1835.] Island of Rambree on the Arracan Coast. 85 



their turn depended for support upon the young mangroves and other 

 marine plants that grew upon it. After some little exertion both 

 elephants and men succeeded in reaching the Terra Firma of a stubble 

 field. I here met the Soogree of the district, who had in some way 

 been apprized of my arrival, and came out for the purpose of conduct- 

 ing me to the village of Singhunnethe. It was at no great distance 

 from the creek, so that I was soon there, and in possession of the 

 house that had been allotted for my accommodation. Singhunnethe, as 

 was the case with all the villages that I had seen on the southern side 

 of the island, is surrounded with plantain trees, which not only afford 

 a wholesome and favourite article of food, but are in constant request 

 for the production of a solution of potash* used in the preparation of 

 dyes, more especially in those derived from indigo. The mode in 

 which the potash is obtained from the plantain trees is similar to that 

 followed in other parts of the world in its extraction from the differ- 

 ent vegetable substances that produce it, with this exception, that it 

 is held in solution by the water, which is not suffered to evaporate. 

 The stem and branches of the plantain tree are divested of the outer 

 rind, and then broken up into small pieces, which are laid upon the fire 

 and slowly consumed ; the ashes are lixiviated with water which is 

 strained off, and reserved for mixture with the dyes. In front of the 

 Soogree' s house, and in the centre of the village, a nice tank had been 

 dug; the only one I had hitherto met with, tanks being seldom seen 

 except in the neighbourhood of large towns. The houses were neat 

 and built with more attention to comfort and order than is general in 

 the villages of Rambree. I remarked a hideous representation of the 

 human countenance drawn with lime upon several of the door-posts. 

 I was told, it is put up to deter the demon of sickness from entering 

 the dwelling. Much sickness had been experienced of late, and this 

 was one of the many absurd customs resorted to, with the view of 

 ridding the neighbourhood of its presence. I further learned that 

 when any one of a family has been a long time sick, and recovery ap-. 

 pears doubtful, the inmates of the house assemble and make a tremen- 

 dous noise with drums and gongs, at the same time beating the roof 

 and walls with sticks to expel the evil spirit who is supposed to have 

 taken possession of the dwelling. One door alone is left open for 

 his escape, all the others being closed. While this is going on a Phoon- 



* During the time that Government held the monopoly of salt in Arracan, the 

 plantain trees frequently afforded to the poor a substitute for the common sea 

 salt. So strictly were the Government rights protected, that a poor woman was 

 actually prosecuted in one of the courts for collecting a little sea salt off a. rock 

 on which it had been deposited on the evaporation of the water left by the tide ! 



