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

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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 Island in detaii. The Andamans are a group of islands situated in the , 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 ; 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

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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 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 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. , 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 ,' 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.

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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 , 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. A slight skirmish ensued, and an unwounded man was taken prisoner. He afterwards died, in Port Blair, of pneumonia. From Jackson Creek we went to Hut Bay, where another skirmish took place, and it was evident that all the savages were thoroughly hostile. On the way back to Port Blair we stopped at the Cinque Islands, and found there a party of Malays collecting edible birds'-nests, who said a large party of Jarawas were on the island, and were hostile. I went to Port Blair to collect some men, and then returned to the island. After a fight, in which I lost one man, twenty-four of the Jarawas were captured, of whom nine were kept and brought to Port Blair, the rest being released. Of these one died in hospital and the remainder were kept in my house, where I endeavoured to conciliate them. I had sup? posed they were of the Butland Island tribe, but on taking them round in the station steamer found that they were Little Andaman people, who had come up to the Cinque Islands for turtle. Two men and two women were released in the Little Andaman in 1885. They were loaded with presents and had been well treated. Three men, Tomiti, Talai, and K6gio-Kai, by name, and a small boy named Eketi, remained with

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me until November 1885, when they were also released in Bumila Creek. I had succeeded in attaching them to me thoroughly and learning a little of their language, and it is in my opinion, entirely owing to the affection borne me by these people and by their agency, that I have at last been able to establish friendly relations with the , as the inhabitants of the Little Andaman call themselves. The island was visited at intervals after this, and presents were left, but none of the Onges were met with. In March 1886 Colonel Cadell despatched me alone, in the steamer Boss (a small yacht 102 feet in length), to the Little Andaman, as it was thought I might be able, by my personal influence over Toniiti and the others, to enter on friendly relations with some of the people. At Eketi Bay, where I first went, I was threatened by the Onges, who were, however, quite willing to take my presents; but, after spending a few days in Bumila Creek, the three men, Tomiti, Talai, and Kogio-Kai, came out from the jungle opposite my boat, accompanied by about a dozen others, and asked for presents, assuring me that they would not fire. I at once went ashore alone amongst them, and gave them presents, and after a few days was on very good terms with the neighbouring people. Captain Hobday, having by this time finished the survey of the Great Andaman, was anxious to connect the Little Andaman by triangulation, and thus fix its position. I remained, therefore, on the island nearly the whole of March, and my influence had by that time extended sufficiently to enable the survey party, in April, to connect the island with the Great Andaman, and to survey the coast-line from Titaije to Palalankwe. The island was found to be placed on the marine chart seven miles north of its true position, and it was considered necessary that a coast-line survey of it should be made; so I was sent there again on the 27th October, 1886, with instructions to explore the entire island, conciliate all the savages on it, and to remain there for three months. Should I not even then consider it safe for the survey party to go there, I was directed to survey it myself. I made Bumila Creek my headquarters, forming a small clearing and camp on the east bank. I anchored the steamer Boss, which had been again lent to me, at the mouth of the creek, opposite the camp. The Onges from the neighbouring huts came to visit me, and I made some short excursions to the nearer villages. Very stormy weather began just after my arrival, much retarding my work, and I was unable to proceed farther than Tokyui. On the 15th November a cyclone set in, which lasted till the 20th. The outlying reefs broke the force of the sea, and the Boss was not much damaged, but for three days I was unable to get ashore to.my camp, and?well, any one who has been through a cyclone in the Bay of Bengal, in a steam-yacht 100 feet long, can appreciate the situation. When I did get ashore, I found all the party had suffered very much. The clearing had been 18 inches under water, and the people were living on matchans; much damage

