﻿84 
  MALLET 
  : 
  VOLCANOES 
  OF 
  BARREN 
  ISLAND 
  AND 
  NARCONDAM. 
  

  

  However 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  any 
  crater, 
  now, 
  should 
  be 
  accounted 
  for 
  

  

  there 
  is 
  no 
  lack 
  of 
  evidence 
  pointing 
  to 
  the 
  im- 
  

   Volcano 
  long 
  extinct. 
  . 
  . 
  

  

  mense 
  period 
  during 
  which 
  the 
  volcano 
  has 
  been 
  

  

  extinct. 
  If 
  the 
  crater 
  has 
  been 
  destroyed 
  by 
  denudation, 
  we 
  have 
  the 
  

   evidence 
  in 
  such 
  destruction, 
  while, 
  if 
  the 
  volcano 
  be 
  of 
  the 
  endogenous 
  

   type, 
  similar 
  testimony 
  is 
  offered 
  by 
  the 
  profound 
  gorges 
  which 
  have 
  

   been 
  scooped 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  mountain 
  flanks 
  by- 
  pluvial 
  action, 
  1 
  and 
  the 
  

   encroachments 
  of 
  the 
  sea, 
  shown 
  by 
  the 
  lofty 
  cliffs 
  and 
  outlying 
  rocks. 
  

   The 
  derivation 
  of 
  the 
  word 
  l 
  Narcondam' 
  has 
  been 
  discussed 
  by 
  Colonel 
  

   Derivation 
  of 
  the 
  word 
  H 
  - 
  Yule 
  > 
  in 
  his 
  translation 
  of 
  Marco 
  Polo's 
  Travels. 
  

   ' 
  Narcondam/ 
  "Abraham 
  Roger 
  tells 
  us 
  that 
  the 
  Coromandel 
  

  

  " 
  Brahmans 
  used 
  to 
  say 
  that 
  the 
  Rdkshasas 
  or 
  Demons 
  had 
  their 
  abode 
  on 
  

   " 
  the 
  Island 
  of 
  Andaman 
  lying 
  on 
  the 
  route 
  from 
  Pulicat 
  to 
  Pegu/' 
  and 
  

   " 
  also 
  that 
  they 
  were 
  man-eaters. 
  This 
  would 
  be 
  very 
  curious 
  if 
  it 
  were 
  

   "a 
  genuine 
  old 
  Brahmanical 
  Saga; 
  but 
  I 
  fear 
  it 
  may 
  have 
  been 
  gathered 
  

   " 
  from 
  the 
  Arab 
  seamen. 
  Still 
  it 
  is 
  remarkable 
  that 
  a 
  strange, 
  weird-look- 
  

   " 
  ing 
  island, 
  a 
  steep 
  and 
  regular 
  volcanic 
  cone, 
  which 
  rises 
  to 
  a 
  height 
  of 
  

   "2,150 
  feet, 
  2 
  straight 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  deep 
  sea 
  to 
  the 
  eastward 
  of 
  the 
  Andaman 
  

   " 
  group, 
  bears 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  Narco?idam, 
  in 
  which 
  one 
  cannot 
  but 
  recognise 
  

   cf 
  ' 
  «Hch 
  » 
  NaraJc, 
  ' 
  Hell'; 
  perhaps 
  Naraka-Kundam, 
  'a 
  pit 
  of 
  hell/ 
  Can 
  

   " 
  it 
  be 
  that 
  in 
  old 
  times, 
  but 
  still 
  contemporary 
  with 
  Hindu 
  navigation, 
  

   u 
  this 
  volcano 
  was 
  active, 
  and 
  that 
  some 
  Brahman 
  St. 
  Brandon 
  recog- 
  

   "nised 
  in 
  it 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  Hell, 
  congenial 
  to 
  the 
  Rakshasas 
  of 
  the 
  adja- 
  

   " 
  cent 
  group 
  ? 
  " 
  3 
  

  

  It 
  will 
  have 
  been 
  seen, 
  from 
  the 
  foregoing 
  description, 
  that 
  the 
  term 
  

   " 
  pit 
  of 
  hell 
  " 
  is 
  quite 
  inapplicable 
  to 
  the 
  island 
  now 
  known 
  as 
  Narcon- 
  

  

  dam 
  a 
  lofty 
  conical 
  mountain, 
  without 
  any 
  crater 
  or 
  depression 
  at 
  the 
  

  

  top, 
  and 
  which, 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  confidently 
  asserted, 
  has 
  never 
  shown 
  any 
  sign 
  

  

  1 
  No 
  perennial 
  source 
  of 
  fresh 
  water 
  has 
  heen 
  discovered 
  on 
  the 
  island, 
  bnt 
  a 
  supply 
  

   might 
  probably 
  be 
  obtained 
  by 
  sinking 
  a 
  well, 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  sea-level, 
  in 
  the 
  bed 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  

   larger 
  water-courses, 
  

  

  a 
  This 
  was 
  the 
  height 
  given 
  by 
  Captain 
  Blair.— 
  F. 
  R. 
  M. 
  

  

  s 
  The 
  book 
  of 
  Ser 
  Marco 
  Polo, 
  translated 
  by 
  Colonel 
  Henry 
  Yule, 
  C.B., 
  2nd 
  edit., 
  

   Vol. 
  II, 
  p. 
  294. 
  

  

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  284 
  ) 
  

  

  