revenue on which the permanent assessment or peshkash 

 was fixed when the permanent settlement of the zamin- 

 dari was made in 1803. 



In 1792, the Nawab of the Carnatic ceded Ramnad 

 along with other territory to the East India Company, 

 the Raja continuing to hold his territory under feudal 

 tenure as before. In 1795, the Company removed the 

 then Raja and recognized his sister as the ruler but 

 administered the country direct through its own officers. 

 For eight years (1795 — 1803) these conditions continued, 

 and during this period the Company collected the entire 

 revenue of the estate, including the proceeds of the chank 

 fishery. Then in 1803, the feudal tenure was converted 

 into a permanent zamindari settlement and the status of 

 palayagar or feudal chief liable to render military aid to 

 his overlord changed into that of territorial magnate 

 paying a fixed contribution in money to the Government 

 of Madras. 



On two occasions, 1803 and 1874, the chank fishery 

 has been attached by Government for arrears of revenue, 

 while in 1899 and 1900 the Madras Government leased 

 the fishery from the Raja and conducted it on the same 

 lines as the Tuticorin fishery. For the former year a 

 rent was paid of Rs. 2,501 and for the second year 

 Rs. 3,501. 



The results were disappointing owing to a variety of 

 causes. During the 1899- 1900 season (fasli 1309) 

 28,728 shells only were collected as against an estimate 

 of 1,25,000. During the succeeding year, as the fishery 

 was beoun earlier and terms were arrano-ed more satis- 

 factory to the divers, the total fished of all kinds reached 

 ^'52)373- Great difficulty was experienced in disposing 

 of the shells at a satisfactory price and it was not till 

 October 1903 that they were sold. Exactly what they 

 fetched is difficult to ascertain as they were offered in an 

 undivided lot with the shells fished in 1902- 1903 at 

 Tuticorin and at Negapatam (Tanjore). The price 

 obtained averaged Rs. 55-15-3 per 1,000 for large, 

 medium and wormed from all three fisheries, and if we 

 take the sale price of the Ramnad shells at this rate the 

 gross proceeds would amount to Rs. 10,133-2-8. De- 

 ducting the rental paid for the two years, Rs. 6,002, the 

 amount remaining was only Rs. 4,131-2-8, a sum which 



