this the fact that they live in a state of nudity, are almost insensible to shame, and besmear themselves with a thick covering of mud to protect themselves from the bites of desperate insects, and you may picture to yourselves beings easily mistaken by superstitious seamen as but to be shunned, or spoken of only as heathens and cannibals. The implements, both agricultural and warlike, used by these rude children of nature, are of the simplest kind. Their lines for fishing are made of the bark of trees; their hooks of burnt wood and fish bones they use a bow of 4 or 5 feet in length, made of the fibres of a tree on strips of bamboo; and arrows of reed tipped with fish bone, or of wood hardened by fire. They use also a spear prepared in the same way, and a shield made of the bark of trees. Necessity has made them expert in the use of these rude arms: for even they have enemies to oppose and rights to defend.

This

The bays and creeks of the islands abound with the finest descriptions of fish-skate, pomfret, eels and cod in abundance: large quantities are caught during the N. E. monsoon. is their principal food. Their fishing canoes are made of the trunks, and their nets of the filaments of the bark, of trees. Such is their rude condition that the fish, as soon as caught, is thrown on the fire and eaten in a half roasted state. The variety and quantity of cattle is very limited. A few diminutive swine are found on the skirts of the forests: yet these, small as they are, are very scarce: they have probably either been left by casual navigators or been brought from the Nicobars in ba. ter. Though their principal food is fish, they eagerly grasp at whatever nature is pleased to provide; birds and even rats and insects often constitute their meal. The birds found on these islands are but few: they are the hawk, paroquet, kingfisher and gull. The edible bird's nest is also found here on the rocky crags; the species of singular bird that forms it, is perfectly black, and resembles a martin. The nest is formed of a thick mucilaginous substance made from sea blubber, and is, you are aware, esteemed a delicious food by the Chinese.

The vegetable supplies are equally scanty with the animal. The fruit of the mangrove has been found in their huts, steeped in mud; this, with sundry wild roots and leaves in a raw state, form their vegetable nutriment. Having no cooking utensils capable of resisting the influence of continued heat, they are prevented from enjoying the esculent plants with which it is probable the interior abounds. Their squalid appearance is the best evidence of the meanness of their diet. They do not even possess the cocoa-nut, so common to almost every other spot of earth in these luxuriant climes. The only animals they

have are hogs, rats, the ichneumon and guano of the lizard -tribe, with snakes and scorpions in rich variety. The rains are especially heavy. From observations made by the British resident, 98 inches fell in seven months; and the hurricanes are represented as most terrific. The trees are the banyan, almond, and oil trees, the redwood tree, almost equalling mahogany, and iron wood which is in abundance. Parasitic plants, of almost every kind and hue, abound.

The only ornaments used by these islanders, are the teeth and skulls of their enemies, with occasionally some of the gayer shells. The coast abounds with the most beautiful specimens in couchology and the finest descriptions of corals. They paint their eye-lashes and heads, with a kind of red-ochre, which gives them a still more hideous appearance than natural. Their habitations are extremely rude; they are composed of four sticks stuck into the ground, fastened at the top by fibres of trees and transversed by others, from which branches of trees are suspended, and an aperture is left at one side as a means of ingress and egress, the passage of smoke, &c. Leaves compose their only bed. Polygamy and infidelity in the connubial relation, as far as it can be ascertained, are unknown. The females are equally rude and shameless with the men: they are, like all rude people, extremely attached to their offspring, however, and the slaves of their lords.

Their religion is that of unaided nature. They have no idols, nor has it been ascertained that they offer worship, except an idolatrous one to the sun, moon, and other heavenly bodies as the representatives of the Great Supreme. Superstitious they are, of course; and probably a more extended acquaintance with them would shew that they have peopled every spot with terrific religious associations, and that they live in special dread of the evil one. They have apparently no caste, nor any chiefs but those who exhibit superiority in physical strength or cunning; nor have they any spots for religious assembly or for burial. If men could be happy in nature's rudest simplicity, and simply innocent in their rural seclusion, surely these are the people; but alas! here we find a people, who, without knowing it, are witnesses for this truth, that man was once upright and had a knowledge of God his maker and friend, but that he has fallen and now presents but a melancholy ruin of his former state-rendering, in his erring condition, that homage to the creature which he should render to the Creator and yet, even in this rudest of situations, fixing his attention not on senseless idols, like some of his more civilized brethren of mankind, but on the noblest and most sublime works of the God whom he knows but to dread. They also present offerings to the genii of the woods, lakes and forests; and espe

:

cially are they prone to worship "the spirit of the storm," during the S. W. monsoon. When those terrible gales arise which fill 'those that go down to sea in ships' with terror, they assemble on some rocky height and endeavour to deprecate the wrath of thestorm-raiser," by chaunting wild choruses. Those that have heard them, declare the melody of the songs to be wild but potent. Of their ideas of a future state, we can form but an indistinct opinion.

All the efforts of Europeans to establish a friendly relation with these singular and wild people, have proved abortive hitherto, though not hopeless; for the failure has, in a measure, arisen. from their timidity and the ill treatment some of them have received who have ventured to negotiate with the crews of our vessels. I am not aware that any permanent effort has been made to introduce either religion, education or civilization amongst them; though I rather think the mission of the Jesuits, in the 17th century, sent some of their fraternity to the Andamans; at least they did to the Nicobars; and it is highly probable that they would visit the adjacent islands. The mission was however abandoned, on account of the insalubrity of the climate. Some Catholic laity, at a still more recent date, I believe, visited them with religious intentions, but failed. The Mission of the Moravian church sent some labourers to the Nicobars and Andamans many years ago, but they were either cut off by disease or removed to other stations; beyond this, I believe, the Protestant Church has not made any efforts for their conversion.

