392 A Pica for Sea Fisheries. Ciurr. XXVI. 



have enquired of the Collectors of the Maritime Districts of the 

 Madras Presidency, and they have obligingly supplied me with 

 information of which the following is an epitome. The Maritime 

 Districts are Ganjam, Vizagapatam, Godavery, Kistna, Nellore, 

 .Madras, ( 'hingleput, South Arcot, Tanjore, Madura, Tinnevelly, 

 Travancore, Cochin, Malabar, South Canara. Of these, Travancore 

 and Cochin are Native States, from which I can get no information, 

 and from South Arcot, I have no reply as yet ; so that there remain 

 twelve districts, the reports from which I epitomize. Above they 

 arc in their coast order. Below I will class them according to 

 the tenor of their replies ; two unfavourable ; two depending on 

 the grain trade; and eight favourable on fishery grounds proper. 



Tinnevelly. — -It is conceived that there were fewer fish in the 

 sea than in former years, and that consequently the fishermen 

 suffered as much as any other class. 



Vizagapatam. — The sea fishermen suffered as much as other 

 classes, especially from the proliibition of the use of earth salt # 

 Efforts to induce a use of Government salt failed. They emigrated 

 largely. 



Madras. — The sea fishermen in this District profited in large 

 measure by the liberal hire given them for landing rice, which was 

 a more lucrative avocation than fishing. This, however, is scarcely 

 an objection, for it points in the direction of the usefulness of a 

 body of seafaring men to our mercantile marine as will be seen below. 



The take of fish was probably less from the fishermen beinu 

 otherwise occupied, but the price of fish seems to have remained 

 unaffected, in spite of the high price of grain. This might naturally 

 be expected to result from the non-salting of fish for the interior, 

 in consequence of the' highly profitable employ of landing grain 

 having absorbed all energies ; and the quantity of spilt grain, \\ hich 

 the boatmen daily got in their boats, was so ample, that the 

 fishermen themselves did not eat as much fish as in ordinary 

 times, and the surplus thus saved, was left to the local public. 



Chinglepiit The sea fishermen flourished, but it was probably 

 more from hire and -leaning in landing grain than from actual 

 fishing. 



Ganjam — The fishermen, it is said, are certainly better off than 

 the ordinary coolies. 



Godavery, — The sea fishermen of the District have certainly 



