen. Shells the colour of pearls are fished in this bay, and various items are made from them on the shore. The natives of the country collect the sand, wash it and extract baroque pearl seeds, which they sell. I have seen some in Madras that are not of great value and are not expensive. They are used for medicine. When the Dutch went pearl fishing every two or three years, they would notify all the fishermen on the coast of Malabar, Toutoucouvin, Malava and Coromandel to come. In January, they would go pearl fishing. Several fishermen would get together in their boats and go to Toutoucouvin. Those who did not have boats were provided with them by the company and anchored their boats at intervals. The divers have a weight attached to a strong rope from the boat to help them reach the bottom. There are four or five fathoms of water, and when the diver has collected enough oysters, he signals by pulling on the rope. Those in the boat pay attention, pull the diver up, and put the oysters in the boat. In the evening, they go ashore and sell two-thirds of their oysters to the [Dutch] company. Merchants buy these oysters at random, leaving them in the sun to open, and then extract the pearls. I do not know the value of this catch. The pearls are not as good or as beautiful as those from Bahrain in the Gulf of Pearls near this island. The fishing takes place every year and the oysters are taken to Surat to be sold, sorted and drilled. Like most of Ceylon, the shores are rocky. Ambergris is collected there as it comes loose from the rocks, but I do not know how much is collected. It is good quality.

On the Maldives islands, cowrie shells are fished along the coast using nets, and divers find them attached to rocks. They still use coconut branches, which they dip into the water and attach to the ground. Every day, they pull up these branches and find cowries attached to them, leave them in the sun or bury them to draw out the poison, and sell the cowries for rice and other necessities. It is estimated that the Maldives have twelve thousand inhabited islands. The inhabitants of each island give the king fifty cowrie shells per year for the right to fish for cowries and fish. Each cowrie shell is worth 9 when each is worth 16 ponis and each ponis is worth 80 cowries. One cowrie shell can be worth four Madras rupees when pulled.The cowries are small and light. Ambergris is also fished. The inhabitants are obliged to give it to the king, as it belongs to him. The inhabitants do not allow it to be sold in secret. It is good ambergris. In the Maldives, they catch large quantities of sea bream, which they cut into pieces as big as large sausages, a palm's length long, and put the fish in the sun without salting it. It becomes like a piece of wood. Then they sell it for 70 lavis per thousand pieces to take to Chin [?], which is 32 rupees. In Chin, they are sold for 10 taels per thousand, which is 70 rupees, sometimes more and sometimes less. Every year, a hundred barrels are extracted, sometimes two hundred. Sea coconuts [?] are also fished, which detach themselves from the rocks that belong to the king. The coconuts are very curious to see. The flesh inside is used for medicine. In the Nicobar Islands, cowries are fished, as in the Maldives, and are very white. In Siam and Manila, cowries are fished. They are marked with black and are cheaper than those from the Maldives.

On the Maldives islands, cowrie shells are fished along the coast using nets, and divers find them attached to rocks. They still use coconut branches, which they dip into the water and attach to the ground. Every day, they pull up these branches and find cowries attached to them, leave them in the sun or bury them to draw out the poison, and sell the cowries for rice and other necessities. It is estimated that the Maldives have twelve thousand inhabited islands. The inhabitants of each island give the king fifty cowrie shells per year for the right to fish for cowries and fish. Each cowrie shell is worth 9 when each is worth 16 ponis and each ponis is worth 80 cowries. One cowrie shell can be worth four Madras rupees when pulled.The cowries are small and light. Ambergris is also fished. The inhabitants are obliged to give it to the king, as it belongs to him. The inhabitants do not allow it to be sold in secret. It is good ambergris. In the Maldives, they catch large quantities of sea bream, which they cut into pieces as big as large sausages, a palm's length long, and put the fish in the sun without salting it. It becomes like a piece of wood. Then they sell it for 70 lavis per thousand pieces to take to Chin [?], which is 32 rupees. In Chin, they are sold for 10 taels per thousand, which is 70 rupees, sometimes more and sometimes less. Every year, a hundred barrels are extracted, sometimes two hundred. Sea coconuts [?] are also fished, which detach themselves from the rocks that belong to the king. The coconuts are very curious to see. The flesh inside is used for medicine. In the Nicobar Islands, cowries are fished, as in the Maldives, and are very white. In Siam and Manila, cowries are fished. They are marked with black and are cheaper than those from the Maldives.

