1922] MADRAS PEARL FISHERIES 171 



Parruas, and provided with commodious churches. The number of these 

 Christians consist at least of 20,000 families, maintaining themselves chiefly 

 by diving for chanks, catching fresh fish, and diving at the pearl-fisheries 

 when they take place, and which last employment gives them their chief 

 profit, and causes them to live comfortably. These Parrua Christians are 

 all under the Government of the Honourable Company, since the conquest 

 of Tutucoryn, and they have readily submitted to our power on account of 

 the prompt justice which we afford them. The poorer classes are more 

 especially well satisfied with our Government. 



" Great care should always be taken to treat the people with justice and 

 prudence, and to place a mild and sensible person as their Captain, for 

 they are, like all Malabars, of a capricious temper and easily migrate if 

 they are not well treated. We have used great efforts to bring the people 

 to our religion, but as long as the Naick of Madura, or his regent Barmi- 

 liappa Pulle do not adopt a course different from their present one, and do 

 not specially banish the Romish priests, we shall have little chance of 

 attaining our object. 



•' Pearl-fishery. — The whole of the inner gulf was always under the 

 authority of the King of Portugal, during the time of his possessing Ceylon 

 and Tutucoryn, and on that account the Portuguese always took to them- 

 selves the full empire of the sea, including the income of the pearl-fishery 

 which is of some consequence, particularly when diving can take place on 

 all the banks at once, as used frequently to be the case ; but for some time 

 the banks of Manaar have given no profit, although the revenue from 

 them was once the most considerable, and it is now fixed that they should 

 be tried next March. But as there is some distinction with regard to the 

 Company's interests between the banks of Tutucoryn and those of Manaar, 

 we must give a further account of them. Whenever the pearl fishery is 

 limited to Bempaer, Bypaer, and as far at Tutucoryn, all the oysters must 

 be brought ashore at the last place, the market being held there and at 

 Pondecayl, from which the Armane (as the Court of Madura is named) 

 draws a large revenue. The Moors are, with our permission, allowed to 

 fish also, but they are bound to pay a large duty to the Company as may 

 be seen in the Report of M.M. Valckenberg and Boesem. 



" The fishery of Tutucoryn gave last season a profit of 1 8, 000 florins, as 

 appears by the books of our factory at that place. Whenever a pearl- 

 fishery may take place at Manaar, the Company may expect much larger 

 returns, for then the oysters will be brought ashore at Aripo, about three 

 miles distant from Manaar, or Mantotte, being a place on the Company's 

 own territory, and where the sale of^ the pearls will then be held. Y.E. 



