Cocoa-nut supply. — Gradual use of Money. 123 



most of the nuts that arc put on sliip-boarcl are collected not 

 by the natives, but by the crews of the Malay vessels. All other 

 articles of export, such as Biche de mar, edible birds' nests, 

 tortoise-shell, amber, &c., are of very inferior importance, and 

 are only taken as by-freight. According to published docu- 

 ments the northern islands can supply 10,000,000 cocoa-nuts, 

 of which however, at present, not much more than 5,000,000, 

 to wit, 3,000,000 from Kar-Nicobar alone, and 2,000,000 

 from the rest of the islands, are exported in all. As this fruit 

 is one-sixth of the price it bears on the coasts of Bengal, the 

 concourse of English and Malay vessels, especially from Pulo 

 Penang, increases every year.* The trade is carried on by 

 way of barter instead of money payments, although silver is 

 highly valued too ; for here also, despite all that is reported 

 of the inordinate longing of the Nicobar natives for tobacco, 

 glass-beads, and such like rubbish, the truth of the adage is 

 fully borne out that '' Money is the most universal merchandise.''^ 

 Of silver coins, the natives are only acquainted with rupees, 

 Spanish dollars, and English three-penny pieces, which latter 

 they call " small rupees." Gold is as yet unknown among 

 the southern islands, and therefore is valueless in the eyes of 

 the natives. 



So long as the relations of the natives with foreign nations 

 were exclusively confined to barter with some couple of dozen 

 English and Malay vessels, whicli latter visited the islands 

 with the N.E. monsoon and left with the S.W. monsoon, thus 



* At Pulo Penang the jncul of ripe cocoa-nuts, 300, is worth 5^ dollars. 