On the Maldives islands, cowrie shells are fished along the coast using nets, and divers find them attached to rocks. They still use coconut branches, which they dip into the water and attach to the ground. Every day, they pull up these branches and find cowries attached to them, leave them in the sun or bury them to draw out the poison, and sell the cowries for rice and other necessities. It is estimated that the Maldives have twelve thousand inhabited islands. The inhabitants of each island give the king fifty cowrie shells per year for the right to fish for cowries and fish. Each cowrie shell is worth 9 when each is worth 16 ponis and each ponis is worth 80 cowries. One cowrie shell can be worth four Madras rupees when pulled.The cowries are small and light. Ambergris is also fished. The inhabitants are obliged to give it to the king, as it belongs to him. The inhabitants do not allow it to be sold in secret. It is good ambergris. In the Maldives, they catch large quantities of sea bream, which they cut into pieces as big as large sausages, a palm's length long, and put the fish in the sun without salting it. It becomes like a piece of wood. Then they sell it for 70 lavis per thousand pieces to take to Chin [?], which is 32 rupees. In Chin, they are sold for 10 taels per thousand, which is 70 rupees, sometimes more and sometimes less. Every year, a hundred barrels are extracted, sometimes two hundred. Sea coconuts [?] are also fished, which detach themselves from the rocks that belong to the king. The coconuts are very curious to see. The flesh inside is used for medicine. In the Nicobar Islands, cowries are fished, as in the Maldives, and are very white. In Siam and Manila, cowries are fished. They are marked with black and are cheaper than those from the Maldives.

On the Maldives islands, cowrie shells are fished along the coast using nets, and divers find them attached to rocks. They still use coconut branches, which they dip into the water and attach to the ground. Every day, they pull up these branches and find cowries attached to them, leave them in the sun or bury them to draw out the poison, and sell the cowries for rice and other necessities. It is estimated that the Maldives have twelve thousand inhabited islands. The inhabitants of each island give the king fifty cowrie shells per year for the right to fish for cowries and fish. Each cowrie shell is worth 9 when each is worth 16 ponis and each ponis is worth 80 cowries. One cowrie shell can be worth four Madras rupees when pulled.The cowries are small and light. Ambergris is also fished. The inhabitants are obliged to give it to the king, as it belongs to him. The inhabitants do not allow it to be sold in secret. It is good ambergris. In the Maldives, they catch large quantities of sea bream, which they cut into pieces as big as large sausages, a palm's length long, and put the fish in the sun without salting it. It becomes like a piece of wood. Then they sell it for 70 lavis per thousand pieces to take to Chin [?], which is 32 rupees. In Chin, they are sold for 10 taels per thousand, which is 70 rupees, sometimes more and sometimes less. Every year, a hundred barrels are extracted, sometimes two hundred. Sea coconuts [?] are also fished, which detach themselves from the rocks that belong to the king. The coconuts are very curious to see. The flesh inside is used for medicine. In the Nicobar Islands, cowries are fished, as in the Maldives, and are very white. In Siam and Manila, cowries are fished. They are marked with black and are cheaper than those from the Maldives.

On the Maldives islands, cowrie shells are fished along the coast using nets, and divers find them attached to rocks. They still use coconut branches, which they dip into the water and attach to the ground. Every day, they pull up these branches and find cowries attached to them, leave them in the sun or bury them to draw out the poison, and sell the cowries for rice and other necessities. It is estimated that the Maldives have twelve thousand inhabited islands. The inhabitants of each island give the king fifty cowrie shells per year for the right to fish for cowries and fish. Each cowrie shell is worth 9 when each is worth 16 ponis and each ponis is worth 80 cowries. One cowrie shell can be worth four Madras rupees when pulled.The cowries are small and light. Ambergris is also fished. The inhabitants are obliged to give it to the king, as it belongs to him. The inhabitants do not allow it to be sold in secret. It is good ambergris. In the Maldives, they catch large quantities of sea bream, which they cut into pieces as big as large sausages, a palm's length long, and put the fish in the sun without salting it. It becomes like a piece of wood. Then they sell it for 70 lavis per thousand pieces to take to Chin [?], which is 32 rupees. In Chin, they are sold for 10 taels per thousand, which is 70 rupees, sometimes more and sometimes less. Every year, a hundred barrels are extracted, sometimes two hundred. Sea coconuts [?] are also fished, which detach themselves from the rocks that belong to the king. The coconuts are very curious to see. The flesh inside is used for medicine. In the Nicobar Islands, cowries are fished, as in the Maldives, and are very white. In Siam and Manila, cowries are fished. They are marked with black and are cheaper than those from the Maldives.

