J 46 MADRAS FISHERIES BULLETIN [VOL. XVI, 



"from proceeding to the banks owing to small accidents to their 

 " boat or gear." 



Further evidence of the good work and reasonable disposition 

 of these Arab divers when treated justly, is afforded in Captain 

 James' report on the 1900 Tinnevelly fishery, * his words being— 

 " At first there must have been quite 1,500 divers, of which about 

 " 200 wereArabs. These latter I consider quite the best men to 

 "have at a fishery, quiet, good-tempered and hardworking, and 

 "quite amenable to all discipline, much more so than the Parawas 

 ' who are a constant source of trouble, both on the banks and in 

 " the Kottoo, where they were constantly being caught conceal- 

 ' ing oysters, which of course were always confiscated. Only one 

 " Arab was caught doing this, and his companions abused him for 

 " disgracing them. The Malayali divers left the banks after the 

 " first few days as the water was too deep." 



Fortified with such favourable opinions from men who had to 

 meet and control these divers ashore, where trouble is more likely 

 to occur than at sea, I have no hesitation in saying that I have the 

 highest possible opinion of these men and of the quiet, methodical, 

 and energetic manner in which they conduct their work. I watched 

 them at work daily throughout the last two fisheries, and they 

 were ship-companions with me when toward the end of the 1904 

 fishery they agreed to fish from the Government steamers. 



Such daily contact afforded me opportunity to obtain insight 

 into their characters and as a result I found them more willing to 

 obey my orders and follow suggestions than either the Paravas or 

 the Kilakarai Moormen— a result due naturally to their higher 

 intelligence. Quick tempered they are and restive under even the 

 suspicion of injustice, but withal reasonable and eminently amena- 

 ble to fair treatment. Personally I should not hesitate to run a 

 fishery entirely with Arabs, and if ordinary precautions were taken 

 to exclude the scum of Bombay, I am satisfied that perfect order 

 would prevail. 



During the north-east monsoon, numbers of these men visit the 

 ports of Kanara and Malabar, whence they might readily be 

 obtained, t 



* " Proceedings, Board of Revenue, " Madras, No. 208, 1900. 



f Since the above was written, I have had experience of another large pearl fishery 

 at which a largely increased contingent of Arabs, some 2,000 in number, was employed. 

 Their conduct was again eminently satisfactory. They gave no trouble whatsoever. 



