18 MADRAS FISHERIES BULLETIN [VOL. XVI, 



" commissioned that he might take possession of and receive for 

 " the King this fishery, so that the Governor might not suffer loss 



' by not being able to receive it for himself, he (the Governor of 

 '' Portuguese India) did not give Joao Froles the fleet and men that 

 "the King had commanded, and in order to get from it whatever 

 "he could gain he ordered Manuel de Frias to go to the fishery, 

 " and to rent it for whatever the lords of the land would give, and 

 this in order that he might find out what it would yield, and 



' having accomplished this that he should proceed to the coast of 

 " Choromandel as captain and factor." 



A little further on we read: — " Manuel de Frias, captain and 

 " factor of Choromandel, in accordance with the orders of the Gover- 

 " nor, which he carried with him, placed Joao Froles over the fishery 



' which he rented out to the digares, *of the country for one thousand 

 "five hundred cruzados per annum, and left there as factor Joao 



' Froles, with his clerk, in a large boat well armed ; and as 

 " the factor was not able to steal any of the money from the 

 "rent of the fishery, he took other measures, obtaining from the 



' fishers themselves the pearls, whereby he committed many 

 " robberies, as is done nowadays ; for the ills of India are not 



' improving, but are increasing continually, as I shall recount 



' further in speaking of the end that this Joao Froles came to at 

 " this fishery, in which he paid for a portion of the evils that he 

 " had committed." 



An interval of three years then elapses before we again hear 

 of the pearl fishery, Lopo Vaz de Sampayo being then Governor 

 in India. We read next that in January 1528 : — 



' Manuel da Gama was appointed by the King as captain of 

 "the coast of Coromandel, and Joao Froles as captain and factor 

 " of the pearl fishery. This act of friendship towards Manuel da 

 "Gama was managed by Hector Da Silveira before he departed; 

 "and the Governor gave him a ship and four foists well fitted 

 "and armed, as he had had tidings that paraos of Calicut were 

 "going along the coast of Paleacate (Pulicat)t committing great 



* Evidently Adigars are meant. At the present day the principal headman of the 

 pearl fishery district in Ceylon (Musali) is officially known by this title of Adigar. It is 

 iliis officer who is charged with the details incident to the erection of the fishery camp 

 prior to each fishery. 



t The Portuguese appear to have established themselves at Pulicat, 27 miles north of 

 Madras, between 1522 and 1525. 