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. 571 had been done, and it was dangerous to move in the jungle owing to the falling trees. Many birds had been killed, and quantities of dead fish were washed up on the beach. The Onges came in to my camp for food, and seemed to have suffered much from the gale; several sick I had seen at Tokyui on the 13th had died. After this storm the place seemed to become unhealthy, and there was a great deal of sickness amongst my party, though I did not suffer much myself till January. The survey was now eommenced by me, as I was uncertain what reception the people might give to the Topographical Survey party should they come. I worked from the north point of the island, that being the point of its connection by triangulation with the Great Andaman, along the west coast. Bumila Creek is short, and blocked by reefs about half-a-mile from its mouth, so nothing larger than a rowing boat could go up. At Tokyui I found the people very friendly, and some caves exist there, in which edible birds'-nests are found. Jackson Creek, though large, with two big branches, is so blocked by a deposit of Band at the mouth, that it is difficult for even a boat to enter in rough weather. The land rises to the south of this, and landing became more and more difficult. The Onges at Eluba Gologe were by no means pleasant, and at Api Island I had to stop, and commence again at the north point, working eastwards. The north and north-east creeks are each about three miles in length, and are blocked at the mouth by sand and coral. The people at Titaije and Tambe-ebui (Tomiti's village) received me most cordially, and accompanied me along the coast. Teyai Creek, though the most beautiful and the largest in the island, is also blocked at the mouth by sand. At Toi-balowe I met the women whom I had cap? tured in 1885. They seemed delighted to see me. The people at the south-west are not as pleasant as the others; but I was able to keep the peace with them. I managed to close the survey on Api Island success? fully on the 7th January, 1887, and, after waiting ten days more to firmly cement the friendship I had made in the different villages, returned to Port Blair. I was accompanied throughout by my three friends, who had taught me a little of their language, which differs from the languages o? the inhabitants of the Great Andaman, and on two occasions made trips to Port Blair, taking up parties of Onges to see the Settlement. At the north end the island consists of mangrove swamp, and low belts of sandy soil, on which the aborigines have their huts. On tbe west and south-west the land rises into low hills of a coarse sandstone, running more or less north and south. The timber appears to be much the same as that of the South Andaman, though I saw no padouk, and very few bamboos. The rocks are chiefly lime and sandstone, with a srood deal of actual coral rock on the east and south coasts. In one place, south of Daogule Bay, I noticed an outcrop of igneous rock. I found no minerals of importance. The island is about 27 miles long by

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15 miles broad, and is encircled by a fringing . The products of the sea are the same as at the Great Andaman; but the Tubiporine family of coral, particularly Tubipora musica, occur in profusion. Dugong and turtle are very plentiful. On the , about 12 miles west of the Little Andaman, the turtle appear to have their breeding station. This island, which is composed entirely of coral rock, is infested by large iguanas, and the Birgus latro, or coco-nut-stealing crab (who certainly does not live on coco-nuts there, as there are none). In rough weather landing is almost impossible on the coast of the Little Andaman, and even in fine weather there are heavy ground-swells and tide-rigs. On the north coast large isolated reefs and ledges exist, which make navigation dangerous ; and as it is not probable, owing to the want of good anchorage, and the general valuelessness of the island, that we shall ever occupy it, all that remains to be done there, now that its position is determined, and its coast-line accurately laid down, is to keep the Onges from murdering shipwrecked crews who may be cast away there, and teach them to treat outsiders in a friendly manner, which can, I think, be accomplished in time without much difficulty. With regard to the aborigines of the island, I am of opinion that the whole of the Little Andaman Island is peopled by one race, calling themselves Onges. These people are subdivided into tribes, who adhere more or less to their own villages, and who quarrel and fight with each other considerably. They appear healthy, their principal diseases being chest complaints, colds, fever, and itch. In physique they compare favourably with the inhabitants of the Great Andaman. Their manners and customs differ somewhat from those of the Great Andaman peopley the principal differences I have noticed being the following:? Instead of small lean-to's, they build large circular huts, some measuring as much as 35 feet in height and 60 feet in diameter. In these huts the various families sleep, on charpoys of wood and cane matting, raised from 6 inches to 18 inches off the ground, and about 2 feet 6 inches square. Their habits are more cleanly, particularly as- regards their huts and the manner of preparing their food, which is invariably cooked. They cook, dry, and store in baskets a small fish like a sprat, and this, with the boiled seed of the mangrove, seems to he their principal food, which they supplement with what they can. Their canoes, utensils, ornaments, and bows are different from those of other Andamanese, and the women wear a tassel of yellow fibre in place of the leaf. They do not smear their bodies over with red ochre, or tattoo themselves, nor do the women keep their heads clean-shaved. They are by no means expert in the use of a canoe in rough water, and do not harpoon turtle or dugong, though very fond of the former. They have no religion of any kind, and I have learnt nothing of their traditions or superstitions, from which they seem even more free than their neighbours.

