38 MADRAS FISHERIES BULLETIN [VOL. XVI, 



" any disorder in the country anymore than the want of purchasers for 

 " our Madura cloths. This is mere chance and experience has shewn that 

 " the banks have lain fallow for a much longer time than has as yet been 

 " the case on this occasion, and it is useless therefore to seek for the causes 

 " of things which are neither uncommon nor unheard of. I only mention 

 " this cursorily, and to prove that the interest of the Company requires 

 " that an examination of the banks should take place every two years if 

 "not every year, which indeed is not absolutely necessary, and the expense 

 " may theiefore be spared; yet from time to time or say every two years, 

 " an investigation should take place. 



" As far as the inspection of the Aripo banks is concerned, Tutucoryn 

 " boats should be employed, as their Honors recommended in a recent 

 "despatch, a Dissave from Jaffnapatam should also be present to see that 

 " no neglect takes place, and to summon the boats from the opposite coast, 

 "and to take all necessary precautions when appearances prove favourable, 

 " in order to ensure a good result ; for the Company has been shamefully 

 "treated in this respect since the fishery of 1732. Indeed there are many 

 " natives who pretend to give reasons for the failure of the banks, and who 

 "say that the multitude of persons forced there against their will have 

 " ruined the banks, whilst others looked to their own profit too much, and 

 " also that the divers have not spared the young oysters, and that this 

 "accounts for the nakedness of the banks which have not yet recovered 

 " from their last pillaging. All this is as probable as the pretexts of the 

 " country being under a spell, but to end this matter we will pray God that 

 " the Island may never again suffer losses such as it now sustains from one 

 " cause or the other." 



Four years after the date of this memoir, namely in 1744, Baron 

 Van Imhoff became Governor-General of the Netherlands Indies 

 and immediately called attention to his Ceylon memoir. He 

 desired to be informed whether it would not be advisable to dis- 

 continue open fisheries and preferable to rent them out to a 

 single individual. Van Gollenesse, the new Governor of Ceylon, 

 in a closely-reasoned reply, * meets and refutes the objections 

 likely to be raised to this change and strongly advocates an 

 alteration in the method of conducting the fisheries, which was 

 thereupon sanctioned. 



Accordingly the fishery which took place in 1746 was con- 

 ducted on this new footing: all free boats and stones were 



* Sec Appendix I), pages 179 — 183. 



