4 Voyage of the Novara. 



down with their arrows ; on the other hand the crew, con- 

 sisting of sixteen persons, were furnished with canoes and pro- 

 visions, so that without experiencing any farther ill-treatment 

 they were so fortunate as to reach Junkseilan. 



The first essay towards a settlement of the Nicobar 

 Islands was made by the Jesuits in 1711, upon the most 

 northerly island of the group, Kar-Nicobar. They succumbed 

 however to the noxious influences of the climate, and the few 

 neophytes speedily sank back into heathendom. 



The second attempt at colonization by Europeans took 

 place in 1756, when Lieutenant Tanck, a Dane, after taking 

 possession of the entire group in the name of his sovereign, 

 the King of Denmark, named the islands " FrederUcs Ocrnc " 

 (Frederick Islands), and founded the first colony on the 

 northern side of Great Nicobar, or Sambellong. In the year 

 1760 this was transferred by the followers of Tanck to the 

 island of Kamorta, but here too after a short time the ex- 

 periment failed, owing to the unhealthiness of the climate. 



In 1766, fourteen Moravian Brethren were settled on 

 Nangkauri, with the view of extending the influence of the 

 Danish East India Company. The want of information 

 respecting the necessary conditions under which this colony 

 was called into existence, was in all probability the cause of 

 its speedy declension. Within less than two decades the 

 majority of these settlers had fallen under the baneful influ- 

 ence of the climate. 



On 1st April, 1778, the Austrian vessel Joseph and 