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With regard to their behaviour to shipwrrecked crews, I am of opinion that the crew of any native vessel wrecked there would still be liable to be massacred, and though a European, if wrecked on the north coast, mightbe well treated, I should not like to guarantee his safety. Ship- wrecked sailors are rarely diplomats, and would be extremely liable to resent the looting of their ships or persons in a manner which would certainly lead to their being killed. This looting cannot be prevented, the temptation being too great for any savage, however tame, and the general education of the Onges will take some years. On the 4th March, 1887, the island was visited by the Chief Com? missioner and Colonel Strahan, in charge of a survey party, with a view to correcting my survey and fixing the north and south points of the island by observation. This was successfully done, and my map having been approved was handed over to the survey party, and will be pro? duced by that department of the Government of India with the other maps of the islands. During this visit an incident occurred which exactly illustrates the temper of the savages. On the morning of the 9 th of March an assistant-surveyor, with a party, attended by some Andamanese, the three interpreters, and two canoes full of presents, had landed at Ingoie, and proceeded to survey the coast to Ingo-tijalu. Unfortunately the canoes were swamped in the surf, and the presents all lost; but the Onges, though disappointed at getting nothing, were fairly agreeable. At 4 p.m. the surveyor came offto the station steamer Kwangtung, which was anchored off Ingo-tijalu. At 5 p.m. I landed, accompanied by the commander of the Kwangtung, the chief engineer, Mr. Murray, and Colonel Eoberts of the Madras Staff Corps. Only three Andamanese were with me, and I had no presents. We were received by about twenty-five people, including women and children, all of whom, with the exception of two men, who had adzes in their belts, were unarmed. We walked along the shore together amicably, when the officers stopped to look at some fish, leaving me talking to the Onges a little way behind. Suddenly I heard a thud, and Mr. Murray " cried out, I am killed." I turned and saw him on his knees on the sand, the blood streaming from a wound on the back of his head, and a tall standing just behind him with a large adze in his hand. The attack was quite an unprovoked one, and from the fact that the women and children were present, and none of the other Onges were armed, I consider it to have been unpremeditated, and without the approval of the others, who immediately began to retire. The man was probably out of temper at receiving no presents. Kogio-Kai, who was with me, called to me to shoot the Onge, but none of us had any arms, and we returned to the boat and took Mr. Murray on board the Kwangtung for treatment. I then armed all the Europeans, and took them ashore in twroboats, Colonel Eoberts being in charge of the armed party. As my object was not to fight, but to secure the offender, I took with me Tomiti

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Talai, and Kogio-Kai, who landed in the surf and went up to the Onges who were sitting on the beach. Tomiti, after a few moments' conver- sation with them, went up to the man, snatched the adze from his belt, and with Talai's help secured him and brought him off to the boat. He was taken on board the Kwangtung, and brought up to Port Blair for punishment. I am glad to say Mr. Murray recovered from his wound, which was a very serious one. The behaviour of Tomiti and Talai in arresting their own countryman was beyond all praise. There are one or two points on which I should like to say a few words, one of which is the derivation of the word " Andaman." The Andaman Islands have been known to the Malays for certainly over three hundred years, and they, with the Arabs, have been in the habit of visiting them for edible birds'-nests, trepang, and slaves. I found that the Malays had names for the principal harbours, and claim to have given the name Andaman. While at Penang in 1885 with some Andamanese, I met Mr. W. Maxwell, a well-known Malay scholar, who told me that the Malays looked on the Andamanese as the monkey race mentioned in the Bama- " yana, and had for long known them as Orang Handouman" (as they pronounce the word Hanouman), the islands being known as the ?" Handoumans." Hamilton in the 17th century mentions the Anda? manese as slaves in Penang, and also tells curious stories of their journeying to the Nicobars for plunder or trade. To any one who knows anything of these people, their canoes, and their dread of even going out of sight of land, these stories appear sufficiently absurd, as is another iale of their bringing quicksilver from the Little Andaman. I have care? fully searched in this island and in the Great Andaman for minerals, and found no trace of quicksilver ore any where, nor did the savages know it when it was shown to them. I identify the islands with the Buzacatas or Aginates of Claudius Ptolemy, a.d. 127; but at what date they assumed the name Andaman I am unable to say. I should also like, if it is not considered presumptuous, to express my admiration at the manner in which the Topographical Survey of the Andamans under Captain Hobday was conducted. Of the survey itself I am not com- petent to give an opinion, so will just say that I have heard it described as one of the finest pieces of pure jungle-surveying which has been done. As officerin charge of the aborigines, I was apprehensive of difficulty with the savages, but nothing could exceed the tact and good temper with which Captain Hobday and his assistants treated them. Taking into consideration the continued exposure in the malarious jungles, the sickness they suffered, the torments of leeches in the wet weather, and the swarms of ticks, each bite leaving a nasty sore, in the dry weather, surely it would have been scarcely to be wondered at if they had lost their tempers, but on no occasion did they come into conflict with the savages, or indeed with any one else, with whom they had to deal; and