On the Maldives islands, cowrie shells are fished along the coast using nets, and divers find them attached to rocks. They still use coconut branches, which they dip into the water and attach to the ground. Every day, they pull up these branches and find cowries attached to them, leave them in the sun or bury them to draw out the poison, and sell the cowries for rice and other necessities. It is estimated that the Maldives have twelve thousand inhabited islands. The inhabitants of each island give the king fifty cowrie shells per year for the right to fish for cowries and fish. Each cowrie shell is worth 9 when each is worth 16 ponis and each ponis is worth 80 cowries. One cowrie shell can be worth four Madras rupees when pulled.The cowries are small and light. Ambergris is also fished. The inhabitants are obliged to give it to the king, as it belongs to him. The inhabitants do not allow it to be sold in secret. It is good ambergris. In the Maldives, they catch large quantities of sea bream, which they cut into pieces as big as large sausages, a palm's length long, and put the fish in the sun without salting it. It becomes like a piece of wood. Then they sell it for 70 lavis per thousand pieces to take to Chin [?], which is 32 rupees. In Chin, they are sold for 10 taels per thousand, which is 70 rupees, sometimes more and sometimes less. Every year, a hundred barrels are extracted, sometimes two hundred. Sea coconuts [?] are also fished, which detach themselves from the rocks that belong to the king. The coconuts are very curious to see. The flesh inside is used for medicine. In the Nicobar Islands, cowries are fished, as in the Maldives, and are very white. In Siam and Manila, cowries are fished. They are marked with black and are cheaper than those from the Maldives.

On the Maldives islands, cowrie shells are fished along the coast using nets, and divers find them attached to rocks. They still use coconut branches, which they dip into the water and attach to the ground. Every day, they pull up these branches and find cowries attached to them, leave them in the sun or bury them to draw out the poison, and sell the cowries for rice and other necessities. It is estimated that the Maldives have twelve thousand inhabited islands. The inhabitants of each island give the king fifty cowrie shells per year for the right to fish for cowries and fish. Each cowrie shell is worth 9 when each is worth 16 ponis and each ponis is worth 80 cowries. One cowrie shell can be worth four Madras rupees when pulled.The cowries are small and light. Ambergris is also fished. The inhabitants are obliged to give it to the king, as it belongs to him. The inhabitants do not allow it to be sold in secret. It is good ambergris. In the Maldives, they catch large quantities of sea bream, which they cut into pieces as big as large sausages, a palm's length long, and put the fish in the sun without salting it. It becomes like a piece of wood. Then they sell it for 70 lavis per thousand pieces to take to Chin [?], which is 32 rupees. In Chin, they are sold for 10 taels per thousand, which is 70 rupees, sometimes more and sometimes less. Every year, a hundred barrels are extracted, sometimes two hundred. Sea coconuts [?] are also fished, which detach themselves from the rocks that belong to the king. The coconuts are very curious to see. The flesh inside is used for medicine. In the Nicobar Islands, cowries are fished, as in the Maldives, and are very white. In Siam and Manila, cowries are fished. They are marked with black and are cheaper than those from the Maldives.

