DESCRIPTION OF THE EXPEDITION. 37 
between them 30 boys and 36 girls. They are of two classes, imported negro labour 
from Mauritius and “ enfants des files,” mostly of mixed negro and Indian blood, many 
the descendants of negro siaves at the time when the oil-mills were turned by manual 
labour. We saw one old women who had herself been so employed at Diamant; she 
was, according to the books, 103 years old and remembered Moresby quite well in 1837. 
The “enfants des iles” make far the best workers, being accustomed to the sea from 
childhood, and, as they increase, will do away with the necessity for importing labour; 
when young they wander from place to place in the Chagos, perhaps making a voyage 
to Mauritius for a wife, but almost invariably return to the land of their birth. Each 
has a separate house of wood and coconut-leaves for himself and family and often asmall 
100 
“ 
cs as 
Teo ti ae 
ed ? a9 
nd 20 
28 22 Sal 
(See plan ~N°4) 
y 20 
70 751 
760 crl.m.mang 
Peros Banhos Atoll (from the Admiralty Chart, with large corrections by H.M.S. Sealark), 
enclosure for bananas, marrows, papayas, &c. All are nominally Roman Catholic, and 
there is a small shrine dedicated to St. Joseph cut in the base of a bois blanc, before 
which candles are burnt. ‘Their pay varies from 8 to 35 rupees a month, and is 
entirely for piecework. Women and children can earn 4 to 12 rupees by splitting 
open coconuts and cleaning the ground underneath the trees. Generally the task is 
completed by midday, but the people are too lazy ever to undertake a second on the 
same day. In addition each individual gets weekly 12 lbs. of rice, a little dall, curry 
stuff, oil, and salt, in addition to some vegetables and such fish as he or she likes to 
catch. A certain amount of the strong wine of Provence is kept in the store, one bottle 
being allowed to be bought daily. There is no crime, only a little drunkenness and a 
