248 Report on the Laccadive Islands. [No. 10, new series. 



XI. Report on the Management during Fusli 1268 of the Jive 

 Laccadive Islands. By E. G. Thomas, Esq., M. C. S. 

 ( Communicated by Government . ) 



1. The following are the few circumstances concerning the 

 former state of the Island and people of Menakoy which I could 

 learn from the Islanders, much more might probably be learnt 

 from the Beebee of Cannanore or the Sultan of the Maldives, if 

 either of them chose to be communicative : a written history of 

 considerable antiquity was accidentally destroyed in the Island 

 some years ago by fire. 



2. The Islanders areMusselmen of the "Suny" or " Safy" sect. 



3. Their language is that of the Maldives Islanders, and is 

 found in no other country though there is a great resemblance 

 between it and the Cingalese ; in religion and all domestic customs 

 also they say there is no difference whatever between them and the 

 Maldive people. 



4. In the Maldives there are many songs commemorating the 

 struggle that took place there when Mahomedanism first entered 

 as elsewhere by the sword, and it has now been the exclusive 

 religion there for about 500 years. 



5. There are no recollections of such a religious struggle in 

 Menakoy, and the Islanders therefore (believing that they un- 

 doubtedly first came from the Maldives the nearest land) date the 

 occurrence somewhere under 500 years ago. 



6. There are some small subterranean passages in one corner 

 of the Island, of the history of which the present inhabitants are 

 quite ignorant, and which probably served as places of refuge to a 

 former race who lived here at an earlier period. 



7. I could obtain no account of the way in which, or the date 

 when, the Beebee of Cannanore got possession of the Island : she is 

 said to have assumed the position of proprietor as well as Sovereign 

 of the Island on the occasion of the murder of one of her agents, 

 and she now owns by far the greater part. 



8. It is said that her sway over the Islanders was more power- 

 ful and oppressive before than since she was conquered by the 



