PART 4] 
Ball: Barren Island and Narkondam. 
89 
Dr. McClelland, writing in 1838,* says: “It is a volcanic cone raised to the height of 
7,800 feet. He gives a sketch showing the figure of the cone, the upper part of which is 
quite naked, presenting lines such as were doubtless formed by lava currents descending 
from the crater to the base, which last is covered with vegetation.” No soundings are to be 
found at the distance of half a mile from the shore. This account is reproduced by Mrs. 
Somerville, Dr. Daubeny, Dr. Buist and Mr. Scrope. 
Horsburghf says—Narkondam may be seen about 14 or 15 leagues from the deck, and 
appears in the form of a cone or pyramid with its summit broken off; it is bold and safe to 
approach all round. 
Mr. S. Kurz, in his report on the vegetation of the Andaman Islands, writes: “ Narkon¬ 
dam Island has an extinct volcano remarkable for the great height of its cone, being twice as 
high as its outer wall. Owing to the great height of the cone (perhaps 2,000 feet) in pro¬ 
portion to the surrounding wall, this island must have sunk very much, or the volcano must 
have been formed from a considerable depth in the sea.” Mr. Ivurz gives an outline 
sketch of the island as it appeared to him from a distance of 20 miles. 
In a paper on the geology of the neighbourhood of Port Blair, I made a few remarks 
on the appearance of Narkondam as seen from a few miles distance. In it I accepted the 
height of the cone, 2,150, given on the chart, as authentic. This, it will be seen by the 
sequel, I do not now adopt as correct. In the Indian Observer for the 10th of May a short 
account of the present visit will be found. 
"Viewed from the north-west at a distance of about 4 or 5 miles the island of Narkon¬ 
dam appears to consist of a tolerably regular cone which rises from an interrupted ring of 
irregularly piled masses. The apex is somewhat truncated, but has three distinct peaks. On 
the occasion in 1869 when I first saw the island a dense mass of cloud rested on the top, and 
I was unable to make out the character of the summit. But when subsequently scon, it was 
observed that there were three peaks as represented in the sketches published by Mr. Kurz 
and Dr. McClelland. The upper parts of the cone and the sides for more than half way 
down are deeply furrowed by ravines, and what appears to be a low scrub jungle spreads 
uniformly' over the island save upon some vertical scarped faces. 
With the general consent of those who have seen it, the conical form has been accepted 
as a proof of the volcanic character of the island. Dr. McClelland, as noted above, speaks of 
the lined appearanoe being “ doubtless formed by lava currents descending from the crater to 
the base.” These lines are, however, simply the result of erosion, and mark the position of the 
watercourses. 
The elevation of the summit of the cone has been vaidously estimated at from 700 to 
2,150 feet. Since however, according to Horsburgh, the island first becomes visible from the 
deck of a steamer at a distance of from 14 fo 15 leagues ; it is probable that about 1,300 feet 
would be nearer the true altitude, and such indeed, judging by the eye, ajipears to be a very 
fair estimate. 
On the occasion of our visit we landed in a small bay on the north-west side of the island. 
At about 100 yards distance from the beach the water became so shoal that we were compelled 
to land on a raft. We soon found that the jungle which, in the distant view, appeared to con¬ 
sist mainly of low scrub was really composed of large forest trees with a thick undergrowth. 
So dense was this, just above high water mark, that at first it seemed probable that it would 
be impossible to penetrate it. Added to the natural density of the jungle, another obstacle 
was presented by the prostrate condition of many of the trees, which in their fall had carried 
* On the difference of level in Indian Coal-fields, J. A. S. B. VII. Also in the Coal Committee’s report, and in 
Corbyn’s Indian Review. 
t Indian Directory, 6th Ed., Vol. II, 1343, p. 66. 
