The Exploration and Survey of the Little Andamans
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The Exploration and Survey of the Little Andamans Author(s): Maurice Portman Source: Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society and Monthly Record of Geography, New Monthly Series, Vol. 10, No. 9 (Sep., 1888), pp. 567-576 Published by: Wiley on behalf of The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers) Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1800974 . Accessed: 17/06/2014 16:02 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers) and Wiley are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society and Monthly Record of Geography. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 185.44.78.156 on Tue, 17 Jun 2014 16:02:25 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions THE EXPLORATIONAND SCJRYEFOF THE LITTLE ANDAMANS. 567 Governmentin the last threeyears, and all that CommodoreMarkham had said in the paper went to confirmwhat was written by a Committeeof the Canadian Parliamentin 1884:?" For more than 250 years sailors have counted upon having uninterruptednavigation of fromtwo and a half, to threemonths, and this without moderncharts, without an accurate knowledgeof these waters,without lighthouses, withouta systemof telegraphiccommunication, and withoutthe aid of steam." Mr. C. S. Drummond said that both Sir Charles Tupper and Mr. Shelfordhad omittedone point which would probably dispose of the ohjection raised by Dr. Eae. It was not necessaryat present to build a line 700 miles long. Some 275 miles would bring the inland waters in connectionwith Hudson's Bay. The capital for that would necessarilybe small, and the short period that the navigationwas open would be sufficientto enable the railway to earn intereston its bonds and dividends on its stock. He was disposed to think that the average of that period would he threemonths. He had carefullyestimated the cost of a railway,and he was con- vinced that even two and a half months of open navigation would permitof its becominga paying investment. He had had a great deal to do with Hudson's Bay ofBcers,and he knew that theirstatements might always be taken withoutquestion. Still they were not infallible. They were liable to make mistakeslike otherpersons. " In 1880, at Winnipeg, the Chief Commissionerof the Companysaid to him, You will never succeed, commercially,in growingwheat in Manitoba." Up to that time vast areas were covered with water until late in the summer,the result of the early June rains and the melting of the ice from the previous winter. However, the Governmentconstructed drains, the water is carried off,and thereis now no diffi? culty in growingthe finestwheat in the world. On Lake Winnipeg this year a steamerwas crushed,but in a few hours another steamer took its place, and the trade navigationwas not interferedwith. The Exploration and Survey of the Little Andamans. By Maubice Poetman, Esq. (Read at the Evening Meeting,January 30th, 1888.) Map, p. 612. I will commence by giving a short general account of the Andamans group before proceeding to describe the Little Andaman Island in detaii. The Andamans are a group of islands situated in the Bay of Bengal, between the 10th and 14th parallels of N. lat., and on the meridian of 93? E. long. The group are composed of the Great and Little Anda? mans, the former being subdivided into the North, Middle, and South Andamans, Interview Island, Landfall Island, the Archipelago Islands, Eutland Island, and the North Sentinel Island; there are also about 150 small islands. The Great Andaman is about 140 miles long, and at the greatest; width 18 miles across; it is covered with a dense jungle, and is a hilly country, which ranges of mountains running the whole length of the island, of in the the principal peaks are?Saddle Peak, 2400 feet, North Andaman; in Middle Puluga-laka-bang, and Boron-tang-da, each about 1600 feet, the 2 q 2 This content downloaded from 185.44.78.156 on Tue, 17 Jun 2014 16:02:25 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 568 THE EXPLORATIONAND SURVEY OF THE LITTLE ANDAMANS. Andaman; Mount Koyob, 1500 feet, Mount Harriett, 1296 feet, in the South Andaman; and Ford's Peak, 1400 feet, on Kutland Island. The climate is hot and damp, the thermometer ranging from 72? to 96?, and the rainfall averages about 150 inches. The islands are very unhealthy, owing to the malaria rising from the numerous mangrove swamps and creeks with which they are intersected. When I was first appointed to the Andamans in February 1879, very little was known of the country north of the Middle Straits, and on receiving charge of the Andamanese in July of the same year, I worked until December 1880 in the North and Middle Andaman. The Survey of India have since that time had the whole of these islands mapped by a topographical party under Captain Hobday, and the only point I should like to draw your attention to, is that of the valuable harbours in these islands. Situated as they are, they form admirable places of refuge during cyclones (which indeed the islands are accused of engendering), and from inquiries held on wrecks occurring at the Andamans, I find that the mercantile marine appear to be very ignorant of fhis. Port Cornwallis, on the east coast of the North Andaman, is a magnificent harbour, affording shelter in either monsoon; Stewart's Sound, on the east coast, is nearly as good. Port Blair, where the Penal Settlement is, on the east coast, South Andaman, is also a very fine harbour. Macpherson's Straits and Portman Harbour on the east; Port Mouat on the west, a fine harbour, but difficult of entrance owing to reefs, and Port Campbell are all good places of shelter; Kwangtung Harbour, though small, is quite land-locked, and would afford good shelter.* The Andaman aborigines are to scientific men the great feature of interest. They are a Negrito race, supposed to be the original in? habitants, and allied to the Negrito races of the Malay Peninsula. The people of the Great Andaman are fully described in Mr. Man's work,c On the Aboriginal Inhabitants of the Andaman Islands,' and I will there? fore pass on to the real subject of my paper, the Little Andaman Island. Beyond the bare fact of its existence, and of its being peopled by savages similar to those of the other Andaman Islands, we seem to have known nothing of the Little Andaman until 1867, when, the savages having attacked and murdered some of the crew of a ship which touched there for wood, a punitive expedition under Lieutenant Much was sent there. They landed on the south coast, and had some fighting with the savages, which can only have resulted in making them more hostile. The next visit was a conciliatory one, paid by General Sir Donald Stewart in 1873, who, after landing presents in Jackson Creek, was attacked. A slight skirmish ensued, in which a wounded savage was captured. He died shortly after being brought on board the steamer. * The depth of waterin these harbours averages8 fathoms,and is thussufficient forvessels of any draught. This content downloaded from 185.44.78.156 on Tue, 17 Jun 2014 16:02:25 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions THE EXPLORATIONAND SURVEY OF THE LITTLE ANDAMANS. 569 Then followed the expedition under Captain Wimberley, which was a punitive one, the savages at Hut Bay having massacred some Burmese sailors who landed for water. On this occasion the savages received a severe lesson. After this the island appears to have remained unvisited until 1880. On the North Sentinel Island, on Rutland Island, and in the jungles south and west of Port Blair, tribes of Andamanese exist who, at war with all mankind, are supposed from the similitude of their weapons and utensils to be offshoots of the Little Andaman tribes. They, in common with the Little Andaman tribes, passed as Jarawas, a name given them in the early days of the settlement. I made every endeavour to establish friendly relations with these tribes, both in the hope of being able to approach the Little Andaman people with their assistance, and in the case of the tribes residing in the jungle near the penal settlement, to break them of their habit of shooting all the convicts and others they met; yet, although I have lived in their jungles and had some of them living in my house, I seemed to make no impression on them, and the Chief Commissioner, Colonel T. Cadell, v.c, and I had to content our? selves with frequent conciliatory visits to the Little Andaman, when, although we placed presents on the shore, we were invariably attacked. The landing all round the island is difficult, owing to the surf, and the savages showed much cunning in allowing us to land and deposit presents, and then trying to cut us off on our return to the boats. No hostile steps were taken on our part. This policy of visiting the island and leaving presents was continued at intervals until the 13th January, 1885, when, after rowing up Jackson Creek, Colonel Cadell's party was attacked by a number of savages.