On the Maldives islands, cowrie shells are fished along the coast using nets, and divers find them attached to rocks. They still use coconut branches, which they dip into the water and attach to the ground. Every day, they pull up these branches and find cowries attached to them, leave them in the sun or bury them to draw out the poison, and sell the cowries for rice and other necessities. It is estimated that the Maldives have twelve thousand inhabited islands. The inhabitants of each island give the king fifty cowrie shells per year for the right to fish for cowries and fish. Each cowrie shell is worth 9 when each is worth 16 ponis and each ponis is worth 80 cowries. One cowrie shell can be worth four Madras rupees when pulled.The cowries are small and light. Ambergris is also fished. The inhabitants are obliged to give it to the king, as it belongs to him. The inhabitants do not allow it to be sold in secret. It is good ambergris. In the Maldives, they catch large quantities of sea bream, which they cut into pieces as big as large sausages, a palm's length long, and put the fish in the sun without salting it. It becomes like a piece of wood. Then they sell it for 70 lavis per thousand pieces to take to Chin [?], which is 32 rupees. In Chin, they are sold for 10 taels per thousand, which is 70 rupees, sometimes more and sometimes less. Every year, a hundred barrels are extracted, sometimes two hundred. Sea coconuts [?] are also fished, which detach themselves from the rocks that belong to the king. The coconuts are very curious to see. The flesh inside is used for medicine. In the Nicobar Islands, cowries are fished, as in the Maldives, and are very white. In Siam and Manila, cowries are fished. They are marked with black and are cheaper than those from the Maldives.

On the Maldives islands, cowrie shells are fished along the coast using nets, and divers find them attached to rocks. They still use coconut branches, which they dip into the water and attach to the ground. Every day, they pull up these branches and find cowries attached to them, leave them in the sun or bury them to draw out the poison, and sell the cowries for rice and other necessities. It is estimated that the Maldives have twelve thousand inhabited islands. The inhabitants of each island give the king fifty cowrie shells per year for the right to fish for cowries and fish. Each cowrie shell is worth 9 when each is worth 16 ponis and each ponis is worth 80 cowries. One cowrie shell can be worth four Madras rupees when pulled.The cowries are small and light. Ambergris is also fished. The inhabitants are obliged to give it to the king, as it belongs to him. The inhabitants do not allow it to be sold in secret. It is good ambergris. In the Maldives, they catch large quantities of sea bream, which they cut into pieces as big as large sausages, a palm's length long, and put the fish in the sun without salting it. It becomes like a piece of wood. Then they sell it for 70 lavis per thousand pieces to take to Chin [?], which is 32 rupees. In Chin, they are sold for 10 taels per thousand, which is 70 rupees, sometimes more and sometimes less. Every year, a hundred barrels are extracted, sometimes two hundred. Sea coconuts [?] are also fished, which detach themselves from the rocks that belong to the king. The coconuts are very curious to see. The flesh inside is used for medicine. In the Nicobar Islands, cowries are fished, as in the Maldives, and are very white. In Siam and Manila, cowries are fished. They are marked with black and are cheaper than those from the Maldives.

On the Maldives islands, cowrie shells are fished along the coast using nets, and divers find them attached to rocks. They still use coconut branches, which they dip into the water and attach to the ground. Every day, they pull up these branches and find cowries attached to them, leave them in the sun or bury them to draw out the poison, and sell the cowries for rice and other necessities. It is estimated that the Maldives have twelve thousand inhabited islands. The inhabitants of each island give the king fifty cowrie shells per year for the right to fish for cowries and fish. Each cowrie shell is worth 9 when each is worth 16 ponis and each ponis is worth 80 cowries. One cowrie shell can be worth four Madras rupees when pulled.The cowries are small and light. Ambergris is also fished. The inhabitants are obliged to give it to the king, as it belongs to him. The inhabitants do not allow it to be sold in secret. It is good ambergris. In the Maldives, they catch large quantities of sea bream, which they cut into pieces as big as large sausages, a palm's length long, and put the fish in the sun without salting it. It becomes like a piece of wood. Then they sell it for 70 lavis per thousand pieces to take to Chin [?], which is 32 rupees. In Chin, they are sold for 10 taels per thousand, which is 70 rupees, sometimes more and sometimes less. Every year, a hundred barrels are extracted, sometimes two hundred. Sea coconuts [?] are also fished, which detach themselves from the rocks that belong to the king. The coconuts are very curious to see. The flesh inside is used for medicine. In the Nicobar Islands, cowries are fished, as in the Maldives, and are very white. In Siam and Manila, cowries are fished. They are marked with black and are cheaper than those from the Maldives.