13 



amounted to Rs. 43,500. The total net profit of this 

 fishery for the 27 years noted amounted to no less than 

 Rs. 15,26,336 against a sum of Rs. 15,64,071 obtained 

 during the same period from the pearl fishery. 



Thereafter, with the exception of a series of eight 

 years between 1843-44 and 1850-51 and the year 

 1874-75 th^ revenue obtained during the period when 

 the fishing was rented out dropped in a remarkable 

 manner to a very low average' — reaching the minimum 

 of Rs. 1,000 in 1833-34, while the fishery was actually 

 discontinued during the year 1851-52. Throughout the 

 whole period comprised between 1801 and 1876, the 

 fishery was farmed out to the highest bidder, who under- 

 took the entire organization and conduct of the fishery, 

 Government exercising no control over the operations. 

 During the later years of this period the farmers of this 

 monopoly were usually either Mr. Cocq or Mr. Barter, 

 two merchants of the old school long resident in 

 Tuticdrin. 



With the knowledge we now have it is very clear 

 that the profits reaped by the renters were comparatpely 

 very great, especially as the rate they paid the divers was 

 two-thirds only of that now ruling. It was therefore 

 greatly to their interest to be on good terms with their 

 employees and the older men among the divers love to 

 dwell upon what they consider the good old times when 

 rum and arrack flowed freely every day and sheep were 

 slaughtered for the Christmas feast. It appears indeed 

 to have been the practice to make a free distribution of 

 a large tot of arrack to the men immediately they reached 

 shore, with various gifts and loans from time to time and 

 particularly of sheep at Christmas time. So although 

 the men received Rs. 20 only (or even less) per 1,000 

 shells instead of the Rs. 31-4-0 now given, the glamour 

 of this memory of the era of free drinks makes them sigh 

 for the good old days, now gone for ever. 



Mr. Cocq appears as the renter first on the scene. 

 Originally he worked the fishery through four (?) sam- 

 mattis who bought up the shells at the lowest rates they 

 could manage to arrange and resold to their principal at 

 Rs. 20 per 1,000. When Mr. Barter, a cotton presser 

 who owned the buildings now occupied by the Caldwell 

 High School in Tuticorin, entered into competition with 



