162 



Memoranda relative to three Andamanese. 



[No. 2, 



Memoranda relative to three Andamanese in the charge of Major 

 Tickell, when Deputy Commissioner of Amherst, Tenasserim, in 

 1861.—% Col. S. E. Tickell. 



In May, 1861, three Andamanese, who had been captured near 

 Port Blair some time previously, and sent over to Eangoon by the 

 Superintendent, Colonel (then Major) Haughton, for educational 

 purposes, were placed in my charge by Colonel Phayre, at that time 

 Commissioner of Pegu. 



Hitherto they had been attended to by one of the men of the Naval 

 Brigade at Port Blair, to whom they seemed much attached ; but they 

 were parted from their keeper at Eangoon, and sent over to Maul- 

 mein under the care of one of the Officers of the Steamer, who 

 forwarded them to me on their arrival. 



They were dressed, when I first saw them, in light sailor's costume, 

 slops and jumpers of white duck, and straw hats, bound with broad 

 black ribbon, bearing the ship's name to which their former guardian 

 had belonged. They could not speak a single word intelligible to a 

 by-stander, and looked so frightened and miserable amongst new 

 faces, that after many attempts at coaxing and cheering them up, I 

 considered the best plan to take them back to the steamer, and 

 re-ship them for Eangoon. One of the small hack palankeen carriages 

 that ply in Maulmein was therefore procured, into which they got 

 with alacrity, fancying I suppose they were to be immediately driven 

 to Port Blair, and off they started for the steamer But I had hardly 

 re-entered the house and commenced a letter to Colonel Phayre about 

 them, when back they came, walking hand-in-hand with a Burman, 

 amid a crowd of people, and appearing as excited and joyful as they 

 were before dejected. On enquiring the reason of their return, I was 

 told that as the carriage was proceeding up the road, they had espied 

 a Burman whom they had known at Port Blair, and overjoyed at the 

 sight of a familiar face, one of them had opened the door, and before 

 the vehicle could be stopped, got out, (thereby receiving a rough fall 

 on the ground,) and embraced his old friend, whom they all three 

 accompanied back to my house, in great glee, laughing, patting Irim 

 on the breast, and putting their arms round his neck. That same 

 evening I engaged his services to take the immediate charge of the 



