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APRIL, 1897.]
SPIRIT BASIS OF BELIEF AND CUSTOM.
91
toungyas ; the Karens have some, but not the Salones; in fact, "dorian" trees bear fruit only in the rains, a time when the Chineso do not visit the islands, so that I think the story, as it passed through the hands of the interpreter, may probably have been somewhat added to.
Mynt Sein tells me that the party of Salones at this settlement of Yaymyitgyee con. sists of 10 houses and about 40 persons; that the headman, by name Shway Doke, was formerly one of the paid headmen, and can speak Burmese well, so that it would be natural to infer that he would be well aware of our good intentions, and would have come in for protection and redress if he needed it. Myat Sein further tells me that they expect another five boats ou families to come in this year from Elphinstone Island and join them in the permanent settlement.
I think I may, therefore, say from the above that though we have abundant grounds of knowing that the Salones are no doubt subject to much extortion and swindling at the hands of Malays and Chinese, there is nothing to show that the only one settlement they have as yet made has been in any way harassed, ill-treated, or interfered with; in fact, from the settlement being still in existence, and from the increment expected to join them this year, there is every reason to believe to the contrary.
As regards the traders who visit the Salones, knowing their great skill in spenring fish and diving for shells, no doubt, often do, as it were, hang on their skirts, and take their fish in exchange for rice at very unfair rates; how far the exchange is conducted by fair barter, how far. by trickery or force, it wonld be difficult to say, but as long as they will wander about in distant and out-of-the-way places, it is quite impossible to prevent this sort of thing being carried on.
As regards drugging the liquor supplied to the Salones, this may have been done in old times once or twice, but there is no reason to believe it to be a common practice. The effect of ordinary country-spirit should, I think, be quite sufficiently powerful to render resort to other drugs unnecessary. Furthermore, the Salones are so mild and timid that they freely give up everything without resistance, so that neither force por drugging should, I think, be required to be resorted to.
We now come to the last head of the Report, regarding the prevalence of illicit sale of spirits by unlicensed traders. To prevent illicit distilling and sale in the islands, a license has always been granted for the supply of spirits to the fishermen, in the hope that the former would keep down all other secret manufacture. But, considering the enormous number of islands, several over 100 miles in circumference, covered with dense jungles, the numerous creeks, bays, and channels of which in every direction give every facility for illicit manufacture, to properly check this an enormous cordon of boats would be required, and the result would be totally inadequate to the cost.
The reports attached by me will show that the subject has by no means been neglected, but has from time to time been studied with much attention and interest by each succeeding officer in charge of the district, and the only obstacle to carrying out their humanitarian views has always been the qnestion of expense.
(To ve continued.)
NOTES ON THE SPIRIT BASIS OF BELIEF AND CUSTOM.
BY J. M. CAMPBELL, C.I.E., I.C.S.
(Continued from p. 14) Shells. - In India, spirits fear shells, especially the shells called bhavanf cowries, that is. the cowries of Bhavani, the wife of Siva. Indian spirits are also much afraid of the conch-shell or sunkha of Vishņu. In the Bombay Konkan, the belief in the spirit-scaring virtue of the
12 Cyprua moneta.
13 Bucci. 14, unslatน..
