42 MADRAS FISHERIES BULLETIN [VOL. XVI, 



The treaty, however, was never fully ratified, but by the advice 

 of the English Governor of Madras its terms were allowed to 

 govern the fisheries of [787 and 1792, the profits therefrom being 

 accordingly shared equally by the Sircar or Government of the 

 Carnatic {i.e., the Nawab) and the Dutch Company. 



The fishery of 1787 took place on the Tolayiram Par and gave 

 a gross revenue of Rs. 63,000: that of 1792 upon the Uti, Uduruvi, 

 Kilati and Attuveiarpagam Pars, which lie inshore of the Tolayiram 

 Par; it yielded Rs. 42,525 to the joint Governments. 



Except with regard to the conduct of these two fisheries, the 

 treaty never came into force, the Madras Government steadily 

 refusing its consent because of the objectionable clause relating 

 to the cloth monopoly. In this unsettled condition, marked by the 

 continual interchange of despatches between Colombo and Madras, 

 matters remained till the Dutch dominion of the Pearl Banks on 

 both sides passed to the British in 1796. 



(d) The Pearl Banks under the British. 



Not long after the acquisition of the Pearl Banks by the British, 

 the districts bordering the coast in this region and now known 

 as that of Tinnevelly in the south and Ramnad in the north, 

 passed to the British from the Carnatic Nawab. Thus the " Lords 

 of the Pearl Fishery " acquired sovereign rights over the districts 

 supplying the whole body of divers and by their own power could 

 ensure safe conducts from Madura, Ramnad, Bombay, and Madras 

 to the dealers in pearls whose attendance is necessary to the 

 success of any fishery. The dues levied for assistance by local 

 potentates, the source of constant anxiety and loss to the Portu- 

 guese and the Dutch, were brought to an end and for the last 

 century we hear of no privileges allowed save a few on a reduced 

 scale to the headman of the Paravas. It is noteworthy to observe 

 that this system of remuneration by fishery privileges of which 

 the last remaining trace was abrogated in Ceylon in 1863, still 

 lingers in the management of the Indian banks, the headman of 

 the Paravas having the right to employ a limited and specified 

 number of " free " boats at each fishery in return for help 

 rendered during the inspection of the banks and at the fisheries 

 when held. 



