Bad Water Ing-'places. — Kondul Roads. 87 



of tlic coast, we could not discover the spot, which in the 

 Danish charts is marked as furnishing water fit for drinking, 

 but perceived nothing save mangrove swamps, with numerous 

 water-courses filled witli brackish water, the two largest of 

 which we navigated in our gondola as far as was practicable. 



The island of Kondul in St. George's Channel forms another 

 very fair anchorage ; and similarly on the N. side of Great 

 Nicobar, one finds several suitable bays, the most easterly of 

 wliich, called Ganges Harbour, is fringed with coral banks, 

 rendering it proportionately difficult of access. The an- 

 chorage of Kondul may be selected for one reason, namely, 

 that it is land-locked towards both N.E. and S.W., besides 

 having the additional advantage of being airy, and distant 

 from the mangrove swamps, whereas in the bays on the N. 

 coast of Great Nicobar these are of immense extent. One of 

 these mangrove swamps in the central cove was traversed by 

 one of the naturalists, the result of which was that he found 

 a river debouching into the sea through the very heart of the 

 swamp, which, however, so long as the sea- water could find 

 entrance, was not of course drinkable. 



On the west side of Great Nicobar, along the whole length 

 of which we sailed, but which we could not visit more carefully, 

 owing to want of time and the heavy S.W. swell of the ocean, 

 several other promontories and coves are apparently available 

 as harbours, and moreover may be supposed to be the em- 

 bouchm'es of rivers. At the south point of Great Nicobar 

 there is a large bay, which however being quite exposed from 



