Indian Antiquary Vol 60

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Charles E A W Oldham, S Krishnaswami Aiyangar, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarka
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 157

JULY, 1931) REMARKS ON THE NICOBAR ISLANDERS AND THEIR COUNTRY
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now on the Island having been understated to the enumerators. Much of the increase shown in the Central Group and Teressa is attributable to immigration and very probably also to incorrect information having been furnished to the enumerators, either at this Census or the last one. As to the Sbom Pen, it is still impossible to ascertain their numbers any more than it is at present to enumerate the Onges and the Jarawas at the Andamang.
Saibu was appointed Chief of Malacca village in place of Iskol, who was lately sent to Port Blair for abetment of murder, and the prescribed certificate and uniform were presented to him. Having received from the Government Agent his diaries and returns, we returned to the steamer, which left for Port Blair at 4-30 p.m., and arrived here at 10 a.m. on the 14th January.
Captain A. R. S. Anderson's Report 6th January.- Car Nicobar in sight at daybreak; at 8 we dropped anchor in Sawi Bay. After breakfast the Census Officers landed about half mile south of Mus, and at once directed their steps to Solomon's house. Ascending some 20 steps in the low cliff at the back of the beach we reached a well-beaten, broad, hard, earthen road with a sign-post directing us to "Temple Villa." Magnificent cocoanut trees, many fully 100 feet high, stretched on every side, and their boles formed the play-ground of vast numbers of the commonest Andamanese lizard Gonyocephalus subcristatus. Many of these I and some Nicobarese boys captured with a running noose tied in a shred of cocoanut leaf. Even when put round their necks the lizards do not fear this snare. After Solomon had been duly instructed regarding the Census operations, I inspected the meteorological instruments and found them and the houses containing them in good condition, except the thermometer shed, the northern roof of which was partly off-indeed, had never been put on from the mistaken idea that ample ventilation was required. The consequence of this has been that, when the sun is north of Car Nicobar, he sends his rays freely into the interior of the shed, and causes the thermometric readings to be considerably higher than those of the circumambient air. I instructed Solomon to have the shed re-thatched and the northern roof filled in, leaving a small hole only for ventilation.
The situation of the meteorological station at Mus is by no means good -- wide clearing in a forest of high trees. The wind gauge must frequently register both wrong force and direotion of wind, as the tree tops are considerably above the wind vanes. For the same reason the rain gauges must be erroneous. Unfortunately, there appears to be no other and unobjectionable site in Mus. I afterwards walked through the village of Mus and found that the most prevalent disease is, as is the case in the Laccadive Islands, itoh. Both children and adults are affeoted, and some most severely. I instructed Solomon how to oure the disease, and gave him appropriate remedies. There is also a little filariasis among the people. The most striking feature of Mus is the large number and variety of fruit trees; for, in addition to cocoanut and pandanus, there are shaddock, pumelo, orange, lime, papaya and guava trees. Fowls and pigs breed very freely, and are extremely plentiful. Imported Indian cattle and goata flourish, but the latter are frequently killed by the village pariah dogs. A little cotton is grown and collected.
6th January. This morning we reached Chowra, landed after breakfast, and I took the Census of the inhabitants of Paland Raichafé. Here, alone, did I experience any discourtesy from a drunken Nicobarese man. As he was considerably interrupting the work, one of the policemen removed him from the machan under his hut and, with entire approval of the other inhabitants, laid him down in the shade of a tree at a sufficient distance from our operations. Thereafter the enumeration proceeded smoothly and swiftly. The inhabitants of Chowra suffer very greatly from filariasis. Of the eleven occupants of a boat that put off to us, no less than five were afflicted with the disease. One had elephantiasis of one leg, the other four suffererg bed lymphatic swellings and enlarged glands in the groins; two of the eleven men were also affected with itch. From what I saw, from one-third to one-half the people are diseased.