1847.] 



Laccadhe Islands. 



15 



ting it is about the 10th month : if cut before, the coir will 

 be weak, if later, it will be coarse and hard, and require to be 

 longer in the soaking pit, — it will be difficult to rid it of the 

 woody particles, and it will be darker in colour and more difficult to 

 twist. When cut, the husk is severed from the nut and thrown into 

 soaking pits to loosen the woody parts. In all the islands, except 

 Ameendevy, the coral reefs beyond the lagoon are well formed and 

 protect the shores of the island from the surf ; their soaking pits are 

 therefore holes in the sand just within the influence of the astringent 

 salt water. In these the husks are buried and lie for a year, and are 

 kept down by heaps of stones thrown over them to protect them from 

 the ripple. The island of Ameendevy occupies nearly the whole of 

 the shoal on which it stands, and its shores are but imperfectly pro- 

 tected; the soaking pits are consequently all fresh water tanks under 

 the crust of coral. In these the water never changes and the decay 

 of a quantity of vegetable matter makes it foul and dark coloured : 

 this tinge is imparted to the coir, and is the cause of frequent com- 

 plaint by the buyers of the coir, but one over which the islanders 

 have no control. A further effect of the fresh water is to weaken 

 the coir in some degree. When thoroughly soaked the fibrous parts 

 are easily separated from the wood by beating — if taken out of the 

 pits too early the coir is difficult to rid of impurities : if neglected 

 too long the fibre will be weakened. 



Use of coir in these islands coir is one of the chief commodities 



pett}-- traffic and Qf barter for the necessaries of life— rice, salt, tobacco, 

 its efiect. 



&c. — and the temptation is naturally great to take the 

 coir from the pit before the wood is perfectly rotted, and twist it has- 

 tily up to meet more immediate necessities. As the Government 

 receives it by weight and at certain fixed rates, the quality, colour 

 and care in twisting are scarcely considerations among the barterers. 

 The coir is made up for their petty traffic in short kuis of a fix- 

 ed length and weight, and at the end of the year these are collected 

 and made up into lengths of 70 to 75 fathoms as received by the Go- 

 vernment. The making up the Government remittance at a cer- 

 tain time every year is another temptation to anticipate the proper 

 periods of cutting the fruit and soaking the husks. To these caus- 

 es I mainly attribute the dirty and ill-twisted state of Ameendevy 

 coir, which is so frequently complained of. There the population 

 is greater and conpequ(Mil]y the use of coir in this way most gene- 

 ral. 



