EEPOET 



ON THE 



FRESH-WATER FISHERIES OF THE INDIAN EMPIRE. 



I. IN August 1867, the Secretary of State for India, 

 in a despatch to the " Madras Govern- 



Origm and progress or the JJJT XI.LI* j.^ x- 



present enquiry into the state of ment, directed their attention to a 

 fresh-water fisheries of the in- communication from Sir Arthur 



Cotton, wherein he had stated he 



" should suppose that the injury to the coast fisheries must 

 be very great, now that seven of the principal rivers on 

 the East Coast" are barred by irrigation works that had been 

 .constructed* On 27th May 1868, I received instructions to 

 proceed to the anicuts or weirs in the Madras Presidency, in 

 order to obtain more specific information than had up to that 

 period been received. First, the districts to the south of 

 Madras were inspected,* subsequently those to the north. t 

 Having been directed to continue these enquiries, I went next 

 to Orissa and Lower Bengal, t afterwards to British Burma, 

 and at the end of 1869 the Andaman Islands. || Being 

 compelled to proceed to Europe on sick leave in March of 

 1870, due to an accident received during these investigations, 

 I availed myself of the opportunity of visiting a number of the 

 fish ladders existing in England, returning at the end of the 

 year to India. At the commencement of 1871 these en- 

 quiries were resumed ; first, the North-Western Provinces^" 

 and, the Panjab** were inspected. On September 17th a brief 

 synopsis of the result of the enquiries already made was drawn 

 up, and a set of definite questions submitted for promul- 

 gation to all European and Native officials in India and 

 Burma, from which a considerable amount of the following 



* Report, to the Madras Government. 



t Reports dated 17th November 1868 and 4th February 1869. 



Report, 8th March 1869. 



Report on Fresh-water Fisheries and another on the Sea Fisheries, 1869. 



|| Report, dated February 1870. ^[ Report, dated July. ** Report, dated July. 



