IMPERIAL GAZETfEER OF INDIA PROVINCIAL SERIES AN DAMAN AND N I CO BAR ISLANDS • SUPERINTENDENT OF GOVERNMENT PRINTING CALCUTTA . ,. • 1909 Price Rs:·~:_s, or 2s. 3d.] PREFACE THE articles in this volume were written by Lieut.-Colonel Sir Richard C. Temple, Bart., C.I.E., formerly Chid Com- • missioner, and have been brought up to date by the present officers of the Penal Settlement at Port Blair. · As regards the Andamans, the sections on Geology, Botany, and Fauna are based on notes supplied respectively by Mr. T. H. Holland, Director of the Geological Survey of India; Lieut.-Colonel Prain, I. M.S., formerly Superintendent of the Royal Botanical Gardens, Calcutta; and Major A. R. S. Anderson, I.M.S., formerly Senior Medical Officer, Port Blair. · Am~ng the printed works chiefly used ~ay be mentioned those of Mr. E. H. Man, C.I.E., and Mr. M. V. Portman, both formerly officers of the Penal Settlement. As regards the Nicobars, the sections on Geology, Botany, and Zoology are chiefly based on the notes of Dr. Rink of the Danish Ga!athea expedition, of Dr. von lfochstetter of the Austrian Novara expedition, and of the late Dr. Valentine Ball. The other printed works chiefly 11sed are those of Mr. E. H. Man, C.I.E., and the late Mr. de Roepstorff, an officer of the Penal Settlement. In both accounts. official reports have been freely used, while the article on the Penal Settlement at Port Blair is entirely based on them. For the remarks on the languages of the native population Sir Richard Temple is responsible. TAB~E OF CONTENTS PAGE ANDAMAN.. AND NICOBAR ISLANDS , I-5 POSITION I PORT BLAIR 2 AREA AND POPULATION 2 ETHNIC AFFINITIES • 3 REVENUE 4 ADMINISTRATIOtJ 4 SURVEYS. 4 ANDAMANS 5-26 PHYSICAL ASPECTS • 5-II Origin of name 6 Hills and rivers 6 Harbours 6 Scenery • 7 Geology . 7 Botany 8 Fauna 9 Climate 10 Temperature . 10 Rainfall . •' 10 Cyclonic storms II Earthquakes II . Tides II GENERAL HISTORY. II PoPULATION • _, I 2-23 Race and tribes 12 Language I3 Religion . I5 Death ceremonies 17 Physical characteristics x8 Mental characteristics I9 Social characteristics 20 Food • 20 • Dwellings • 20 Games. .• 2I Amusements 21 Vl TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE Family system 22 Marriage relations 22 Social emotions . •• 22 Nomenclature 23 INDUSTRIES 23 CoMMUNICATIONS . 23 TRIBAL ADMINISTRATION • 24 RELATIONS WITH THE BRITISH 25 BIBLIOGRAPHY . 25 NICOBARS . 2~53 PHYSICAl. ASPECTS • • . 26-3i. Origin of name ' 26 Hills 26 Rivers and streams • 27 Harbours • 27 Scenery . 27 Geology • 27 Botany 28 Fauna 29 Climate . 29 Temperature . 30 Rainfall • 30 Cyclonic storms 31 Earthquakes . 31 HISTORY 31-33 British Penal Settlement • 32 British colonization . 33 THE PEOPLE • • 33-48 Race and its divisions 33 Language 34 Religion • 36 Tabu 38 Funeral customs 39 Physical characteristics 41 :Mental characteristics . 43 Social characteristics 44 Food .• 44 Dwellings 44 Occupations 45 Games and amusements 45 Family system 46 Social emotions . 4) Nomenclature • • 47 MANUFACTURES 48 • TABLE OF CO ...YTE1.YTS vii PAGE 1:-.nrsTRIES AXD TRADE • 49-50 Internal trade . so CCRRENCY so RECKOXING • so Co~niUNICATIONS sx INTERNAL GovERN:O.IENT. 5I RELATIOXS WITH TH~ BRITISH 52 BIBLIOGRAPHY 53 PoRT BLAIR • 53-79 Pli'\"SICAL AsPECTs • 53-55 Coasts 53 Hills .• 54 Streams 54 HISTORY 55-57 Eighteenth century . 55 Present Settlement 55 History of penal system 55 TnE CoNVICTS . 57-63 Offences causing transportation ss Administration ss Subdivisions • ss Stations and villages 59 Penal system . 6o Judicial . 61 Classification of convicts 62 Discipline 62 'Free' and 'convict' districts 62 Convicts' descendants 63 PorULATION • 63-7I Language 64 Artificial conditions . 6s Distribution 66 Religion . 66 Occupation 66 Caste 66 Health and mortality 69 Effect of rainfall . 69 Sickness and death-rate 69 Prevalent diseases 71 AGRICULTURE AND ECONO:'IIICS · 71-73 Re,·enue system 7I • Cesses 72 General economic conditions • 73 FoRESTs. 73 viii TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE ' TRADE AND MANUFACTURES • • 73-75 \Vorkshops 74 Marine department • 75 Female jail • 15 Exports and imports .. 75 COMMUNICATIONS • . 75-76 Post Office • 76 FINANCE • 7&-77 Cost of convicts .- 77 Receipts and expenditure ·n PUBLIC WORKS . 7fr ' MILITARY 78 POLICE • • 78 EDUCATION 78 MEDICAL .. 78 - BARREN ISLAND • 79 CAR NICOBAR .. 79 ·NANCOWRY HARBOUR 79 N ARCONDAM IsLAND 79 INDEX • • 8o-88 MAP . at end • PROVINCIAL GAZETTEERS OF INDIA • ANDAl\fAN AND NICOBAR ISLANDS Andaman and Nicobar lslands.