The Sun.
London, England, 1859-09-23 00:00:00

TILE ANDAMAN ISLANDS.

Among the recent " Selections from the Records
of the Government of India" is a remarkably inte-
resting series of papers on the Andamans. In obe-
dience to instructions from the Court of Directors,
the Indian Government appointed a committee on
the 20th Nov., 1857, to examine the above-named

group of islands, " with a view to the selection of
a site for the establishment of a penal settlement."
The Commissioners were Dr. Mouat, Inspector of
Jails, Dr. Playfair, and Lieut. Heathcote, I.N.' and
the result proved that better men could not have
been selected for the purpose. Though " placed in
the track of one of the greatest commercial high-

ways of the world," these islands have only been
known as the fabled haunts of cannibals, and as a

statio male fida carinis. Itnow appears that there
is every reason to question the man-eating propen-
sities of the poor savages, though there is no doubt
as to their having massacred all shipwrecked ma-
riners who fell into their hands, and,perhaps, burnt
their bodies. A party of islanders was, indeed,
once seen gathered about a fire, over which a human
body was being consumed, but it was already too
much charred to be fit for food. The inhabitants

are actually dwarf negroes, though how they tame
there cannot be ascertained, a nd•few of them exceed

five feet in stature. For the most part they are a
sturdy and well-built race, and ready to do battle
against all comers. It has been suggested, and

with much probability, that their extreme ferocity
towards strangers arises rather from desperation
than from natural barbarism, as the Burmese and

others hare frequently been in the habit of landing
on the islands and carrying off the wretched savages
into captivity. The natives are too ignorant to dis-
tinguish between different nations, and thus regard
all foreigners as their sworn foes. They are, more-
over, an indolent and improvident people. They
know nothing of agriculture, and live chiefly on
shell-fish. Sometimes they secure a few fish by
shooting them with a bow and arrows, but
they seem to have no idea of catching them
with a hook and line. Nets, however, are oc-
casionally used, and in stormy weather they
have recourse to rats and wild pigs, the only animals
found in the islands. Even birds are rare, owing
to the scarcity of fresh water, though it may be
found at a very short depth below the surface.
There is no trace of agricultural operations, and the
primeval forest remains in a state of nature. "Their
huts," we are told, "are rude and open on all sides.
In general they consist of four posts, the two ante-
rior being much higher than the two posterior ones,
which are close to the ground. The former varied
from three or four to about ten feet in height. The
thatch generally consisted of a few palm leaves
lightly bound together and overlapping each other.
In every village there were one or two huts of
larger dimensions, some 12 or 14 feet square, with
well-thatched roofs plaited on a rattan frame. One
quadrangular hut was seen, supported on corner
posts, with the eaves of the thatch within a foot
and a-half of the ground. Most of the others were
quite open in front and at the sides, the rear being
protected by the thatch reaching nearly to the
ground." These huts are often decorated with skulls
of pigs, tortoises, and fish. But neither men nor
women were half so much adorned. With the ex-
ception of a coating of red clay daubed on the top
of the head and the anterior part of the chest they
were entirely naked, even to every hair being
shaved off. To such a degree do they carry their
horror of hirsute appendages, that a deserter, hav-
ing fallen into their hands, had his head shaven
with a piece of bottle glass, but was otherwise well
treated. Their only weapons are bows and arrows,
the latter barbed with iron, and going straight to
a mark at 40 yards' distance, but in no instance has
poison been discovered. Their canoes are laboriously
excavated by means of a small adze with a woollen
head, in which is fixed a semicircular blade of iron
beaten out. The nautilus-shell serves these simple
islanders as a drinking-cup, and all their household
implements are of the most primitive kind. The
only vegetable food found in their huts was the
fruit of the mangrove, a large leguminous beau
sliced in shreds and soaked in fresh water' in a
small closely-woven net, and wild spinach. As to
their numbers, nothing could be ascertained,
but in all likelihood they do not exceed a few hun-
dreds. It is painful to think that utter extermina-
tion almost certainly awaits these wretched bar-
barians. Off Interview Island one was captured
by the expedition and taken to Calcutta, but as ho
almost immediately sickened he was sent back with
an ample supply of carpenters'tools, knives, cotton
cloth, thread, cords, axes, metal pots and pans,
beads, looking-glasses, and objects of savage finery.
It is not stated, however, if anything has since been
heard of this messenger of peace, or even if he sur-
vived to reach his native shores. At present a penal
settlement has been established at Port Blair, in
South Andaman, and, according to Dr. Walker,
with every prospect of success. It must be acknow-
ledged, however, that that gentleman appears to
entertain peculiar notions on the subject of convict
treatment. His " unequalled experience of the
management of Hindostani prisoners," as he him-
self modestly says,
encouraged him to undertake to
provide for 10,000 convicts per annum for at least
five consecutive years. But a little further on our
wonder is abated by the significant statement that
out of '773 convicted landed between the 10th of
March and the 12th of June, 1858, there remained
in custody en the 16th Juno no more than 481. Of
the others, 64 died in hospital, 140 effected their
escape, 1 committed suicide, and 87 were executed.
We observe, however, that the Calcutta papers re-
ceived by the last mail report Dr. Walker's "resig-
nation"—the Government having failed to appre-
ciate his unequalled experience.'—Allen's Indian
Nazi.

THE PLYMOUHTH REFORM BANQUET.—The pro-
posed reform dinner, which was to have been held on Wed-
has been postponed fcr the present to
snueistdtahYeactopnvevenliericite'of the Right Hon. James Wilson, who
is just now most busily engard in visiting various public
bodies in the north of England, or otherwise closely emu-
pied in transacting important business connected with hui
new official position. When the dinner takes place there
will be a re-union of the late and present members for Df -
vonport, and no doubt the largest room in the borough
R ill
be far tso small to accommodate all those via° will desire to
be present,—Plymouth Journal.