The language of the Andamans differs from almost all the eastern dialects with which we are conversant. I subjoin a few specimens of the words in common use.

It is evident from these brief and desultory notices, that the islands are prolific in vegetation, unhealthy and thinly peopled; and yet the geographical position which they hold cannot, in itself, be the cause of their unhealthiness. It must arise from the perpetual springing and decaying of vegetable matter acted upon by a powerful sun and heavy rains. Cultivation would, in a great measure, cure this evil; for there is no new country that does not distress its first colonists with fevers, dysentery, and almost every formidable disease: but do these operate to prevent individuals from settling? The limited nature of the population and their degraded condition, are no argument why we should not endeavour to elevate and bless them, to bring them into the pale of civilized society, and give them a title for heaven. I have no wish wilfully to sacrifice valuable life, or to expend precious time in an improvident manner; but the duty of the Church is not discharged towards any section of our fallen family, until she has endeavoured to bring them into the fold by placing before them the message of salvation. But, "how shall they believe except they hear? and how shall they hear without a preacher? and how shall they preach except they be sent ?"

I have but to suggest, that in the favourable monsoon, the N. E., some person competent to the work might be deputed to visit and report on the practicability of establishing a mission on the Nicobar and Andaman Islands. Let us not be deterred by the notion that the inhabitants are men-eaters, or the climate pestilent. That was the character of the South Sea Islanders, and this is still the case in Sierra Leone; but grace has had its triumphs both in the one and the other. It is practicable to have intercourse with them, for they barter with the inhabitants of the Nicobars, and also with small vessels from the coast of Arracan. The exchange is fish, cowries, &c. for cocoa-nuts and other eatables. The traffic is not extensive, but it exists; and shows us that mercantile diligence will often venture where religious zeal fails. This ought not so to be.

I must acknowledge the obligations I am under, in drawing up even these rough notes on the Andamans, to Colonel Symes's account of his embassy to Ava, and to information communicated by some kind friends on the coast of Arracan, who willingly afforded what information was in their power on the subject. My hope is that they may serve to induce some one more competent to come forward and supply better information upon these or any other terra incognita which may lie even at our door.

III.-Remarks on "a Comparison of Indo-Chinese

Languages, &c."

The paper which appeared, under the above title, in the last, or January No. of the Calcutta Christian Observer, was no doubt perused with much interest by many of the readers of that periodical. The importance of such a comparison, as was therein partially instituted, of the very numerous languages or dialects spoken both within and beyond the Ganges, is, in every point of view, very considerable. Whether we aim at amelio rating the civil institutions of the vast populations among whom they are the media of intercourse, or to communicate to them the arts and sciences of the west; or, in a yet more interesting regard, contemplate the propagation of the everlasting gospel of the blessed God, in all its elevating, moralizing, and consolatory power, among nations yet in darkness upon all the most solemn verities of religion, and a consequent prey to degrading, demora lizing, cruel, impure and abominable superstitions; or whether lastly, in order to repress these and promote the spread of the divinely appointed antagonist influence of the Christian revelation, we seek to obtain an accurate as well as extensive acquaintance with these various dialects-in all points of view such investigations, as those in question, are most important. It is no ordinary labour to transfuse the truth of God into the language of man ; nor is it a small responsibility that rests upon those who undertake so solemn a duty. We think therefore that such investigations as those commenced by the Sadiyá missionaries are most highly laudable.

1. Of their execution of the task undertaken we can say but little, and that little confined to the language of our own Province of Bengal. Of course the excellent individual who furnished the " Comparison," will take our observations in good part, as our design is simply, and in good faith, to throw in our mite of aid to him in his useful investigations, as well as to draw the attention of others to the subject.

1. In the "Comparison of the Bengáli and Assamese," it is stated that "above six-tenths of the most common words are identical, except with slight variations of pronunciation." Now we have carefully examined the list of words from which this conclusion is drawn, and find that upwards of eight-tenths would be the more correct statement ; and that, of the 60 words, 50 are identical in Bengáli and Assamese. For, the most has not been made of the analogy between the two languages, by the introduction, into the Bengáli column, of such secondary forms in current use as come far nearer, in many cases, to the Assamese terms, than those given in the "Comparison." Thus bayu is compared with botah, while bát, equally a Bengáli form, is omitted. So, with asthi a bone, should have been given hár; with karna, kán; with hasti, háti; with pitá, báp; with matsya, máchh; for pushpa, phul; for mustak, mur; with shringa, shing; with bánar, bandar ; with chandra, chánd; for jananí, má; with, rátri, rát; with tail, tel; for prastar, shild; with dunta, dont; with grám, gán; all identical, or very nearly so, with the Assamese of the table.

In the same use of secondary forms, the results of comparison with some of the other columns also would be slightly varied; as the Bengali go, a cow, would much more nearly resemble the Khamti ngó and Siamese ngóa, than garu (the only form given) from which the Assamese górú is drawn. Thus too, were tej and lauha given in the Bengali column, for blood -with the former, signifying vigour, the principle of vigour (and so applied to the brain, marrow, bile, semen, &c.) would agree the Assamese tex, the Jilit ashai, the Koreng tazyui, &c. while the latter would appear to have originated the Khamti leüt and Siamese lat; whereas rakta shews no