62 
N I C O B A R S. 
NICOBA'RS, or Nancaveris, a group of iflands, in 
the Eaftern Sea, fituated between lat. 8. and 9. N. and in 
Ion. 94. 20. E. to the northernmoft point of the ifland of 
Sumatra. The pofition of three of thefe iflands forms 
one of the fafell harbours in India, where (hips of all fizes 
may ride with the greateft fecurity, flieltered from all 
winds, about half a mile from fliore; with the additional 
advantage of two entrances, that may ferve for getting in 
and out, both with a north-eaft and fouth-weft monfoon, 
having a clear deep channel on each fide. The largeft of 
thefe iflands, called Nancaveri, or Nancoury, is about 
five or fix leagues in circumference, and better inhabited 
than either of the other two. The fecond is called Sowry, 
or Cliowry; and the other Tricut; all clofely fituated; 
and about ten leagues to the north-eaft of them is ano¬ 
ther called Catchoul. Almoft the whole of thefe iflands 
is uncultivated 5 though therearemany large valleys that 
might be rendered very fruitful with little trouble, the 
foil being naturally fertile, w'here the cocoa-nut and all 
other tropical fruits come fpontaneoufly to the higheft 
perfection, together with yams and fweet potatoes, for 
obtaining which it is only neceflary to fcratch the earth 
fuperficially, and the feeds fo planted come forth in a few 
days. Tricut, which is the flatteft of thefe iflands, is 
divided among the inhabitants of the other two, where 
they have their plantations of cocoa-nut and areca trees; 
thefe laft being very abundant all over the iflands. The 
furrounding fea abounds with exquifite fifh, fhell-fifh, as 
cockles and turtles ; and a moft fplendid dilplay of beau¬ 
tiful fhells of the rareft fort is to be met with on the fliore. 
Ambergris is found here, and the inhabitants have ac¬ 
quired the art of adulterating it; but the method of dis¬ 
covering whether it be adulterated with any heterogeneous 
fubftance, fuch as wax or refin, is to place a final! bit of 
it upon the point of a hot knife; and if it evaporates, 
without leaving any calx, and dilfufes a ftrong fragrant 
fmelljit is certainly genuine. 
The inhabitants of thefe iflands are of a copper colour, 
with fmall oblique eyes, fmall flat nofes, large mouths, 
thick lips, and black teeth; well proportioned in their 
bodies, rather fliort than tall, with large ears, in the lobes 
of which are large holes: they have black ftrong hair, 
which they cut round ; the men have little or no beard ; 
the hinder part of their head is much flatter than ours ; 
they never cut their nails, but they fliave their eye¬ 
brows. A long narrow cloth, made of the bark of a 
tree, round their waift and between their thighs, with 
one extremity hanging behind, (which has led foide 
ignorant perfons to report that they had tails, and to mif- 
lead even Linnaeus,) is their only drefs. The women re¬ 
ferable the men in colour and drefs, but are of fmaller 
ftature. Both fexes are very fond of drefs, whenever they 
can obtain it. They live in huts made of cocoa-nut leaves 
fupported on bamboos, about five or fix feet high from 
the ground : they enterthefe by aladder, and the floor is 
made partly of planks and partly of fplit bamboos. Sfx 
or eight people generally occupy one hut; and fkulls of 
wild boars form the moft valuable articles of furniture. 
The occupation of the men confifts in building and re¬ 
pairing their huts, and alfo in fifliing and trading to the 
neighbouring iflands. The women are employed in pre¬ 
paring the victuals and cultivating the ground ; they alfo 
paddle in the canoes when the men go out. Adultery is 
accounted highly ignominious; and infome cafes punilh- 
able not only with a difgraceful difmiflion, but even with 
death ; although the recriprocal lending of their wives of 
the fame caft is very common. A woman that has three 
children is reckoned very fruitful; few bear more than 
four. Few perfons in thefe iflands, particularly among 
the males, live to be older than forty or forty-eight years. 
