1922] MADRAS PEARL FISHERIES 39 



abolished, for, as the Governor states, these privilges were merely 

 conceded to the Nayak and the Setupati because the greater 

 number of the dhonies and people required at a public fishery 

 came out of their territory, and these would not be necessary if 

 the diving took place with a limited number of persons. All 

 privileges were therefore withdrawn and the following instructions 

 were given to the Commissioners of the Pearl Fishery by Governor 

 Van Gollenesse: — 



" If it should happen (which is however improbable) that the 

 "Nabob or Theuver should send their Ambassadors to be present 



' at this Fishery, and to take care of their pretended rights, they 

 " are not to be allowed to land, but some armed boats well filled 

 "with men and ammunition must be sent to meet them, and they 

 " must first be warned in a friendly way to depart, and if this be 



' ineffectual, the matter must be treated more seriously, and you 

 "must order the Commanders of our boats that they are by no 

 " means to permit any armed foreign boats of a suspicious kind to 

 "come within range of their shot, and if warning given does not 

 "turn them away, they must fire on them at once." 



1747. This year the unproductive cycle that had prevailed so 

 long on the Tuticorin side was broken, the fishery being rented out 

 for 60,000 florins (£5,000). 



The change of system now introduced involved the abolition of 

 the privilege of free or untaxed divers hitherto granted to the 

 native rulers of Madura and Ramnad, whose dominions had now 

 merged in those of the Nawab of the Carnatic who had dispos- 

 sessed the last of the Nayak dynasty of Madura in 1736. He, a 

 more powerful ruler than the Nayak, did not acquiesce without 

 stout opposition and at the 1747 fishery it had been thought wise 

 to permit the renter of the fishery to give 30 free divers to the 

 Nawab for which concession the renter received a proportionate 

 reduction in the stipulated price of his rent. 



Two other fisheries, also rented out, took place in the two 

 next succeeding years. The rental of that of 1748 amounted 

 to 114,720 florins (£9,560), while that of 1749 was florins 63,600 

 (£5,300). 



At the former, 35 free divers were again allowed to the Carnatic 

 overlord, much against the Dutch Company's will however, 

 for we read in the secret instructions sent to the "Company's 



