Indian Antiquary Vol 60

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Charles E A W Oldham, S Krishnaswami Aiyangar, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarka
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 308

104
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[JULY, 1981
a stick of hard wood, or some poor ill contrived iron tool, as farr as they can reach round them, and then leave of and goe and sink a hole in some other place till they find a vein, and of such places as these they h[ave] hundreds, for all the South parts of the Island are like so many gravell pitts. Even in melting the oar they are very wastfull, very inexpert and tedious; they often give 25 per Cent for melting, and this intirely for want of art in makeing furnaces, contriving bellowes and other melting conveniences, for they have charcoal enough for little or nothing. Yet for all this, they gett above 100 tonns a year. So that any person may judge what a vast quantity may be gott by a few expert miners and slaves that may be had very cheap from Madegascar, the Coast of Chormandell and Bengall. The oar consists of two sorts, [one] of black sand, and the other in stones. The first they melt, but hardly know what to doe with the other, for want of mills to beat the stones in peices.
A few expert Cornish miners and a good number of slaves may resonabley dig 6 or 700 tonns a year, for all the South part of the Island is in a manner an intire mine of tin, and tin is such a commodity that all India wants it and would take take it off at good rates, vizt., Surratt will take off upwards of 200 tonns at 100 pound per ton; Bengall as much; the Coast of Chormandell about 150 tons at 70 or 80 pounds per ton; and China as much as you can send, at the same rate. Besides Persia, Mocs, &e. Sc that if you dig 700 tons, this, at 80 pounds per ton, will amount to 56000 pounds, and the charges of maintaining the slaves a triffie.
SUGAR CANES grow there extreamly well, so that sugar may be made at a very cheap rate, which commodity sells well and in vast quantities at Surratt, Moco and Persia, &c. Let any resonable person judge what vast advantage must people make that settle here, when they can have slaves, provissions, clothing, and all sorts of work done at very cheap rates, and their produce of the ground to sell well.
Indigo likewise grows here very weli.
The ground of the Island is so well water'd by riverletts and showers of rain that rice grows anywere, and in vast quantities13; two crops may be had in a year, which may produce a great reveniue to export it to Madrass, Atcheen, Persia, Moco, &c. Madrass itself will take of 15000 pound a year of it and open vessells may goe from hence theirther in the months January and February in 6 or 7 days. And for the Maldivia trade it may be made vastly advantagious to truck rice for their cowries. 1
COCONUT TREES grows so fast and naturally, that any person may plant thousands of them without any trouble, and in four years they bear, which may aford a good trade three severall ways: 1st. The nut made into oile. 2d. The nut dryed (which is called copera). Suratt, and all to the North ward of it, will take of 1000 tonn a year. They all want it, for it [to] eat in their curries, and make sweet meats of it. 3d. By drawing offf} toddy or juice, a vast quantity of arrack may be made, 15 which in time may beat out the trade of Batavia and Goa rack, 16 or at least we may share with them.
Besides, the rind or husk will make all sorts of cordage. These two commodities of rice and coconuts the Porteguse at Goa and near Bombay make vast incomes off. I know severall Fidalgoes or Porteguse gentlemen that have reveniues from 2 to 3 thousand pounds a year by letting out their trees and their rice ground. Nay, all the rice ground about Madrass and Bombay yeelds from 3 to 5 pounds per aker.
Beatle nutt trees, or more properly, arackee nutts, 17 may be as easily propogated as coconutts, and as much may be made of them, for Madrass and all the Coast of Chormandell uses great quantities, which now they are forsed to have it all from the Dutch att Zeylone. Surratt likewise takes great quantities, which they have from Zeylone and the Mallabarr Coast.
Pepper will grow here extreamly well and cotton for planting.
The Island afords vast quantities of very good timber, fitt for building of ships and houses, which may be made very usefull and advantagious with a sawmill or two.
[On] all the coasts about this Island [and] on the maine abundance of eliphants are to be taken alive, 18 and the Natives will ketch them for very little money, by which a great