•I'5° ® N THE NlCOBAR IsLES, AND 



Cbowry, and the other Tricut, all clofely fituated : about ten leagues to the 

 N. E. of them is another called CatchouL * 



Almost the whole of thofe iflands" is .uncultivated, though there are a 

 number of large valleys, that might be rendered very fruitful, with little 

 trouble, the foil being naturally fertile, where the cocoanut, and all other 

 tropical fruits come fpontaneoufly to the higheir. perfection, together with 

 yams and fweet potatoes, to obtain which it is only neceflary to fcratch the 

 earth fuperflcially, and the feeds fo planted come forth in a few days, t 



The furrounding fea abounds with exquifite fifh, mell-iim, as cockles, 

 arid turtles; and a moil fplendid difpl ay of beautiful mells of the rarell 

 fort are to be met with on the (bore. Thebirds nefls,| fo much efteemed 

 in China, are alfo to be found among the rocks : ambergris is likewife to be 

 •met with, but the inhabitants have learned a mode of adulterating it, 

 and it is therefore feldom to be found in a genuine ftate : if adulterated 

 xvith any heterogeneous matter fuch as wax, or relin, the mode of difcov- 

 ery is fimply by placing a fmall bit of it upon the point of a knife 

 when hot, and if it evaporates without leaving any calx or Caput 

 Mortuum, and difFufes a ftrong fragrant fmell, it is certainly genuine. 



* In the year 1756, the Damp E. I. Company erefted on one of thefe iflands a houfe to ferve 2s a 

 a Fa&ory, but on their failure in the year 1758 it was evacuated. On the re eftabliftiment of the Company in 

 1768, another houfe was built on Soury Ifland, which was in 1775, in like manner, ordered to be evacua- 

 ted as ufelefs to the Company's interefts.; three or four European miffionaries, with a view of making pro- 

 felytes, remained behind and have continued there ever fince, but without effecting even the converfion of a 

 iingle perfon ; they colled, however, cocoanut oil, (hells, and other natural curiofities, which they fend 

 annually to their brethren at Tranquebar. 



An exaft plan of thofe Hands may be feen in the Neplune Oriental. 



+ Tricut being the fiatteft of thofe Iflands is divided amongft the inhabitants of the other two, where 

 they have their plantations of Cocoanut a\\&A>-eca Trees ; thefe laft being very abundant all over the iflands. 



% Nidos bos, rupibus oceani orienlalh affixos, parant hirwidincs marini, domejiicis mulia majores, ex holothurik 

 .mari innatantibus materiam decerj>snta. Kqemff. Amasn.-^-^, 8J3. 



