402 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[Dec. 1, 1900. 
THE CEYLON PEARL FISHERIES: 
PROBABILITY OP A SCIENTIFIC 
MISSION. 
Mr. CoUett's zoological recreatious have 
borne fruit to some good purpose, and the 
Council of the local Branch of the Royal 
Asiatic Society, with Dr. Copleston as Pre- 
sident, may congratulate themselves on 
giving occasion for an interesting and pro- 
fitable evening, but above all for drawing 
forth the very encouragingutterancesfrom the 
Chair made by His Excellency the Governor. 
There is good reason to believe that a local 
Enquiry and Mission directed l)y Professor 
Herdman, P.R.S., of Liverpool University, 
will be fruitful in useful practical results. 
He ' has long devoted himself to Marine 
Biology and he was selected to conduct tlie 
scientific enquiry as regards the edible 
oyster round the British Coasts with refer- 
ence to alleged diseases to which it gave 
rise. No doubt Dr. Herdman has also been 
a close observer of all that Mr. Saville 
Kent (wlio has apparently fallen out of view 
of the scientific world of late years) learned 
and did off the Queensland Coast, in Torres 
Straits and off North-Western Australia in 
reference to Pearl Oysters, and the Culture 
of the same both for Pearls and Pearl-shells. 
He must also have read of Dr. Thurston's 
enquiries and reports off Tinnevelly and in 
the Gulf of Mannar and he will have seen 
how he, as well as Holdsworth, and we 
suppose Twynam and Donnan, are well- 
nigh hopeless of the successful Culture or 
even Conservation of our particular oyster 
or mussel at any point round the Ceylon 
or Indian Coasts. On the other hand," he 
cannot but I'ead with interest of the ex- 
periments of Dr. Kelaart— a worthy prede- 
cessor of the many "sons of the soil" who 
have reflected credit on Ceylon by their 
scientific and intellectual attainments — 
and then among the rest of his success- 
fully transferring the meleagrina oysters 
from Arippu to Trincomalee ; why not, 
with all modern appliances, establish a 
successful culture in some part of that 
sheltered bay ? Capt. Donnan thinks deep 
water essential to the formation of pearls; but 
Saville Kent did not find that to be the case 
in Torres Straits or off Western Australia. It 
may be said he was dealing with a different 
kind of meleagrina; but he successfully 
experimented up to a certain point, with the 
small as well as the large kind. And is it 
too much to anticipate that there may be 
an interchange between even Australia and 
Ceylon and India of their several oysters. 
Why, in fact, should Professor Herdman's 
Mission not embrace Queensland and 
Westralia (and indeed South, for North, 
Australia) as well as India and Ceylon. But 
if these Governments fail us,— although we 
are very confident that Lord Curzon at least, 
will readily respond to any reasonable pro- 
posal from Sir West Ridgeway or Mr. 
Chamberlain, — yet, we think oqr Governor 
is right in saying that Ceylon alone even, 
ehould not hesitate to engage Professor 
Herdman, if only the expense is made a 
little more moderate than was indicated by 
Dr. Ray Lankester. Ceylon has certainly 
the largest pecuniary stake. Not a million, 
but very nearly a million-and a half pounds 
sterhng have been received by the British Gov- 
ernment from Pearl Fisheries in the 104 years 
it has aoministered Ceylon; and it cannot be 
said that any full and satisfactory Scientific 
xMission has, so far, ever dealt with the 
question of Conservation and Culture. Con- 
sidering the many and varied ways in which 
pearls are formed -from the fresh water 
mussel's treasures in Scottish and Welsh 
rivers, to the unequalled gems found 
in the meleagrina's of the Gulf of Mannar, and 
yet again to the large golden yellow or white 
pearls "faked" or evolved by skilful experts 
out of the blisters on the large mother-o' 
pearl-shell-yielding oysters of Australian 
waters ; and considering also the several 
extremely interesting and even successful 
attempts at forming peails artificially or 
through the aid of molluscs in Europe— 
especially in France,— we think there is 
every reason to anticipate material .as well 
as scientific advantages from such a Mission 
as that proposed for Professor Herdman, 
P.R.S., in connection with our Ceylon Pearl- 
oyster Binks and Fishei-ies. If it be the 
case that the erratic molluscs refuse to listen 
to the charming of our present Governor, 
charm he never so wisely, and that Sir 
West Ridgeway may have to leave our shores 
without ever seeing a Fishery or even seeing 
a Bank covered with millions of young 
oysters ; yet His Excellency may rest assured 
that his name will always be associated 
with one of the most interesting and im- 
portant Scientific Missions ever arranged 
in connection with a Ceylon industry,- if 
we so may term the rich and romantic Pearl 
Fishery which has made our island and the 
Gulf of Mannar famous from time im- 
memorial. Surely after reading Saturday 
evenings proceedings in full, there is no 
intelligent person in Ceylon who will deny 
that a Pearl Fishery is one of the most 
valuable sources of public wealth, and that, 
as an industry, it demands every attention 
and encouragement in the direction of 
judicious conservation and scientific develop- 
ment. 
Mb, Elliotts Paper on " Natite Agbi- 
CULTURE " AND ITS IMPROVEMENT— referred 
to in the Legislative Council last month 
was published in full in the Tropical AgrU 
culturist for November. Mr. Elliott draws 
a distinction between Planting and Native 
Agriculture : the former, he considers, can 
be served from Peradeuiya ; the latter by a 
reformed Agricultural School to be con- 
tinued under the Department of Public In- 
sti-uction. Our objection to this course is 
that it would not secure the personal in- 
terest, attention and responsibility of the 
Provincial and District revenue officers and 
their headmen, without which we are hope- 
less of any real permanent progress being 
made in the improvement of native agri- 
culture. 
