Mr Gardiner , The Natives of the Maldives. 19 
crews of their vessels, being of the same religion, took temporary 
wives with the result that many of the present race have a very 
marked tinge of the Arab in their features and forms. Negro 
slaves were imported from Zanzibar and Jeddah, being employed 
in the drawing and manufacture of coconut sugar. They married 
Maldivan women, and their descendants now form the Ravare 
caste. Caucasian slaves too were introduced for the nobles of 
Male. Many trace descent from Malay traders, but the latter 
exercised a greater influence on the race by introducing Burmese 
women. Their beauty was greatly esteemed, and even now the 
Maldivans consider a Mongoloid cast of features very comely. 
Male has been occupied at times by the Portuguese, French 
and Dutch. The first garrisoned it, and commenced its fortifica- 
tion, but made no permanent settlement, and during the greater 
period of their sway contented themselves with receiving tribute 
at Goa. The Dutch succeeded in the middle of the seventeenth 
century, their chief factor in Ceylon concluding a treaty of friend- 
ship, alliance and mutual defence with the Sultan. At 'the 
commencement of the nineteenth century the Maldives passed 
under the influence of the British, the same treaty being annually 
renewed with the governor of Ceylon, accompanied by mutual 
presents. The Dutch at times had a garrison at Male, and made 
of it a great fort, similar to those of southern India and Ceylon. 
Further they built a breakwater at the edge of the reef towards 
the lagoon of the atoll, as an outer line of defence. It also 
formed a safe harbour, in which to repair their vessels. The 
French merely had a party of troops in Male for six years during 
the Dutch period. They gave rise to the term faranje, which is 
now applied to all western peoples. From a variety of causes, 
however, the European races appear to have made no direct nor 
permanent mark on the race, so that their presence may be 
practically neglected. 
Suvadiva Atoll is separated by the “ One and Half Degree 
Channel,” 60 miles across from the central division, while Addu 
is cut off from Suvadiva by the “ Equatorial Channel ” of about 
the same breadth. South Mulaku is an isolated island — not 
atoll — lying mid-way between Suvadiva and Addu. Through 
these channels the equatorial current runs with great force, and 
even a voyage to Male was considered a momentous enterprise, 
not to be undertaken except with a favourable monsoon. The 
people of these atolls rarely intermarry with those of others, and 
in their appearance present a far greater uniformity. To none 
can the terms Mongoloid or Negroid be properly applied. In- 
deed the people very closely resemble village Singhalese. Owing 
to their isolation these atolls are more self-contained than any of 
the others. They grow their own grain and food-s tuffs, manu- 
2—2 
