ملف ١٩١٤/٢٨٣٠، الجزء ٢، "الخليج الفارسي: مصائد اللؤلؤ. التحقيق في الاستنفاذ المزعوم لمغاصات اللؤلؤ. الألمان وصناعة اللؤلؤ. الامتيازات، إلخ". [و‎‎٢‎٥‎٧] (٥٧٨/٥٢٦)

I believe that the first cost of such a vessel as we recommended was the stumbling block in
the way of the Government sanctioning our proposal at the time. It was considered risky apparently
to expend so large a sum as £4,000 in the purchase of a vessel.
Recommendations regarding Vessels to be employed on the Banks.
To get over the risk, therefore, in the purchase of a vessel I would now recommend that a
vessel like one of the larger vessels employed in the Immigrant Service be chartered for service on
the pearl banks for a period of say five years.* She should be well found in anchors, chains, cables,
sails, rigging, lanterns, and .spare stores, and have a deck below like the immigrant vessels. She
should carry four (approved) boats for inspection work, one of them a serviceable gig for the
Superintendent and Inspector and Supervisor (of whom hereafter). She should have decent cabin
accommodation for four persons and a deck room for charts, &c. She should carry a crew, including
a good carpenter, sufficient to man the four boats, allowing two men in each boat to tend the divers’
lines, and leaving men enough on board to meet an emergency.
Vessels and boats to be kept in good working order, clean and well found, by the owner.
Buoys, buoy anchors, and cables and all stores specially required for inspections to be supplied
as now by Government.
She should carry six divers paid by Government for work in the intervals of inspections, six
more being given retaining fees as now and paid during inspections and fisheries.
The chief tindal and first and second tindals or mates might be coxswains and paid retaining
fees and special allowances at fisheries and inspections as now.
The divers to feed themselves. The owner to supply oil for all lights, water, and firewood.
The Superintendent, Inspector, and Supervisor to find themselves in everything but lights, firewood,
and water, and provide their own servants.
Compasses for taking bearings, patent logs, instruments, and all appliances required by Super
visor or Naturalist (if one be employed) to be supplied by Government.
Vessel to work on banks for ten months, as a rule from 1st October to following 31st July, and
then to be allowed to go to Kilakarai, Colombo, or other port, to be thoroughly overhauled and
repaired and to give the crew leave, returning by 1st October. It would be as well perhaps sometimes
to make a cruise over the banks in August and September.
A vessel so fitted and provided could be chartered, I believe, for Rs. 10,000 per annum.
Suggestions regarding Steam Launch.
All inspection work and work at fisheries could be done with the vessel, with the assistance
of a tender in the shape of a steam launch, to be attached to her. She would, moreover, be an efficient
guard vessel. A steam launch like the one I have referred to as supplied in 1874, or one on the same
lines a little larger and a little more powerful, with disconnecting screw, should be attached as above
suggested to the guard vessel. Such a vessel would be most useful, not only at inspections and fisheries,
but at intervals of inspections. The tindal might be one of the retained coxswains.
In our letter of 27th March, 1867, Captain Donnan and I recommended the employment of
a captain for the vessel on £240 sterling per annum'.! I would now, however, recommend instead
that an officer, to be styled “ Supervisor and Assistant to the Inspector ” (viz., the Master Attendant),
be appointed on a fair salary, say Rs. 5,000 per annum. If such an appointment be made care should
be taken to avoid the mistakes made in 1832, when a Supervisor was for the first time appointed.
Great care will have to be exercised in the selection of a person for this office, in defining his position
in relation to the Superintendent and Inspector, and the duties he will be expected to perform. He
should be made to understand that his work lies on the banks, and that he will be expected to be as a
rule at sea in his ship, making occasional visits to the shore, and not on shore lounging in an arm chair
at Arippu stuffing birds in Pulipanchaodai, or amusing himself at Pukulam or Marichchukkaddi,
making onlv occasional visits to the ship. He should be made to keep a log, entering in it daily all
occurrences" sending a copy to the Master Attendant at the end of each month to be laid before
Government When the vessel goes for the annual repairs he should wait on the Master Attendant,
lav before him all information he may have obtained, charts, &c., and before returning to his station
he should a fain wait on the Master Attendant and receive any instructions that officer may have to
ffive him Inspection should be carried out by the Master Attendant in the ship with the assistance
of the Supervisor. Of course, when the vessel is away for repairs the Supervisor should be allowed
two months’ leave of absence. ' ... , . . i i „
I claim for the suggestions that I have made regarding vessels for service on the banks
that (If adopted) they would in the end be found more economical and more efficient than
the present system of hiring vessels for inspections and fisheries, and hiring boatmen for temporary
emplovment in the boats. ^ I believe inspections could be more satisfactorily conducted and the
banks would be efficiently guarded by the plan proposed, while in the intervals of inspections
much information regarding the enemies of the oysters, viz., currents, floods, skates, &c., might be
obtained^ chartered ve ssel would carry within herself all that is necessary for inspections, viz.,
boats boats’ crews buoys, cables, anchors, and any apparatus that may be necessary for making
obserVations and experiments. She would also be a comfortable vessel for those who may have to
reside mjiei\^ advantao . e WO uld be that the vessel would be always on the spot ready to take
artvantafe of anv fine weather for inspection work, whereas at present much valuable time is
sometimes lost before the inspection vessel gets to the banks.J
* I find that in the recommendation I make in regard to the vessel I follow very much the suggestions made by Captain
Steuart page 82, viz.I subsequently suggested, that if a Naval officer should be appointed Superintendent of Pearl
Fisheries he should not permanently reside at Arippo, but be placed in command of a good vessel capable of carrying five
or six boats with crew and divers, as ships fitted for the whale fishery carry their boats and crews, in order that pearl banks
might be searched for on all parts of the coast of Ceylon,
f See Appendix B, C.
J See Appendix 3. F and F 1. 1869.