410 The Commercial Products of the Sea. 



March and the outbreak of cholera which ensued, there is 

 every reason to believe that the proceeds would have 

 reached ,60,000. The great increase in the selling price of 

 the oysters was owing to the profit (which could not have 

 been less than 300 per cent.) made by the speculators in 

 1858. The fame of this brought all India into the field as 

 competitors. Money was as plentiful as buyers, and the 

 same oysters which averaged i 19^. per 1000 in 1858, in 

 1859 produced an average of 4 ios., the highest rate paid 

 being no less than 8 8^. The two later fisheries realized 

 still higher prices. There is no reason to doubt that, even 

 at these prices, large profits were made. 



The fishery of 1860 produced ,36,682 to the Govern- 

 ment, the average price paid per 1000 for the oysters 

 being as much as 13 4^., the highest price given being 

 18 per 1000. In the fishery of 1863 the sum realized was 

 a little over 51,000, the average price paid for oysters 

 by speculators being 6 i^s. per 1000. 



Ceylon has, during the last So years, derived from her 

 pearl fisheries more than a million of money, namely : 



1st series, 179610 1809 ,517,481 



2nd ,, 1814 to 1820 89,909 



3rd ,, 1828 to 1837 227,132 



4th 1855 to 1860 H7>454 



Fishery of 1863 51,018 



,, 1874 10,120 



1877 18,952 



1,032,066 



In the last-named year 1527 boats were employed fish- 

 ing on 30 days, the number of oysters obtained being 

 6,849,720. 



Experience has shown that but few pearls, and those 

 of but slight value, can be looked for in oysters under five 