-A group of islands in Position. the Bay of Bengal, to which geographically belong also the Preparis and Cocos gtoups (under the Government of Burma). The islands are formed by the summits of a submarine range connected with the Arakan Yom a of Burma, stretching in . a curve, to which the meridian 92° E. forms a tangent, between Cape Negrais and Sumatra (Achin Head). The extreme north point of the Andamans lies in I3° 34' 3" N., and the extreme south point of the Nicobars in 6° 45' N. This curved line of submarine hills extends for 700 geogra­ phical miles, and encloses the Andaman Sea, bounded to the east by the coasts of Burma, the Malay Peninsula, and Suma­ tra, and communicating with the outer ocean by seven broad channels or openings, six from the Bay of Bengal on the west, and one from the Gulf of Siam on the east, the broadest being 9 I miles. Of these two are deep : the Ten Degrees Channel, 566 fathoms, and the Great Channel, 798 fathoms, while of the rest only the South Preparis Channel is more than 1oo fathoms deep. Within 30 miles to the west the Bay of Bengal, and within 100 miles to the east the Andaman Sea, each reach a depth of more than 2,ooo fathoms. The Ioo fathom line connects the Preparis group with Burma (Cape Negrais), converts all the Andamans with the Cocos group into one island, and, except for a few deeper soundings, all the Nicobars into another island. It would also convert the Invi­ sible Bank, 40 miles east of the South Andaman, now a mere rock awash in mid-ocean and a recognized danger of these seas from the earliest times, into a considerable island, and would. considerably enlarge the area of the marine volcano, Barren Isrand. Thus, geographically speaking, the Andamans and Cocc;>s are portions of ~ne summit, and the Nicobars of another, 2 ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR ISLANDS of the submarine range between Burma and Sumatra, whose eastern outlying spurs are expressed by the Invisible Bank and Barren Island. Narcondam belongs to the Asiatic continent (Burma). • Narcondamand Barren Island are properly volcanoes belong­ ing to the Sunda group, and lie, with the Nicobars, along one of the principal lines of weakness in the• earth's surface. The Andamans are just off this, and escape the violent earthquakes to which the others are liable. Tb-e general geographical phenomena are in fact the same as those of the Japan IslaRds, and of other groups similarly situated on various parts of the­ earth's surface. They· indicate "the existence of a submarine range of great length and height, spowing above the sea surface · as a string of islands, on the outer fringe of a mediterranean sea bordering a continental shore, having volcanoes on it or between it and the mainland. • Port Blair. PORT BLAIR, the head-quarters of the Administration, is situated by sea 78o miles from Calcutta, 740 miles from Madras, and 36o miles from Rangoon, with which ports there is regular communication. It is 140 miles from Car Nicobar, 225 miles from Nancowry Harbour, 265 miles from Great Nicobar, 105 miles from Nareondam, and 71 miles from Barren Island, the chief outlying points for local visits. Area and The land area of the islands under the Adminis~ration is popula­ 3,143 square miles: 2,5o8 square miles in the Andamans, and tion. 635 square miles in the Nicobars. The population of the whole area was returned at the Census of 1901 as 24,649: namely, Andamanese, 1,88z; Nicobarese, 6,511; the Penal Settlement, 16,256. The Andamanese population is decreasing to an alarming extent. It is now taken at under 2,ooo, while up to a genera­ tion ago it must have been about s,ooo. The children number only a fourth of the adults. The cause of the diminution of the population is infectious and contagious disease, the result of contact with an advanced civilization. Epidemics, all imported, of pneumonia (1868), syphilis (1876), measles (1877), and influenza (1892), together with exposure to the sun and wind in cleared spaces, the excessive use of tobacco (but not of intoxicants), and overclothing have been the chief means. Disease, ifltroduced by the carelessness or callousness of in­ dividuals in the first instance, and spread broadcast among the savages by their own ignorance in the next place, has worn down the actual numbers of the tribes,.. and has apparently rendered the union of the sexes infructuous in many cases. AN.DAMAN AND NICOBAR ISLANDS 3 The Nicobarese population is stationary. In the Census of 1901 the Shorn Pen tribe and foreign traders were included, but not in that of 1883. Excluding the extra figures, the population only rose from 5,942• in 1883 to 5,962 in 1901. This result supports the abstract argument that savage and semi-civilized populations quickly reach the limit of increase, that limit depending tm the method of gaining their livelihood in the area they occupy. As long as such people adhere to their habits of life, the population remains stationary after a short period of occupation of a new territory. When the territory occupied consists of islands, the population is espe­ cially limited by habits as to food production and by the area of productive occupation.