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CHAPTER XI. Ceylon Pearl Fisheries.
" These spoils of Neptune, th' Indian ocean-boasts."
—Marlodus.
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HE
Pearl fisheries of Ceylon — the " Taprobane " of ancient classical
writers—are of great antiquity, and were well-known to the Phoenicians,
who traded there for Pearls. The first Europeans who obtained firm
footing in Ceylon were the Portuguese. In 1506 the ruler of the island
undertook to pay them a yearly tribute of spices and Pearls, from which
they derived a considerable revenue. In 1640 the Dutch obtained power,
and seized upon the Pearl fishery. The fishing took place every third
year, but in consequence of a dispute between the Dutch and the rajah,
the fishing at Manaar was forbidden, and from 1768 to 1796
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