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not only that, but they in many instances gained the friendship of ?savages they had met. And now, in conclusion, one word in favour of the savages with whom I have been for so many years associated* I have often heard them t described as coal-black dwarfs, very treacherous and ferocious, cannibals, and quite without redeeming qualities. I don't deny that they are coal-black, because they are probably the most intensely black race in the world. As their average height is a little over five feet, I should scarcely call them dwarfs. I have never found them treacherous, and ferocious they are certainly not. Cannibals they never were, I believe, and my belief is supported both by all facts since 1858, when the Penal Settlement was opened, by their assertions, and declared abhorrence of the custom, and by the extreme improbability of any race, which can procure so much, and such varied food, both from the sea and land, in profusion, and with ease, ever taking to cannibalism. As to their having no redeeming qualities, they have very few bad qualities. Like ali savages they have short memories, and quick tenipers, and their emotions are short-lived, but it is rather by their behaviour to each other than by their reception of outsiders, that we should judge them. Small wonder, after the way the Malays and Arabs used to kidnap them for slaves, that they hated all outsiders, and revenged themselves on any unfortunate who was cast away on their island. Among themselves they are most gentle and good-natured; holding most things as common property, theft is almost unknown, and towards each other they seldom lie. With a strict monogamic system of marriage, infidelity and all attendant crimes were very rare. Being so low in the scale of civilisation, none of the vices of civilisation are known to them. They always treat well those who behave well to them, and as they have been strictly looked after by the local government, they look on ali white men as friends. They are charming companions in the jungle, full of life and fun, quite ready to see the comic side of every thing, and always cheerful and good-tempered. They pass their lives in hunting or dancing, their few wants being easily satisfied. Many of the men are very good-looking, as they have none of the thick lips, high cheek-bones, and flat noses of the negro type; though the women are rather of the Hottentot Venus order of beauty. It was indeed an evil day for the race when the Penal Settlement at Port Blair was established, and, through the convicts, disease crept in amongst them. Their association with outsiders has brought them nothing but harm, a,nd it is a matter of great regret to me that such a pleasant race are so rapidly becoming extinct. We could better spare many another. Beforethe paper, The Chairman (Sir RutherfordAlcock), in introducingMr. Portman,said that his paper dealt with explorations and surveys in an island previously almost unknown. The Andamans were chieflyassociated in the memoryof English-

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 576 EXPLORATIONAND SURVEY OF THE LITTLE ANDAMANS.?DISCUSSION. men with the assassinatronof Earl Mayo, but very little was known about the most southernisland of the group, called Little Andaman. The Society was always glad to welcomeany well-certinedfacts about a new country,for they never knew what might be the result. Cook made his celebratedvoyage forthe purpose of observing the transit of Yenus, and that voyage led to the colonisationof Australia, New Zealand, and Tasmania. Afterthe paper, ProfessorFloweb (Director of the Natural History Museum) said that he had never had the privilege of seeing an Andaman islander alive, but he had examinedmany of their bones and skulls, so that he knew somethingabout their size, their proportions,and their physical relations to other races. It was most remarkablethat Little Andaman, which was, roughlyspeaking, about the size of the Isle of Wight, was, until Mr. Portmanvisited it in 1880, as isolated fromthe civilisedworld as any regioncould be. The natives had lived therefor thousands of years withoutany communicationwith the outer world except withthe unfortunate shipwreckedcrews that had been east upon their shores,whom they appeared to have invariably murdered. One of the greatest privileges a geographer and anthropologistcould have at the present day was to be brought into peaceful contact with such a race, and to be able to lift up the veil behind which they had been so long concealed. There were many details about the Andamanese,their appearance,size, colour,habits, mode of life,&c, that he hoped Mr. Portmanwould make known at some futuretime. It was most importantthat that information should be given as early as possible, because in a few years the habits of the natives would be entirelychanged, and beforelong the race would be exterminated. That resultwas goingon veryrapidly in the GreatAndaman Islands. The presence of 12,000 convicts fromthe mainland of India must produce changes among the natives. The Andamanesewere a particularlyinteresting race to the anthropologist, because they seemedto be the purest examples still remainingof one of the large branchesof the human race which, accordingto the modernview, was at one time widely spread over the southernportion of India, the Malay Peninsula, the Indian Archipelago,and New Guinea. They were a race of small people with frizzlyhair and dark complexions,differing in their featuresand formof skull fromthe African negroes. A good deal of the evidence of the existence of this negroid race over India was rathervague, but the theorywas that they were the original population; that they had been supersededby Caucasian and Malay races; that tracesof them were to be foundhere and there in some of the remoterparts of India, and that their influenceaccounted for the black complexions and woolly hair occasionally found in Southern Asia and in the Philippine and other neighbouringislands. Only in the Andaman Islands were these people still found perfectlypure, without any admixturewhatever. These islands were thereforeof greatinterest to anthro* pologists,and all informationabout the natives of them was of very great value. The Chairman said they were all indebted to Mr. Portmanfor bringing before them the most recent informationabout the negroid race. It did not appear that this race gained anything by civilisation. Not only were they becoming exter? minated,but they had caught everythingof evil which was likely to come from people who had more vices than themselves. Admiral Mayne's summaryaccount of the explorations made in the last five years by the British North Borneo Company'sofficers had been suggested at the last meeting by the Presidentafter hearingan interestingaccount fromMr. Daly of the explorationshe had personally conductedinto the wholly unknowninterior of this great territory. We had much to learn yet of this terraincognita, but were much indebted to Admiral Mayne for his very clear expositionof the progressactually made.

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