360 Notice of the Nicobar Islands. [No. 173. 



rising ground. I do not think that the spot was well chosen for an 

 European settlement, the harbour being surrounded on every side by 

 hills with the exception of the two entrances. This site must have 

 proved unhealthy to the settlers ; the low ground is very sandy, and the 

 soil appears to be inferior to that of Nicobar. 



Teressa Island appears to be ill adapted to be the head- quarters of a 

 colony ; the south of the island being an open place without a harbour, 

 is too much exposed to be a safe anchorage, the surf is tremendous, and 

 the only place for landing, is a small passage amongst sweeps. The 

 breakers in the NE. monsoon are also terrific. The northern part of 

 the island is partly protected by Bombaka, a small island, distant two 

 miles from Teressa, the hills of which rise suddenly from the beach ; but 

 that side being exposed to an easterly gale, the anchorage is not safe. 

 The low ground of Teressa is very sandy, and although the hills are 

 composed of red clay, they are covered in part by a coarse grass called 

 Lalan, and the vegetation does not appear to be so strong as in some 

 other islands. Lackshee is the largest village in the island: it is 

 situated towards the south, and contains seventeen huts, numbering 

 one hundred and four persons. It is in that village that the French 

 Missionaries dwelt, living in a native hut. The Islanders would not 

 allow them to build a house, although they had brought the materials 

 from Penang; being under the ridiculous impression, that if a house 

 were built different from theirs, they would all inevitably die. The Car- 

 Nicobarians have not those prejudices, having allowed the Missionaries 

 to build a house in 1836 in any shape they thought proper. 



The Missionaries entertained at first great hopes of converting the 

 natives ; the Islanders visited their houses frequently, and though they 

 did not appear to take much interest in their instructions, it was thought 

 that this might be attributed rather to the unsteadiness of their charac- 

 ter than to any determined aversion to their becoming Christians. 



The priests on becoming better acquainted with their character, 

 found that the trifles they had brought with them to the Nicobars, were 

 partly the cause of the seeming affection shewn to them at the begin- 

 ning. A school was opened by the Missionaries ; as children do what 

 they please, and parents having no controul over them, the school was 

 attended only by a few, and that for a very short time, so that not a 

 single boy could derive any benefit from it. 



