45 



Kuiiulam Pak. — Leaving the Uppu TanniTivu anchorage at 6-20 a.m. we steamed 

 south to the small Kumulam Par. A series of dives here in six fathoms showed the 

 bottom to be rocky, sometimes fairly clear of sand, at other times covered with from 

 one to two inches. A few Holothurians and sponge fragments were brought up ; no 

 trace of oysters was found. 



Steaming a quarter of a mile further another series of dives gave similar results ; 

 flat rock with sand filling the depressions and with occasional small, loose fragments of 

 calcrete upon the surface. 



At both stations the sand contained a large proportion of mud, so much that I 

 have no hesitation in condemning this ground as hopeless and utterly unfit to rear 

 oysters to maturity. It may with safety be ignored in future inspections. 



The ground lying between the Kumulam and Vembar Periya Pars was next 

 examined and found to consist of a coarser sand than any seen so far. Many medium 

 sized quartz grains were present and though the water here was discoloured, no mud 

 was actually found in the sand. 



Depth 10 fathoms. Temperature of sea at 4-30 P.M. 89° P. Specific gravity 

 1.02-2'S0. 



Vembar Pekita Par. — Continuing our course we arrived at 8-15 a.m. at a point 

 which Captain Carlyon believed to be the north-east end of the Vembar Periya Par. 



The steamer and the four inspection boats were employed in the examination ol 

 it for the rest of the morning. 



This par as outlined on the chart is of considerable extent, 3 miles in length by 

 If mile in breadth, the bank ranking next in size to the Tolayiram. Par. The cleptk 

 shown on the chart is 6 to 7 fathoms. 



The examination proved hardly satisfactory, as out of upwards of 160 dives taken 

 over an area of three miles long by one mile broad, but eight dives (in 8 fathoms) 

 were on rock. All the soundings were between 6i and 9 fathoms, the great majority 

 being 8 to 8f- fathoms. 



On the small patch of rock found by No. 2 boat two small pearl oysters — 4 to 5 

 months old — were discovered, together with a large number of Suran (Modiola 

 barbata). One small fragment of rock bore a densely packed cluster of 10 indi- 

 viduals. Euncid tubes and zoophytes were also present in considerable abundance. 



The greater part of the sand was of a character approximating closely to that 

 found on the Ceylon banks — bright clean yellow in general colour with plenty of 

 quartz, cleaner and better sand even than that taken between this region and the 

 Kumulam Par. Two dives gave tenacious black mud similar to that taken between 

 Uppu Tanni Tivu and iSTalla Tanni Tivu Pars. 



The Par is all a more or less pure limestone, mostly of fine grain. 



Viewed by the nature of the bottom and the depth of water, I am very doubtful 

 if the locality inspected is the Vembar Periya Par ; 1 believe the ground examined 

 in reality lies seaward of the Par so named. This Vembar Periya bank at all times 

 must be difficult to find from want of good land-marks ; there are indeed no charted 

 land-marks observable from this position at sea, though several remarkable trees and 

 clumps can be seen and might be utilized for lack of something better. To do this 

 sketches of the relative positions of these trees and clumps should be made from 

 different bearings and the positions of the principal objects marked accurately on 

 the chart. 



Portunately this is the only bank in any way difficult to locate, all others that 

 are equally far from land being within sight of such conspicuous land-marks as beacons 

 lighthouses and pagodas. 



On the evening of May 14th we returned to Tuticorin, the unsettled and 

 threatening character of the weather making it doubtful if we should be able to do 

 any further work at sea. 



Pending a decision upon this question, I occupied part of this stay ashore in 

 endeavouring to locate any bed of window-pane oyster (Placuna plaeenta) that there- 

 might be in the neighbourhood. I had found prior to this several young individual* 



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