ملف ١٩١٤/٢٨٣٠، الجزء ٢، "الخليج الفارسي: مصائد اللؤلؤ. التحقيق في الاستنفاذ المزعوم لمغاصات اللؤلؤ. الألمان وصناعة اللؤلؤ. الامتيازات، إلخ". [و‎‎٢‎٥‎٨] (٥٧٨/٥٢٨)

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on the Modiagam, which yielded Rs. 360,000, was nearly lost, because the bed of oysters to be fished
could not be found till search had been made for it for three days.*
The old Doric building, which has now almost disappeared, was built, I believe, to serve as a
mark as well as a residence.
There are seven points which serve as marks for the banks : Kuthiraimalai, Pukulam, Kallar
hfS, Kondatchy hill, Kurusadie at Silavatturai, the Doric, the Arippu tope. Kuthiraimalai is a
long ridge of high land stretching over to the south and west from the Modragam river forming a
little bay sheltered during the south-west monsoon. It looks like an enormous alligator from the
banks. There are three bumps as it were on its back, and there was always a difficulty in fixing on
the exact bump or spot to which bearings should be taken.
Mr. Yane recommended the erection of a tower or flagstaff on this spot to mark it. A flagstaff
was erected on it, but it has long since fallen down. A trig tower has been erected behind it. I
think the top of the tower is visible over the high, ground, and -if it were strengthened and raised a
few feet it would make a good permanent mark. The flagstaff could not be seen distinctly from the
banks.
Pukulam is a small cocoanut tope on the seashore between the two outlets of the Modragam
river. If Marichchukkaddi be made the headquarters of future fisheries, a small tower should be
erected on the high ground on the right of the river from which a light should be displayed during
fisheries to guide vessels and the diving boats when coming in late to the anchorage.
Kallar hill is a long stretch of high sandy ground on the right of the river. There are three
hillocks on it, and there was always a question to which one bearings had to be taken. A tower has
been erected on the centre hillock, as recommended by Mr. Yane : it was raised 6 feet in 1890, and it
is now a good landmark.
Kondatchy hill is a piece of high ground at the back of the village. A small tower should be
erected on its summit where the wooden trig station was.
Kurusadie is a tope of cocoanut trees in the graveyard at Silavatturai. There is now a very
good mark for Silavatturai in a tope planted near the shore.
The Doric is now in ruins, very little of it being left.
Arippu tope is a long cocoanut tope, a good mark for working on the northern part of the banks.
The Supervisor’s house is close by. Each person seemed to have had his own points in the tope to
which he took bearings. One took the bearings to the east, another to the west, another to the centre.
However, cocoanut cultivation is increasing in that direction. The east, centre, and west of this year
will not be the east, centre, and west of a few years hence. A tower should be erected on the Bastian
of the old Fort, a few yards from the Supervisor’s house., There is plenty of material at hand in the
remains of the old Doric.
I wrote fully pointing out the necessity for permanent marks at Kuthiraimalai, Kondatchy,
and Arippu at the close of the fishery of 1888 before leaving Silavatturai. I cannot lay my hands on
the copy of that letter. It was referred to Captain Donnan, who however said he did not require
them, as he had his marks and could find his way about the banks. This may be the case, and from
his familiarity with the coast after thirty-eight years’ work on the banks I have no doubt he could
almost find his way to any part of any bank by the appearance of objects on the land. This would
not at first be the case with his successor, who would require some distinct marks to work by.
Captain Donnan, it is true, laid down a buoy on the Karativu shoal in j 86 .j as a mark from
which to inspect the northern banks. This buoy was found exceedingly useful, as it formed an
excellent mark for working over the banks.t
Buoys are however apt to go adrift altogether, or to drift from their position as this one did in
1867, and if this occurred it would cause much inconvenience if there were no other marks. Fixed
points on the land are therefore, in my opinion, needed as well as the buoy.
For the Muttuvarattu and the banks south of it there are good and prominent landmarks.
Suggestions that Chanfo Fishevy be established in the neighbouvhood of Banks.
Mr. Yane, in his diary of 1862, suggested that a chank fishery should be established in the
neighbourhood of the pearl banks, the then newly-appointed Supervisoi being placed in chaige of it.
In 1887-88 I again brought the matter under the notice of Government, and subsequently,
after a perusal of Mr. Thomas’s report, I submitted a scheme for the consideration of Government.!
There used to be a chank fishery in the neighbourhood of the pearl banks, I think to about
1832.6 I have not been able to get any connected report of it; I have only seen detached papers.
The right of fishing the chanks was rented to the leading man of the divers m Kilakarai. Why it
was abolished I do not know. Perhaps it was because the Government vessels “ Wellington ” and
“ Anne ” having been sold off—the “ Seaforth ” converted into a mail packet and the Supervisor
discharged—there were no means left for keeping a watch on the proceedings of the renter, who, if
not watched, would have poached on the pearl banks. i ^ n . i n i i j?
A very profitable chank fishery is carried on in the neighbourhood of the pearl banks of
Tuticorin. 1 annex (Appendix 1 D) extract from Mr. Thomas’s report regarding the chank fishery
If a" vessel be chartered, a steam launch be purchased, and a Supervisor for the Ceylon banks
appointed, as I have suggested, a chank fishery somewhat on the lines of that on the Tuticorin banks,
might be profitably, and with much advantage, worked m the neighbourhood of the Ceylon banks.
Mr. Thomas is wrong in saying that there is no chank fishery m Ceylon.
There is a chank fishery north of Mannar island and round to Mullaittivu on the east. It is
open to all divers from India. It is chiefly worked however, hy the Mohammedan divers of
Kilakarai, and recently hy some of the Arab divers who settled m Vannarponnai after the fishery
of 1891. It is worked under the provisions of the Ordinance No. 18 ot 189U.
Government even now realizes about Rs. 4,000 per annum on the royalty levied at the Custom
house on chanks. T ^
About 2,000,000 chanks are exported from Jaffna annually to Calcutta.
* See Appendices 4, F 1 and F 2.
f See Appendix 4, L.
f See Appendix 7, B.
§ See also Appendix 1, D.