They are themfelves fo fenfible of the fcanty population 
of their iflands, that they ftudy to increafe it by inviting, 
and even feducing, fome Malabars or Bengalefe to remain 
^amongft them, when brought thither by the country- 
Ihips, and of whom there are in almoft all villages fome 
to be found, who maybeeafily difeerned from the natives 
by their figure, features, colour, and language. 
The natives entertain the higheft opinion of fuch as are 
able to read and write, and they believe, that all Euro¬ 
peans, by this qualification only, are able to perform a£ts 
more than human ; and that the power of divination, 
controlling the winds and ftorms, and directing the ap¬ 
pearance of the planets, is entirely at our command. 
Behind or clofe by their huts, the dead are buried : 
all the relations and acquaintance cry for fome hours 
before the corpfe is put into the grave, where it is in¬ 
terred with all poflible folemnity, and in the beft drefs 
they can mufter, and with abundance of food. After 
the body is covered with earth, a poll is raifed and fixed 
in the ground over the head of the deceafed, about four 
feet high, to the top of which they fufpend ftripes of 
cloth with meal and areca-nuts, and ftrew cocoa-nuts all 
around. This fupply of food for the deceafed is even 
after continued; a cocoa-tree is alfo cut down for every 
perfon that dies. As foon as a man is dead, every one 
of the mourning-vifitors brings a large pot of toddy. 
The women fit round the corpfe howling and crying, and 
by turns they go and put their hands on the breaft and 
belly of the deceafed, who is covered with ftriped cloth ; 
the men are feated at a little diftance, drinking, and in¬ 
viting all the vifitors to do the fame ; endeavouring thus 
to dilpel their grief by a complete general intoxication, 
which never lafts lefs than a couple of days after the in¬ 
terment. 
The different changes of the moon are productive of 
great feftivity and mirth among the Nicobarians, when 
the doors of their huts are decorated with branches of 
palms and other trees : the infide is alfo adorned with 
feftoons made of flips of plantain-leaves. Their bodies 
are, in like manner, decorated with the fame ornaments ; 
and the day is fpent in finging, and dancing, and eating, 
and drinking toddy, till they are quite ftupified. The 
idea of years, and months, and days, is unknown to 
them, as they reckon by moons only, of which they 
number fourteen, feven to each monfoon. At the fair- 
feafon, or the beginning of the north-eaft monfoon, they 
fail in large canoes to the Carnicobar .?, called by them 
C/iampaloon. (See Carnicobar, vol. iii.) The objeCt of 
this voyage is trade; and for cloth, filver coin, iron, to¬ 
bacco, and fome other articles, which they obtain from 
Europeans, together with fowls, hogs, cocoa, and areca- 
nuts, the produce of their own illand, they receive in 
exchange, canoes, fpears, ambergris, tortoife-fhell, and 
fo forth. 
Ten or twelve huts form a village. The number of 
inhabitants on any one of thefe ifl?.nds does not exceed 
feven or eight hundred. Evfry village has its head-man, 
or captain, as they term him, who is generally the oldeft. 
Few difeafes are k.tiown amongft them; and the venereal 
not at all: the fmall-pox vifits them occafionally, but not 
of the cor.nuent kind: what is more prevalent amongft 
them, is the cedematous fwelling of one or both of the legs, 
known in the weft of India under the name of the Cochin- 
leg■, from the place where this diforder generally prevails. 
This endemial difeafe may be imputed to ill-chofen and 
badly-prepared diet, the bad choice of habitations, and an 
extremely indolent inactive life. Fevers and cholics are 
alfo frequent among them. When a perfon falls lick, he 
is immediately removed to the houfe of one of their priefts, 
or conjurors, Who orders the patient to be laid in a lupine 
pofture for fome time; then fried ion with fome oily fub¬ 
ftance is applied to the upper part of the body, and often 
repeated ; which remedy they indifcriminately ufe for all 
complaints, never adminiftering medicines internally. 
The only quadrupeds on thefe iflands are hogs and 
dogs : of the former, however, only the fows are kept, 
and they are fed principally with the milk of the cocoa- 
nut and its kernel, which renders the meat of a firmnefs 
and delicious tafte, even fuperior, both in colour and fla¬ 
vour, to the beft Englifli veal. It may be worthy remark, 
that. 
