392 Account of the Province of Rdmndd [April 



which is common about the sea-coast towns, contiguous to which the 

 grounds are inclosed and divided into small gardens. The productions 

 consist of paddy of various kinds, several sorts of dry grain, horse 

 gram, and a variety of other pulse, rape-seed, and oil nuts ; cotton 

 in great plenty ; and the choya-ver growls spontaneously about the 

 sea-coast and the islands. Besides the latter, there is in the western 

 districts a small production of a thistle-plant, from the flower of which 

 a reddish colour is extracted, and the cloths that are dyed with this 

 are held in high estimation by the natives. The garden productions 

 consist of raggy, beetle, pumpkins, saffron, limes, tobacco, yams, pota- 

 toes, cucumbers, sugar-canes, and plantains j the two latter, however, 

 are not only rare, but of a meagre sort. The northern districts, as well 

 as the neighbourhood of several of the sea-port towns, are very produc- 

 tive of the Palmyra, from the toddy of which a considerable quantity of 

 coarse sugar is manufactured. 



MANUFACTURES, IMPORTS, AND EXPORTS. 



As a commercial province, and for manufactures, Ramnad is dis- 

 tinguished beyond many others, and principally for the manufacture 

 of cotton cloths; the first of which is at Parmagudi, where the chief 

 occupation of the inhabitants is maki g printed cloths, chintzes, silks, 

 elegant silk carpets, red and blue striped cotton carpets, muslins, dupet- 

 tas, turbans, dimities, izaries, ginghams, cambrics, &c. Kilakarai and 

 Devipatnam are fine ports, the trade of which is very considerable; 

 they are consequently the resort of many respectable merchants from 

 all parts, whereby these places have become rich and populous. Kila- 

 karai is reckoned next to Parmagudi for the manufacture of fine cloths, 

 muslins, &c. A few other places are no ted for long cloths of good 

 quality, viz. Kamuri, Abramam, Arpukotta, Palayampatti, Kuddeladi, 

 Yekugudi, Punnakolam, Chittarkotta, Numbuthullai, Tindey, and 

 Kottapatnam; and those of a coarse quality, commonly worn by the 

 inhabitants, are made almost in every village in the province. Salt 

 is manufactured in great plenty in the neighbourhood of the sea- 

 coast towns and villages, but it is entirely under the management of the 

 servants of the government. Besides the manufacture of this article, a 

 prodigious quantity of it is gathered from the extensive salt-marshes, in 

 which, on the evaporation of the water, a thick incrustation of salt, very 

 white and fine, is left on the surface. Except at Pundlegudi, saltpetre 

 is no where manufactured in this province. 



The chank fishery commences in April on the eastern coast of 

 Bamnad, and continues till the month of September ; and, on the 

 southern coast, from October, continuing till march. It is usually 

 rented by the zemindar at not less than six thousand pagodas annu- 

 ally. The chanks fished on the eastern coast are reckoned better 



